Chata Understands Spanish

 "I heard you drive in! Get yourself up here. You cannot even believe what I found in this old study. It's like a treasure chest of history! Hurry up would you?"

"Okay, okay I'm coming. I have ice cream you want it up here or back down in the kitchen? Hey! Whoa! Why did you hit me with that old book? Why are you mad at me?"

There were screaming women, pushing, shoving and books flying along with the ice cream and old pictures all over the floor. Allie was huffing and puffing and said, "What are you doing here?" Josh came running up the stairs and said, "Are you hurt, Allie? What is going on here? Who is this woman? I could hear all this commotion clear out in the driveway! Your stowaway dog was barking so loud I could have heard her in the next county. Good girl. Good girl. I've got this."

"Little one please don't bite me. I'm a nice lady. "Chata, Chata, no no I'm not going to hurt Allie. I'm a nice lady really." She turned and looked at Allie and said,  "I brought ice cream and you yelled at me to come upstairs then you started swinging at me."

Allie and Josh were quiet. The lady had spoken Spanish to the little dog and she became quiet. Allie looked at the woman and said, "I know who you are. You are the teller at the bank. You wouldn't give me any money even though I had identification. Why are you here? What did you say to my dog? Say something to her  again because she is eating ice cream and doughnuts! Please make her stop or she will get sick.  Oh no what a mess. I just wanted to show Josh the journal I had found that had old pictures in it. I hadn't even had a chance to read the entries that were made. I think it was written by a little girl in the beginning. Her name was Maggie maybe."

Josh started picking up all the things that had flown off the desk and said, "Oh, Allie. I think you had better pick these bearer bonds up really fast and put them in a safe place. Haylee agreed and started to help pick up the mess and Josh and Allie both shouted. "No, don't touch these things. Why are you here?"

Haylee was hurt and said, "I just wanted to welcome you to the community and bring you some ice cream and doughnuts. I thought we might be able to become friends someday. It wasn't my fault that I couldn't give you any money the other day. The president of the bank has been changing and making new rules all the time lately. I'm really sorry. I'll go and let you clean up. Para,  Chata." As Haylee started out the door, Josh and Allie both looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and said, "Okay. You can stay. Let's see if we can salvage any of your goodies, " suggested Allie. Josh agreed and started to put the bonds and some other papers that looked valuable away, when Haylee said, "Do you mind if I take a look at those? I just got my securities license. These look like they are worth a lot of money." Josh and Allie both agreed, but knew if she wasn't what she said she was, the legal looking papers were going to the bank in the city for verification and they would notify the sheriff.

                                                                       

K.R. parked his big old Packard in back of the bank and called the president on his cell phone. "I'm in town. Are you ready to go out to the ranch with me and serve the girl her eviction notice? I need a witness. I wrote the notice myself, but I need you and your new personal banker to witness it. Is she there?" "What? I can't be twiddling my thumbs waiting for her to come back tomorrow. Where did she go? Well, you need to keep better track of your employees. Let me know the minute she gets back to town. I want this to go quickly and smoothly so I can get out of this rinky dink town. Yes, you will get your cut of the profits, first we have to get her off the ranch, then sell it as quickly as we can. No we don't need the sheriff. We can do this ourselves. I have the last part of the video will old Bill made. Once she is gone, I will go get the silver necklace, sell it and we will be on easy street."

Josh had found enough chairs for the three of them to sit at the kitchen table. He picked up the dog's dirty old toy and threw it on the counter. He thought, "Man, that thing is heavy. Wonder where that came from."  Allie had brought some of the old pictures down with her so they could all look at them. Look at this one. It's really old. It's of a little girl. Oh look what it says on the back, Maggie four years of age at the mine. 1865." Oh my that picture is really old. This might just be the woman whose diary I found. How cool is that? I wonder what mine they are talking about."

 While the girls were talking about how cute the little girl and her chickens were and how old the picture was, Josh closed his eyes and thought, "I think I know exactly what mine the writer was talking about. I need to know more before I talk to Allie, though. She just might be sitting on a gold mine, literally or perhaps silver. Why does that dog understand Spanish? I'm so going to find out."