“Is she home again, then?” demanded Nan.
“So it seems. Listen, I say,” and
Rhoda began to read:
“’Miss R. HAMMOND,
“’ROSE RANCH.
“’Dear Miss:—
“’I have arrived to my mother at Honoragas,
and I take this pen in hand to let you know that Juan
Sivello, Lobarto’s nephew, who has come from
the South—he is one of those who lisp—’”
“What does she mean by that?” interrupted
Bess, in curiosity.
“The Mexicans of the southern provinces—many
of the—do not pronounce the letter ‘s’
clearly. They lisp,” explained Rhoda.
“Now let me read her letter.” Then
she pursued:
“’—one of those who lisp—and
it is said of him that he has of his uncle’s
hand a map, or the like, which shows where the treasure
lies buried at Rose Ranch. This news comes to
my mother’s ears by round-about. We do
not know for sure. But Juan Sivello is one bad
man like his uncle, Lobarto. It is the truth I
write with this pen. Juan has collected together,
it is said round-about, some men who once rode the
ranges with Lobarto, and they go up into your country.
For what? It is too easy, Miss. It is—’”
“Oh! Oh!” giggled Bess. “What
delicious slang!”
“I guess foreigners learn American slang before
they learn the grammar,” laughed Rhoda.
“What else, Rhoda?” cried Grace.
“It is to search out the treasure buried so
long ago by Lobarto. If the map Juan has is true,
he will find it. Then my mother will lose forever
what Lobarto stole from our hacienda. Is it not
possible that the Senor Hammond, thy father, should
get soldiers of the Americano army, and round up those
bad Mexicanos and Juan Sivello, take from him the
map and find the treasure? My mother will pay
much dinero for reward.
“’Believe me, Senorita R. Hammond, your
much good friend,
“‘JUANITA O’HARRA.’
“She doesn’t sound at all as she talked
that day she caught me in the woods, Nan,” added
Rhoda with a laugh.
“The poor girl!” commented Nan. “I
wish we could find her mother’s money.”
“Say! I wish we could find all that treasure
for ourselves,” cried Bess. “No use
giving it all to your Juanita.”
“Do you suppose, girls,” said Rhoda thoughtfully,
“that those men we saw coming through the gap
in the Blue Buttes were this Sivello and his gang?”
“Are they horse thieves?” cried Bess.
“Why not?”
“And how about that fellow you were going to
shoot over at the bears’ den?” asked Grace
suddenly. “Why, Rhoda, that fellow lisped.
He said ‘Theniorita.’ I heard him.”
The other girls all acclaimed Grace Mason’s
good memory. Spurred by her words they all recalled
now that the strange man who had so frightened them
at the mouth of the bears’ den had used in his
speech “th” for “s.”
UNCERTAINTIES
