Matt poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down wearily. First Clara Cassidy and now Rod. He hadn't liked Rod Cassidy. The man had been mean and small-minded and not much of a father to Letty, but he was all she had. Matt was dreading the walk over to Ma Smalley's to tell the child he was going to take her to the orphanage and he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a familiar jingle of spurs. At least he could kill a little time with Festus first. Then he remembered how fond the hillman was of Letty and his stomach lurched as the door opened and Festus came in accompanied by Doc. They looked unusually serious and Matt stood up. "What can I do for you two?"
Doc looked at Festus, who looked at the floor. The old man scowled. "We came to ask you what you're plannning to do about Letty Cassidy."
Matt sat down again. "She'll have to go to the county orphanage. In fact, I'm going over to Ma's in a few minutes to pick her up."
Doc held up a hand. "Now wait a minute, Matt. What about boarding school?"
The marshal looked thoughtful. "Well, there's no law that says she has to go to the orphanage. If there's a school that'll take her she could go there instead."
"Take her!" Festus spoke up. "She would be a credit to any school in these here United States! Why, that young'un would..." Doc gave him a look and he closed his mouth. Matt observed this and frowned to hide a smile.
"Matt, I'd like to look into this," said Doc. "Can Letty go on staying at Ma Smalley's until I find a school for her?"
The marshal nodded gravely. "I think that could be arranged, providing someone is willing to go over there every day and take her off Ma's hands for a while."
Festus bounced forward, his eyes shining. "That's a job for me, Matthew. Cain't nobody handle kids like us Haggens."