The question whether Mick Donohoe should be prosecuted was not likely
to be prejudiced by his claim of kinship. Billy the Bully would as
soon prosecute his own brother-in-law as anybody else--sooner, in
fact. So Hugh, having reached home very crest-fallen and angry,
wrote a full account of the affair in his report of the station
work, and asked whether he should lay an information.
Grant's reply was brief and to the point; he seldom wrote letters,
always telegraphing when possible. On this occasion the telegram
said, "Prosecute at once; offer reward informers;" which, leaking
out (as telegrams frequently did at the local office) put Red Mick
considerably on the qui vive. The old man actually paid him the
compliment of writing a letter about him later on, saying that it
would be a good thing to prosecute--it would give Red Mick a good
scare, even if it didn't get him into gaol. Circumstances, no doubt,
justified a prosecution, and it was hard to see bow Mick could make
a counter-move.
But that gentleman was not without resource; an anonymous letter
arrived for Hugh by the mailboy, a dirty, scrawled epistle, unsigned
and undated, running as follows:-"Mr. Gordon i herd you was gone to summons Michael Donohoe for
sheep stealing. You better bewar there is some seen you and that
girl in the bush you will get a grate shown up and her two."
This precious epistle was signed "A Friend," and on first reading
it Hugh laughed heartily; but the more he thought it over the less
he liked it. It was all very well to put Red Mick in the dock, but
it was evident that part of the defence would be, "How came you
to be under the boughs of a fallen tree with an attractive young
woman when Red Mick's dogs came up with the sheep?" At the very
least they would look ridiculous; and the unknown correspondent who
promised them a "grate shown up" would probably take care that the
story was as highly-coloured as possible. He shuddered to think
what the Donohoes would say, and heartily wished he had let Red
Mick alone.
He fretted for some hours, and then decided to talk it over with
the girl herself. He did not care to let Red Mick think that the
anonymous letter had stopped the prosecution; at the same time, he
was determined to do nothing that would cause Miss Grant the least
annoyance. He opened the discussion that evening while strolling
about the garden.
"About this business of Red Mick's," he said. "I am rather worried."
"Why?"
"Well, the trouble is this: I've got an anonymous letter from Red
Mick or some of his people, saying that they are going to give you
and me a great showing-up about being hidden in the tree together."