"There, there! Why, child you're hysterical over this, which is--is too preposterous for belief!"
"Nothing is too preposterous for belief. You know that. Everybody knows it in these days! Is Belgium too preposterous? Is that record of poison and powdered glass in hospital supplies too preposterous? In _hospital_ supplies! If they do that to wounded men, why not to cavalry horses? Why Papa Phil----"
"Hush--hush--hush!" he said pacing the floor, clasping his head in both hands. "It is too terrible! What can we do? What? Who dare we trust to even help investigate?"
"Well, you might wire those agents for particulars, this is rather skimpy," suggested Billie. "Come and get some breakfast and think it over."
"I might wire the office of the Peace Society in New York to----"
"Don't you do it!" protested Billie. "They may have furnished the poison for all _you_ know! Cap Pike says they are a lot of traitors, and Cap is wise in lots of things. You telegraph, and you tell them that if the sickness is proven to have started in Granados, that we will pay for every dead horse, tell them we have no sick horses here, and ask them to answer, _pronto!_"
"That seems rather reckless, child, to pay for all----"
"I _am_ reckless! I am crazy mad over those horses, and over Conrad, and over Kit whom he tried to kill!"
"Tut--tut! The language and behavior of Rhodes was too wicked for anyone to believe him innocent. He was a beastly looking object, and I still believe him entirely in the wrong. This loss of the horses is deplorable, but you will find that no one at Granados is to blame."
"Maybe so, but you just send that telegram and see what we see!"
Billie was never out of hearing of the telephone all day, and at two o'clock the reply came.
PHILIP SINGLETON, Rancho Granados, Arizona.
Kindly wire in detail the source of your information. No message went to Granados from this office. No publicity has been given to the dead horse situation. Your inquiry very important to the Department of Justice.
"Very strange, very!" murmured Singleton. "No matter how hard I think, or from what angle, I can't account for it. Billie, this is too intricate for me. The best thing I can do is to go over to Nogales and talk to an attorney."