Nettie was standing there alone, and Orrin went to her.
“He ran,” she said. “Doug ran away.”
“The Stampers didn’t,” Tyrel said, “and look where they are.”
“It’s getting light,” Orrin said. “What’s the matter with this country?”
“That’s because it’s morning,” Tyrel said. “The sun’s comin’ up.”
“Mr. Sackett?” It was John Fentrell. “This may seem a bad time and all, but with you and your boys talking of leaving, I think you should come into the store and we’ll settle up.”
Laurie was walking down toward the gravel point where the old landing had been. ‘”I’ll be along,” I said, and went inside.
Fentrell looked old and tired. He removed a loose board and lifted out some sacks of gold. “If they knew where it was,” he said. “They’d have taken it all.”
The gold was there on the counter. It was not enough, but it was all they had. We would have debts to pay and hard work to do to make up for the time.
So I taken the gold and walked outside into the morning sun and looked toward the shore where the rest of them had gathered by the boats.
“Mr. Fentrell,” I said, “we left one man up yonder.” I gestured toward the trail down which we had come. “Walk up there and see him sometime.”
Shorty was a good man, and he’d come a far piece, and I hoped he wouldn’t be lonely on the mountain.