She read the letter through, hardly believing the magnitude of her good fortune.

But, as the truth of it began to dawn upon her, she felt that she could not possibly keep such news to herself another instant.

It might be an hour before Joyce and her mother had finished discussing business with the man and Norman was away fishing somewhere up the canal.
So, settling her hat on her head, she started back over the hot road, so absorbed in the thought of all she had to tell Hazel that she was wholly unconscious of the fact that she was still holding tightly to the rope tied around the rattler's neck.

Five feet of snake twitched along behind her as she started on a run toward the ranch..