HARD-PAN
A STORY OF BONANZA FORTUNES
BY
GERALDINE BONNER
NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1900
Copyright, 1900, by
The Century Co.
The De Vinne Press.
DINNER was coming to an end. TheChinaman, soft-footed in his immaculatewhite, had just finished his circuit of the table,leaving a tiny gold-rimmed coffee-cup at eachof the four plates. Into hers Letitia was loweringa lump of sugar, when a thought occurredto her, and she dropped the sugar into the cupwith a little splash, and looking across at hervis-Ã -vis, said:
“Oh, John, I’ve been going to ask you halfa dozen of times, and have always forgotten:did you know that Colonel Ramsay Reed hada daughter?”
To see the effect of her question, she stretchedforward a plump white hand and tilted to oneside one of the pink silk petticoats that veiledthe candle-flames. The obstruction removed,she looked with vivacious interest at the personto whom she had addressed her query. He, too,[Pg 2]had just dropped his sugar into his coffee, andwas stirring it slowly, watching the little maelstromin the cup.
“Colonel Ramsay Reed,” he said, withoutlooking up. “Yes, I think I’ve heard somethingabout his having a daughter. But whydo you ask me? Isn’t Maud a much betterperson? She knows everything about everybody.”
He glanced at his sister-in-law, the dark,brown-eyed woman, very splendid in her white-and-yellowdress, who sat at the head of thesmall table. It was just a family party—Mr.and Mrs. Mortimer Gault, Mrs. Mortimer’s sister,Letitia Mason, and Mortimer’s brother,John Gault. Mrs. Gault, who seemed to bequite oblivious to the impertinence of her brother-in-law’sremark, answered smartly:
“I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that ColonelReed had daughters by the dozens. Whoknows really anything about those old bonanzamen who’ve lost their bonanzas? They dropout of sight, and nobody ever hears of themagain. Colonel Reed was in his glory before Iwas born.”
This was a slight exaggeration. Mrs. MortimerGault had been born a full thirty-eightyears ago, in a house which now has a bakerybeneath and furnished rooms above, in the environsof North Beach. It was quite fitting[Pg 3]and proper that she should have first seen thelight there, as in that day North Beach wasfashionable. But that this should have occurredthirty-eight years ago was a subject shequietly ignored. She was still so effective inher dark, quick-flashing style, so much admiredand so fond of being admired, that she turnedher back on and denied the thirty-eight yearswhenever she had the chance.
Her husband looked at her with indulgentand humorous appreciation of her quickness.
“I don’t see, if Colonel Reed has a daughter,”he said, “what he keeps her on. She can’t live