"Her name is Royall," said Grandma Thorndyke--I may as well begin
calling her that now as ever--Royall. When last seen she was walking
eastward on this road, where she is subject to all sorts of dangers from
wild weather and wild beasts. A man on horseback named Gowdy, with a
negro, came into Independence looking for her this morning after
searching everywhere along the road from some place west back to the
settlement. She is sixteen years old. There wouldn't be any other girl
traveling alone and without provision. Have you passed such a person?"
"No, I hain't," said I. The name "Genevieve" helped me a little in this
deceit.
"You haven't heard any of the people on the road speak of this wandering
girl, have you?" asked Elder Thorndyke.
"No," I answered; "and I guess if any of them had seen her they'd have
mentioned it, wouldn't they?"
"And you haven't seen any lone girl or woman at all, even at a
distance?" inquired Grandma Thorndyke.
"If she passed me," I said, turning and twisting to keep from telling an
outright lie, "it was while I was camped last night. I camped quite a
little ways from the track."
"She has wandered off upon the trackless prairie!" exclaimed Grandma
Thorndyke. "God help her!"
"He will protect her," said the elder piously.
"Maybe she met some one going west," I suggested, rather truthfully, I
thought, "that took her in. She may be going back west with some one."
"Mr. Gowdy told us back in Independence," returned Elder Thorndyke,
"that he had inquired of every outfit he met from the time she left him
clear back to that place; and he overtook the only two teams on that
whole stretch of road that were going east.
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