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"We ain’t friends"

"Did I hear you tell Captain MacGruder that your husband was froht And in case you didn’t hear the rest, he died down in Plains, at the camp there I only found out last week"

"I’m not strictly certain I believe you"

"I’h she was angry with herself for getting angry at this woh to cover any suspicious guesses "But if it ain, and pushed past the guns into the wad of papers She pulled out the sheet that Clara Barton had given her and shoved it under Miss Clay’s nose "You like to read? Read that And keep your accusations to yourself"

Theodora Clay’s eyes skih to satisfy her curiosity She did not exactly soften, but the rigid lines across her forehead faded "All right, then I guess that y," she said, but then she didn’t offer one

Mercy retrieved the paper and lovingly put it back into her bag, next to the note from Captain Sally "Maybe you owe one to Mr Kor except tell you the coast was clear"

Just then, the captain caer car with several of hisMr Purdue and the two blonds who’d first delivered the bad neere helping to support an unknown felloas bleeding from the shoulder The captain stopped at Mercy and said, "Mrs Lynch, you’re a nurse, aren’t you?"

"That’s right Who told you?"

"A big Texian in the next car up"

She reached for her bag "But haven’t you got a doctor on board?"

"We were supposed to," he said with a note of co one up until the next stop So for now I’ve got a man who could use a little attention, if you’d be so kind as to help us wrap him up"

"Of course," she said, happy for the excuse to conclude her aard talk with Miss Clay

"Do you have anything useful in that bag of yours?"

"It’s all loaded up with useful things," she said, and stepped into the aisle behind thelance that the h his eyes were frantic, like he’d never been hurt this bad before in all his life But there’s a first ti hi hier car It’s only half full, and we can set him down there"

Mercy followed the ses between the cars, and into the last coer sleeper There, they tried to lay the , until Mercy had shooed all but the white-​haired captain away The car’s few occupants were just beginning to rise off the floor and reclaim their seats, as the captain told theain It was just a weak little attempt at a raid, and it’s over now"

So while they rose fro places, they watched curiously as Mercy removed the injured man’s shirt down to his waist The captain took a seat on the other side of the cos

He told the patient, "This is Mrs Lynch Her husband died in a caathered that last part," the ust

"She’s from Kentucky"

She smiled politely as if to confirm this, and prodded at the injury "Captain, could you scare up sos for me, and some water? I bet they’ll have sole" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>