I now declare the first official meeting of The Princess Club is a-startin’,” Ruby Mae announced after school.
The three girls were outside the small shed that David had built to house Prince; Goldie, Miss Alice’s palomino mare; and Old Theo, the mule. Ruby Mae was carefully brushing Prince’s glossy flanks. Clara was scratching his ears. And Bessie was feeding him a carrot from Miss Ida’s vegetable garden.
“Before we start,” Clara said in a whisper, “check all around to make sure we wasn’t followed.”
“Don’t be a fool, Clara.” Ruby Mae rolled her eyes. “Ain’t nobody followin’ us. You’re actin’ jittery as a squirrel with a hungry hound on his tail.”
“Wouldn’t need to,” Clara shot back, “if’n you coulda kept your mouth shut. I heard Lundy talkin’ after school, sayin’ how he was going to figure out where we found the gold and get some of his own.”
Bessie gulped. “And you know Lundy. He’d as soon steal it as find it his own self.”
“Listen here, you two lily-livers.” Ruby Mae could tell she was going to have to be stern with her friends if she wanted any peace. “People was goin’ to find out about the gold, one way or the other. You told your parents, right?”
Both girls nodded.
“Well, how long do you think a secret like that’s goin’ to keep here in the Cove?” She moved to Prince’s other side and began brushing his silky mane. “Remember that time Violet McKnapp run off with Elroy Smith to get hitched? Remember how she only told Mary Allen and made her promise not to tell a soul?”
“Yep,” Bessie said.
“Well, how long do you figure that secret lasted? A day, maybe two? Our secret is a whole lot bigger than Violet’s.”
“I s’pose you’re right,” Bessie admitted. “It’s plumb unnatural for a secret like ours to stay a secret. People bein’ how they is.”
“And people’s mouths bein’ as big as they is,” Clara added, glaring at Ruby Mae.
“There ain’t no use snifflin’ about spilled milk.” Ruby Mae set down her brush and gave Prince a hug. “Besides, we got things to talk about. Princess Club things.”
Ruby Mae hopped onto the slat fence and motioned for the others to join her. “Let’s do our meetin’ here. Nice and proper-like.”
“I ain’t never been a member in an actual club before,” Bessie said excitedly.
“You ain’t never had a reason to be special before,” Ruby Mae pointed out.
Clara cleared her throat. “I think the first thing we should do is figure out what we’re a-goin’ to do with the gold. Pa says we got to take it to the bank and split it up three ways, nice and fair, Morrisons and Spencers and Coburns. But part of the road to El Pano’s blocked by a rockslide. That’s why Mr. Pentland hasn’t brought mail in so long. So it’ll likely be awhile before we can go to the bank.”
“It’ll be fine with Miz Christy,” Ruby Mae said. “’Course, I’d feel better if’n it was in a nice, safe bank.”
“I think Pa wants to build us a better house with the cash-money,” Clara said. “Maybe one with real floors instead of dirt.”
Ruby Mae nodded. “It’s true the grown-ups will have their own ideas about what to do with all the cash-money. But I figure we found it, so we oughta get to spend some of it. Besides, there’ll be plenty to go around.”
“I want to buy me a dress all frilly and puffy, with silk ribbons,” Bessie said in a faraway voice.
“And I want to get me a horse of my own,” Ruby Mae said. “I love Prince, but I got to share him with the preacher. My horse’ll be the color of gold, with a white star on his head. And faster than the wind!”
“And I want—” Suddenly Clara stopped. The sound of someone whistling floated on the air. “Everyone hush!” she instructed.
“It might be Lundy, or one of the other big boys, come to find out about the gold,” Bessie whispered.
“I told you we should have made sure we weren’t followed!” Clara said. “People get mighty greedy when they hear the word ‘gold.’”
Just then, a lone figure emerged from the woods. He had a large belly and a red beard. On his back, the man carried a strange-looking black contraption with long wooden legs. Behind him trudged a gray mule laden with packs. The mule seemed to be limping.
When the man noticed the girls, he waved and turned in their direction.
“Wonder what a stranger’s doin’ in these parts,” Bessie murmured.
“Flatlander, I’ll bet,” Clara said. “He looks lost. Whatever you do,” she added under her breath, “not a word about the gold, Ruby Mae Morrison!”
“I ain’t entirely feeble-minded, thank you kindly,” Ruby Mae snapped.
“Ho, young ladies!” the man called as he neared. “What luck to find you. Where exactly am I, if you don’t mind my asking?” He wiped his brow with a white handkerchief. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I haven’t the foggiest idea.”
“Lordamercy, you must be lost!” Ruby Mae exclaimed.
“Most folks who end up in Cutter Gap aim to come here on purpose,” Clara added. “Or they was born here and don’t know no way to get out.”
“Cutter Gap,” the man repeated, chuckling. “Well, I’ll be.” He patted his mule on the head. “Seems we’re a bit lost, Clancy, old fellow.”
“It’s easy to get lost in the mountains if you’re a city fellow,” Bessie said kindly.
The man pointed to the mission house. “And whose house might that be?”
“That’s the mission house,” Bessie said. “So I s’pose it belongs to the Lord, in a manner of speakin’. But He’s lettin’ Miz Christy and Miz Ida borrow it.”
“You suppose I might find a bite to eat there? Clancy and I have been wandering these lovely mountains for weeks, and I haven’t seen a home-cooked meal in all that time. He’s pulled up lame, poor guy. Slipped on a rock near a creek awhile back. Thought he was better, but he’s been favoring that hind foot today.”
“Creek?” Ruby Mae asked.
“Up on the west face of that mountain,” he said, pointing past Ruby Mae’s shoulder. “By the way, name’s Grady Halliday.”
“I’m Ruby Mae, and this here’s Bessie and Clara.”
“What’s that strange thingamajig you’re carryin’?” Clara asked.
“This, my dear, is a camera. The finest made. I’m a photographer by trade.”
Bessie frowned. “You mean a picture-taker?”
“Indeed. Although I don’t take pictures of people. Not anymore.”
“What else is there?” Clara asked.
Mr. Halliday swept his hand through the air. “Why, all this, my dear. Nature itself. These grand mountains. These majestic trees. Flowers. Streams. Rocks.”
“You take pictures of rocks?” Ruby Mae cried. “I never heard of such a plumb fool thing!”
“Yes, it is a foolish occupation,” Mr. Halliday agreed. “Which is probably why I’m such a happy man.”
“You say you’ve been up in the mountains for weeks?” Clara asked.
“Took a little longer than I’d planned,” Mr. Halliday said. He pursed his lips. “Got a little sidetracked, looking for something . . . important. But as they say, fortune is fickle . . .”
“Can’t say as I understand your meanin’,” Ruby Mae said, scratching her head.
Mr. Halliday shrugged. “No matter. Now, if you’ll provide the introductions, I’d be most appreciative if you could escort me to the mission house.”
“I’ll feed Prince,” Ruby Mae said. “You all go on ahead. It’s almost time for supper.”
Mr. Halliday nodded. “So nice to make your acquaintance, Ruby Mae.”
Ruby Mae watched as Bessie and Clara, who were staying for supper, led Mr. Halliday to the mission house. She wondered what it was he’d been looking for, up there in the woods. She wondered where Clancy had gone lame. Could it have been near Dead Man’s Creek?
“Nice to make your acquaintance,” he’d said. Fancy talk, when a simple good-bye would have done just fine.
He seemed nice enough, but Ruby Mae couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she was going to be very sorry to have made Mr. Halliday’s acquaintance.