Carley burst in upon her aunt.
"Look at me, Aunt Mary!" she cried, radiant and exultant. "I'm going
back out West to marry Glenn and live his life!"
The keen old eyes of her aunt softened and dimmed. "Dear Carley, I've
known that for a long time. You've found yourself at last."
Then Carley breathlessly babbled her hastily formed plans, every word of
which seemed to rush her onward.
"You're going to surprise Glenn again?" queried Aunt Mary.
"Oh, I must! I want to see his face when I tell him."
"Well, I hope he won't surprise you," declared the old lady. "When did
you hear from him last?"
"In January. It seems ages--but--Aunt Mary, you don't imagine Glenn--"
"I imagine nothing," interposed her aunt. "It will turn out happily and
I'll have some peace in my old age. But, Carley, what's to become of
me?"
"Oh, I never thought!" replied Carley, blankly. "It will be lonely for
you. Auntie, I'll come back in the fall for a few weeks. Glenn will let
me."
"Let you? Ye gods! So you've come to that? Imperious Carley Burch!...
Thank Heaven, you'll now be satisfied to be let do things."
"I'd--I'd crawl for him," breathed Carley.
"Well, child, as you can't be practical, I'll have to be," replied Aunt
Mary, seriously. "Fortunately for you I am a woman of quick decision.
Listen. I'll go West with you. I want to see the Grand Canyon. Then I'll
go on to California, where I have old friends I've not seen for years.
When you get your new home all fixed up I'll spend awhile with you. And
if I want to come back to New York now and then I'll go to a hotel. It
is settled. I think the change will benefit me."
"Auntie, you make me very happy. I could ask no more," said Carley.
Swiftly as endless tasks could make them the days passed. But those on
the train dragged interminably.
Carley sent her aunt through to the Canyon while she stopped off at
Flagstaff to store innumerable trunks and bags. The first news she heard
of Glenn and the Hutters was that they had gone to the Tonto Basin to
buy hogs and would be absent at least a month. This gave birth to a new
plan in Carley's mind. She would doubly surprise Glenn. Wherefore she
took council with some Flagstaff business men and engaged them to set a
force of men at work on the Deep Lake property, making the improvements
she desired, and hauling lumber, cement, bricks, machinery,
supplies--all the necessaries for building construction. Also she
instructed them to throw up a tent house for her to live in during the
work, and to engage a reliable Mexican man with his wife for servants.
When she left for the Canyon she was happier than ever before in her
life.