"
Vick pressed the young man's hand.
"I wish I could be sure of that,--God, I wish I could be sure,"
he said, with a little catch in his gruff voice. "I don't see what
got into her to run away like this. She ain't been very chipper
since Cale went away, you know. Sort of sick and down in the mouth.
Her mother's heard her crying a good bit lately up in her room. I
promised her only a couple of days ago to take her up to Chicago
for a spell, so's she could see Cale every once in a while. So it
can't be she's gone off on her own hook to see him, knowin' that
either me or her mother was planning to go up with her next week.
Thank you, Courtney, for offering to help us. If there's anything,
I'll let you know. We've been telegraphin' and telephonin' everywhere
to see if we can get track of her, and we've been to all her friends'
homes to ask if they've seen her. I wish, if you feel like it, you'd
go over and see Mrs. Vick. Maybe you can cheer her up, encourage
her or something. She's terribly worried. I--I think it would break
her heart if anything happened to--to--" His lips twisted as with
pain. He bent over and picked a burr from his trousers' leg.
"Buck up, old fellow," said Courtney, a ringing note of confidence
in his voice. He laid his hand on Vick's arm. "Tell me all about
it. When did she leave the house, and where did she say she was
going?"
"Yesterday afternoon.
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