"Who said he was?" Mat inquired. "He's one of them usefulest men that
keeps things going everywhere."

"I saw a real Mexican come up out of the ravine awhile ago and go
straight over toward Uncle Esmond's store. What do you suppose he came
here for? Is he a soldier from down there?" I asked.

"Oh, just one Mexican don't mean anything anywhere, but the war in
Mexico has something to do with our going to Santa Fé, even if Uncle
Esmond is just a nice little store-man. That's all a girl knows about
things," Beverly insisted.

Mat opened her big eyes wide and looked straight at the boy.

"I don't pretend to know what I don't know, but I'll bet a million
billion dollars there is something else besides just all this war stuff.
I can't tell it, I just feel it. Anyhow, I'm to stay here with Aunty
Boone till you come back. Girls can be trusted anywhere, but it may take
the whole Army of the West, yet, to follow up and look after two little
runty boys. And let me tell _you_ something, Bev, something I heard
Aunty Boone say this morning." She said: "Taint goin' to be more 'n a
minnit now till them boys grows up an' grows together, same size, same
age. They been little and big, long as they goin' to be. Now you know
what you're coming to."

Mat was digging in the ground with a stick, and she flipped a clod at
Beverly with the last words. Both of us had once expected to marry her
when we grew up, unless Jondo should carry her away as his bride before
that time. He was a dozen years older than Mat, who was only fourteen