Then he turned toward Truedale as if noticing him for the first
time.
"How-de?" he said. Finally his gaze shifted to Nella-Rose and seemed to
burn into her soul.
"Goin', p'r'aps, or--comin'?" he questioned.
"I--I am--going!" Fright and dismay marked the girl's voice. Truedale
went toward her. The covert brutality in White's words shocked and
angered him. He gave no thought to the cause, but he resented the
insult.
"Wait!" he commanded, for Nella-Rose was gone through the open door.
"Wait!"
Seeing that she had for the moment escaped him, Truedale turned to White
and confronted him with clear, angry eyes.
"What have you got to say for yourself?" he demanded fiercely.
The shock had been tremendous for Jim. Three weeks previously he had
left his charge safe and alone; he had come back and found--But shock
always stiffened Jim White; that was one reason for his success in life.
He was never so inflexible and deadly self-possessed as he was when he
could not see the next step ahead.
"Gawd, but I'm tired!" he said, when he had stared at Truedale as long
as he cared to, "I'm going over to my place to turn in. Seems like I'll
sleep for a month once I get started."
"You don't go, White, until you explain what you meant by--"
But Truedale mistook his man. Jim, having drawn his own conclusion,
laughed and strode toward the door.
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