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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Award of Justice, by A. Maynard Barbour
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Award of Justice
+       Told in the Rockies
+
+Author: A. Maynard Barbour
+
+Release Date: September 19, 2009 [EBook #30028]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE AWARD OF JUSTICE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE AWARD OF JUSTICE
+
+OR
+
+TOLD IN THE ROCKIES.
+
+A Pen Picture of the West.
+
+BY
+
+A. MAYNARD BARBOUR,
+
+AUTHOR OF "That Mainwaring Affair."
+
+"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof."--Ecc. vii, 8.
+
+CHICAGO AND NEW YORK:
+
+RAND, McNALLY & COMPANY,
+
+PUBLISHERS.
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1897, by Rand, McNally & Co.
+
+Copyright, 1901, by Rand, McNally & Co.
+
+
+
+
+DEDICATION.
+
+To W. James Barbour,
+
+ My co-worker in this pleasant task,
+ at whose suggestion it was undertaken,
+ and by whose inspiration it has been guided,
+ from inception to completion,
+ this book is affectionately dedicated
+ by the author,
+
+A. MAYNARD BARBOUR.
+
+
+
+
+THE AWARD OF JUSTICE
+
+By A. Maynard Barbour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+The Pacific Express was due at Valley City at 1:45 p.m. Within ten
+minutes of that time, a spring-board wagon, containing two young men
+and drawn by a pair of bronchos, suddenly appeared around one end of
+the dingy little depot. One of the men, dressed in a tweed traveling
+suit, jumped hastily from the wagon, while the other, who looked like
+a prosperous young ranchman, seemed to have all he could attend to in
+holding the restive little ponies, who were rearing and kicking in
+their impatience at being compelled to stand.
+
+"I'm afraid, Ned," he said, "that you'll have to look out for your
+traps yourself; these little rats haven't been driven for four days,
+and they're feeling pretty frisky."
+
+"All right, Tom," responded the other, diving under the seat of the
+spring-board and bringing out the said "traps," which consisted of two
+grips, a rifle case, a set of fishing rods, and, last but not least, a
+large, square case which he handled with great care, and now held up
+to his companion saying,
+
+"See that, Tom? that's my set of cameras; they're fine too, I tell
+you."
+
+"But why do you bother to take them around with you all the time, like
+that?" inquired his friend.
+
+"Oh," replied Ned, "I do that so as to be ready to catch any choice
+scenes I come across; I'm making a collection of views, you know, and
+I expect to get a good many on this trip. By the way, I got some
+stunning views over there at your place this morning, just before
+breakfast."
+
+"The dickens, you did!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly remembering a
+ludicrous predicament in which his guest had caught him.
+
+"Oh, yes," said Ned, "and when I get away at a safe distance I'm going
+to develop them and send them to you. I've got an awfully fine--well,
+by Jove, if that isn't just my luck!"
+
+Ned had just deposited his belongings on the depot platform and in
+doing so, noticed a piece of blackboard propped up against the wall,
+on which were chalked these words, "Train 3 ours late." His eyes
+seemed riveted to the spot.
+
+"What's the matter now?" asked Tom, who took in the situation at a
+glance.
+
+"Matter! Why, that blasted train is three hours behind time."
+
+"Too bad!" said Tom, with a grin; "if I'd only known that I needn't
+have driven my horses so hard."
+
+"Oh, confound those little beasts of yours;" exclaimed Ned, "a little
+exercise won't hurt them, but to think of three hours in a place like
+this! and say, don't you know how to spell out here?"
+
+"Well," said Tom, coolly, "I don't hold myself personally responsible
+for the wording of that blackboard, but I suppose that's the phonetic
+spelling they used to talk about when I lived east; you see we've
+adopted it out here, for we westerners have to rustle lively, and
+don't have time for old-fashioned ways."
+
+"I see," said Ned, rather sarcastically; "perhaps you can tell me why
+they don't 'rustle' that train along on time."
+
+"I suppose," replied Tom, "it's on account of that wreck two days ago;
+you know your train was ten hours late yesterday."
+
+"Yes," assented Ned, gazing about him with an expression of intense
+disgust; "I got here after dark; that's how it comes about that I
+never realized until the present moment what a paradise this place is.
+Valley City! I can't see more than a dozen buildings here."
+
+"That's probably because you're so near-sighted, my dear boy,"
+replied Tom; and Ned, who was very sensitive on the subject of his
+near-sightedness, colored, and readjusted his eye-glasses, while he
+asked in a tone of despair:
+
+"Well, what am I to do in this beastly place, anyhow?"
+
+"You might take a stroll about the city," suggested Tom, "if you get
+lost you'll have to inquire your way of some of the police. I would be
+delighted to stay and keep you company, but work on the ranch is
+rushing and I must hurry back; so I'll wish you good luck and
+good-bye."
+
+"All right, old fellow," said Ned, shaking hands in a slightly
+patronizing way, "if you ever get out of this country, and find
+yourself within the limits of civilization again, just take a run down
+to the 'Hub' and see me."
+
+"Much obliged," said Tom, turning around for a parting shot; "I say,
+Ned, while you're waiting for the train, you'd better get out your
+cameras; you might catch some more 'stunning views' you know," and
+lightly snapping his whip, he started off, the bronchos standing on
+their forefeet with their heels in the air.
+
+"Good-bye, Tom," Ned called, after the rapidly retreating spring-board,
+"if you ever had any brains to lose I'd be anxious about you, but I
+guess you're safe enough."
+
+Tom's only reply was a crack of the whip, and he and the ponies soon
+disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving Ned to survey his surroundings
+at his leisure.
+
+In the foreground was the low, dingy depot, and on the platform,
+leaning against the building as though their spinal columns were
+unable to support them, were two specimens of the genus homo, which
+were entirely new to the young Bostonian. He gazed at them with
+undisguised interest, being unable to determine whether they were
+cow-boys or miners, these being the two classes into which, as he
+imagined, the western population was about evenly divided. That they
+immediately classified him, in their western vernacular, as a
+"tenderfoot," and a remarkably verdant specimen at that, was not owing
+to their superior penetration, as it was a self-evident fact.
+
+Mr. Edward B. Rutherford, Jr., prided himself upon being a
+resident of Boston, a son of one of her best families, and a
+graduate of Harvard, and it is scarcely to be wondered at if he
+felt himself slightly superior to ordinary mortals who had not been
+blessed with these advantages. Nevertheless, the fact remained that
+Mr. Rutherford's personal appearance could not be considered
+especially prepossessing, even when moving in his own sphere where
+he felt himself, as he would have expressed it, "en rapport" with his
+surroundings; under other circumstances, as at the present time, it
+very nearly approached the ludicrous. He was small in stature, but
+his bump of self-esteem was developed in an inverse ratio to his
+size. He seemed to be making a constant effort to maintain his
+dignity at the proper level, in which direction he was greatly
+assisted by a pair of eye-glasses, perched on a very large and
+decidedly Roman nose. It had been claimed by his college chums
+that the eye-glasses were worn for this especial purpose; be that
+as it may, without their assistance, his task would certainly have
+been a difficult one, as his eyes, which were very full and round,
+and surmounted by a pair of extremely high-arched eyebrows, gave him
+always an expression of exaggerated surprise and bewilderment,
+which, when intensified as on the present occasion, rendered his
+appearance very far from the otium cum dignitate to which he aspired.
+But upon very few is the "giftie" bestowed, "to see oursel's as
+ithers see us," and to many besides the junior Mr. Rutherford, such
+a vision would be anything but satisfactory.
+
+At the present time, however, Rutherford's only troubles were his
+immediate surroundings, and the problem of how to pass the next three
+hours. The loungers, who by this time had changed to a sitting
+posture, and who were staring at him with an unwinking fixedness which
+made him rather nervous, did not seem very congenial companions. The
+town consisted of merely a few, straggling, unpainted buildings, while
+in every direction extended the apparently interminable stretches of
+undulating prairie, partially covered with sage brush and wild cactus.
+Though early in the season, the heat was intense, and the glare of the
+sunlight reflected from the patches of white, chalk-like sand, was so
+blinding as to seem unendurable.
+
+The interior of the depot was even more cheerless than the exterior. A
+rusty stove, minus one leg, two or three battered benches, a flaming
+circus poster, and an announcement of the preceding year's county fair
+constituted the entire furnishing and decoration. No signs of life
+were visible, the window into the ticket office being closed, while
+from somewhere within the little inclosure, a telegraphic instrument
+clicked with a cheerful pertinacity that to Rutherford seemed simply
+exasperating.
+
+In the course of half an hour, however, the monotony was relieved by
+the appearance of half a dozen soldiers, who strolled over from a
+neighboring fort, about two miles distant. Rutherford had soon
+introduced himself to them, with a formality which they considered
+highly amusing, and they entertained him with tales of various
+thrilling adventures and hair breadth escapes, nearly all invented for
+the occasion, to which he listened with an open-mouthed astonishment
+that elicited many winks and grins from the blue-coats. Finally, two
+of them escorted him to a small Indian camp, about a mile distant,
+which was hidden from view by a sandy knoll, where, in some cottonwood
+brush, beside a small creek, they found half a dozen tepees, around
+which were squatted twenty or thirty disreputable-looking Indians,
+their ponies tethered in the brush near by. The bucks were sullen and
+uncommunicative, maintaining a solemn silence broken only by an
+occasional grunt. Their dress was a combination of Indian costume and
+articles purchased from the white people, the latter being put on to
+suit the individual taste of the wearer, without the least regard to
+the use for which it was originally intended. One, who seemed a leader
+in the camp, in addition to his native toggery of feathers, beads and
+brass rings, wore trousers of striped bed-ticking, two or three pairs
+of gayly colored suspenders knotted together for a belt and sash, and
+a flaming red necktie braided in his hair. The squaws in their
+blankets were quite socially inclined, and the wig-wams at a little
+distance looked very romantic to the young easterner, but the odors
+wafted from them were sufficient for him, and he declined to penetrate
+any further into the mysteries of an Indian camp; and after taking one
+or two views of the Indians and their tepees, he returned to the
+depot.
+
+It was now nearly train time, and the number of loungers and loafers
+had increased amazingly, considering the size of the town. There were
+thirty or forty of them, all more or less resembling the first
+specimens, and Rutherford wondered where they stowed themselves away,
+not realizing that many came in from little shacks scattered over the
+prairies; for to them, the coming of the train from the east was the
+one great event of the day.
+
+Among them Rutherford noticed a man, who, though clad as roughly as
+the others, yet had an individuality so distinct from them as to be
+noticeable even to a stranger. He wore an old soft hat and rough
+blouse, his trousers being tucked into a pair of heavy, hobnailed
+boots that reached to his knees. He was tall and stooped slightly, but
+there was none of the slouching figure and gait that characterized
+those around him. His movements were quick, and, when standing
+motionless, there was something in his very pose that conveyed an
+impression of alertness and of latent strength. His back was turned
+toward Rutherford, who was watching him under a sort of subtle
+fascination, when suddenly he wheeled, facing him. His eyes were keen
+and piercing, and as he looked for an instant at Rutherford with an
+expression of suspicion and distrust, and then seemed to survey his
+diminutive figure with a quick glance of contempt, that young man felt
+a sudden and violent terror in his inmost soul, which was not lessened
+when his eyes fell upon a sheath knife and huge revolver in the
+stranger's belt. Involuntarily Rutherford's hand went to his hip
+pocket, where reposed a dainty, pearl-handled Smith and Wesson,
+38-calibre, but he immediately regretted the movement, for the
+blue-black eyes watching him scintillated for a moment with a cold,
+steel-like glitter, and the lips under the heavy, black beard curled
+with a smile of fine scorn, that made our young hero exceedingly
+uncomfortable.
+
+The whistle of the approaching train afforded him unspeakable relief,
+and at the first opportunity he put himself and his belongings aboard
+with a celerity very remarkable in one of his usual dignity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+As the Pacific Express was speeding westward across the prairies, a
+young man, half reclining among the cushions of the smoking car, was
+enjoying a choice Havana. He took no note of external objects as they
+flashed with almost lightning rapidity past the car windows, and he
+seemed equally unconscious of the presence of his fellow passengers.
+His dress and manner, as well as his nonchalant, graceful attitude,
+and even the delicate poise of his cigar, were all indicative of
+wealth and refinement, and of a courtesy innate, not acquired. His
+head was slightly thrown back, and with half-closed, dreamy eyes, he
+watched the coils of blue smoke wreathing and curling above his head,
+but his mind was actively engaged in planning the details of the new
+life opening up before him in the west. Walter Everard Houston, of New
+York, the possessor of a million in his own name, and prospective heir
+to many millions more, was en route for a small mining camp, far west,
+in the heart of the Rockies, where he was to fill the position of
+bookkeeper and corresponding secretary in the office of a mining
+company, at a salary of one hundred dollars per month.
+
+Mr. Houston's parents had died when he was very young, and he had been
+tenderly reared in the home of his uncle, his mother's brother, Walter
+Everard Cameron. Even now, as he watched the blue coils above his
+head, his memory was going back to the time when he had entered that
+beautiful home. He recalled the different members of that lovely
+family, as they then appeared to him; the dark, patrician face of his
+aunt, with its wondrous beauty, which, in the following years had
+been so softened and deepened by sorrow that now it was almost
+saint-like in the calm look of peace and love which it wore, with the
+soft, snow-white hair surrounding it like a halo of glory. Then his
+beautiful cousin Edna, with her sunny hair and starry eyes, and her
+wonderful voice filling the home with music. She had married soon
+after he entered the family, and went with her husband to a distant,
+western city, often returning to visit the old home. How well he
+remembered the last visit! Her baby was then nearly two years old; he
+could not now recall her name, but she was a little, golden-haired
+toddler, with her mother's eyes and voice. His cousin was suddenly
+called home by a telegram that her husband was ill; then, in a day or
+two, came the news of a frightful railroad accident, a collision and a
+fire which quickly consumed the wreck. Edna was rescued from the
+flames, unconscious and dying, but no trace could be found of the
+little one. Then followed word of the death of Edna's husband; he had
+died a few hours later than the accident occurred, ignorant of the
+terrible fate of his wife and child.
+
+Next came the memory of his cousin, Guy Cameron, but a few years older
+than himself; dark and beautiful like his mother, proud spirited and
+headstrong, the pride of his parents, but through him came their most
+bitter sorrow. Through fast living and gambling he became deeply
+involved, and forged his father's name to several checks, amounting to
+nearly a hundred thousand; then, overcome by shame and remorse, he had
+fled in the night, no one knew whither. His father payed the full
+amount of the debt, without even betraying his son's guilt, and then
+for years employed the most skillful detectives, trying to bring back
+the wanderer to the love and forgiveness which awaited him; but in
+vain, no trace of him existed. The father had long ago given up all
+hope of ever seeing his boy again, and doubted whether he were living.
+Only the sweet-faced mother, strong in her mother-love and in her
+faith in God, believed that he would yet return, and was content to
+watch and wait.
+
+Meantime, Everard Houston had become like a son to Mr. and Mrs.
+Cameron. After leaving college, he had been taken by his uncle as a
+partner into his enormous banking house, and intrusted more or less
+with the charge of various departments of business with which he was
+connected, and he had proven himself worthy of the trust reposed in
+him.
+
+For a number of years, Mr. Cameron had been president of a large
+investment company, which, among other properties, owned a number of
+mines in the west which had been represented to be very valuable, and
+which, at the time of purchase, possessed every indication of being
+heavy producers of very rich ore. Lately, these mines had not been
+yielding the profit which it was reasonable to expect from them, and
+there were indications of bad management, if not of dishonesty, at the
+western end of the line. One or two so-called experts had been sent
+out to investigate, but they had after all so little knowledge of
+practical mining, that they were unable to produce any tangible
+evidence against the company who constituted their western agents,
+although their reports had only tended to strengthen Mr. Cameron's
+belief that there was underhanded and dishonest dealing somewhere,
+which could only be detected by a person on the ground whom the
+western company would not suspect of being personally interested.
+Happening to learn, through a Chicago firm who were friends of Mr.
+Cameron's, that the western company were desirous of getting a
+bookkeeper and confidential clerk, it was decided, after consultation,
+to send out Everard Houston to take this position. Accordingly, he had
+gone to Chicago, and the firm there had written a letter to the mining
+company, recommending him as a young man of their acquaintance, of
+exceptional ability, reliable, and thoroughly to be trusted in all
+confidential matters. The company had responded favorably, offering
+the position to Mr. Houston for one month on trial, at one hundred
+dollars, his traveling expenses to be paid by them. If he proved
+satisfactory, they would retain him as long as would be mutually
+agreeable, and if his services proved as valuable as expected, would
+increase his salary. Mr. Houston was, therefore, on his way to the
+mines to accept this position, together with the munificent salary,
+and hoped to prove so satisfactory as to soon be admitted to the
+"confidential" clerkship, in which event he anticipated being able to
+accomplish a nice little piece of detective work.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+Mr. Houston was aroused from his pleasant revery by the rather noisy
+entrance of a young man, who, with flushed face, and manner more
+indicative of self-assertion than self-possession, passed down the car
+and took a seat facing himself. This was none other than our friend,
+Rutherford, who, having secured his berth in the sleeper, and arranged
+his belongings to his entire satisfaction, immediately repaired to the
+smoking car to soothe his perturbed and agitated spirits by a cigar.
+
+From under his heavily drooping eyelids, Houston regarded his
+vis-a-vis with concealed amusement, for he was an apt student of human
+nature, and possessed an unusual degree of insight into the
+characteristics of those with whom he was thrown in contact.
+
+Rutherford, on his part, was watching Houston with his usual degree of
+interest and curiosity. Each was measuring the other from his own
+standpoint: Houston's prompt decision was,--"A good-hearted fellow,
+but something of a cad;" while Rutherford's vague surmises, summed up
+verbally, would have been,--"Nice looking sort of fellow, a gentleman;
+guess he's got the stuff, too; 'twon't do any harm to make his
+acquaintance."
+
+An opportunity for this soon presented itself, for as the conductor
+passed leisurely through the car, examining tickets, Rutherford
+discovered that their destinations were the same, and hastily drawing
+his card case from his pocket, said:
+
+"As we seem likely to be fellow travelers for a while, I should be
+pleased to make your acquaintance; allow me," at the same time
+offering his card.
+
+Houston took the card, greeting him courteously, and giving his own
+in exchange. He half smiled as he looked at the diminutive slip of
+cardboard with its Boston address made unnecessarily prominent, while
+Rutherford, after scanning the card he held, bearing simply the name
+of W. E. Houston, remarked with a decidedly upward inflection,
+
+"You are from--?"
+
+"From Chicago," Houston replied promptly.
+
+"Ah," Rutherford responded, "then I suppose you are quite familiar
+with this part of the country."
+
+"Well, not exactly," replied Houston, smiling, "Chicago, I'll admit,
+seems inclined to embrace a small part of the state of Illinois within
+her city limits, but I never heard of her attempting to claim the
+prairies of the Missouri valley among her suburbs."
+
+"Well, no," said Rutherford, laughing, "not quite so bad as that, I
+guess, but perhaps I didn't convey my meaning very clearly; my idea
+was, that living in one of the western cities, you know, perhaps you
+were out this way often."
+
+"On the contrary, this is my first trip out here."
+
+"Indeed! A pleasure trip, I presume?"
+
+"No, I am out on business," replied Houston, not caring to state very
+definitely just then the nature of his business.
+
+"Well," said Rutherford, settling himself into an attitude more
+comfortable than graceful, "I came out on a pleasure trip, but I must
+say that so far, the pleasure has been rather an uncertain quantity;
+for the last forty-eight hours, I haven't seen much besides dust,
+Indians and desperadoes."
+
+"Forty-eight hours!" exclaimed his companion, "you surely have not
+been on this train that length of time."
+
+"Not on this train; I stopped off last night to see an old friend of
+mine that has a ranch out here," and forthwith, Rutherford launched
+into a recital of his experiences of the last few hours, not omitting
+a description of the man whose appearance had struck such terror to
+his heart and expedited his departure from Valley City.
+
+"I tell you, he was a man I wouldn't like to meet in the dark; he was
+armed to the teeth, and there was a look in his eye that was awfully
+unpleasant."
+
+Mr. Houston judged from his companion's manner that he had not been
+particularly pleased at meeting this alleged desperado in broad
+daylight, but he courteously refrained from any such insinuation, and
+as supper was just then announced, the young men adjourned to the
+dining car, and the experiences of Mr. Rutherford were, for the time,
+forgotten.
+
+Nothing special occurred that evening, except that the monotony of the
+journey was slightly relieved by the train entering upon the Bad
+Lands. For some time, Houston and Rutherford stood upon the rear
+platform, enjoying their cigars, and watching the strange phenomena of
+that weird region; on all sides, vast tracts of ashen gray or black,
+as if burnt to a crisp, with no sign of life, animal or vegetable, the
+lurid lights flashing and playing in the distance, until it seemed as
+though they might be gliding through the borderland of Dante's
+Inferno.
+
+Their cigars finished, they separated for the night, to be agreeably
+surprised by the delightful change that met their eyes the following
+morning. Houston was already at the breakfast table enjoying the
+scenery, when Rutherford sauntered into the dining car. They exchanged
+greetings, and the latter dropped into a seat facing his companion,
+exclaiming as he did so,
+
+"Well, say now, this looks a little more like civilization, doesn't
+it?" and having ordered his breakfast and helped himself to fruit, he
+proceeded to watch the beautiful panorama flashing past in the
+sunlight.
+
+They were passing through one of the most fertile valleys of the
+northwest. Away to the south, a beautiful river glistened like a broad
+ribbon of silver, and leading from it was a gleaming net-work of
+irrigating canals and ditches, carrying the life-giving waters over
+thousands of broad acres; some already green with grass and alfalfa,
+while others were dotted with scores of men and horses opening the
+brown earth in long, straight lines of furrows, or scattering
+broadcast the golden grain.
+
+Far in the distance, faintly outlined against the blue sky, was a
+fleecy, cloud-like mass, grayish blue at the base, with points here
+and there of dazzling whiteness, which Houston had known at once as
+the first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, but which Rutherford failed
+to notice.
+
+"Well," said the latter, withdrawing his head from the window, and
+preparing to attack his breakfast, "it seems to me, after nearly
+forty hours of nothing but prairies, it's about time to see some
+mountains."
+
+"They're in sight now," responded Houston quietly.
+
+"What!" exclaimed his companion, dropping his knife and fork in
+haste.
+
+"You can see them now; I've been waiting for you to recognize them,"
+said Houston, smiling; "look off there to the southwest," he added, as
+Rutherford was readjusting his eye-glasses, preparatory to a careful
+survey of the horizon.
+
+"Well, I'll be blessed!" ejaculated the latter, "I supposed those were
+clouds. My! but they must be mighty far away, twenty-five miles, I
+expect, at the least."
+
+"Sixty miles, at least," said Houston, glancing at them, "perhaps
+more."
+
+"Pardon me, gentlemen," said a bland voice across the aisle, and the
+young men, turning, saw a much-bejewelled individual, with a florid,
+but very smiling face; "I see you have not yet become accustomed to
+the vast distances of this great country of ours in the northwest.
+Those mountains which you are discussing are about ninety miles
+distant."
+
+Rutherford's eyes expressed an immense amount of incredulity, while
+Houston simply bowed silently. The man continued:
+
+"The wonderful rarity of our atmosphere in these altitudes is
+something that has to be experienced in order to be thoroughly
+understood and appreciated, or even believed. You tell an eastern man
+of the great distances here at which you can see and hear, clearly and
+readily; he will immediately doubt your veracity, simply because it is
+without the line of his experience. Now I myself, personally, with my
+own, unaided vision, have been able to count the mules in a pack-train
+sixty-three miles distant, and have repeatedly held conversations at
+a distance of fifteen miles."
+
+"Guess the conversation was pretty much all on one side, wasn't it?"
+asked Rutherford, adding sotto voce to Houston, "as on the present
+occasion."
+
+"Ah, no, indeed not," the man replied; "I see, my young friend, that
+you are inclined, like all strangers, to be a little incredulous and
+skeptical, but if you remain in this country of ours any length of
+time, that will soon pass away, very soon."
+
+"I don't think I care to remain here very long then, if it will have
+any such effect on my brain as that," said Rutherford.
+
+"You are inclined to be facetious, my friend; that is all right, I
+appreciate a little witticism myself occasionally. By the way," he
+continued, evidently determined to get into conversation with Houston,
+"I suppose you young gentlemen are out here on business, looking for
+valuable investments in this wonderful country."
+
+At the word "Business" Mr. Rutherford instantly assumed his dignity,
+dropping into the slightly drawling tone he always used on such
+occasions, and which he intended as an extinguisher on any person whom
+he deemed too familiar.
+
+"Well, no," he replied, twirling an incipient mustache, "at least, not
+so far as I am concerned; I am just out on a sort of an extended
+pleasure trip, you know."
+
+"Ah, your friend is a business man, I judge; perhaps," turning to
+Houston, "we can interest you in some of our rare bargains in the line
+of real estate, improved or unimproved, city or country; or possibly
+in our mines, gold or silver properties, quartz or placer, we have
+them all."
+
+"You seem to have a 'corner' on this part of the northwest?" remarked
+Rutherford, rather sarcastically.
+
+"Indeed, young man, we have a good many 'corners,' pretty valuable
+ones, too," the man replied imperturbably, still watching Houston, who
+replied in a courteous but indifferent tone:
+
+"I am out here on business, but am not in a position to make any
+investments at present, nor do I expect to be for some time."
+
+"Ah, your business?" asked his interlocutor.
+
+"I am an accountant," he replied quietly.
+
+The man seemed satisfied. "Well, gentlemen," he said, rising from the
+table, "I am glad to have met you, and hope to have the pleasure of
+seeing you later in our city. Allow me to present my card, and if
+there is anything we can ever do for you in our line, please give us a
+call," and smilingly handing each a card, he bowed himself out of the
+car.
+
+"Well, by Jove!" exclaimed Rutherford, his grammar getting a little
+mixed, "either that man's a fool, or he thought we were; I don't know
+which."
+
+"Probably the latter," said Houston, smiling; then glancing at the
+card beside his plate, he read, "J. D. Wilson, President of the
+Northwestern Mining, Land and Investment Company, Silver City;" and he
+was the prospective clerk of The Northwestern Mining, Land and
+Investment Company!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+An hour or two later, the Pacific Express was slowly winding up the
+long mountain grade, the engine puffing and wheezing in apoplectic
+fashion, and occasionally emitting short shrieks of protest. The
+mountains, which had gradually been assuming shape and color, were now
+looming up in grand proportions, their rugged outlines clearly defined
+against the sky. Already the mountain breezes, fragrant with the
+breath of tamarack, spruce and pine, stole in on adventurous wings
+through the car windows; lifted locks, both golden and silvered, from
+heated brows, kissed a fretful infant into peaceful slumber, turned
+the pages of novels and flapped newspapers so persistently that their
+readers were compelled to abandon them, and brought new energy and
+inspiration to the languid, listless passengers, so that they began to
+evince symptoms of interest in their surroundings.
+
+In his favorite lounging attitude, Houston sat, his eyes fixed on the
+mountains, moment by moment growing more distinct in their rugged
+grandeur, a half-smile of amusement playing over his face, as he
+recalled the interview with the president of The Northwestern Mining,
+Land and Investment Company. Upon inquiry, he had learned that Mr.
+Wilson had boarded the train at a little way station, before daylight
+that morning, and the zeal displayed by that gentleman in thus seeking
+to ascertain something regarding the characteristics of his future
+clerk, by anticipating his arrival in this manner seemed to Houston
+decidedly amusing, and at the same time furnished him a clue
+concerning the character of one of the men with whom he was to be
+associated.
+
+He was aroused by the entrance of Rutherford, who, having learned that
+the train would make stops among the canyons they were approaching,
+was getting his kodak and plates in readiness, preparatory to taking
+impressions of some of the finest views.
+
+After a few moments, the conversation drifted to the subject of their
+destination, which they would reach in three or four hours.
+
+"I suppose," said Rutherford, addressing his companion rather
+hesitatingly, "I suppose you will remain in Silver City for some
+time?"
+
+"I am not quite certain," he replied, "my impression is, however, that
+I shall not be detained there more than a day or two."
+
+"Indeed! then are you going on farther west?"
+
+"No, I expect to go out among the mines for a while."
+
+"Among the mines! Now I should think that would be fine; you'll have a
+chance to see western life in earnest. So you are interested in mines!
+Well, I thought something of the kind when you said you were out on
+business. No wonder you were so cool with old Boomerang this morning,
+and didn't care for any of his wonderful investments."
+
+Houston was silent for a moment, a curious smile playing over his fine
+features; then watching Rutherford keenly through half-closed eyes, he
+said,
+
+"On the contrary, instead of being a mine owner, as you surmise, I am
+the employe of a mining company, and 'old Boomerang,' as you call him,
+is the president of that company."
+
+Rutherford sat for an instant as if petrified; then managed to gasp,
+"Great Heavens! are you associated in business with that man?"
+
+"Yes," said Houston, looking almost as if he enjoyed the situation,
+"associated as employer and employe. I am going out to fill the
+position of accountant for the same company of which he is president."
+
+"Oh, I see; you are just going to take the position. Did you know all
+the time who he was?"
+
+"I had no more idea than you until I saw his card; but I think he knew
+me, was looking around, in fact, to see what his new clerk was like."
+
+"The old beast!" exclaimed Rutherford. His face was a study, it
+represented so many conflicting emotions; several times he seemed
+about to speak, then remained silent, looking more and more perplexed.
+He was sorely puzzled; Houston was the embodiment of courtesy and
+refinement, his every word and gesture revealed a man of wealth,
+education and culture,--and yet, a clerk, and for such a man! and
+strangest of all, he seemed to feel no chagrin in speaking of his
+position.
+
+Houston's voice broke in pleasantly upon his cogitations: "I saw it
+would never do for you to travel about here under such erroneous
+impressions; imagining you were associating with a heavy capitalist,
+or a mining broker, when--"
+
+"Oh, hang it all!" interrupted Rutherford, brusquely, "What difference
+does it make? You're a gentleman, anybody can see that. I'll own up
+that it did knock me out at first to find you were connected in any
+way with that old chap; but I know you're all right, and I had no
+business questioning around as I did about your affairs; I beg your
+pardon, and I'll explain now why I did it. I'm a stranger out here,
+and I've taken an awful liking to you, and when we get to Silver City,
+if you don't mind, I'd like to keep in with you until I get a little
+accustomed to the ways out here; that is, if you've no objections."
+
+"That's all right," responded Houston cordially, "stay with me as long
+as you like; and now, let's go out and take a look at the mountains,"
+and the two young men shook hands, each feeling a sort of presentiment
+that the friendship begun under these peculiar circumstances was one
+for life, and such it proved.
+
+On reaching the rear platform they discovered that the train was
+following the course of a river winding through a rocky gorge that
+grew narrower, moment by moment. The walls grew higher and steeper at
+every turn, while towering above and beyond were the mountain peaks.
+They stood clinging to the railings, and watching the rapidly changing
+scene, as the train swerved and swept from one direction to another,
+following the winding of the river.
+
+Suddenly the walls shot upward almost perpendicularly for hundreds of
+feet, shutting out the sunlight, leaving nothing visible but a narrow
+strip of sky; and still the great rocks came closer and closer, until
+little more than the width of the car was left, and it seemed that in
+a moment that must be crushed. The ponderous wheels were slowly
+revolving over a trestle bridge of steel, mortised into the rocks,
+while the deafening echoes reverberated between the narrowing walls,
+and rippled the surface of the river flowing deep and black below.
+Then suddenly another swift, sharp turn, and they were out in the
+dazzling sunshine, amidst a scene of untold beauty and grandeur.
+
+Here, at the entrance of the canyon, the train stopped, giving the
+passengers an opportunity to alight and enjoy the scenery. On all
+sides rose masses of rock, some fashioned in wondrous beauty, others
+in forms weird and fantastic; some gray and rugged, some tinted with
+intermingling shades of color, and others sparkling in the sunlight as
+though studded with gems innumerable. Here and there were piles of
+rock, crimson and green and golden, resembling the moss-grown,
+ivy-covered castles of the olden time. Farther on were mountains
+covered with heavy forests of pine, through which the winds sighed and
+whispered mysteriously, while at their feet the little streams
+lingered lovingly long enough to catch the whispered secrets, and
+bear them away, laughing and singing, on their journey toward the
+great sea.
+
+The train moved slowly on to another canyon, more grand in its awful
+solitude than the first, surrounded on all sides by walls nearly a
+thousand feet in height. At one side, a broad sheet of water,
+shimmering in the sunlight, fell, like a bridal veil, down the
+precipitous rock, with a deafening roar disappearing into unseen
+depths below, while at the base of the canyon lay a lake of sapphire,
+in whose calm, untroubled depths, rocks and cascade and sky were
+mirrored in perfect beauty.
+
+Slowly the train wound its way upward, until it paused again near the
+summit of the range, on the "divide," the boundary line between the
+east and the west. There were the serried ranks of the mountains,
+vast, solemn, grand; and in that awful solitude, under the spell of
+that eternal silence, a sense of the infinite hushed every tongue, and
+each one stood with bated breath, as if on holy ground. On every side
+the billowy ranges surged, like the gigantic waves of a storm-tossed
+ocean suddenly congealed to stone, while here and there, towered
+mighty peaks, like huge sentinels, their brows seamed with furrows
+plowed by the hand of the centuries, their heads white with the snows
+of countless ages.
+
+Here two tiny streams flowed side by side, then separated; the one to
+start on its long journey toward the old Atlantic, the other toward
+the Golden Gate, to mingle its waters with those of the sunset sea.
+
+Slowly the passengers returned to the train, stopping on their way to
+gather the little wild flowers growing between the loosened
+rocks,--frail mountain children of the sun and wind,--to be preserved
+as souvenirs of the "divide."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Rutherford had so diligently improved the opportunities afforded by
+the stopping of the train, in securing views of some of the finest
+scenes, that when the divide was reached, he had only two plates
+left. These he quickly used, and then gave himself up to silent
+contemplation and enjoyment of the beauty around him. Very slowly and
+regretfully he and Houston followed the example of the others, and
+turned toward the waiting train, like them, picking the delicate
+wild flowers and pressing them in their note books.
+
+It was during the first of these stops, at the entrance to the
+canyons, that Rutherford, hastily glancing up from his work, saw,
+standing among the passengers, a little in the background, the man
+whom he had last seen at the Valley City depot. He was standing in the
+same alert, watchful attitude, but the soft hat was drawn downward
+over his face concealing his eyes, and the knife and revolver were
+hidden by a rough jacket. He was not then looking toward Rutherford,
+but was facing in another direction, where Houston was strolling among
+the rocks, and when, a few moments later, Houston sauntered over to
+observe his work, Rutherford called his attention to the man, but he
+was nearly hidden behind a group of men, only a little of his figure
+being visible. Later, when they were again seated in the car,
+descending the western grade, Rutherford asked his companion whether
+he had succeeded in getting a glimpse of the man.
+
+"Yes," said Houston, "a glimpse and no more; once or twice I was near
+him, but his face was turned the other way. I passed him in taking the
+train, but I had only a hurried glimpse of his face; it seemed to me
+that it was a face of unusual intelligence for a man of that class, as
+I should judge him to be a miner, but I did not think he looked
+particularly dangerous."
+
+"Wait till you see his eyes," said Rutherford, then inquired, "By the
+way, did you see the old mining chap anywhere?"
+
+"Oh, yes," said Houston, laughing, "twice; once with a townsite map
+spread out before him, talking real estate to a couple of men, and
+again in the smoking car where he was playing poker."
+
+"I didn't see him out looking at the mountains."
+
+"No, probably they have no interest for him, except just so far as
+they contain gold mines."
+
+They talked of the mountains, and Rutherford suddenly exclaimed, "I
+wish I could find some way of getting out and camping right among
+the mountains themselves. I don't care to stop in any little
+half-civilized western town for any length of time, but if I could
+just go right out into the heart of the mountains somewhere, and
+stay for a few weeks, that would be an experience worth having."
+
+Houston smiled; "How would you like a trip out into the part of the
+country where I am going? As near as I can make out, it is twenty-five
+miles from the nearest town, just a rough mining camp, with very few
+people aside from the miners."
+
+"Why," replied Rutherford, "I think that would be fine; anyhow, I'll
+try it if you have no objections; it will be a change anyway."
+
+And so it was decided that Rutherford should extend his pleasure trip
+into the mining camp, and Houston was pleased with the arrangement,
+for, notwithstanding the work which he had planned, he expected to
+find many lonely hours and monotonous days, little dreaming of the
+interests that awaited him, or that he was entering upon the most
+eventful portion of his life.
+
+At about one o'clock the train arrived at Silver City, a town of about
+fifteen thousand inhabitants. The young men, as they left the train,
+caught a glimpse of the indefatigable Mr. Wilson as he was boarding a
+street car in company with two intended victims which he had already
+secured. They took a carriage, and as they were whirled rapidly
+through the steep, narrow streets on their way to the hotel, the
+little city seemed to them like a thoroughly typical, western, mining
+town. The town was surrounded by mountains, and prospect holes and
+abandoned placer diggings could be seen in every direction, while
+interspersed among the business blocks of brick and stone, were tiny
+cabins, built of logs,--all relics of the earlier days when Silver
+City was but a large mining camp.
+
+After lunch, Houston started forth in search of the city office of The
+Northwestern Mining, Land and Investment Company, which he found
+without difficulty. He was surprised to discover that business there
+was conducted on something of a co-operative plan, as the one large
+room in which he found himself constituted the offices of some
+half-dozen mining and real estate companies, and was occupied at the
+time by eight or ten different men, each seated at his own desk, and
+separated from his neighbors by a little wooden railing. A broad aisle
+extended through the center of the room, and at the farther end were
+two or three accountants' desks, two large safes and two typewriters.
+
+The whole arrangement seemed to Houston extremely crowded and
+confusing, but he afterward learned that it had its advantages; as
+certain deeds, contracts and leases could be so easily mislaid and
+lost; then too, it had an effect upon the minds of some of their
+patrons that was particularly desirable, as they usually left the
+office in a state of such bewilderment, that they were unable to tell
+with any degree of certainty, just which one of the many high-sounding
+companies it was, with which they had entered into agreement, and as
+the eight or ten men were each connected in some way with all of the
+companies, they all came in for a share of the profits, no matter who
+was the victim.
+
+Houston having inquired of a white-haired, benevolent-looking
+individual at his right, for Mr. Wilson, was politely directed to the
+third desk on the left-hand side. Here he found Mr. Wilson, who
+greeted him effusively, and introduced him to Mr. Blaisdell, the
+general manager of the company. The secretary of the company was, at
+that moment, doing duty in another part of the room, as president of
+The North American Townsite & Irrigation Company, consequently Houston
+did not meet him until later.
+
+As Messrs. Wilson and Blaisdell were just then engaged with a
+customer, they begged Mr. Houston to excuse them for a few moments,
+which he did very willingly, and thus was afforded an opportunity to
+observe the two men closely. Mr. Blaisdell had rather a long and
+narrow face, and what is called a "sandy" complexion; his hair, face
+and small goatee (he wore no mustache) were all of the same, light,
+indefinite color; his eyes were small and pale blue, while his lips
+were thin and tightly compressed. His face, when at rest, had a
+sanctimonious expression which was sadly at variance with the
+avaricious, grasping look which it instantly assumed when animated. He
+said little, but Houston soon discovered that he was in reality the
+head man of the company, while Mr. Wilson was but the mouthpiece.
+
+In the twenty or thirty minutes which elapsed before these gentlemen
+could give Mr. Houston their undivided attention, he obtained
+sufficient insight into their characters, and enough of an inkling of
+their business methods, to make him more determined than ever to
+unearth their schemes, and doubly anxious to succeed in the role which
+he had assumed.
+
+As soon as they were at liberty, Mr. Wilson and the general manager
+turned very smilingly toward their new clerk, and after some questions
+regarding his business qualifications and experience, all of which he
+answered in a manner very satisfactory, they proceeded to give him
+detailed instructions relating to his future duties in the branch
+office, at the mining camp.
+
+"Of course," remarked Mr. Wilson, "you understand that as you become
+accustomed to the business, greater responsibility will devolve upon
+you; for the present, you are to have charge of the books and our
+correspondence from that point; and when you have sufficiently
+familiarized yourself with the details of the business, we shall
+expect you, in Mr. Blaisdell's absence, to take charge of the office,
+to receive the reports of the different superintendents and foremen of
+the mines, and if necessary, to inspect the work at the mines
+yourself, occasionally, in order to see that our instructions are
+being carried out."
+
+Houston thought that this included quite a range of work for an
+accountant, but as he was only too glad of the opportunities which
+would thus be afforded him for his own investigations, he raised no
+objections.
+
+"I suppose, Mr. Houston," added Mr. Blaisdell, very deliberately, "it
+is unnecessary to say that in a position of this kind, we require the
+utmost secrecy on your part regarding the affairs of the company. In
+giving you this very responsible position, we repose great confidence
+in you, and we expect you to prove yourself worthy of it."
+
+"Oh well," chuckled Mr. Wilson, "I should say, judging by Mr.
+Houston's appearance on the train this morning, he understands the art
+of preserving a golden silence as well as any one I ever saw. It was
+all I could do to get a dozen words out of him."
+
+Mr. Blaisdell smiled in a way that Houston understood he had received
+a full account of the meeting on the train. There being little more to
+be said, Houston inquired regarding accommodations at the camp,
+stating that a young acquaintance of his wished to remain in the
+mountains for a week or two.
+
+"Is he interested in mines?" inquired Mr. Blaisdell.
+
+"Oh, no," replied Houston, "he is the young man who informed Mr.
+Wilson he was out on an extended pleasure trip, and he imagines it
+would be great sport to be out in a genuine mining camp for a while,
+as far from civilization as possible."
+
+"That's all right," responded Mr. Blaisdell, "I was only going to
+state that we allow no visitors through the mines except those who are
+personally interested, or who have intentions of becoming purchasers,
+but if your friend merely wants to stop among the mountains for the
+fun of the thing, why, he's welcome to stay all summer for aught I
+care. As to accommodations, I think we can fix you both very
+comfortably. There are two boarding houses near the mines, for the
+miners, of course you would not go there; but old Jim Maverick and his
+wife run a boarding house about a quarter of a mile from there that is
+very good, and is a sort of stopping place for any tourists that find
+their way out there. I stop there myself, and I know Maverick and his
+wife are glad of all the boarders they can get. I believe they already
+had a lady when I was there last week, a school teacher or something
+of that sort, who had just come, and I think you will find it very
+comfortable there."
+
+Having learned that they would have to start for the camp at eight
+o'clock the next morning, Houston took his leave, promising to be in
+readiness at that time. He next visited a number of assay offices,
+where he learned a good many valuable points regarding the different
+classes of ore in that vicinity; then having purchased two or three
+works on practical mining and mineralogy, which he thought might be of
+assistance to him, he returned to the hotel, where he entertained
+Rutherford until dinner with an account of their trip to be taken on
+the morrow and the accommodations that awaited them, with the added
+attraction of the society of a solitary school teacher, whom their
+imaginations already depicted as of uncertain age, with short hair and
+spectacles. Many were Rutherford's speculations concerning this
+individual.
+
+"I've had the pleasure of the acquaintance of two specimens of that
+class," said he, "one was in the Catskill Mountains; she had a
+geological fad, and went out every morning with a little hammer, to
+hammer among the rocks all day; the other was a botanist, and returned
+every evening about covered with plants which she had pulled up, root
+and branch; I wonder which of them this one will resemble."
+
+"We shall soon see," said Houston.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+Nearly twenty-five miles from the nearest town, and not a human being
+visible from the point of observation occupied by Miss Gladden, as she
+slowly swung backward and forward in her hammock under the pines, half
+way up the mountain side; and the only sign of human life was a faint,
+blue smoke curling upward among the evergreens on one side, at the
+base of the mountain.
+
+Directly at the foot of the mountain lay a small lake of azure blue,
+at one end of which was a narrow bridge crossing the stream which
+formed the outlet to the lake, and from which a footpath wound in the
+direction of the solitary house from which the smoke ascended. At the
+other extremity of the lake, where the gulch narrowed into a deep
+ravine, walled with irregular masses of gray rock, a mountain stream
+came dashing down over the ledges, forming a series of cascades, and
+with a final leap plunged into the azure waters. It was a wild,
+solitary place, and had there been another human being visible, he
+doubtless would have been much astonished at the sight of a young
+lady, dressed in the height of fashion, lazily swinging to and fro,
+half way up the pine covered mountain.
+
+But for Miss Gladden the charm of the situation lay in its solitude;
+she was tired of society, and, glad to free herself for a while at
+least from its conventionalities, was congratulating herself upon her
+good fortune in finding this retreat, all unconscious that others were
+already entering into her little world, soon to enter into her heart
+and life.
+
+As she swung dreamily under the pines she was aroused by a clear,
+musical voice calling her name, and turning, saw the lithe, slender
+form of Lyle Maverick, the daughter of her host, rapidly approaching.
+Although Miss Gladden had been but a few days among the mountains,
+there already existed between her and Lyle Maverick a mutual
+admiration, though each was, as yet, unconscious of the admiration of
+the other.
+
+Lyle secretly worshipped Miss Gladden as the most beautiful being she
+had ever seen, nor was it strange, for Leslie Gladden had all her life
+received the homage always yielded to beauty, and from hearts far less
+susceptible than that of this untutored child of the mountains; but
+Lyle, notwithstanding her surroundings and her disadvantages, was
+proud spirited, and did not proclaim her admiration for the beautiful
+stranger. Miss Gladden, on her part, admired the imperious mountain
+maid, as the loveliest specimen of uncultured, untrained girlhood,
+just blossoming into womanhood, that she had ever met. She wondered
+how she came to be so unlike her surroundings, and what would be the
+result if this wild mountain flower could be transplanted to some more
+favorable spot, there to receive the care and nurture bestowed on so
+many far less beautiful. She had within the last few days, led by a
+desire to know the proud, shy girl, made a companion of her; this was
+a new experience for Lyle, and was fast deepening her admiration for
+Miss Gladden into confidence and regard.
+
+Miss Gladden watched Lyle now, as she came up the mountain path, as
+fleet of foot and graceful in every motion as a deer, her head thrown
+proudly back, her wavy hair rippling over her shoulders to her waist,
+and shining in the sunlight like fine spun gold.
+
+"Oh, Miss Gladden," she exclaimed, as, having reached the group of
+pines, she threw herself carelessly at the foot of one of them, "the
+solitude and isolation which you have prized so highly are to be
+invaded by two new boarders of masculine gender."
+
+A slight frown gathered on Miss Gladden's face, at the prospect of
+intruders thus encroaching upon the mountain retreat which she was
+beginning to regard as hers exclusively. Lyle, watching her, saw the
+frown, and continued, her eyes dancing with mischief:
+
+"They are city gentlemen, too, from the east; from Chicago and from
+Boston, only think of the honor conferred upon us! They have come from
+the land of civilization and culture to the wild west, to see how we
+barbarians live; at least that is the object of one of them who is out
+on a pleasure trip, for that is usually the meaning of western
+pleasure trips."
+
+"Lyle, are you not rather severe? They come for the sake of the
+scenery, or as I have, for rest."
+
+"A few for rest perhaps, but scenery? nonsense! Look at the majority
+of your 'western stories,' as they are called; how much is there in
+them of scenery? A few lines here and there, but pages devoted to
+descriptions of western life with its ignorance and uncouthness."
+
+"But stories of western life usually contain a great deal of
+originality and piquancy; that is why they are popular."
+
+"Possibly," said Lyle dryly, "but I have seen very little originality
+in the life I have led here. It may seem original to outsiders; it is
+monotonous enough to those who live it, year after year. The scenery
+of the west is grand, I love it, and if I could see it with such eyes
+as yours, eyes accustomed to beauty in all its infinite kinds and
+degrees, and with a mind cultivated, fed on the choicest thought than
+can be culled not only from our own country and in our own tongue, but
+from other countries and in other tongues as well, I would appreciate
+the beauty about me more keenly than I can now; but I despise this
+life in which I have been reared, a life of ignorance, coarseness,
+brutality and deceit. Here I have lived for the past ten years, here I
+am likely to live for ten, twenty years to come."
+
+Both were silent for a few moments, while Miss Gladden watched the
+beautiful face, in this instance an index of an equally beautiful
+soul, and she marveled more than ever. At last she said gently:
+
+"Lyle, dear, pardon me for asking such a question, but you are an
+anomaly; how is it, living all these years as you have, in these
+surroundings, that you have so good an education? You have evidently
+read considerable, and you converse well; you cannot be called
+ignorant."
+
+"No," the girl replied sadly, "I am not quite so ignorant as a
+stranger would think to see me, but I have learned just enough to make
+me realize how little I do know, and that little I have acquired by
+stealth. I could read a very little when we came here from some small
+town, somewhere in the east, I have forgotten where, and I wanted to
+learn, but father forbade it; he said he wouldn't have any of his
+children putting on airs, that what was good enough for him would have
+to do for them. He has always been severe with me, I suppose he didn't
+want any girls, that's what mother says. Mother was always as kind to
+me as she dared to be, but she was afraid to help me to learn
+anything, and she couldn't have taught me much anyway. I studied every
+little bit of print I could come across, if it were nothing more than
+a scrap of newspaper, I was so anxious to be able to read. Then, when
+I was about twelve years old, a little girl who stayed here one summer
+with her governess, left some of her old, worn-out school books and
+writing books. I hid them in my room as carefully as if they had been
+diamonds, and pored over them every chance I could get for the next
+year. About that time, I got acquainted with one of the miners who had
+been here a long time, a strange, silent man, who was very different
+from the others, and who kept by himself. He seemed to take a great
+liking to me, and I consider him to-day the best friend that I have in
+the world. He found out how I was studying and trying to learn, and he
+helped me, for he had had a fine education. He bought books for me,
+not only school books, but choice books to read, stories, poems and
+plays, and he has talked with me a great deal, and told me about
+places and people and authors, and so has saved me from being a total
+ignoramus."
+
+"How kind!" exclaimed Miss Gladden, "I don't wonder that you consider
+him your friend. Is he here now?"
+
+"Yes," replied Lyle, "he has been away for a few days, but he came
+back last night, and I went down to his cabin to see him. He brought
+me some beautiful books, but I keep them at his cabin most of the
+time, so no one at the house will get hold of them."
+
+"Does he live alone?" asked Miss Gladden.
+
+"No, an Irishman, who has a pretty good education, lives with him most
+of the time; he is quite a musician and is teaching me to play the
+violin. 'Mike' they call the Irishman, and my friend is 'Jack'; the
+other miners nicknamed him 'Lone Jack,' but nobody, I suppose, knows
+what their real names are."
+
+"Why, how interesting!" exclaimed Miss Gladden. "Why haven't you ever
+told me before? It sounds like a story with a deep-laid plot, and a
+typical villain lurking somewhere."
+
+"There are plots enough, and villains enough, but Jack is not one of
+them," quietly replied the girl, with a curious expression.
+
+"Would he let me come and see him?" inquired Miss Gladden.
+
+"He might, if I asked him, but you would find him very uncommunicative.
+He does not care for strangers. He was telling me last night about a
+comical, dudish looking fellow whom he saw on the train, and who got
+off at Silver City, and he said he was coming up here into the
+mountains in company with another young gentleman; he thought I would be
+likely to see them, and I think they are the new boarders."
+
+"Why, have you seen them?" asked Miss Gladden, in surprise.
+
+"Yes," laughed Lyle, "one of them, from my post of observation behind
+the kitchen door, and he did appear so ridiculous with his gold
+eye-glasses, looking as solemn as an owl, and glancing around with
+that expression of supercilious curiosity, as though he expected to
+find us all wild Indians, or something of the sort."
+
+"Ah, that accounts for the little tirade against western pleasure
+tourists I heard when you first came up. Evidently the eye-glasses did
+not produce a very favorable impression on you."
+
+"Well," retorted Lyle, "see him yourself, and see what impressions you
+will receive."
+
+"Well, my dear," said Miss Gladden, "as it is nearly dinner time, I
+would suggest that we adjourn to the house, alleviate these pangs of
+hunger, take an observation of the gold eye-glasses and report our
+impressions later."
+
+"Agreed," said Lyle merrily, and the two began to descend the
+mountain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+Houston and Rutherford were promptly at the depot, as agreed, to take
+the early morning train to the mines.
+
+Mr. Blaisdell met them with a great show of cordiality, his thin lips
+contracted into a smile which was doubtless intended to be very
+agreeable, but which produced a sensation exactly the reverse.
+
+"Well," Rutherford began, with his peculiar drawl, when he and Houston
+were seated together in the car, with Mr. Blaisdell safely engaged in
+conversation at a little distance, "I can't say that I'm any more
+favorably impressed with Mr. Buncombe, or whatever his name is, than I
+was with old Boomerang yesterday. That fellow looked like a silly,
+pompous, old fool, and this one like a sly, old villain. I wish he'd
+stop that confounded, wolfish grin of his, it makes me feel
+uncomfortable, he looks as if he knew he had his prey just dead easy,
+and his chops were watering in anticipation. I say, old fellow, I
+don't think much of this Buncombe-Boomerang combination of yours, and
+I guess it's a good thing I'm along with you till we find out what
+sort of a trap we're getting into."
+
+Houston smiled; Rutherford had expressed his own opinion a great deal
+nearer than he cared to admit. He had seen enough of the men with whom
+he was to be associated to convince him that they were villains,
+cowardly villains too, the very sort of men that would be most
+desperate and dangerous when cornered; but he was fast laying his
+plans, and now the only drawback seemed that he would have no
+assistant, and he felt the time would come when he would need one, and
+some one familiar with mining. An expert from the east would not do,
+he would be suspected; and a detective would not possess the necessary
+information regarding mining in general, and these mines in
+particular. At times, a vague idea of taking Rutherford into his
+confidence came into his mind, but he was not ready to do this yet, if
+at all.
+
+All this flashed through Houston's mind as Rutherford made the above
+remark, and he answered:
+
+"I don't apprehend any particular danger at present, but I am glad you
+are with me."
+
+"The question with me is," continued Rutherford, "how I'll amuse
+myself during your office hours in such a region as this; I don't
+imagine I'll find a great many congenial companions."
+
+"You seem to have forgotten the school teacher," Houston remarked,
+with a quiet smile.
+
+"Oh, bother the school ma'am! I had forgotten her. I suppose she'll be
+as graceful as a scalene triangle, and about as entertaining as a
+mummy. They're mostly that kind, or else the gushing, adoring sort,
+that can't talk of anything but Browning, or Emerson, or theosophy, or
+something of that kind; and the most conceited lot of creatures that
+ever lived."
+
+Meanwhile, the train wound in and out among the mountains, stopping
+for a few moments at a small town where huge smelters were pouring
+forth their clouds of dense smoke, darkening the air until it seemed
+more like night than day; then on a few miles farther, to the little
+station known as the "Y," so-called on account of the form of the spur
+tracks owned by the mining company, by which the ore was brought down
+from the mines above.
+
+At the station was a store containing general mining supplies, with
+the post-office in one front window, a boarding and lodging house, and
+three or four saloons and gambling houses, these last designed to
+catch the wages of the miners from the surrounding camps.
+
+Mr. Blaisdell having found one of the superintendents who had come
+down with a team for supplies, they were soon on their way up the
+gulch, and in the course of an hour were left at the office buildings,
+while the team went on to the mines.
+
+Here Rutherford waited in the outer room of the little unpainted,
+frame building, while Mr. Blaisdell took Houston into the further
+room, and introduced him to Morgan, the general superintendent, and to
+his work, at the same time. Then, having seen Houston duly installed
+at his post of duty, perched on a wabbly stool, before a rickety,
+ink-bespattered desk, beside a window gray with the dust and smoke of
+ages, through which a few straggling sunbeams fell, Mr. Blaisdell
+sailed complacently forth to escort Rutherford to Jim Maverick's
+boarding house, whither the baggage had already been taken by the
+team; then, all necessary arrangements for rooms and board having been
+completed, he went out to the mines, leaving Rutherford alone in the
+camp of the Philistines. He found no one, however, more formidable
+than Mrs. Maverick, an old woman bent nearly double, with white hair
+and hollow, deep-sunken eyes, so faded it was impossible to tell what
+their original color might have been, and the "help," a stout,
+red-cheeked, coarse-featured girl of fifteen, whom Mrs. Maverick
+called "Minty," but who rejoiced in the euphonious name of Araminta
+Bixby, and who ogled and grinned at Rutherford until he found the task
+of preserving his dignity more difficult than ever.
+
+In the course of an hour he sauntered down to the office to meet
+Houston, and a little later the two sat in the porch of the low,
+wide-spreading house, partly frame and partly of logs, the roof of the
+porch supported by the trunks of slender trees, unhewn, from which
+even the bark had not been removed.
+
+From the porch there was a view of the lake, and in the distance the
+gleaming cascades, while just opposite, the gulch road followed its
+winding course and disappeared among the mountains.
+
+Presently there came up the winding road three men, apparently father
+and sons,--low-browed, heavy-eyed, brutal looking creatures,--who
+followed the foot path up toward the house, and glaring sullenly at
+the young men, shuffled around to the back door.
+
+"Evidently mine host and his sons," remarked Houston.
+
+"Well," replied Rutherford, "I think if I see a few more such
+specimens as those, I'll take the first train out. Say though, I
+haven't seen a sign of that school teacher, I begin to think she is a
+myth."
+
+"Sh!" said Houston quickly, under his breath, "see what you think of
+this!"
+
+Rutherford turned in the direction Houston was facing, and had two
+beings just then descended from the mythical regions, he could not
+have been more astonished than at sight of the pair approaching from
+the lake. The first was a young girl, apparently about sixteen, but
+tall and well developed, the scant garments that she wore revealing
+the beautifully rounded outlines of her form, her carriage free and
+every movement full of grace. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, the
+features refined and perfect as though chiseled in marble; her eyes
+shone with a star-like brilliancy, and her hair fell about her
+shoulders like a mass of burnished gold.
+
+Beside her was a woman several years her senior, equally beautiful,
+but an altogether different type of beauty; more mature, more perfect
+and more rare. Tall and splendidly developed, she moved with a queenly
+grace. Her face was classical in its contours, the profile resembling
+that of some of the old Grecians, while its beauty was so refined, so
+subtile, it could not be easily described. Perhaps the eyes were its
+chief attraction; large and dark, and of Madonna-like depth and
+tenderness; soulful eyes that reflected every emotion of the pure,
+womanly nature, as the calm lake mirrors the sunlit sky or the
+lowering storm-cloud, the silvery moon or the lightning's flash. The
+wavy, auburn hair, tinged in the sunlight with red gold, was gathered
+into a knot near the top of a shapely, well-poised head, while stray
+curls clustered rebelliously about the broad, fair brow, forming a
+shining aureole.
+
+Like a vision, the pair passed silently into the house, leaving
+Rutherford, for once in his life, speechless, and Houston watching
+him, apparently enjoying the situation.
+
+"What's the matter, my boy?" he asked, in a low, laughing tone, "Are
+you spell-bound?"
+
+"Spell-bound? well, slightly!" responded Rutherford. "Great Heavens,
+Houston! do they have such women as those out here?"
+
+"Evidently they have some fine samples of the genuine article, but I
+am not prepared to state how large a stock they carry. I'm positive of
+one thing though, that within the last three minutes you have changed
+your mind about taking the next train out. Not all the desperadoes and
+villains you've met from Valley City out, could drive you away from
+the mountains now."
+
+"You're right, they couldn't," said Rutherford, with a broad grin,
+"not if I know myself; no, sir, when I'm in the line of duty nothing
+can scare me out of it worth a cent, and just now I feel it to be my
+duty to solve some of the mysteries thickening around me, among them,
+that of the mountain nymphs."
+
+"Altogether too substantial for mountain nymphs, my boy," said
+Houston, "and you will please remember, while pursuing your line of
+duty, that I have vouched for your good behavior here, and am in a
+measure responsible for you, and I don't want to get into any trouble
+on your account."
+
+Rutherford cleared his throat, and rising slowly with all the dignity
+he could muster, looked gravely over his glasses at Houston in exact
+imitation of Mr. Blaisdell, and in an oracular tone remarked:
+
+"And you will please remember, my young friend, that I am out here as
+your duly constituted guardian, and as such, it is my duty to form the
+acquaintance of these--ahem!--these fair daughters of Eve, and judge
+for myself whether or not they will be suitable companions for an
+unsophisticated youth, like yourself."
+
+"Good!" said Houston, and after a few more jokes, dinner being
+announced by the moon-faced Minty, they went in to partake of their
+first meal in what Rutherford styled the "Hotel de Maverick."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+A few moments later, Houston and his friend had been duly presented by
+Mrs. Maverick, to Miss Gladden and to "our daughter, Lyle," the former
+in a gown of soft, clinging material, of a delicate, golden tint,
+combined with a reddish brown velvet, which suited her style of beauty
+to perfection; and Lyle, in dainty white apron, her beautiful hair
+loosely plaited in an enormous braid, prepared to act in the capacity
+of waiter.
+
+Never were guests served so deftly, or with such grace and dignity;
+she seemed absolutely free from all coquettish airs, and although the
+glances of the two gentlemen were about evenly divided between the
+beauty at their side and the fair waitress, Lyle carried herself with
+an equanimity that was remarkable. Not until the arrival, later, of
+the other boarders, Morgan, the general superintendent, and Haight,
+the mining expert,--so-called, though his expertness embraced much
+beside mining,--was there any change in her demeanor; then her eyes
+flashed, her lips curled, and a look of superb scorn passed over her
+face, an expression that reminded Rutherford unaccountably of the face
+he had seen at Valley City.
+
+Old Jim Maverick and his sons were not present, having taken their
+meal hastily in the kitchen. Beside her husband and sons, poor, old
+Mrs. Maverick was positively refined. She was a kind-hearted, motherly
+woman, and looked as though, in her younger days, she might have been
+very pretty, but poverty, hard work and abuse had very nearly
+obliterated all traces of youthful bloom, and her face had a hopeless,
+appealing look which was pathetic.
+
+A little later, Mr. Blaisdell arrived, rubbing his hands and smiling
+in his usual complacent manner, and he entertained the guests for some
+time with anecdotes of western life, some of them very well told, but
+in most of which it was noticeable that he bore a very prominent
+part.
+
+After dinner, Houston returned to the office in company with Morgan
+and the expert, two new characters which he was studying attentively.
+The former was a tall, raw-boned individual, with a genial,
+good-natured manner, but a weak face; one who would willingly be a
+tool for any villain, but an unreliable tool. He would betray his best
+friend, and knowing nothing of honor himself, he did not believe in
+its existence, among men or women. To him, all men were rogues, all
+business simply gambling on a large scale, and his only care was to be
+on the winning side.
+
+Haight was a small, dark man, with soft, insinuating manner, and, in
+accordance with his pet theory that every person, high or low, rich or
+poor, might sometime be useful to him in the furtherance of his own
+objects, he treated every one with punctilious politeness. To some his
+manner might have been pleasing, but to one with any degree of
+penetration, the crafty, scheming nature under the thin veneer was
+very apparent.
+
+Meanwhile, Rutherford had rather reluctantly accepted an invitation
+from Mr. Blaisdell to go through the mills and visit one or two of the
+less important mines. The young easterner was soon much interested,
+as, after having explored one of the smaller mines, the Peep
+o'Day,--which he thought very appropriately named as he glanced upward
+from a depth of a few hundred feet,--he was taken to the mills, and
+there saw the various stages through which the ores pass in the
+process of reduction. He almost forgot his dislike of Mr. Blaisdell
+as he listened to his explanation of the different classes of ore, and
+the various kinds of treatment which they required, and met some of
+his old college acquaintances,--the sulphates, nitrates, carbonates,
+and other members of that numerous family,--in new and startling
+array; for Mr. Blaisdell was thoroughly at home in chemistry and
+mineralogy, and enjoyed nothing so much as airing the knowledge he
+possessed in that one direction. Of other branches of science, and
+even on subjects of general information, he was profoundly ignorant,
+although blissfully unconscious of the fact.
+
+Rutherford was next shown the method by which the ore ready for
+shipment was conveyed down the mountain to the cars on the spur
+tracks, hundreds of feet below, by means of a rail tramway on trestle
+work, some three thousand feet in length, having a grade of nine feet
+per each hundred feet, over which cars of ore were passing, operated
+by gravity, the weight and velocity of the descending, loaded car,
+carrying the empty car upward. He thoroughly enjoyed these novel
+scenes, and congratulated himself upon the many picturesque mining
+views which he would add to his collection.
+
+As they were passing through one of the sorting rooms, they came upon
+Mr. Haight seated before a large table covered with specimens of ore,
+which he was examining with a powerful microscope, while beside him
+were various chemical and mechanical appliances for testing the
+different ores. Rutherford was enthusiastic in his admiration of the
+specimens, particularly those from the copper mines, with their
+beautiful coloring,--the blending tints of green and purple and
+blue,--and he created considerable amusement by his ecstasies over a
+large sample of iron pyrites, which he had mistaken for a splendid
+specimen of gold ore. Altogether it was a novel and pleasant
+experience for him, and when he joined Houston later, he felt himself
+considerably wiser in western lore.
+
+After supper, Mr. Blaisdell and Haight returned to the office for a
+private conference regarding some new ores which the latter had been
+testing. Morgan strolled down the gulch in the direction of the Y,
+drawn by the attractions of the gambling house and dance hall, leaving
+the two strangers to seek their own amusement, or to be entertained by
+Miss Gladden; they chose the latter, and, since among the mountains as
+on the ocean, friendships are quickly formed, the three were soon
+chatting as pleasantly, out in the low, rustic porch, as though their
+acquaintance dated back a number of days, instead of only a few hours.
+At the kitchen door, old Jim Maverick and his sons, with a dozen or so
+miners, lounged about, smoking their pipes, and enlivened by the
+blushing, giggling Miss Bixby.
+
+With the latter crowd Lyle would never mingle, much to the indignation
+of Maverick himself, and the chagrin of two or three would-be
+admirers, and not feeling at liberty to join, unasked, the group in
+the porch, she withdrew to her little room up-stairs, and taking from
+its hiding place one of the new books her friend had brought her,
+she was for a while unconscious of everything else. Then, as the
+twilight deepened, she closed the book, and having again concealed it,
+sat watching the stars just beginning to appear, one by one, and
+musing, as she often did, on her own life. Why had she not, with her
+passionate love of the beautiful and her thirst for knowledge, been
+given the birth and training, the social advantages of any one of
+that little group below? Or, if the fates had decreed that she must be
+born in such ignorance and degradation, and spend her life in such
+surroundings, why had they not given her a nature corresponding to
+her environment, as indifferent and unaspiring as that of the
+phlegmatic Miss Bixby? Why must she always feel as if she had been
+born to a better life than this, when in all probability, it must
+always go on in the same old routine which she hated and despised?
+She wondered what Jack meant by the questions he had asked her so
+often lately, as to where they had lived before coming to the
+mountains, and regarding her earliest recollections. Well, what were
+her earliest recollections? Something so shadowy she could not
+determine whether it were remembrance or imagination; but it was a
+vague idea of light and music and beauty; and why was it that when
+she heard or read of that bright life, so foreign to her, of which she
+had never had one glimpse, that it all seemed somehow half familiar?
+She did not believe she would be very awkward or out of place, if she
+could step for the first time into some of those bright scenes as
+she imagined them; why did it all seem so home-like to her?
+
+Meanwhile, the little group below were discussing the same problem
+that Lyle herself was trying to solve.
+
+"I cannot understand," Rutherford was saying, "how such a style of
+beauty, so delicate and refined you know, could ever exist in such
+surroundings."
+
+"She is a mystery," added Houston, "and unless I am greatly mistaken,
+she has a nature as sensitive and refined as her face."
+
+"You are right, Mr. Houston," replied Miss Gladden, "she possesses
+a refinement of nature that is wonderful; and not only that, she
+has a brilliant intellect if she could only have advantages, and
+notwithstanding all the difficulties and obstacles with which she
+has had to contend, she has already acquired a fair education, is
+remarkably well informed and a good conversationalist."
+
+A few moments later, Lyle was aroused from her revery by a familiar
+voice calling her, and coming down stairs, found Miss Gladden awaiting
+her.
+
+"You runaway!" she exclaimed, "why have you been hiding when you
+should have been helping me entertain the new guests?"
+
+"I didn't think you needed any help," replied Lyle, brightly.
+
+"You never made a worse mistake in your life," said Miss Gladden,
+leading the way out on the porch. "I have been trying to tell these
+gentlemen something about this country around here, and I have only
+succeeded in betraying my own ignorance."
+
+Both gentlemen greeted Lyle pleasantly, and Houston rose and gave her
+his chair with a grave, gentle courtesy which was new to her, and
+which she was quick to observe and appreciate. For some time they
+chatted of the surrounding country, Lyle telling them where the
+finest scenery, the best hunting and fishing and the pleasantest
+picnic grounds were to be found.
+
+"About a quarter of a mile from here," she said, "in Strawberry
+gulch is a small canyon that has been fitted up for tourists and
+excursionists, and every summer numerous camping parties come out from
+Silver City for a few days or weeks. There is a fine lake at the head
+of the canyon, a boat house, and a good supply of boats, tents,
+and almost everything needed for camp life."
+
+"Have there been any camping parties yet?" asked Houston.
+
+"Not yet," replied Lyle. "It is too early; they usually begin coming
+in July; we are likely to have snow-storms out here in the mountains
+yet."
+
+"Snow-storms!" they all exclaimed; "What!" said Miss Gladden, "after
+such warm weather as this?"
+
+"Oh, yes," said Lyle, "this is only the early warm weather we always
+have in May, but it will be much colder again before summer really
+begins in earnest; though the weather is never so severe here as in
+the gulches farther up the mountains."
+
+"It seems to me," said Rutherford, "I've heard of the greatest number
+of 'gulches' out here, and some of them have the most remarkable
+names; very original, certainly."
+
+"Their names are mostly indicative of their early history," Lyle
+answered; "there are a number of them in this vicinity,--Last Chance
+gulch, Poor Man's gulch, Lucky gulch, Bloody gulch, and so on."
+
+"Has this gulch where we are, any such euphonious title?" inquired
+Miss Gladden.
+
+"This one has two names, equally euphonious and equally historical; it
+is now called Spotted Horse gulch, but years since it was known as
+Dead Man's gulch."
+
+"That sounds cheerful!" commented Miss Gladden.
+
+"Is there a ghost story connected with the gulch, Miss Maverick?"
+inquired Houston.
+
+"Yes," said Lyle, "several of them, for the miners are mostly very
+superstitious. Years ago, when there were no well developed mines
+here, only a few prospects, a man who had just sold one of the
+properties, was murdered for his money, about half way between here
+and the mines, where the road is so narrow and passes under the
+overhanging rocks. He rode a spotted horse, and from the indications
+when he was found a few days after, he must have made a desperate
+fight, for both he and the horse were shot several times. Ever since,
+it has been said that the spotted horse goes up and down the gulch at
+night, sometimes alone, and sometimes with his rider, and so the gulch
+received its name."
+
+"Is that story still believed here?" asked Houston.
+
+"More or less," replied Lyle. "There is just enough faith in it, that,
+excepting Jack," and she nodded slightly to Miss Gladden, "there is
+not a miner in camp who could be hired to pass through that part of
+the gulch at midnight, for fear of seeing the phantom horse and his
+rider."
+
+"Possibly," said Miss Gladden, "it would be well for us to adjourn for
+the night, or we may have a glimpse of the phantoms; it must be after
+ten o'clock."
+
+"After ten, impossible!" exclaimed Rutherford, springing to his feet;
+"I beg your pardon, ladies, for having detained you so long; I never
+dreamed it was so late."
+
+"The long twilight here deceives one, I have hardly become accustomed
+to it myself," said Miss Gladden.
+
+"The ladies will surely pardon us," said Houston, "since it is through
+their making the time pass so pleasantly that we have trespassed."
+
+They separated for the night, and a little later, Mr. Blaisdell and
+Haight came up from the office, but Morgan did not return until
+daylight was beginning to tinge the eastern sky.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+A number of days passed uneventfully. Houston was occupied in getting
+familiarized with the work at the office, having first created an
+epoch in the history of that institution by having the windows
+thoroughly cleaned.
+
+One of the noted characters of the mining camp was a small boy who,
+when he could scarcely walk, had, on account of his fearless spirit
+and indomitable pluck, been dubbed with the name of "Bull-dog." The
+name was so appropriate, and the little fellow himself so proud of it,
+that as he grew older it was forgotten if he ever had any other; if he
+had, no one knew what it was. He was now nearly twelve years of age,
+as small as most boys of eight or nine, but he possessed the same
+spirit as of old. Bull-dog was the oldest of five children; his
+parents lived at the Y, a worthless, disreputable pair; he spent very
+little time under the parental roof, and filial respect was entirely
+left out of his composition, and no wonder! He was a favorite among
+the miners, spending much of his time in the camp, and the shrewd
+little fellow was very observant of what went on around him, and very
+keen and worldly-wise in his judgment of human nature as he found it.
+
+He speedily made the acquaintance of Houston, and when the latter came
+down to the office on his second morning, he found the boy awaiting
+him, and an idea occurred to him.
+
+"Say, Bull-dog, can you wash windows?" he asked.
+
+"Bet yer life," was the laconic reply, accompanied by a grin.
+
+"What will you charge me for washing these four?"
+
+The small individual surveyed the windows critically, then answered:
+
+"Six bits."
+
+"Go ahead," said Houston, "let's see how good a job you can do."
+
+Two hours afterward the windows were shining, and Houston paid the
+little fellow an equally shining dollar, instead of the six bits, thus
+making of Bull-dog a friend for life, and one whose friendship
+afterward proved of great value.
+
+Nearly every afternoon found Lyle at Jack's cabin, diligently reading
+or studying, guarded by Rex, the faithful collie, who would let no one
+but Lyle enter the cabin while Jack and Mike were at their work. Two
+or three evenings of each week she spent there, reviewing her lessons
+with Jack, or listening, either to the stories which he and Mike told
+of other countries, or to the music of Mike's violin, fierce and wild,
+or sweet and pathetic, according to the mood of the musician. The
+cabin, built of logs and plaster, and consisting of two rooms and a
+small attic, resembled miners' cabins in general, with the exception
+of the second and inner room. Here, the floor was nearly covered with
+skins of animals, while on the walls were shelves and brackets,
+hand-carved in delicate designs, and filled with books and choice
+pictures, beautiful etchings and photographs of various works of art.
+A few larger pictures hung on the walls, framed in some of the same
+skillfully carved work. The pine table, covered with a brightly
+colored spread, was strewn with finely bound volumes, and scattered
+about the room were several comfortable folding chairs, which Jack had
+bought in some of his trips to Silver City. A rude fireplace had been
+built in one side of the room, over which were arranged artistically
+two or three rifles, and the heads and horns of various animals, while
+on the mantel was a fine collection of ores. Altogether, it was a
+pleasant room, and gave more evidence of good taste, education and
+refinement than could have been found for more than a score of miles
+in that region. This was Jack's sanctum, and none but his two friends,
+Lyle and Mike, were ever allowed within it.
+
+In this room, a few evenings after the arrival of the two strangers,
+Lyle was sitting with her friends. The weather was already much
+cooler, and a bright fire was burning, before which Rex was
+comfortably stretched, while he watched the faces of his two friends,
+Jack and Lyle, who, having finished their usual reading, were silent
+for a few moments, looking into the fire and listening to Mike as he
+sat in his corner, his eyes closed, his head bent lovingly over his
+violin, while he evoked some of the wild, plaintive airs of his native
+country.
+
+Jack was the first to speak, as he asked in a low tone, "You have met
+the young men I spoke of the other evening?"
+
+"Yes," replied Lyle, still gazing into the fire, "they are stopping at
+the house."
+
+"How long will they remain?"
+
+"The younger one, the one you particularly admired, is to stop for a
+few weeks only; the other will probably remain permanently, as he is
+bookkeeper for the mining company."
+
+Jack gave an almost imperceptible start, but slight as it was, Lyle
+noticed it, and turning quickly, saw a peculiar expression of mingled
+surprise, perplexity and annoyance on his usually immobile face.
+
+"Bookkeeper for the mining company!" he exclaimed, "are you sure you
+are correct?"
+
+"I can only quote for my authority the Honorable J. O. Blaisdell," she
+replied archly, "you surely wouldn't doubt his word under any
+circumstances, would you? You look surprised; did you consider Mr.
+Houston one of the 'lilies'?"
+
+Jack looked at her inquiringly.
+
+"One of the 'lilies' like Mr. Rutherford," she explained, "who 'toil
+not neither do they spin,' I supposed him one at first, but I think
+differently now; I believe he would always be a worker of some kind,
+whether it were necessary or not; at the same time I don't believe it
+is exactly necessary for him to be a bookkeeper."
+
+"You seem to have made a study of him," remarked Jack, quietly.
+
+"Of course," answered Lyle, "what else are my eyes and my small stock
+of brains for, but to study everybody and everything that comes in my
+way? Besides, it's rather interesting to find a person of some depth,
+after such shallow people as Mr. Blaisdell and Haight, and that
+class."
+
+"Sometimes, Lyle," said Jack, slowly, "these deep people make a
+dangerous study; they are likely to become too interesting."
+
+"Never you fear for me, Jack," said the girl, with considerable
+spirit, but kindly, "I know too well how the world would look upon old
+Jim Maverick's daughter, to carry my heart on my sleeve."
+
+Both were silent for a moment, Jack watching her face intently. Mike
+had left the room. Lyle continued, in a gentler tone,
+
+"Mr. Houston is a perfect gentleman; he would make a safe study for
+me, even if I didn't realize my position. He reminds me of you, Jack,
+in some ways."
+
+"Of me!" said Jack sarcastically, "your Mr. Houston would doubtless
+feel nattered at being compared to a weather-beaten miner."
+
+"You were not always a miner," retorted Lyle quickly, "and you are a
+gentleman, and always will be."
+
+"In your opinion, child," said Jack pleasantly; then turning the
+subject, he asked, "What do you think of the 'lily' as you styled him,
+Mr. Rutherford, I think you called his name?"
+
+"Oh, he is a gentlemanly fellow, not so ridiculous as he looks;
+good-hearted, but not deep like the other,--not half so interesting to
+study."
+
+"Very well," replied Jack, "go on with your 'study,' but I wish you
+would make a little more of a study of yourself and of your own life,"
+and as he spoke, he carelessly took up a magazine and began turning
+the pages.
+
+"I don't know why," answered Lyle slowly, at the same time going over
+to the table where she had caught sight of a photograph which had
+evidently been concealed by the magazine, "my life before you became
+my friend and teacher would not make an interesting study for any
+one.--Oh, Jack, whose picture is this? and when did you get it?"
+
+"That?" said Jack, answering indifferently, but watching her face
+keenly, "Oh, that is a picture I've had a great while."
+
+"But, Jack, I never saw it, did I?"
+
+"No, Lyle, I haven't seen it myself for years, until to-night."
+
+"Not for years? how strange!" said Lyle in a low tone; then looking
+wistfully at the picture, she said, half to herself, "She must have
+been some one you loved some time."
+
+"She was very dear to me," he replied, so quietly that Lyle said
+nothing, but remained looking long and earnestly at the photograph. It
+was the picture of a young girl, a few years older than herself, but
+much more matured, and wondrously beautiful. The features were almost
+perfect, and the eyes, even there, seemed so radiant and tender. There
+seemed a wealth of love and sympathy in those eyes that touched Lyle's
+lonely heart, and her own eyes filled with tears, while she gazed as
+if under a spell; then she asked in a sort of bewildered tone:
+
+"Jack, I never saw her, did I?"
+
+"Certainly not while you have been here," he replied, "I cannot say
+whom you may have seen before that."
+
+"Before I came here," repeated Lyle dreamily, laying down the picture
+and preparing to go, "that is a sort of blank for the most part. It
+seems as though this hateful life had obliterated everything before
+it; the early years of my life seem buried out of sight."
+
+"Try to resurrect them," said Jack, adding, "Keep your eyes and ears
+open, and let me know results. Had I not better go home with you?"
+
+"Oh, no, thank you," said Lyle, smiling brightly, "it isn't late."
+
+"Then Rex must go," and Rex who was only waiting for the word bounded
+to the door to signify his readiness.
+
+After Lyle had gone, Jack took the picture, and after looking at it
+sadly for a moment, replaced it in the little case in his trunk where
+it had lain so long, and then sat down by the fire, muttering,
+"Strange she did not see the resemblance! I hoped she would; there
+could not be two faces more alike."
+
+All the way home, Lyle was thinking of the beautiful face, wondering
+where she had seen it, that it should seem so familiar, and after
+dismissing Rex with a caress, she sat for some time in the low porch,
+trying to solve the mystery.
+
+"It is no use," she said to herself at length, "it is no face I have
+ever seen, unless in some of those strange dreams I used to have."
+
+Going into the house, she found her parents had retired. Rutherford
+sat in his room reading, waiting for Houston, who was working late
+that night, Mr. Blaisdell having gone back to the city for a day or
+two. Miss Gladden was writing in her room, but Lyle would not disturb
+her, and going quietly to her own little room, she was soon sleeping
+peacefully, and the beautiful face was for a time forgotten.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The next morning was several degrees colder, and there were
+indications of a snow-storm. Within doors, the atmosphere betokened a
+coming storm, as old Jim Maverick was several degrees more quarrelsome
+and ugly-tempered than usual. He glared sullenly at Lyle, as she
+stepped quietly about the kitchen, preparing the early breakfast that
+he and the boys took before starting for their work.
+
+Finally he growled, "What was you doin' out so late last night? Pretty
+time 'twas when you come in, where'd you been?"
+
+Lyle seemed to take no notice of his questions for a moment, then
+replied, without a glance at him:
+
+"I was not out late; I went out for a walk early in the evening, and
+came back early, but I staid out on the porch."
+
+"Oh," he replied with a sneer, "so you was settin' out there waitin'
+for the new clerk to come home, wasn't you?"
+
+"I didn't even know he was out of the house," said Lyle, indifferent
+to his sneers, so long as he did not mistrust where she had really
+spent the evening.
+
+"Oh, no, of course not! I understand you pretty well, and don't you
+forgit it, always puttin' on your damned airs round here, too nice for
+any of your own folks; I'd like to see you made a fool of by some of
+the dudes you're so stuck on."
+
+"You never will have that pleasure," replied Lyle, coolly, "I know too
+well the opinion that people have of you and your family, to ever be
+in any danger of being made a fool of."
+
+Old Jim's face grew livid with rage, and he clenched his hand with an
+oath, but hearing some of the boarders coming in to breakfast in the
+next room, he only hissed, with a terrible leer:
+
+"Never mind, even if you are my child, with that doll-face o' yourn,
+you might rope in that rich young feller for a few thousands."
+
+Lyle staggered under the insult as if she had received a blow, and
+pale and trembling, went into the next room to wait on the guests. She
+was relieved to see that Rutherford was not there; she felt she could
+not have faced him while those words of her father's were ringing in
+her ears. There was only Mr. Houston, who greeted her with his usual
+gentle courtesy, and Morgan, whom she despised.
+
+Out in the kitchen, however, her cause was being championed by Mrs.
+Maverick, the fire flashing from her faded eyes, as she talked in a
+manner very unusual for her.
+
+"You may abuse me as much as you like, Jim Maverick," she was saying,
+"I've had nothing but abuse from you for the past twenty years, and I
+don't never expect nothing else, but if you ever lay a hand on that
+girl, or speak to her like that again, you'll be sorry for it. I can
+make you smart for it, and you know it, and I'll do it too."
+
+The boys, Joe and Jim, aged respectively twenty and eighteen, stared
+at their mother in astonishment, but their father, several shades
+paler, ordered them from the house; then advancing toward his wife,
+shaking his fist and cursing her, he exclaimed:
+
+"You damned old fool! do you think you can try to scare me? you'll
+find 'tain't very healthy business for you."
+
+"Kill me, if you want to," she replied doggedly, "but you'll find it
+won't make you any better off; I've fixed you for that."
+
+"What do you mean?" he asked, now thoroughly frightened.
+
+"Mean!" said his wife, as she saw that she at last had the brute in
+her power, "it means that you've got to let that girl alone, and
+behave yourself to me, or you'll wish you had, that's all."
+
+Just then, Minty entered on the scene, her round eyes wide open with
+astonishment, and Lyle entering an instant later from the breakfast
+room, Maverick slunk away to his work.
+
+Meanwhile, the other boarders were gathering in the breakfast room,
+Miss Gladden and Rutherford being the last to enter.
+
+"Whew!" exclaimed the latter, rubbing his hands, "this seems a little
+wintry, doesn't it? Looks like a storm, too!"
+
+"Yes," said Morgan, glancing up, "we'll probably have a snow-storm
+before noon."
+
+"How do you pleasure seekers intend to spend the day?" inquired
+Houston, addressing Miss Gladden and Rutherford.
+
+"I think I shall spend it beside the fire," replied Miss Gladden,
+shivering slightly, and sitting down for a moment beside the little
+box stove, where a wood fire was crackling and spluttering; "I haven't
+quite decided what to do, because I didn't come out here prepared for
+snow-storms."
+
+"I believe," said Rutherford, "I'll take a day off and develop some of
+the pictures I've taken lately, and sort over my collection of
+views."
+
+"That will be delightful," exclaimed Miss Gladden, smiling brightly at
+Lyle who had entered the room in time to hear Rutherford's remark, "We
+will make Mr. Rutherford entertain us with his collection, won't we
+Lyle?"
+
+Lyle smiled in assent, but Miss Gladden very quickly detected traces
+of trouble in her face, and determined, if possible, to gain her
+confidence, and find the cause. Rutherford also noticed the change in
+her appearance, and remarked, after she had again left the room:
+
+"Miss Maverick doesn't look like herself this morning, I wonder what
+is the matter."
+
+"I think there has been a storm of some kind in the kitchen," Houston
+replied, "I heard pretty loud talk when I first came in."
+
+"Yes," said Morgan, joining in the conversation, "she and the old man
+have some high old times, once in a while; and one thing is curious,
+the girl never seems afraid of him, and that's more than can be said
+of many of the men around here."
+
+"Why," asked Houston, "is he considered dangerous?"
+
+"He is a pretty tough customer," said Morgan, "I guess there's no job
+too dirty for him to do, if he's only paid for it;" and then added
+carelessly, "that's the kind of a man Blaisdell likes to have 'round
+once in a while."
+
+"What does he do?" asked Houston, "does he work in the mines?"
+
+"He used to," replied Morgan, "but he don't do any more underground
+work, he--"
+
+"Doesn't he?" interrupted Haight, with a peculiar emphasis.
+
+"Oh, yes, in some ways, plenty of it," laughed Morgan, "but I was
+speaking of the mines; he's a sort of foreman now in one of 'em, and
+tends to the sorting of the ore occasionally; helps Haight out
+sometimes, when he has a particularly delicate job on hand," and
+Morgan winked across the table at the expert, who smiled knowingly in
+return.
+
+Lyle coming into the room again, the talk regarding Maverick ceased,
+but when she had left, Morgan continued:
+
+"She's a queer girl; she gives it to the old man sometimes, up and
+down; the boys don't dare give him any lip, but she's no more afraid
+of him, than--"
+
+"Than she is of you," again interrupted Haight, with a smile that
+seemed to discompose Morgan considerably, for he colored and bit his
+lip.
+
+Miss Gladden looked annoyed, as did Houston, and Rutherford, feeling
+something was amiss, unintentionally said about the worst thing he
+could just at that moment.
+
+"I think Miss Maverick is an awfully nice girl."
+
+"We all think so," said Haight, in his blandest manner, "Mr. Morgan
+especially."
+
+"Oh," said Morgan, angrily, but trying to speak indifferently, "she's
+nice enough, as nice as girls of her class generally are."
+
+With a look of scorn and contempt that neither Haight nor Morgan soon
+forgot, Miss Gladden rose from the table and left the room, while
+Rutherford exclaimed indignantly:
+
+"Whatever 'her class' is, she is deucedly your superior, you
+contemptible puppy!"
+
+Lyle just then entering, there was an ominous silence for an instant;
+then Houston, rising from the table, remarked in a cool, even tone:
+
+"There has been enough said for the present, but" turning toward
+Morgan and Haight, "I've something to say to you two, a little
+later."
+
+Morgan put on his hat and started sullenly for the office, but Haight,
+assuming his most ingratiating smile, stepped up to Houston, and, in a
+low tone, began to apologize. Houston interrupted him.
+
+"There is no need of any words here," he said coldly, "I shall call on
+you at the sorting rooms this morning, and shall then have something
+to say to you, but I wish no words from you, at all," and retiring to
+his room, he left Haight in a state of considerable trepidation. He
+hurried after Morgan, and soon overtook him.
+
+"I say," he began, "we've got that new fellow stirred up, and I wish
+we hadn't; I don't want any trouble."
+
+"Hang you, you little, sneaking coward!" answered Morgan, "if you
+didn't want trouble, why didn't you hold your tongue? Whatever fuss
+there is you've kicked up yourself, with your own smartness, so what
+are you whining about?"
+
+"Oh, well, you know my principles, Morgan; I never want quarrels with
+anybody; you know the old saying, 'the good will of a dog is better
+than--'"
+
+"Oh, shut up!" said Morgan, "you make me tired! You're a damned
+coward, and that's all there is about it. It's my opinion, though, in
+the case of this dog, that his bark is a good deal worse than his
+bite."
+
+Meanwhile, Houston was preparing to go to the office.
+
+"Say, old boy," said Rutherford, "hadn't I better go down with you?
+You may have some trouble, you know, and I shouldn't wonder if they
+would be two pretty nasty fellows to meddle with."
+
+"Much obliged, Ned," said Houston, "but I can take care of those two
+fellows, and twenty more just like them. Haight is an out and out
+coward, he wouldn't fight any more than he would cut his own throat.
+Morgan would show fight, perhaps, but I'd finish him up before he even
+knew where he was."
+
+"I guess I put my foot in it, saying what I did," said Rutherford,
+staring through his eye-glasses in a meditative manner, "but it did
+make me hot, their insinuating things in that way about such a nice
+little girl as Lyle, and before Miss Gladden, too."
+
+"There will be no more of it, that is certain," replied Houston
+decidedly, and he was gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+A few moments later, Houston stepped briskly into the office. Morgan
+sat at his desk, sorting some mining reports, and looked up with a
+sullen, defiant glance, but Houston ignored him, and going to his own
+desk, began making preparations for his day's work.
+
+Bull-dog, who, since washing the windows, had constituted himself
+office boy, had built the fire and was now sweeping. Houston greeted
+him pleasantly, but his keen eyes at once detected trouble between
+Houston and Morgan, and he was immediately on the alert.
+
+After the little fellow had finished his work, and Houston supposed he
+had gone, he walked with a firm, decided step, over to where Morgan
+stood lounging and looking out of the window. Morgan turned, and angry
+as he was, he could not help a feeling of admiration for the splendid,
+athletic form standing, firm as a rock, before him. Houston's keen,
+dark eyes looked straight into his own, and for a moment, not a muscle
+of his face moved, the finely cut features might have been chiseled in
+stone; then he spoke, in even, measured tones, cold and cutting as
+steel itself:
+
+"Mr. Morgan, I have this much to say to you, and it will be well for
+you to remember it; that if I ever hear another insinuation against
+that young lady of whom you were speaking this morning, or an
+improper word of any kind in the presence of either of those ladies at
+the house, I will put you in such shape, that you will not be able to
+come to the office for a week; and more than that, there will be no
+office work here for you."
+
+"What do you mean by that last threat?" asked Morgan defiantly.
+
+"I mean just this; that I know enough about you, that if I should
+repeat what I know to Mr. Blaisdell, you would not remain in this
+office one day longer."
+
+Morgan grew pale. "You seem to know a great deal for a man that's been
+here no longer than you have. I suppose Lyle Maverick has been filling
+you up with stuff about me."
+
+"She has never mentioned your name to me, and you will do well not to
+bring her name into this conversation."
+
+"Seems to me you're wonderfully particular about old Jim Maverick's
+girl," Morgan sneered, "I suppose you want her for yourself, though I
+should think the other one--"
+
+Morgan never finished his sentence; a blow that he afterwards said was
+"worse than the kick of a mule," had closed one eye.
+
+With an oath, he made a terrible lunge toward Houston, but he knew
+nothing more until about fifteen minutes later, when he found himself
+lying on the floor, under the long desk, on the opposite side of the
+room, while Houston stood a few feet away, watching him.
+
+"You dirty contemptible cur!" said Houston, "do you think because you
+have no sense of honor, because you are so vile you can have no idea
+of what purity means, that every one is like yourself? You deserve to
+be kicked like a dog; come out from there and fight, why don't you?"
+
+"I don't believe I'm very anxious to, if you'd just as soon excuse
+me," said Morgan, who had gradually assumed a sitting posture, and was
+passing his hand over his eye and jaw. Then, looking up with as much
+of a grin as he could muster, with his rapidly swelling face, he
+said, "Give it up, Houston; you're a better man than I am; I'll let
+you boss this ranch."
+
+"Do you mean," asked Houston sternly, "that from this time there will
+be no more insinuations against ladies, and no innuendoes in their
+presence?"
+
+"Yes, I agree," said Morgan, "I'll never say anything myself, and I'll
+smash any other fellow that does; I think," he added, reflectively,
+"that you've showed me how pretty well, though I'd a little rather
+you'd practiced on some other fellow, Haight, for instance."
+
+"I'll attend to Haight," said Houston, helping Morgan to his feet, and
+smiling grimly at the figure he made.
+
+An hour later, Houston presented himself at the sorting rooms, where
+Haight met him with many smiles, offering to show him through the
+rooms.
+
+"Another time will do, Mr. Haight," said Houston coldly, "I have
+business with yourself this morning."
+
+"Oh, yes," said Haight, as if the thought had just occurred to him,
+"that unfortunate business at the table this morning; Mr. Houston, I
+am more than sorry for what happened, and assure you, that, so far as
+I am concerned, it shall never occur again."
+
+"It will be much better for your interests that it should not,"
+replied Houston; "I have not been in the habit of hearing such
+insinuations against ladies, or such language in their presence; and
+there is something more I have to say to you," he continued, as he saw
+Haight was trying to speak; "you were bookkeeper for the company, for
+a while, were you not?"
+
+"Certainly," replied Haight in a tone of surprise, "I kept the books
+for a few months last year."
+
+"So I have been informed since coming here, and I wish to state that
+the other day I had occasion to refer to some of the old books kept by
+you, and I very soon found evidences of a few shady transactions on
+your part that I think you would not care to have come to the
+knowledge of the company."
+
+"You must be mistaken, Mr. Houston," said Haight, trying to preserve a
+calm exterior, but paling visibly; "it must have been some of Mr.
+Johnson's work you found."
+
+"No, Mr. Haight," said Houston firmly, "it was your own work, in your
+own writing, and very bunglingly done at that; a man would not need to
+be an expert accountant,--and that is what I am,--to detect the
+fraud."
+
+"Mr. Houston," interrupted Haight, in trembling tones, "everything
+here shall be as you wish, and I will help you too,--I can be of
+use to you,--if you will just say nothing. There were certain
+circumstances that I cannot now explain, that justified the
+transactions you allude to; and as I have told you, I regret what
+occurred this morning, and it shall not be repeated. But really,
+Mr. Houston," he continued, "I had no idea that my teasing Morgan
+this morning would have such an effect; you see, what I was joking
+about was really to Miss Maverick's credit; it seems that a few
+weeks ago, he was rather smitten with her and attempted to be what she
+thought was a little too familiar, and she gave him a black eye,
+and--"
+
+"He has another one now," said Houston, rising abruptly.
+
+"Indeed!" exclaimed Haight.
+
+"Yes, and there will be more black eyes if there are any more
+insinuations of that character," and Houston returned to the office,
+leaving behind him a bitter enemy, but one whose enmity would be
+concealed by a cloak of friendship.
+
+Meanwhile, while Houston was pursuing his chivalric course, Miss
+Gladden, sitting by the fire in the deserted breakfast room, was
+planning in what way and by what means she could best help her young
+friend in whom she felt such an interest. The scene at the table had
+given her a new insight into Lyle's surroundings; the rudeness and
+insult to which the beautiful girl was likely to be subjected in such
+a home, the possible dangers to which she might also be exposed, and
+she was more than ever determined to win the confidence of the
+reserved, proud-spirited girl.
+
+In the midst of her reflections, Lyle entered the room, and Miss
+Gladden saw there were still traces of trouble in her face.
+Unconscious of the friends who were beginning to care for her welfare,
+Lyle had felt that morning as though she could endure her life there
+no longer. She had felt by a sort of instinct that she was in some way
+connected with the talk at the table, and she knew that both Morgan
+and Haight would not hesitate to injure her by their insinuations, in
+retaliation for the manner in which she had met their advances.
+Thirsting for human sympathy, her heart quickly responded to Miss
+Gladden's words, as she told Lyle of her interest in her, her sympathy
+for her, and her desire to help her, and in reply to one or two
+questions, she spoke freely of the trials she had suffered, inevitably
+connected with a life such as hers, and touched by the kindness of her
+new-found friend, Lyle continued:
+
+"The insults and insinuations of those men, and others like them,
+are bad enough, but I expect nothing else from such as they, but
+when one receives insult from the source where one would expect
+protection,--that is hardest of all," and with flushed cheeks and
+quivering lips, Lyle related the scene with her father, and his
+words to her, while Miss Gladden looked inexpressibly shocked.
+
+"I was almost desperate this morning," she said in conclusion, "I felt
+as though I could not live such a life any longer; I must go
+somewhere, anywhere, to get away from it. Mother says that nothing of
+that kind shall ever happen again, that father is in her power in some
+way, and she will not let him abuse me; but it is this whole wretched
+life that I despise, if I could only be freed from that!"
+
+"I hope, dear, your life will not always be like this," said Miss
+Gladden, "it shall not be if it is in my power to prevent it; perhaps
+I may be able to brighten it in some way."
+
+"You have already," said Lyle gratefully, "I shall be happy now, as
+long as you are here; after you are gone away,--" she shuddered
+slightly, then added, "who knows what may happen before that time?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+A few hours later, a wild, mountain storm was raging outside, the wind
+roaring down the canyon from the icy fields above, driving the fast
+falling snow in every direction, with blinding fury.
+
+Within doors, however, a happy group were seated around the fire,
+oblivious of the storm outside, or with just enough consciousness of
+its fury to add to the enjoyment of the warmth and comfort inside.
+
+Miss Gladden was, as usual, becomingly gowned in a house dress of
+rich, warm color, while she had persuaded Lyle to put on a dark blue
+dress of her own, which, with a very little change, fitted as though
+originally intended for her, and also to dress her beautiful, golden
+hair high on her head, thus producing a change in her appearance which
+astonished even Miss Gladden herself.
+
+The perfectly fitting gown revealed the outlines of her well developed
+and finely proportioned form; its color seemed to enhance the delicacy
+of her face and the brilliancy of her eyes, while the graceful
+coiffure showed to good advantage the beautifully shaped head, and
+added to her dignity. She seemed suddenly to have been transformed
+from shy, reserved girlhood, to graceful, royal womanhood.
+
+As she, with Miss Gladden, entered the room where Rutherford awaited
+them, that young gentleman started suddenly, and turning, gazed at the
+regal little beauty, with her golden coronet, in undisguised
+admiration, much to the amusement of both ladies.
+
+"Great Caesar!" he exclaimed, "what metamorphosis is this? Excuse me,
+Miss Maverick, I really couldn't help it; I thought you were a sort of
+little girl, you know, and you are,--begging your pardon,--a very
+beautiful young lady."
+
+Both ladies laughed merrily, and Miss Gladden secretly resolved that
+Lyle, in the future, should always be dressed becomingly, if her
+influence could accomplish anything in that direction.
+
+The afternoon passed very pleasantly in looking over the beautiful
+views which Rutherford had collected since he left his distant,
+eastern home. The pictures taken among the mountains had developed
+finely, and they all grew enthusiastic over them. Then there were
+pictures of his friends, in groups and singly, and in laughable
+combinations and positions; among them, some which Rutherford had
+taken of his friend, Tom Durston, and his family, at the ranch where
+he had stopped over night on his way out. There was one of Tom
+himself, in a futile attempt to milk a refractory cow, where he lay
+sprawling ingloriously upon the ground, the milk bucket pouring its
+foaming contents over him, the excited cow performing a war dance,
+while two others, more peaceably inclined, looked on in mild-eyed
+astonishment: chickens were flying in every direction, with
+outstretched necks and wings, while in the background, a company of
+geese were hissing their disapproval of the scene.
+
+The girls laughed until the tears were in their eyes. "How did you
+ever get such a picture? and so perfect!" they asked.
+
+"Oh, I just happened to," he answered, "I was out that morning, with
+my kodak all ready, looking for a subject, and I saw Tom milking, and
+thought it would be fun to take a picture of him to send back to the
+class-boys, you know; I held the kodak up and was just ready--when
+that old cow sent him flying quicker than lightning, and I caught the
+picture all right. I'm going to mail him one copy."
+
+There was a picture of Tom's baby, taking his bath, his mouth wide
+open and his eyes shut, crying lustily for his mother, who had
+deserted him to run to Tom's assistance. Then there were pictures of
+Rutherford's home and friends, among them, that of a brother, older
+than himself, which particularly attracted Lyle's attention; she
+looked at it long and earnestly. He was sitting in an easy attitude,
+smoking a cigar, and looking at the face of a beautiful, dark-eyed
+girl, of about her own age, which appeared above him, encircled by
+the light clouds of smoke,--just the face and no more. Rutherford
+stated that it was his brother and their only sister, and explained
+the process by which it was taken, but the picture remained in Lyle's
+memory for many a day.
+
+After a while, Houston, returning a little early on account of the
+storm, joined them, and the four friends spent the most enjoyable
+evening which they had yet known together, notwithstanding the storm.
+
+It had been an eventful day. To Lyle, and one or two of the others, it
+was the beginning of a new life, though they did not then realize it;
+the first, faint flush that heralds the coming of the sun to brighten
+the new day, but which is so subtle and silent, that few are aware of
+its presence.
+
+Houston, on his return to the house at noon, had given, in answer to
+Rutherford's eager inquiries, an account of the "skirmish" as he
+called it. Rutherford was so proud of his friend, and of the victory
+he had won, that at the first opportunity, he told the story to Miss
+Gladden, before Houston had even returned to the office. Miss Gladden
+was enthusiastic in her admiration of the course he had taken, so
+different from many of the young men she had known in wealthy,
+aristocratic circles, in thus defending a poor, friendless girl,
+subject to insult because she had the misfortune, under such
+circumstances, to be beautiful; and obeying the impulses of her
+noble-hearted, high-spirited nature, she went to Houston, as she saw
+him standing alone a few minutes after dinner, and extending her hand,
+with a bright smile, said:
+
+"Sir Knight, I want to thank you, in Lyle's name and my own, for the
+chivalric course you have taken this morning."
+
+She could get no further; Houston, still holding her hand, interrupted
+her.
+
+"Do not thank me, Miss Gladden; I have only done what it is the duty
+of every true man to do."
+
+"Then," said Miss Gladden, interrupting him in turn, "true men must be
+exceedingly rare. I know very few, Mr. Houston, who would champion
+the cause of a girl in Lyle's circumstances, in the manner you have
+done," and then, with much feeling, she spoke of some of Lyle's
+trials, and of her own determination to help her.
+
+A beautiful woman is never so lovely as when defending the cause of
+some sister less fortunate than herself, and Houston thought he had
+never seen Miss Gladden so beautiful as at that moment, and the
+thought must in some way have conveyed itself to his eyes, for there
+was something in his glance that brought a bright color to Miss
+Gladden's cheek, and an added tenderness to her soulful eyes;
+something that remained with her all that day, and somehow made life,
+even in the heart of the mountains, shut out from the rest of the
+world, look more inviting, more alluring than it had ever done
+before.
+
+With Houston, also, the memory of those eyes with their depths of
+tenderness, and the hand whose touch had thrilled him with its
+magnetism, lingered, and brightened all that stormy afternoon.
+
+To Lyle, this day seemed the beginning of a new epoch in her solitary,
+isolated life. For the first time, she had found genial companionship,
+human sympathy and love, and chivalrous protection; for Miss Gladden
+had hastened to tell her of the part Mr. Houston had taken in her
+defense; and as the slowly maturing bud suddenly unfolds in the
+morning sunlight, so in the new light and warmth which she had found
+that day, her nature had suddenly expanded into mature, conscious
+womanhood.
+
+That evening, as the little group of friends were separating for the
+night, Miss Gladden having already gone up-stairs, Lyle, with a new
+dignity and grace, walked over to where Houston stood by the fire,
+with dreamy, thoughtful eyes.
+
+"Mr. Houston," said she, in low, sweet tones, "Miss Gladden has told
+me of your kindness toward me to-day, and though she has thanked you
+for us both, yet I wish to thank you personally."
+
+"Miss Maverick," he replied in his grave, gentle manner, "you are more
+than welcome to any kindness I can do for you, but do not thank me for
+what I did to-day; that was nothing, I would have been a beast not to
+have done that little."
+
+"If you could know," she said, earnestly, "how rare such kindness and
+protection have been in my past life, you would realize that it does
+not seem like 'nothing' to me."
+
+To Houston, Lyle seemed much less mature than Miss Gladden, and though
+he had been quick to observe the added charm in her manner that
+evening, still she seemed to him little more than a child. Her words,
+and something in the expression of those star-like eyes, touched him
+deeply, and taking her hands in his, he answered tenderly:
+
+"My dear child, I am very sorry for the loneliness of your past life,
+and I want you, from this time, to regard me as a brother, and if
+there should be any way in which I could protect you, or help you, do
+not hesitate to tell me freely."
+
+For the first time in all those weary years within her recollection,
+Lyle went to her rest that night with a heart satisfied; for as yet,
+only the surface of her affections had been stirred, and the hidden
+depths below were still unfathomed, awaiting the influence of some
+mightier power.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+The snow-storm detained Mr. Blaisdell in the city rather longer than
+he intended, and Houston had improved the time in going over all the
+old books and office records which were available.
+
+The books of the company he could examine at his leisure, on some
+pretext or other, in Morgan's presence, but his extra work, which had
+occupied his evenings, consisted in going over the old letter files,
+mining reports and assay statements, making copies of whatever he
+found that would be of value to him later. He had found evidence of
+fraudulent transactions in the books of the company, and of these he
+had made careful memoranda, but so far, the greatest amount of
+evidence which he had secured, had been discovered in the old letters
+written by Mr. Blaisdell to other members of the company at Silver
+City, and received by him in return. These were copied exactly into a
+set of small books which he had brought for that purpose, and he had
+also made tracings and blue print copies of plats and maps of the most
+important mines, and of the plans of their underground workings.
+
+What he now particularly desired was some turn of affairs that would
+necessitate his visiting the mines, and give him an opportunity to
+become familiar with their workings, and that, in some way, he could
+gain access to the books and papers of the main office at Silver City,
+as he would there find records of the business transacted directly
+with the company in New York. He had taken the precaution to bring
+with him copies of letters on file in the New York offices, but he now
+felt that much of the most important evidence was contained in the
+office at Silver City, and was the missing link which he would need
+before going much farther, and as he sat at his desk one bright
+morning, a few days after the storm, mentally reviewing the whole
+situation, he was planning how he could best secure this also.
+
+Morgan, still carrying a few scars, sat with his legs crossed on top
+of his table, reading a newspaper, when the door opened, and Mr.
+Blaisdell entered.
+
+"Well, boys, good-morning," was his greeting, as he glanced quickly
+around the office, and Morgan's feet suddenly descended to the floor.
+"What's the matter with your eye, Morgan?"
+
+"Oh, nothing, been sparring a little, that's all."
+
+"Been down to the mines this morning?"
+
+"No, sir, not yet; I thought maybe you'd be up and want to give some
+directions before I went down."
+
+"Very considerate!" remarked Mr. Blaisdell sarcastically, "you know I
+would come to the mines myself, anyway, and could give directions
+there just as well as here. Get ready to go down there with me, I'm
+going in a few minutes."
+
+Going over to Houston's desk, he glanced hastily over the books, gave
+some instructions, and saying that he wished to see him later, went
+out to join Morgan.
+
+"Morgan, how did you get that eye?" he asked again.
+
+"Oh, Houston and I had a little set-to the other day, and he hit me
+pretty hard, that's all."
+
+"What was it about?" demanded Mr. Blaisdell.
+
+"Nothing much," answered Morgan, carelessly, "we had some words about
+that girl of Maverick's; I guess he's a little stuck on her himself,
+and was afraid I'd be in his way, or something of the kind; I got mad
+and hit him, or tried to, and he gave me a knock-out."
+
+"I was going to say that he doesn't look as though you had hit him
+very hard," remarked Mr. Blaisdell dryly, and then continued, "Well, I
+don't see the use of coming to blows over Maverick's girl, or any
+other for that matter, they're not so scarce as all that. Jim's girl
+has got a pretty face, but she isn't worth fighting about, that I can
+see."
+
+There were reasons for Mr. Blaisdell's superior indifference to Lyle's
+attractions, as she had been compelled more than once, in a most
+emphatic manner, to check attempts at undue familiarity on his part,
+notwithstanding the fact that he was a much-married man, living with
+his third wife, his table surrounded with "olive plants"--fifteen in
+number--of all sizes and descriptions, and regarded in the bosom of
+his family as a model husband and father.
+
+Late in the afternoon, Mr. Blaisdell returned to the office, looking
+very weary and somewhat worried. Morgan remained at the mines the rest
+of the day. Mr. Blaisdell went over the books with Houston, and after
+expressing considerable satisfaction at the work which he had
+accomplished, he sat down by himself, and seemed lost in thought for
+some time. At last he said:
+
+"Mr. Houston, I've been thinking for some time that we need a little
+extra help in the office at Silver City, and yet not enough that it
+has seemed advisable to employ another bookkeeper. Our books there are
+getting behind, and a little mixed, too, I'm afraid. Mr. Lewis, our
+bookkeeper, is quite an old man, and he has charge of two or three
+sets of books for the different companies, and it is not to be
+wondered at if he occasionally gets a little confused; and it occurred
+to me while sitting here, that perhaps you might be willing to come
+down, for a day or two, and straighten out the books for us."
+
+Houston seemed for a moment to be weighing the matter very deliberately.
+
+"Of course I could do it," he replied, "but it would involve
+considerable extra time and expense for me, and I would want extra
+compensation."
+
+"Oh, of course," responded Mr. Blaisdell, readily, "I understand that;
+indeed, I was going to remark that you have already accomplished so
+much work, and your methods seem to be so exact and, at the same time,
+expeditious, that we will consider your term of probation here at an
+end; we agreed to raise your salary at the end of the month, if your
+services were satisfactory; they are eminently so, and I will take the
+responsibility of paying you one hundred and twenty-five dollars for
+this first month also. As to your fare back and forth between here and
+Silver City, of course we will pay that."
+
+"Then," said Houston, smiling and inwardly congratulating himself, "I
+do not see but that it is settled that I go to Silver City whenever
+you are ready."
+
+"Very well," said Mr. Blaisdell, "you will not need to go down there
+for ten days or so, as the time will make no appreciable difference in
+the state of affairs there, and I shall need you here during that
+time, as some parties are coming out from the east to look at some
+mining properties, and both Morgan and myself will probably have to
+spend most of our time at the mines."
+
+That evening, at the boarding house, Houston sat apparently interested
+in a game of chess between Miss Gladden and Rutherford, but in
+reality, paying close attention to a conversation carried on in low
+tones between Mr. Blaisdell and Morgan. Only an occasional sentence
+was audible, but he could gather enough to satisfy himself regarding
+the nature of their plans.
+
+"Clean the rubbish out of the shaft, and set a couple of men to work
+there for a day or two," Mr. Blaisdell was saying; a few words were
+lost, and then he said, "Whenever I hear what day they are coming up,
+we'll put on a good force."
+
+"They'll have their own expert with them, I suppose?" asked Morgan.
+
+"Yes," answered Mr. Blaisdell, "but if he's like the most of those
+eastern experts, Haight and I can fix him very easily."
+
+A little later the conversation ended, Mr. Blaisdell saying, as he
+rose to go to his room:
+
+"It is a confoundedly poor property, but I think a few tons of ore
+from the Yankee Boy will sell it all right."
+
+This remark gave Houston considerable food for reflection, as the
+Yankee Boy was one of the richest properties owned by the New York
+company. He had that day received his first letter from his uncle, in
+New York, sent under cover of an envelope from the Chicago firm, and
+written in reply to a letter from himself mailed immediately upon his
+arrival at the mines; and Mr. Blaisdell and Morgan having left,
+Houston retired to his room to make his first report of the
+information he had secured and seemed likely to secure, concerning the
+ways and means of the western mining company; leaving the chess
+players deep in their game, and Lyle watching them.
+
+Lyle, though keeping up her studies afternoons, had not been down to
+Jack's cabin since the evening he had shown her the picture, partly on
+account of the storm, and partly because she feared her father might
+be watching her.
+
+Jack had wondered at her absence, thinking perhaps her new friends had
+something to do with it; but on this night, Jack had other company, as
+Bull-dog had ensconced himself in Mike's chair beside the stove, and
+having also appropriated Mike's briar pipe,--its owner being
+absent,--was smoking with all the gravity and self-possession of an
+old-timer, and entertaining Jack with his quaint talk.
+
+"Say," he said at last, clasping his hands about his knee, and holding
+the pipe between his teeth, "have ye seen that new feller up at the
+orfice. Mister Houston, they call him?"
+
+Jack replied, very indifferently, that he had seen him once or twice.
+
+"Well, now, he's a Joe-dandy, a regular cracker-jack; an' he's goin'
+ter be boss of that whole shootin' match, Morgan an' that little,
+black, snaky feller, an' old Blaisdell, too, if he don't look out fer
+hisself."
+
+"What makes you think so?" asked Jack, much amused.
+
+"I don't think so, I know it. He's got more sand than all the rest of
+'em put together, an' he ain't afraid of nobody. 'D ye hear 'bout that
+fight that him 'n Morgan had?"
+
+"No, did they fight?" inquired Jack, much surprised.
+
+"Did they fight!" exclaimed the little Arab, removing the pipe from
+his mouth, and shaking his head with evident satisfaction at the
+remembrance of the scene, "well, I should smile! Morgan, he tried hard
+enough ter fight, but the other feller did him up in 'bout the
+sixteenth part of a second!"
+
+"Were you there?" asked Jack, laughing.
+
+"I was peekin' through a crack in the door; they s'posed I'd gone, but
+I see somethin' was up when Mister Houston first come in, an' I just
+makes up my mind I'll see the fun through, an' when I goes out, I
+bangs the door hard, and then opens it agin, careful like, and peeks
+in; an' Mister Houston, he had walked over ter where Morgan was, an'
+had lit into him 'bout somethin' or ruther he'd ben sayin', an' if he
+didn't lay down the law ter him, I'll eat my hat. An' then Morgan he
+sets out to give him some of his lip, and by Jiminy! 'fore he could
+spit the words out, biff! comes a stunner right in his face, and shut
+one eye. My, wasn't he mad though! Then he goes ter give the other
+feller a punch in the head, an' Houston, he ducked the purtiest ye
+ever see, and let out a blow at Morgan's jaw, an' gee-whizz! Morgan
+goes a flying across the room, and lan's under the big desk, and he
+never come to fer 'bout twenty minits. My, but 'twas the slickest
+knock-out ye ever see, Corbett couldn't a done it slicker hisself! an'
+I rolled down them steps a laughin' so I 'most died. I went back after
+he'd come to, an' Mister Houston was a tellin' him ter come out an'
+fight, but he didn't seem ter wan'ter very bad, an' I see the fun was
+over, so I come away."
+
+Jack had laughed heartily over Bull-dog's description of the scene;
+now he asked:
+
+"What was the fight about?"
+
+"Well," said Bull-dog, gravely replacing his pipe in his mouth, "'s
+near 's I could make out, 'twas 'bout some girl."
+
+"What girl?" inquired Jack, rather quickly.
+
+"Well, the new feller, he didn't call no names, but I heerd Morgan say
+somethin' 'bout Lyle Maverick, an' so I guess 'twas her, but I knew
+you was always kinder sweet on her yourself, an' so I wasn't goin' ter
+say nothin', 'cause, 'nless you're a scrapper, you won't stand no sort
+of a chance with that feller."
+
+"All right, Bull-dog," said Jack, "I'm something of a 'scrapper'
+myself, but I don't expect to get into any trouble;" the tone was
+kind, and he spoke with a half smile, but the keenly observant eyes of
+the boy detected a shade on Jack's face. However, all conversation was
+suddenly checked by the entrance of Mike, who, in a manner more
+forcible than ceremonious, dispossessed Bull-dog of his chair and
+pipe. The little waif soon took his departure, but it was some time
+before the cloud on Jack's brow was dispelled.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+For the next day or two, Houston saw very little of either Mr.
+Blaisdell or Morgan, as they spent most of their time at the mines,
+but his own work was greatly increased, as copies of mining reports
+regarding the Sunrise mine, and duplicate sets of statements of the
+assay values of samples of ore taken from its various shafts, were to
+be made out with the greatest care. There were tracings and blue
+prints to be made from the original plats, by which it was to be shown
+that the vein of the Sunrise mine was but an extension of that of the
+Morning Star, one of the famous North Star group of mines; and there
+were also very important and strictly confidential letters to be
+written, under Mr. Blaisdell's directions, to the Silver City office,
+more particularly to Mr. Rivers, the secretary of the company, whom
+Houston had not yet seen.
+
+The Sunrise mine which was suddenly looming up into such prominence,
+was one of which Houston had never heard, but judging from the rich
+samples of ore produced, and the testimony of experts and assayers, it
+seemed to be one of the most valuable properties in that locality; but
+to Houston, situated as he was, behind the scenes, it only afforded an
+additional glimpse of the business methods of the company.
+
+As he still sat at his desk, having just completed his day's work,
+Morgan came in and threw himself down heavily into a chair, taking his
+favorite attitude, with his feet crossed on the table, and his hands
+clasped behind his head.
+
+"You look tired, Morgan," commented Houston.
+
+"I am tired," he replied, "too tired to breathe if I wasn't obliged
+to; this has been a hard day's work, and if old Blaisdell sells that
+mine, as he expects to, he'll have to divy up pretty liberally."
+
+Houston turned around facing Morgan, with a peculiar smile.
+
+"The Sunrise mine seems to have developed wonderfully within the past
+few days," he remarked quietly.
+
+Morgan laughed; "You'd think so," he replied, "if you could have seen
+it four days ago. There hasn't been a day's work done on it for over a
+year; some of it had caved in, and even the main shaft was pretty well
+filled up with rubbish. Now that's all cleaned out, and the few places
+where there is any quantity of ore in sight show up to good advantage,
+and we've hauled eight or ten tons of ore from the Yankee Boy down
+onto the dump, so it makes a pretty respectable showing. Oh, the boss
+is a cuckoo for any job of that kind."
+
+"Does the mining company own the Yankee Boy?" asked Houston.
+
+"No," answered Morgan, "that whole group of mines is owned by a set
+of New Yorkers; this company out here is their agent, that's all."
+
+"And New Yorkers are not supposed to know all the ins and outs of
+their western agent's mining deals," commented Houston.
+
+"Well, I should say not! There's a good many things going on that they
+are not supposed to know about, and that they wouldn't be very likely
+to get onto, either, some of 'em, even if they were right on the
+ground. Some of those ducks are pretty green, and fellows like
+Blaisdell or Rivers can make them believe most anything. If Blaisdell
+was half as smart as he makes some of those eastern fellows think he
+is, he would have been a rich man before this."
+
+"Why," said Houston, in surprise, "Blaisdell is quite well off, isn't
+he?"
+
+Morgan's only answer was a significant shake of the head.
+
+"What!" exclaimed Houston in astonishment.
+
+"Really, he is not worth a dollar," answered Morgan, "every nickle's
+worth of property that he ever had, that he hasn't lost outright, has
+been put into the hands of his wife, or his sons, or somebody or
+other, heaven knows who, I don't, nor nobody else."
+
+"Well, I am surprised," said Houston, "he seems shrewd and sharp in
+business matters, and I supposed he was a rich man. He must have made
+considerable money, what has become of it?"
+
+Morgan shrugged his shoulders; "Have you seen old Rivers yet?" he
+inquired.
+
+"The secretary? No, I've never met him."
+
+"Well," continued Morgan, "you probably will, in a day or two, he'll
+be likely to come up with the eastern party; and when you've seen him,
+you've seen the biggest rascal, and at the same time the slickest duck
+there is on this side of the divide, and I doubt if there's any on the
+other side can beat him. Old Blaisdell's pretty smooth, but he ain't a
+circumstance to Rivers. Rivers will rob you of your last dollar, and
+make you think he's your best friend all the time. Oh, he's a lulu,
+and no mistake!"
+
+Further conversation was prevented by the entrance of Mr. Blaisdell,
+with a fine lot of ore samples with their assay values attached, which
+he arranged on his desk, his thin lips drawn back meanwhile in his
+accustomed self-satisfied smile. When this was done, he turned to the
+young men.
+
+"Well," he began, with a low chuckle of delight, "I've got word my
+party is coming all right. Haight just got a telegram from Rivers,
+that Winters had wired him that he and his son and the expert would be
+in Silver City, on to-morrow's train, so I will have to go back to the
+city to-night, to be in readiness to meet them. Let me see, this is
+Wednesday, they arrive Thursday; Morgan, set the men to work on that
+mine Friday morning; we will be up here in the course of the forenoon,
+you see that everything is in first-class order. Houston, are those
+statements and tracings all ready?"
+
+"They are," replied Houston.
+
+"Very well, put them up as quick as you can, I'll take them to the
+city with me, and the team will be here in half a minute; I want to
+catch that six o'clock train. I didn't expect to have to go to-night,
+but that telegram has hurried up matters. Morgan, you keep everything
+straight to-morrow, and be ready for us Friday morning."
+
+"Shall I send a team down?" asked Morgan.
+
+"No, no matter about that, I'll take Joe Hunt's team there at the Y,
+it will be a rather more stylish turnout than one of the mining teams.
+Everything is here O.K. I suppose," as Houston handed him the papers
+he had requested, "all right, there's my team; well, so long, boys,
+don't get into any more fights while I'm gone," and he was soon
+rattling down the canyon toward the Y, while Houston and Morgan began
+to make preparations for closing the office.
+
+"Well," said Morgan, as he stood looking out of the window, and
+waiting for Houston to put away his books and papers for the night, "I
+can just imagine the little scene that will be enacted down there at
+the main office to-morrow, it would be as good as a play just to watch
+it. There will be old Wilson, with his diamonds and palaver,
+expatiating on the country and the mines; and Blaisdell, with that
+dignified way of his, talking of nitrates and sulphides, and so many
+milligrams equaling so many grains troy, and so many gramestons in so
+many pounds avoirdupois, and all that razzle-dazzle, and Rivers, not
+saying much of anything, but smiling, and calculating how many
+thousands he is going to put in his own pockets."
+
+Houston laughed, and was about to reply, when Rutherford came in, as
+he often walked down to meet Houston and accompany him to the house.
+
+"Come in, Ned," said Houston, "you should have been here a minute ago;
+Morgan has been giving some verbal portraits of the mining company.
+Your descriptive powers are excellent, Morgan, and you seem to know
+these men pretty well."
+
+"Know them," said Morgan, swinging himself astride a chair and folding
+his arms upon the back, while Rutherford perched upon a large writing
+table, and Houston leaned against his long desk, with his arms folded,
+"Know them, I should think I ought to. I worked in the Silver City
+office as bookkeeper for a year before coming out here, and six months
+of that time I boarded in Blaisdell's family; and as his wife hates
+Rivers' wife, and couldn't say enough about her, I knew about as much
+of one family as the other before I came away."
+
+"Does Mr. Blaisdell try to impress his better half with a sense of his
+intellectual superiority, as he does the rest of his fellow mortals?"
+asked Rutherford.
+
+"If he ever did," answered Morgan, "he must have got bravely over it
+some time ago; she treats him with a contempt that would have cured
+him of that habit. I've sometimes thought that the reason he swells so
+much out among people is because he's so unmercifully snubbed at
+home."
+
+"I see," said Rutherford, "just a natural effort to keep his
+self-respect in equilibrium."
+
+"Has he many children?" inquired Houston.
+
+"Well, no," said Morgan, "not many, only fifteen."
+
+"Only fifteen!" said Houston, in astonishment, while Rutherford
+exclaimed, "Oh, come off now, you're joking!"
+
+"No joking about it," said Morgan seriously, "I took the old man's
+word for it. I tried several times to count 'em, but had to give it
+up, it seemed that every day I saw a new one. Some of 'em are as old
+as I; you see this is his third wife, and some of the children are
+older than she."
+
+"I think," said Rutherford, "I'd like a wife younger than my
+children."
+
+"He seems to," replied Morgan, "they're as spooney as can be, when
+they're not quarreling."
+
+"Oh, deliver me!" said Rutherford, "I don't want to hear any more
+about them. How about that other man, Rivers? He hasn't such a surplus
+of children and wives, has he?"
+
+"Well," said Morgan slowly, "I guess if his children could all be got
+together, there'd be more of 'em than of Blaisdell's, and he has full
+as many wives, only, in his case, they are all living."
+
+"Great Scott!" said Rutherford, "is he a Mormon?"
+
+Morgan shook his head, and Houston said:
+
+"Morgan, I think in your efforts to be entertaining, you are drawing
+slightly on your imagination, thinking that we are fresh enough to
+believe anything you choose to tell us."
+
+"No, it's all true, whether you believe it or not. That man left a
+wife and family of children somewhere in New York State, more than ten
+years ago, and ran away with another woman; they have five or six
+children, and here, about three years ago, since I came here, he got
+his divorce from the first woman, and married this one. Then he spent
+last winter in San Francisco, and it seems now, that he circulated
+around there under another name,--and his name is no more Rivers, than
+mine is Jenks,--and passed himself off for an unmarried man, and now
+there's a woman there has entered suit against him, for breach of
+promise."
+
+"Well," said Rutherford, descending from his elevated position, "I
+move that we adjourn to the boarding house at once; if I hear any
+more such stuff, I'll lose my appetite."
+
+"The mystery to me is," said Houston, when they were started on their
+way to the house, "how such a man is allowed to live and do business
+in a respectable community."
+
+"Oh," said Morgan carelessly, "he isn't any worse than the rest of
+'em, only he's a little more out and out with it; and the rest of 'em
+know it, and as long as they all live in glass houses, they don't any
+of 'em want to throw any stones."
+
+"It cannot be quite as bad as that," said Houston.
+
+"Well, I've found 'em all about alike, men and women too, for that
+matter, though I believe you shut me off from expressing my views
+about women."
+
+"But you certainly would not include all women in such an assertion?"
+said Houston.
+
+"I don't know why not, as far as my experience goes, they're all off
+the same piece."
+
+"Why, man," said Houston indignantly, "what are you talking about? You
+had a mother once, you do not mean to traduce her memory?"
+
+For a moment, Morgan was silent, then he replied in a tone that
+sounded very unlike his usual voice:
+
+"Yes, I had a mother once, and that is what has made me what I am;
+sometime I will tell you about her."
+
+And nothing more was said until they reached the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+Friday morning, word was received from Mr. Blaisdell, over the
+private wire connecting the office at Silver City with the mines,
+that he and Mr. Rivers would be up on the first train with a party of
+four, and to have everything in readiness for them; also to make
+arrangements for their accommodation at the boarding house. Morgan
+had already placed a small force of men at work on the mine, and
+after carrying out Mr. Blaisdell's instructions, remained himself at
+the mine, superintending the work.
+
+It was one of those perfect days, so frequent among the mountains; a
+cloudless sky, and the air so clear that one could see the most
+distant mountain peaks with wonderful distinctness. The weather was
+again warm, yet the air was cool and invigorating, and aromatic with
+the breath of the evergreen forests clothing the sides of the
+mountains and foot hills, while everywhere, the spring flowers were
+adding their color and beauty to the scene, their fragrance rising
+continuously, like an invisible cloud of incense, on every hand.
+
+At about eleven o'clock, Houston heard the noise of the approaching
+team, and stepping to the window, saw a three-seated, open wagon,
+drawn by a pair of powerful horses. On the back seat, with Mr.
+Blaisdell, was an old gentleman, evidently Mr. Winters, and on the
+second seat, facing them, were two whom Houston judged to be Mr.
+Rivers and the junior Mr. Winters; but he took little notice of them,
+for his attention was arrested by one of the two young men sitting on
+the front seat, with the driver. The figure looked wonderfully
+familiar, but the face was almost wholly concealed by a broad-brimmed,
+soft hat. The team stopped, and at once the passengers prepared to
+alight; the hat was suddenly pushed back, revealing to the astonished
+Houston, the shining spectacles and laughing face of Arthur Van Dorn,
+his college class mate and chum.
+
+The men were alighting, and it was evident that Mr. Blaisdell was in a
+most genial frame of mind, he fairly beamed on every one; but Houston,
+not waiting to meet him, made a hasty retreat into the back room, to
+decide quickly upon his course of action. Nearly a thousand plans
+occurred to him, but none seemed feasible. If Mr. Blaisdell were the
+only member of the firm present, he felt he would have little
+difficulty, but the presence of Mr. Rivers made it considerably harder
+for him.
+
+Meanwhile, in the front room, Mr. Blaisdell was receiving his guests
+in the most effusive manner, reminding Houston, even in his dilemma,
+of a gushing school girl.
+
+"Mr. Winters, let me assist you, you must be exceedingly weary; here,
+take this chair, you will find it a little more comfortable; sorry not
+to have more luxurious quarters in which to receive you, but this is
+the wild west, you know. Mr. Rivers, won't you see that Mr. Winters is
+comfortable, while I wait on his son. Mr. Lindlay, let me show you
+these specimens of ore, I think you will appreciate them as few can."
+
+In the midst of all this effusion, Mr. Rivers suddenly appeared in the
+back room. He was a small man, quite bald, with small, twinkling,
+peering eyes, and a quick motion of his head from one side to the
+other that reminded Houston of a ferret. Seeing Houston, his eyes
+twinkled until they nearly closed, he smiled, and extending his hand,
+said:
+
+"Ah, the new clerk, Mr. Houston, I suppose; very glad to meet you."
+
+At that moment Mr. Blaisdell entered; "Well, Mr. Rivers, you have
+found Mr. Houston, I see; Mr. Houston, this is Mr. Rivers, the
+secretary of the company. I was just looking for you, Houston, I want
+you to come in and meet the people in the other room."
+
+"In a moment, Mr. Blaisdell," said Houston, "but first, will you and
+Mr. Rivers just look over something I have found here. This looks to
+me as though a serious error had been made in this report regarding
+the Sunrise mine, and as you will probably need it to-day, had it
+better not be corrected?"
+
+"Error in the report of the Sunrise!" said Mr. Blaisdell, adjusting
+his spectacles, "let me see; why yes, that is an error, and a bad one,
+too, I am glad you called our attention to it; look here, Rivers," and
+the two men were deeply engrossed in a study of the papers before
+them.
+
+Houston improved the opportunity to reconnoiter the situation in the
+front room. Mr. Winters and his son were in a close consultation. The
+third man was busily engaged in looking at some ores, his back towards
+the door, while beside him stood Van Dorn, indifferently watching him.
+Houston gave a slight cough that attracted Van Dorn's attention; he
+turned, and seeing Houston, his face brightened, and he was about to
+spring forward to greet him, when the latter, with a quick motion of
+his hand, gave him the signal of their old college days, its
+equivalent in the western vernacular being, "Don't give me away," at
+the same time putting his finger on his lips. A look of intense
+surprise flashed across Van Dorn's face, but he grasped the situation
+at once, and silently giving the return signal, he turned and walked
+in the opposite direction with the most nonchalant manner imaginable,
+and Houston knew that his secret was safe. A few moments afterward,
+"Mr. Houston, our private secretary," was introduced to the entire
+party, and a hearty grip from Van Dorn's hand, which Houston returned
+with interest, was the only sign of mutual recognition.
+
+"Well friends," said Mr. Blaisdell, blandly, having looked at his
+watch, "it is now so near noon, that when we have allowed Mr. Winters
+ample time for rest, we had better proceed to the house and have our
+dinner, before going to the mines."
+
+"If you dine at noon," replied Mr. Winters, in a very genial, yet
+dignified manner, "there is scarcely time for a very extended
+exploration, but don't discommode yourselves in the least, gentlemen,
+on account of my age and feebleness. I have always enjoyed perfect
+health, and notwithstanding my gray hairs, I don't believe I am much
+older than my friend, here, Mr. Blaisdell."
+
+"Not older than I am, sir!" exclaimed Mr. Blaisdell, who prided
+himself upon his youthful appearance, "why, how old do you take me to
+be?"
+
+"Much older than you look," replied Mr. Winters, "I am sixty-five, and
+you are at least sixty, although you look ten years younger than
+that."
+
+"You have certainly proven yourself a Yankee by your guessing," said
+Mr. Blaisdell, slightly disconcerted, while the others joined in a
+general laugh at his expense, "I wouldn't have thought you would have
+made so good a guess as that, neither did I think you were so near my
+own age."
+
+"You have the advantage of me now," returned Mr. Winters, pleasantly,
+"but if we live twenty years, as I expect to, I'll then look younger
+than you, for I have the better health of the two."
+
+"Have you ever visited the west before, Mr. Winters?" inquired Mr.
+Rivers.
+
+"Yes, a few times," replied the old gentleman, while the mining
+expert, an Englishman, with large blue eyes, full face and blond
+mustache, smiled quietly at Van Dorn and Houston, who were seated near
+each other; "I've been west once or twice a year for the last ten
+years."
+
+"Indeed!" said Mr. Rivers, with considerable surprise, while the
+younger Mr. Winters said with a laugh, "Oh, you couldn't keep father
+at home in New York, any more than you could one of these Indians out
+here; he's got to be roaming around all over the country continually.
+If he didn't drag me about with him everywhere, I wouldn't object."
+
+"You have been out in this country often, I suppose," said Mr.
+Blaisdell, addressing the expert, who replied coolly, with a very
+slight accent:
+
+"No, sir; I simply come out 'ere once in a w'ile, you know, just as an
+accommodation to Mr. Winters."
+
+"You live in New York, I suppose?"
+
+"No, sir; my 'ome is in London," he replied, with an air that seemed
+to indicate he did not care for any further conversation.
+
+"Blaisdell," said Mr. Rivers, "I thought you said something some time
+ago, about dinner; if the ride in the mountain air has given the rest
+of these gentlemen such an appetite as it has me, we would like to see
+that dinner materialize before very long."
+
+On the way to the boarding house, Van Dorn managed to walk with
+Houston, and exclaimed in a low tone:
+
+"Good heavens, Everard, what does this mean? What are you masquerading
+around in this style for?"
+
+"Don't ask me to explain now, there are too many around; after dinner
+we will go down by ourselves, and I'll tell you the whole story. I may
+want a little advice from you, as you're a mining expert yourself."
+
+"Don't let any of these people out here know that," Van Dorn answered
+quickly; "Mr. Winters has introduced me as an inventor of some mining
+machinery that they use, just out here looking around for the pleasure
+of it; you know I did invent an amalgamator that is being used to some
+extent; but I'm not supposed to know anything about practical
+mining."
+
+Houston laughed; "How about the Englishman?" he asked.
+
+"He's no fool," said Van Dorn quickly, "though he is playing verdant;
+only comes out here to accommodate Mr. Winters, and so forth; that's
+all right, but he accommodates Mr. Winters pretty often. He's a fine
+expert and understands his business thoroughly, only I happen to be a
+little more familiar with the ores in this locality, as I spent a good
+many months out here in the mountains two years ago, experting mines;
+not in this camp of course, but only a few miles from here. Mr.
+Winters himself is sharp, and with Lindlay and myself out here, he's
+not going to be very badly taken in."
+
+"Good!" said Houston, "and now there is one thing more before we get
+to the house. You remember Morton Rutherford?"
+
+"Mort Rutherford, of old college days? well, I should say so; what
+about him?"
+
+"His brother is stopping here, you will see him at dinner."
+
+"What!" interrupted Van Dorn, "little Ned? What under heaven is he
+doing out here? Are you two fellows out here incognito making love to
+rustic maidens? or what are you doing?"
+
+"No, Ned is out here in his own name, you won't need be under any
+restrictions with him, but what I want to say is this: Don't let him
+know who I am, or that you used to know me, or that I know his
+brother."
+
+"Anything else I'm not to let him know?" queried Van Dorn, taking out
+a small note book.
+
+"No, put up your book, or Mr. Blaisdell will think I am giving you
+pointers on the mine. But this is how it is; Rutherford met me on the
+train coming out here, introduced himself to me, took a fancy to the
+mountains, and decided to stay a few weeks. He thinks I am--what you
+found me--the clerk for this company, and my home in Chicago. I am not
+ready to explain matters to him yet, so just simply appear as if you
+had never met me or heard of me till to-day."
+
+"But how is it Ned didn't know you? Didn't you ever see him when you
+visited Mort?"
+
+"No, I was there only once, and he was away at school at the time, and
+then he never went to Yale, you know, he is a Harvard graduate."
+
+"Oh, I see; all right, I'll be mum."
+
+A sharp turn in the road brought the house into view, with Rutherford
+seated on the porch, reading a magazine.
+
+He glanced up with his usual assumption of dignity, as the party
+approached, but catching sight of Van Dorn, at the rear of the little
+procession, his magazine and his dignity were suddenly flung to the
+winds, and he bounded down from the porch like a school-boy.
+
+"By Jove! Hello there, Van Dorn, how do you do? Great Scott! how did
+you ever come out here? I'm awfully glad to see you."
+
+"Very glad to see you, my dear boy," said Van Dorn, heartily, "but the
+mystery to me is, how do you happen to be here?"
+
+Mr. Blaisdell looked on greatly astonished and amused by Rutherford's
+impetuous greeting.
+
+"Well, Mr. Rutherford," he remarked, "you seem to have met an old
+friend; ah, yes, I see, you are from Boston, and so is Mr. Van Dorn."
+
+Introductions followed, and the party sat down to dinner. Houston,
+seated between Van Dorn and Rutherford, did not lack for entertainment,
+but he had been at the table but a few seconds when he became aware
+that Miss Gladden was not there. He waited till the meal was nearly
+over, and then quietly inquired of Lyle whether Miss Gladden were ill.
+
+"Oh no," Lyle answered, in a low tone, "Miss Gladden thought best, as
+so many gentlemen were to be here, and on business, to let them have
+the table to themselves."
+
+After dinner, Houston started a little early for the office, and Van
+Dorn took his hat, saying:
+
+"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I'll walk down with Mr. Houston. You
+know I'm not so crazy on mining as you are, and I'd like to see
+somebody for a change, that can talk on some other subject."
+
+"Go ahead," said Mr. Winters, "I suppose you'll want to go through the
+mines in our company, though, by and by."
+
+"I probably will have to go in your company, if I go at all," Van Dorn
+replied carelessly, "my choice is rather limited."
+
+"You'll be here this evening, won't you Van?" said Rutherford, who was
+then engaged in a sort of one-sided conversation with the Englishman.
+
+"I suppose so," Van Dorn answered.
+
+"All right, I'll see you later," Rutherford responded.
+
+The confidential clerk and the young inventor strolled down the road
+together, and the officers of the mining company never dreamed of the
+results.
+
+Half an hour later, Mr. Blaisdell and Mr. Rivers rose to return to the
+office, and the others followed their example, with the exception of
+Mr. Winters, who said:
+
+"If you boys are in a hurry to start, all right, go ahead; I'm going
+to take my after-dinner smoke out here on the porch," at the same time
+producing a fine meerschaum.
+
+"Now, father, don't you get left behind," said his son jokingly.
+
+"Get left, you young rattle-brains! I'll have my smoke out and be down
+there at the office, before you are ready to start; your old father
+generally 'gets there' in as good time as you can make."
+
+"I'll tell you what we will do, Mr. Winters," said Mr. Blaisdell, "the
+road to the mine branches off just below here, and we can just as well
+drive around here and call for you."
+
+"All right, Mr. Blaisdell, that will be perfectly satisfactory,
+whatever suits you young fellows, suits me."
+
+"Very well, then, Mr. Winters," said Mr. Blaisdell, "we 'young
+fellows' will be along in the course of half an hour," and they went
+down the canyon, leaving the old gentleman in the low porch, deep in
+the enjoyment of his pipe.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+As the quondam class-mates disappeared together down the winding road,
+Houston gave his friend, as succinctly as possible, an explanation of
+his presence there in the capacity of clerk, briefly outlining his
+plans, and stating what he had been able so far to accomplish.
+
+Van Dorn was intensely interested, and through his own practical
+knowledge and experience, was able to give Houston some valuable
+information, and to make some important suggestions.
+
+Houston was quick to see that here was just the help he would need a
+little later; he also knew that opportunities for seeing his friend
+would be limited, he must act promptly.
+
+"Arthur," he asked rather abruptly, "how soon do you go east?"
+
+"In about two weeks."
+
+"Any special engagements for this summer?"
+
+"Nothing particularly important at present."
+
+"You remember my uncle, don't you?"
+
+"I remember Mr. Cameron perfectly, though I have not seen him for a
+number of years."
+
+"I suppose, for a sufficient consideration, you would come out here on
+business for us, at any time?"
+
+"Like Lindlay, 'just to accommodate,' I suppose," laughed Van Dorn,
+and continued, "Everard, old boy, I am at the service of yourself and
+your uncle, and we'll say nothing about 'considerations' until
+afterward; then arrange it between yourselves."
+
+"We will not require your time and services without ample compensation,"
+returned Houston, "but you will be just the man I will need later; an
+expert, familiar with this locality, in whom my uncle will repose perfect
+confidence, and whom the company here will not suspect."
+
+"But Mr. Cameron may not place much confidence in the harum-scarum
+sophomore that visited his home a few years since, if he remembers him
+at all," said Van Dorn, with a little laugh.
+
+"My word will be enough for that," said Houston, "I will write a
+letter this afternoon for you to take to him. There are the gentlemen
+now, coming down the road; I will see you again this evening, and
+probably to-morrow. I wonder what has become of Mr. Winters?"
+
+"Probably he is taking his afternoon smoke," said Van Dorn. "I think
+the old gentleman would throw up the whole mining deal rather than
+sacrifice that. After what you've told me of this mining concern out
+here, I've considerable curiosity to see this famous mine they've been
+writing about. I've got an idea just about how it will pan out, but
+I'll say nothing till I've seen it."
+
+"Let me know your impressions, later," said Houston.
+
+"Agreed," answered Van Dorn, and the party outside having nearly
+reached the door, the subject was dropped.
+
+Meanwhile, Mr. Winters, seated in the rustic porch, his attention
+divided between the picturesque scenery surrounding him, and the
+spirals of blue smoke which he loved to watch, was in no hurry to
+exchange his present enjoyment for subterranean explorations; the rest
+and solitude seemed doubly welcome after the last few weeks of
+travel.
+
+Rutherford, who lingered a few moments after the others had gone, did
+not find him very socially inclined, and picking up his magazine from
+the floor, where it had reposed since Van Dorn's appearance, he
+started up the canyon for a stroll among the rocks by the lake.
+
+It is to be feared that Mr. Winters, under the combined influence of
+his pipe and the warm sunshine, was very nearly asleep. It is certain
+that he never heard the sound of soft, trailing garments beside him,
+nor did he appear to be in full possession of all his faculties, until
+two arms rested lightly on his shoulders, and a pair of small, white
+hands were clasped across his eyes.
+
+Such a proceeding, under such circumstances, naturally had the effect
+of very quickly restoring his faculties to their normal condition, but
+on trying to turn his head, he found it held as firmly as in a vise,
+by the hands which had been quickly removed from his eyes, while a
+mischievous voice announced imperiously:
+
+"Guess who it is, and you are free!"
+
+"Guess!" exclaimed the old gentleman in some perplexity, "why, if I
+were at home, I would know this was one of my little girl's tricks,
+but I cannot imagine who it is here."
+
+There was a musical, rippling laugh, as the hands were withdrawn,
+and Mr. Winters, turning quickly, came near losing his pipe in
+astonishment.
+
+"Bless my soul, Leslie! what does this mean? Well, well! so it was my
+little girl after all, up to her old tricks; but, child, how came you
+out here, in such a place as this?"
+
+At that moment, Houston or Rutherford would scarcely have recognized
+Miss Gladden, could they have seen her seated beside Mr. Winters with
+all the careless abandon of a child, laughing merrily in answer to his
+numerous questions, while he playfully pinched her cheek, or pulled
+her ear. To Mr. Winters, however, she seemed like one of his own
+children, for Leslie Gladden was an orphan, and Mr. and Mrs. Winters,
+having been deeply attached to her parents, and having no daughter of
+their own, had always regarded her as a daughter, and much of her life
+had been passed in their home.
+
+"Well, puss," said Mr. Winters, having answered her inquiries
+regarding his family, "seems to me it's about time you gave an account
+of yourself; what are you doing here? and what have you been doing
+since last Easter? and where are Helen and her husband?"
+
+"One question at a time, if you please, sir," said Miss Gladden.
+
+"That's right, giving the old man orders, as usual; we always spoiled
+you, Leslie. Well, in the first place, what possessed you to leave us
+in the way you did? We understood you had gone to spend Easter with
+Helen; and the next we heard, Helen wrote her sister that they were
+going to spend the summer traveling in the west, and that you were to
+accompany them."
+
+"I will explain that a little later; what is the next in order?"
+
+"Is Helen here with you?"
+
+"No, sir, she and George are in Denver."
+
+"And who is stopping here with you?"
+
+"No one; do you think I need a guardian, or a chaperon?"
+
+The old man's eyes twinkled; "You always were an independent sort of a
+girl, and pretty level-headed, too, I must admit; but, my dear child,
+is it safe for you to be out here alone among the miners, and this
+rough class of people?"
+
+Miss Gladden laughed; "Did you see any very rough people to-day at
+dinner?"
+
+"Why no, to be sure, I did not, but then, there must be many of them
+out here in this neighborhood."
+
+"I never see them," said Miss Gladden, "I associate only with the
+people you met to-day; no one here knows that I have wealth; so
+really, I am safer here than at home, where I am known."
+
+"But there is no society here," protested the old gentleman.
+
+"I came here to get away from society; there is plenty of refined and
+pleasant companionship, and if I have friends here, I know they are
+sincere friends, not money worshipers, or fortune hunters."
+
+"Oh, I see," said Mr. Winters, "the princess is out here in disguise,
+seeking some knight who will love her for herself alone, and not for
+her fortune."
+
+"No," said Miss Gladden gravely, "I have not come out here seeking for
+any knight, but to escape from a base, dishonorable and cowardly
+knave."
+
+"Has your cousin Humphrey been annoying you again?"
+
+"Yes, he and his mother made life a burden to me, that was my reason
+for leaving home as I did. Humphrey has sunk nearly every dollar of
+their property by his profligacy, and now, he and his mother are
+determined to have my fortune. Aunt exhausted all her stock of
+melodramatic and sentimental language and her tears in trying to get
+me to fulfill what she called my father's 'dying wish,' by marrying
+that debauchee and libertine; then she tried threats, and finally
+became so wild with rage, that she reminded me of the will, and told
+me I should never marry any one else; that Humphrey should have the
+property, as my father intended, sooner or later, if not with me, then
+without me. I knew Helen intended to come west, and I went to her and
+asked to let me travel with them. Now, you know my reason for leaving
+so suddenly, and for not writing. We have all enjoyed our trip very
+much; you know George came out on business, and when he was occupied,
+of course it was pleasanter for Helen that I was with her. While we
+were at St. Paul, George met some mining men, and he immediately began
+to have symptoms of mining fever, and hearing of the mines out here,
+he brought us out, among the mountains and miners. We came out when
+the weather was warm and delightful, and Helen and I roamed over the
+mountains while George explored the mines. Then he decided to go to
+Denver, and I would probably have accompanied them, though I had
+become attached to this place, but just then I heard that my cousin
+had traced me to St. Paul, and was in pursuit, to renew his attentions
+to me, so I decided to remain here where he will be less likely to
+find me. Helen and her husband are in Denver, sworn to secrecy
+regarding my whereabouts."
+
+"Well, well!" exclaimed the old gentleman, meditatively, "I wouldn't
+have thought your aunt would so far have forgotten herself. It was
+unfortunate that your father made such a will, leaving everything to
+Humphrey in case of your dying unmarried, but that was when you were
+both children, and he was very fond of the little fellow. Leslie, my
+dear, I wish you were married."
+
+"But I am not, and perhaps never likely to be," Miss Gladden answered
+merrily.
+
+"Yes, and you might have been married twenty times over," said Mr.
+Winters, shaking his head, "and my own boy, Harry, among the lot."
+
+"Once is enough for me, papa dear," said Miss Gladden lightly, yet in
+a more tender tone, "when the right one comes; but it could never have
+been Harry, any more than his brother, Richard; you and mamma were
+like parents to me, and the boys both seem like brothers."
+
+"Have you found the right one, yet?" asked the old gentleman, watching
+her keenly.
+
+"As I told you, I am not looking for a knight," she answered brightly,
+but the color deepened on her cheek, "if he ever comes, he must find
+me."
+
+Mr. Winters noted the telltale flush, and slowly shaking his head,
+remarked, "I don't know, Leslie, about the advisability of leaving you
+here; you were always inclined to be very philanthropic, and it would
+be like you to adopt some young man out here, thinking you had money
+enough for yourself and him, too; that clerk down at the office, for
+instance, or this kid that was prancing around in eye-glasses."
+
+"The 'kid' as you call him," Miss Gladden answered demurely, "has
+plenty of money of his own, and Mr. Houston seems abundantly able to
+take care of himself; if I adopt any one, it will be that beautiful
+girl who waited on you at dinner."
+
+"What is that, my dear?" said the old gentleman, brightening, "I
+noticed that girl at the table to-day; she is remarkably fine looking,
+and seemed to conduct herself like a perfect lady; who is she?"
+
+Miss Gladden, in her enthusiastic manner, began telling him of Lyle,
+and of the interest she had taken in her, but before she had proceeded
+very far, the team appeared at the junction of the roads, the men
+calling Mr. Winters.
+
+"Bless my stars, if there isn't the team!" he exclaimed, "well my
+little girl, good-bye for the present, you will see us both this
+evening," and having given Miss Gladden a promise that neither he nor
+his son would betray her secret, he hastened down the road to the
+waiting team.
+
+"Well, boys," he said, stopping to carefully empty the ashes from his
+pipe on a projecting ledge of rock, "I will have to give you credit
+for being on hand very promptly; that was about the shortest half hour
+that I can remember."
+
+A loud, ringing laugh greeted this remark, which caused Mr. Winters,
+who was replacing his pipe in its case, to look up in mild wonder.
+
+"That's one on you, father," called his son, while Mr. Blaisdell
+remarked, "The time evidently has passed very pleasantly."
+
+"What is the origin of all this mirth?" demanded Mr. Winters, as he
+seated himself with considerable dignity.
+
+"It seems," said Mr. Rivers, in explanation, "to be because you were
+so unconscious of the lapse of time; we were delayed in getting
+together our papers, and it is over an hour since we left the house."
+
+"I looked for you at every turn of the road," said his son.
+
+"I didn't," said Van Dorn, "I thought he had fallen asleep over his
+pipe; I never dreamed he was disgracing the whole crowd of us by such
+open flirtation as that,--I wish we had brought along a chaperon."
+
+"Well, gentlemen," said Mr. Winters very deliberately, "all I have to
+say is, that had you been in my place, the time would have seemed
+equally short to you, and I don't think there's one of you but would
+have been mighty glad to have been in my place."
+
+"Mr. Winters," said Mr. Blaisdell, "I begin to think you're the
+youngest man of our party."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+With many jokes and much hilarity, the mining party proceeded on their
+way. Arriving at the mines, they found Morgan and Haight awaiting
+them, who were duly introduced to the party, the English expert
+looking at Haight with much the same expression with which a mastiff
+might regard a rat terrier.
+
+Everything being in readiness, they began the descent of the long
+incline shaft, Mr. Blaisdell and Haight leading the way with Mr.
+Lindlay, while Mr. Rivers followed with Mr. Winters and his son and
+Van Dorn, Morgan bringing up the rear.
+
+It was nearly three hours before they reappeared at the surface, and
+to a physiognomist, their faces, as they emerged from the mouth of the
+shaft, would have furnished an amusing study.
+
+Mr. Blaisdell looked irritated and annoyed, but jubilant. He had been
+thoroughly disgusted by the conduct of the English expert. Instead
+of taking Mr. Blaisdell's word regarding the mine, corroborated as
+it was by undisputable evidence in the shape of mining reports,
+surveyor's notes, and maps, he had insisted on ascertaining for
+himself the important data, the width, dip and course of the vein,
+and the measurement of various angles and distances, with a
+persistency and accuracy that was simply exasperating. He also picked
+up samples of ore in the most unexpected places which he examined
+with the closest scrutiny. But having taken his measurements and made
+his examinations, the results were immediately jotted down in his
+note book, and the samples dropped in his pockets, without a word,
+which convinced Mr. Blaisdell that the expert knew very little of his
+business, and was probably either doing this to keep up appearances,
+or to gain a little information for his own benefit. Not a word had
+been said contradicting the statements he had made, not a question
+raised implying any doubt of their correctness;--evidently they were
+just the kind of purchasers he wanted, and his firmly set jaws and
+tightly compressed lips expressed his satisfaction.
+
+Mr. Rivers scanned the company keenly with his ferret-like glances;
+such unexpected acquiescence on their part made him slightly
+suspicious and very watchful. The thought uppermost in his mind was,
+"Either these people know absolutely nothing about mining, or they
+know too much for our good." He had intended going back to the city
+that evening, but he now decided to remain over.
+
+Mr. Winters, senior, reappeared, wearing the same expression of
+benevolence and dignity with which he had entered the mine. He seemed
+serenely unconscious of the existence of deceit or fraud in business
+transactions generally, and in mining negotiations in particular. Only
+those well acquainted with him could detect from the exaggerated
+twinkle of his eyes, that something had more than ordinarily amused
+him.
+
+Van Dorn and Lindlay had agreed before hand that they would keep
+entirely separate, and each pursue his own course of investigation
+independently of the other,--Van Dorn of course not being able to take
+any measurements, as he was not supposed to be an expert,--and compare
+notes later. As the two emerged into daylight and their eyes met, Van
+Dorn's laughing, blushing face would have betrayed him, had any one
+known his real business there, but a young inventor, exploring mines
+just for the fun of the thing, is supposed to find plenty of
+amusement. Under the big, blond mustache of the Englishman, a pair of
+lips curled scornfully, and his eyes rolled wildly for a moment, but
+that was all.
+
+As the gentlemen gathered around the dump, the last vestige of Mr.
+Blaisdell's irritation seemed to have disappeared, as he blandly
+expatiated upon the quantity and quality of the ore.
+
+Van Dorn's eyes sparkled as he saw the shining lumps from the Yankee
+Boy, and he and Lindlay exchanged quick glances.
+
+"Look at that," said the latter, quickly extracting from his pocket a
+sample of the Sunrise ore and placing it beside a piece taken at
+random from the dump; "does any one pretend to tell me that those are
+from the same vein?"
+
+"It is a different class of ore altogether," replied Van Dorn, "such
+ore as that never would be found under the conditions existing in that
+mine, but I'll be blest if I wouldn't like to see the mine it did come
+from."
+
+Mr. Rivers had observed this little side conversation and Van Dorn's
+close scrutiny of the samples, and was at his side in a moment,
+inquiring in his smoothest tones:
+
+"What do you think of that ore, Mr. Van Dorn?"
+
+"Very fine ore, so far as I can judge," said Van Dorn carelessly, "I
+would like to see it run through that concentrator and amalgamator of
+mine; if these men ever get through talking about mines, Mr. Rivers, I
+must get you and Mr. Blaisdell interested in my machinery."
+
+At the suggestion of Mr. Lindlay, the party next paid a visit to the
+Morning Star mine, that being the one which Mr. Blaisdell had declared
+was on the same lead as the Sunrise. This they found to be a valuable
+mine, but there was not the slightest indication of the vein being
+identical with that of the Sunrise, its strike carrying it in a
+totally different direction, and its characteristics being wholly
+dissimilar.
+
+As it was too late for any further mining explorations, the team was
+ordered, and preparations made for a return to the house.
+
+Lindlay and Van Dorn, by mutual agreement, started up the canyon road
+together, in advance of the others.
+
+"Boys, where are you going?" called Mr. Winters.
+
+"Going to walk on ahead," answered Van Dorn.
+
+"Just as cheap to ride," said Mr. Winters.
+
+"Plenty of room," added Mr. Blaisdell.
+
+"We can't wait for you, you're too slow," laughed Van Dorn.
+
+"Give our places to those gentlemen," said Lindlay, indicating
+Haight and Morgan, and with rather a painful emphasis on the word
+"gentlemen."
+
+"Egad!" he exclaimed a few moments later, "Van Dorn, what do you think
+of that for a mining proposition?"
+
+"It's pretty tough, in fact, about the toughest I ever saw," replied
+Van Dorn, "but then, you remember we got a hint at Silver City that
+they were sharpers."
+
+"Sharpers!" exclaimed Lindlay, "but I don't call them sharpers; I can
+admire a good, genuine piece of keen rascality, don't you know, for I
+can play just as sharp a game myself as the best of them, but w'en it
+comes to such downright, beastly work as this, so blundering and
+bungling you know, w'y it looks too much as though they thought we
+were all born idiots, to be very complimentary."
+
+"I'll admit it looks that way," said Van Dorn, laughing, "it doesn't
+look as though they had a very flattering opinion of our acquirements,
+or our natural penetration, if they suppose we can be gulled in this
+way. They are about the worst set of mining sharks I've ever had the
+pleasure of meeting, and I shall tell Houston so."
+
+"By the way, that Mr. 'Uston seems a very decent sort of a man,"
+commented Lindlay.
+
+"He's a fine fellow," responded Van Dorn warmly, "you see I know him,
+he's a friend of mine, but don't say anything till we get out of
+here."
+
+"A friend of yours! and w'at in the deuce is he doing out 'ere, among
+such a beastly lot?"
+
+"He is out on a piece of detective work on his own account," and Van
+Dorn briefly gave Lindlay an outline of what Houston had told him. A
+prolonged "Ah--h" from Lindlay was the only response.
+
+"I thought I'd better tell you," said Van Dorn, "for fear you would
+include him in the lot out here, and be down on him with the rest. He
+is a splendid fellow, and I want you to know him."
+
+"That I will," responded the Englishman, "'ere, give 'im my card, and
+tell 'im I'll be very glad to 'elp 'im out a bit any time if he needs
+it later, you know; I would like to see 'im get the best of these
+fellows."
+
+"I will tell him," replied Van Dorn, "he may give you a letter of
+introduction to his uncle. They are all fine people, and, as you say,
+I would like to see Houston get the best of these rascals; I believe
+he will, too, though he will have to lay low for a while yet, and
+there may be some pretty dangerous work for him before he gets
+through."
+
+The pedestrians and the remainder of the party reached the house at
+nearly the same time, the latter having been slightly delayed in
+starting. Although a little late, Houston and Rutherford, with Miss
+Gladden and Lyle, were awaiting them in the porch. The rare beauty of
+the two ladies elicited expressions of admiration from both Lindlay
+and Van Dorn, the latter exclaiming:
+
+"They evidently have some fine specimens of ladies out here, and no
+mistake; there seems to be no fraud in that direction. No wonder the
+old gentleman was so indifferent as to whether we called for him or
+not!"
+
+Miss Gladden extended a welcome, both cordial and graceful, to Mr.
+Winters and his son, and also to Van Dorn, whom Rutherford introduced
+as an old friend. Other introductions followed, and the entire company
+entered the long, low dining room, whither Lyle had already preceded
+them to see that everything was in perfect readiness. Exclamations of
+surprise and pleasure were heard on all sides, as the table had been
+tastefully decorated by the skillful fingers of the ladies, with wild
+flowers, and their beauty and fragrance filled the room. A very social
+meal followed, interspersed with jokes and repartee, and pleasant
+reminiscences. Toward the close, Mr. Blaisdell entertained them with
+amusing sketches of western life, and soon was relating some of his
+first mining experiences, when he had just come from the east, a newly
+fledged mining expert.
+
+"I was asked, in company with another expert, a western man, much
+older than I, to examine some properties for some mining men. They
+were all experienced miners, old hands at the business, and they
+regarded me, a young graduate from an eastern mining school, with no
+practical knowledge that they knew of, as totally incompetent to
+advise them, and, I think, invited me more out of courtesy than
+anything else; perhaps also, out of benevolent intention to give me an
+opportunity to learn something about mines.
+
+"The evening previous to the day the examination was to be made, they
+met for a little conversation regarding the history of the mine, and
+to make plans for the following day. Of course, our talk was
+principally of mining in general. Well, didn't I play 'green' that
+evening. You can bet your sweet life that I did!"
+
+Here Lindlay elbowed Houston, who in turn nudged Van Dorn. The last
+named gentleman telegraphed across to the younger Winters and
+Rutherford, and there seemed imminent danger of a general explosion;
+however, Mr. Blaisdell thought it was all in appreciation of his
+story, and blandly continued:
+
+"I think when we broke up that night, the rest of them must have
+wondered among themselves why they had been such fools as to invite
+me. But I was only anxious for the time to come to go down into that
+mine. It was a property which the company had bought when it was
+nothing but a prospect, but which had then possessed every indication
+of being a wonderful producer of very rich ore, and it was supposed
+that with a little further development it would make a very fine
+property. The company had immediately proceeded to develop the mine,
+following the vein, as they supposed, for several hundred feet, but it
+did not amount to anything worth speaking of. Occasionally they would
+find croppings of very rich ore, but no true vein, and they had
+finally determined to call in one or two experts, and after an
+examination, decide whether it was worth the expenditure of any more
+money, or whether it had better be abandoned.
+
+"Well, aside from having received a fine education in this branch
+of science, I had worked a good deal in some of old Nature's
+laboratories, and was more familiar with these things than they
+thought. I knew, from their talk, that they were not following the
+course of the vein, though they thought they were, but of course, I
+said nothing of that kind; I was playing green.
+
+"The next day we went down into the mine, and I found just what I
+expected to find; that they were simply following a false lead, and in
+reality, going farther and farther from the vein every move they made.
+There was the original vein to start with, and they had struck a false
+lead close beside it, and were going down; digging down lower and
+lower, while the true vein was right over their heads, and those
+miners and that confounded expert that knew so much more than I did,
+didn't any of them know enough just to look up there and see it. Why,
+near the point where they had first started, I could see the ore
+shining in places over my head, and there were croppings of it all
+along.
+
+"Well, to make a long story short, I advised them to stick to the
+mine, and the expert advised them to abandon it. A little while
+afterward, I asked them what they would take for the mine; of course
+they thought that an additional proof of my greenness that I should
+talk of buying it, but I hung on, not appearing very anxious about it
+of course, for then they might suspect something. You won't believe
+me, but I bought that mine for five hundred dollars, cash, and they
+thought I was the biggest fool and tenderfoot that ever came out here.
+I tell you, I made sure of a good, clear title to that property, and
+then I went to work. I followed the old, original vein, and in less
+than six weeks I had gold just a pouring out of that mine. My! but
+didn't that company try to get back then! but I wouldn't have anything
+to do with them; I told them I was a greenhorn and a tenderfoot, and
+they had better let me alone. Well, sir, I worked that mine eighteen
+months, and cleared, over and above all expenses, one hundred and
+fifty thousand dollars, and then I sold it for half a million, and
+those other fellows have been kicking themselves ever since."
+
+There was a hearty laugh at the termination of the story, and the
+company adjourned to the porch and the open space surrounding the
+house, for the evening.
+
+Taken all in all, there was in that little company sheltered under the
+old house that night, a strange combination of plots and counter
+plots, secrets and mysteries; and to Houston himself, as he sat a
+little apart from the others, watching the group with thoughtful eyes,
+it seemed a curious coincidence, that, on that evening, and at that
+place, there should be assembled so many of the principal actors in
+the drama which he knew must ere long be enacted, and he was unable to
+shake off a vague presentiment that this was the opening scene. Just
+what would that drama be, he wondered, would it be comedy or tragedy?
+never, with all his foresight, dreaming the depth of tragedy so soon
+to follow, or recognizing as such, some of the chief actors, even then
+passing within his ken.
+
+On one side of the low porch was seated Miss Gladden, entertaining Mr.
+Winters and his son, while behind her, Lyle was standing with
+unconscious grace, and a far-away, dreamy look in her eyes. Just
+across the entrance, on the other side, were Lindlay, Van Dorn and
+Rutherford, the last two engaged in animated conversation regarding
+old times, Lindlay occasionally joining with them, but most of the
+time watching Miss Gladden, with much admiration expressed in his
+usually critical face. Mr. Rivers sauntered back and forth before the
+house, smoking, while, at a little distance, Mr. Blaisdell, Haight and
+Morgan were talking together. Jim Maverick, coming from behind the
+house, touched his hat as a salute to Mr. Blaisdell, and after a quick
+glance of suspicious distrust at the elder Mr. Winters, shuffled off
+in the direction of the miners' quarters. A little later, a man with
+powerful, athletic frame, who walked with quick, elastic step, and yet
+as though conscious of his power, passed the house, followed by a fine
+collie. His hat was drawn low over his eyes, partly concealing his
+face, but this did not prevent his watching the group on the porch
+with close, keen scrutiny. Houston and Rutherford started slightly,
+and exchanged glances, for they had recognized their fellow passenger
+from Valley City, and they would doubtless have made some comment, but
+that just then Miss Gladden spoke:
+
+"Lyle, dear, I wonder who that can be; he is dressed like a miner, but
+his carriage and appearance is that of a gentleman."
+
+"That," answered Lyle, in a low tone, "is Jack; he is a miner, and he
+is also a gentleman."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+Several days had elapsed since the eastern party, accompanied by Mr.
+Blaisdell and Mr. Rivers, had returned to the city, and, as yet,
+nothing had been learned of their decision regarding the mine. The
+extra force of men on the Sunrise had returned to their regular
+shifts, and the work at the mining camp was going forward in the old
+routine, with the monotonous precision of clock-work.
+
+Houston was quietly pursuing his own way, conscious that the task
+before him involved difficulty and danger. He was aware that Haight,
+notwithstanding his obsequious politeness, was one of his worst
+enemies, and would injure him in every underhanded way within his
+power, as, beneath the smooth, smiling exterior, Houston could detect
+a deep, subtle malignity toward himself; and he rightly judged that
+Jim Maverick, the tool of the mining company, would be the instrument
+Haight would use when he was ready to work his revenge.
+
+Maverick, from the first, had hated Houston with that instinctive
+hatred which such vile natures, groveling in their own degradation,
+always feel toward those moving on a higher plane, in an atmosphere
+untainted by the putrescence which is their natural element. Maverick
+knew that, to a man like Houston, his own baseness and villainy were
+written in his face, and even in his slouching, cringing gait, as
+plainly as though branded in letters of fire, and this was sufficient
+to kindle his anger against him, and Haight, by his talk, added fuel
+to the slowly smoldering fire. At home, but more particularly among
+the miners, in the camp or at the Y, Maverick expressed his views
+regarding Houston in language abounding with profanity and obscenity,
+and many were the muttered threats of what he would do should the
+object of his hatred ever cross his path.
+
+Houston, meanwhile, was quick to discern the danger signals, and was
+laying his plans wisely and well. His own work in the office of the
+mining camp was nearly completed; there remained yet the information
+to be gathered from the Silver City office, to which he was now
+expecting to be called any day, and then the work of familiarizing
+himself with the mines. When this should be accomplished, the end, for
+which he was working and waiting, would be very near.
+
+As he sat in the office one afternoon, reviewing the past few weeks,
+he felt that he had succeeded thus far, even beyond his hopes. The
+coming of Van Dorn and the acquaintance formed with Lindlay would be
+of untold value to him in his work. A little later, Van Dorn would
+come to his assistance without arousing suspicion, not being known as
+a mining expert, and when the time came for the final denouement,
+Lindlay would accompany Mr. Cameron to the mines, as he was a skilled
+expert, and having already visited the mines, could furnish testimony
+as to the fraud practiced by the company.
+
+Thus far, everything had gone well, and the weeks of work in a
+secluded mining camp, to which he had looked forward with anything but
+pleasurable anticipations, had in reality proven,--he was surprised to
+admit to himself,--among the pleasantest of his life. He would really
+have many regrets on leaving the mountains to return to his old home,
+he had formed such pleasant associations; and then, he suddenly became
+conscious that, of his life among the mountains, there was little he
+would miss, excepting a pair of dark, soulful eyes, in whose depths he
+had failed to detect the least shadow of falseness or unworthiness;
+mirrors of a sweet, womanly nature, strong, pure and beautiful, which
+with a quick, ready sympathy entered into his feelings, and often
+seemed to fathom his unspoken thoughts, and clothe them with language
+of her own.
+
+Houston started in astonishment, and, locking the office, took a
+circuitous and little traveled road, determined to fully understand
+his own heart before he again looked into those eyes with their depths
+of sincerity and truth.
+
+For many years he had been the recipient of flattering attentions from
+fond papas and aspiring mammas. Invitations to club dinners, banquets
+and the most recherche lunches, on the one hand, were evenly balanced
+by cards to receptions, soirees and afternoon teas, on the other. Had
+he passed heart-whole through all these sieges, only to fall a victim,
+here and now?
+
+He had admired Miss Gladden from the first; then, in their mutual
+sympathy for Lyle, they had been drawn closer together, and since that
+time,--yes, he could see it all now.
+
+Of Miss Gladden herself he knew very little, except that she was a
+true, noble woman; he needed no words to tell him that. Rutherford had
+learned from conversation with her, that she was an orphan, and had
+been traveling with friends because her home was made unpleasant by
+some of her relatives; and both had judged that she was probably, in
+a measure, dependent upon wealthy relatives.
+
+This much Houston did know, however, that he loved Leslie Gladden,
+that she was worthy of his love, and that life without her would not
+seem worth the living. He believed that she loved him, and his heart
+thrilled with the thought, that if so, it was for himself, not his
+wealth, that she cared. Before he reached the house, his mind was
+fully decided:
+
+"I love her for herself," he soliloquized, "not caring whether she is
+rich or poor, and I believe she does, or will, love me in like manner.
+In any event, I must learn my fate before the arrival of my uncle."
+
+As Houston approached the house, Miss Gladden and Lyle were standing
+together in the porch. He greeted both ladies with even more than his
+usual courtesy, but as his eyes met those of Miss Gladden, there was
+that in his glance, which in itself, was a declaration of his love for
+her. Lyle, with her quick intuition, read the meaning, and with her
+natural sense of delicacy, as quickly withdrew, leaving them together.
+For an instant, Miss Gladden's eyes dropped before Houston's glance,
+while a lovely color suffused her cheek; then she raised her eyes,
+meeting his with an answering glance, and in that mutual recognition,
+though no word was spoken, they knew that they were lovers, and that
+was enough for the present.
+
+Of late, the four friends had spent much time together; sometimes
+climbing the mountains, to watch from their lofty summits the setting
+sun, slowly descending amid clouds of flame, whose glowing colors were
+reflected from the surrounding peaks in ever varying tints; the rose
+changing to amethyst and violet, and the violet deepening to purple;
+while far below, the canyon lay wrapped in soft, gray twilight. Or,
+sometimes, taking one or two boats from the little boat-house built
+for the accommodation of summer tourists, they rowed about the lake in
+the moonlight.
+
+On this particular night, Rutherford proposed a row, in one of the
+larger boats, the entire length of the lake, to the cascades, to which
+the rest readily acceded. The ladies soon appeared in light, fleecy
+wraps, Miss Gladden carrying a fine guitar, which called forth
+exclamations of pleasure from the gentlemen.
+
+"Good!" said Rutherford, "that will be just the thing; now we will
+have some music."
+
+"Miss Gladden," said Houston, "why have we not been favored in this
+way earlier?"
+
+"Oh," she replied, archly, "it has never been a necessity until
+to-night, but a long row in the moonlight would not be perfect without
+music."
+
+This was their first trip to the end of the lakes, and they found
+the scene beautiful beyond description. On one side an almost
+perpendicular wall of rock; in the opposite direction, the mountain
+ranges stretching far away in the distance, with snowy peaks gleaming
+here and there, like watch towers; while just before them, the
+shimmering cascades in the wondrous beauty of the moonlight, the deep,
+unceasing roar seeming to rise and fall with a rhythm of its own.
+
+For the first few moments, they sat in silent admiration of the beauty
+around them; then Miss Gladden touched the strings of the guitar, and
+began singing in a rich contralto, in which Houston joined with a fine
+baritone, while Rutherford added a clear, sweet tenor. Their voices
+blended perfectly, and accompanied by the sweet notes of the guitar,
+the music floated out over the lake, the lingering echoes dying away,
+in the distance.
+
+Lyle took no part in the song, but sat listening with parted lips and
+dreamy eyes. When the song was finished, she exclaimed:
+
+"Oh, please do not stop, I love to listen to you; it reminds me of
+something I have heard long ago, I don't know when or where."
+
+"Do you never sing, Miss Maverick?" asked Rutherford.
+
+"Only sometimes for myself," she said, "I know only two or three songs
+that I have heard others sing."
+
+"But you have a sweet voice," said Houston, "will you not sing for
+us?"
+
+"If you will overlook any mistakes, I may," answered Lyle, "for I
+probably do not sing correctly, as I know nothing of music."
+
+"Certainly, Lyle, we would like to hear you," said Miss Gladden.
+
+As simply, and as free from self-consciousness as a child, Lyle began
+her song, her eyes fixed on the distant shining peaks, and her only
+accompaniment the music of the cascades.
+
+               "Love is come with a song and a smile,
+                Welcome love with a smile and a song;
+                Love can stay but a little while:
+                   Why can not he stay?
+                   They call him away;
+                Ye do him wrong, ye do him wrong,
+                Love will stay for a whole life long."
+
+Whether Lyle sang correctly that night was never known; even the
+beautiful words of the old song that seemed so appropriate to the
+occasion, were forgotten before she had sung more than two or three
+lines, and her listeners sat entranced, spell-bound, by the voice of
+the singer; a voice of such exquisite sweetness and clearness, and yet
+possessing such power and depth of expression, that it thrilled the
+hearts of her listeners, seeming to lift them out of all consciousness
+of their surroundings, and to transport them to another world; a
+world
+
+            "Where the singers, whose names are deathless,
+            One with another make music, unheard of men."
+
+As the last note died away, a long, deep sigh from Houston seemed to
+break the spell, and Miss Gladden looking up, her eyes shining with
+unshed tears, said, as she pressed Lyle's hand:
+
+"My dear, we have found our song-queen, our nightingale. We can all
+learn of you, and never equal you."
+
+Houston had been strangely moved, and as he spoke, there was a slight
+tremor in his voice.
+
+"I have heard, in all my life, but one voice like that, and that was
+one who died when I was a child."
+
+Lyle looked surprised.
+
+"Has no one ever told you you could sing?" asked Miss Gladden.
+
+"I never sang for any one, excepting once, for Jack," answered Lyle.
+
+"What did he say of your voice?" inquired Miss Gladden.
+
+"He said, like Mr. Houston, that he had heard but one voice like mine,
+but that he did not like to hear me, so I have never sung since,
+excepting by myself."
+
+"Lyle," said Miss Gladden suddenly, "how old is this man whom you call
+Jack?"
+
+"Possibly forty, perhaps a little less," she answered indifferently.
+
+A new thought had flashed into Miss Gladden's mind. For some time she
+had doubted whether Lyle were really a child of Maverick and his wife,
+she was so utterly unlike them; could it be possible that Jack, whose
+life seemed so much a mystery, was the father of Lyle? Was that the
+reason for his interest in her? and had Lyle had some beautiful
+mother,--unfortunate perhaps,--whose life had suddenly gone out, as
+the little life had just begun, and whose memory was recalled too
+vividly by Lyle's song? Miss Gladden determined, if possible, to find
+a clue to this mystery.
+
+The boat was now on its homeward way, and a song with which all were
+familiar having been found, the four voices blended in exquisite
+harmony.
+
+"It seems to me there are some rare treats in store for us," was
+Rutherford's comment, as the friends separated for the night; then, a
+few moments later, when alone with Houston, he exclaimed:
+
+"By Jove, Houston! but what a voice that girl has! I never heard
+anything like it in my life. I didn't say much before Miss Gladden,
+for fear she might think I didn't appreciate her singing, and I
+certainly did, for she sings magnificently."
+
+"You need have no fear of any sensitiveness on Miss Gladden's part,"
+said Houston quickly, "in the first place, their voices are altogether
+different, there is no comparison between them; and in addition, Miss
+Gladden's regard for Lyle is so disinterested and unselfish, there
+would be no room for any feeling of that kind. We must all acknowledge
+that Lyle certainly has a wonderful voice; as I said before, I have
+heard but one like it."
+
+"Great Heavens!" said Rutherford, with more feeling than Houston had
+ever seen him manifest, "I'm sorry for that girl, Houston."
+
+"Why?" asked Houston quietly.
+
+"Why, only to think of her beauty and intellect, and such a voice as
+that, and then think of her parents, and the life to which she is tied
+down here."
+
+"Granting the parents and present life," said Houston, "is that any
+argument that she will always be 'tied down here' as you say?"
+
+"I think it would always fetter her in a measure; it will leave its
+imprint upon her mind, or at least her memory, and although she is
+not in her proper sphere here, yet her life here, and all its
+associations, would be likely to make her feel out of place in a
+higher sphere,"
+
+"I think not," said Houston, watching Rutherford closely, "I think if
+she could be removed from here, and given a thorough education, there
+would remain no trace whatever of the early life."
+
+"But what about the question of heredity?" asked Rutherford,
+"there must be bad blood there, when and where would it make its
+appearance?"
+
+"That would be a serious question," replied Houston, "providing she is
+the child of these people; I have always had grave doubts of that, and
+Miss Gladden has often expressed the same."
+
+"By Jove! I never thought of that! It seems likely enough, too. What
+do you think, that she was stolen?"
+
+"No," said Houston slowly, "that does not seem so probable as that she
+may have been some child that they were hired to take."
+
+"In that case," said Rutherford, "I should think the uncertainty
+regarding her family and origin, would be almost as bad as the
+certainty in the other case."
+
+"It might seem so to some people," Houston replied, adding with a
+smile, "especially to a Bostonian, who prided himself upon his 'blue
+blood'."
+
+"Oh," said Rutherford, coloring, "I'm not pursuing this inquiry on my
+own account at all, I was only thinking of her prospects generally.
+I'm not interested in that direction."
+
+"In what direction are you interested, if I may ask?" said Houston,
+experiencing, for the first time, a little twinge of jealousy.
+
+"In the direction of the 'Hub,' my dear boy," Rutherford replied, with
+another blush.
+
+"Spoken like a true Bostonian!" said Houston approvingly.
+
+"Yes, sir," continued Rutherford, "there's a little girl belongs back
+there in Boston, that's more to me than all the ladies you can produce
+in this part of the country, or any other, no matter how beautiful
+they may be; and she's not bad looking either. Her parents took her to
+Europe for a little trip this spring, and Boston seemed so lonesome,
+that was the reason I came west."
+
+"Good for you, Ned, you have my best wishes," said Houston, shaking
+hands with his friend, "but really, you and Lyle had seemed so fond of
+each other's society lately, that I thought perhaps it was to be your
+destiny to rescue her from her unhappy fate."
+
+"Well, as to each other's society," said Rutherford, very slowly, "of
+late we have been restricted to that or none, for you and Miss Gladden
+have been growing so unconscious of us, that we've had to console with
+each other; but then, I understood how 'twas, for I've been there
+myself, you know, and I'm ready to offer congratulations and all that
+sort of thing, whenever they are in order."
+
+Houston appeared very unconscious of Rutherford's meaning, as he
+inquired, "How does Lyle herself regard your attentions? There must be
+no trifling with her, I have too much regard for her myself, for
+that."
+
+"Miss Maverick is not a girl to be trifled with," replied Rutherford,
+"I think a good deal of her, since I am better acquainted with her,
+and respect her and she knows it, but I think she realizes the sort of
+anomalous position that she occupies, and that is why I say I am sorry
+for her. She is far too brilliant for her surroundings, and yet not
+fitted for a much higher place."
+
+"Not at present," replied Houston, "but with her natural endowments
+and her innate delicacy and refinement, comparatively little training
+and culture would be necessary to fit her for almost any position in
+life."
+
+"I wonder what will be her fate."
+
+"Time will tell," replied Houston, who had his own plans.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+Houston had been called away to the office at Silver City, a telegram
+coming one afternoon for him to come down by the next train.
+Rutherford was at that time expecting to leave in a few days, to
+continue his pleasure trip to the coast, having already prolonged his
+stay among the mountains far beyond his first intentions; but at
+Houston's request, he agreed to remain over until the latter's return,
+which he expected would be in about ten days.
+
+A few days after Houston's departure, Lyle started out one afternoon
+for the little cabin, at an hour a little later than she went to
+pursue her studies, or for reading. She knew that at this time, Jack
+usually came off his shift, as he and Mike were expert miners, and
+always completed their task some time in advance of the others.
+
+She had not seen Jack since the visit of the party from the east,
+although she was at the cabin but a few evenings preceding that event,
+and had explained her long absence. Now she had special reasons for
+wishing to meet him, and she hastened on, hoping to find him alone.
+When she reached the cabin, Jack had just come from the mine, and
+Mike, fortunately, had gone down to the Y for needed supplies, and
+would not return for some hours.
+
+After talking a little while, Lyle skillfully brought the conversation
+around to Mr. Houston, and stated that he was in Silver City.
+
+"What is he doing there?" asked Jack, in a tone of surprise, "Is he
+going to remain there?"
+
+"No, he has gone over temporarily to assist the company in that
+office, as he said they needed extra help; he thought he would be back
+in about ten days."
+
+"He seems to make a very efficient clerk for the mining company," said
+Jack, with a peculiar emphasis which Lyle did not understand, but in
+which she detected a flavor of sarcasm.
+
+"He seems efficient in whatever he undertakes," she replied with a
+light laugh, "clerking, fighting or love-making, he is successful in
+all."
+
+"How has he succeeded in love-making?" asked Jack quickly.
+
+"Ask Miss Gladden," was Lyle's smiling rejoinder.
+
+"Is he really in love with her, do you think?"
+
+"Judging by indications, it is a case of genuine love on both sides,
+which, contrary to the old proverb, does run smoothly so far. I think
+they are engaged."
+
+"And you are left out in the cold?" asked Jack kindly, but watching
+her keenly.
+
+"You would not think so, if you could know how kind they are to me,"
+Lyle answered, "you and they are the only friends I have ever known."
+
+"How about Mr. Rutherford? Isn't he a friend of yours, too?"
+
+"Mr. Rutherford is a gentleman," she replied slowly, "he always treats
+me with respect, and we have very pleasant times together, but he
+never forgets that I belong to one station in life, and he to another.
+He is altogether unlike Mr. Houston and Miss Gladden; I wish you could
+know them, Jack, and that they could know you."
+
+"They probably have no desire to form my acquaintance, and I have no
+need to form theirs. It is rather late in the day for me to make
+friends now."
+
+"But Jack," said Lyle, in almost a pleading tone, "Miss Gladden wishes
+to meet you, and has repeatedly asked me to inquire if she might come
+and see you."
+
+"What is her motive for wishing to see me?"
+
+"I think because I have often spoken of you as my friend; then she
+said recently, that she would like, if possible, to take me east with
+her, and give me a musical education, and she would like to talk with
+you about it."
+
+"Has she or Mr. Houston heard you sing?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What did they say of your voice?"
+
+"Miss Gladden seems to think I have a wonderful voice, and Mr. Houston
+said he had heard but one like it in all his life."
+
+Jack had risen, and was looking out of the window, his back toward
+Lyle; after a few moments he spoke, in an unusually gentle tone.
+
+"You can say to Miss Gladden, that if she wishes to see me regarding
+you, she is welcome to come. Though I seldom receive callers, and have
+no wish to meet strangers, I am willing to meet a true friend of
+yours."
+
+"Then, under those conditions," said Lyle, with almost a tone of
+triumph in her voice, "you would meet Mr. Houston."
+
+"Why?" asked Jack, quickly, turning toward her.
+
+"Because he is my friend."
+
+Jack shook his head, and began pacing the room. "No," he said, as
+gently as ever, but very firmly, "I would rather not meet him."
+
+Lyle looked troubled. "Jack," she said earnestly, "you have always
+appeared rather peculiar regarding Mr. Houston; tell me candidly, are
+you his friend, or his enemy?"
+
+"Why!" he exclaimed in surprise, stopping before her, and looking into
+her earnest face, with a smile, "How should I be either? Am I not
+perfectly neutral? Are we not strangers?"
+
+Lyle shook her head decidedly. "I cannot say whether or not you are
+strangers, but you are not neutral toward him; I have seen all along
+that you have some strong feeling toward him, but whether of kindness
+or enmity, I cannot tell, but I must know."
+
+"Why must you know?" he asked, resuming his walk.
+
+"Perhaps I can tell you later," she replied, "but, as you are my
+friend, I must know whether you are, or will be, his friend, or his
+enemy."
+
+For some moments Jack was silent, and when he spoke his voice was full
+of some strong emotion:
+
+"My dear child, I have no reason for any enmity toward him, and if he
+is the true, honorable man that you think he is, God knows I would
+stand by him, even to death itself."
+
+"Then, if he was in difficulty or danger, and needed help, you would
+help him, would you not?" asked Lyle eagerly.
+
+"My child," he answered gravely, "you must explain yourself; you
+certainly can trust me. I promise you this, I will not harm him or
+betray him, whatever may be the difficulty."
+
+"You are sure there is no one to hear us?"
+
+"I will make sure," he answered briefly, and bidding the collie guard
+the outside door, he then closed the door between the two rooms, and
+sat down near Lyle.
+
+"You remember," she began, "the evening you passed our house?" He
+nodded. "Well, among the strangers there that night, were an English
+expert, Mr. Lindlay, and a Mr. Van Dorn, who, they said, was an
+inventor of some mining machinery. A little while after you passed, I
+took a book and went out by the lake to read, sitting down behind a
+thick group of small evergreens. I read as long as I could see, and
+then sat for some time, thinking, and watching the reflection of the
+moon in the lake. Then the moon went behind that tall peak, you know,
+across the lake, and it was quite dark; but I remained there thinking
+so deeply that, although for a few minutes I heard low voices talking,
+I paid no attention to it, supposing it was simply some people going
+up the mountain, till suddenly I was aroused by Mr. Houston's voice,
+only a few feet from me, saying in a low tone, 'There may be
+considerable danger ahead of us, but you are just the one I need, and
+you will be well compensated,' and Mr. Van Dorn answered, 'Hang
+compensation! if I can help you get the best of these rascals, I'm
+going to do it, just for the gratification of the thing,' and then I
+heard the Englishman, with his peculiar accent, saying something I
+couldn't quite catch, but it seemed to be to the effect that he would
+help Mr. Houston against what he called the 'domned scoundrels.'
+
+"At first, I wanted to leave, but I couldn't without their seeing me,
+and having to make explanations, and making it embarrassing all round;
+and then the thought flashed through my mind that Mr. Houston was a
+good friend of mine, and perhaps if I stayed, I might be able to help
+him if he should be in any danger later, as he spoke of, so I remained
+there.
+
+"I haven't time to tell you all I heard, but this is what I learned:
+He is not a clerk at all, but is out here in the interest of some rich
+company in the east, with which an uncle of his is connected. This
+eastern company have for some time suspected crooked work on the part
+of the company here, and he has come out in the capacity of bookkeeper
+and clerk to get all the information he can against them. He has
+obtained all the proofs he can get in this office, and said he was
+going over in a few days to the main office at Silver City,--and that
+is where he is now,--to see what he can find against them there. When
+he returns he is going to examine the mines that this eastern company
+own, as fast as he can get opportunities, and it seems this Mr. Van
+Dorn is a mining expert himself, though no one out here knows it, and
+when Mr. Houston is ready, he is to come out here with some of his
+mining machinery that he is going to set up in the mills, to show the
+company his new method of reducing ores, but his real object in coming
+will be to help Mr. Houston carry on his investigations against the
+company. Then, when they have obtained all the information and proof
+they need, they will telegraph Mr. Houston's uncle,--Mr. Cameron, I
+think was his name,--and he and the English expert will come out
+together, unexpectedly to the company, and I think they said they
+would prosecute the officers of the company for fraud."
+
+Jack's face was concealed with one hand, but Lyle could see that he
+had grown very pale, and beneath the heavy, black beard, his lips were
+moving under the influence of some deep emotion. She continued:
+
+"My reason for wishing to confide this to you was, that I heard Mr.
+Van Dorn ask Mr. Houston if there was any one among the miners whom
+he could trust to help them, as he said without the assistance of some
+one, familiar with the mines and their different workings, the
+undertaking would be much more difficult and dangerous; and I thought
+at once of you, Jack. You have often told me of the dishonesty and
+fraud practiced by the company, and said that you would like to see
+some of their schemes exposed, and I thought you would be just the one
+to help Mr. Houston, and no one would be likely to suspect you
+either."
+
+She paused a moment, then added, "He has enemies working against him,
+and he ought to have some one to help him."
+
+"Who are his enemies?" asked Jack.
+
+"Haight, for one, and my father and all the men that he can influence;
+and you know, that if they once suspected what he is doing, they would
+not hesitate, for one moment, to kill him."
+
+"They would not," said Jack, quietly but decidedly, "and among the
+mines it is a very easy thing to put a man out of the way."
+
+"Then you will look out for him, and help him, will you not?" said
+Lyle, rising to go.
+
+"Yes, child," he answered with unusual tenderness, "you do not know
+what you are asking, but since hearing what you have told me, no harm
+shall come to your friend that I can prevent, no matter what it costs
+me."
+
+"But Jack," said Lyle anxiously, going to him and laying her hands in
+his, "this will not put you in danger, will it? My idea was that you
+could give him information, and no one would ever suspect you; but you
+have been too true a friend to me, for me to put you in any danger."
+
+"You need have no fear," he answered, "I did not refer to any
+particular danger of that kind. I am only glad you have told me what
+you have. Had I learned it in any other way, I would have wished to
+help your friend. When he returns, say nothing to him of having asked
+me to help him; I will find him in my own way."  Lyle thanked Jack
+heartily, and as she looked up into his face, her beautiful eyes
+unusually bright, and her cheeks flushed with emotion, he seemed
+strangely touched, and bending over her, kissed her reverently on her
+forehead, for the first time in their acquaintance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+Nearly a week after the departure of Houston for Silver City, as
+Morgan was passing the sorting rooms one morning, on his way from the
+mines to the mills, he heard Haight calling him.
+
+"Hello, there, Morgan, the Sunrise deal is off."
+
+"Off? who says so? Got a wire from the boss?"
+
+"Yes, she just came, about fifteen minutes ago."
+
+"What's the matter? did the old man say?"
+
+"Nothing very definite; 'party writes property not satisfactory,'
+that's all he says."
+
+"Hang it! I should think it looked good enough for 'em. Well," he
+growled, "there's so much hard work gone for nothing," and thrusting
+his hands deeper into his pockets in his disgust, Morgan started on
+his way, but Haight detained him.
+
+"Hold on a minute; say, Morgan, you don't suppose that they caught on
+to our deal, do you? or that anybody put 'em onto it?"
+
+"Who was there to put 'em onto anything?" asked Morgan.
+
+"Oh, the confidential clerk, may be; he was on such good terms with
+Johnny Bull and the dude."
+
+Morgan shook his head. "He's too much of a sucker for the company, and
+knows too well which side his bread is buttered, for business of that
+kind."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Haight, "he's a dude and a tenderfoot
+himself, and likes to toady around with those eastern snobs; what else
+were they hob-nobbing with him for, if they didn't think they could
+get some information out of him? I've got my own ideas on that subject
+and I'm going to make some investigations, and if I find I'm correct,
+he'll find pretty quick where he will be; I've no use for him any
+way." "I haven't any more use for him than you have," answered
+Morgan, "but he ain't a very safe fellow to fool with now, I can tell
+you, and I don't think you want to run up against him yourself."
+
+"I don't know as I've said anything about running up against anybody,"
+said Haight, "that isn't my style, but I'll run him out of this
+country in one way or another, see if I don't."
+
+"You think you're pretty smooth," Morgan called over his shoulder, as
+he started for the mills, "and if you want to undertake the job, all
+right; for my part, I don't care to have much to do with him."
+
+Two or three evenings later, as Lyle sat in her favorite nook beside
+the lake, book in hand, watching for the return of Miss Gladden who
+had gone with Rutherford for a short row, she was much surprised to
+see Haight approaching, wearing his most ingratiating smile. For a day
+or two, he had, on several occasions, when unobserved by the others,
+treated her with a marked politeness intended to be very flattering,
+for the thought had occurred to him that possibly through her he might
+get some information regarding Houston.
+
+"Ah," he said now, seating himself at a little distance from her, and
+with a glance at the book which she had closed and laid aside, "I fear
+I have interrupted your reading."
+
+"I was not reading," she replied, "I was merely glancing over a book
+of Miss Gladden's while awaiting her return."
+
+For a few moments he talked in a light, frivolous manner, but Lyle,
+suspicious of some ulterior motive in his coming, did not respond very
+favorably to his efforts at conversation. At last he said, very
+pleasantly:
+
+"This is a favorite resort of yours, is it not, Miss Maverick?"
+
+"Yes, I come here frequently," she replied.
+
+"I judged so," he continued carelessly, "I saw you out here the
+evening the eastern party was at the house, and I remember the English
+expert and his friend took a walk in this direction, with Mr. Houston.
+I suppose they were talking over the mine they had looked at, and
+took Mr. Houston along thinking he might be able to give them any
+additional information they needed. I wonder what they thought about
+that mine," he added, watching Lyle, "I suppose you must have
+overheard some of their conversation."
+
+Lyle was not taken off guard, however, and answered indifferently, "I
+heard voices, but I was so absorbed in thought I paid little attention
+to them; it was some time before I even recognized them."
+
+"But you certainly must have overheard some of their conversation,"
+said Haight, in his smoothest tones, "can you not recall anything said
+about the mine?"
+
+"There was nothing whatever said about the mine," she replied, "and if
+there had been, I am not in the habit of listening to conversations
+and repeating them."
+
+"Of course not, under ordinary circumstances," Haight rejoined,
+smiling, "but you know 'all is fair in love and war' and in mining
+deals, and as I am interested in behalf of the company, and we
+have, as yet, heard nothing from the party, you see I naturally had
+a little curiosity regarding their conversation that evening. You
+are sure they said nothing of the mine, or that Mr. Houston gave
+them no information?"
+
+Lyle rose, her eyes flashing with scorn and indignation, as she
+replied, "Why should Mr. Houston give them any information? As I have
+told you, there was nothing said about the mine; so far as I could
+judge, the gentlemen were talking of their own personal affairs; and
+it is false that you have received no word from the eastern party, for
+I heard you and Morgan talking at the table yesterday of the deal
+having fallen through, and you suspect Mr. Houston of dishonorable
+conduct only because you judge every one to be like yourself," and
+without giving him opportunity to reply, she turned and walked in the
+opposite direction toward the boat which she saw approaching in the
+distance.
+
+Haight walked away toward the house, conscious that his interview had
+been a failure, but more than ever determined to work his revenge upon
+Houston, and upon Lyle also, when the right time came.
+
+Lyle determined, for the present, to say nothing regarding the
+interview, and met her friends without any allusion to what had just
+occurred.
+
+After assisting Miss Gladden ashore, Rutherford returned to the boat,
+while Miss Gladden and Lyle started homeward. The former could detect
+in Lyle's manner signs of unusual excitement, but asked no questions,
+as she did not think it best to force her confidence.
+
+"Lyle, when are you going to take me to call on your friend, Jack?"
+she inquired.
+
+"Any time you wish," Lyle answered, "I spoke to him the other day
+about your coming, and he said you would be most welcome."
+
+"Then he graciously consented to receive me! Very well, suppose we go
+now, it is not late."
+
+Arriving at the cabin, they found Jack and Mike sitting outside the
+door, watching the last fleeting colors of the gorgeous sunset. Miss
+Gladden was duly introduced, and invited within, and since the bashful
+Irishman could not be prevailed upon to enter the cabin, Jack
+entertained his guests alone.
+
+Miss Gladden, from Lyle's description of her friend, had expected to
+find in Jack a gentleman, but she was totally unprepared for the
+polished courtesy, the courtly ease and grace without a trace of
+self-consciousness or restraint, with which, though clad in rough,
+miner's clothes, he received her in the little cabin, and as she
+conversed with him, she found her respect for him increasing every
+moment.
+
+To Jack, isolated as he had been for years from refined, intellectual
+associations, it seemed like a glimpse into another, and not
+unfamiliar world, and the deference and respect expressed in Miss
+Gladden's manner were especially gratifying.
+
+Very easily Miss Gladden led the conversation, avoiding, with
+intuitive delicacy, all allusions to himself or his surroundings, till
+at last she said:
+
+"I have taken such an interest in my friend, Lyle, and she has so
+often spoken of your kindness to her, that I have wished to meet you,
+for I feel that in her welfare, we have a mutual interest."
+
+Jack smiled gravely, as he replied, "I have endeavored to help her as
+best I could under existing conditions, and notwithstanding the fact
+that the ways and means have been exceedingly restricted, she has
+proven herself an apt pupil, and has made good progress."
+
+"Indeed she has," said Miss Gladden, "and with her ability, it seems a
+pity that she should not have every possible advantage."
+
+"To me," he replied, "it seems a great pity that so much of her life
+has already been spent among such disadvantages, the greater part of
+the most valuable portion of her life wasted."
+
+"Not entirely wasted," said Miss Gladden, "for what you have taught
+her will be of inestimable value to her always."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Lyle, "what would my life have been without
+you?"
+
+"I have laid the foundation so far as I was able," said Jack, smiling,
+"but it was time, long ago, for the superstructure to be builded."
+
+"One reason why I wish to see you," continued Miss Gladden, "was to
+ask you what you would think of the feasibility of my taking Lyle east
+with me, when I return."
+
+"If you are willing to do that, Miss Gladden," said Jack, slowly, "I
+can see nothing in the way of its practicability except to gain the
+consent of Mr. and Mrs. Maverick, and that might prove a formidable
+obstacle."
+
+"He does not call them her parents," thought Miss Gladden, "does he
+know she is not their child?"
+
+Jack continued. "If it had not been for that difficulty, I would
+gladly myself have furnished the means for a moderate education for
+Lyle, but I knew Maverick's decided objection to her possessing even
+the most rudimentary knowledge. I am of the opinion also, though I may
+be in error, that he would not allow her to leave home."
+
+"You are right, Jack," said Lyle, "if I were to wait for his consent,
+I would never leave here, or have any advantages."
+
+"May I inquire," said Jack, addressing Miss Gladden, "at what time you
+expect to return east?" A faint color tinged Miss Gladden's cheek, as
+she replied:
+
+"I have not yet decided just when I will go east, but probably the
+latter part of the summer."
+
+"Ah, well," he answered, with a slight smile, "I hope that between now
+and that time, some arrangement can be made to Lyle's advantage; but
+if I may make any suggestion, it would be this; that nothing be said
+at present regarding this subject to either Mr. or Mrs. Maverick, as
+it would only arouse their opposition, and perhaps lead to some
+unpleasant results."
+
+After a few moments' further conversation, Miss Gladden thanked Jack
+for his kindness, and rose to go. At the door they found Mike, and
+while Lyle chatted merrily with the witty Irishman for a moment, Miss
+Gladden turned toward Jack, saying in a low tone:
+
+"I would like to have a talk with you regarding Lyle, some time when
+she is not present; may I come and see you by myself some day?"
+
+"Certainly," he responded, "I would be pleased to see you."
+
+For a moment, Miss Gladden stood in silent admiration, watching this
+man whose life seemed wrapped in so much mystery, while he replied to
+some laughing questions of Lyle's.
+
+He was, even now, a splendid specimen of manhood, although his
+shoulders were slightly stooped, and silver threads gleamed here and
+there in the black hair and beard, making him look older than his
+years. He had a face of remarkable beauty also,--with fine, clear-cut
+features,--though browned with exposure, and bearing the lines that
+only the fingers of sorrow can trace. His face did not resemble
+Houston's in the least, but something in his manner reminded Miss
+Gladden of her lover, and she watched him with a sort of fascination.
+
+As she and Lyle walked homeward together, the latter asked:
+
+"What do you think now of my friend, Miss Gladden?"
+
+And Miss Gladden replied thoughtfully, "I think, my dear, that he is
+one of earth's heroes."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+
+The ten days which Houston was to spend at Silver City had expired,
+and his work there was completed. He had followed much the same plan
+as in the office at the camp, doing the work of the company by day,
+and pursuing his own investigations at night.
+
+Mr. Blaisdell had at first objected to his working evenings, telling
+him the company had no wish to make a slave of him, but upon Houston's
+representing that it was an absolute necessity in order to accomplish
+the needed work within a given time, he allowed him to have his own
+way. He had been able to get together much additional proof regarding
+the fraudulent transactions of the company, even ascertaining in what
+direction much of the revenue due the New York company had gone.
+
+He was present when the company received the brief but pointed letter
+from Mr. Winters, in which he stated that the property shown them had
+not been what they were looking for, and that they had found something
+more satisfactory in another direction.
+
+"Well, Blaisdell," said Mr. Rivers, in his quick, incisive way, "I'm
+not in the least surprised."
+
+"Not surprised!" echoed Mr. Blaisdell, "Why not? I confess I'm
+surprised and disappointed."
+
+"It's just what I expected," again chirped Mr. Rivers, "just what I
+told you all along."
+
+"I knew you said you were rather suspicious just in the direction
+where I felt the surest of them."
+
+"Just so," said Mr. Rivers, "I said all along, 'those fish won't bite
+worth a nickel.'"
+
+"Well," said Mr. Blaisdell, with a heavy sigh, "all we can do is to
+try again."
+
+"And next time, I'd advise you to have a little more bait, or else
+don't tackle so big a fish."
+
+It was Houston's last evening in Silver City, and he sat in the hotel
+lobby reading letters which had just come from his uncle and Van Dorn,
+under cover from the Chicago firm, as usual.
+
+Mr. Cameron was delighted to have met Van Dorn and the Englishman, and
+had engaged both men to remain in New York, awaiting word from
+Houston, when he should be ready.
+
+The closing paragraph in Van Dorn's letter he read and re-read with a
+smile, it was so characteristic of his friend:
+
+  "I have had one of my machines carefully packed, and it now stands
+  addressed, ready to accompany me to your mining camp on short
+  notice, where I will show your people the latest method for the
+  reduction of ores; and if the mining company itself is not pretty
+  well reduced' before we get through, my name is not that of
+
+                                                Your friend,
+                                                  ARTHUR VAN DORN.
+
+  P. S. 'The mills of the gods grind slowly,
+        But they grind exceeding small.'"
+
+As Houston folded his letters, his attention was attracted by loud
+talk among a group of men in another part of the lobby. Sauntering in
+that direction, he heard an excited voice exclaim:
+
+"I tell you, they're the biggest frauds on the face of the earth. If
+there's a dishonest scheme, or a sharp, underhanded little game that
+they're not onto, I'd like to know what it is."
+
+"Which company do you mean?" inquired another speaker.
+
+"I mean the mining company represented by Rivers and Blaisdell, with
+old Wilson as a figure-head. I can't remember all their long-winded
+names, but the whole combination is rotten, from beginning to end,
+nothing but a set of lying, scheming, thieving rascals."
+
+"That's right," said an old gentleman who had not spoken before,
+"they're a tough lot."
+
+"Tough!" echoed the first speaker, "I should say so! One of their
+little games is to take charge of mining claims for eastern parties.
+The parties send on money for development work, but do you suppose it
+is used in developing the mines? Not much! By and by, the first these
+parties know, they have forfeited their claims through lack of
+representation, but don't you think the company are not watching out,
+ready to jump the claim the very day the time expires. Sometimes
+they'll hire some poor Swede to locate the claim for them, and then
+assign it to them for a trifle. In that way, I've heard of their
+getting possession of the same claim over and over again."
+
+"I've heard pretty hard stories about Blaisdell," said another, "but I
+guess he don't make much for himself, for as fast as he fleeces other
+people, Rivers fleeces him."
+
+There was considerable more talk in the same strain, but after the
+group had separated, Houston, who had learned the name of the
+principal speaker, approached him as he was standing alone, and said,
+in a low tone:
+
+"This is Mr. Hartwell, I believe; my name is Houston. Mr. Hartwell, I
+heard your remarks a little while ago concerning the North Western
+Mining Company and its officers. I am one of the clerks of that
+company, and I wish to know if you are prepared to substantiate the
+statements you have made here to-night."
+
+"Yes," the man exclaimed with an oath, "I'll substantiate every word
+I've said here to-night, and I can get you a dozen more that will tell
+you more about that company than I can."
+
+"Never mind about the others, for the present," replied Houston
+coolly, "what you have said to-night is likely to come to the ears of
+the company, and what I want to know is this; would you swear in court
+to what you have said here?"
+
+"I tell you," said Mr. Hartwell, with another oath, "I'll swear to it
+ten times over, and if I ever have a chance, I'll down you and your
+cursed company till you won't know that you ever existed," and then
+seeming to take Houston as the representative of the entire
+corporation, he poured upon him a torrent of vituperation and abuse
+which was very amusing to Houston, who was only thinking of securing
+a witness for the prosecution, by and by.
+
+"Well, Mr. Hartwell," he said at last, "you seem so anxious to express
+your feelings, we may give you an opportunity later. For the present,
+I wish you good evening," and he walked smilingly away.
+
+Mr. Hartwell looked after him in amazement; "By George!" he
+soliloquized, "but that fellow's a cool duck, anyhow! I couldn't faze
+him a particle."
+
+The next morning, Houston, in company with Mr. Blaisdell, took the
+early train for the mines. He could not help contrasting this with his
+first trip over the same road. Then, he was a stranger, with his
+entire work before him, uncertain of success in his undertaking; now,
+his preparatory work was nearly done, and though the most difficult
+part of his task yet remained, he felt that success was sure. But the
+contrast which to him seemed, most striking, was in his own feelings,
+for though conscious of enemies and having no knowledge of the friends
+ready to assist him, he yet felt a certain pleasure in returning to
+the mines, as though returning home; and he realized as never before,
+that hidden away in the heart of the mountains was the source from
+which henceforth must flow all his earthly happiness.
+
+Arriving at the office, they found no one there, and Houston
+immediately began an attack upon the work accumulated during his
+absence, while Mr. Blaisdell proceeded to the mills and mines.
+
+On his way he met Haight, and the subject of the unsuccessful mining
+deal was at once taken up.
+
+"They simply wrote that the property was not what they wanted, and
+that they had found what they were looking for elsewhere," said Mr.
+Blaisdell in explanation.
+
+"They seemed well enough satisfied when they were here," remarked
+Haight.
+
+"That was my impression," said Mr. Blaisdell, "but Rivers seems to
+think differently. He says he was suspicious of them all the time,
+because they said nothing one way or another, after seeing the
+property; but my impression was that they were very well pleased."
+
+"Certainly," answered Haight, who always made it a practice to have
+his opinions coincide with those expressed by the person with whom he
+happened to be talking, especially if it were for his interest to do
+so; "everything seemed satisfactory as far as I could judge. It is my
+opinion, Mr. Blaisdell, and has been for some time, that something
+must have been said by some one to prejudice those people against the
+mine; that is the only way I could account for the deal falling
+through as it did."
+
+"But who was there to say anything prejudicial? We were all interested
+in selling the mine."
+
+"I don't care to call any names, Mr. Blaisdell, but I don't think it
+best to take people into our confidence till we are pretty sure of
+them."
+
+"Oh, you allude to Mr. Houston, but you are mistaken there; why,
+Haight, that fellow is working for our interests, and he has saved the
+company considerable money already in the way he has straightened the
+books and detected crooked work; he's going to be invaluable."
+
+"He'll work for our interests just as long as it is for his interest
+to do so, but I imagine anybody could buy him off pretty easy. He's
+one of your swells; see how he dresses and what hightoned notions he
+has for a man in his position, and then tell me he wouldn't take a
+little tip on the outside if he got a chance."
+
+"I think you are mistaken," said Mr. Blaisdell slowly, "still, of
+course, there might be something in what you say; I'll think it over,"
+and the subject was dropped for that day.
+
+Houston was very busy until nearly noon, but left the office a little
+earlier than usual, as he was anxious to meet Miss Gladden a few
+moments in advance of the others, if possible.
+
+She was outside the porch, training some vines which she and Lyle had
+transplanted from among the rocks by the lake. Her back was toward the
+road, but hearing Houston's step, as he approached the house, she
+quickly turned, and in the depths of her luminous eyes he read a
+welcome that made his return seem more than ever like a home-coming.
+Clasping warmly the shapely little hand extended to him in greeting,
+he drew it within his arm, and having led her to a comfortable seat
+within the porch, he drew his own chair close beside her, where he
+could watch the lovely face, so classic and perfect in its beauty, and
+clothed, when animated, with a subtle, spirituelle radiance.
+
+"You are very welcome," said Miss Gladden, as he seated himself, "we
+will all have to celebrate your return, for we have missed you very
+much. Have you been well?"
+
+"Very well," replied Houston, smiling, "except for a touch of
+homesickness occasionally when I remembered our evenings among the
+mountains, or on the lake. It was fortunate that my evenings were so
+crowded with work, or the malady might have proved quite serious."
+
+"Our evenings have not been nearly so pleasant without you," said Miss
+Gladden, "we were all becoming frightfully dull and vapid, but I think
+we will now recover our spirits."
+
+"I have learned one thing," said Houston, "that it is not any
+particular place or surroundings that constitutes home for us, so much
+as the presence of those who are dear to us. Imagine how it would have
+seemed to me, three months ago, to have called this place 'home,' but
+it seems wonderfully home-like to me to-day."
+
+"As to what constitutes a home, I am scarcely qualified to judge,"
+said Miss Gladden, "for I hardly know what a home is; but my idea is,
+that any spot where my best loved ones were, would be home to me."
+
+"And with such sentiments as those," Houston responded, "you would
+make any spot on earth home to those whom you loved."
+
+"I should hope to," she replied, and added archly, "and if they loved
+me, I think I would succeed."
+
+"I fear," said Houston, smiling, "that we are very old fashioned and
+far behind the spirit of modern times, which considers love of small
+account in the elements that constitute a home."
+
+"I consider it an indispensable element, nevertheless," she replied,
+earnestly, "for I have seen too much of so-called homes where it did
+not exist, and they were not even successful imitations of the genuine
+article; their hollowness and wretchedness were only too apparent."
+She paused a moment, then continued:
+
+"To me, the home seems like one of the old-time temples; a place to be
+kept sacred to peace and purity and love; from which the sin and
+strife of the outside world should be faithfully excluded; whose
+inmates, on entering, should leave behind all traces of the evil and
+discord of the outer world, as the Oriental leaves his dust-laden
+sandals at the door of his sanctuary."
+
+"I have never known any other than such a home as that," said Houston,
+slowly, "and it is the only true home."
+
+"Pardon me," said Miss Gladden, "but are your parents living? I have
+often wondered."
+
+"No," he replied, "my parents died when I was a mere child, but the
+faint recollection of my early home, and the memory of my uncle's
+home, which has been mine also, correspond very closely with the
+picture you have just drawn."
+
+"Then with you it is a reality," she answered, "but with me, only an
+ideal."
+
+"Miss Gladden," said Houston very earnestly, but with great
+tenderness, "will you not let me help you to make a reality of your
+ideal?" Then, as she did not immediately reply, he continued, "The
+love that we believe in as the foundation of a true home, is not
+lacking on my part. I love you, Leslie, so much that life with you
+anywhere would seem perfect and complete, while life without you, even
+in a palace, would not seem worth the living. Can you love me enough
+to share my life and home, whatever it may be, as my wife?"
+
+He had taken her hand, and she did not withdraw it, but looking in his
+face, she asked:
+
+"Would you make me your wife, knowing so little of me as you do?"
+
+"I think I know enough," he replied, "I know that you are a pure,
+true-hearted woman; I know that whether you love me or not," her eyes
+dropped, "there is no one you love better than me; and though I do
+not know it, I am almost sure that you do care for me in some degree,
+am I not right?"
+
+She looked up into the face bending over her, and Houston read his
+answer in her eyes, and even had she tried to speak, he gave her no
+opportunity for doing so.
+
+"To think of your conceit!" exclaimed Miss Gladden, a few moments
+later, "in having the assurance to say that I cared for no one more
+than you, whether I loved you or not; how did you ever come to make
+such an assertion?"
+
+"Your eyes betrayed you," he answered, while she blushed, "they often
+tell tales, but I have noticed they always tell the truth, and I knew
+they would never have told me some secrets that they have, if there
+was any one else you cared for."
+
+The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted their conversation, and
+brought them back to the common, every-day affairs of life, and
+turning, they saw Rutherford coming up the path from the lake, where
+he had gone for a stroll.
+
+"Hello, Houston!" exclaimed the latter, catching a glimpse of his
+friend, "when did you come? Well, I'm awfully glad you've got back,
+we've missed you, old fellow, I can tell you."
+
+"Welcome home!" said a sweet voice, and Houston saw the starry eyes
+and golden crowned head of Lyle framed in the door-way, and hastened
+to greet her. She met him with a woman's grace, and with a child's
+affection looking frankly out of her lovely eyes. After his brief
+absence, Houston was impressed by her beauty as never before. "I
+didn't know the child was so beautiful," he thought to himself, "I
+believe she grows lovelier every day, and she reminds me strangely of
+some one I have seen long ago."
+
+"Oh, by the way," said Rutherford, as the friends seated themselves
+around the dinner table, "I've just received a letter from my brother,
+and he says he is coming out here."
+
+"Your brother!" exclaimed Miss Gladden and Houston, "What! coming here
+among the mountains?"
+
+"Yes," he replied, "he happened to be in New York when Van Dorn got
+back, and from his description of the place, and mine, he says he
+would like to see it. He is coming out to the coast by another route,
+and wants me to meet him in San Francisco, and then we will stop here
+on our return."
+
+"Then you are coming back again," said Miss Gladden; "that will be
+lovely, and we will be delighted to meet your brother with you."
+
+"Indeed we will," added Houston cordially, "what time do you expect to
+be here, Ned?"
+
+"My brother wants to get here, he says, in about six or eight weeks,
+so it will probably be some time in August."
+
+Lyle had said nothing, but had listened to the conversation, a
+thoughtful, far-away look stealing into her eyes; and the rest of the
+boarders arriving just then, nothing more was said on the subject.
+
+Haight greeted Houston with his usual smiling politeness, but Morgan
+looked sullen, and Mr. Blaisdell was gloomy and taciturn. Haight's
+influence was working, and he could afford to smile. Lyle was quick to
+note the situation, and also to detect in Haight's face an expression
+of ill-concealed triumph, and as their eyes met, he read that in her
+face that boded no good to himself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+
+Mr. Blaisdell having returned to the city that same day, everything
+went forward in the same regular routine as prior to Houston's
+absence, and evening found the four friends seated on the summit of an
+immense rocky pile, watching the grand and rugged scenery surrounding
+them illumined by the glowing colors of the sunset sky. They had been
+talking of Rutherford's intended trip to the coast, when Miss Gladden
+said:
+
+"Mr. Houston, how early can you join us to-morrow afternoon? We are
+going to have a little picnic party of four, in honor of your return,
+and also to give Mr. Rutherford pleasant memories of his last days
+among the mountains."
+
+"Oh," said Rutherford, "now I understand; I've wondered what you
+ladies were so mysterious about all day; you've been holding secret
+sessions and making cabalistical signs to each other all the
+afternoon. Well, as this picnic is partly on my account, I'm sure I
+feel flattered and shall be delighted to attend. Houston, old boy,
+when can we look for you?"
+
+"I think, considering the importance of the occasion, I can be ready
+to join you at three o'clock," replied Houston, while the ladies
+expressed their approval.
+
+"There seems to have been a great deal of mysterious consultation
+about this affair," remarked Rutherford, "what is the program for
+to-morrow?"
+
+"Well," said Miss Gladden, "for one thing, we must have plenty of
+music; have neither of you gentlemen any musical instruments with
+you?"
+
+"Not I," replied Houston, while Rutherford answered, laughing, "I have
+a banjo that I brought along to amuse myself with in case I got
+lonesome, but I've had no use for it so far, I've had such good
+company here."
+
+"A very graceful compliment, thank you," said Miss Gladden, smiling,
+"but bring the banjo by all means, we will have use for it to-morrow,
+and I have just thought of something else for the occasion,--but I'm
+not going to divulge all my plans, we must keep something for a
+surprise, mustn't we, Lyle?"
+
+Lyle laughed merrily; "I'm not going to tell a single plan of mine;
+you will all find when we reach the place, what a mountain picnic
+means."
+
+"But can we not even know where we are going?" asked Rutherford, with
+a tragic air.
+
+"You would not know if I should tell you," responded Lyle, "we are
+going to Sunset Park."
+
+"Sunset Park!" they exclaimed, "where is that?"
+
+"Is it in any way connected with the Sunrise mine of recent fame?"
+inquired Houston.
+
+"No," replied Lyle, "it is across the lake; you remember the landing I
+showed you among the rocks? You follow the broad trail leading up the
+mountains, and you will come to a beautiful plateau on the west side,
+as level as a floor,--but I'm not going to tell you about it, you must
+first see it for yourselves."
+
+The next morning, immediately after breakfast, while Houston still
+stood talking with Miss Gladden and Rutherford, the graceful form of
+Lyle suddenly darted past them, her face nearly concealed by an
+enormous sunbonnet.
+
+"Lyle, you gypsy, where are you going?" called Miss Gladden.
+
+For answer, she turned and waved her hand with a merry laugh, then
+ran, fleet-footed as a deer, to the edge of the lake, and unfastening
+one of the little boats, was in it and rowing out upon the lake as
+dextrously as a professional oarsman, before those watching her could
+even guess her intentions.
+
+"Great Caesar! but that girl can row!" exclaimed Rutherford, with all
+the enthusiastic admiration of a newly graduated collegian.
+
+"Where is the child going?" asked Houston.
+
+"Probably to the picnic ground," said Miss Gladden, "but what for, I
+cannot imagine."
+
+The sunbonnet was waved saucily in the air, and then instead of
+steering for the landing place as they expected, the boat suddenly
+disappeared around a corner of the rocks, in the opposite direction,
+while there came ringing out on the air, in mocking tones, the words
+of the old song:
+
+                  "I saw the boat go 'round the bend."
+
+No one saw Lyle when she returned, a couple of hours later, and not
+even Miss Gladden knew that she was in the house until she made her
+appearance at the dinner table, with a very demure face, exceedingly
+pink fingers, and wearing an air of deep mystery that no amount of
+joking could diminish.
+
+After dinner, Lyle made two or three trips across the lake, carrying
+mysterious baskets and dishes. In one of these journeys she was
+intercepted by Miss Gladden, who was lying in wait for her, and who,
+tempted by the delightful aroma, lifted the cover of one of her
+dishes.
+
+"Strawberries!" she exclaimed, "and wild ones! Where did you get them,
+Lyle? They are the first I have seen out here."
+
+"They are the first that have ripened," she replied, "I went over to
+the gulch for them this morning, but don't say anything about them,"
+she added, as she stepped into the boat with her treasures, "I'm going
+to cache them until they are needed."
+
+"Going to do what?" said Miss Gladden.
+
+"Going to 'cache' them, hide them away among the rocks," she replied
+laughing, and, taking the oars, she was soon speeding across the
+lake.
+
+It was a merry party that started out two or three hours later.
+Houston carried the banjo, as Rutherford had his precious camera and a
+lot of plates, having declared his intention of immortalizing the
+occasion by taking a number of views for the benefit of their
+posterity. Miss Gladden had her guitar, and to the great astonishment
+of the gentlemen, Lyle appeared, carrying a fine old violin. It was
+Mike's, which she had borrowed for the occasion at the suggestion of
+Miss Gladden, and in reply to the expressions of wonder from the
+gentlemen, Miss Gladden said:
+
+"This is the surprise I planned for you, but wait till you have heard
+her; I never heard her myself until a day or two ago."
+
+With song and laughter they crossed the lake, and having reached the
+landing place among the rocks and fastened their boats, proceeded up
+the mountain. Here they found a flight of natural stone steps, at the
+head of which a broad trail wound around the mountain, until, having
+passed a huge, shelving rock, they suddenly found themselves on a
+plateau, broad, grassy, and, as Lyle had said, "as level as a floor."
+
+Groups of large evergreens afforded a refreshing shade. Underneath the
+trees an immense, flat rock, covered with a snowy table-cloth and
+trimmed with vines and flowers, gave hint of some of the more
+substantial pleasures to be looked for later. At a distance gleamed
+the silvery cascades, their rainbow-tinted spray rising in a perpetual
+cloud of beauty. Far below could be seen the winding, canyon road,
+while above and beyond, on all sides, the mountains reared their
+glistening crests against the sky.
+
+For a time they gave themselves up to the enjoyment of the scene,
+till, at Miss Gladden's suggestion, the tuning of the various
+instruments began, interspersed with jokes and merry, rippling
+laughter. Amidst the general merriment, Houston, with an air of great
+gravity, produced from his pocket the different parts of a flute,
+which he proceeded to fit together, saying:
+
+"When you were speaking last evening about the music for to-day I had
+entirely forgotten the existence of this flute, but after we went to
+our room, Ned persisted in practicing on that unmusical instrument of
+his, and in searching in my trunk for a weapon of self defense, I
+found this, and it answered my purpose so well then, I brought it with
+me to-day."
+
+The music was a success, and it seemed as though the musicians would
+never grow weary, but when, at Miss Gladden's request, Lyle sang
+"Kathleen Mavourneen," her sweet, rich tones blending with the wild,
+plaintive notes of the violin, her listeners again seemed entranced by
+the witchery of the music, as on the night when first they heard her
+sing, and were only aroused by the sound of hearty, prolonged cheering
+from the canyon below.
+
+Looking over the edge of the plateau, they discovered a party of about
+a dozen people, in a wagon drawn by six horses, who had stopped to
+listen to the music, and give their panting animals a chance to rest.
+Behind them was a line of three or four pack mules, laden with tents,
+cooking utensils and bedding.
+
+"A camping party!" exclaimed Lyle, "the first of the season; they are
+on their way to Strawberry gulch."
+
+On catching sight of the group above on the plateau, the ladies below
+began waving their handkerchiefs, and the gentlemen were loud in their
+cheers and calls for more music.
+
+"Give them another song, Miss Maverick," said Rutherford, "that is a
+decided encore."
+
+Once more raising her violin, Lyle sang "The Maid of Dundee," and
+never did song or singer meet with nobler applause, for the cheers
+from below in the canyon were joined with those from above on the
+plateau, and were echoed and re-echoed among the rocks, the last
+reverberations dying away and mingling with the roar of the distant
+cascades.
+
+As the camping party seemed in no haste to continue their journey,
+Miss Gladden with the gentlemen then came forward to the edge of the
+plateau, and all joined in singing a few familiar songs, some of them
+accompanied by the guitar and the violin, after which, the party in
+the canyon, with much waving of hats and handkerchiefs, and many
+cheers in token of their appreciation, passed on their way.
+
+After this little episode, a gypsy fire was kindled, and in a short
+time the rock table was spread with a dainty feast; chicken
+sandwiches, mountain trout, which Lyle had caught in the morning,
+delicately broiled, and the sweet, wild strawberries served in various
+ways, all equally tempting and delicious. After the feast, Houston
+proved himself an adept upon the violin, and he and Rutherford gave a
+number of college songs, and old plantation songs and dances,
+accompanied by the violin and banjo.
+
+At last, as the long, gray twilight was slowly deepening, and the
+stars silently marshaling their forces in the evening sky, the two
+boats drifted across the lake, only guided, not propelled, by the
+oars, and the air, for a while, was filled with song. As they slowly
+approached the shore, however, the singing gradually ceased. For a
+while Rutherford talked of the coming of his brother; then he and Lyle
+were silent, but from the other boat, at a little distance, came low,
+murmuring tones. They had just entered upon the first pages of that
+beautiful story, old as eternity itself, and as enduring; the only one
+of earth's stories upon whose closing page, as we gaze with eyes dim
+with the approaching shadows of death, we find no "finis" written, for
+it is to be continued in the shadowless life beyond.
+
+Rutherford was thinking of some one far away, under European skies,
+and wishing that she were present with him there, to make his
+happiness complete.
+
+And Lyle, with that face of wondrous beauty, yet calm and inscrutable
+as that of the sphinx, had any power as yet passed over the hidden
+depths of her woman's nature, and troubled the waters? Were those
+eyes, with their far-away look, gazing into the past with its strange
+darkness and mystery, or striving to pierce the dim, impenetrable veil
+of the future? No one could say; perhaps she herself was scarcely
+conscious, but as they landed, Miss Gladden noted the new expression
+dawning in her eyes, and as the friends and lovers separated for the
+night, each one avowing that day to have been one of the most
+delightful of their whole lives, she wound her arm about Lyle in
+sisterly fashion, and drew her into her own room. Lyle, as was her
+custom, dropped upon a low seat beside her friend, but was silent.
+
+"Are you looking backward or forward, to-night, Lyle?" asked Miss
+Gladden, taking the lovely face in both her hands, and gazing into the
+beautiful eyes.
+
+Lyle's color deepened slightly, as she replied:
+
+"I hardly know; it seems sometimes as if I were looking into an
+altogether different life from this, a different world from that in
+which I have lived."
+
+"How so, my dear?" inquired her friend.
+
+"I scarcely know how to describe it myself," she replied; then asked
+abruptly, "Miss Gladden, do you believe we have ever had an existence
+prior to this? that we have lived on earth before, only amid different
+surroundings?"
+
+"No," answered Miss Gladden, "I can see no reason for such a belief as
+that; but why do you ask?"
+
+"Only because it seems sometimes as if that were the only way in which
+I could account for some of my strange impressions and feelings."
+
+"Tell me about them," said Miss Gladden, interested.
+
+"They are so vague," Lyle replied, "I hardly know how to describe
+them, but I have always felt them, more or less. When I read of life
+amid scenes of refinement and beauty, there is always an indefinable
+sense of familiarity about it all; and since you and Mr. Houston have
+been here, and I have lived such a different life,--especially since
+we have sung together so much,--the impression is much more vivid
+than before; even the music seems familiar, as if I had heard it all,
+or something like it, long ago, and yet it is utterly impossible,
+living the life I have. It must have been only in my dreams, those
+strange dreams I used to have so often, and which come to me even
+now."
+
+"And what are these dreams, dear? You have never before spoken to me
+of them."
+
+"No," Lyle answered, "I have never spoken of them to any one; they
+have always been rather vague and indefinite, like the rest of my
+strange impressions and fancies; only they are all alike, it is almost
+precisely the same dream, no matter when it comes to me. There is only
+one feature that is very clear or distinct, and that is a beautiful
+face that is always bending over me, and always seems full of love and
+tenderness. Sometimes there are other faces in the background, but
+they are confused and indistinct,--I can only recall this one that is
+so beautiful. Then there is always a general sense of light and
+beauty, and sometimes I seem to hear music; and then it is all
+suddenly succeeded by an indescribable terror, in which the face
+vanishes, and from which I awake trembling with fright."
+
+"And you say you have had this dream always?" queried Miss Gladden.
+
+"Yes, ever since I could remember. I don't seem to be able to recall
+much about my early childhood, before I was five or six years old, but
+these dreams are among my earliest recollections, and I would
+sometimes awake crying with fright. After I met Jack, and he began
+teaching me, my mind was so taken up with study, that the dreams
+became less frequent, and for the last two or three years, I had
+almost forgotten them, till something seemed to recall them, and now
+it occurs often, especially after we have had an evening of song. I
+know I shall see that beautiful face to-night."
+
+"But whose face is it, Lyle?" questioned Miss Gladden; "surely, it
+must resemble some one you have seen."
+
+Lyle shook her head; "I have never seen any living person whom it
+resembled. That, together with all these strange impressions of which
+I have told you, is what seems so mysterious, and leads me to half
+believe I have lived another life, sometime, somewhere."
+
+Miss Gladden sat silently caressing the golden head. Her suspicions
+that Lyle had had other parents than those whom she knew as such, were
+almost confirmed, but would it be best, with no tangible proof, to
+hint such a thought to Lyle herself? While she was thus musing, Lyle
+continued:
+
+"What seemed to me strangest of all, is, that though I cannot remember
+ever seeing a living face like the one in my dream, I have seen what I
+believe is a photograph of it."
+
+"When? and where?" asked Miss Gladden quickly, hoping to find some key
+to the problem she was trying to solve.
+
+"A few weeks after your coming, and at Jack's cabin," Lyle replied.
+
+"Did Jack show you the picture?"
+
+"No, I do not know that he intended me to see it, but it was lying on
+the table that evening; I took it up and looked at it, but he did not
+seem to want to talk about it. I have never seen it since, and he told
+me that until that evening, he had not seen it for a long time."
+
+"And did you recognize it as the face of your dreams?"
+
+"Not then; it seemed familiar, but it was not until after I reached
+home that I remembered my dream, and from that time, the dream
+returned. I see the face often now, and it is just like the picture,
+only possibly a little older and sweeter."
+
+"And you have never spoken to Jack about the picture since?"
+
+"No, for I have not seen it, and he has never alluded to it. He
+admitted that evening it was the picture of some one he had loved
+dearly, and I have since thought perhaps he would rather I had not
+seen it."
+
+Miss Gladden was silent; her old theory regarding Jack's being the
+father of Lyle, seemed to her now more probable than ever. She
+believed the picture to be that of Lyle's own mother, who, it seemed
+evident, had lived long enough that her child remembered her in her
+dreams, though unable to recall her face at other times.
+
+Very tenderly she bade Lyle good-night, determined that her next call
+at the little cabin should be made as early as possible.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+
+Houston and Rutherford, on retiring to their room, after the breaking
+up of the picnic party, donned their slippers and smoking jackets, and
+having lighted their cigars, and slipped into the easiest possible
+attitudes, prepared to devote the next few hours to a confidential
+tete-a-tete. The next day Rutherford would start on his journey to the
+coast, and naturally there were many topics of mutual interest to be
+discussed on this, their last night together for a number of weeks.
+
+Houston felt that the time had come for taking Rutherford into his
+confidence regarding his own work and plans, for it was evident that
+Van Dorn had posted his brother, and Rutherford would soon learn the
+truth from him, if in no other way. For a while Rutherford talked of
+his brother.
+
+"I knew he was intending to come west this summer, and I expected to
+meet him in some of the cities along the coast, but I supposed he
+would return by one of the southern routes. I'm awfully glad he has
+decided to come back this way," he added, "for I would enjoy it of
+course, to come around and see you again, and then, I'd like to have
+you meet Mort. He and I are not a bit alike, but I think he's a
+splendid fellow, and I think you and he will like each other."
+
+"I haven't a doubt of it, Ned," Houston replied, with an air of
+confidence rather surprising to his friend; "in fact, I think I will
+be as glad to meet him as you yourself;" then, as Rutherford's eyes
+expressed considerable wonder at such unexpected cordiality, he
+continued:
+
+"I've been thinking, for some time, Ned, that the friendship you have
+shown for the low-salaried clerk and bookkeeper whom you met on your
+way out here, deserves some degree of confidence in return, and this
+evening seems to be the best time for giving you a little explanation
+regarding the man whom you have called your friend for the last few
+weeks."
+
+"Why, certainly, if you wish," Rutherford replied, with slight
+embarrassment, "but then, it isn't at all necessary, you know; that
+is, unless it is your choice, for your salary or your position doesn't
+cut any figure with me. Whatever your circumstances may be, I know as
+well as I need to know that you are a gentleman; anybody can see that,
+and I have told my brother so."
+
+"I am much obliged to you, Ned," Houston answered, with difficulty
+restraining a smile, "but I am going to begin by saying that your
+brother knows me a great deal better than you do."
+
+Rutherford's face expressed so much astonishment, that it resembled
+nothing so much as an exaggerated exclamation point. Houston
+continued:
+
+"I have never in my life known what it was to have an own brother, but
+the one who for many years has held that place in my heart is Morton
+Rutherford, and I think he will tell you that of all his class mates,
+there was not one with whom he was upon more intimate, confidential
+terms, than Everard Houston, of New York."
+
+"Everard Houston! Great Scott!" exclaimed Rutherford, springing to his
+feet, "why I remember that name well; he was Mort's best friend. You
+don't mean to say you are the same? Why, I thought you said you were
+from Chicago!"
+
+"I was from Chicago, when you met me," answered Houston, smiling, "but
+I had come from New York less than ten days before."
+
+"Well, by Jove!" said Rutherford, walking up and down the room, "I am
+floored completely! If you had once said you were from New York, I
+might have suspected who you were, but Chicago! and then," here he
+stopped and gazed at his friend with a comical look of perplexity,
+"why, Everard Houston was the nephew and adopted son of W. E.
+Cameron."
+
+"Certainly," assented Houston.
+
+"Well then, what in thunder,--if I may ask the question,--are you
+doing out here with this confounded Buncombe-Boomerang mining
+company?"
+
+"That is just what I wished to tell you to-night," Houston replied,
+"but we must talk low, for walls sometimes have ears," and placing a
+chair for his friend near his own, he proceeded to tell him of his
+object in coming out to the mining camp, of the work which he had
+accomplished, and of his plans for what yet remained to be done.
+Rutherford listened with much interest, deepening into admiration for
+his friend.
+
+"And now," said Houston, in conclusion, "you will see why I could not
+very well reveal my identity to you when we first met. I knew you as
+soon as I saw your card, but I was a stranger in this part of the
+country, with a certain role to play, uncertain of success, and, not
+knowing what difficulties or obstacles I might meet, thought there
+would be less danger of unexpected complications, if you thought me
+just what I appeared to be."
+
+"You thought about right, too," said Rutherford, "for I'm awfully
+careless about anything of that kind, always putting my foot in it,
+you know; and I don't see how you ever could come out here, a perfect
+stranger, and carry everything along as smoothly as you have. Well, I
+remember I was awfully mixed there on the train, when you told me you
+had come out here to work for that company, for I thought all the time
+that if you were not a gentleman, then I never saw one; and it's lucky
+I did have sense enough to think of that, or I might have made a
+confounded chump of myself."
+
+"You would have cut me, would you?" asked Houston, laughing, "I was
+looking out for that, and would have considered it a rich joke if you
+had."
+
+"Rather too rich, I should say," said Rutherford, coloring. "Mort has
+always ridiculed me for that sort of thing, and told me I'd make a
+precious fool of myself some day; I don't intend to be snobbish,
+though he says I am, but that's just my way somehow, unless I happen
+to like a person. Mort is different from me; he will get along with
+all sorts of people, you know, but I never could."
+
+"You are all right," answered Houston, "you are a little conscious of
+your blue blood now and then, but as you grow older you will think
+less about that, and you have as good a heart as Morton, when a person
+is fortunate enough to find it."
+
+"Say," said Rutherford, suddenly, "if you and Mort were class mates,
+you must have known Van Dorn."
+
+"Certainly," said Houston, smilingly watching the blue coils of
+smoke from his cigar, "and when I first saw him with the Winters
+party, I knew my little game was up, unless I got my work in very
+expeditiously," and he described the little pantomime which took
+place in the office shortly after Van Dorn's arrival, much to the
+amusement of Rutherford, who exclaimed:
+
+"Great Scott! but you fellows played that game well, no one ever would
+have dreamed that you had known each other."
+
+Houston then told of the plan for Van Dorn's coming in a few weeks,
+and later, for the arrival of Mr. Cameron with Lindlay.
+
+"Oh," Rutherford exclaimed, "now I see why Mort is so anxious to get
+here at just about a certain time; he knows all about this, and wants
+to be in at the death himself; well, that suits me exactly. But say,
+old fellow, isn't this going to be a pretty nasty piece of business
+for you about that time?"
+
+"It would be if any one should get hold of this before the right time
+comes, but I do not anticipate any trouble, because I intend to be so
+guarded that nothing regarding my work will be known or suspected
+until my uncle is here, and we have them securely trapped.
+
+"It will require a cool head and a level one to carry this thing
+through, and accomplish what you have undertaken," said Rutherford
+thoughtfully, as he took one or two turns up and down the room, "and I
+guess you are the right one for the work. Van Dorn will be just the
+one to help you, too, he's pretty cool and quick-witted himself, but I
+should think you would both need a third party, somebody who has been
+on the ground for a long time and who understands all about the
+working of these things."
+
+"It would be of great assistance to us, and I intend to keep a
+look-out, and if it is possible to find such a person, and one whom we
+can trust at the same time, I shall secure him."
+
+"Well, I'm sure I wish you success, and I shall be anxious to hear
+from you while I'm gone, and know how you are coming on."
+
+They smoked silently for a few moments, then Rutherford said:
+
+"By the way, Houston, how about the congratulations I told you some
+time ago I was ready to offer whenever the occasion required; are they
+in order now? or shall I reserve them until my return?"
+
+"They are in order whenever you choose to offer them," Houston replied
+quietly.
+
+"Indeed! well, I'm glad to hear it, I thought it about time. I
+congratulate you most heartily, and tender you both my sincerest
+wishes for your happiness. I tell you what, old fellow, I think you've
+found a splendid woman, and I think, too, that you are wonderfully
+suited to each other. Seems strange, doesn't it? to think of a pair
+like you two, finding each other in a place like this!"
+
+"It is rather unusual, I admit," said Houston.
+
+"Yes," added Rutherford, "taking into consideration all the
+surroundings, and the why and wherefore of your coming here, I think
+it borders on the romantic."
+
+A moment later he asked, "Does Miss Gladden know what you are doing
+out here?" Houston shook his head, in reply.
+
+"Doesn't she know who you really are?"
+
+"Not yet," Houston answered, "no one out here knows any more about
+that than you did two hours ago."
+
+"Whew!" said Rutherford, "she will be slightly surprised when she
+finds that old Blaisdell's clerk and bookkeeper has a few cool
+millions of his own, won't she?"
+
+"I hope she will not object to the millions," said Houston with a
+smile, "but I have the satisfaction of knowing that they were not the
+chief attraction; she cares for me myself, and for my own sake, not
+for the sake of my wealth, and I am just old fashioned enough to
+consider that of first importance."
+
+"And when will she learn your secret? not until the closing scene of
+the last act?"
+
+"I cannot tell just when," Houston answered, "that will of course
+depend a great deal upon circumstances."
+
+Rutherford then became confidential regarding his own hopes for the
+future, and gave Houston a description of his fiancee, and a brief
+history of their acquaintance and engagement.
+
+"Grace is all right," he said in conclusion, "but her father is
+inclined to be a little old-fogyish, thinks we are too young for any
+definite engagement, and wants me to be permanently established in
+some business before we are married, and all that; when I can't see
+what in the deuce is the difference so long as I have plenty of stuff.
+So the upshot of it all was that he and his wife took Grace to Europe,
+and they're not coming back until the holidays, and if, by that time,
+we have neither of us changed our minds, and I am settled in business
+and all that sort of thing, we can be married. There's no danger of
+our changing our minds, so that's all right, but I declare I don't see
+the use of a fellow's tying himself down to some hum-drum business,
+when there's no need of it."
+
+"It isn't a bad idea though to find some business for which you are
+adapted, and stick to it," was Houston's reply; "that was the advice
+my uncle gave me when I returned from college, and he offered me the
+choice of going into business with himself, or selecting something
+else that I liked better."
+
+"Grace's father wants me to go in with him, but excuse me; if I went
+into business with any one, it would be somebody nearer my own age,
+where I'd have about as much to say as the other fellow, not an old
+man, and my father-in-law, in the bargain."
+
+"You may find something you will like, within the next few months,"
+said Houston, with a peculiar smile; "By the way, Morton used to say
+he was going to stick to journalistic work; how is he succeeding?"
+
+"Splendidly; you know he is one of the associate editors of the
+Dispatch, then he contributes regularly to several of the leading
+magazines, and lately he has some work of his own on hand besides, a
+work on some sort of scientific research: yes, he has succeeded
+well."
+
+So long did their conversation continue, that when they at last went
+to rest, it was nearly time for the surrounding peaks, standing like
+huge sentinels against the dark, eastern sky, to catch the first faint
+flush of the approaching day.
+
+They were a little late in making their appearance in the breakfast
+room. Miss Gladden and Lyle were awaiting them, but the others had
+gone. There was time for only a hasty breakfast before the team, going
+to the Y for supplies, which had been engaged to take Rutherford to
+the morning train, was at the door.
+
+"Well," said the latter, having seen his baggage safely aboard,
+including the familiar square case containing his precious cameras,
+"I've had a delightful time here, and I'm awfully glad I'm coming back
+again."
+
+"So are we, Mr. Rutherford," said Miss Gladden, "and we will be very
+glad to welcome your brother also, and do all in our power to make his
+visit a pleasant one."
+
+"It is doubtful whether he will ever want to leave here," Rutherford
+responded, "for he appreciates anything of this kind even more than I
+do. He'll grow wild over these mountains. Well, Miss Maverick," he
+continued, shaking hands with Lyle, "I thank you for all you've done
+to make my visit so pleasant, and I'm glad that we will only say
+good-bye for a little while."
+
+"I am also," she replied, "and I wish you a pleasant journey and a
+speedy return."
+
+"This is not 'good-bye,' Mr. Rutherford," said Miss Gladden, extending
+her hand, "it is only 'au revoir.'"
+
+"That is right," he answered, then added in low tones, "Miss Gladden,
+I have already congratulated Mr. Houston, and I hope you will accept
+my congratulations and best wishes also. I think almost as much of him
+as of my own brother, and I could not wish either of you any happier
+fortune than I believe you will find in each other."
+
+In a few moments Houston and Rutherford were riding rapidly down the
+canyon. At the office, where Houston had to prepare some orders for
+the driver, he and Rutherford took leave of each other.
+
+"Be good to yourself, old fellow," said Rutherford, "and keep us
+posted just how you are coming on; and say," he added, lowering his
+voice, "I'll keep you posted of our whereabouts, and if anything
+should happen, and you need help, wire us and we'll be here by the
+next train; you can count on two brothers now, instead of one, you
+know."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+
+A day or two after the departure of Rutherford, Miss Gladden, having
+learned from Lyle at what hour Jack usually completed his day's work,
+set forth upon her visit to the cabin. She felt that her errand might
+prove embarrassing both to Jack and herself; she wished to obtain some
+clue regarding Lyle's parentage; at least, to learn what his
+suspicions, or possible knowledge might be concerning the matter, and
+taking into consideration the contingency that she might be his own
+child, whose existence he had kept secret for reasons of his own, it
+was a subject which would require very delicate handling.
+
+She found Jack at the cabin, and alone, and his courteous greeting,
+containing less formality and more cordiality and friendliness than
+on the former occasion, made her task seem far less difficult. He
+ushered her into the pleasant little sitting-room, and she noted
+even more particularly than on her former visit, the exquisite
+taste betrayed, not only in the furnishings of the room, but in
+their very arrangement.
+
+After chatting a few moments regarding the little circle of friends at
+the house, in whom he seemed to take more interest than she would have
+expected from a man of his secluded life, the conversation naturally
+turned to Lyle, and Miss Gladden said:
+
+"I have wished to see you regarding her because you seem to be the
+only one among those living here who appreciates her ability, or
+cares for her welfare; and you have known her and her surroundings so
+long, I believed you could give me some suggestions and advice
+regarding what is best to be done for her, even now, while she remains
+here."
+
+"I have taken a great interest in the child ever since I have known
+her," Jack replied, "and I am only too glad that she has found another
+friend, and that friend a lady; and if I can assist, by suggestion or
+otherwise, I shall be most happy to do so."
+
+"I asked your opinion the other evening," continued Miss Gladden, "as
+to taking her east with me, but there were other matters pertaining to
+her welfare, on which I wished your opinion and advice, but I could
+not so well speak of them before her, so I asked for this interview."
+
+Miss Gladden hesitated a moment, almost hoping that Jack might make
+some remark which would give her a cue as to the best method for her
+to pursue in seeking the information she desired, but his attitude was
+that of respectful attention, and he was evidently waiting for her to
+proceed.
+
+"I have felt attracted toward Lyle from the first," she began slowly,
+"not alone by her wondrous beauty and grace of manner, but even more
+by her intelligence and intellectual ability, her natural refinement
+and delicacy, which, considering her surroundings, seemed to me simply
+inexplicable. From the very first, she has been to me a mystery, and
+as I become better acquainted with her, the mystery, instead of being
+lessened, is only deepened."
+
+She paused, but he offered no comment, only bowed gravely for her to
+continue.
+
+"I could not, and I cannot yet, understand how one like her could ever
+have been born, or could exist in such surroundings as hers; and the
+fact that she has existed here, her beautiful nature untainted,
+unsullied by the coarseness, the vulgarity and the immorality about
+her, to me seemed an indication that she was of an altogether
+different type, born in another and far higher sphere. I saw she was
+unhappy, and I determined to win her confidence, and in so doing, from
+a vague suspicion I have gradually arrived at a firm conviction that
+Lyle is not the child of those whom she calls her parents."
+
+Jack manifested no surprise, neither was there anything in his manner
+to indicate that this was a subject upon which he had any knowledge.
+He simply asked very calmly,--almost indifferently it seemed to Miss
+Gladden,--
+
+"Have you discovered any direct evidence in support of this conviction
+that she is not their child?"
+
+"No tangible evidence," replied Miss Gladden, "nothing, of course,
+that could be called proof, but there are what I consider very strong
+indications."
+
+"Are the indications on Lyle's part, or on the part of Mr. and Mrs.
+Maverick?" inquired Jack.
+
+"On both sides," replied Miss Gladden, "I have very little to say
+regarding Mrs. Maverick; she is a kind-hearted woman, and seems to
+treat Lyle with consideration and some degree of affection; there is
+very little of the latter, but perhaps it is all of which she is
+capable, for I should think life with that brute would quickly crush
+out all the affection, if not all the intelligence, in a woman's
+nature; but the neglect and ill treatment of Maverick himself towards
+Lyle surely indicate that she is no child of his."
+
+"Your remark regarding Mrs. Maverick might be still more applicable to
+him, that he is incapable of anything like affection or kindness."
+
+"Of course he is," replied Miss Gladden quickly, "but I can not
+conceive of a man being quite so low as to be without even animal
+instincts; I cannot believe that a father would insult and degrade his
+own daughter as he has Lyle, and as he would continue to do, if he
+were not restrained through fear of his wife."
+
+For the first time, Jack started. "Fear of his wife, did you say, Miss
+Gladden? Pardon me, but I think that brute fears neither God, man nor
+devil, and how you can assert that he is in fear of his wife, whom he
+has always abused mercilessly, I cannot imagine."
+
+"It is a fact, nevertheless; for one morning after he had been
+exceedingly abusive and insulting in his language toward Lyle, Mrs.
+Maverick told her that he was, in some way, in her power, and that it
+should never occur again; and it never has."
+
+Jack rose, and began to pace the room.
+
+"Did you hear her say that, Miss Gladden?"
+
+"No, Lyle told me of it."
+
+"Had Lyle any idea of what she meant by it?"
+
+"She did not seem to have; nothing was ever said regarding that phase
+of the subject; she only seemed relieved that Mrs. Maverick promised
+to prevent a repetition of her father's abuse of her."
+
+Jack seated himself. "You spoke of some reasons on Lyle's part for
+your conclusions; what were they?"
+
+Miss Gladden then told him of Lyle's strange impressions and of her
+dream, but made no allusion to the photograph, wishing to reserve that
+until later.
+
+Jack looked thoughtful. "I wonder that she has never spoken to me
+regarding this dream," he said at length.
+
+"She told me she had not had the dream so often since having been
+occupied with her studies and reading, probably that accounts for her
+not speaking of it; lately she says it has returned."
+
+Both were silent for a while, then Miss Gladden asked:
+
+"Do you not think these dreams and impressions are indications of an
+early life, far different from this?"
+
+"I do," he replied gravely.
+
+"That was my opinion," then, determined to get some expression from
+him, she continued:
+
+"I am so attached to her, so desirous, if possible, to rescue her from
+this wretched life, that I am anxious to get some clue as to her true
+parentage; that is why I have come to you, her friend. I thought
+possibly you might be able to aid me in getting some evidence, or some
+information regarding her early history."
+
+Miss Gladden was watching Jack keenly, to note if her words produced
+any effect on that immobile face. She was not disappointed: he
+started, almost imperceptibly, and as he fixed his dark eyes upon her
+own, she noticed, as never before, how keen and piercing, and how
+eloquently beautiful they were. Miss Gladden's eyes did not drop
+before his searching gaze; she was determined that he should read
+only sincerity and candor in their depths, and make his answer
+accordingly. When he spoke, his voice was unlike its usual smooth,
+even tone; it was tender and deep, full of some strange emotion, and
+reminded her wonderfully of her lover.
+
+"Miss Gladden, may I ask,--for I believe you will answer me truthfully
+and candidly,--what ever led you to suppose that I could give you any
+information regarding Lyle's early history?"
+
+"I will answer you candidly, as you wish," she replied; "the thought
+first occurred to me of coming to you for advice regarding Lyle,
+simply because I regarded you as her best friend, in fact, until I
+came, her only friend. Then a remark accidently dropped by Lyle, as to
+what you had once said of her singing, that it reminded you of but one
+voice which you had heard, but that you did not like to hear her, led
+me to think that perhaps she was in some way connected with some one
+you had known, and that possibly that was the reason for the special
+interest you took in her welfare.
+
+"Then there was something more, in connection with her dream," and she
+told him how Lyle had at last identified the pictured face which
+seemed so familiar to her, as the dream-face of her childhood, and how
+immediately after the dream had returned.
+
+"After she told me this," continued Miss Gladden, "you will see that I
+naturally concluded that the face was that of her mother; that her
+mother, her parents, and probably her early life were known to you;
+and I will frankly admit, that except that it seemed incredible that
+you would allow her to remain in these surroundings, if my hypothesis
+were correct, I would have believed that you were her father, and that
+grief from bereavement or separation, had caused you to choose this
+life for yourself and her."
+
+Jack had again risen and was slowly pacing the room. Miss Gladden
+could read no sign of displeasure in his face, though she detected
+indications of some powerful emotion, and of acute suffering. He
+seemed battling with old-time memories, and when at last he seated
+himself and began speaking, there was a strange pathos vibrating
+through the forced calmness of his voice, and the piercing eyes, now
+looking so kindly into her own, had in their depths such hopeless
+sadness, that Miss Gladden's heart was stirred by a pity deeper than
+she had ever known, for she instinctively felt that she was in the
+presence of some great, despairing sorrow.
+
+With a smile of rare sweetness and beauty, he said: "Your candor and
+frankness deserve confidence in return, and I will give it so far as
+it is within my power to do so, and yet I fear that you will be
+disappointed. Your surmises are incorrect in many respects, and yet
+contain a great deal of truth, and I will try, so far as possible, to
+be as frank with you as you have been with me. In the first place, I
+must say to you, that regarding Lyle's true parentage, whether or not
+she is the child of the Mavericks, I know, positively, nothing more
+than do you, yourself."
+
+He smiled as he noted Miss Gladden's look of astonishment, and
+continued:
+
+"Like you, I have my suspicions that she is not their child, and have
+had them since first seeing her, years ago. As in your case, my
+suspicions long ago changed to conviction, and my convictions are
+probably even deeper than yours, for the reason, that in form, in
+feature, in voice and manner, in every expression and gesture," his
+voice trembled for an instant, but he controlled it, "she is the exact
+counterpart of another; some one whom I knew in a life as remote, as
+far from this as it is possible to conceive. But I have no direct
+proof, not a shadow of tangible evidence with which I could confront
+Maverick and denounce him with having stolen the child, and, knowing
+him as I do, I know that for Lyle's sake, until I have some such
+proof, it were better to remain silent."
+
+"Pardon me for interrupting you," Miss Gladden exclaimed, "but that is
+a contingency that never entered my mind, that Lyle had been stolen
+from her parents! That is far worse than anything I had dreamed of."
+
+"Nevertheless, if she is not their child, she was stolen, and just in
+proportion as the former is improbable, the latter is probable, almost
+certain. You will now see wherein your supposition that my interest in
+her was due to her connection in my mind with some one I had formerly
+known, was correct. I took a special interest in her for this reason;
+it was a pleasure to teach her, to note her mind expanding so rapidly,
+to watch her as she developed physically and mentally; every day
+growing more and more like the one I had known. I enjoyed tracing the
+resemblance day by day, though it often caused me almost as much pain
+as pleasure,--but when I heard her sing, that was too much,--it was
+more than I could bear,--it was like compelling some lost soul in
+purgatory to listen to the songs of paradise."
+
+There was a tremor in Jack's voice, and he paused, touched even more
+deeply by the sympathetic tears glistening in the beautiful eyes full
+of such tender pity, than by the bitter memories passing before his
+own mind.
+
+"What has perplexed me most," he continued, "is the fact that Lyle has
+seemed unable to recall anything relating to her early childhood. I
+have tried in every way to arouse her memory, and that was my chief
+object in allowing her to see the photograph of which she told you;
+but, as she often says, the first few years of her life seem to be
+only blank. I cannot account for that."
+
+"Still," said Miss Gladden, "these dreams of hers show that there are
+memories there, and something may yet recall them to her mind."
+
+"That has been my hope," he replied, "that is what I have been waiting
+for all these years, for her mind to recall some incident, or some
+individual, that would furnish the needed proof as to her parentage."
+
+"Do you think," asked Miss Gladden, after a pause, "that it would be
+wise to give Lyle a hint of our suspicions?"
+
+"I have thought it might be well, if possible, to arouse her own
+suspicions by some process of reasoning on her part, not by any
+suggestions of ours."
+
+"May I inquire whether those whom you consider her true parents are
+still living?"
+
+"They both died many years ago."
+
+"Then, if her identity could be proven beyond a doubt, would there be
+any one to give her such a home as she ought to have?"
+
+"Yes, there are those who would be only too glad to give her such a
+home as very few have the good fortune to possess."
+
+"And have they never made any inquiry for her?" Miss Gladden asked in
+surprise.
+
+"They have no idea that she is living; her parents died under peculiar
+circumstances, and she was supposed to have died at the same time."
+
+"Then ought we not," said Miss Gladden thoughtfully, "both for her
+sake and theirs, to let them know that she is living, and help them to
+find her?"
+
+"Unless they could see her for themselves," he replied, "they would
+probably be rather skeptical, and require very positive proof
+regarding her claims, they have believed her dead for so many years.
+But even though I may have known Lyle's mother, I am not in
+communication with her friends, and would not be the proper person to
+present her claims to them."
+
+For a few moments, Miss Gladden sat silently watching the play of the
+light and shade on the mountain side across the ravine, opposite the
+cabin, as the shadows cast by the light, floating clouds, followed
+each other in rapid succession.
+
+Jack seemed to be thinking deeply, and when he at last spoke, it was
+with great deliberation:
+
+"For a long time, as I have become more and more convinced of Lyle's
+identity, I have been anxious to have her taken away from these
+surroundings, and placed in the home to which I believe she has a
+right; but without tangible evidence with which to establish her
+claims, and also to prove Maverick's guilt, I could think of no
+feasible plan, nothing that did not seem likely to result in failure,
+and leave Lyle possibly in a worse condition than at present. I will
+now say to you, Miss Gladden, in confidence, that I think before very
+long, the way will be opened for Lyle to find the home and friends
+that I consider are really hers. Through information given me in
+confidence, I have learned that some of those whom I believe to be
+most closely related to her and who would be most interested in her,
+did they know of her existence, will in all probability be out here on
+business this summer; if they do not recognize Lyle, I shall be
+greatly disappointed."
+
+Miss Gladden's face expressed the delight she felt. "Is it possible?"
+she exclaimed, "Why, I cannot conceive of anything lovelier! If she
+has been stolen all these years, and her people unconscious of her
+very existence, to have them appear on the scene, and recognize and
+claim her, will seem like a beautiful bit of fiction interwoven in our
+prosaic, every-day life, or like the closing scene in some drama,
+where the wrongs at last are all made right. To think what happiness
+it will bring to them, to her and to us!"
+
+Jack's face grew strangely serious. "I shall be glad for her sake;" he
+replied, then added: "Sometimes, Miss Gladden, wrongs are righted only
+at a terrible cost, and what seems to you like the closing of a
+peaceful drama, may prove a tragedy to those who are concerned in
+it."
+
+Then, before she could reply, he said, in a different tone, as though
+to change the conversation:
+
+"It will not be best to mention what I have told you to any one; there
+is no knowing what course Maverick might pursue if he had a hint of
+it, for he is a desperate man; but if there is any way in which Lyle's
+mind could be carried back and made to recall something of her past
+life, I wish it might be done."
+
+Miss Gladden had risen, preparatory to taking leave. Having given a
+searching glance around the room, she turned toward Jack, saying
+wistfully:
+
+"Am I asking too much? Could I see the photograph which you allowed
+Lyle to see?"
+
+For an instant Jack hesitated; then he replied, "I am willing you
+should see it, but you must not expect me to say anything concerning
+that picture or myself. I have spoken to you in confidence regarding
+Lyle, but I can go no further."
+
+"I will not ask it," she replied.
+
+Without a word, he went to a small trunk, concealed by a fine
+bear-skin, and taking therefrom the picture, silently handed it to
+Miss Gladden.
+
+She uttered a low cry of surprise, and then stood for some time
+intently studying the lovely face in every detail. When she returned
+the picture to Jack's hands, there were tears in her eyes, as she
+exclaimed, "How beautiful! and how like Lyle!"
+
+"I hoped she would see the resemblance," he replied.
+
+"It seems almost incredible that she did not," answered Miss Gladden,
+"except for the fact that she has the least self-consciousness of any
+one I ever saw; it is doubtful if she would recognize her own
+picture."
+
+For a long time Jack stood watching Miss Gladden, as, having thanked
+him for the interview, she walked slowly up the winding road. His eyes
+grew strangely wistful and tender, very unlike their ordinary
+expression, and a smile, sad but sweet, played about the usually stern
+lips.
+
+"He has chosen well," he murmured at length, "they are well suited to
+each other; Heaven grant nothing may ever mar their happiness!" and
+with a heavy sigh, he turned and entered the cabin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+
+As Miss Gladden slowly followed the winding canyon road on her
+return from the little cabin, the thoughts flashing through her mind
+very strongly resembled the lights and shadows which she had watched
+chasing each other across the mountain side. While she had gained
+very little direct information, Jack's theories had strengthened
+her own convictions, though placing the matter in a slightly
+different light. She had a very vivid imagination, and looked
+forward with anticipations of keenest pleasure to the coming of
+Lyle's friends,--whoever they might be--and their probable recognition
+of her; and yet she could not forget Jack's words regarding the
+terrible cost which might be involved, resulting in possible tragedy,
+and an indefinable dread seemed at times to overshadow all other
+thoughts, and perplex her. Not dreaming, however, that the words
+could refer to herself, or those in whom she was most deeply
+interested, she tried to banish this feeling by planning what
+course would be best to pursue regarding Lyle, and determined to
+confide the whole matter to Houston, and ask his advice. So
+absorbed was she in her own thoughts and plans, that not until she
+had nearly approached the house, did she observe the presence of
+strangers.
+
+A party of eight or ten ladies and gentlemen, including three or four
+tourists from the east, had come out from Silver City. They had come
+with wagons, bringing a large tent which was to be put up for those
+who could not be accommodated in the house. They proved to be very
+pleasant people, and during the ensuing ten days of their stay, Miss
+Gladden and Lyle seldom saw each other apart from their guests. There
+were numerous excursions to various points of interest, moonlight
+rides on the lake and impromptu dances.
+
+Houston at this time was more than usually occupied, as the day after
+the arrival of the camping party, Mr. Blaisdell unexpectedly appeared
+upon the scene. He arrived quite early in the morning, having been
+brought by special train from the Y. He found Houston alone in the
+office, and greeted him with a cordiality quite surprising to the
+latter, considering his taciturn, dissatisfied manner when at the
+mines a few days before. He seemed in no hurry to leave the office,
+but remained talking for some time concerning business affairs at
+Silver City.
+
+"I may want you to run over there, just for a day, while I'm here," he
+said at length, "for I expect to remain out here for about a week. By
+the way, Houston, I hear you pitched into old Hartwell one night, over
+there at the hotel, for some remarks he made about the company."
+
+"Ah," said Houston, "how did you hear of that?"
+
+"There was a friend of mine there, who overheard Hartwell's talk, and
+afterward saw you go up and speak to him. Having seen you in our
+office, he had a little curiosity as to what was going on. He said
+Hartwell cursed you up hill and down, but that you were so damned cool
+the old fellow couldn't rattle you. Hartwell told him afterward that
+you threatened to compel him to substantiate all he had said, and he
+was glad that the old fellow, for once, found somebody that wasn't
+afraid of him."
+
+"Oh, no," said Houston, quietly, "I didn't see any reason for being
+afraid."
+
+"Well," said Mr. Blaisdell, "I liked your spirit all right, but then,
+men like Hartwell are not worth paying any attention to. He is
+interested in another company, so of course he tries to run down ours,
+and he has a certain clique that he has persuaded to think just as he
+does. I never think it best to notice any of his remarks."
+
+"If he had simply made a few remarks," said Houston in reply, "I would
+of course have let them remain unnoticed, but he had continued his
+harangue for nearly an hour before I spoke to him, so I thought it as
+well to have a word with him myself."
+
+"Oh, that was all right, perfectly right on your part, only I have
+adopted the policy of letting barking dogs alone."
+
+After a little further conversation, Mr. Blaisdell looked over the
+books, and finding everything in satisfactory shape, remarked:
+
+"You seem to have familiarized yourself very thoroughly with the work
+so far as you have gone, and in a very short time. You will doubtless
+remember, Mr. Houston, that when we engaged you, you were told that we
+should probably need your services later at the mines, in assisting
+the general superintendent. Morgan's work is increasing lately, and I
+have been thinking that I would much prefer to have a trustworthy
+person like yourself, assist him, even if we have to employ another
+bookkeeper, than to put on an entirely new man at the mines. I am
+going out to the mines this afternoon, to see how Morgan is getting
+along, and I think that to-morrow we will close the office, and you
+had better go out with me, and I will show you the work that I wish
+you to have charge of there. It probably will not take all your time,
+you will still be in the office more or less, at least enough to
+superintend the work in case I bring out a new man. He will simply
+work under your direction and supervision, the responsibility will all
+devolve upon you."
+
+For the next day or two, Houston's time was spent at the mines,
+familiarizing himself with the underground workings, and becoming
+acquainted with the different classes and grades of ore, and the
+various methods of mining and reducing the same.
+
+This was just the opportunity for which Houston had been waiting, and
+he entered upon his new work with a zest and enthusiasm that delighted
+Mr. Blaisdell, and even won the esteem of Morgan. On the second day,
+to Houston's great joy, he was given charge, under Morgan, of what was
+known as the "Yankee" group of mines, containing the Yankee Boy, the
+Yankee Girl and the Puritan, the three most valuable mines in which
+the New York company was interested.
+
+In passing through one of these mines, Houston noticed two miners
+working together with wonderful precision and accuracy, and on looking
+at them closely, recognized in one of them, the man whom Rutherford
+had pointed out to him on the train from Valley City, and of whom he
+had heard Miss Gladden speak as Lyle's friend. The man seemed to pay
+little attention to his being there, and on coming out, Houston
+inquired of Mr. Blaisdell concerning him.
+
+"I can tell you nothing about him," replied Mr. Blaisdell, "except
+that he and his partner, the Irishman, are the two most expert miners
+we have. They live by themselves, and refuse to mingle with the other
+men, consequently they are not very popular among the miners, but of
+course that cuts no figure with us, so long as they are skilled
+workmen."
+
+The next day, Houston went to Silver City, on business for Mr.
+Blaisdell, and while there, sent the following message over the wires,
+to Van Dorn:
+
+"Everything in readiness; bring machinery at once."
+
+Upon his return to the mining camp to enter upon his new duties,
+Houston resolved to make a careful study of the men working under him,
+both foremen and miners, for the purpose of determining whether there
+were among them any whom he could trust sufficiently to seek from them
+whatever assistance might be necessary for himself and Van Dorn in
+their future work.
+
+Accordingly, for the first few days, he spent considerable time in the
+mines, apparently examining the workings, but in reality watching the
+men themselves. Among some of them he saw black looks and scowls, and
+heard muttered comments regarding himself: "Git onto the dude!" "D'ye
+see the tenderfoot?" "Thinks he's goin' to boss us, does he? we'll
+show him a trick or two." These were mainly from Maverick's consorts,
+and men of their ilk, ignorant and brutal. Houston paid no attention
+to their remarks or frowns, but continued his rounds among them,
+conscious that he was master of the situation, meanwhile giving
+instructions to the foreman who accompanied him. As he passed and
+repassed Jack and Mike, working together with almost the automatic
+precision of machinery, he stopped to watch them, attracted partly by
+admiration for their work, and partly by a slight interest in the man
+who had been his fellow passenger, and concerning whom he had heard
+such various reports.
+
+During the slight pause in their work, the Irishman eyed him
+curiously, with indications of his native drollery and humor betraying
+themselves in his mirthful face; he seemed about to speak, but Jack,
+with set, stern features, was ready, and the work continued without a
+word. In that brief interim, however, Jack had fixed one of his keen,
+piercing glances upon Houston, which the latter returned with one
+equally searching, and though not a muscle relaxed in that immobile
+face, covered with dust and grime, yet a strange thrill of mutual
+sympathy quivered and vibrated through the soul of each man, and
+Houston knew that he had found a friend.
+
+"There is a man among a thousand," he thought as he walked away, "a
+man of honor, in whom one could place unbounded confidence; no wonder
+Lyle has found him such a friend!"
+
+At the next pause in their work, Mike's feelings found expression:
+
+"Begorra! but the young mon is progressin' foinely, to be put over the
+loikes of us, and bein' as how most loikely he niver sit foot in a
+moine, till comin' out into this counthry!"
+
+Jack's face had grown strangely set and white: "We are to be his
+friends, remember that, Mike," he said, in a voice unnaturally stern.
+
+"Frinds!" exclaimed the astonished Mike, "Be-dad! and whin did I iver
+know ye to make frinds with ony of owld Blaisdell's men befoor?"
+
+"Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut, Mike," was Jack's only reply
+as he again began work, and Mike had nothing to do but to follow his
+example.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+
+In a short time Houston had become perfectly familiar with his new
+surroundings. He was thoroughly at home in the underground workings,
+readily finding his way in the labyrinth of shafts, tunnels and
+cross-cuts extending for miles in all directions, and connecting the
+various mining claims one with another.
+
+He knew the name and face of nearly every man employed in the various
+shifts, and by his keen perception and insight, was able to form a
+very correct estimate of their character and standing in that little
+community. Though no words had been exchanged between himself and Jack
+beyond those of the most commonplace greetings, yet his respect for
+the man, and confidence in him, increased with each day, and was
+plainly indicated by his manner toward him whenever they met.
+
+As he watched the men, in his frequent rounds through the mines,
+most of their faces were to him as an open book, on some of whose
+pages he read histories of misfortune and loss, or crime and shame in
+the past, and on others, of eager ambitions and bright hopes for the
+future. There were men with gray hair and bowed forms, whose dull
+eyes and listless step told of hopeless, irretrievable loss; men
+of intelligence and ability whose recklessness or whose despondency
+told of some living sorrow, worse than death; there were some whose
+stealthy, shrinking gait and watchful, suspicious glance bespoke
+some crime, unknown to their fellows, but which to themselves seemed
+ever present, suspended, like the sword of Damocles, above their
+heads.
+
+But even to Houston, Jack remained a mystery, and as he noted the
+powerful, athletic form, the profile of patrician beauty, perfect as
+though chiseled in marble, the hair and beard black and glossy as the
+raven's wing, though touched with silver here and there, he found
+himself unable to read the history of that life.
+
+"There is a man," he soliloquized, "my equal, if not my superior, in
+birth, in education, in intellectual ability; how came he here? What
+has wrecked his life?"
+
+But the dark, piercing eyes, turned on him for an instant, gave no
+answer to his query.
+
+As he and Morgan, their day's work completed, were returning to the
+house, Houston made some inquiries regarding the men, and from the
+information given by Morgan concerning some of them, found his own
+judgment of them correct.
+
+"And who is the man called 'Jack,' who works with the Irishman?"
+
+"Heaven knows, I don't, nor nobody else," replied Morgan; "he came
+here about six or seven years ago, I guess, at least; he was here when
+I came, and was considered an expert then. He never would have
+anything to say to the other men, and always lived by himself till the
+Irishman came; he was another queer sort of duck and was a first-class
+miner, too, so him and Jack has worked together and lived together
+ever since, but Jack is boss."
+
+"Are they the only miners living by themselves?" asked Houston.
+
+"The only single men; there's six or seven of 'em that are married and
+have families, like Maverick; they have very good shacks, furnished by
+the company, but all the single men, excepting them two, live at the
+quarters. By the way, have you ever been down to the quarters?"
+
+"No," replied Houston, "but I should like very well to visit them."
+
+"All right, we'll go to-night if you like; I go down there myself once
+in a while and listen to their stories; they've most of 'em had some
+queer experiences, and they can spin as many yarns as a lot of
+sailors, any time."
+
+Later in the evening, Houston, having excused himself to the ladies in
+general, and Miss Gladden in particular, accompanied by Morgan, was on
+his way to the miners' quarters. The latter were situated but a short
+distance from the office, on the road to the mines, and consisted of
+two boarding houses and four bunk houses. Farther down the road were
+the stables for the horses used in hauling supplies; also blacksmith
+and carpenter shops, and a storehouse.
+
+A rather novel scene presented itself to Houston as he approached.
+Scattered about on the ground, and loafing in the door-ways in all
+attitudes and positions, were over a hundred men, of various ages,
+classes and nationalities, but principally Cornishmen, or, in
+western vernacular, "Cousin Jacks." Many of them were strangers to
+him, being employed in other mines than those with which he was
+familiar, but among them were many of his own men. From the
+door-way of one of the bunk houses came the strains of a violin,
+while in another, a concertina shrieked and groaned, and from all
+directions came the sound of ribald songs, coarse jests and
+boisterous laughter. Here and there were groups of men engaged in
+playing poker or seven-up, where little piles of silver and gold
+were rapidly changing hands, to the accompaniment of muttered oaths.
+At one side, Maverick and a few kindred spirits seemed trying to
+outrival one another in profanity and obscenity, while at some
+distance from them, was a large company of the better class of
+men, some lounging against trees and rocks, some sitting or lying
+at full length on the ground, but all listening with unmistakable
+interest, to a man, gray and grizzled, with a weather-beaten but
+kindly face, who evidently was entertaining the crowd with tales of
+his own early life.
+
+As Houston and Morgan approached, the speaker stopped; some of the men
+half rose from their recumbent positions out of respect for the "new
+boss," and all eyed him rather curiously, though not unkindly. Houston
+recognized many of his own men among them, and greeted them with a
+pleasant "Good evening, boys."
+
+"Hullo, Billy," said Morgan, addressing the old miner, "what do you
+know to-night?" then noting that he was watching Houston with a half
+smile on his rugged face, he added, "Thought I'd bring the boss down
+to see you and the rest of the boys to-night."
+
+"Good evenin' boss," responded the old fellow, while a merry smile
+twinkled in his eyes, "I expect this is your first visit to a reg'lar,
+genuwine minin' camp?"
+
+"My first, perhaps, but not my last," said Houston, with a winning
+smile.
+
+"That's right," said the old man approvingly, as he proceeded to
+refill his pipe; "I've been a watchin' you, off and on, down there at
+the mines, bein' as I'd heerd you was a tenderfoot, and I must say
+you've took a holt as if you was an old hand at the job."
+
+"Oh, yes," Houston replied, "with a little determination, a person can
+pick up anything of that kind easily. I think, with a little practice,
+I could make a pretty successful miner; it would require grit and
+stick-to-it-ativeness, that's all."
+
+"'Grit and stick-to-it-ativeness,' that's good," said the old miner,
+highly pleased, "well, you seem to have plenty of 'em both, and plenty
+of good muscle, too," with an admiring glance at Houston's fine,
+athletic form.
+
+"See here, Billy," said Houston pleasantly, after chatting a few
+moments, "when we came, it looked very much as though you were telling
+stories to the crowd here, and the boys all seemed very much
+interested; now we want you to go on with your story, we would enjoy
+it as much as the rest."
+
+"Let me see," said Billy, "I don't remember just where I was, but I
+guess I'd finished as you come up."
+
+"Never mind, you can start another," said Houston.
+
+"Yes, Billy, give us another," chimed in the boys.
+
+"Go ahead, pardner," added Morgan, "spin us a yarn, that's what we
+came for."
+
+"I was only tellin' the boys about the old days when I came out to the
+mines, and for the first few years after," Billy began.
+
+"Those must have been interesting times," said Houston.
+
+"Int'restin'? I should say so! You fellows don't know nothin' about
+minin' compared to them days; I tell you, things was lively then. I
+was there at Leadville when it was opened up, and you couldn't get
+anybody to look at you without payin' 'em a good, round sum for it;
+couldn't get a place to roll yourself in your blanket and lie on the
+floor short of five or ten dollars; folks bought dry goods boxes and
+lived in 'em. Then I was down here when they opened up the Big Bonanza
+mine, in Diamond gulch, not far from Silver City. I tell you boys,
+them was high old times, everything was scarce and prices was
+high,--flour was a hundred dollars a sack, and potatoes seventy-five
+dollars a bushel,--but money was plenty,--or gold dust,--we didn't
+have no money, everything was paid for in gold dust. 'Twas pretty
+tough in them days, too, everybody went armed to the teeth, and guns
+and knives was used pretty free."
+
+"Was that in the days of the vigilantes?" asked Houston.
+
+"Yes, they come along soon after, they had to. There was desperate
+characters here, but the vigilantes made short work of 'em, they
+didn't even give 'em time to say their prayers. I tell you, the
+gambling houses and the dance halls, and all them places was lively in
+them days. There wasn't many words over a game, if any quarrels come
+up, they was settled pretty quick with the revolver or bowie knife."
+
+"There must have been some high stakes played in those days," Houston
+remarked.
+
+"High? well, yes, rather; I've seen men sit down to a game worth
+anywhere from fifty to two or three hundred thousand, and get up
+without a cent in the world."
+
+The old man paused to relight his pipe, and having puffed reflectively
+for a few moments, settled himself with the air of a man who has a
+long story to tell, and the surrounding miners evidently so understood
+it, for they shifted their positions accordingly, and prepared to
+listen.
+
+"Speakin' of gamblin'," he began, "puts me in mind of something that
+happened among the camps on the other side of the range, nigh onto
+fifteen years ago. A gang of us boys was in Dandy Jim's gambling hall
+one night. The place was crowded, I remember, and we was all tryin' to
+make our fortunes on the high card. Some of us was dead broke, but
+them that hadn't the stuff borrowed from them that had, sure of better
+luck next time. They was all so deep in the game that none of 'em
+noticed a seedy-lookin' chap who come in, kinder quiet like, and set
+down to the faro table and began to play. I guess I was the only one
+who noticed him, and at first, I couldn't make him out, but after a
+bit, I remembered him as 'Unlucky Pete.' That man had a history. When
+I first saw him, some eight or ten years before that night, he had
+just come west with his wife, a pretty little woman, and had a good
+team of horses and a new wagon. He was a reg'lar border character, and
+whenever a new country was opened up for settlement, him and his wife
+was the first on the ground, ready to make a run to secure a home.
+Pete was prosperous, till one night, in a quarrel over a game of
+cards, he killed his man, and from that time his luck changed. He
+secured one or two good claims, but lost title to them; he lost his
+horses, and as fast as he bought other horses, they died or was
+stolen, and everything went against him. He wandered from one country
+to another, but bad luck met him at every turn. The last I seen him
+was some two years before; then him and his wife and two or three
+babies was goin' over the country in an old, broken-down wagon. The
+wheels was held together with wire and ropes, and the canvas top was
+in rags and tatters; the horses was the poorest, skinniest creatures
+you ever see, and him and his wife looked off the same piece.
+
+"Well, somehow or 'nuther, I knew him that night, though he looked
+harder than ever, and had an old slouched hat down over his face. He
+looked like a man that was pushed pretty close to the wall, and had
+got down to his last nickel. Well, he set down there to the table, and
+threw a silver dollar on the high card; then pulled that old hat down
+clean over his eyes, and never spoke, or looked one way or another.
+The high card won, and the dealer paid the bet, and pushed the money
+over to Pete, but he never stirred.
+
+"Well, that high card kep' a winnin' till there was a big pile of
+money there, but Pete, he never stirred, no more'n a stone. The
+dealer, he got mad and begun to swear, but Pete didn't move.
+
+"'Somebody wake that fool up,' says he, with an oath.
+
+"A fellow sittin' next to Pete shook him, and then tore off his hat.
+Well, boys, I'll never forget that sight, it makes me sort o' shiver
+now, when I think of it; there set a dead man at the table before that
+pile of gold.
+
+"The dealer started to rake in that pile o' money, but about a dozen
+revolvers was p'inted at him, and he decided not to be in too big a
+hurry about it.
+
+"'What's the use anyway?' says he, 'the man's dead and the money's no
+good for him, and besides, nobody knows who he is.'
+
+"'I do,' says I, jumpin' up.
+
+"'And I,' says another fellow, 'the man just come into camp a day or
+two ago, and his family's starvin'."
+
+"Well, we bundled that money up pretty sudden, and a half a dozen of
+us started to find the folks; we found 'em, too, but the wife was
+dead, starved to death, and the children wouldn't have lasted much
+longer. The oldest, a girl about eight years old, told that they had
+nothin' to eat for two days, and her father found the dollar, and
+started down to the store for food, but soon after he left the cabin,
+the mother died.
+
+"We buried Pete and his wife in one grave, and then with the pile of
+money we got good homes for the children, and some of it was to be
+used in givin' 'em a good eddication, and the last I heerd, they was
+comin' on well. But I've never set down to a game sence, that I
+haven't thought of the night I played faro, with a dead man at the
+table."
+
+At the conclusion of the old miner's story, a little suppressed thrill
+of excitement ran through his audience. Morgan, who had seemed
+restless and ill at ease, rose to go, and Houston, finding it much
+later than he supposed, after a few pleasant words with the boys, bade
+them good night, and hastened after Morgan, who was already sauntering
+up the road a little way in advance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+
+"Well," said Morgan, as Houston overtook him, "what do you think of a
+'genuwine minin' camp,' as Billy calls it?"
+
+"The quarters are much more extensive than I supposed," replied
+Houston, "I never realized before that there were so many men employed
+here; some of them are good fellows, too, I enjoyed my visit to-night
+immensely."
+
+"I generally like to come down and listen to them once in a while,"
+said Morgan, "but somehow, I didn't care to stay there to-night, that
+story of Billy's made me feel sort of creepy; I'm feeling a little off
+to-night, anyway."
+
+"That was a strange story the old fellow told, almost bordering on the
+improbable, it seemed to me, but I suppose there are a great many
+strange occurrences in a country like this."
+
+"Yes, lots of things happen here, and folks think nothing of 'em, that
+would be considered improbable anywhere back east."
+
+"Are you from the east?" inquired Houston.
+
+"Yes, part way," said Morgan, "not from way back, though, I've never
+been farther east than Ohio. I was born in Missouri, and raised in
+northern Iowa."
+
+He was silent for a moment, then continued: "I believe I told you one
+day that sometime I'd give you a bit of my life; I guess now's as good
+as any time, and when you've heard it, maybe you won't wonder at some
+of my views.
+
+"As I said, I was born in Missouri; when I was about three years old,
+my folks moved to Iowa. I can just remember my father being with us at
+that time, but I never saw him after I was three and a half or so, and
+when I got old enough to think about it and ask for him, mother told
+me he was dead, and I never knew anything different till years after.
+We were always moving, I remember, from one place to another, and
+though we never had any money saved up, yet we lived well and never
+wanted for anything. Mother used to have a good deal of company, and
+be away from home considerable, but she was always kind to me, and I
+was a soft, warm-hearted, little chap in those days, and I know I
+thought the world of her.
+
+"We lived together till I was about ten years old, and then times
+began to get pretty close; mother didn't have any money, and we had to
+pinch to get along, but she was always good to me.
+
+"Finally she decided to go to Denver; said she had heard of an opening
+there for her to run a boarding house and make money, but she didn't
+want to take me with her, and sent me to a brother of hers, living in
+Ohio. That was the end of all happiness for me. He was a man old
+enough to be my grandfather, for mother was the youngest of a large
+family. He and his wife lived by themselves, for they had no children,
+and a meaner, stingier old couple never lived. Mother wrote pretty
+often at first, and always sent money, but don't you think I ever got
+any of it. They never mentioned my mother to me, and they wouldn't let
+me speak of her.
+
+"Well, things went on from bad to worse, and finally, when I was
+fourteen, I run away. I stole rides on freight cars when I could, and
+when I couldn't do that, I tramped, till I got to St. Louis, and got a
+place there in a third-class hotel as bell boy. While I was there, I
+picked up a good many little accomplishments that have stuck to me
+ever since, gambling and swearing, and so on. I got to be pretty
+tough, I know, but in spite of it all, there was one good spot about
+me yet,--I thought the world of my mother. I staid in St. Louis two
+years; in that time I had only heard from mother twice, but she sent
+me money both times, and wrote me kind letters, though she never said
+anything about my coming to see her."
+
+By this time, they had reached the main road, and as Morgan seated
+himself on a rock to finish his story, Houston followed his example.
+
+"I made up my mind I wanted to see her, so I took what little money I
+had saved up, about eighty dollars, and started for Denver. The last
+letter I had from mother, she said she was running a house on a
+certain street, and I supposed of course it was a boarding house. I
+won't tell you her real name; Morgan wasn't her name, nor mine
+neither, I took it afterwards, but I'll call her name Johnson. I got
+to Denver, and happened to meet an old acquaintance of mine named Tim,
+who took me to a fifth-class boarding and lodging house where he was
+staying. Tim had only been in Denver a few days, and knew very little
+of the city, but we found a crowd of old-timers at the house, and
+after a while I asked for Mrs. Johnson who kept a boarding house on
+such a street. The men all laughed and began to guy me; I got hot and
+was going to sail into them, but Tim persuaded me to go out with him,
+and we started in to paint the town.
+
+"Well, we'd been out about two or three hours, when we came to a
+dancing hall, the toughest we'd seen,--a regular dive,--and we went
+in, bound to have some fun. The place was full of tough-looking subs,
+and a lot of frouzy, dowdy girls, and what they lacked in good looks
+they made up in paint and brass,--such brazen faces I never saw. Half
+way down the hall was a big, fat woman, with her hair blondined, who
+seemed to have charge of the place, and was giving orders to the man
+behind the bar. They had some loud talk, and something in her voice
+took my attention, and I looked at her; just then she turned 'round
+facing me, and great God! it was my mother! I knew her in spite of the
+blond hair and the paint, and she knew me. She gave one awful shriek,
+and then fell in a dead faint, and when she came to half an hour
+after, she went into hysterics, and screamed and raved and cried
+nearly all night.
+
+"I was so dazed, everything was going round and round, and I thought
+the world was coming to an end; and it would have been better for me
+if it had. The next day, she was able to see me, and I went to her
+room, and I guess I must have staid three or four hours. She told me
+then, that her husband was living, but that he quit her back in Iowa,
+and that he claimed I was not his child. She cried and begged me to
+stay with her, but I left her that day. That was fifteen years ago,
+and I have never seen her since. From that time, the last tie that
+bound me to even a belief in anything good was gone. I took a
+different name, and came up here in this part of the country. Once I
+found a girl I liked, but just as I began to think something of her, I
+found she was like all the rest of 'em. I've no faith in man or woman,
+and don't believe there is any such thing as honor or virtue. If there
+are some people who seem virtuous and honorable, it is simply either
+because they have been so placed that there was no temptation to be
+anything else, or because they have succeeded in keeping up
+appearances a little better than other folks."
+
+As Morgan paused, Houston spoke very slowly and kindly:
+
+"Your experience has certainly been a sad one, Morgan, and I am truly
+sorry for you; sorry most of all that it has produced such an effect
+on you."
+
+"Well," said Morgan, "I guess it don't make much difference, one way
+or another, what we think or what we do."
+
+"Your mother's opinions and actions seem to have made considerable
+difference in your life," answered Houston, quietly.
+
+"Yes, by George! I should say so!" replied Morgan, gloomily.
+
+"Perhaps your opinions and your conduct are wrecking some other life,
+in like manner. There is not one of us who does not exert a powerful
+influence on those about us, one way or the other, to build up and
+strengthen, or to wreck and destroy."
+
+As there was no reply, Houston said: "I am very glad you have given me
+this sketch of your life, Morgan, I shall always feel differently
+toward you, remembering this."
+
+"Yes," said Morgan, rising, "I wanted you to know, and I thought this
+was as good a time as I would have. You will remember it, whatever
+happens," he added ambiguously, as he started slowly down the road, in
+an opposite direction from the house.
+
+"Which way are you going?" asked Houston, also rising.
+
+"Down to the Y."
+
+"What! are you going that distance as late as this?"
+
+"Yes," replied Morgan, "I don't go all the way by the road; there's a
+cut across that makes it a good deal shorter, and I'll have plenty of
+time."
+
+They both stood a few moments watching a tall, dark figure that had
+been pacing up and down the road all the time they had been talking,
+sometimes approaching quite near, then retreating out of sight. They
+both recognized it as Jack.
+
+"He's a queer duck," muttered Morgan, "wonder what he's doing, this is
+rather late for a constitutional;" then added, "I wish I had some of
+the money that chap's got."
+
+"Why, has he money?" inquired Houston.
+
+"He must have," was the reply, "he never spends anything, just hoards
+it up; he's got enough any way to help me out just now, if I could
+only have it."
+
+"Are you in need of money?" asked Houston, quickly, "if so, I will
+gladly accommodate you."
+
+"Much obliged," replied Morgan, starting down the road, "but I can get
+along for the present. Luck has been against me a little lately, but I
+guess it will turn all right," adding, as he looked back over his
+shoulder, "if it don't turn too late, like 'Unlucky Pete'."
+
+As Houston walked rapidly up the canyon toward the house, he saw Jack
+again approaching, and glad of an opportunity to meet this man toward
+whom he felt such a powerful attraction, he slackened his pace as Jack
+came up, and greeting him cordially, stopped and entered into
+conversation with him. To his surprise, he found Jack's manner far
+less reserved than on the few occasions when they had met in the mine.
+He seemed as ready to stop as Houston himself, and though he spoke
+with a dignity of tone and manner utterly unlike an employe, the icy
+reserve was gone, and in its place, there was in his voice the genuine
+ring of friendliness.
+
+After a few moments of ordinary conversation, Jack remarked:
+
+"You are not often out in this locality at this hour, and alone."
+
+"No," Houston replied, "but I have been visiting the miners in company
+with Morgan, and remained there later than I intended. Then a talk
+with Morgan out there among the rocks delayed me still longer."
+
+"Pardon me," said Jack, "but I suppose you are aware that you have
+enemies here."
+
+"Yes," said Houston, slightly surprised, "I am conscious of that
+fact."
+
+"And," continued Jack, lowering his tone, "you are probably also aware
+that this enmity is likely to increase, so that unless you exercise
+great caution, your life will be in danger?"
+
+Houston was startled, not so much by the suggestion of personal
+danger, as by the thought that this man seemed to understand something
+of his position there. Was it possible his secret was known? It could
+not be, but if it were,--his nerves quivered, not with fear for
+himself, but with apprehension lest his whole scheme should in some
+way prove a failure.
+
+These thoughts flashed through his mind with the speed of lightning,
+but Jack was quick to read them, and before Houston could make any
+reply, he continued:
+
+"I desire to have a private interview with you, as early as possible,
+and as we will wish to be perfectly secure from interruption, as well
+as from all danger of being overheard, I wish you would come to my
+cabin, there we can talk with perfect safety. And now, as a key to
+this contemplated interview, allow me to say that I fully understand
+your mission here; but have no fear, your secret is absolutely safe.
+My only reason for wishing to meet you is, that I desire to aid you if
+you will permit me. Will you fix an evening for this conference of
+ours?"
+
+"Certainly," said Houston cordially, his momentary surprise giving way
+to the confidence which he had felt in this man, since first meeting
+him, face to face.
+
+An engagement was made for the near future, and with a cordial
+hand-clasp, the two men parted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+
+The next evening, as Houston stood for a few moments in the little
+porch, watching a game of lawn tennis which had been hastily
+improvised by the merry crowd, Lyle suddenly left the group of players
+and joined him. Looking at him rather archly, she asked:
+
+"Do you expect to remain out as late to-night as you did last night?"
+
+"I don't know just how late I may be detained," he answered, smiling,
+"Why? are you keeping a watchful eye upon me?"
+
+"Certainly," she replied, "Mr. Rutherford used to call himself your
+guardian, and now that he is gone, I must make his place good;" then
+she added more seriously, "This is an altogether different country
+from what you have been accustomed to; it is not particularly pleasant
+or safe for one to keep late hours here, especially if he has
+enemies."
+
+Houston was somewhat surprised by this second warning, but he answered
+lightly:
+
+"Yes, I know I am in what Ned used to call 'the camp of the
+Philistines,' but you do not think I have any dangerous enemies, do
+you?"
+
+"It is only fear of detection that keeps some of them from being
+dangerous," said Lyle, who saw Miss Gladden approaching, "don't give
+them any opportunities for working their spite in the dark."
+
+Miss Gladden just then came up, and Lyle soon resumed her place among
+the players.
+
+"Going out again this evening, Mr. Houston?"
+
+"Yes, Miss Gladden," replied Houston with mock gravity.
+
+"Excuse me, Everard," she answered, blushing, "but when so many
+strangers are about, I am obliged to be very circumspect, you know."
+
+"There are no strangers within hearing at present, Leslie," he
+replied, "but isn't it nearly time for this crowd to take its
+departure?"
+
+"Yes, they expect to leave to-morrow."
+
+"Thank Heaven!" exclaimed Houston devoutly.
+
+Miss Gladden laughed merrily.
+
+"Well," he continued rather savagely, "I hope, after they are gone, we
+can enjoy our evenings again as we used to. For the last ten days, I
+have scarcely had an opportunity for a word with you, unless we
+deliberately gave the whole company the cold shoulder, which, of
+course, would not answer."
+
+"And so," said Miss Gladden laughing, "you wreak your revenge upon
+poor me these last two evenings, by taking yourself away, where I
+cannot even have the satisfaction of seeing you, while I talk to
+somebody else."
+
+Houston smiled; "I am obliged to go out this evening, Leslie, I have
+an engagement to-night, with Jack, at his cabin."
+
+"With Jack!" exclaimed Miss Gladden, "then you have made his
+acquaintance!"
+
+"No, I can scarcely say that, for I never exchanged a half dozen words
+with him before last evening. This interview to-night is wholly on
+business."
+
+"Well," said Miss Gladden, who saw the players beckoning to her, "I am
+glad you are going to meet him. I saw him the other day, and had a
+talk with him regarding Lyle, and I wanted to tell you about it, but
+have had no opportunity. I think you will find him one of the most
+perfect gentlemen you ever met," and with a little farewell wave of
+the hand, she left him to rejoin the players who were waiting for
+her.
+
+Half an hour later, Houston found himself in the inner room of the
+little cabin, alone with Jack, while at the outside door, Rex was
+stationed as guard.
+
+Already the twilight was beginning to gather in the little room, but
+even in its soft, shadowy light, Houston noted the evidences, existing
+on all sides, of a refined nature, a nature keenly appreciative of
+beauty in all its forms.
+
+"I hope," said Jack, seating himself near his guest, "that you will
+excuse the gathering darkness; I thought it more prudent not to have
+a light, as it might attract attention, I am in the habit of sitting
+so much in the twilight, myself."
+
+"A light is not necessary," Houston replied, "the twilight is very
+pleasant, and the moon will be up presently, and will afford us all
+the light we need."
+
+There was a moment or two of silence, while Houston waited for his
+companion to broach the subject of the evening. He was anxious to
+ascertain how much regarding himself and his errand there in the camp,
+Jack really knew, and more particularly, to learn, if possible, how he
+had become possessed of his knowledge.
+
+Jack, on his part, was wondering whether, with their brief acquaintance,
+he could give Houston any assurance that the latter would consider
+sufficient to warrant taking himself into full confidence concerning
+his work and plans, so that he could render the assistance he desired.
+
+"You were doubtless somewhat surprised," he began very deliberately
+and slowly, "by my request, last evening, for this interview."
+
+"Yes," replied the other, "I will admit that I was surprised, more
+especially by the reason which you gave for your request,--that you
+understood my position here, and desired to help me."
+
+"Did it never occur to you that, to a person with any degree of
+penetration, any ability at reading a man's character and habits of
+life, your position here, as clerk for a disreputable mining company,
+would, of itself, seem an anomaly, and be liable to excite the
+suspicion that you had some ulterior object in view?"
+
+"I think," said Houston, with a smile, "you are supposing a person
+with keener perceptions than are possessed by many in this locality."
+
+"They nearly all possess them to a certain degree, in a latent,
+uncultivated form, perhaps, but still there. For example, what is the
+true secret of Maverick's hatred toward you, of Haight's enmity,
+except that they recognize by a sort of instinct that you belong to an
+altogether different sphere from that in which they move? They cannot
+reason it out perhaps, but they feel it;--your language, your conduct,
+your manner, the very cut of your clothes, though but a plain
+business suit, proclaim to one who can read, and reason from these
+things correctly, and deduct their results therefrom, that you are a
+man of the highest culture and refinement, of high moral character,
+and of wealth. Consequently, the question arises, 'What are you doing
+here?'"
+
+"Pardon me, I do not intend to be personal in my remarks," replied
+Houston, "but in my opinion, only a person who has himself moved in
+the highest circles of life would be able to reason in this manner."
+
+"Possibly," said Jack, "they would be better able to classify you,
+as it were, and assign you to your true position, but these others
+feel keenly that you are not of their world, but they are generally
+incapable of drawing any conclusions from their observations, as very
+few of them have the reasoning faculty, and hence, they would not be
+likely to question your object or motive in holding this position. My
+design, however, in thus calling your attention to these facts, is
+simply to show you that you need not be greatly surprised when I say
+that from your first coming here, I have felt that you were no
+ordinary employe; that you were merely holding this position
+temporarily, either in your own interests, or in the interests of
+some one else,--but not in the interests of the mining company.
+Notwithstanding the fact that I live a very secluded life, I yet have
+means of ascertaining nearly all that is going on around me, and I
+will say to you truthfully, that I learned the secret of your
+mission here without even asking a question."
+
+"I can scarcely understand," said Houston, "how you came to be the
+recipient of this secret, since you do not mingle with others, and
+apparently take very little interest in their affairs."
+
+"Perhaps," said Jack, in low, musical tones, "you would be able to
+understand the situation better, did you know that your secret was
+told me by a friend of yours, who believed that, through my very
+isolation and loneliness, I could the better assist you."
+
+"A friend of mine!" exclaimed Houston, in surprise, "Is it possible
+that my eastern friends are known to you, and that some one of them
+has written you?"
+
+"No one has written me, the story was told me by a friend of yours
+here."
+
+Instantly there flashed into Houston's mind the memory of Lyle's
+warning, and also of Miss Gladden's declaration that she had seen and
+talked with Jack, but how could his true position be known to either
+of them?
+
+"I have but two friends here, at present," was his reply, "and they
+are women."
+
+"True women are the truest friends," said Jack tersely.
+
+"But how can either of them know anything regarding my work here?"
+
+"I will tell you," and very briefly Jack gave Houston an account of
+how his plans had first become known to Lyle, and of her subsequent
+interview with himself, begging his assistance in Houston's behalf.
+
+Houston was inexpressibly astonished and touched to find that the
+beautiful girl, whom he had considered friendless and helpless, and
+whom he had defended through a sense of chivalry, had, in return,
+served him so nobly and so opportunely. He resolved to see her and
+express to her his appreciation of what she had done, as early as
+possible.
+
+"I think," said Jack, in conclusion, "you will admit that by this
+means I have obtained a thorough understanding of what you wish to
+accomplish."
+
+"You understand it perfectly," Houston answered.
+
+"You will also admit that, after the years of experience that I have
+had in these particular mines, I must be thoroughly conversant with
+affairs in connection therewith, and could probably render you just
+the assistance you will need."
+
+"Most certainly you could," responded Houston quickly, "I know of no
+one in the entire camp who could assist us so well as you."
+
+"Then," said Jack, "the next and only consideration is, whether you
+have that degree of confidence in me, that you would feel warranted in
+trusting me implicitly,--"
+
+"Enough said," said Houston, interrupting him hastily but cordially,
+"I have that confidence in you, that, even if you had not sought this
+interview, sooner or later, I would have come to you for assistance."
+
+"Indeed!" exclaimed Jack, in surprise, "may I ask why?"
+
+Houston hesitated a moment, and then replied:
+
+"I believe, though we have met so recently, we may speak together as
+friends, or as brothers; you spoke a while ago of the faculty of
+perception; please credit me with possessing it in some degree myself,
+and while I do not wish to be personal or intrusive in my remarks, I
+am sure you will allow me to say, that if there is any degree of
+incongruity between my appearance and the position I hold, it
+certainly exists in a much greater degree in your own case. I, of
+course, know nothing of your past life; I wish to know nothing of it,
+except so far as you yourself would tell me, should you ever choose to
+do so, but this much I do know, and have known from the first, that
+you are vastly superior to your surroundings here. You claim,--and you
+are correct,--that I have had the advantages of excellent birth and
+breeding, of culture and wealth, but you are not one whit behind me in
+any of these things. Added to all this is the experience which you
+have accumulated in these late years, in this particular branch of
+work; surely it was not strange that I felt your acquaintance would be
+invaluable, could I but secure your friendship sufficiently for you to
+be interested in my plans."
+
+The moon had risen, flooding the little room with a soft, pale light,
+but Jack was sitting in the shadow, and Houston could not see the
+effect produced by his words. He wondered a little that Jack made no
+response, and, after waiting in silence for a moment or two,
+continued:
+
+"There is one other consideration which you have not mentioned, and
+which must not be omitted, and that is compensation."
+
+A sudden movement on Jack's part caused Houston to pause for an
+instant, but nothing was said, and he proceeded:
+
+"I could not think of asking you to share the difficulties and dangers
+of this work without abundant compensation. Mr. Cameron, my uncle, who
+is interested--"
+
+"Stop!" said Jack, putting up one hand as if to ward off a blow; his
+voice was hoarse, almost stern, and vibrated with some strange, deep
+emotion; "If you ever speak to me again of compensation, I will
+utterly refuse to help you in any way."
+
+"I beg your pardon," said Houston, in a low, gentle tone, "I intended
+no offense, and I shall certainly respect your wishes."
+
+"There was no offense," replied Jack, more calmly, "but you spoke a
+few moments since of friendship; that word, to a man living the life I
+have lived, means volumes; whatever I do, let it be done for
+friendship's sake."
+
+"So let it be!" responded Houston solemnly, strangely moved by Jack's
+manner.
+
+For a long time they talked of the work before them, and Houston spoke
+of the expected arrival of Van Dorn within the next day or two, who
+was to remain until the end.
+
+"The end is not far distant," said Jack, "for after his coming I can
+give you nearly all the additional proof needed," and he then
+proceeded to give information concerning matters of which Houston had
+not, as yet, obtained even a clue. An arrangement was made whereby
+Houston and Van Dorn, after the arrival of the latter, were to meet
+Jack at the cabin, and perfect their plans for the brief campaign
+before them.
+
+At last, as Houston rose to take his leave, he said: "I hope you will
+pardon the remark, but while I have not the least doubt of your
+friendship toward me in this, I cannot overcome the impression that
+you also have some personal interest in this matter."
+
+"Possibly," replied Jack, gravely, still standing in the shadow as
+Houston stepped forth into the moonlight, "but not in the way in which
+you think."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+
+The camping party had returned to Silver City, and the old house among
+the mountains slowly subsided into its former quiet. Lyle's time had
+been so occupied by the numerous demands made upon her by the
+departing guests, that Houston had found no opportunity for speaking
+with her, as he had planned the previous evening.
+
+When the day's work was completed, he, with Miss Gladden and Lyle, sat
+in the little porch, watching a brief but furious mountain storm,
+which had suddenly sprung up, preventing them from taking their
+customary evening stroll.
+
+To the ordinary beauty of the scene around them was added the grandeur
+of the tempest, forming a spectacle not easily forgotten. Around the
+summits of the lofty peaks the fierce lightnings were playing,
+sometimes darting back and forth like the swords of mighty giants,
+flashing in mortal combat; sometimes descending swiftly in fiery
+chains, then seeming to wrap the whole universe in sheets of flame;
+while the crash and roll of the thunder echoed and re-echoed from peak
+to peak, the lingering reverberations still muttering and rumbling in
+the distance, as the fierce cannonading was again renewed. The wind
+rushed, roaring and shrieking, down the canyon, while the rain fell in
+gusty, fitful torrents.
+
+At the end of half an hour, only a few stray drops were falling, the
+sun suddenly burst forth in a flood of golden light, and against the
+dark background of the storm-cloud, a rainbow spanned the eastern
+horizon, its glorious tints seeming almost to rival the gorgeous
+colors of the western sky.
+
+Soon after the storm had passed, Haight was seen approaching the
+house. As he came up, he handed a telegraphic dispatch to Houston,
+saying:
+
+"Just got a wire from the boss for you and Morgan; did you know
+anything about this kind of an arrangement?"
+
+Houston opened the telegram, and read:
+
+  "Van Dorn up to-morrow to set up machinery on trial; may not be
+  able to come myself for a day or two. Have Morgan and Houston give
+  him all help they can spare, but not to interfere with work.
+
+                                                         Blaisdell."
+
+Houston read the message carefully, then said to Haight, who stood
+awaiting his reply:
+
+"I knew nothing of their having made any definite arrangement. I
+remember hearing Van Dorn say something to Mr. Blaisdell, just before
+they all went away, about bringing one of his machines out here, but
+Blaisdell didn't seem to give him any encouragement at that time."
+
+"He evidently has roped the old man in on it, at last," said Haight,
+seating himself.
+
+"It looks like it," Houston answered indifferently.
+
+"What is the machine anyway?" Haight inquired. "Is it any good?"
+
+"I cannot tell you," replied Houston, "because I know absolutely
+nothing about it, except that it is for the reduction of ores. I heard
+Van Dorn allude to it two or three times while he was here, and he
+seemed quite enthusiastic about it, which I thought was, of course,
+perfectly natural. Where is Morgan?" Houston continued, "have you told
+him?"
+
+Haight shook his head; "Morgan is at the Y, I suppose, as usual, and
+nobody will see him before sometime to-morrow. Have you noticed that
+fellow lately, Mr. Houston? Half the time he don't seem to know what
+he's about."
+
+"I have noticed that he scarcely appears like himself, of late,"
+Houston replied; "he seems to have some serious trouble."
+
+"He's been losing pretty heavy lately, I guess, that's what's the
+matter; he's awful reckless in his gambling, it's neck or nothing,
+with him. I tell you," Haight continued, watching Houston sharply,
+"Morgan would get the G.B. pretty sudden if the boss got onto the way
+he's carrying sail."
+
+"Possibly," said Houston, quietly, "but he will not know of it from
+me."
+
+"No?" said Haight, with a curious, rising reflection.
+
+"No, indeed," responded Houston, with some warmth, "when a man is in
+trouble, it is no time to give him a push downward; besides, I would
+not do or say anything to injure Morgan, anyway."
+
+Haight looked up curiously, and even the faces of the ladies expressed
+a slight surprise.
+
+"I didn't know you and Morgan were such good friends," Haight remarked
+wonderingly.
+
+"I do not know," said Houston, "that either he or I consider that we
+are particular friends, though we are friendly enough, but I have
+learned this about Morgan; that whatever his principles, or his manner
+of life may be, he is far less to be blamed than people would
+ordinarily suppose."
+
+"Well," said Haight, rising, "Morgan and I have been together, off and
+on, for the last three years, but I don't know anything about him
+except just what I have seen for myself, what anybody can see; of
+course his way isn't my way, but then, we don't any of us think alike,
+and I've never had any fault to find with him, and we've got along
+together first rate. I suppose," he continued, "you will give
+directions in the morning for that fellow and his machines, for it
+isn't likely that Morgan will be around much before ten o'clock."
+
+"Very well," said Houston, "I will be up early and will see that one
+of the six-horse teams is at the Y to meet him, and I can get through
+at the mines in season to be at the office by the time he will reach
+there; he probably will not get up before noon, with all that load."
+
+Happening to glance toward Lyle, as Haight withdrew, Houston read
+in her eyes, in their look of eager expectancy, and the firm
+determination expressed in her face, that she fully understood the
+meaning of what had passed.
+
+It was equally evident that Miss Gladden had received no hint of the
+situation, for at almost the same instant she inquired:
+
+"Is Mr. Van Dorn going to erect one of his reducing machines here?"
+
+Houston answered in the affirmative.
+
+"He will be likely to remain here some time, then, will he not?"
+
+"In all probability," Houston replied, "it must take considerable time
+to get one of those machines in perfect running order."
+
+"Then of course he will be here when Mr. Rutherford returns, with his
+brother; they were all such intimate friends, it will be pleasant for
+them to meet here. But I am surprised," she added, "that he is
+bringing one of his machines such a distance as this."
+
+"Why so?" inquired Houston.
+
+"Because, Mr. Winters told me that although the amalgamator was
+undoubtedly a valuable invention, and would prove a great success in a
+mining country, Van Dorn was too indolent to even try to introduce it
+among mining men, as it would require too much exertion on his part."
+
+Houston smiled at this accurate description of his class mate.
+
+Miss Gladden continued: "Mr. Winters said that Van Dorn was a fine
+fellow, but that he was never so happy as when engaged in some little
+scheme, apparently doing one thing, and in reality, doing something
+else, as when he was acting as mining expert for Mr. Winters."
+
+"Well," said Houston, laughing, "if that is the characteristic of Mr.
+Van Dorn, it will not be best to mention it here, as the officers of
+the company are very suspicious anyway, and very guarded as to who is
+permitted to have access to the mines and mills, and we might
+unconsciously make it rather unpleasant for him."
+
+The next morning, Houston went very early to the stables to order a
+team and three or four men to the Y to meet Van Dorn. Having given all
+necessary instructions, he returned to the house, but it was still
+early, and there was no one but Lyle in the breakfast room.
+
+At a signal from Houston, she approached the door-way, where he
+remained standing, as from that position he could easily watch both
+the porch and the interior of the room, to assure himself that they
+were safe from listeners.
+
+"I have just discovered recently," he began in a low tone, "that I am
+indebted to you for securing valuable assistance for me in my work
+here."
+
+"Why?" she asked quickly, in surprise, "did Jack tell you that it was
+I who asked him to help you?"
+
+"Certainly," replied Houston, "I naturally wished to know where he
+obtained his information, and he told me of your interview with him,
+and your persistent efforts in my behalf. I want to thank you, for I
+appreciate your conduct under such circumstances; you acted wisely and
+nobly, and did the very best thing that could have been done."
+
+"I am glad that I have your approval," she replied, "my overhearing
+what I did was unintentional and unavoidable, but having learned your
+plans, and that you needed help, I sought it from the only one
+competent to give it, and at the same time perfectly true and worthy
+of your confidence."
+
+"You certainly made a noble use of the knowledge you had obtained;
+there are very few, Lyle, who could have been trusted with such a
+secret, and who would have proven so trustworthy."
+
+"If you will pardon me for saying it, Mr. Houston, there is one other,
+whom you could, and, in my opinion, should trust with this."
+
+Houston looked at her inquiringly.
+
+"I mean Miss Gladden," was her response.
+
+"I see you have given her no hint," he said, smiling.
+
+"Not a word," Lyle answered, "it was not my place to do so; you know
+best what you wish her to know, and when, but I think you ought to
+confide in her fully, for she is a noble woman; you could trust her,
+and she would help you."
+
+"I realize that," Houston replied, "but I did not wish her to be
+worried by this; there will probably be more or less danger before it
+is all over, and I thought she would be happier not to know."
+
+Lyle lifted her beautiful head proudly, with a gesture so full of
+grace, Houston could not but observe it.
+
+"If I were in her place," she said, slowly and firmly, and with
+peculiar emphasis, "and my lover were in any danger, I would far
+rather know it, and give him my help, if possible, my prayers and
+sympathy at any rate, than to remain in ignorance, and perhaps
+unconsciously hinder him."
+
+Houston looked at Lyle in astonishment; was this clear-headed woman
+the untutored, untrained child of the mountains whom he had always
+regarded with a tender, chivalric regard, almost akin to pity?
+
+Lyle continued; "Do not think that even if you refrain from telling
+her this secret, she will not know that it exists; she will be quick
+to see indications of a secret understanding between yourself and
+others,--between yourself and myself, even,--in which she has no
+share. Will that seem to her like confidence, or even justice, on your
+part. It will be better for her, for you and for me that you tell her
+your plans fully, for you will find her strong and true and brave,
+whatever the end shall prove."
+
+"My dear Lyle," said Houston, slowly, "I believe you are right, and I
+will never consider you a child again; but I cannot understand how
+you, with your youth and inexperience, can think and act so wisely and
+well."
+
+"We none of us know what we can do or be," she answered gravely, "till
+an emergency arises, and we are suddenly shown what is required of
+us."
+
+"I will follow your suggestion at the first opportunity," Houston
+said, after a pause, "I shall tell Miss Gladden all that you know
+regarding my plans and my work, with but one reservation; for the
+present, I do not wish her to know that Mr. Cameron is related to
+me."
+
+Lyle looked slightly surprised, "Very well," she answered, in a tone
+of assent, adding, "You are his nephew, are you not?"
+
+"His nephew and his adopted son," Houston replied, with a peculiar
+smile.
+
+"Ah!" she replied quietly, "I understand; Miss Gladden is to know
+nothing at present of your wealth."
+
+"I have won her love with love, not with gold," he said proudly, "but
+she will find, by and by, that the latter is not lacking."
+
+A remark of Miss Gladden's, which she had made in confidence, soon
+after her engagement to Houston, was suddenly recalled to Lyle's mind;
+"Whether he has money or not, I do not know or care, for I have enough
+for both of us."
+
+A curious smile flitted over her face for a moment, but she only said,
+"You must be very wealthy!"
+
+"I have enough," Houston responded, "to give to Miss Gladden the home
+of which she is worthy, but which she has never known; and," he added,
+"there is one thing, my dear Lyle, upon which we are both agreed;
+that our home, wherever it shall be, shall be your home also, as our
+sister."
+
+For a moment, Lyle's lips quivered, and she was unable to speak. At
+that instant, Haight entered the breakfast room, darting at them a
+look of curiosity and suspicion, as they stood together in the
+door-way. Houston was pleased to see Lyle's perfect self-control.
+Without stirring in the least from her place by his side, she asked,
+in the most matter-of-fact tone, whether Mr. Van Dorn would be likely
+to arrive from the Y in season for dinner, and what room it would be
+best to prepare for him.
+
+"You had better let him share my room, in case he has no objections,"
+Houston answered indifferently, "for you like to keep your rooms in
+readiness for guests as much as possible, and Rutherford, when he
+returns, will probably room with his brother."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+
+As Houston was hurrying up from the mines at about eleven o'clock, on
+his way to the office, he met Morgan, just started on his rounds, and
+was shocked at the change which a few hours had made in his
+appearance. His heavy gait, his pale, haggard face and bloodshot eyes,
+told, not only of late hours and terrible dissipation, but of some
+severe mental strain, also. Morgan half smiled, as he saw Houston's
+look of pained surprise.
+
+"Yes," he said, "I know I look pretty hard this morning, but I was up
+late; I guess I'll be all right in a day or two. What's this Haight's
+been telling me about one of those fellows coming out here with some
+mining machinery? Which one is it, that English dude?"
+
+"No," answered Houston, "Van Dorn, the one with glasses, he was the
+inventor, you remember."
+
+"Well, if he's invented anything that will make old Rivers hand out
+any cash, he'd better get a patent on it, that's all I've got to say.
+How in thunder the old man ever gave his consent to his coming out
+here, monkey-fooling around with his machines, is more'n I can make
+out; but if the company want him up here, I'm sure I don't care a
+damn. The boss himself isn't coming up, is he?"
+
+"Not for a day or two," replied Houston.
+
+"Well," said Morgan, with one of his characteristic shrugs, "I guess
+I'll have to spruce up a bit, before he comes."
+
+"That is so, Morgan," said Houston, kindly, "I wouldn't want Mr.
+Blaisdell to see you as you look this morning; I'm too much a friend
+of yours myself for that."
+
+"Oh well, I'll be all right before he gets here. Who's going down to
+meet that fellow and his contraptions?"
+
+"I sent Hayes down with two or three men, and a six-horse team, early
+this morning."
+
+"Good for you!" laughed Morgan, starting on his way, "You'd make a
+first-rate boss 'round here; guess I'll have to give you a raise."
+
+Houston walked slowly down the road after Morgan left him, having
+apparently forgotten his haste. The story which Morgan had told him a
+few nights before, of his own life, had awakened his pity for the man
+as nothing else could have done. He felt that Morgan was in serious
+trouble, and in danger of losing his position, and that he was already
+where it would take very little to drive him to complete ruin. He
+resolved to seize the first opportunity that presented itself, to try
+to ascertain the cause of his trouble, and to assist him in any way
+that he possibly could.
+
+On reaching the office, he found considerable work awaiting him, and
+for a while, all other thoughts were banished from his mind. About
+noon, a heavy rumbling and rattling attracted his attention, and,
+going to the door, he saw the slowly approaching team, winding from
+side to side of the steep, canyon road, the powerful horses straining
+and panting under the heavy load. Perched on the top of the load,
+under a wide-spread umbrella, and fanning himself with his straw hat,
+was Van Dorn, his face irradiated by a broad smile as he caught sight
+of Houston. Two of the men walked beside the team, blocking the
+wheels with rocks, as the horses were occasionally stopped to rest. As
+they came within speaking distance, Van Dorn sang out merrily:
+
+"I say, Houston, this is what I call up-hill work; it has been a
+pretty hard pull all the way."
+
+"Yes," said Houston, "particularly hard on you, judging by appearances."
+
+Van Dorn laughed, and proceeded to close his umbrella, while an
+expansive grin broke over the face of one of the workmen, trudging
+along the hot, dusty road. At the brow of the hill, the team again
+stopped to rest, and Van Dorn descended from his lofty position,
+Houston meanwhile giving instructions to the driver:
+
+"Drive over to the stables, Hayes, and take the horses off and let
+them rest; after dinner, put on another set of horses, and drive to
+the mills; we will be there to see to the unloading."
+
+"Well, Everard, old boy, how are you?" exclaimed Van Dorn, as they
+started for the office; "I started within five hours after I received
+your telegram, and here I am, at your service."
+
+"When did you reach Silver City? yesterday?" inquired Houston.
+
+"Yesterday!" exclaimed Van Dorn, "my dear boy, do you think the world
+was made in one day? No, sir; I got in the day before, and spent the
+remainder of that day, and all of yesterday in cultivating the good
+graces of your company. I went straight for their offices, and it took
+all the arguments and persuasion I could muster, with some treating,
+and a good deal of judicious flattery thrown in, before I could get
+the old fellows to consent to my giving the machine a trial. I got
+around Blaisdell pretty easy after I had flattered him a little, but
+that Rivers is a beast! Said he didn't see why I was so anxious to
+have them test the machine, and all that! I explained, of course, that
+this was the first I had ever brought it out into the west, and they
+were so well known that if I could only get their endorsement, and so
+on and so forth. Oh, I want to tell you all about it later, and if you
+don't acknowledge that I'm a born diplomat, I'll give up; but at
+present, my first business must be to allay these pangs of hunger,
+they are becoming unendurable."
+
+"Certainly, we will go to the house at once," said Houston, preparing
+to close the office.
+
+"Wait a minute!" said Van Dorn, diving furiously into his pockets; "I
+attended to that little business that you wrote me about, just
+according to directions, and I want you to see if it is perfectly
+satisfactory before we go any further, and then I'll have it off my
+mind; why, confound it! where is that thing anyway?" he exclaimed,
+turning a half dozen pockets inside out, and emptying a heterogeneous
+collection upon the desk before him. "Oh, here it is! I knew I had it
+safe somewhere; there now, Everard, I took as much pains as if it had
+been for myself, it was one of the finest stones I could find; I think
+it is a beauty, and I hope you will like it."
+
+He handed a small case to Houston, partially open, from whose depths
+of white velvet a superb diamond ring flashed forth its wondrous rays,
+seeming almost to brighten the dingy little room in which they were
+standing.
+
+"It is indeed a beauty," said Houston, "perfect! I could not have made
+a better selection myself. I knew I could trust to your good judgment,
+Arthur, and I am exceedingly obliged; I'll do as much for you when you
+are ready for a ring of this kind."
+
+"All right, I'm glad if you like it. I believe I sent my congratulations
+by letter, but I'll renew them now. I only hope the lady herself will
+be pleased with the selection."
+
+On their way to the house, Van Dorn said: "Ned Rutherford has gone to
+the coast to meet his brother, I suppose."
+
+"Yes; you probably know he and Morton are intending to stop here on
+their return?"
+
+"Yes; Mort, as soon as he found you were here, and especially after I
+gave him an inkling of what was going on, said he should certainly
+stop as he came back. You ought to have seen him though, when I told
+him you were out here! Good gracious! he was simply thunderstruck! He
+said Ned had been writing all along about a Houston, from Chicago,
+that he had met on the train, and that he was a fine fellow, and all
+that; but of course he never dreamed it was you."
+
+The remainder of the day passed very swiftly, for there was much to be
+done. After dinner, Houston and Van Dorn went down to the mills and
+superintended the unloading and unpacking of the machinery; then, as
+it was too late in the day to begin preparations for its erection,
+Houston visited the mines, Van Dorn accompanying him only a little way
+into the main shaft. As they came out together, half an hour later,
+and started for the office, Van Dorn drew a small piece of ore from
+his pocket, saying:
+
+"I've discovered now where that fine ore on the dump of the famous
+Sunrise lode came from."
+
+"Yes," said Houston, "and you will make other discoveries, shortly."
+
+At the office there was much to be said on both sides; Van Dorn giving
+his friend messages and directions from Mr. Cameron, and giving also
+the particulars of his interview with the company, and how he had
+finally obtained their consent for the erection of the machinery at
+their mills.
+
+Houston, on his part, related what he had been doing in the few weeks
+intervening since Van Dorn's former visit, and explained his new
+position as assistant superintendent of the group of mines in which
+they were most interested.
+
+Van Dorn whistled; "That's good!" he exclaimed, "I wondered how it was
+that you were going in and out among the mines in that way, I thought
+that was something new. Have you found any one whom we can trust to
+help us?"
+
+In reply, Houston told his friend of Jack, of his experience and skill
+as a miner, and of his offer to help them.
+
+Van Dorn was greatly interested, and before they were aware, the
+afternoon had passed, and it was time to close the office and return
+to the house.
+
+At the supper table that evening, the diamond ring appeared, flashing
+on the white, shapely hand of Leslie Gladden, and she herself looked
+radiantly beautiful.
+
+After the meal was over, Morgan, who was still pale and haggard, and
+had been very silent at the table, pulled his hat down over his eyes,
+and started down the road.
+
+"Morgan," called Houston, "where are you going?"
+
+"I dun'no," he answered moodily, "down to the Y, I guess, by and by."
+
+"Well, hold on a minute, I will walk down with you a ways; I want to
+see you."
+
+"All right," responded Morgan, walking on very slowly.
+
+Houston hastily excused himself to Miss Gladden and Van Dorn, and
+hurrying after Morgan, soon overtook him. For some time, Houston
+talked with him regarding the work for the next day, and the men who
+could best be detailed to help Van Dorn. They had reached the same
+spot where they had stopped to talk a few nights before, and, as then,
+were seated on the rocks. At last, the business arrangements were all
+completed, and Morgan made a move as if to start, and then Houston's
+real errand in overtaking him became apparent.
+
+"Morgan, you are not fit to be out to-night, you must have rest, you
+will break down living this way."
+
+"Yes," said Morgan, raising his hollow, heavy eyes to Houston's face,
+"I'm about done up, that's a fact."
+
+"I wouldn't go to the Y to-night, if I were you; come back to the
+house and get a good night's rest, it will make a different man of
+you."
+
+Morgan looked undecided for a moment; "'Twouldn't be no use going up
+there now," he answered gloomily, "I couldn't rest if I tried. I
+haven't slept scarcely any for three nights; but I ain't going to stay
+out late to-night as I've been doing; I shan't play after midnight.
+I'm going to have two or three games just to see what luck I'll have,
+and if I don't have luck, why, that ends it, I ain't going to play all
+night."
+
+"Morgan," said Houston earnestly, "you spoke the other night about
+money; now, as I told you then, if you need any money, I'm your
+friend, and I'll gladly accommodate you with whatever you need."
+
+For the first time in all their acquaintance, Morgan's careless,
+indifferent manner changed, and for a few moments he seemed touched.
+
+"Yes, I believe you," he said, after a pause, "I believe you're more
+of a friend to me than anybody else. Blaisdell would kick me out
+quicker'n it takes to say so, if he knew just how I stand to-night.
+Even Haight's got the big-head and puts on his airs since he's seen
+I'm down; you're the only one that's showed me any kindness."
+
+"Now, Morgan, just say what money you need, and you shall have it; I
+want to help you out of this," said Houston.
+
+"No," said Morgan, decidedly, "if I am a gambler, and all that, I
+ain't going to take the wages from a fellow that works for less than I
+do, to help me out of trouble. The Lord knows you've earnt your money,
+for you've worked faithful."
+
+"Never mind about that, Morgan," said Houston, hastily, "I'm not
+wholly dependent on my salary; I had a good little sum of money laid
+by before I came out here; there is plenty, I will not miss it, and
+you are welcome to it."
+
+"Much obliged to you, Houston, but I can't take it,--not now, at any
+rate,--maybe I'll call on you for it to-morrow, if I don't have luck
+to-night."
+
+"You are welcome to it whenever you want it," said Houston cordially,
+his hand on Morgan's shoulder; "I only wish you were not going to the
+Y to-night."
+
+"Well," said Morgan, as he rose slowly, "don't think I don't
+appreciate your kindness, for I do. You've heard me say that I didn't
+believe in honor in anybody; I guess I'll have to take that back, for
+if there is such a thing as honor, you've got it. I don't know how it
+is," he said, with a heavy sigh, then added slowly, "I guess you've
+been raised different somehow, from most of us out here. The Lord
+knows how I was raised."
+
+He started a few steps down the road, hesitated, and came back.
+
+"Houston, there's one thing I want to say to you, for you've been good
+to me, that's this; look out for Haight; he's no friend of yours, and
+I guess you're sharp enough to know it, but maybe you don't know what
+a sneaking, cowardly cur he is; look out for him!"
+
+"Thank you, Morgan, I will."
+
+"He ain't like me," he continued, "if I don't like anybody I let 'em
+know it, and fight 'em fair and square; you can tell that by the way I
+bucked up against you, when you first came here," and he smiled at the
+recollection, the first time he had smiled in the whole conversation.
+
+"Morgan," said Houston, "I've been sorry for that a good many times
+since; if I had known about you then what you have since told me, I
+never would have been so severe in my judgment of you."
+
+"Oh, that was all right," he answered, "it did me good; I didn't like
+you very well at first, but I've always had a liking for you ever
+since. Well, so long!" and with a faint smile, Morgan went on his
+way.
+
+Houston stood watching him for a few moments, then turned back in the
+direction of the house, little thinking how, or where, they would meet
+again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+
+The next morning dawned fair and cloudless, giving promise of one of
+those royal days, so frequent in the almost perfect climate of the
+higher altitudes.
+
+Long before noon the heat would be intense, but in the early morning
+there was wafted down from the mountain side, where the pines were
+nodding and whispering so mysteriously, a cool, exhilarating breeze,
+which kissed the surface of the azure lake, sleeping so peacefully,
+and, awakening immediately into smiles, it lay rippling and dimpling
+with laughter in the sunlight.
+
+The vines, transplanted by Miss Gladden and Lyle, under their
+fostering care, had transformed the little porch into a bower of
+beauty. Here stood Van Dorn, his fair, almost feminine face flushed
+with pleasure, and his blue eyes sparkling, as the light breeze played
+with the auburn curls clustering about his forehead, and he looked
+forth on the beauty of the scene.
+
+"Ah--h!" he exclaimed, drawing a long breath, "isn't this refreshing
+after the stifling heat and dust of the journey out here? Isn't it
+glorious?"
+
+"It is," responded Houston, "this is one of the mornings when it is a
+joy just simply to live and breathe."
+
+Houston was fired with new ambition that morning; he would no longer
+have to work alone, keeping his anxieties and doubts, his plans and
+discoveries alike to himself; from henceforth he would have
+companionship, counsel and assistance, and he felt a new interest and
+enthusiasm.
+
+Immediately after breakfast, the two set forth upon their first day's
+work. Going first to the mills, Houston secured the services of two or
+three men who could be spared from the ordinary work, to assist Van
+Dorn in making preparations for the erection of the machinery; then he
+left for his early visit to the mines.
+
+It was nearly ten o'clock when, having finished his round of duties at
+the mines, and coming up to the surface from the cool, underground
+workings, he found the heat almost unendurable, and strolled over to
+the mills, to see how Van Dorn was progressing. The latter did not
+seem averse to stopping for a few moments, and for a while, the two
+chatted and laughed with the old, careless abandon of their college
+days, without a thought of the more serious side of life, until,
+something being needed for the work, which Houston thought was in the
+tool-house, they proceeded together to look for it.
+
+Houston was still searching for the needed implements, when Van Dorn,
+who was near the door, called out:
+
+"I say, Everard, here's a small specimen of humanity who seems to be
+looking for you in a desperate hurry," and an instant later, he heard
+a familiar voice say:
+
+"Is the boss in there, mister? Le'me in quick, I wan'ter see 'im!"
+
+Turning quickly, he saw Bull-dog, breathless, pale and quivering with
+excitement.
+
+"Say, boss," he gasped, before Houston could speak, "they want
+yer--down ter the Y,--Morgan has shot hisself!"
+
+"What is that, boy?" exclaimed Houston hoarsely, clearing the space
+between them at a bound.
+
+"Morgan's shot hisself, 'n they sent us fer yer,--me'n Hank,--he's out
+there," with a backward jerk of his thumb over his shoulder toward the
+open door.
+
+Houston sprang to the door; another boy was talking excitedly with Van
+Dorn, while his horse stood, panting heavily and covered with dust and
+foam.
+
+"Here's the man you want," said Van Dorn, turning a white face toward
+Houston, "Great God, Everard!" he exclaimed, "Morgan has killed
+himself!"
+
+"He is not dead!" exclaimed Houston, turning towards the boy.
+
+The latter nodded; "They found 'im shot through the head, 'n this was
+in his hand, 'n the cops won't let nobody in till you come," and he
+handed Houston a bit of paper.
+
+It was a scrap of newspaper, crumpled and spattered with blood, and,
+as Houston smoothed it out, he read on the margin, in characters
+wavering and almost illegible, written with a trembling hand, but
+still Morgan's writing, "Send to the camp for Houston, he's the only
+friend I've got."
+
+For an instant, it seemed to Houston as though the glorious sunlight
+had suddenly turned to blackness, a blackness in which the scrap of
+paper gleamed white before him, its red spots glowing like spots of
+flame. He seemed again to see Morgan as he looked when parting from
+him the previous evening; the haggard face, with its hollow eyes and
+faint, pathetic smile, and as he recalled his words in reply to his
+own repeated offers of money, there seemed a new meaning in them;
+"Maybe I'll call on you for it to-morrow if I don't have luck
+to-night."
+
+But Houston realized there was no time to waste, and in a few moments
+he was mounted on a powerful gray horse, on his way to the Y,
+notwithstanding Van Dorn's protests on account of the intense heat,
+having requested the latter to explain his absence at the house. Just
+as he was about to start, Bull-dog begged to be allowed to ride with
+him, to which Houston consented, and lifting the little fellow up,
+seated him in front of himself. Very little was said, for the horse
+seemed to understand what was expected of him, and sped like the wind
+down the narrow canyon road, but Houston's hand rested kindly on
+Bull-dog's shoulder, steadying the slender frame, and, at the same
+time, warming the heart of the forlorn little waif, to whom even the
+touch of kindness was something exceedingly rare.
+
+Houston's mind was occupied with thoughts of the terrible scene he was
+rapidly approaching, as well as with memories of his last interview
+with Morgan on the preceding night. At last, having crossed a ravine,
+the horse slackened his pace, as he climbed the steep ascent on the
+other side, and Houston, almost unconsciously, spoke his thoughts
+aloud.
+
+"Poor Morgan!" he said, with a heavy sigh, "poor fellow! If I could
+only have saved him from this! God knows I would have given him any
+amount of money to have prevented this."
+
+"'Twouldn't ha' been no use, sir," Bull-dog broke in quickly, eager to
+console Houston, "'twouldn't ha' been no use to have give 'im money,
+'cause, ye see, them fellers that he played with would ha' got it
+all."
+
+"Who were they?" inquired Houston.
+
+"Oh, there was Faro Dick and Slicky Sam, and a lot of 'em; Morgan
+wasn't no match for fellers like them, they was all too swift fer
+him."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Oh, I seen 'em playin' lots o' times, and they're all reg'lar
+sharpers, 'n Morgan, he'd got reckless, 'n he didn't stan' no show
+against 'em."
+
+Houston looked down wonderingly and pityingly upon the little fellow,
+young in years, but who knew so much of the dark side of life, but
+nothing more was said, as, having reached the top of the hill, the
+station was close at hand.
+
+Having left his horse in charge of one of the company's men, Houston,
+accompanied by Bull-dog as guide, proceeded across the street, to the
+group of dirty, disreputable-looking buildings containing the saloons,
+gambling houses and dance halls. He had little need of a guide, for,
+before the shabbiest and most disreputable of the entire lot, was
+gathered a motley crowd, gazing with awestruck curiosity at the
+building in which had been enacted the tragedy of the night before. It
+was a saloon with gambling rooms in the rear. Here Morgan had played
+his last game,--just to see what luck he would have,--as he had said
+to Houston, and from which he had come forth ruined, despairing,
+desperate.
+
+Passing through the crowd of jabbering Chinamen and "dagoes," of
+miners off shift, drawn hither by curiosity, and of gamblers of all
+grades from the professional expert to the "tin-horn," Houston found
+his way around the corner of the building, down into an alley, dark,
+dismal and reeking with filth. Here were groups of slatternly, unkempt
+women, some of whom stared at him with brazen faces, while others
+slunk away, not quite lost to shame.
+
+At last they came to a rickety stair-way, and as they neared the top,
+Bull-dog whispered:
+
+"There's some of 'em now; that tall feller is Faro Dick, he deals down
+stairs, and the little, black feller is Slicky, and that short, fat
+one, that's Brocky Joe."
+
+The group gathered about the door-way at the head of the stairs eyed
+Houston curiously as he approached. He gave them only a quick, keen
+glance, but in that glance he had detected the trio named by Bull-dog,
+and they cowered visibly beneath the scorn and contempt which flashed
+from his eye, while the entire group of loungers made way, impelled
+partly by an unconscious respect for the broad, powerful shoulders,
+and splendid, athletic frame.
+
+Down a dark, narrow hall, Bull-dog led the way to a door guarded by
+two men, who touched their caps respectfully to Houston. They were two
+of the mining company's watchmen, who were kept at the station to
+guard their property, and to preserve order generally, and hence were
+designated by the gamins of the place as police and "cops."
+
+Silently they unlocked and opened the door for Houston, and one of
+them entered with him. It was a small room, evidently a woman's, and
+its general squalor and dilapidation were made more apparent by
+tawdry, shabby bits of finery strewn here and there. Curtains of red
+damask, faded and ragged, hung at the window, excluding the daylight,
+and on a small table a kerosene lamp had burned itself out. But
+Houston took little notice of the room; as his eyes became accustomed
+to the dim light, he saw but one object.
+
+Across the bed in one corner of the room, lay Morgan, his left arm
+thrown out across the pillows, the other dropped at his side, and a
+revolver clenched in his right hand. His head was turned slightly to
+one side, exposing the ghastly wound near the temple, his face was
+blackened and mutilated, but still bore traces of the terrible strain
+of those last few hours of life.
+
+Houston stepped back, even his firm nerves quivering, and his heart
+throbbing with a great sorrow for the life so suddenly quenched in the
+darkness of despair.
+
+On a chair were Morgan's hat and coat, where he had thrown them, and
+as Houston turned toward the little table, he saw there a newspaper
+from which a scrap had been torn. Taking the bit of paper, containing
+Morgan's last message, from his pocket, he compared them; it fitted
+exactly, and beside the paper lay a bit of pencil with which those
+last words had been written, and to Houston, with his keen perception
+and vivid imagination, the whole scene of the previous night with its
+minute and pathetic details, seemed passing before his vision. He
+turned to the watchman:
+
+"Open the window," he said, and his voice sounded strange even to
+himself, "draw back those curtains, this place is stifling."
+
+Upon inquiry, Houston found the watchman could give him very little
+information. In passing down the alley at about eight o'clock that
+morning, his attention had been arrested by screams issuing from the
+building. On rushing up-stairs, he saw a crowd gathering about the
+door of this room, and, on entering, was shocked at the sight
+revealed. Mollie, the girl who usually occupied the room, was
+screaming hysterically, but when able to talk explained that she had
+been out all night and had but just returned. Morgan was in the habit
+of coming to the room, and had a key, but he had not been there of
+late, having gambled every night till daylight.
+
+Her screams had attracted nearly the whole neighborhood, some of whom
+corroborated her statements, and one or two testified to having heard
+a shot sometime about midnight, but nothing had been thought of it, as
+it was supposed to be some row in the gambling rooms below. The
+watchman had ordered the crowd out of the room, and sent the messenger
+for Houston, and also a telegram to Silver City for the coroner, who
+was expected on the noon train.
+
+As it was nearly noon, Houston decided to step over to the depot,
+leaving the room in charge of the watchman. On his way, he heard
+various comments from groups gathered here and there. Passing a
+half-dozen miners, he heard one of them say:
+
+"If he'd 'a been a union man, we'd 'a taken care of 'im, but he worked
+for the bosses, and helped 'em to make big money, and now, let the
+bosses take care of 'im and bury 'im."
+
+A bitter smile crossed Houston's face, and stepping into the little
+telegraph office, he sent a message, first, in his own name, to one of
+the undertaking firms of Silver City, for everything that was needed
+to be sent up by the special freight that afternoon; and then a brief
+dispatch to Mr. Blaisdell, stating what had occurred, but that the
+affairs of the company were all right, and there was no necessity for
+his coming to the camp immediately.
+
+A few moments later, the train arrived, bringing the coroner, and as
+quickly as possible the inquest was held. Very few facts were
+developed beyond those already learned by Houston, excepting the
+extent of Morgan's losses. These included not only everything which he
+had possessed, even to his watch and a few pieces of jewelry, but in
+addition, a large sum of money advanced him by Brocky Joe. Those with
+whom he was playing testified that he had quit shortly before
+midnight, and left the hall rather hastily. At the time, they thought
+he had gone to borrow more money, and perhaps try his luck at some
+other place, but nothing more was seen of him, and they soon forgot
+the occurrence.
+
+When all was over and the crowd was slowly dispersing, Houston saw
+several members of the gambling fraternity approaching him, headed by
+the two designated by Bull-dog as Slicky Sam and Brocky Joe. The
+latter, a stout, red-faced individual, with flaming necktie and
+blazing diamonds, was evidently speaker for the entire party.
+
+"We would like," he began, in a high-pitched, falsetto voice, "to
+express our regrets for what has occurred, and I wish to state on
+behalf of my associates here, and also personally, that there was no
+ill feeling toward your friend, and I am perfectly willing to overlook
+the small amount of indebtedness; and if there is anything we can do,
+in the way of sharing the burial expenses, or anything of the kind, we
+shall be glad to do so."
+
+"Your assistance is not needed," replied Houston, in a cold, cutting
+tone, "you have already done your work; you and your ilk have brought
+him where he is, and that is enough," and he turned abruptly from
+them.
+
+As he re-entered the room, he met Mollie, who cast an appealing glance
+at him. She could not have been over twenty years of age, but she
+looked worn and haggard. Her hair was disheveled, large, dark rings
+encircled her heavy, lusterless eyes, now swollen with weeping, and
+there was a look of helpless and hopeless despair in her glance that
+aroused Houston's pity. It was a new experience for him to be brought
+into contact with these wrecked and ruined lives, and sorrow for the
+one life which had gone out so suddenly and needlessly, made him
+pitiful toward all.
+
+A look of pity, a word of pure, disinterested kindness, was something
+new in the life of the poor creature before him, and she began sobbing
+afresh:
+
+"He's gone," she moaned, "and I don't want to live no longer."
+
+"Did you care so much for him?" asked Houston, wonderingly.
+
+"Yes," she sobbed, "I never cared for nobody but him. I thought once
+he cared for me, but after a while I found he didn't, and then I went
+to the bad as fast as I could, but still I cared for him. I never was
+very good, for I never had no chance to be, but I'd 'a been different
+from what I am, if he'd only 'a cared for me."
+
+Houston went back into the wretched room, and looked long and sadly at
+the one who, in his last moments of despair, had called him his
+friend. He recalled the story told him that night among the rocks; he
+thought of the life ruined by a mother's neglect and sin, and now of
+another life shut out in hopeless misery because of his indifference
+and neglect, and Houston realized at that moment, as never before, the
+influences, for good or for evil, extending from one human life to
+another, spreading onward and onward,
+
+                 "As wave follows wave across the sea,"
+
+till the widening circles at last touch the shores of eternity.
+
+An hour or two later, when Houston stepped over to the depot to meet
+the incoming special freight, he was somewhat surprised to see Mr.
+Blaisdell step from the train, and in his white face, his firmly set
+mouth with its hard lines, and his pale blue eyes, it could readily be
+seen that he knew nothing of pity or mercy for the man who had served
+him so faithfully.
+
+"I did not expect you so early, Mr. Blaisdell," said Houston, as they
+exchanged greetings, "I thought after receiving my dispatch you would
+feel no anxiety, and would probably not come out till the evening
+train."
+
+"Your telegram was a great relief," Mr. Blaisdell answered in an
+excited tone, "but I was all ready to come, as, from the tenor of
+Haight's message this morning, I feared the worst. You are sure the
+affairs of the company are all right?"
+
+"Perfectly sure," replied Houston, calmly, "so far as money is
+concerned, poor Morgan has wronged no one but himself."
+
+"Well," said Mr. Blaisdell, with a sigh of relief, "I am glad to hear
+that, but this is an outrageous affair,--simply outrageous,--a man in
+his responsible position, trusted as he has been, coming to such an
+end as this, under such circumstances and amid such surroundings! It
+is a disgrace to himself, and to those associated with him in
+business,--to the entire company!"
+
+The thought flashed through Houston's mind that a deeper disgrace than
+this awaited the company, but he only replied:
+
+"I had not looked at it in that light, Mr. Blaisdell; I, as one of his
+associates, certainly feel no disgrace attached to myself. I had
+thought only of the terrible pity for a life so needlessly ruined and
+lost."
+
+"Pity!" said Mr. Blaisdell, contemptuously, "If a man willfully
+degrades himself and disgraces his friends, I have no pity for him, he
+deserves none for such dishonorable, dishonest conduct."
+
+"His dishonesty, as you term it, must have been of rather an unusual
+type," said Houston, "since I offered him money only last night, and
+he refused to take it."
+
+"So you knew of his habits and offered him money? It was your duty to
+have reported him to me."
+
+"I do not need you, Mr. Blaisdell, or any one else, to tell me what my
+duty is here," replied Houston, with dignity, "I did not know until
+recently to what extent Morgan was gambling, and when a man is in
+trouble, I will never give him a push downward."
+
+One of the workmen just then came to Houston for instructions
+regarding the shipment which he had ordered from Silver City, thus
+attracting Mr. Blaisdell's attention in that direction.
+
+"What is this, Houston?" he exclaimed angrily, "what does this mean?
+You certainly had no right, no authority to order these things; the
+company will not pay one cent toward the burial of a man who has
+proven himself so unworthy of the confidence reposed in him."
+
+"Mr. Blaisdell," said Houston, calmly, but in a tone his employer had
+never heard before, "there is not the least necessity for the company
+to pay one cent, or for you to feel any concern in this matter. I have
+ordered these things myself, personally, upon my own responsibility."
+
+For the first time Mr. Blaisdell had found an employe who evidently
+did not stand in fear of him, and surprise held him silent for a
+moment.
+
+"Very well," he answered, in an altered tone, "but I must say I can
+see no reason for such a quixotic proceeding on your part; I never
+supposed you and Morgan were particular friends."
+
+"Here is my reason," Houston replied, handing him the bit of paper
+bearing Morgan's last words; "When a despairing man, in his last
+moments, appeals to me as his friend, and his only friend, even though
+that man were my worst enemy, I would feel in duty bound to do for him
+everything that a friend could do."
+
+Mr. Blaisdell returned the slip, and there was a new respect indicated
+in tone and manner, as he replied:
+
+"I don't know but you are right, do as you think best. I am going up
+to the camp, you can come whenever you are ready."
+
+"I shall be there in a few hours," said Houston, and they separated.
+
+A little later, everything that he could do had been done, and as
+Houston looked for the last time upon the pale face, where the angel
+of death was already smoothing out the lines traced by the last few
+days of suffering, and softening the features into a look of
+contentment and peace, he was glad that in the last moments of that
+life, there had come faith, even in one human being.
+
+Early the next morning, a little group was gathered in a beautiful,
+secluded spot, on the mountain side, overlooking the station. Houston
+and Van Dorn were there, and a clergyman from a little parish in a
+small town a few miles distant, to whom the sad story had been told,
+read the simple but impressive words of the burial service and offered
+a brief prayer. And, as the weary body was lowered to its final
+resting place, at the foot of the murmuring pines, there came to the
+minds of Houston and Van Dorn the memory of the burial of a class-mate
+in the old college days, and simultaneously their voices rose on the
+clear, morning air, blending in the words chanted on that former
+occasion:----
+
+             "Rest, brother, rest in thy last, long sleep."
+
+Slowly the little company dispersed, each going his own way. Upon
+Houston's mind the events of those last twenty-four hours had left an
+impression never to be effaced, but to most in that community one
+human life, more or less, was of slight significance. To them, life
+was but one great game, in which fortune, reputation, character,
+everything which they possessed, whether much or little, was staked on
+the high card. No wonder that little thought was given to the losers,
+dropping out, one by one!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+
+The following days were crowded with work for Houston. A bookkeeper
+was immediately sent over from Silver City to do the office work, but,
+excepting Houston, the company had no man, both competent and who
+could be trusted, to fill Morgan's position. It was therefore arranged
+that for the next few weeks, until they could ascertain the address of
+a former superintendent, who had recently returned east, and
+communicate with him, Houston was to superintend the working of all
+the mines.
+
+This involved much additional work and responsibility, but Houston
+filled the position so satisfactorily and showed such business tact
+and executive ability, that Mr. Blaisdell, on his return to Silver
+City, had fully determined to retain him permanently as superintendent
+at the mines, and, if possible, secure Barden, their former man, as an
+assistant.
+
+"I tell you, Rivers, that Houston is a capable man, wonderfully
+capable," he said, having related to the remaining officers of the
+company Houston's success in filling Morgan's position.
+
+"It seems to me, Blaisdell," said Mr. Brunnell, the benevolent looking
+old gentleman whom Houston had seen on his first visit to the offices,
+and one of the board of directors, "it seems to me you had better look
+out for him yourself; that young man is rising so fast, he's likely to
+oust you yet."
+
+"Well, no, I guess not," replied Mr. Blaisdell confidently, with his
+complacent smile, "I don't think you fellows could get along without
+me, just yet. I don't know what we would do with him, though, in case
+of any disagreement, he's as independent as though he were a
+millionaire instead of a salaried clerk; he would never care a rap for
+anything we might say, he would take his own way every time," and Mr.
+Blaisdell gave an account of his interview with Houston at the Y.
+
+"Humph!" sniffed Mr. Rivers contemptuously, "You'd better let me
+manage that fellow, Blaisdell, he'll run away with you."
+
+"He'll run away with those mines up there, Blaisdell," chuckled Mr.
+Brunnell, peering over his glasses at the general manager, who was
+strutting pompously about the office.
+
+"Well, you fellows may joke as much as you please," said Mr.
+Blaisdell, a little testily, "I tell you the man is smart."
+
+"Confound it! I know he's smart; I tell you he's too damned smart for
+you!" responded Mr. Rivers, who had very little respect for Mr.
+Blaisdell's business ability, but found him a very convenient
+cat's-paw.
+
+As early as possible after the completion of the new arrangements at
+the mines, Houston and Van Dorn, in accordance with a previous
+engagement, visited Jack at his cabin. The hour was late, and as they
+entered the room already familiar to Houston, a lamp was burning
+brightly, but a heavy screen hung over it, concentrating the light
+upon the table beneath, on which lay various drawings and tracings,
+and allowing only a dim light to pervade the room.
+
+Houston introduced Van Dorn, whom Jack greeted with characteristic
+courtesy, though with something of his old reserve, and having seated
+his guests, he at once proceeded to the discussion of the business
+which had brought them together.
+
+In reply to an inquiry of his regarding the present situation of
+affairs, Houston informed him of the arrangement just completed by
+which he was to have entire charge of the work at the mines for the
+next few weeks, until the coming of Mr. Barden.
+
+"Your present position is much more favorable for your work," replied
+Jack, "it is exceedingly doubtful whether the company will have any
+use for the services of Mr. Barden."
+
+Houston then stated briefly what had been done since Van Dorn's
+arrival, adding in conclusion, "Of course, we would have accomplished
+more within this time, had it not been for the confusion and changes
+resulting from Morgan's sudden death."
+
+"Yes," said Jack, "that has hindered you temporarily, but it will
+result to your advantage. All that I regretted was that an examination
+which I hoped you and Mr. Van Dorn might be able to make last week,
+immediately upon his arrival, will now have to be postponed until next
+week, but even that is better as it is."
+
+"How is that?" inquired Houston, with much interest, "to what do you
+refer?"
+
+"I refer to the Lucky Chance mine; are you familiar with that
+property?"
+
+"Not especially," said Houston, "I have paid no attention to it, as it
+was not one in which our company was interested, nor one of which I
+was in charge. Since the recent change, I have visited the mine once
+with Mr. Blaisdell, but we only went in a short distance, and he
+informed me there was but little work done there, and but few men
+employed."
+
+"Yes," replied Jack, with peculiar emphasis, "but that 'little work'
+as he terms it yields the company a larger percentage than any other
+single mine which they own."
+
+Houston's face expressed considerable astonishment. "You surprise me,"
+he exclaimed, "because I thought I knew their best paying properties,
+and I never would have supposed that was one of them, either from my
+own observation, or from anything I have heard of it."
+
+"It would not be for the interests of the company to have much said
+regarding the mine, or to have the workings investigated very closely.
+You are probably aware that the claim adjoins the Yankee Boy?"
+
+"Certainly," answered Houston, "I am aware of that fact."
+
+"Very well," replied Jack, rising and going to the table. "I have
+prepared some diagrams here which I would like you and Mr. Van Dorn to
+examine. Here you will see," he continued, as they drew their chairs
+near the table," the boundaries and underground workings of the Lucky
+Chance mine, with their approximate measurements. Please look them
+over and see if you detect any irregularities."
+
+Both Houston and Van Dorn studied the diagram carefully for a moment,
+when the latter exclaimed:
+
+"Why, the main tunnel extends more than a hundred feet beyond the
+boundary line."
+
+"Now allow me to substitute this diagram," said Jack, spreading a
+larger tracing before them. "This is the same as the other with the
+addition of a portion of the boundary lines and underground workings
+of the adjoining claim, the Yankee Boy."
+
+"Ah, I see," said Houston, "the tunnel from the Lucky Chance has been
+carried beyond the boundary line in such a direction as to strike the
+vein of the adjoining claim."
+
+"That is it exactly," said Van Dorn, "no wonder the mine pays well!"
+
+"As I stated before," continued Jack, "these measurements, and, to a
+certain extent, the course of the tunnel, are given approximately, as
+I had no means of ascertaining the exact data, but I know they are
+essentially correct. It only remains for you, gentlemen, to verify
+this, by making an examination of the tunnel and taking the courses
+and measurements exactly, and also by comparing the ore now taken out
+with that originally found in the mine, and with the ore of the Yankee
+Boy, and you will then have evidence of the greatest fraud which has
+been perpetrated upon the rightful owners of the Yankee Boy, and which
+has been carried on for the last four or five years."
+
+"But how did you discover this?" asked Houston.
+
+"I first came here," replied Jack, "shortly after the sale of the
+Yankee Boy group of properties had been consummated. Within a few
+months afterward, the company located the Lucky Chance mine;
+development work was carried forward as rapidly as possible, quite a
+number of men being employed, of which I was one. It was evident that
+in locating this mine, the company hoped they had struck an extension
+of the vein of the Yankee Boy lode; it proved of an entirely different
+character, however, yielding rather a low-grade ore. The claim was
+surveyed and patented as soon as the necessary amount of improvements,
+required by law, had been placed upon it. After obtaining patent, the
+company then extended the tunnel in an entirely different direction,
+and, as you will find upon investigation, beyond the boundary line,
+until it intersected a portion of the Yankee Boy vein. Here a body of
+very rich ore was struck, and the mine has been a paying property ever
+since. For this last work very few men were retained, and but few have
+been employed there since, those few being men whom the company
+thought could be trusted, or upon whom they had some hold by which
+they could compel them to silence. I was employed there until very
+recently, and from the first had a thorough understanding of the
+course and extent of the different workings, and consequently am
+perfectly familiar with them."
+
+"Everard," said Van Dorn, for whom work of this kind possessed a
+special attraction, "I think this is just about the kind of an
+expedition we will like."
+
+"I think so myself," Houston replied, "but at the same time, it is the
+most risky piece of work we have yet undertaken, and we will have to
+depend upon our friend here for suggestions and advice. You will of
+course accompany us?" he added, turning to Jack, who had withdrawn
+from the table and was sitting in the dim light.
+
+"Certainly," responded Jack, "it would be a very dangerous undertaking
+for two strangers to go through that part of the mine without a guide
+at any time, especially at night, and it will be at best, a hazardous
+piece of work."
+
+"How many are employed there? and what class of men are they?"
+inquired Houston.
+
+"About a dozen on the night shift," Jack replied, "mostly Cornishmen,
+but whatever their nationality, it is usually the most treacherous
+and brutal men that we have that are employed by the company in that
+mine. Maverick used to work there until he was transferred above
+ground. It will not be necessary for us to come in contact with
+very many of them, however, as they are so widely scattered through
+the mine, and on the night shift next week, there will be four
+men,--a father and three sons,--who will do just about whatever I
+say, especially if a little money is given them. Mr. Houston's new
+position as superintendent, will aid us very materially. A visit from
+him, with me as guide, will not excite suspicion, but Mr. Van Dorn
+will be suspected in a moment, and we must disguise him."
+
+Van Dorn whistled softly.
+
+"Could you assume the Irish dialect, on an occasion like this, Mr. Van
+Dorn?" Jack inquired.
+
+"An' shure," exclaimed Van Dorn, with the broadest accent imaginable,
+"an' will yez be afther tellin' me, be-dad! why I should not shpake me
+own mither tongue?"
+
+Both Houston and Jack laughed at Van Dorn's ready answer.
+
+"You will do," Jack said quietly, but in a tone so rich and musical as
+to chain the attention of his guests while he proceeded to plan the
+details of their visit to the mine.
+
+In an hour or two, the modus operandi had been fully decided upon, and
+nothing remained but to fix the night for their expedition, and this
+it was thought best to leave to be determined by circumstances the
+following week. The instruments needed for taking measurements were to
+be taken down beforehand by Houston, and concealed in a safe place
+near the mine, and on the night of the examination, he was to go from
+the house directly to the mine, where he would be joined by Jack and
+Van Dorn, the latter dressed in a suit of Mike's mining clothes, and
+personating him as closely as possible.
+
+All arrangements being now as nearly complete as possible, Houston and
+Van Dorn bade their host a cordial good night, and walked cheerfully
+homeward, in the cool, night air, under the star-lit sky, all
+unconscious of a pair of eyes, which from behind a large rock, had
+eagerly watched for their appearance, and followed their every
+movement.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+
+As Houston and Van Dorn disappeared around a turn in the road, the
+figure of Haight emerged into the starlight from behind a large rock
+where he had been concealed most of the time during their stay at the
+cabin. Incidently he had seen them on their way to visit Jack, and the
+lateness of the hour combined with the direction in which they were
+going, aroused his curiosity to such a degree that he followed them at
+a distance, and having seen them enter the cabin, his suspicious
+nature was at once on the alert.
+
+"I guess I'll find out what in the devil this means," he said to
+himself, as he paused behind a rock at a little distance, determined
+to ascertain what he could regarding their movements.
+
+It was a long and wearisome watch; once or twice he ventured near the
+cabin, to see whether by closer observation he could obtain any clue
+to what might be going on within, but the closely shaded window gave
+no sign, and beyond an occasional low murmuring of voices, nothing
+disturbed the silence, except once a low, ominous growl from Rex, as
+he caught sight of Haight's skulking figure from his station just
+outside the door.
+
+When at last the door opened, and Houston and Van Dorn stepped forth
+into the calm night, the lynx-eyed watcher failed to detect anything
+beyond a friendly leave-taking, after which the two walked homeward,
+chatting in the most commonplace manner imaginable.
+
+"By George!" he soliloquized, as he followed at a safe distance, "I
+wonder if I haven't had my labor for my pains! But that did look
+mighty queer anyhow, their going 'round to see the old chap, and I'll
+wager there's something in it, too. I shouldn't wonder if that Van
+Dorn is out here in the interest of that old party who was looking at
+mines a while ago, and with Houston's help is going to get a few
+pointers. Jack knows pretty well what is going on around here, and
+may be a little money would make him talk. I'm going to keep watch of
+some of these smart people, and I know of one or two that will help me
+about it. If I can get hold of anything, I'll report it to Rivers;
+Houston has pulled the wool over Blaisdell's eyes, but Rivers won't
+have anybody monkeying round these mines, and if I can once put him on
+the track, there'll be a few less of these swells about, and it will
+be money in my pocket."
+
+Late as it was when Houston and Van Dorn returned to the house, Miss
+Gladden and Lyle had not retired. Houston had told Miss Gladden the
+secret of his business there in the mining camp, and, true to Lyle's
+prediction, he had found her, while quick to realize the dangers of
+his position, yet able to assist him by her readiness to enter into
+his feelings, her interest in his plans and her timely suggestions.
+Once she had met Jack since learning Houston's secret, and in a few,
+well-chosen words, had conveyed to him her knowledge of the fact that
+he was giving her lover aid and protection in his work, and her
+gratitude therefor.
+
+She and Lyle were aware of the import of the visit to the cabin that
+night, and they sat in the dusky shadows, looking out into the night,
+alternately talking in low tones, and listening for the return of
+Houston and his friend.
+
+Miss Gladden was the first to catch the sound of her lover's voice, as
+he and Van Dorn approached the house, and a moment later, they heard
+the ringing laugh of the latter.
+
+"They are evidently in good spirits," remarked Lyle, "their visit must
+have been a satisfactory one."
+
+"Mr. Van Dorn seems so jubilant they must have made some new
+discoveries," said Miss Gladden, "he never seems so happy as when he
+is ferreting out some fraud, or unearthing some dishonest scheme."
+
+"There is material enough here to make his happiness complete for some
+time," said Lyle rather bitterly, "I only wish every one of the guilty
+parties could be brought to justice, but I doubt whether they ever
+will be."
+
+"Why?" exclaimed Miss Gladden in surprise, "do you think Mr. Houston
+will fail after all?"
+
+"No, not that necessarily," Lyle answered, "but even if he succeeds in
+getting his evidence together, and his friends come out from the east,
+I do not believe they will ever succeed in securing the ones who are
+most guilty, who have planned and plotted the whole thing. Over and
+over again, people whom they have wronged and defrauded have brought
+suit against them, but to no purpose; they are continually involved in
+litigation, but they always manage to evade the law in one way or
+another, I do not claim to understand how."
+
+"I would not think they could escape with all the evidence accumulating
+against them now," said Miss Gladden thoughtfully.
+
+"You wouldn't think so," replied Lyle, "but you don't know them. Who
+is that?" she asked suddenly, catching sight in the dim light of a
+figure approaching the house.
+
+"It looks like Haight," said Miss Gladden, "but why is he creeping
+along so cautiously?"
+
+"I believe he has been following Mr. Houston," said Lyle, quickly,
+"wait a minute, keep perfectly quiet, so he will think every one is
+asleep up stairs," and in an instant, she was going swiftly and
+noiselessly down the stairs. The door at the foot of the stairs was
+partially open, and Lyle could hear Haight, as, after opening the
+outside door very carefully, he stepped lightly toward the room
+occupied by Houston and Van Dorn; here he paused and listened, but
+evidently hearing nothing, he cautiously made his way across to the
+room of Mr. and Mrs. Maverick, the door of which was ajar.
+
+"Jim!" he whispered, "Jim, wake up!"
+
+"Who's that? What d'ye want?" came the response in a surly tone.
+
+"Sh! don't make any noise," he whispered, "it's Haight; get up and
+come out on the porch, but be quiet about it; I want to have a talk
+with you."
+
+A muttered assent was given, and Haight tip-toed softly out to the
+porch, and sat down.
+
+Lyle crept up-stairs again to Miss Gladden.
+
+"Don't be frightened," she said, "but I believe Haight must have seen
+or heard something;" and she hastily told what she had overheard.
+
+"Now," said she in conclusion, "the window on the porch is open, and
+as soon as they are both outside, I will go there and listen. Even if
+I cannot hear all that is said I will probably catch enough to learn
+what is going on. You wait for me and keep perfectly quiet."
+
+A few moments later, Maverick shuffled out on the porch and sat down
+beside Haight with a growl.
+
+"Damned pretty time, I sh'd think, to talk! What in hell do you
+want?"
+
+"Well, you were long enough getting out here," said Haight, in his
+smoothest tones, all unaware of a figure that had glided to the open
+window behind him, and now knelt within six feet of him. "Now quit
+your growling, for you and I are good friends, Jim, and I want your
+advice. Jim," he continued in a lower tone, "what would you think two
+fellows like Houston and Van Dorn would want with that old chap,
+Jack?"
+
+"Huh?" said Maverick, rather stupidly, "what are ye drivin' at?"
+
+"Wake up! you're half asleep, Jim! Your two dandy boarders here only
+just came home about twenty minutes ago; they've been for the last
+three or four hours down there in Jack's cabin, with the windows all
+shut tight and curtains down, and still as death. What do you suppose
+that means?"
+
+"Damned if I know," was the laconic response.
+
+"Now, Jim, don't be so uncommunicative; there may be something in this
+for you and me if we just put our heads together, 'two heads are
+better than one,' you know, so set your thinking machine to work and
+grind out some ideas."
+
+"Well," said Maverick, slowly, "I dun'no what that Houston, damn him,
+would be runnin' 'round after Jack for, unless he wanted to get some
+p'inters on the mines some way."
+
+"That's it, go ahead!" said Haight.
+
+"Houston," continued Maverick, with an oath and applying a vile
+epithet, "is too all-fired smart to notice anybody, and Jack's
+another, so they'd be likely to hitch."
+
+"That's right," said Haight, "now what object would he be likely to
+have in getting information from Jack?"
+
+"I dun'no," said the other, "unless mebbe he's paid by somebody on the
+outside."
+
+"Well," said Haight, "I guess we've got about the same idea of it;
+it's my opinion he is paid by somebody, and that somebody is Van Dorn,
+or whoever's backing him. I don't put much stock in this machinery
+business of his; he don't act like a fellow that needs to go peddling
+machines about the country, and I notice he don't seem in any great
+rush about putting it up, now he's got here; he ain't one of the kind
+that has to rustle for a living, like you and me. I think he's just
+out here getting pointers on the mines for that old fellow that was
+here a while ago, and he's probably paying Houston a good, round sum
+for helping him along, and now they've got Jack roped in on the
+deal."
+
+"Well," said Maverick savagely, "if that's their game, I guess 'twill
+be dead easy stoppin' it any time we're a mind to; these 'ere mines is
+awfully unsafe places for a tenderfoot to be prowlin' 'round in," and
+he laughed a cruel laugh, very familiar to the listener at the
+window.
+
+"That's so," assented Haight, "I think we'd better keep close watch of
+these fellows, and if they get too fresh, just have 'em laid out with
+a sandbag or two."
+
+"Better'n that," said Maverick, "to take 'em some time in the mines;
+folks like them are likely to get dizzy and fall some times, or get in
+the way of the ore buckets and be knocked silly."
+
+"Well, I'll tell you what I want you to do; I'll keep watch, and if I
+know of their going down to the cabin again, I want you to put some
+men on to watch out for them; we'll investigate and find out what is
+going on. Put on what men you please, and have them report to me, and
+we'll find out what this means, and make our plans accordingly."
+
+"That there's a damned ticklish place to get any of the men to go late
+at night," said Maverick reflectively.
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"That place is harnted, ye know, by the man on the spotted horse."
+
+"Oh, nonsense!" ejaculated Haight.
+
+"It's a fact though; he rides up and down there once in a while, and I
+wouldn't want ter see him myself."
+
+"Oh, hang your ghost!" said Haight, impatiently, "tell your men if
+they see it to shoot it."
+
+"That wouldn't do no good," responded Maverick doggedly, "It's the
+sight of it brings bad luck, and sometimes death. There was a fellow
+here two years ago, he seen it one night, and the next day he was
+killed in the mines; they said the ghost had called him."
+
+"Well," said Haight, rising, "It would be well if your ghost would
+only call Houston and Van Dorn some night; but I want you to do as I
+say, anyway."
+
+Lyle, who had caught nearly every word of this conversation, now rose
+quickly and retreated to the kitchen, knowing she would there be safe
+from detection, and could also judge of their movements. Nothing
+further was said, however; Haight went stealthily up-stairs to his
+room, and Maverick, after cursing to himself a few moments, was soon
+snoring profoundly, and Lyle then returned to Miss Gladden's room. She
+felt a sickening sensation as she repeated the conversation to her
+friend, and realized all that it meant. Miss Gladden was inexpressibly
+shocked:
+
+"Lyle, my dear child, is it possible that they would go to such
+extreme limits as that. I had thought that he would be in danger of
+some assault in the dark, or something of that kind, but to trap him
+in the mines! I never dreamed of anything so cowardly, so dastardly!
+He will be in constant danger in the performance of his daily round of
+duties."
+
+"Dear Leslie," said Lyle,--for thus Miss Gladden had of late requested
+her to address her,--"I have told you, you did not realize what a
+place this is, and the worst of all is, that it is my father who is
+planning this, after all the kindness which you and Mr. Houston have
+shown me! What must you think of us?"
+
+"Of you, my dear child? I love you and trust you the same as ever,"
+exclaimed Miss Gladden impulsively, "he is no father of yours!"
+
+Lyle, in her grief, did not notice the import of Miss Gladden's words,
+but she exclaimed passionately:
+
+"I will never call that man father again as long as I live, and if it
+ever comes to that, I will shoot him, rather than let him injure Mr.
+Houston." Then, a moment later, she added more calmly:
+
+"I must not allow myself to become excited, I must think and plan. Do
+you know, I was so glad that they have not, as yet, found the real
+clue to what is going on, and do not even suspect the truth, and they
+must not be allowed even to surmise it; as long as they do not, Mr.
+Houston is comparatively safe, and they must not be allowed to watch
+him, or get any clue to his movements."
+
+"But how can you prevent it, dear? You know the country and the people
+so much better than I, that you can plan and direct far better than I
+can; you command, dear Lyle, and you will find me ready to obey,
+afraid of nothing, not death itself, if I can only help him and save
+him from his enemies."
+
+"You had better write a note to him to-night, to give him quietly in
+the morning, as you may not have an opportunity for a long talk with
+him so early, and tell him what I have told you. Then he can probably
+make arrangements with Jack by writing, so that he will not need to go
+to the cabin again at present; or, if necessary, I can go for him."
+
+"But what will they do about their intended examination of the mines?
+They will surely be watched then."
+
+"All they can do is to make their plans as quietly and secretly as
+possible, and then go prepared for the worst, but I think I can help
+them there; I have a scheme of my own, something that occurred to me
+while listening to their conversation, which I will tell you later."
+
+The note was written, and it was nearly daylight, when the two at last
+retired, to rest possibly, but not to sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+
+For the next ensuing days there were no more visits to the cabin.
+According to Lyle's suggestion, a few notes were quietly exchanged
+between Houston and Jack; thus their plans were maturing, while there
+was nothing which outsiders could detect.
+
+Meanwhile, Haight had bestowed considerable attention upon Miss
+Araminta Bixby, to the unspeakable delight of that individual, and had
+so ingratiated himself into her favor that she only too gladly
+consented to play the part of spy on the movements of Houston and Van
+Dorn. The two Maverick boys had also agreed to report to him whatever
+they were able to learn concerning these two.
+
+Houston and Van Dorn, however, did not seem quite so intimate of late.
+They were apparently as good friends as ever, but were not so
+frequently seen together. Nearly every evening, Van Dorn started out
+for a stroll, sometimes with Lyle, sometimes alone, often sauntering
+in the direction of the cabin, but never seen to enter; while Houston,
+after spending an hour or two with Miss Gladden, would walk down to
+the mines, and entering the various tunnels, or descending the shafts
+of one mine and another, would watch the night shift at their work, or
+inspect the workings, occasionally taking measurements here and there.
+On one of these trips Jack accompanied him, and on their return, they
+completed the arrangements for the visit to the Lucky Chance mine, the
+following night.
+
+On the afternoon of the next day, Houston returned to the house a
+little earlier than usual, having finished his work for the day at the
+mines and mills, and as he with Miss Gladden and Lyle, sat in the
+little porch, they were joined a few moments later by Van Dorn. In low
+tones the plans for the evening were discussed.
+
+"Of course," said Houston, "we shall go prepared for trouble, but I
+do not anticipate that we shall meet with any. Even if we are watched,
+our course of procedure will differ so slightly from what we have
+followed for a week past, I think it will not excite suspicion."
+
+"They have watched me so many evenings to no purpose, they may be off
+guard to-night," said Van Dorn.
+
+"Don't flatter yourself that you will escape 'Minty's' espionage for a
+single night," replied Lyle, "she would remain out all night watching
+you to gain a smile from Haight in the morning."
+
+Van Dorn laughed. "So it is the charming Miss Bixby whose watchful eye
+is upon me!" he exclaimed, "I think I will have to enter the lists as
+Haight's rival, and see if I cannot win such faithful devotion upon
+the right side."
+
+"After you are gone," said Lyle, "I will soon be able to tell whether
+there will be men sent out to watch you to-night; and I shall act
+accordingly," she added, with a smile at Miss Gladden.
+
+"Why, Miss Maverick, what will you do?" inquired Van Dorn, "you must
+not expose yourself in any way."
+
+"I will be in no danger," she answered smiling.
+
+"I have no idea what Lyle intends to do," said Houston, "but I have
+great confidence in her plans, for she knows this class of people
+better than we, and I have found her judgment to be relied upon, on
+every occasion so far."
+
+Lyle's beautiful eyes spoke her thanks for his words of appreciation,
+as she asked:
+
+"At what hour will you have completed the examination, and be ready to
+leave the mine?"
+
+"Probably very near twelve o'clock," Houston replied, "we cannot
+accomplish our work much before that time, and I do not wish to be out
+much later."
+
+"Well," said Lyle, merrily, but with a slightly mysterious air, "if
+you are out at that hour, you may see the phantom horse and his
+rider."
+
+"Why, how is that?" inquired Van Dorn wonderingly, while Houston
+remarked:
+
+"If we see nothing more than phantoms, we shall be very happily
+disappointed."
+
+"All right," she responded, "if the ghost walks to-night, don't be
+surprised," and hearing some one enter the dining room to make
+preparations for the evening meal, she left them, and the subject of
+conversation changed immediately.
+
+A few hours later, Houston started as usual for the mines. There was
+nothing out of the ordinary course of affairs in this, except that the
+leave-taking between him and Leslie was unusually tender, but of this
+no one knew but themselves. A little earlier, Van Dorn had left for
+his customary stroll, giving Lyle an invitation to accompany him,
+which she declined on the plea of being very busy. She immediately
+withdrew to the kitchen, and smiled to herself presently, as she saw
+Minty, with an air of great importance, starting out in the same
+direction. She had been gone about half an hour, when Lyle, who was
+again seated in the porch, caught sight of her moon-shaped face
+peering around the corner of the house in frantic endeavors to attract
+Haight's attention. As he was facing in almost an opposite direction,
+her efforts were unavailing, and Lyle, who could with difficulty
+restrain a smile, added to her embarrassment by inquiring in the
+blandest tones:
+
+"What is it, Araminta? do you wish to see me?"
+
+At the mention of her name, Haight turned suddenly, just as the
+blushing Miss Bixby was stammering out his name, and catching his eye,
+she began nodding vigorously, to signify the importance of her
+errand.
+
+For once, Haight's punctilious suavity upon which he prided himself,
+deserted him, and exclaiming, partly in anger, and partly as a blind,
+"Confound it! what does the fool want of me?" he disappeared around
+the house, while Lyle exchanged glances with Miss Gladden, and the
+inoffensive young bookkeeper, recently imported from Silver City,
+looked on in mute astonishment.
+
+At the kitchen door, Haight found his agent and spy, her face shining
+with delight that she at last had some news to impart.
+
+"He's went in there to-night, Mr. Haight," she cried breathlessly, "I
+seen him; I've watched him every night, but he's never went in till
+to-night."
+
+"You fool!" exclaimed Haight, angrily, "why couldn't you come around
+and give me the tip on the quiet, instead of standing there grimacing
+like an idiot, making a fool of yourself and me, too? Where are the
+boys?"
+
+Such a greeting was too much for Minty, after her faithfulness; her
+anger was too great even for words, she was speechless and without
+deigning even a look at Haight, she went into the house, and rushing
+to her room, burst into a storm of tears, vowing then and there,
+between her sobs, that she would tell Mr. Van Dorn every word that
+Haight had said about him.
+
+Meanwhile, Lyle, from her post of observation in the kitchen, saw
+Haight call Jim Maverick out from among a group of miners who had
+congregated for an evening's visit, and after a few words, Maverick
+signaled to one of the miners, who, with his two companions, came over
+and joined them. A few moments later the three started down the road,
+and Lyle heard Haight's final instructions to them:
+
+"Get onto what those fellows are about, if you have to stay till
+morning, and if you want any help, send Jake back."
+
+She knew the men; they were cruel and treacherous, and she was
+confident that they were well armed, but they were at the same time,
+cowards, and returning to Miss Gladden, she whispered:
+
+"I shall try my little experiment to-night, and I do not believe there
+will be any trouble."
+
+It was quite dark when the men who had been sent to watch for Van Dorn
+reached the little cabin. A lamp was burning within, as could be told
+by the lines of light around the edge of the dark shade at the window,
+but beyond this, there was neither sign nor sound. Having assured
+themselves that there was no way by which they could ascertain what
+was going on within, the men sat down behind a little clump of
+evergreens, and filling their pipes, prepared to await developments.
+Scarcely had they done so, however, when the light suddenly went out.
+
+"What the divil do they think they're givin' us?" said one of the men,
+with an oath.
+
+"They seen us mos' likely, and they're tryin' to fool us that there's
+nobody there."
+
+"They can't play no such trick on us as that, damn 'em," said the
+first speaker, but at that instant the cabin door opened, and two
+figures came out. The men sprang quickly to their feet, making no
+sound, and listening intently. They heard the lock click in the door,
+and Jack's voice bidding Rex take care of the house, to which he
+barked in reply; and then came Mike's broad voice:
+
+"The saints presarve us! but the baste knows more than mony a mon, I'm
+afther thinkin'."
+
+"That he does," replied Jack, "and he is far more faithful."
+
+The men, astonished, slunk back into the brush, their keen eyes
+watching every movement of the two as they passed; there was no
+mistaking those figures, or the rough clothes which they wore; it was
+Jack and Mike, and their powerful muscle was too well known throughout
+the camp, for any man, even the most brutal, to have the slightest
+wish to tackle either of them.
+
+As Jack and his companion passed out of hearing, the men dropped to
+the ground, and for a moment the air resounded with their profanity,
+while they held a brief consultation.
+
+"They've tricked us, and that feller's hidin' 'round here," said the
+leader, "or else he went on ahead to the mines; he hadn't no time to
+go back to the house, for we'd 'a met 'im. There's somethin' in the
+wind to-night," he added with an oath, "and I'm goin' to find out what
+'tis. You fellers git after them two and keep 'em in sight; the boss
+is down there, and mebbe the other feller, too; if ye see 'im, send
+Jake to me, and I'll come 'round there and we'll lay for 'em. If he
+ain't there, he's here, hidin' somewhere, and I'll watch and settle
+his hash for 'im all right when he does show up."
+
+"We'd better git some more of the boys," said Jake, "if we're goin' to
+tackle them fellers with Jack and Mike along; that ain't no kind of a
+job I'm hankerin' after."
+
+"You damned fool!" said the first speaker, "who's said anything 'bout
+Jack and Mike? They'll come back the way they've went, and them others
+will start up the canyon for the house, and if we three can't hold
+'em up, my name ain't Pete Brody; now git!"
+
+Jack and his partner had met Houston in the Yankee Boy mine. As they
+emerged from the shaft a little later, the piercing eyes of Jack and
+Houston caught a glimpse of two figures skulking among the rocks at a
+distance. Van Dorn was at a slight disadvantage, being somewhat
+near-sighted, and having been obliged to take off his glasses when
+donning Mike's costume.
+
+"I know them," said Jack, "they are two of the three that were outside
+the cabin, and one of them is about the biggest coward that breathes;
+we could dispose of a regiment of such men, but I prefer to get along
+without trouble if we can."
+
+They started for the other mine, Houston taking the lead and Van Dorn
+following, while Jack brought up the rear.
+
+"They are following us," said Jack, after two or three quick glances
+behind him, "but at a distance; we will probably have a nearer view of
+them later, when we leave the mine."
+
+As they proceeded through the tunnel of the Lucky Chance mine, they
+met very few of the miners; they touched their caps to Houston with a
+sort of sullen civility, and greeted his companions with rough jests,
+which Jack received with his usual taciturn manner, but to which Van
+Dorn, from underneath his disguise, responded with bits of Irish
+blarney and wit, which greatly amused his associates.
+
+Meanwhile, Pete Brody, as he kept his solitary watch before the cabin,
+was surprised by the sudden return of Jake.
+
+"Have ye found 'im?" he inquired eagerly, "Is he down there with the
+boss?"
+
+"No, he's not there."
+
+"Then, what in hell are you back here for?"
+
+"Bud sent me," answered Jake; "he said to tell ye they've gone into
+the Lucky Chance, and what do ye be thinkin' o' that?"
+
+"The Lucky Chance!" exclaimed Pete, "then there's some diviltry a
+goin' sure, for the old man, he don't let nobody into that mine
+'thout he's along; and if that Van-what's-his-name ain't down there
+he's right here, that's all, and here I stays."
+
+"And me and Bud, we're to watch out for the boss?"
+
+"Yes, lay for 'im and overhaul 'im, and find out what the divil is
+goin' on."
+
+"I guess he's a pretty tough feller to handle, from all I've heerd,"
+remarked Jake reflectively.
+
+Pete responded with an oath. "Knock 'im silly, he'll be easy 'nough
+handlin' then."
+
+"Ye don't mean for to do 'im up, do ye Pete?"
+
+"Well, I guess nobody'd feel very bad if ye did."
+
+Jake went down the road, and Pete was alone once more. After waiting a
+while, he determined to ascertain, if possible, whether there was any
+one within the cabin. As he approached the door, there was a low
+savage growl from the faithful watcher within. Very stealthily he
+tried to open the door, but it was locked, and in response there was
+such a furious onset upon the other side, accompanied by such fierce
+growls, that he started back involuntarily.
+
+It was nearly twelve o'clock, and Pete was growing desperate, and
+anxious to put an end to his long watch. He retreated to the road, and
+stood looking at the cabin, trying to decide whether he should break
+in the window and shoot the dog, and run the risk of being shot in
+return by whoever might be concealed within, when his attention was
+suddenly arrested by a strange sound, as of heavily muffled footsteps
+close behind him. He turned quickly, and in the starlight beheld a
+sight that seemed to chill the blood in his veins. Not more than fifty
+feet distant, and slowly approaching him, were the spotted horse and
+his ghostly rider.
+
+Every detail was perfect, like the description he had often heard
+given by others who had seen the frightful apparition: the man dressed
+in his miner's clothes, carrying the empty bag from which the gold had
+been stolen; his face ghastly white, and the blood streaming from his
+breast, while horse and rider were partially shrouded by a white
+covering which floated from behind them.
+
+Nearer and nearer came those strange footsteps, closer and closer the
+fearful sight, and still Pete stood, as if turned to stone, his eyes
+starting from their sockets, his hair rising, but unable to move or
+speak.
+
+Suddenly a long, low groan issuing from the ghastly lips seemed to
+break the spell, and with one terrible shriek, Pete gave two or three
+bounds out of the road, and ran for his life, jumping and leaping over
+the rocks and through the brush, like a wild man.
+
+The ghost gave a low, rippling laugh of satisfaction, and turning the
+horse, rode rapidly back in the direction from which it had come,
+until striking the road from the house to the mines, where the horse
+trotted briskly for some distance, but on nearing the mines, once more
+resumed his funereal pace.
+
+The two men concealed in the brush along the road had no warning of
+the approaching phantom, until they caught the sound of the strange
+footsteps, and peered cautiously out, only to see the fearful sight
+that Pete beheld shortly before.
+
+"Holy Moses!" exclaimed Jake, with a yell, "it's the ghost!" The men
+jumped simultaneously into the road, and started for the miners'
+quarters, screaming like maniacs. The ghost followed in swift pursuit
+until they were some distance past the mines; the men then being
+safely disposed of with no danger of their return, it turned slowly in
+the direction of the Lucky Chance mine.
+
+Houston and his friends, having accomplished their task, stepped forth
+from the tunnel into the starlight, looking carefully and searchingly
+in every direction.
+
+"There is no one to be seen at present," said Houston in low tones,
+"they may be concealed about here, or we may meet them on the road to
+the house."
+
+"Very probably," Jack replied, "we must now proceed with the utmost
+caution. Mr. Van Dorn and I will accompany you to the house, and he
+had better then go with me to the cabin, in case there should be spies
+watching for our return, and it will be safer for him to remain there
+until nearly daylight, as none of the men will be out at that time,
+and he can return to the house unobserved."
+
+They had gone but a short distance, however, when, passing around a
+curve in the road, they beheld a sight that filled them with
+astonishment.
+
+"Shades of the departed!" exclaimed Houston, "what kind of an
+apparition is this?"
+
+Jack studied the approaching figures for an instant, a smile of
+amusement lighting up his usually stern features, while Van Dorn
+hastily slipped on his glasses for a better view.
+
+"That," said Jack, "is evidently the famous phantom of Spotted Horse
+gulch, but who has originated the idea?"
+
+"It must be Lyle," said Houston, "she said the ghost would walk
+to-night."
+
+"Well, by George!" exclaimed Van Dorn, "that is pretty good anyway."
+
+Slowly the ghost approached, giving the interested observers an
+opportunity to note the details of the make-up; the ghastly face, the
+heavy beard of dark colored wool, the narrow strips of red flannel
+streaming from breast and side, and even the heavy woolen socks upon
+the horse's feet, muffling the sound of his steps. Suddenly the slouch
+hat was raised, and the shining eyes of Lyle looked out from the
+strange disguise, as she announced in triumphant tones:
+
+"The road is clear, and you are safe!"
+
+"Lyle," said Houston, "how did you ever think of this? Did you devise
+this masquerade?"
+
+"The idea was mine," she answered, "it occurred to me the other night
+while listening to their talk, but Miss Gladden helped me to carry it
+out."
+
+"And was it a success?" asked Van Dorn wonderingly, having more
+practical knowledge of mines than of miners, "Were the men frightened?"
+
+"You would have thought so, could you have seen Pete Brody," Lyle
+replied, with a low laugh, "I believe he is running yet, and I
+wouldn't be surprised if Jake has lost what few wits he ever
+possessed."
+
+"It was one of the best schemes that could have been devised," said
+Jack, gravely, adding, "We probably owe you more than we know."
+
+Quietly and safely the little party proceeded up the winding road, and
+having reached their several destinations, all were soon at rest. Even
+the spotted horse, securely stabled in his accustomed place, gravely
+munched his wisp of hay without a thought of the ghostly escapade in
+which he had borne so prominent a part.
+
+But in the miners' quarters consternation reigned, as Pete and Bud
+related their experiences, Jake being utterly incapacitated for
+speech. Even to Jack and Van Dorn, Mike had a fearful tale to tell of
+the sight he had witnessed, while alone with Rex in the cabin, and it
+was some time before his perturbed Irish fancies could be soothed; and
+"the night that the ghost walked," was one long remembered and
+frequently recalled by many of the denizens of the little mining
+camp.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+
+After the events leading up to the examination of the Lucky Chance
+mine, it was considered best for a while to pursue very nearly the
+same line of conduct that had been followed for the last ten days,
+carefully avoiding any abrupt change which might attract attention.
+All necessary data had now been secured, and Houston felt that he
+could better afford to remain quiet for a brief time and reconnoiter
+the situation, than by any hasty move to excite further suspicion at
+the present time.
+
+At the breakfast table the next morning, however, the thoughts of all
+present were partially diverted into different channels, by the
+arrival of a telegram for Houston which proved to be a message from
+Ned Rutherford, to the effect that he and his brother were on their
+way to Silver City, and would be at the mining camp within the next
+twenty-four or thirty-six hours.
+
+Haight had been exceedingly angry on learning from Maverick, early in
+the morning, of the failure of the men to report anything definite
+concerning the movements of those whom they had been sent out to
+watch. He had accomplished nothing, and was uncertain what course next
+to pursue, and he too, decided to remain quiet for the present. He
+continued to watch Houston and Van Dorn, his ugly suspicions only half
+concealed by the smiling exterior which he tried to assume. He had
+hastened to make peace with Minty, as he feared the results which
+might follow should his plottings become known to Houston, not
+dreaming that the latter had woven such a web around, not the mining
+company alone, but including also its principal employes, that in
+remaining where he was, a fate far worse than his fears awaited him.
+
+During the day, Miss Gladden and Lyle busied themselves with
+preparations for the expected guests. A room on the ground floor,
+adjoining and connecting with the one occupied by Houston and Van
+Dorn, and with a view of the lake and cascades, was put in readiness;
+and books, sketches and bric-a-brac contributed by Houston and Miss
+Gladden, and tastefully arranged by Lyle, relieved the blank walls and
+plain furniture, and made the place look quite attractive.
+
+Houston was jubilant over the information acquired by their expedition
+of the previous night; nothing out of the usual course occurred that
+day, and returning earlier from his customary visit to the mines than
+he had done of late, the remainder of the evening was devoted to music
+and song.
+
+After Miss Gladden and Lyle had gone up-stairs, they sat for some time
+talking over the events of the last few days, and anticipating the
+coming of Rutherford and his brother on the morrow. Many were Miss
+Gladden's surmises regarding the stranger, and Lyle then learned for
+the first time that he was an intimate friend of Houston's.
+
+"Everard tells me that though Ned is a pleasant fellow and good
+hearted, yet he is not in the least like his brother. He says Morton,
+as he always calls him, is a most perfect gentleman in every sense of
+the word, and a scholar of rare intellectual attainments, fond of
+scientific research, and a brilliant writer."
+
+"I judged from his picture that the two brothers were very unlike,"
+said Lyle, "and from your description he will be in many respects a
+new specimen to come under my limited observation; I will have to make
+a study of him, and see if he is at all like my idea of a literary
+person. I would not suppose, though, there would be much to interest
+him here; the only rarities he will find are possibly new phases of
+ignorance and coarseness and crime."
+
+Miss Gladden thought, as she looked at Lyle, that if the new-comer did
+not find rare beauty of mind and soul, as well as of form and face, in
+that secluded region, he certainly must be very unappreciative; but
+she only said:
+
+"You seem to have forgotten what Ned said of his brother, that his
+love of the beautiful was so intense, he doubted whether he would ever
+want to leave the scenery and surroundings here."
+
+"That was simply one of Mr. Rutherford's extravagant expressions,"
+Lyle replied, "the natural surroundings here are certainly beautiful,
+but their beauty only makes the conditions mentally and morally the
+more painfully conspicuous, and if I can see the contrast so plainly,
+who have always lived here and known no other life, how must it look
+to one such as he!"
+
+"Why do you always insist upon it so strongly that you have never
+known any other life than this?" inquired Miss Gladden.
+
+"Why?" asked Lyle, in surprise, "I suppose simply because it is a
+fact, the one hateful truth that I despise, and so I say it over and
+over to myself, to check these foolish dream-fancies of mine, that
+seem as if I had known something better sometime."
+
+Lyle spoke with more bitterness than Miss Gladden had ever heard
+before, and the latter answered gently:
+
+"If I were in your place, Lyle dear, I would not try to check these
+fancies; I would encourage them."
+
+Lyle gazed at her friend in astonishment. "Encourage them!" she
+repeated, "I don't understand your meaning, why would you advise
+that?"
+
+"To see to what they would lead, my dear." Then, as Lyle looked
+bewildered, she continued:
+
+"Did it never occur to you, Lyle, that these fancies, as you call
+them, might possibly be an effort on the part of memory to recall
+something, long ago forgotten?"
+
+"I never thought of such a possibility," she replied, slowly.
+
+Miss Gladden threw one arm about her caressingly.
+
+"If these were mere fancies why should they occur so persistently, and
+why should there be this sense of familiarity, of which you have
+spoken, with other and far different associations than these, unless
+there is some distinct image hidden away in the recesses of your
+brain, which your mind is trying to recall?"
+
+Lyle had grown very pale; she had caught the idea which Miss Gladden
+was trying to convey, and her form trembled, while her lips and
+delicate nostrils quivered with suppressed agitation.
+
+"Leslie," she cried, "do you mean that you think it possible there is
+any reality in it,--that I have ever known a different life from
+this,--a life anything like that which seems to come back to me?"
+
+"I think it not only possible, but probable," said her friend, drawing
+the trembling girl closer to herself, "and that is why I want you to
+encourage these impressions, and see if you will not, after a time, be
+able to recall the past more definitely."
+
+"But why do you believe this?" questioned Lyle, "How did you ever
+think of it?"
+
+"When you first told me of your fancies, as you called them, and of
+your dreams, constantly recurring since your earliest childhood, I
+felt that they must be produced by something that had really occurred,
+some time in the past, but perhaps so long ago that only the faintest
+impression was left upon your mind; but however faint, to me it seemed
+proof that the reality had existed. The more I have questioned you,
+the more I have become convinced of this, and I find I am not alone in
+my opinion."
+
+"Have you talked with Jack, and does he think as you do?" Lyle
+questioned. Miss Gladden answered in the affirmative.
+
+"Is that the reason he has asked me so often regarding my early
+life?"
+
+"Yes, he has questioned you, hoping you might be able to recall
+something of those years which you say seem to you only a blank. We
+can only surmise regarding your early life, but if you could recall
+some slight incident, or some individual, it might prove whether our
+surmises were correct." Then, as Lyle remained silent, Miss Gladden
+continued:
+
+"That face which you always see in your dreams, must be the face of
+some one you have really seen and known."
+
+"Yes," Lyle answered dreamily, "I have often thought of that, and have
+tried to remember when, or where, it could have been."
+
+For a few moments, both were silent; Lyle, in her abstraction,
+loosened her hair, and it fell around her like a veil of fine-spun
+gold. An idea suddenly occurred to Miss Gladden, and rising from her
+chair, she gathered up the golden mass, and began to rearrange and
+fasten it, Lyle scarcely heeding her action, so absorbed was she in
+thought.
+
+When she had completed her work, she looked critically at Lyle for a
+moment, and seeming satisfied with the result, asked her to look in
+the glass. Half mechanically, Lyle did as requested, but at the first
+glance at the face reflected there, she uttered a low cry, and stood
+as if transfixed. Miss Gladden had arranged her hair in a style worn
+nearly twenty years before, and in imitation of the photograph which
+Jack had shown her. The effect was magical, as it showed Lyle's face
+to be an exact counterpart of the beautiful pictured face.
+
+To Lyle it revealed much more, for to her astonished gaze there was
+brought back, with life-like distinctness and realism, the face of her
+dreams; the one which she had seen bending tenderly over her since her
+earliest recollection, and which had seemed so often to comfort her in
+the days of her childish griefs when she had sobbed herself to sleep.
+
+Suddenly, Miss Gladden saw the face in the glass grow deathly white,
+and Lyle, quickly turning toward her friend, exclaimed:
+
+"I see it now! That is my mother's face that I have seen in my dreams!
+And I have seen it living some time, somewhere, but not here. These
+people are not my parents; I am no child of theirs. Oh, Leslie, tell
+me, is this true?"
+
+Very gently Miss Gladden soothed the excited girl, telling her that
+while her friends knew nothing as yet, for a certainty, regarding her
+parentage, they felt that she, in her early life, had had a home and
+surroundings far different from those she knew here, and that they
+hoped ere long, with her help, to arrive at the whole truth.
+
+"But how did I ever come to live here with these people?" inquired
+Lyle, a new fear dawning in her eyes, "do you suppose they were hired
+to take me?"
+
+"No, never," said Miss Gladden, "as nearly as we can judge, you must
+have been stolen."
+
+"And do you think my own parents are now living?" she asked.
+
+So far as she was able to do so, Miss Gladden explained the situation,
+as Jack had told it to her, making no reference, however, to what he
+had said regarding the possibility of Lyle's friends coming to the
+mountains, where they would be likely to recognize her. Of this, Miss
+Gladden herself understood so little, she thought best not to allude
+to it now.
+
+"But why has Jack never told me of this, and of my mother? He must
+have known her," said Lyle.
+
+"You must remember, dear, that he had no proof that any such relation
+really existed; as I understood him, he with others, supposed that
+this child was not living, but he was struck with the resemblance
+between you and the mother of this child, and the relationship
+occurred to him at first as the merest possibility, but grew almost to
+a certainty, as the resemblance between you increased; and yet, you
+can see that under the circumstances, while you were under the control
+and in the power of these people, it would not be best to say anything
+until he had some proof as to your identity."
+
+"I see," Lyle answered, thoughtfully, "but now that I remember her as
+my mother, do you suppose that he would talk with me about her, or
+help me to find my true relatives?"
+
+"I hardly know how to answer you," said Miss Gladden slowly, "there is
+some mystery about it all, dear, that I do not understand; he might
+perhaps talk more freely with you, but with me he appeared willing to
+say very little regarding your mother, or your friends. Still, he gave
+me a hint, so vague and shadowy I scarcely understood it, but to the
+effect that he thought there might, before long, be an opportunity
+for a meeting between you and those whom he believed to be your
+friends."
+
+"Well," said Lyle, after a pause, "Jack is a true friend to me, he
+knows what is best, and I can afford to wait with even such a
+possibility to look forward to. I will not wait in idleness either, I
+shall try to find some clue, some evidence as to who I really am, and
+something tells me I will succeed." Then she added tenderly, "Do you
+know, I believe, whoever my mother may have been, Jack must have loved
+her."
+
+"She certainly was very dear to him," replied Miss Gladden.
+
+They talked till far into the morning hours, and as they finally
+separated for the night, Lyle approached her friend, and throwing her
+arms about her neck, she exclaimed, almost in tears:
+
+"Oh, Leslie, you can never know how glad I am that you have shown me
+this, and shown it to me to-night! I have felt so disgraced, so
+degraded by the life here, it seemed as if I were a part of it all, a
+part of my own hateful surroundings but now, I know I am not; now,"
+she continued, lifting her head proudly and raising her arms slowly
+with a beautiful gesture, "they can fetter me no longer! The chains
+that have held me so long and so cruelly are already bursting; even
+now, I can rise above them; soon, I shall be free!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+
+Do coming events cast their shadows before? Did the silently-waving
+pinions of the angel who "troubled the waters" give any hint of his
+beneficent approach? However that may be, certain it is that on the
+morning of the day in which the hitherto untroubled depths of Lyle's
+womanly nature were to be stirred by the mightiest of influences,
+there came to her a prescience, thrilling and vibrating through her
+whole being, that this day was to be the crisis, the turning point of
+her life. On that day, she was to meet one whose influence upon her
+own life she felt would be far greater than that of any human being
+she could recall.
+
+Lyle was not in love. As yet, she knew nothing of what love might be,
+but she possessed rare depth of feeling. In her lonely, secluded life,
+she had known few emotions, but those few were deep and lasting; and
+when, a few months before, she had incidentally seen the photograph of
+Morton Rutherford,--only one among many, all unknown to her,--it had
+left an impression upon her heart and brain, never to be effaced.
+
+His was no ordinary face; it would attract the most casual observer,
+and to one gifted with Lyle's wonderful insight and perception, and
+possessing her fine susceptibilities, there would be revealed such
+rare strength and beauty of mind and character combined, that, once
+seen, it might not be easily forgotten.
+
+To Lyle, in her isolation, it seemed a glimpse of a kindred soul, and
+she had often wondered what the living face itself might be, and what
+acquaintance and friendship with such a soul might mean. She had
+looked forward to his coming to the camp with mingled pleasure and
+dread. She thoroughly understood the position which she held in the
+estimation of the younger Mr. Rutherford; would his brother regard her
+with the same half pitying, half patronizing admiration? Would her
+narrow, restricted life seem so small and poor to him, with his
+superior attainments, that he would altogether ignore her? Or would he
+be able, like Mr. Houston and Miss Gladden, to overlook her hateful
+and hated environment, and help her rise above it?
+
+These were the questions which for the past few weeks had perplexed
+and troubled her; but the revelation which had come to her on the
+previous night had changed the whole current of her thought. What
+matter now, how mean or debasing her surroundings, since no taint
+from them could attach itself to her? What matter if her life had
+been cramped and restricted, since she was soon to rise above it
+into the life for which she had been created? Perhaps her natural
+sphere was not, after all, so unlike that in which her friends
+moved, to which even he was accustomed, the stranger, whose coming
+she now anticipated with a strange, unaccountable thrill of
+expectation. Would he, with that wonderful power which she felt he
+possessed, to elevate or to crush the souls with whom he came in
+contact, would he recognize her true sphere, as her other friends
+had done, or would he be blinded by her surroundings?
+
+She could not rest; she rose and looked forth upon the glorious dawn
+of the new day, and was impressed as never before, with the beauty of
+the vision which met her eyes. To her, it seemed like the dawning of a
+new epoch in her life; nay, more than that, like the dawning of a new
+life itself.
+
+Impatient of restraint, she left the house, and went out into the
+morning fresh from the hand of the Creator, as yet undefiled by
+contact with human life. Hastily climbing a series of rocky ledges,
+she reached a broad plateau, and looked about her. The life which she
+had so hated and despised seemed suddenly to have dropped forever out
+of sight, and she was conscious only of a new beauty, a new glory
+surrounding her.
+
+The mountains, blushing in the first rosy light, lifted their
+gleaming, glory-crowned spires heavenward; the cascades chanted
+in thunderous, yet rhythmic tones, their unceasing anthem of
+praise, their snow-white spray ascending skyward, like clouds of
+incense, while the little flowers, clinging to rock and ledge and
+mountain-side, turned their sweet faces upward in silent adoration.
+The place seemed pervaded by a spirit of universal adoration and
+praise, and instinctively, Lyle bowed her head in silent worship;
+and as she did so, there came to her, as though revealed by the
+lightning's flash, the vision of her mother kneeling beside her, in
+those dim days so long ago, clasping her tiny hands within her own,
+and teaching her baby lips to lisp the words of prayer.
+
+For a long time she knelt in that temple made without hands, till
+mountain and valley were bathed in glorious sunlight; and when at
+last, she descended the rocky footpath, she felt, as she looked forth
+upon the new life opening before her, no fear, no shrinking, but
+strong to go forward and meet her destiny, whatever it might be.
+
+All were impressed that morning by Lyle's manner, the added dignity
+of bearing, the new expression that looked forth from her soulful
+eyes, though none but Miss Gladden understood the cause.
+
+At the breakfast table, the final plans were made for the reception of
+the guests to arrive that day. Word had been received that they were
+already in Silver City, and would come out on the noon train. Houston
+had telegraphed to the Y for the best team there to be in readiness to
+bring them up to the camp, and an hour or so before noon, he and Van
+Dorn were to take two horses and ride to the Y to meet them, and
+accompany them on their ride up the canyon. A late dinner was to be
+served upon their arrival, when the two ladies would be present, as
+Lyle no longer acted in the capacity of waiter, Miss Gladden having
+some time before insisted that she should preside at the table, and
+the blushing Miss Bixby, after much painstaking effort, having been
+finally educated up to the point of performing that ceremony very
+creditably.
+
+"Everard," said Miss Gladden after breakfast, as Houston stopped for
+his customary chat with her before starting out on his daily routine,
+"did you observe Lyle this morning? I never saw her look so lovely;"
+adding playfully, "I wonder you did not fall in love with her, she is
+far more beautiful than I."
+
+"Allow me to be judge," he replied, "though I will admit that I think
+she grows more beautiful every day. But as to falling in love with
+her, I doubt if I would have done that even had I not met you. From
+the first she has seemed to me unaccountably like a sister; I cannot
+explain why, unless it was because of that child-like, almost
+appealing manner she had at that time. She has none of it now,
+however, she is developing very rapidly into a noble womanhood, and
+yet I still have the same feeling toward her, and I think she regards
+me as a brother."
+
+"That is true," said Miss Gladden, "she cares for you more than for
+any of the others, but only, as you say, as a brother. Her heart does
+not seem to be very susceptible."
+
+"She may be none the less susceptible," Houston replied, "but she
+realizes her position here, and she is far too proud spirited to carry
+her heart upon her sleeve."
+
+Miss Gladden then related to Houston the events oi the preceding
+night, and Lyle's sudden recollection of her own mother. He was much
+interested.
+
+"I am more than glad," he replied, "doubtless the memory of her early
+childhood will gradually come back to her, and we may be able to
+ascertain her true parentage. I hope so, at least, for I believe
+Maverick to be an out and out scoundrel, capable of any villainy, and
+I would like to see him brought to justice."
+
+The room set apart for the expected guests, as well as the dining-room,
+was decorated with wild flowers and trailing vines, and in this
+pleasant employment, and the preparation of a few dainty dishes for
+the table, the forenoon passed swiftly.
+
+The noon train had scarcely come to a stop at the little station at
+the Y, when Ned Rutherford was seen rushing impetuously from the car,
+his camera case as usual in one hand, at sight of which the two young
+men waiting on the platform burst into a hearty laugh.
+
+"There he is," said Houston, "the same old Ned!"
+
+"The very same old boy!" added Van Dorn, as they hastened to meet
+him.
+
+"Hullo, Everard!" cried Ned, jumping upon the platform, "I say, but it
+seems mighty good to see you again! How are you, Van Dorn?"
+
+"How are you, Ned?" said Van Dorn, extending his hand, "we wouldn't
+have known you if it hadn't been for that camera box of yours!"
+
+"That so?" answered Ned, good-naturedly, "well, I always considered it
+indispensable, but I didn't suppose my identity would be lost without
+it."
+
+Meanwhile, Houston had hastened to meet the elder brother, and it
+could readily be seen that they were more than ordinary friends.
+
+"Everard, old fellow!" he exclaimed, in response to Houston's
+greeting, "this is the greatest pleasure I've had in many a day. I
+never dreamed that the Houston of whom Ned wrote such glowing accounts
+was my old friend."
+
+"I used to think sometimes," said Houston, "when Ned was writing you,
+that I would like to send you some reminder of old times, a college
+password or signal that you would understand; but at that time, I
+didn't know Ned very well, and of course I was anxious to conceal my
+identity here."
+
+"That was right," said the elder Rutherford, with a comical glance at
+his brother, "Ned is rather injudicious, he belongs to that
+unfortunate class of people, with the best of intentions, who usually
+succeed in doing as much mischief as others with the worst."
+
+"Right you are there," said Ned, "I'm always putting my foot in it one
+way or another; I wouldn't advise anybody to make a confidant of me,
+I'd give them away sure. I say, Everard," he continued, while his
+brother and Van Dorn exchanged cordial greetings, "how are you getting
+on, and how is the Buncombe-Boomerang combination?"
+
+"We have been very successful so far, everything is nearly in
+readiness, and the combination as you call it, cannot exist much
+longer; we will give you full particulars later."
+
+"And how are the ladies?" Ned inquired further.
+
+"They are well, and waiting to give you and your brother a royal
+welcome."
+
+"Thank you," Morton Rutherford replied, "I am quite anxious to meet
+them, Ned, of course, can speak for himself."
+
+"That he can, and generally does when the right time comes," responded
+that individual, "you will find I am a universal favorite here, in the
+camp of the Philistines."
+
+In a little while they were on their way to camp, Houston and Morton
+Rutherford occupying the back seat of the light, canopy-top wagon,
+while Van Dorn and Ned took the forward seat with the driver, the
+horses and baggage following with one of the mining teams.
+
+Morton Rutherford gave his friend a glowing account of his journey
+through the west, dwelling at considerable length on his enjoyment of
+the scenic routes. As they wound upward through the canyon, he grew
+ecstatic over the wild beauty and rugged grandeur extending in every
+direction, and when they finally drew rein before the long, low
+boarding house, nestling at the foot of the mountain, with its rustic,
+vine-covered porch, and surrounded on all sides by the wild scenery of
+that region, his admiration knew no bounds.
+
+"What a delightful retreat!" he exclaimed, "what a study for an
+artist!"
+
+Within the porch, among the vines, the ladies awaited their coming,
+and Lyle, looking forth from her shady retreat, saw the face whose
+image had been imprinted on heart and brain, and at a glance she read
+all she had expected to find, and more. There were the fine features,
+expressing such depth and power, and yet such delicacy of thought and
+feeling, the intellectual brow, the dark, expressive eyes, all as she
+had seen them in the picture; but what picture could convey the living
+beauty of the whole? It was the face of one whom women would worship,
+and men would follow even to death.
+
+The gentlemen approached the house, Houston and his friend leading the
+way. Miss Gladden advanced to meet them, and as Houston introduced Mr.
+Rutherford, she extended to him a most gracious and graceful welcome,
+and also to Ned. Her gown was white, of soft, clinging material,
+trimmed with quantities of rich, rare lace, and brightened here and
+there with touches of crimson and gold. She wore a few costly jewels,
+and the diamond hilt of a tiny dagger glistened and scintillated in
+her auburn-tinted hair. She looked very beautiful, and as Mr.
+Rutherford paused to respond to her welcome with a few courteous
+words, he thought his friend was surely to be congratulated on the
+prize he had won.
+
+Meanwhile, Ned had discovered Lyle, as she stood partially hidden
+among the vines, awaiting her turn, and hastened to greet her in his
+impetuous fashion.
+
+"How do you do, Miss Maverick? I'm awfully glad to see you. I want you
+to know my brother," and his cheerful voice sounded on his brother's
+ear, as he replied to some remark of Miss Gladden's.
+
+"Morton, I want to introduce you to our nightingale; Miss Maverick,
+allow me to make you acquainted with my brother."
+
+With a rare smile lighting up his face, Morton Rutherford turned
+toward the speaker, and as he did so, saw a vision of the most royal
+young womanhood his eyes had ever beheld. She, too, was dressed in
+white, but it was a filmy, cloud-like mass, with trimmings of ethereal
+blue. She wore no jewels, but a crown of golden hair gleamed like a
+coronet above her head, and her delicately molded face had a
+spirituelle beauty and radiance unlike any living face he had ever
+seen, and which he could only compare to the exquisite Madonna faces,
+painted by artists of the old world, and of the olden time.
+
+And Lyle, coming forward with unconscious, queenly grace, looked for
+an instant into that face whose subtle power she already felt, her
+wondrous, starry eyes, luminous with a new, strange light, meeting his
+with their depth of meaning, their powerful magnetism, and from that
+brief instant, life for each was changed, wholly and completely;
+whether for good or ill, for weal or woe, neither as yet could say.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+
+It was a very congenial little company that somewhat later gathered
+about the dinner table. There were no outsiders present on this
+occasion to check their conversation, and the room resounded with
+merry laughter as the young men related various reminiscences of their
+college days, or as Lyle gave her eastern friends some amusing
+glimpses of western life.
+
+Morton Rutherford added his share to the general enjoyment, as he gave
+in an inimitable manner which fascinated his listeners, sketches of
+places and people he had met in his western journey; but a close
+observer would have noticed that his dark eyes often wandered to the
+face of the fair hostess, presiding at the table with such dignity,
+and his thoughts much of the time were far removed from the subject of
+conversation.
+
+Of the strange, wild tumult in Lyle's breast there was no token, save
+in her heightened color, and the added brilliancy of her eyes.
+
+The plain, but wholesome mountain fare disappeared rapidly before the
+appetites sharpened by the bracing air of that altitude, and still the
+little company lingered at the table, loath to tear themselves away.
+
+Plans were made for a few days and evenings of genuine enjoyment,
+before proceeding any further with the business in which all were so
+deeply interested. Houston and Van Dorn would of course be more or
+less confined by their work, and it was voted that, during the day,
+Mr. Rutherford should be entertained by the ladies, or, as the hunting
+and fishing season had now opened, he and Ned would be able to find
+considerable sport in the surrounding country. But the evenings were
+to be spent by the entire party in visits to the different points of
+interest and beauty already familiar to some of their number.
+
+"And one of the first places to visit," said Ned Rutherford, at this
+point in the conversation, "will be the cascades; we will go out there
+in boats, you know, with the guitar and violin, and have music just as
+we did the first time we ever went out. Great Scott! but I never will
+forget that night as long as I live!"
+
+"With the ladies' approval, that will be one of our first trips," said
+Houston.
+
+"You play and sing, do you not, Mr. Rutherford?" Miss Gladden
+inquired, addressing the elder brother.
+
+"Yes, occasionally," he answered, with a peculiar smile.
+
+"What instrument do you use?"
+
+"I can accompany myself on several different instruments," he replied,
+"but the violin is my favorite; it is capable of more expression than
+most others."
+
+At last the little party adjourned to the porch, and Lyle, under the
+pretext of some household duties, excused herself, and escaped to her
+own little room. Here her forced composure gave way, and her highly
+wrought feelings found relief in a passionate burst of tears, though
+why she wept, she could not have told.
+
+Unconsciously to herself, perhaps, Morton Rutherford had of late
+become the hero of her thoughts, partially on account of her high
+estimate of him, and also because of the sympathy which she felt would
+exist between them in taste and thought and feeling. She had dreamed
+of a friendship with him, perhaps more perfect and helpful than any
+she had yet known; but they had met, and in that one glance had been
+revealed to her a natural affinity deeper than any of which she had
+ever dreamed, and the impossibility of a calm, Platonic friendship
+between kindred spirits such as theirs.
+
+Unconsciously to herself, Lyle had that day crossed the great divide,
+and womanhood, with its dower of love and joy, of pain and suffering,
+was henceforth hers. The mightiest element in her nature, which had
+lain dormant all these years, its power unsuspected even by herself,
+was now aroused, and even while she felt the throbbing of its new
+life, as yet, she knew not its name. She was young, her observation
+and her experience had been limited, and there had been no one to
+prepare her for the certain awakening of this mighty power, before
+whose conquering sway all else must yield.
+
+She grew more calm, and as she reviewed the few friendships she had
+known,--the helpful kindness and tenderness of Jack in whom she had
+confided her childish griefs, the chivalry of Everard Houston, who
+from the first had constituted himself her champion and protector, and
+even the pleasant kindliness of Ned Rutherford, whom she scarcely
+deemed more than an acquaintance,--there was suddenly revealed to her
+quickened perception the distinction between friendship and love, and
+instantly she recognized the stranger who had taken possession of her
+heart: Love had come. Love was to be henceforth king, and she stood
+trembling and abashed in the presence of the new sovereign. Her tears
+flowed silently, but she was far from unhappy; love, even unknown and
+unreciprocated, brings its own sweet reward.
+
+Whether her love would ever be returned by the one whose glance had
+awakened it in its might, she dared not even think. She knew not, as
+yet, in what light he would regard her. Notwithstanding the friendship
+and esteem manifested by the younger brother, she fully understood the
+insurmountable barrier which his pride had placed between himself and
+her. Would it exist in the mind of the elder brother also? Or would
+his keener insight, his superior perception discern her true
+position? Time alone would tell.
+
+A little later, calm and queenly as ever, Lyle rejoined the little
+group, who had strolled out a short distance from the house, and were
+seated beside the lake, in the cooling shadow of a large rock.
+
+She could not help observing the smile of pleasure with which Mr.
+Rutherford welcomed her approach, but she would not yet trust herself
+to hold any protracted conversation with him, and giving him only a
+bright little smile of recognition, she seated herself beside Ned, and
+began a playful badinage, as they had been accustomed to banter each
+other on his former visit. Morton Rutherford watched them curiously,
+listening to the war of words with a half smile, and evidently
+absorbed in his own thoughts, as, for a while, Miss Gladden and Mr.
+Van Dorn had the conversation to themselves, Houston having gone to
+the mines.
+
+As the shadows began to lengthen, and the sun seemed hovering over a
+snow-crowned peak that stood out boldly against the western horizon,
+Houston was seen approaching the house, and at a little distance,
+Maverick and his two sons. Lyle, who was then standing on the outer
+edge of the group, talking with Miss Gladden, was quick to observe a
+sudden movement on Ned's part, as, turning toward his brother, he made
+some brief remark in low tones, regarding the approaching trio. She
+well knew the tenor of his remark, and watched closely to see its
+effect.
+
+She saw Morton Rutherford glance in the direction indicated by a
+slight motion of Ned's head, and then, though he betrayed no surprise
+by word or movement, an expression of astonishment crossed his face,
+but only for an instant. His features grew white and stern, and he
+watched every movement of the three figures, as, with stealthy,
+slouching gait and suspicious looks, they stole around the corner of
+the house, and the expression of his eye seemed to Lyle like that of a
+judge passing sentence on a condemned criminal.
+
+He did not look at Lyle immediately, perhaps he was conscious of the
+eyes watching him so narrowly from under the heavily drooping lids,
+fringed with long, golden lashes, but when he did look toward her,
+there was a depth of meaning in those dark eyes which she could not
+fathom.
+
+Twenty-four hours before, Lyle standing there, under those circumstances,
+would have been crushed with humiliation, but in the light of the
+revelation of the night before, she met his glance with an expression
+which to him seemed utterly inscrutable. There was neither shame nor
+apology written on her face, as with a calm, bright smile, and the same
+self-possessed manner, she turned and passed into the house.
+
+Upon entering the dining-room, Lyle heard angry words in the kitchen,
+and paused to listen. The voice was Maverick's.
+
+"Who in hell is that new feller you've got up here?"
+
+"That's the brother of the young feller that was here a spell ago,"
+answered the voice of Minty, who was just emerging from the pantry.
+
+"Damn you! who asked you to say anything? Git out of here," he roared,
+and Minty made a hasty retreat into the cellar.
+
+"Who's that new feller out there?" he again demanded of his wife.
+
+"His name is Rutherford, and he's a brother of the young man that come
+out here with Mr. Houston," was her reply.
+
+"What's his business here?"
+
+"I guess he hain't got none, he seems to be out here for pleasure like
+his brother."
+
+"Pleasure!" growled Maverick, with an oath, "there's too many of 'em,
+damn 'em, out here for pleasure; I'd give some of 'em some pleasure
+that they ain't a lookin' for, if I had a chance."
+
+His wife made no response.
+
+"What's that girl Lyle tricked out in such finery for?" he next
+asked.
+
+"They're clothes that Miss Gladden give her," Mrs. Maverick replied,
+"and it saves us jest so much, so you needn't growl; besides she looks
+nice."
+
+"Looks nice!" said Maverick, contemptuously, "you're always bound to
+stick up for her! Look here, old woman," he added, in a lower tone,
+but which Lyle could hear, "have you been tellin' that girl anything?
+She don't own me for her daddy lately, I notice; now, if you've been
+puttin' her or anybody else onto anything of the kind, I can tell you
+you'll be damned sorry for it before you git through with me."
+
+"I hain't said a word, it's jest a notion she's took, I dun'no why. I
+hain't said nothin' nor I ain't a goin' to, as long as you behave
+yourself, Jim Maverick, but the proofs is all ready in case you don't
+treat me and her jest as you'd orter."
+
+A terrible oath burst from Maverick's lips, but the entrance of the
+two boys and Minty, prevented any further conversation on this
+subject; and Lyle, seated in the little porch whither she had
+retreated from the dining-room, reflected on what she had just heard,
+its meaning seeming very clear to her in the light of what Miss
+Gladden had told her the night before.
+
+There were proofs then in existence, probably in that very house, as
+to her identity. Her friends were correct in their surmises: she had
+been stolen, and the villain who had committed the deed, even now
+trembled with apprehension lest his villainy should become known.
+Those proofs she must have, and it would be worse than useless to
+demand them of either Maverick or his wife. She must search for them.
+This she resolved to do, day by day, as opportunity afforded, until
+there should be no nook or corner which she had not thoroughly
+explored.
+
+As Lyle recalled all that occurred within the past twenty-four hours,
+the most eventful period within her recollection thus far, she felt
+that she had virtually broken with the old life and all its
+associations, and that she stood upon the threshold of a new life,
+higher, nobler,--perhaps sweeter,--than any of which she had ever
+dreamed.
+
+The return of the little company of friends to the house interrupted
+her thoughts, but not before she had decided fully as to her future
+course.
+
+After supper, it was decided to spend that first evening on the summit
+of one of the nearest mountains, to watch the glories of the sunset,
+and to give Morton Rutherford a bird's-eye view of the beautiful
+scenery, before introducing him to its details.
+
+But on the second evening, the entire party set forth for the trip to
+the cascades, for which Ned was so especially desirous.
+
+Mr. Houston and Miss Gladden led the little procession, Houston
+carrying her guitar. Ned had constituted himself Lyle's escort by
+taking the violin, and they came next, while Morton Rutherford and
+Arthur Van Dorn brought up the rear.
+
+Their two boats were already awaiting them, and Ned, having assisted
+Lyle to a seat, turned to Van Dorn.
+
+"Mr. Van Dorn," he said in his blandest tones, "may we have the
+pleasure of your company in our boat?"
+
+As Van Dorn laughingly accepted the invitation, Morton Rutherford
+turned toward his brother, saying:
+
+"Are you not going to extend an invitation to me, also?"
+
+"Unfortunately," said Ned, with as much dignity as he could assume,
+"this boat will seat but three people."
+
+"Is that so!" replied his brother, with a curious downward inflection,
+"unfortunately, then, for Mr. Houston and Miss Gladden, you will have
+to take the other boat, as I am going in this one myself," and
+stepping lightly into the boat, he pulled it quickly out into the
+water, leaving Ned in a state of bewilderment, alone on shore, as Mr.
+Houston and Miss Gladden were already seated in their boat, and
+watching this little by-play.
+
+There was a general laugh at Ned's expense, as he clambered into the
+other boat, exclaiming good-naturedly:
+
+"Well, Mort, that's an awfully shabby trick, but then, it's all I can
+expect of you, anyhow."
+
+"It's all you deserve, after such attempted selfishness on your part,"
+replied his brother.
+
+They rowed across the lake in the soft light, the glory of the setting
+sun still reflected from the surrounding peaks, the music of their
+boat songs accompanied by the dip and plash of the oars.
+
+At last they reached the cascades, and rounding a little promontory,
+the glory of that wondrous scene suddenly burst upon them. For a
+moment Mr. Rutherford sat speechless, and Lyle, facing him, silently
+enjoyed his surprise and his ecstasy as keenly as he enjoyed the
+wonderful beauty about him. In his face, she read the same capacity
+for joy or for suffering which Nature had bestowed upon herself, and
+when his eyes suddenly met hers again, he saw the tears glistening in
+their shining depths, and with quick, intuitive sympathy, readily
+understood the cause.
+
+For a while they rowed back and forth in almost silent admiration;
+then the boats were brought side by side at the foot of the cascades,
+and the air resounded with song; sometimes their voices all blending
+together in exquisite harmony, then in twos and threes, while
+occasionally, some beautiful old song would be given as a solo.
+
+It had been an evening of rare enjoyment for each one, and they were
+just about to turn their boats homeward, when Ned Rutherford
+exclaimed:
+
+"I say, don't let us leave this spot until Miss Maverick sings that
+song she gave us the first time we came out here, the first we ever
+heard her sing. I never can forget that song, and it is always
+associated with this place."
+
+The others joined in the request. Lyle hesitated. Could she trust
+herself to sing that song to-night? It was easy to sing when love had
+come to another's heart, but could she sing it now that he had come to
+her own?
+
+She consented, and the oars rested once more. With her eyes fixed on
+the distant mountains, Lyle began her song:
+
+                "Love is come with a song and a smile."
+
+At the first words, Morton Rutherford started, and as he fixed his
+eyes on the beautiful singer, her fair form and shining hair outlined
+against the silvery cascades, it seemed to him the loveliest sight of
+his whole life.
+
+Her voice, exquisitely sweet as she began, gained in expression and
+power, until she sang as she had never sung before; and as the last
+notes died away, Houston, bending his head low, whispered to Miss
+Gladden:
+
+"Leslie, my dear, do you think now that Lyle's heart is not
+susceptible? She never could sing that song in that way if she knew
+nothing of love."
+
+And Miss Gladden made no reply, for her own heart was too full for
+words.
+
+The song was ended, and Lyle's eyes suddenly met the dark ones fixed
+upon her face, and though no words were spoken, she read in their
+depths that hers was not the only heart to which love had come.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+
+That night the diminutive lamp that did duty in the room assigned to
+the two brothers burned till long past the hour of midnight. By its
+dim light, Ned Rutherford indited a letter to his fiancee, while his
+brother quietly paced back and forth, the entire length of the small
+apartment, his hands clasped behind him and his head thrown back,--his
+usual attitude when in deep thought.
+
+"Getting up another article on the application of electric force?"
+inquired Ned, as he paused to watch his brother.
+
+"No," was the reply, "I am thinking at present of a force far more
+subtle and more powerful than that of electricity."
+
+"Why, how's that?" asked Ned in surprise, "I thought electricity was
+one of your pet hobbies."
+
+"Never mind about my pet hobbies," said his brother, with a smile,
+"just continue your writing for the present."
+
+Half an hour later, as Ned folded and sealed the voluminous letter,
+and placed upon it the long, foreign address, his brother, watching
+him with a curious half smile, said:
+
+"I shall have to give you credit for a great deal of constancy, Ned,
+more than I really supposed you possessed."
+
+"How's that?" asked Ned, with a slight blush, "to what do you refer."
+
+"To your fidelity to your affianced," Morton replied, "under the rather
+adverse circumstances that attend your suit, and notwithstanding
+the unusual attractions by which you have been surrounded here."
+
+"Well, as to that," said Ned, slowly, "I don't know as I deserve so
+very much credit. Houston appropriated Miss Gladden to himself pretty
+soon after we came here, and besides, she isn't exactly my style,
+after all; she would suit Houston a great deal better than me."
+
+"Ah," said his brother, quietly, "and what of the younger lady?
+Perhaps she is not your style, either?"
+
+"Well, no, I should say not," Ned replied, with the least perceptible
+scorn in his tone, "not but what she is a lovely girl, and I respect
+her, and feel sorry for her, but I should think one glimpse of her
+family would decide that question, once for all."
+
+"Ned," said Morton Rutherford, pausing in his walk, directly in front
+of his brother, "is it possible that you are so blind as not to see
+that Miss Maverick, as you call her,--I prefer to call her Lyle,--has
+no connection whatever with the family in which she lives?"
+
+"Do you think so?" Ned inquired, with surprise, "I remember Houston
+and Miss Gladden expressed the same opinion when I was here before,
+but I don't think they had any proof that such was the case, and even
+if it were so, I don't see how it helps the matter much, for nobody
+knows to what sort of a family she really does belong."
+
+"Ned," said his brother, indignantly, "I know nothing of the opinion
+of Houston or Miss Gladden upon this subject, but where are your own
+eyes, and where is your reason? If you discovered one of the rarest
+and most beautiful flowers known to exist in the plant world, in a
+heap of tailings out here among these mines, would you immediately
+conclude that, because you had found it there, it must be indigenous
+to the spot? Look at that girl, and tell me if there is one trace in
+feature, in form, in manner, or in speech, of plebeian blood, and then
+will you tell me that she is in any way connected with people such as
+these? They are not merely plebeian, they are low, debased, criminal.
+They are criminals of the deepest dye, not only capable of any
+villainy, but already guilty, and to such a degree that their guilt
+has made them shrinking, skulking cowards."
+
+"But, Mort, if you are correct, and I don't say that you are not, how
+does she come to be in such a place as this, with no memory of
+anything different?"
+
+"Through the villainy of that man whom you pointed out to me as her
+father; through his villainy, and in no other way."
+
+"You think she was stolen?"
+
+"I do; I can see in his face that he has committed some terrible
+crime,--perhaps many of them,--and he is afraid to look a stranger in
+the eye; and a glance at that beautiful girl is enough to fasten upon
+him one of his crimes. She is from a family whose blood is as pure
+from any taint, physical, mental, or moral, as is your own, and unless
+I am greatly mistaken, she is not wholly unconscious of this
+herself."
+
+"Great Heavens!" exclaimed the younger brother, "I never dreamed of
+all this! If it is really as you think, I only wish we could find her
+true home, and have her restored to it, and make that scoundrel suffer
+for his crime."
+
+"If it is among the possibilities, it shall be done," said Morton
+Rutherford, quietly, but in a tone which startled Ned with its volume
+of meaning. The latter looked up in quick surprise, a question on his
+lips, but he knew his brother's face too well; the question was not
+asked, and he only said:
+
+"Good for you, Mort, and here's my hand; I'm with you on this,
+whatever you do."
+
+For the next few days, nothing of any special import occurred at the
+camp. Houston, soon after the arrival of Morton and Ned Rutherford,
+had written to his uncle that preparations were now about completed,
+and everything was so nearly in readiness that he and his party had
+better come out immediately to one of the western cities, from which
+they could be summoned by telegraph on short notice. Accordingly, Mr.
+Cameron had already left New York, and in company with his attorney
+and the English expert, was now on his way west, Mrs. Cameron also
+accompanying him as far west as Chicago, where she was to stop with
+friends while he went on to the mines, as she had insisted that she
+would feel much happier to be nearer her husband and Everard, so that
+she could more easily reach them in the event of any trouble at the
+mines.
+
+Van Dorn was progressing well with his work, and the machine would
+soon be ready for its trial test, though he said he would in all
+probability first have to go to Silver City, in order to have replaced
+one or two small but important parts which had been broken in the
+long, westward journey.
+
+Lyle, in the midst of the strange happiness which had lately come to
+her heart, had not forgotten her resolve to search for the proofs, of
+such importance to her. On the contrary, she had now a new and
+powerful incentive which gave additional zest to her efforts,
+although, thus far, they had proved unsuccessful.
+
+One afternoon, after having made a particularly thorough but fruitless
+search, she stole quietly out of the house, and following the little
+path along the shore of the lake, soon found herself in her favorite
+retreat among the rocks, a secluded place from which there was no sign
+of human habitation; only the mountains in their vast solitudes were
+visible, their silent grandeur more eloquent than words. It was a spot
+that she had loved even in her childhood, and which had, in later
+years, been her resort for study and reflection.
+
+In a brief interview with Jack, at the cabin, the previous evening,
+she had told him of her increasingly distinct recollections of her
+mother, of the angry words between Maverick and his wife which she had
+overheard, and of her search which she felt would yet result in her
+obtaining possession of the necessary proofs of her identity.
+
+To her surprise, Jack, while commending the course which she was
+taking, yet seemed strangely averse to talking much with her upon the
+subject. At last, as she was leaving the cabin, he had taken her hands
+in his, saying, in a strangely tender tone:
+
+"My dear Lyle, because I say little, you must not think I take no
+interest in this affair which concerns you so closely. I am deeply
+interested, more deeply than you will probably ever know, but it is
+for many reasons a painful subject to me, one full of bitter memories;
+but I have one favor to ask of you, my dear child, which I know you
+will grant for the sake of the memory of the happy hours we have spent
+together,--it is this; that whatever proof you may succeed in finding,
+you will first bring to me."
+
+"Certainly I will, dear Jack," Lyle had replied, wondering at his
+manner, "in whom should I confide if not in you, who have been my
+first and best friend."
+
+And he, his dark, piercing eyes looking into the depths of her own,
+their gaze softened by tender affection, had replied:
+
+"Yes, your friend always, Lyle, remember that; none truer or more
+devoted to you or your welfare; but before long, my dear, your heart
+will learn, if it has not learned already, the difference between
+friendship and love."
+
+With burning cheeks and tearful eyes Lyle recalled his words, and
+pondered deeply on the strange bond that seemed, in some way, to exist
+between his life and hers, but the longer she tried to solve the
+problem, the deeper and more obscure it seemed.
+
+In the midst of her reflections, she heard a light step upon the rocky
+footpath, and looking up, saw Morton Rutherford approaching. So
+absorbed was he in the study of the masses of rock about him, on which
+had been traced by the finger of the centuries, in wonderful
+hieroglyphics, the early history of the earth, that for a time he was
+unconscious of her presence there. When he saw her he raised his hat
+and came quickly forward.
+
+"I beg your pardon," he said, in deep, musical tones, "I supposed
+myself alone with my own thoughts; am I intruding? if so, send me away
+at once."
+
+"No, stay, if you please," said Lyle.
+
+"Thank you," he answered, seating himself on the rocks at a little
+distance, "you appeared so lost in thought I feared my coming might
+annoy you."
+
+"No," she replied, "my thoughts were too perplexing, I was growing
+weary of them."
+
+Mr. Rutherford glanced at the surrounding mountains; "Were you, too,
+trying to fathom the mystery of the eternal hills?" he asked.
+
+"No," was her reply, "I have never attempted anything so far beyond me
+as that; I have found more mysteries in every-day, human life than I
+could solve."
+
+Morton Rutherford was silent for a few moments, then he said in low
+tones:
+
+"I hope you will pardon me when I say, that to me, your own life here,
+under the existing circumstances and conditions, is a mystery, one
+which seems capable of but one solution."
+
+"And what would be your solution?" she asked quickly.
+
+He saw that she understood his meaning, and was watching him intently,
+eagerly, and he said:
+
+"Permit me to reply to your question by asking one in return. Do you
+not believe that your life had a beginning elsewhere than here, and
+under far different conditions?"
+
+"It is more than a belief with me, it is a certainty, and yet, strange
+as it may appear to you, this knowledge has come to me but recently,
+and even now, I know nothing of what those conditions may have been,
+except that they were totally unlike these that exist here."
+
+"You interest me very much are you willing to tell me how you arrived
+at this knowledge of which you speak?"
+
+Very briefly, and without going into details, Lyle, in response to the
+magnetic sympathy of those dark eyes, gave a vivid outline of her
+life, and of the vague impressions which of late were becoming
+distinct recollections, and of her hope of soon finding tangible
+evidence regarding the life which was daily growing more and more of a
+reality.
+
+Mr. Rutherford listened with intense interest to the strange story,
+and when she had finished, he said slowly, as he took a short turn up
+and down the rocky path:
+
+"Believe me, I have not listened to this through mere, idle curiosity;
+much as your story has interested me, it has not surprised me, for I
+read the truth almost from our first meeting."
+
+Lyle gave him a smile of rare sweetness and deep significance; "I am
+glad to know that," she said simply.
+
+"Why so?" he asked, pausing and seating himself beside her; "Did you
+think I could fail to recognize the soul that looked out to welcome me
+when I first came, no matter amid what surroundings I found it?" Then,
+as she remained silent, he continued, his tones thrilling her heart as
+no human voice had ever done before:
+
+"Since the hour that I first met you, Lyle, life has changed for
+me,--I think perhaps it will never be quite the same again for either
+of us. I know that I love you with a love that, whether reciprocated
+or not, can never die; that henceforth, you will be,--you must be,--a
+part of my very life. Let me care for you and help you; let me help
+you in your search for the home for which you were created, and of
+which you are worthy; but, Lyle, before you search any farther for
+that home, will you not consent to become the queen of my home, as you
+are already the queen of my heart?"
+
+Lyle lifted her head proudly, though the tears glistened on the long,
+golden lashes; "Do you ask me that, here and now, knowing nothing as
+yet, of what the future may reveal?"
+
+"I do; I have no fear for the future if I but have your love. Do you
+think that, perhaps, in the days to come, amid other and different
+surroundings, you might find some one whose love your heart would
+choose in preference to mine?"
+
+"Never!" cried Lyle, impulsively, turning with outstretched arms to
+him, "You are the only one I have ever loved,--the only one I could
+ever love!"
+
+"Then that is enough for me," he replied, drawing her closely to his
+breast; "you have come forth from the years of the wretched past, with
+a soul star-white and shining, and I have no fears for the future."
+
+When the little group of friends assembled that evening, it was not
+long before some one discovered that a small diamond ring, of
+exquisite, antique design, which Morton Rutherford had worn, had, in
+some manner, become transferred to Lyle's hand. "Wear this, for the
+present," he had said, in taking it from his own hand, "until I can
+obtain a costlier one for you," but Lyle had insisted that once placed
+upon her hand, there it must remain, as she would prize it far above
+any other which money could buy; and such had been the final
+decision.
+
+When this significant fact had been discovered by one of the little
+company, the intelligence was speedily telegraphed to the rest, and
+Morton and Lyle soon found themselves the recipients of hearty and
+affectionate congratulations from the others.
+
+The astonishment depicted on Ned's face, when he comprehended the turn
+affairs had taken, was beyond description, but in the little
+excitement which prevailed for a few moments, it passed unnoticed, so
+that he had sufficiently recovered himself to join very gracefully in
+the general congratulations when his turn came.
+
+A few hours later, however, as he went out for a stroll with Van Dorn,
+while his brother and Houston started out in the direction of Jack's
+cabin, his astonishment found expression.
+
+"Great Scott! but I never was so dumfounded in my life! I tell you
+what, Van, I believe people lose their wits when they are in love!"
+
+"On whose experience do you base your highly original remark, your
+brother's or your own?"
+
+"Well, both, and lots of others besides. I never yet saw a person who
+was in love that didn't act just the reverse of what you would expect,
+or of what they would under ordinary circumstances. Now, look at us
+two, for instance. Look at me! Everybody calls me rash and impetuous,
+and Mort is always lecturing me for it, and it's always my way to rush
+head-first into anything that comes along, and here I've been making
+love, in the regular, orthodox fashion, to a girl I've known ever
+since I wore knickerbockers, and playing propriety and all that to my
+prospective father-in-law; and now see Mort! the most precise,
+deliberate fellow you ever saw, never says or does anything that isn't
+exactly suited to the occasion, you know; and here he goes and tumbles
+head over heels in love with a pretty girl the first time he sees her,
+and when he doesn't know a blessed thing about her, and, by George!
+engages himself to her before he's known her a week! If that isn't a
+case of clear-gone lunacy, then I never saw one."
+
+Van Dorn laughed; "Well, of the two, I should prefer your brother's
+form of lunacy to yours; if I ever was to be in love, I should want
+the misery over as quickly as possible."
+
+As Houston and his friend, having made a brief call at the cabin, rose
+to take their leave, the former observed Jack watching Rutherford's
+face with a degree of interest unusual for him to manifest in a
+stranger.
+
+"I want you and my friend, Rutherford, to know each other the little
+time he will be here," he said, addressing Jack, "for though I have
+never known what it was to have a brother in reality, he seems to me
+to more nearly fill that position than any one I have known, and I
+have told him of your kindness and assistance, and the strange bond
+that has seemed to unite us from the first, though we met as
+strangers, so he naturally wishes to meet you."
+
+There was a peculiar quiver of the lips under the heavy, black beard,
+as Jack replied, in deep, full tones, "Mr. Rutherford's face carries
+with it its own recommendation, and the fact that he is as a brother
+to yourself will insure him a double welcome here as often as he
+pleases to come during his stay."
+
+Houston passed onward into the outer room, pausing to chat with Mike,
+while Morton Rutherford lingered, and extending his hand to Jack, said
+in low tones:
+
+"I have another reason for wishing to meet you. From what Lyle has
+told me, I know you to have been, until very recently, her only
+friend, and to you, as to her friend, and perhaps, in one sense, her
+guardian, I wish to state that I love her, and have been so fortunate
+as to win her love in return; and that I hope before very long, my
+home will be hers."
+
+"Yes, I know," Jack responded, briefly.
+
+"What! has she already told you?" Rutherford asked in surprise.
+
+"Only unconsciously; but I read soon after your coming, that her heart
+was no longer her own."
+
+Then grasping Rutherford's hand warmly, he added, in tones vibrating
+with some deep emotion.
+
+"You have chosen better than you know. I believe I can trust her and
+her happiness in your hands. God bless you both! and may He bless you
+in proportion to your love and fidelity toward her!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+
+The following day, Mr. Blaisdell suddenly made his appearance at the
+camp, accompanied by Mr. Rivers and a mining expert who had come out
+in the interests of a Chicago firm, looking for good paying
+investments. Houston had received no word of their coming, and the
+first intimation which he had of their arrival was the sight of the
+three gentlemen, as he approached the house at dinner time.
+
+"How are you, Houston?" said Mr. Blaisdell, pausing in his walk up and
+down before the house, and extending his hand, "How's the work
+progressing?"
+
+"Finely," replied Houston, "the output is steadily increasing, week by
+week."
+
+"Keeps you pretty busy, I suppose? Well, I hope we can give you a
+little help before long; we've located Barden at last, and he starts
+for the west next week. Let me introduce you to Mr. Parsons, a mining
+expert from Chicago; Mr. Parsons, this is Mr. Houston, our general
+superintendent."
+
+Houston exchanged greetings with the stranger, and with Mr. Rivers,
+the latter watching him closely, though saying very little.
+
+Dinner was served as quickly as possible, as Mr. Parsons was limited
+for time, and was to return to Silver City on the evening train. Most
+of the conversation at the table was on mines and mining, Mr.
+Blaisdell trying to impress each one present, Mr. Parsons in
+particular, with his extensive knowledge, both theoretical and
+practical, on all that pertained to the subject, as well as with a
+sense of the immense value of the properties owned by the company.
+
+"Mr. W. E. Cameron, of New York, owns some very valuable mines out
+here, I understand," said Mr. Parsons casually, his innocent remark
+producing rather a startling effect upon the minds of his listeners,
+though they, one and all, succeeded in preserving a calm exterior.
+
+"He has an interest in some very fine properties," replied Mr.
+Blaisdell blandly, though with a visible contracting of the muscles
+about the mouth, "you are acquainted with Mr. Cameron, I presume?"
+
+"Oh, no, on the contrary, I never even met the gentleman, but he is
+extensively known among the leading business houses of Chicago, and he
+was pointed out to me, the day I came away, as the owner of some of
+the finest mines in this locality," Mr. Parsons explained, thereby
+carrying consternation to the heart of every one present.
+
+"Did I understand you to say that Mr. Cameron was in Chicago?"
+inquired Mr. Blaisdell, while Mr. Rivers' restless eyes were at once
+on the alert.
+
+"Certainly, he was there the day I left; at least, a gentleman with
+whom I happened to be talking about western investments, pointed him
+out to me, and cited him as the owner of western properties."
+
+"Ah, yes, did you hear anything said as to whether he was coming this
+way?"
+
+"Nothing, nothing whatever, except what I have stated."
+
+"It's all right," said Mr. Rivers, speaking for the first time, and in
+his quick, incisive way; he feared Mr. Blaisdell had betrayed his
+anxiety; "all right, only we would like to know his whereabouts, as it
+will be necessary to wire him in a day or two, regarding some ore
+shipments. Can you give us the hotel where he was stopping?"
+
+"I am very sorry that I cannot oblige you, but I have not the least
+idea where he was located; I simply saw him passing on the street."
+
+"It is of no consequence," replied Mr. Blaisdell, with assumed
+indifference, "we can of course ascertain his present address from the
+New York house; it will take a little more time, that is all. We had
+better proceed to the mines at once, if Mr. Parsons is ready."
+
+When they had left and Haight was on his way to the mills, the four
+young men held a few moments' consultation outside the house.
+
+"By Jingo!" exclaimed Ned Rutherford, "it looks as though old Buncombe
+was going to get on to our surprise party that we're planning for him!
+What are you fellows going to do about it?"
+
+"Well," said Van Dorn. "I'm not sure whether this is going to
+interfere with our arrangements or not; what do you think, Everard?
+will the company 'smell a rat' anywhere?"
+
+"They are evidently alarmed at the possibility of Mr. Cameron's coming
+out here, but there is nothing yet to arouse their suspicions against
+us, so I do not think it will interfere materially with our plans at
+present. They will be able to learn nothing of my uncle's movements
+from the New York house, as he will have forestalled them there. He
+had but just reached Chicago when this Parsons left, and as he and Mr.
+Whitney wished, if possible, to remain there a few days, to consult
+with a legal firm who are personal friends of theirs, I think it best,
+in case this company remains quiet, to take no action yet for two or
+three days; but if the officers of the company begin to appear
+suspicious, or as if they were trying to cover their tracks, the
+sooner we telegraph for our party, the better; get them here as
+quickly as possible."
+
+"Yes, that will be best," said Morton Rutherford, "if their suspicions
+are aroused, we cannot be too expeditious, for they will be desperate
+when they find themselves cornered."
+
+"We must hold ourselves in readiness to act promptly," Houston added,
+"probably within twenty-four hours we will be able to decide which
+course to pursue."
+
+Houston went to his work determined to keep a close watch on the
+movements of Blaisdell and Rivers. A couple of hours later, however,
+the three men entered the mill where he was engaged superintending the
+weighing of some ore; Mr. Rivers went at once to Haight's little
+private office, while Blaisdell approached him with the expert.
+
+"Mr. Houston," he said, "just take Mr. Parsons through the mills and
+entertain him for the next half hour. Mr. Rivers and myself will be
+engaged about that length of time."
+
+Houston complied with the request, and in a very short time discovered
+that Mr. Parsons' knowledge of metallurgy and mineralogy was
+exceedingly limited, but that in exact proportion to his own
+ignorance, he had been profoundly impressed by the knowledge which Mr.
+Blaisdell had aired for his especial benefit, and the parrot-like way
+in which he repeated some of the expressions which Mr. Blaisdell kept
+as his "stock in trade," was very amusing.
+
+Meanwhile Houston was deeply interested in the private meeting held in
+Haight's little dingy room, as he felt certain that some issues were
+being discussed and decisions reached that would, in their results, be
+of the greatest importance to him, and he awaited the reappearance of
+the general manager and secretary with considerable expectancy.
+
+He was not disappointed; a glance at their faces revealed that the
+subjects under discussion had not been pleasant. Mr. Blaisdell's face
+was white, and set in hard, determined lines, while that of his
+companion was flushed with anger, and his cunning, crafty eyes were
+full of suspicion, as they glanced repeatedly in Houston's direction.
+
+"Mr. Parsons," said Mr. Blaisdell, "we will have to ask you to excuse
+Mr. Houston, as we have a little business with him, and if you will
+step over there in the office and sit down, we will have completed our
+business in half or three-quarters of an hour; by that time the team
+will be here, in readiness to take us to the train."
+
+After a few moments of desultory conversation about the work which
+Houston knew to be only preliminary, during which Mr. Rivers moved
+about in a nervous, restless manner, Mr. Blaisdell said:
+
+"Mr. Houston, we hear some rather strange reports concerning your
+conduct lately; your actions have certainly been highly censurable,
+and the least that can be said is that you have exceeded your
+authority here in a very marked degree."
+
+"In what respect have I exceeded my authority?" demanded Houston,
+folding his arms, with an expression on his face that made the
+general manager regret that he had begun the encounter; but it was too
+late to retreat, besides, Rivers was watching him!
+
+"In your manner of discharging the duties assigned to you; you have
+taken advantage of your position in the most reprehensible and
+unworthy way, and have overstepped the bounds when you had no right
+whatever to do so."
+
+"I shall have to ask you to be a little more explicit, Mr. Blaisdell,"
+Houston replied.
+
+"Why don't you come to the point, Blaisdell?" said Rivers impatiently.
+"What's the use of beating about the bush? The long and the short of
+it is just this," he added, turning to Houston, "you have been taking
+upon yourself what did not concern you, prying around, late at night,
+in mines with which you had nothing whatever to do, in company with
+miners who had no more business there than you had."
+
+"To what mine do you refer?" asked Houston, with exasperating
+persistency.
+
+"I mean the Lucky Chance, and you know it," retorted Rivers angrily.
+
+"Mr. Rivers," said Houston, in a tone that Blaisdell had heard on a
+former occasion, and with a steel-like glitter in his eyes that was
+anything but attractive to either of the gentlemen present; "Mr.
+Blaisdell knows, if you do not, that since my first coming here,
+whatever kind of work has been assigned to me, I have thoroughly
+familiarized myself with it. When I was given charge of these mines I
+had reason to suppose that each and every mine owned by the company
+was included under my supervision, and if there were any which the
+officers of the company, for reasons of their own, wished excluded
+from such supervision, it was their business so to inform me. I have
+not been so informed. Mr. Blaisdell himself took me into that mine,
+and nothing was said to lead me to suppose that that mine was any
+exception to those placed in my charge, and your informant, if he
+chose so to do, could tell you that I have inspected in like manner
+each and every mine under my supervision, taking with me one or both
+of the same men, when the mine happened to be one with which I was not
+familiar."
+
+"His intentions were all right," interposed Mr. Blaisdell, "he was
+over-zealous, that was all."
+
+"Intentions be damned!" said Mr. Rivers, angrily, "he was altogether
+too officious, and I won't have it; people in my employ have to know
+their place and keep it."
+
+"That is all very well," said Houston, in cutting tones, "but I will
+not ask you, Mr. Rivers, or any one connected with this company, to
+tell me my place."
+
+"What!" exclaimed Rivers in a rage, "let me tell you, young man, it is
+to your interest to be a little careful."
+
+"Is it?" answered Houston scornfully; "Mr. Rivers," he added,
+advancing toward that gentleman, "why don't you discharge me? Wouldn't
+that be to your interest?"
+
+Mr. Rivers saw he had gone too far; "No," he answered quickly, though
+sullenly, "we have said nothing about discharging you; you are too
+efficient a man for us to lose."
+
+"No, Houston," added Mr. Blaisdell, "we wouldn't think of discharging
+you, you're too good a man."
+
+"No, I'm not too good a man," replied Houston, facing them both with
+a look which they understood; "you don't discharge me simply
+because,--you don't dare to!" and he emphasized the last words with a
+heavy blow upon a rude desk standing near.
+
+Blaisdell and Rivers exchanged glances, and for a moment were
+speechless. The former was the first to recover himself.
+
+"Come, Houston," he said, in a conciliatory tone, "we won't have any
+more words; we all understand one another pretty well, and there'll
+be no more complaints or trouble. You go on pretty much as you have
+done, and it will be all right. It's time we were getting back now,
+but I'll be out here next week with Barden, and we'll fix things
+up satisfactory all 'round."
+
+"When will he get here?" asked Houston.
+
+"The latter part of next week."
+
+Houston thought an instant, his party would be there the first or
+middle of the week.
+
+"Very well," he replied, "I tender my resignation now, to take effect
+when he comes."
+
+"Oh, no, Houston, no indeed, why, we couldn't think of such a thing,"
+said Blaisdell, really alarmed, while Rivers maintained a sullen
+silence.
+
+"I am not particularly anxious to hold this position, I can assure
+you; there is very little in it but hard work."
+
+"Oh, well, well, you stay by us a while longer, and we'll take you
+into the company yet."
+
+"No," said Houston, "it would be no use taking me into the company, I
+wouldn't know my place, or keep it," and with that parting shot, he
+turned and left them.
+
+"Blaisdell," said Rivers, his face relaxing for a moment into a grim
+smile, "it's just as I told you, your smart young man is too smart for
+you. It's my opinion we've caught a tartar;--we're afraid to keep him,
+and we don't dare let him go."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+
+As Houston, on the following morning, in the execution of his daily
+round of duties, happened to be passing the Yankee Boy mine, his
+attention was arrested by a quantity of powder deposited near the
+mouth of the shaft, which the workmen were preparing to take below.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" he inquired sternly. "Who has given any
+orders for this powder to be brought here?"
+
+"Them was the boss's orders, sir," replied one of the men, respectfully.
+
+"The boss? whom do you mean?"
+
+"Begging your pardon, sir, I meant the boss as was up here yisterday;
+Mr. Haight, he told me this morning as these was the orders he give
+him."
+
+"Haight," said Houston, as, a few moments later, he entered the office
+of that individual, "did Mr. Blaisdell leave orders yesterday for
+powder to be taken over to the Yankee Boy mines?"
+
+"Yes," replied Haight, with his usual smile, "and I intended to have
+spoken to you about it this morning, but I forgot it."
+
+"What is his object? any blasting to be done?"
+
+"Yes, we had quite a long consultation together yesterday, he and
+Rivers and I, and we decided that it would pay to do some extensive
+drifting in those mines, and a good deal of that rock will have to be
+blasted."
+
+"How soon is this blasting to begin?"
+
+"Well, I can't say exactly, just how soon, probably within the next
+seven or eight days."
+
+"In what direction is the drifting to extend?"
+
+Haight looked slightly surprised but replied: "We're a little
+undecided about that, just what course to take; Rivers was for one
+thing, and Blaisdell and I for another. After they have blasted a
+ways, we can tell something from the character of the rock in what
+direction it will be best to run the drift."
+
+After a few more questions, some of which Haight did not answer so
+readily as might have been expected, Houston left him. He did not
+proceed at once to the building where Van Dorn was at work, but first
+returned to the mines, where he discovered that the powder was not
+only being stored in the Yankee Boy group, but also in the Lucky
+Chance, and one or two others of the surrounding mines. A little later
+he made an errand to that part of the mills where Van Dorn was to be
+found, and quietly calling him to one side, related to him what he had
+discovered, and his talk with Haight.
+
+Van Dorn was more familiar with mines, their methods of operation, and
+the rules governing their underground workings, than Houston, and he
+immediately exclaimed:
+
+"By George! that fellow is a fool, Everard, or else he was simply
+'stuffing' you; to drift in the direction he mentioned would be a
+useless expenditure of time and money, there would be nothing in it,
+it is utterly absurd!"
+
+"I mistrusted as much," said Houston, "and I have my own opinion as to
+the meaning of all this, but I wished to get your idea of the matter.
+What do you think of it?"
+
+"It looks to me," said Van Dorn slowly, "as though they were making
+preparations to blow up these mines, at a moment's warning."
+
+"That," said Houston, "was just the conviction that forced itself upon
+my mind when I saw that powder, though I will admit I had never once
+thought of their resorting to such measures as that."
+
+"It's about the only thing left for them to do, by George! after the
+shape in which they have got things; their idea probably would be, in
+the event of Mr. Cameron's coming, to destroy in this way all the
+evidence, as they think, existing against them. It shows pretty
+conclusively that they have no suspicions of us, for if they knew the
+evidence in our possession they would blow us up rather than the
+mines. You will telegraph at once for Mr. Cameron, will you not?"
+
+"At once; we must get him here as quickly and as quietly as we can;
+before they put their plans into action, if possible."
+
+"That is the thing to do; they probably will take no action unless
+they hear of his coming. We ought to get a dispatch off before
+night."
+
+"We will," Houston replied, with quiet decision.
+
+"How will you manage it? It will look rather suspicious for you or me
+to leave our work and go down to the Y with a message."
+
+"Give Morton our dispatch and cipher book, and he will attend to it
+better than you or I, for he is an expert operator."
+
+"By George! that's so, I had forgotten it; he learned telegraphy there
+at college just to amuse himself, and had a battery in his room; well,
+that's fortunate, he will be just the one for us."
+
+"It is nearly noon," said Houston, consulting his watch, "we will see
+Morton at the house, and arrange the message between us, and he will
+send it immediately."
+
+After dinner, there was a brief consultation in Houston's room with
+the result that the following dispatch was formulated, written in
+cipher, and addressed to Mr. Whitney, at Chicago, the attorney from
+New York, accompanying Mr. Cameron:
+
+  "Come at once, no delay; go to Arlington Hotel, Silver City; keep
+  dark, do not register. Van Dorn will meet you at hotel."
+
+Houston realized that they were now rapidly approaching the final
+denouement,--the closing act of the drama which might yet prove a
+tragedy,--and as he placed the folded slip of paper in Morton
+Rutherford's hand, he said with a sigh:
+
+"This is the beginning of the end."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+
+As Morton Rutherford's fingers touched the key of the little
+instrument that was to send forth that fateful message, it was the
+unconscious touching of a secret spring which was to set in motion a
+succession of events of which he little dreamed.
+
+He remained at the station until the answer came back over the wires:
+
+  "Leave Chicago to-night; will follow instructions to the letter."
+
+This was on Saturday. On Tuesday the expected party would reach Silver
+City, where they were to be met by Van Dorn, who would furnish them
+all details and accompany them on the evening train to the Y, from
+which point Houston and Morton Rutherford would convey them by team to
+the mining camp.
+
+From Saturday until Tuesday only! but those intervening days were full
+of a strange excitement for the little group of friends who were in
+the secret, and there was that constant sense of expectancy, combined
+with an alert watchfulness, which kept the nerves tense and rigid, and
+rendered the mind unusually clear and active.
+
+On Monday, Van Dorn left for Silver City, his errand ostensibly being
+to replace the broken portions of the machinery, now nearly finished,
+which were necessary for its completion.
+
+All felt that the climax to which they had looked forward was now very
+near, and Lyle, who perhaps realized the situation the most keenly of
+any, was restless and excited, something very unusual for her.
+
+Her search, thus far unsuccessful, had not been abandoned, and as she
+sat in the little porch on that particular afternoon, idle because she
+could not fix her attention upon book or work, it seemed as if the
+years of her early life among the mountains stood out with more than
+usual distinctness. Among other trifling objects, there was suddenly
+recalled to her memory a box which used always to stand in Mrs.
+Maverick's little bed-room, and which had looked wonderfully
+attractive to her childish eyes on account of a flowered red and green
+paper with which it was covered. Once, overcome with infantile
+curiosity, she had tried to open it, and had received a severe
+whipping therefor. She could remember it very distinctly now, a box
+about eighteen inches square, with no fastening, but always securely
+tied with a stout cord. Late years it had been removed to the little
+attic and she had forgotten it. Where was it now? She had not seen it
+for months, or was it years? What could it have contained?
+
+Miss Gladden was occupied with a new magazine. Morton and Ned
+Rutherford had gone out for a stroll among the rocks. Quietly Lyle
+slipped up-stairs, and going to the dark, dusty attic, began searching
+for the object so suddenly recalled to mind.
+
+She could find no trace of it, however, and had about concluded that
+it must have been destroyed, when her attention was arrested by a pile
+of old clothing and rubbish on the floor in a particularly dark
+corner, behind some large boxes. A slight examination revealed that
+there was some solid substance underneath. Hastily overturning the
+rubbish, her eyes descried in the dim light the identical red and
+green papered box familiar to her childhood.
+
+With an exclamation of joy she dragged it forth from its hiding place,
+and going over to the one tiny window, covered with dust and cobwebs,
+she sat down with the newly found treasure, first arranging a pile of
+old bedding as a screen between herself and the door, to preclude all
+possibility of her whereabouts being discovered.
+
+With fingers trembling with excitement, she undid the fastenings of
+the heavy cord and slowly lifted the cover, not knowing exactly what
+she expected or hoped to find, but certain that the key for which she
+had searched was close at hand.
+
+Within the box lay a large parcel wrapped in a newspaper, worn and
+yellow with age, and pinned to the parcel was a letter, addressed in a
+cramped, almost illegible hand:
+
+                               "To Lyle,
+                      to be read after my death."
+
+Lyle recognized the writing,--it was Mrs. Maverick's, whose
+educational advantages, though exceedingly limited, were yet superior
+to those of her husband, in that she could read and write, though she
+had little idea of the rules of grammar or orthography.
+
+Lyle unpinned the letter and turned it over curiously in her hands for
+a moment; then she laid it aside, saying to herself:
+
+"I will first see what this package contains, and will probably open
+that later."
+
+She lifted the parcel and began removing the paper wrappings, which
+burst like tissue and dropped in pieces, leaving a mass of fine
+cambric and dainty laces and embroideries, from which was exhaled a
+perfume, faint and subtle, and yet which recalled to Lyle so vividly
+the memories of that long-ago forgotten time, that she seemed like one
+awakening from a long oblivion to the scenes of a once familiar life.
+For a moment, she grew faint and dizzy, and, closing her eyes, leaned
+against the wall for support, while she tried to grasp the vision that
+seemed just ready to open up before her. But it passed, and with a
+sigh she opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the contents of the
+package which had fallen open.
+
+She saw the dress of a little child,--apparently about two years of
+age,--a marvelous creation of the finest of white linen and the
+daintiest of embroideries; lying within it was a broad sash of blue
+silk, neatly folded together, a pair of tiny, blue silk stockings,
+and little kid shoes of the same delicate shade; but the shoes and
+sash, as well as the dress, were soiled and blackened as if they had
+come in contact with charred wood.
+
+The dress and the little undergarments each and all bore the initials
+"M. L. W.," and Lyle pondered over them with wondering eyes, while
+handling with reverent touch these relics of her childhood,--a
+childhood which she could not recall.
+
+As she unrolled the blue sash, there dropped from within its folds a
+small, pasteboard box, which she hastily opened, exposing to view a
+tiny gold locket and chain of rare workmanship and exquisite design.
+Upon touching a little spring, it opened, and Lyle gave a low cry of
+delight, for there was revealed the same beautiful face which she had
+seen in Jack's cabin,--the face of her mother. For some time she gazed
+at it through fast-gathering tears, then happening to note the
+engraving on the inside of the case, opposite to the picture, she held
+it closer to the light, to discern the delicate characters of the
+inscription, and read:
+
+                     "To Marjorie Lyle Washburn,
+                     Upon her second birthday."
+
+Lyle Maverick no longer, but Marjorie Lyle Washburn! She repeated the
+name over and over to herself,--the magic talisman by which she was to
+find the home and friends she sought!
+
+Kissing the locket reverently, she replaced it in the box, and folding
+together the little garments, she again took up the letter. She
+studied it for a moment, then resolutely breaking the seal, began to
+read its contents. It was slow work, for the writing in many places
+was so poor as to be nearly illegible, but, with burning cheeks and
+eyes flashing with indignation at what it revealed, she read it to the
+end.
+
+In uncouth phrases and illiterate language, and yet with a certain
+pathos, Mrs. Maverick told the story of the death, years before, while
+their home was east, in Ohio, of her own little girl between two and
+three years of age, and her inconsolable sorrow. A few months
+afterward, Jim had suddenly returned from a neighboring town where he
+was working, bringing with him a beautiful little girl of the same age
+as her own, but unusually advanced for her years, whose father and
+mother he claimed had been killed in a railroad accident, and of whose
+friends nothing could be learned. His wife had accepted his story in
+good faith, and welcomed the motherless little one to her own lonely
+heart. Unknown to Jim, who had charged her to burn them, she had also
+preserved the garments worn by the little stranger on that day.
+
+But the little one did not take kindly to her new surroundings but
+cried piteously for her mother, night and day, even refusing food of
+all kinds, until she was suddenly taken with a strange illness which
+lasted for many weeks. When she finally recovered, all memory of her
+former life seemed to have been completely blotted out of her mind,
+and she no longer called for her mother, except occasionally in her
+sleep. Very soon after they had come out to the mines, and nothing of
+any importance occurred until Lyle was about seven years old.
+
+At that time, Jim had suddenly made his appearance at the house one
+day, appearing both angry and frightened, and had ordered his wife to
+keep Lyle locked up, on pretext of punishing her, until he gave
+permission for her release. He would give no explanation, and by his
+curses and threats compelled her to obey.
+
+That day, a fine-looking, elderly gentleman, who had just arrived from
+the east to purchase some mining property, came to the house for
+dinner, and took his meals there for the two days following, during
+which time, Lyle was not allowed her liberty. Not until nearly a year
+later did Mrs. Maverick learn that the eastern stranger, whose coming
+had so terrified Maverick, was Lyle's grandfather. Jim then confessed
+that he had taken the child from the wreck where its mother had lost
+her life, and brought her west with him, knowing whose child she was,
+and keeping her out of revenge for some wrong which he claimed this
+man had done him years before.
+
+In vain his wife urged to have the child returned to her rightful
+home; he threatened her life if she ever breathed the secret to any
+living soul. A sense of guilt made her unhappy for a time, but as
+years passed she grew more indifferent to it, and as she saw, more and
+more, how utterly unlike any of her own family Lyle was growing, she
+no longer cared for her as she had done, though she tried to treat her
+kindly. Jim's hatred of Lyle seemed to increase with every year, until
+his wife sometimes feared that he would resort to personal violence.
+
+As she found her own health and strength failing she began to reflect
+upon the terrible position in which Lyle would find herself in case of
+her own death, left alone with Maverick and his two sons, and to save
+her from such a fate, she had resolved to write this letter,
+acquainting Lyle with her own history so far as she was able to give
+it.
+
+At the close she begged Lyle not to think too harshly of her or
+consider that she was altogether to blame in this matter, and
+expressed the wish that she might some day find her own friends from
+whom she had been taken.
+
+It would be impossible to describe Lyle's emotions as she finished the
+perusal of this strange letter; joy that she had finally found the
+evidence she sought, and an intense longing to see those from whom she
+had been so cruelly separated all these years, mingled with a fearful
+apprehension lest this knowledge might have come too late, when those
+whose affection she would claim, might have already passed beyond the
+limits of finite, human love, into the love infinite and eternal. And
+deep in her heart burned indignation, fierce and strong, against the
+one who had wrought all this wretchedness,--carrying additional sorrow
+to a home already bereaved, robbing her of the love that was
+rightfully hers and of the dower of a happy childhood which could
+never be restored,--all to gratify his cowardly revenge!
+
+In the midst of these reflections, Lyle suddenly recalled the promise
+she had given Jack that he should be the first to learn of her
+success. It was now time for him to be at the cabin and she would have
+an opportunity to see him before the return of the others to the
+house. Accordingly, she restored the empty box to its hiding place,
+and having concealed the most of its contents in her own room,
+started forth on her joyful errand, taking with her the tiny locket
+and the letter.
+
+As she approached the cabin she saw Jack sitting with Rex in the
+door-way and knew that he was alone. Jack, to whom her face was an
+open book, read the tidings which she had brought before they had
+exchanged a word. He rose to meet her, and looking into her radiant
+face, he said in gentle tones and with a grave smile:
+
+"You have good news! Have you found what you hoped to find?"
+
+"I have," she replied, "and you who have shared all my troubles must
+be the first sharer of my joy."
+
+Together they entered the cabin, and seated in the little, familiar
+room, Lyle told the story of her discovery, and opening the locket,
+placed it in Jack's hands.
+
+For a moment he gazed silently at the little trinket, then he said in
+low tones, as if half to himself, "It is she, and you are her child,
+as I have always believed," then added, "I rejoice with you, Lyle, I
+am glad for your sake."
+
+But even as he spoke, Lyle, notwithstanding the exuberance of her own
+joy, could not fail to observe in his face indications of poignant
+pain, as he looked at the lovely pictured face, and as she repeated
+the name inscribed opposite.
+
+"Jack!" she suddenly exclaimed, "have I made you suffer by my
+thoughtlessness? Forgive me!"
+
+"No, my dear," he answered tenderly, "you have caused me no pain; if I
+suffer, it is on account of bitter memories of which you as yet know
+nothing, and I pray you may never know. What letter have you there?"
+
+Lyle read the letter, Jack silently pacing up and down the room,
+listening, with a look of intense indignation deepening on his face,
+until she had finished.
+
+"It is as I have suspected all these years," he said, "the dastardly
+villain! the scoundrel! Thank God, it is not yet too late, there are
+those who can and will right the wrong, so far as it is possible to
+right it."
+
+At Lyle's request, they compared the picture with the photograph in
+Jack's possession; they were one and the same, except that the latter
+had been taken a few years earlier.
+
+"Jack," said Lyle earnestly, "can you tell me anything about my
+relatives? Are my grandparents living? and had my parents brothers or
+sisters?"
+
+"I have learned quite recently that your grandparents are still
+living," Jack answered slowly, after a pause, "as to the others I
+cannot say; even of your own mother I can trust myself to say but very
+little, it is too painful!"
+
+"What would you advise me to do now?" Lyle asked wistfully, but with
+slight hesitation. "What would be the best course for me to take?"
+
+With an expression unlike anything she had ever seen on his face, and
+a depth of pathos in his voice she had never heard, he replied very
+tenderly:
+
+"I can no longer advise you, my dear Lyle; take these proofs which you
+have found to Everard Houston; he can advise you now far better than
+I; show them to him, my dear, and you will have no further need of
+counsel or help from me, much as I wish it were in my power to give
+both."
+
+"To Mr. Houston?" Lyle had risen in her surprise, and stood regarding
+Jack with tearful, perplexed astonishment; there was a hidden
+significance in his words which as yet she could not fathom. "I do not
+understand you, Jack; why do you speak as though you could no more be
+to me the friend and counselor that you have been?"
+
+He smiled one of his rare, sweet smiles. "Do as I have suggested,
+dear,--then you will understand; and I shall want to see you for a few
+moments again to-night, after you have seen him."
+
+Somewhat reassured by his smile, and yet perplexed by his manner, Lyle
+left the cabin and slowly returned to the house, everything about her
+seeming unreal, as though she were walking in a dream.
+
+Miss Gladden was chatting with Morton and Ned Rutherford, and in reply
+to Lyle's question whether Mr. Houston had returned, stated that he
+was in his room, having just come up from the mines.
+
+"Thank you, I will see him just a moment," Lyle responded, passing
+into the house.
+
+"You have not heard any bad news, have you?" asked Miss Gladden
+apprehensively, noting the peculiar expression on Lyle's face.
+
+"No," the latter answered with a smile, "it is about nothing regarding
+himself that I wish to see him, only something concerning myself."
+
+The door stood open into Houston's room, and Lyle could see him
+standing by the table, arranging some papers which he proceeded to
+sort and tie up in separate parcels.
+
+In response to her light knock he glanced quickly around, and
+observing her unusual expression, advanced to meet her, thinking, as
+did Miss Gladden, that possibly she had heard something appertaining
+to the present situation of affairs at the camp.
+
+"Good evening, Lyle, come in; you look as though you were the bearer
+of important news of some kind."
+
+"I have news," she replied, "though of importance only to myself; I
+need a little counsel, and was told to come to you."
+
+"You know, Lyle, I will only be too glad to give you any advice, or
+render any assistance within my power."
+
+"Thank you," she answered, at the same time producing the little box
+and the letter. "Leslie has probably told you of the manner in which I
+learned that the proofs as to my true parentage and my own identity
+existed within this house, and of my search for them since that
+time."
+
+Houston bowed in assent.
+
+"To-day," she continued, "my search proved successful, in so far as
+that I have discovered my own name, and also the proofs that I was
+stolen by that villain, Maverick, in a spirit of retaliation and
+revenge; but I have as yet no knowledge as to who or where my friends
+may be. Naturally, I took these proofs to Jack, and asked his advice
+as to the best course to pursue, and he has sent me to you."
+
+"I am more than glad to hear this, my dear Lyle," responded Houston
+cordially; "I have always felt a great interest in you, and it will
+give me much pleasure if I can assist you in finding your friends, and
+I shall appreciate it highly if Jack has intrusted me with this
+responsibility."
+
+Taking the locket from the box, Lyle handed it, unopen, to Houston,
+saying as she did so, "This is the only clue I have by which to
+find my friends; it contains my mother's picture, and my own
+name,--Marjorie Lyle Washburn."
+
+"Washburn!" exclaimed Houston in surprise, pausing as he was about to
+open the locket. "Washburn! Marjorie Washburn! That sounds familiar,
+both those names occur in my uncle's family, his wife and his
+daughter,--ah, I recall it now, that was the name of my cousin's
+little daughter. Strange!--what! what is this?" He had opened the
+locket and was gazing in astonishment at the beautiful face.
+"This,--this is her picture, the picture of my cousin, Edna Cameron
+Washburn! What is the meaning of this?" And, unable to say anything
+further, he looked to Lyle for an explanation.
+
+She, too, was nearly speechless with astonishment. "What did you say
+was her name?" she stammered.
+
+Houston repeated the name, while a strange light began to dawn in his
+face.
+
+"She was my mother," Lyle said simply. She could say nothing more, the
+walls of the little room seemed to be whirling rapidly about her, and
+she could see nothing distinctly.
+
+Faintly, as though sounding far in the distance, she heard Houston's
+voice as he exclaimed:
+
+"Can it be possible? and yet, you resemble her! Why have I never
+thought of it before? She had a little daughter Marjorie, whom we
+always supposed was killed in the wreck in which her own life was
+lost."
+
+"And this," said Lyle, holding out the letter, but speaking with great
+effort, for the room was growing very dark, and a strange numbness
+seemed stealing over heart and brain, "this tells that I was stolen
+from the side of my dead mother who was killed in a wreck--" She could
+get no farther, and she knew nothing of his reply. A thick darkness
+seemed to envelop her, fast shutting out all sense even of life
+itself. There was a sound for an instant like the deafening roar of
+waters surging about her, and then she seemed sinking down, down into
+infinite depths, until she lost all consciousness. For the first time
+in her life she had fainted.
+
+Houston caught her as she was falling, and a moment later the little
+group outside were startled by his sudden appearance.
+
+"Leslie," he said, in quick, low tones, "you and Morton come to my
+room. Lyle has fainted."
+
+"What is the trouble, Everard?" asked Ned, springing to his feet.
+"Anything serious?"
+
+"I think not," was Houston's reply. "Her fainting was the result of
+over-excitement. Come into my room, Ned, when she has revived, I think
+I have made a discovery in which we will all be interested."
+
+When he returned Lyle was beginning to revive, though unable to speak,
+and leaving her in the care of Leslie and Morton for a few moments,
+Houston hastily scanned the letter which Lyle had given him, soon
+reading enough of its contents here and there to get a correct idea of
+the whole.
+
+Both Miss Gladden and Morton Rutherford realized that something had
+transpired out of the usual order of events. Each believed it
+connected with some discovery relating to Lyle's early history, but of
+what nature the discovery might be they had no clue.
+
+As soon as she was able to speak Houston was at her side, and she read
+in his face the confirmation of the truth which had dawned upon her
+mind as he had repeated her mother's name, but which had seemed to her
+past belief.
+
+"It is really true, and I have not been dreaming?" she asked.
+
+"It is most certainly true, my dear Lyle," Houston replied, "and I am
+very glad to find that you, who have seemed to me like a sister from
+our first acquaintance, will soon be my sister in reality."
+
+Stooping, he kissed her on the forehead, and then in reply to the
+glances of astonishment on the part of the others, he said:
+
+"Leslie, I will have to prepare you for a double surprise, and since
+we four are now members of one family, I can speak here without
+reserve. When I first won your love, my dear, it was as the salaried
+clerk of a disreputable mining company. I was old-fashioned enough to
+wish to win your love with love, to feel assured that you cared for me
+for my own sake. Lately, you have known that I was the representative
+of Mr. Cameron, of New York, but you did not know that I was Mr.
+Cameron's nephew and adopted son,--his son in all respects, excepting
+that I have not taken his name." He paused a moment, and laid his hand
+affectionately on Lyle's shoulder. "I now have a pleasant surprise for
+you both. I wish to introduce you to Marjorie Lyle Washburn, my cousin
+and my adopted sister."
+
+With a burst of tears, Miss Gladden knelt beside Lyle, throwing her
+arms about her neck, while Lyle whispered:
+
+"Dear Leslie, you have been like a sister to me in my poverty and
+loneliness. I am glad we will not be separated in the life of love and
+happiness that awaits me. We will be sisters still, more closely
+united than ever."
+
+Turning to Morton Rutherford, whose emotion seemed nearly as deep as
+Miss Gladden's, Houston said:
+
+"Morton, you remember hearing of my beautiful cousin Edna, and of the
+sad death of herself and her little daughter, as we always supposed.
+This is her daughter, and I know that when my uncle and aunt meet her,
+they will adopt her as their own daughter in her mother's place."
+
+It would be impossible to depict the scene that followed, the surprise
+and delight of Miss Gladden, or the deep joy of Morton Rutherford, but
+by and by, when they had become more calm, a knock was heard. Houston
+opened the door, and Ned Rutherford, looking in, was entirely unable
+to comprehend the scene. Houston held in his hand a small gold locket
+and a photograph which he seemed to be comparing with each other. Lyle
+looked very pale, but radiantly happy. Morton was standing near,
+while Miss Gladden still knelt at her side, her eyes overflowing with
+tears of joy.
+
+"Come in, Ned," said Houston cordially. "We want you here to complete
+the family group."
+
+Ned looked rather bewildered, as he replied: "I just wanted to inquire
+for Miss Maverick, to know if she was better."
+
+"She is much better," said Houston with a smile, but before he could
+say anything further, Morton turned toward his brother, saying in
+gentle, quiet tones, but with a look in his eye which spoke volumes to
+Ned's inner consciousness:
+
+"Ned, this is Miss Maverick no longer, but Miss Washburn, the
+grand-daughter of the Mr. Cameron whom we expect here to-morrow."
+
+Poor Ned Rutherford! If he had ever laid any claim to dignity and
+self-possession, they both deserted him now. Utterly bereft of speech,
+he stood for a moment as if petrified. Then approaching Lyle, he
+stammered:
+
+"I beg your pardon, Miss,--Miss Washburn, but that is always Mort's
+way, to spring anything on me in such a fashion as to knock me out
+completely. I beg your pardon for appearing so stupid, and I
+congratulate you on the good news, and extend you my best wishes,
+Miss----"
+
+"Oh, call me Lyle," she interrupted, with a rippling laugh. "I have a
+right to that name yet."
+
+"Is that so?" said Ned, with the air of a drowning man clutching at a
+straw. "Thank you; I'm glad that's left for a sort of land mark, you
+know. I'll call you 'Lyle' then, 'till I can get accustomed to the new
+name," and he sank in a heap in the nearest chair.
+
+The letter was read, and bitter were the denunciations against
+Maverick.
+
+"The scoundrel! He ought to be lynched this very night," said Ned.
+"That's the way they do those things out here."
+
+"Not late years, Ned," corrected his brother, "and even if they did,
+that would not be best."
+
+"It is a question with me," said Houston, "situated just as we are at
+present, and with Mr. Cameron expected in a few hours, whether it
+would be wise to do anything about this until after his arrival."
+
+"I think not," said Morton, "under the circumstances, you do not want
+to arouse the antipathy of any of the miners before Mr. Cameron's
+coming, and as Maverick knows nothing of this discovery, he will of
+course remain here, and Mr. Cameron can advise in this matter as he
+thinks best."
+
+And this was the final decision.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+
+A few hours later Lyle stood in the gloaming, taking leave of Jack, in
+the quaint, cozy room in the cabin, little dreaming that they stood
+there together for the last time.
+
+They had talked long and earnestly of the new life opening up before
+her, and her tears flowed fast as she recalled the happy hours they
+had spent together, or as she anticipated the days to come. Her tears
+were not the only ones, but the friendly twilight, rapidly deepening,
+concealed the others.
+
+"And to think that you have known so much of this all the time, and
+did not tell me!" she exclaimed.
+
+"It was best, my little one, best for each of us. I was constantly
+planning how I might bring this about when the right time came. That
+time has come, and as my little girl, whom I have loved as deeply as
+any one in the future can ever love her, and whom I have cherished and
+helped to the extent of my limited power, goes forth into this new
+life, I can and will rejoice in the joy, the love and the happiness
+that will be hers. And I know that amid new scenes, new friends and
+new loves, she will never quite forget the old friend and the old
+love."
+
+"Never, Jack; I could never forget you, and Everard and Morton will
+never forget you. They are coming to see you to-night. Dear Jack, why
+could you not give up this lonely life, and go with us to the east?
+We would all love you and make you one of us, and our home would be
+yours."
+
+"My dear child," he replied with a slight shudder, "you know not what
+you ask. I know the love that prompted it, but never ask it again."
+
+"Very well," said Lyle, with a sorrowful submission, "but I know what
+I can do." And she put her arms about his neck. "I will come out to
+the mountains and visit you here."
+
+Then, as he remained silent, she queried:
+
+"You would be here, wouldn't you, Jack, where I could find you?"
+
+Oh, the agony which his strong, loving heart endured! How could he
+tell her that even then he never expected to look upon her face again!
+He could not. He only said:
+
+"I cannot tell, dear, my life is an erratic and wandering one. No one,
+not even I, can say where I may be."
+
+"But you have not lived a wandering life lately; you have lived here
+for many years."
+
+"Because the lodestone, the magnet of my heart was here," he answered
+half-playfully, half-tenderly. "When that is gone, I shall be likely
+to fly off in a tangent again."
+
+"Oh, Jack, you must not talk so. I want to see you in the years to
+come. I must and I will. I feel it," she added brightly.
+
+For answer, Jack, for the first time, placed his arms about her, and
+for a moment folded her closely to his breast. Then, bending his head,
+he kissed her reverently, first on the forehead, then on the lips,
+saying, "God bless you always, my dear child!"
+
+She returned the kiss, and as he released her, she whispered:
+
+"Good-night, dear Jack!"
+
+"Good-night, my dear," he answered, adding under his breath, "and
+good-bye!"
+
+After she had gone, he sat in the gathering darkness alone, lost in
+thought. The collie, returning from attending Lyle on her homeward
+walk, divined, with keen, unerring instinct, the sorrow in his
+master's heart, and coming close, laid his head upon his knee, in
+mute sympathy and affection. His master stroked the noble head, but
+his thoughts were far away, and he was only aroused at length by the
+sound of voices, as Everard Houston and Morton Rutherford entered the
+cabin. The moon had now risen, and the little room in which he sat was
+filled with a soft, silver radiance.
+
+Jack rose to meet his guests, and his quick ear detected the vibration
+of a new emotion in Houston's voice, and as they exchanged greetings,
+there was something in the clasp of their hands that night that
+thrilled the heart of each one as never before.
+
+At heart, Jack was glad of the presence of Morton Rutherford. He
+feared that alone with Houston, after the events of that day, and in
+the light of the anticipated events of the morrow, his own emotions
+might prove too strong, weakening the perfect self-control which he
+felt he must now exercise. The presence of Rutherford acted as a
+tonic, and restored the desired equilibrium.
+
+"Mr. Houston already knows my aversion to a lamp, and if you do not
+object, Mr. Rutherford, we will sit for a while in the moonlight."
+
+"By all means," said Rutherford. "I myself dislike the glare of a
+bright light for genuine, friendly intercourse. A soft, subdued light
+is much more conducive to mutual confidence and interchange of thought
+and feeling."
+
+"Jack, my dear friend," said Houston, after a few moments of general
+conversation upon indifferent subjects, an effort on Jack's part to
+ward off the inevitable which he felt was surely coming, "You have
+added very materially to our happiness to-day, in that you have helped
+us to a happy solution of some of the mysteries that have perplexed
+us, and in doing this, have brought us all into much closer relations
+with one another."
+
+"You refer, of course, to Lyle," Jack replied, "but while I am very
+glad to have contributed to your happiness, I really deserve no credit
+therefor. I have suspected the relationship for some time, and was
+only waiting for the necessary proofs, which I felt would be found in
+good time."
+
+"But that is not the only mystery you have solved for us, or for me,"
+said Houston. "I think we now have a reason for the interest you have
+manifested in Lyle, and the kindness you have shown her; and, speaking
+for myself, I believe I have found a clue to the strange bond of
+mutual sympathy which has united us almost from our first meeting,
+even before we had exchanged one word; notwithstanding the coldness
+and reserve of your manner, I felt that back of it all you were my
+friend, and so it has proved. There has sprung up between us an
+affection which I believe to be mutual, and of a depth and power
+remarkable for such a brief acquaintance. But to-night there seems, to
+my mind, to be a reason for this, which I have been so blind as never
+to suspect."
+
+"And what may that reason be?" inquired Jack, calmly.
+
+"You will understand of course, my dear friend, as I have often said
+to you, I have no wish to question you regarding your life in the
+past, or to lead you to make any statements regarding yourself which
+you would not make freely and voluntarily; but to me it is evident
+that, although we met as strangers, you must sometime have been at
+least a trusted friend of the members of my uncle's family, if not
+more intimately connected with them."
+
+After a pause Jack replied, slowly:
+
+"As you are aware, I once knew Lyle's mother, and her memory is still
+unspeakably dear to me. I also knew the other members of Mr. Cameron's
+family, but that was all long ago in that past which is gone beyond
+recall, and to which any reference only brings the most bitter pain.
+When I learned your name and your true business here, I knew, of
+course, to what family you belonged, and I may have felt some degree
+of interest in you on that account, but the deep affection between us,
+which is, as you say, mutual, is, on my part, wholly for your own
+sake, because I knew you worthy of it. Regarding Lyle, I observed the
+wonderful resemblance between her and her mother, and it has been to
+me a source both of joy and of pain, especially of late, since it has
+grown so marked, and I have sometimes wondered that you did not
+observe it for yourself."
+
+"Now that I can see the resemblance so plainly, it seems strange that
+I did not think of it before," Houston replied. "She has always
+reminded me vaguely of some one, I could not recall whom. I can only
+account for it from the fact that I really saw my cousin Edna but
+seldom after I went to my uncle's home, as she was married very soon,
+and then we saw her only occasionally until her death, which occurred
+when I was only about twelve years of age. Consequently, my
+recollection of her was not particularly distinct. I am anticipating
+the meeting between her and my uncle and aunt,--they will recognize
+her immediately, and I am confident they will adopt her as their own
+daughter, in her mother's place."
+
+Jack started almost imperceptibly. "You do not expect Mrs. Cameron
+here with her husband?"
+
+"She will not come out with him, but she insisted on coming as far as
+Chicago, so that she would be able to reach us more readily in case of
+trouble, and I have thought to-day, since this recent discovery, that
+if the case against the company seems likely to take some time, I
+might go on to Chicago and bring her out to meet Lyle, and I would, of
+course, like her to meet Leslie, also."
+
+Jack remained silent, and withdrew a little farther into the shadow.
+It was Morton Rutherford who spoke now.
+
+"Did you not once tell me, Everard, in the old college days, that Mr.
+Cameron had lost a son also?"
+
+"Yes," said Houston, with a sigh. "That was a far heavier blow for
+them than the death of their daughter. He was their joy and pride,
+their hearts were bound up in him."
+
+"Ah," said Jack, in a voice almost cold in its even calmness. "I
+remember that Miss Cameron,--as I knew her,--had a brother. Is he also
+dead?"
+
+"We are compelled to believe that he must be dead," Houston answered,
+after a pause, in a tone of deep sadness. "He left home soon after his
+sister's death, and we have never heard from him since, though his
+parents searched for him, not in this country alone, but in others as
+well."
+
+"I beg your pardon for having alluded to it, Everard," said
+Rutherford, "you never told me the particulars, and I did not realize
+they were so painful."
+
+"No apologies are necessary among us three friends," Houston replied.
+"Guy's parents and I are the only living human beings who know, or
+ever will know, the reason for his leaving as he did. My uncle spent
+vast sums of money and employed detectives all over the world in his
+efforts to find him, and to let him know that the old home was open to
+him, and would always be just what it had been in the past. But it was
+of no avail, we could not even get any tidings of him, and uncle, long
+ago, gave him up for dead, though Aunt Marjorie believes that he is
+still living, and that he will yet return."
+
+"The faith of a good woman is sometimes simply sublime," replied
+Rutherford, "and a mother's love is something wonderful. To me it
+seems the nearest divine of anything we meet on earth."
+
+There was no response from the figure sitting motionless in the
+shadow. At that moment it required all the force of his tremendous
+will power to stem the current of almost uncontrollable emotion,
+surging across his soul.
+
+But the moments passed, other topics were introduced and discussed,
+and Jack joined in the conversation as calmly as the others.
+
+"I suppose," he remarked, as, a little later, he accompanied his
+guests to the door, "I suppose that before this time to-morrow, Mr.
+Cameron will have already arrived at the camp?"
+
+"Yes," Houston replied, "we expect him over on the evening train, with
+Van Dorn."
+
+As Houston and Rutherford took leave of Jack, there was something in
+his manner, something in the long, lingering hand-clasp which seemed
+more like a farewell than like a simple good-night, at which they
+silently wondered.
+
+Could they have looked in upon him an hour later, they would have
+understood the cause. Silently he moved about the room, gathering
+together the few little keepsakes among his possessions which he most
+prized. These he placed in a small gripsack which he carefully locked,
+saying to himself, as he looked around the room with a sigh, "Mike can
+have the rest."
+
+Then going to the window, he stood looking out upon the calm, moonlit
+scene, which for many years had been the only home he had known.
+
+"This is my last night here," he soliloquized, "my work here is done.
+After to-morrow, Everard Houston will need me no longer, everything in
+which I can render him assistance is now done, and his friends will
+afford him all needed protection. Lyle has found her own, her future
+is provided for. The wrongs which I have witnessed for years in
+silence, will be righted without any assistance of mine. There is
+nothing more for me to do, and to-morrow I will start forth on the
+old, wandering life again."
+
+His head dropped lower; he was thinking deeply.
+
+"He said the old home was open, and would always be what it had been
+in the past. Home! What would that not mean now, after all these
+years! But that was long ago. I am dead to them now,--dead and
+forgotten. They will be happy with their new-found daughter, and
+Everard will be to them as a son, their happiness will be complete,
+and I will not mar it by any reminders of the wretched past."
+
+He glanced upward at the surrounding peaks.
+
+"To-morrow I go forth again into the mountains,--those towers of
+refuge and strength,--and in their soothing solitudes I shall once
+more find peace!"
+
+Then he retired. But to Jack, resting for the last time in his cabin
+home, to those then peacefully sleeping in the little mining camp, or
+to the others speeding westward through the night, on the wings of
+steam, there came no vision, no thought of what the morrow was, in
+reality, to bring.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+
+Tuesday morning dawned,--a day never to be forgotten in the history of
+the little mining camp, or in the lives of many outsiders as well.
+
+A strange thrill of subdued excitement ran through the little group,
+assembled before breakfast in the porch, as they realized that the day
+to which they had looked forward with varying anticipations had at
+last arrived; and there was, unconsciously, a look of watchful
+expectancy on every face.
+
+Even Nature herself seemed in sympathy with them. For a few days the
+heat had been intense, devouring with its scorching breath every
+vestige of verdure on the mountain sides and foothills, and leaving
+them dull and dun. On this particular morning the heat seemed more
+terrible than ever, and there was not a breath of air stirring to cool
+the oppressive atmosphere. The earth and sky were suffused with a
+bright, red light, which gradually died away into a dim, purplish
+haze, through which the sun ascended like a ball of fire; while every
+blade and leaf hung motionless, as if awaiting breathlessly the coming
+of some great catastrophe.
+
+"This portends a storm," said Houston, as he watched the strange
+phenomena.
+
+"Yes," added Morton Rutherford, "an electric storm, and, if I am not
+mistaken, a very severe one."
+
+"How strange!" exclaimed Leslie, in a low tone, to Lyle, "everything
+is so hushed and still; it seems as if the elements, like ourselves,
+were just waiting."
+
+"I don't like it," Lyle answered, "it seems ominous," and she
+shuddered visibly.
+
+There was little breakfast eaten that morning, and the group of
+friends adjourned to the porch on the pretext of watching the weather,
+thereby attracting the attention of Haight, who still remained at the
+table.
+
+"What's in the wind now, I wonder," he soliloquized.
+
+"There was some kind of excitement here last evening, and everybody
+seems on the qui vive this morning. I guess I'd better look into
+this," and calling Minty to him, he gave her a quarter, with his most
+insinuating smile, saying in low tones:
+
+"You find out to-day, if you can, whether there's anything unusual
+going on among those folks out there, and let me know."
+
+She pocketed the money with her customary giggle, as she responded,
+nodding her head emphatically, "You jest betcher life I will."
+
+Haight then departed for the mills, and Houston soon after left for
+the mines, while an hour or two later Morton Rutherford, taking one of
+the horses, rode leisurely in the direction of the Y, where he was to
+await a telegram from Van Dorn, immediately upon the arrival of the
+Eastern train at Silver City.
+
+In due time the message came, in cipher:
+
+  "Party arrived all right; over on evening train."
+
+To which Rutherford replied as follows:
+
+  "All quiet here. Will wire later if anything occurs."
+
+Then starting on his return up the canyon, he urged his horse forward
+with all possible speed, conscious that the most critical time was now
+approaching, and fully decided regarding his course of action on
+reaching the camp.
+
+At the mines, Houston found everything progressing as usual, the work
+going forward in the same unending, monotonous routine.
+
+At the Silver City office of the mining company, however, the greatest
+excitement was prevailing. Having been utterly unable to obtain any
+clue as to the whereabouts or the intentions of Mr. Cameron, the
+mining company, to guard against being taken wholly by surprise, had
+devised a new scheme. Every morning had found Mr. Wilson seated on the
+early train which left Silver City for the East at five A. M., and
+which was sidetracked at a small station about ninety miles distant,
+to give the right of way to the regular, West-bound Pacific Express.
+Here both trains stopped for about fifteen minutes, affording Mr.
+Wilson ample opportunity to pass through the West-bound train, and
+satisfy himself whether or not there were any old acquaintances
+aboard. Failing to find the party for whom he was seeking, he himself
+returned to Silver City on the same train.
+
+On this particular morning, however, upon cautiously entering one of
+the sleepers, he had seen, seated in one section, apparently in close
+consultation, three gentlemen, one of whom he immediately recognized
+as Mr. Cameron. Opposite and facing him, was an elderly man whose face
+Mr. Wilson was unable to see, but the back of whose head presented a
+severely judicial appearance, while at Mr. Cameron's right was seated
+the English expert who had come out early in the season with Mr.
+Winters' party. Evidently, Mr, Cameron was en route for the mines.
+
+Mr. Wilson had hastily retreated, and, stopping at the little station
+only just long enough to send a wire to the company, had returned to
+the east-bound train, to continue his journey indefinitely, which had
+not been a part of the programme prepared by the officers of the said
+company in common with their various other plans. But Mr. Wilson had
+suddenly come to the conclusion that there were other localities
+better suited to his health just at that particular time than the
+great and glorious North West which had so long been his favorite
+theme, and whose praises he had so persistently sung.
+
+It was about ten o'clock when Mr. Wilson's telegram, announcing his
+discovery, reached the Silver City office, creating general
+consternation. After a hurried consultation, numerous papers and
+documents were hastily stored in a private vault belonging to the
+officers of the company, a dispatch was sent out over their private
+wire to Haight, informing him of the situation and giving certain
+instructions; after which Mr. Blaisdell and a confidential clerk
+betook themselves to the depot to await the arrival of the Pacific
+Express. Concealing themselves among the crowd, they watched Mr.
+Cameron and his associates as they left the train, and having waited
+till they were safely ensconced within a carriage, ready to start for
+their hotel, Mr. Blaisdell then ordered his clerk to take another
+carriage and follow them, remaining at the hotel long enough to
+ascertain all he possibly could concerning their movements, after
+which he was to report at the office.
+
+Turning once more toward the crowd, Mr. Blaisdell expected to meet Mr.
+Wilson, but to his astonishment and perplexity, he was nowhere to be
+seen. From the conductor, however, who had thought Mr. Wilson's
+conduct rather peculiar, he learned the facts in the case.
+
+"Yes, sir," said that individual in conclusion, swinging himself on to
+the departing train, "if that's the man you're looking for, he's
+vamoosed sure, and judging by the way he got aboard that train, he'll
+be traveling for some time to come."
+
+Great was the indignation of the remaining officers of the company on
+learning of the sudden departure of their worthy president, and it was
+not lessened when, upon investigation at the office, it was discovered
+that Mr. Wilson had not only relieved the company of his presence, but
+of all the available funds in their private vault as well, which, at
+that time, happened to be considerable; nevertheless, for obvious
+reasons, it was decided best to say nothing about it for a few days.
+
+The clerk, on his return from the hotel, stated that none of Mr.
+Cameron's party had registered, but had gone immediately to their
+rooms, where they had ordered a private lunch served. He had seen
+nothing more of them, but had seen Van Dorn there, however, and upon
+inquiry had learned that he had been there since the preceding day,
+apparently waiting for some one, evidently this party, as, immediately
+upon their arrival, he had sent a cipher dispatch to some one at the
+Y; and one of the party had been heard to inquire quite particularly
+at what time the evening train would leave Silver City for Cokeville,
+a small station near the Y.
+
+It was evident that Van Dorn was in league with Mr. Cameron's party,
+and that they intended going out to the camp that evening; prompt
+action was necessary. A message was sent to Haight, and after his
+reply, it was decided that desperate measures were also necessary.
+
+While Morton Rutherford was leisurely riding toward the Y, Haight,
+sitting at his desk in his dingy, stifling office, suddenly heard his
+name clicked by the little telegraphic instrument near him. Having
+given the usual signal in return, the following message came over the
+wire with peremptory haste:
+
+  "Get everything in readiness at once; Cameron coming on eastern
+  train with mining expert and attorney. Get everything ready for
+  the final touch and await further instructions in about two
+  hours."
+
+Haight sprang to his feet, and calling one of the men, ordered, "Send
+Maverick to me as quickly as you can."
+
+In a few moments the slouching figure of Maverick stood in the
+door-way.
+
+"Come in, Jim, and shut that door," said Haight, in a quick, decisive
+tone that Maverick knew meant business.
+
+"Jim, in what shape is the powder in those mines? How long would it
+take to get everything ready for action?"
+
+Maverick's eyes gleamed; here evidently was to be a piece of work such
+as he enjoyed!
+
+"The powder's all there," he replied, "all there, jest in the right
+places, an' all there is ter do is ter lay the trains 'round there an'
+fix a few fuses; 'twouldn't take more'n half an hour, or sech a
+matter."
+
+"Think you could get it all done at noon, while the men are away?"
+
+"Yes, easy."
+
+"Very well, now listen; you are to get everything ready so that it
+will be nothing but 'a touch and a go,' as soon as I say the word,
+understand? Get everything ready this noon, give the men warning that
+there's going to be some blasting, and then, as quick as you've had
+your dinner, you be around here prompt, and stay within sight of this
+room till I send you word to quit. You know the rest, what directions
+Blaisdell left the last time he was here; you know what you're to wait
+for, and if you get a signal from me, you know what you're to do."
+
+"You bet I do, and I'll do a damned good job, too," Maverick replied,
+with a grin; "but what's the signal, boss?"
+
+"Let me see, I want something you'll recognize without any trouble,
+and that nobody else would notice, or think meant anything. Where will
+you be?"
+
+"Out there, behind them rocks; I can see your winders plain from
+there."
+
+"Yes, but if I made you any signal there, or put anything in the
+window, others would see it as well as yourself."
+
+"I'll tell you what, boss," said Maverick, glancing at the window on
+the right of Haight's desk, where hung an old, dilapidated shade,
+which had been lowered its full length in an effort to keep out the
+intolerable heat, "you let that there shade hang jest as it is till
+you want me, and when I see that yanked up, I'll know what it means,
+and you'll hear from me in jest about ten minits at the latest. But
+say, boss, what's all this racket about, anyhow? Some o' them eastern
+chaps comin' out here?"
+
+"That's none of your business, Jim," said Haight in a joking way, "you
+attend to what you've been told, and don't meddle with what don't
+concern you."
+
+"Is old Cameron comin' out here?" persisted Maverick, with an
+expression of fear and hatred combined, visible in his countenance.
+
+"Cameron!" exclaimed Haight, with a slight start, and wondering at
+Maverick's appearance, "What do you know about him?"
+
+"I know he owns these 'ere mines, damn him!" answered Maverick
+doggedly.
+
+"Do you! Well, that's enough, go along, you're not interested in
+Cameron."
+
+"Ain't I though!" said Maverick with a snarl and an oath, the hatred
+and wrath increasing in his face; "Me'n him has got an old score to
+settle yet. I only wisht he was a goin' ter be in them mines this
+afternoon. When's he comin'?"
+
+"I don't know," answered Haight shortly, "probably before very long
+though."
+
+"When you git word he's comin' I wan'ter know it, that's all," growled
+Maverick.
+
+"Well," said Haight, beginning to lose his temper, "when you see that
+curtain raised, you may know he's coming, and pretty damned quick too;
+now get out of the way, and attend to your business. Remember I've
+told you to give the men warning."
+
+"Yes," said Maverick, with a leer, "'specially the new superintendent,
+you'd like me ter give 'im an extra warnin' I s'pose."
+
+There was a corresponding leer on Haight's face, as he replied with a
+peculiar grimace,
+
+"You've had your orders; if you are particularly anxious to give
+anybody an extra warning, go ahead!"
+
+With a low, cruel laugh, Maverick withdrew, and a few moments later
+was shuffling along in the direction of the mines intent upon the work
+of destruction assigned to him, his face distorted with mingled fear
+and rage, his usually dull eyes gleaming with the fires of revenge.
+
+Haight hastened to the house to take a hurried dinner, and having
+learned from Minty that Morton Rutherford had gone to the Y, he again
+charged her to immediately report to him whatever she might learn, and
+returned to the office to await further instructions from the
+company.
+
+To Houston, constantly on the alert for danger signals, Haight's
+hurried and excited manner was the first indication of approaching
+trouble. It was evident that the company had received some inkling of
+impending danger, but of the extent of their information, or the
+nature of their communications with Haight, he had no means of
+ascertaining. Stating that he wished to see Morton Rutherford
+immediately upon his return, and that he would be at the Yankee Boy,
+near the entrance to the incline shaft, he hastened back to the mines
+at an earlier hour than usual.
+
+Finding Jack and Mike who had already returned, he told them of his
+surmises, and arranged a set of signals,--a certain number of blows on
+the rocks above them,--whereby he would give them warning if he found
+indications of immediate danger, upon which they were to make their
+escape in an opposite direction, by means of a tunnel, designated as
+tunnel No. 3, where he would speedily join them.
+
+On returning to the shaft, he found the majority of the men returning
+to their work as usual, Maverick having given them no warning, partly
+through his own cowardice, and partly through a determination that
+Houston should have no hint of what was to follow.
+
+Meanwhile, the long threatened storm was rapidly approaching with
+signs of unusual severity. Heavy clouds had obscured the sun and were,
+moment by moment, growing denser and blacker, while the heat was, if
+possible, more intense than before. There was that ominous calm that
+presages the coming of the tempest, while the air grew oppressive
+almost to suffocation. In the distant canyons, far up among the
+mountains, could be heard the muffled roaring of the wind, while the
+branches began to sway occasionally under the first hot breath of the
+approaching hurricane, which seemed like a blast from a furnace.
+
+On through the fast-gathering storm rode Morton Rutherford, urging
+forward his foam-covered horse, feeling by a certain, unerring
+intuition, that that ride through the winding canyon was a race
+between life and death. Having reached the camp, and left his
+dripping, panting horse at the stables, he walked rapidly on to the
+house, arriving shortly after Houston had left, and just in time to
+meet Maverick, hurrying to the house for a bit of food, his work of
+preparation having taken longer than he anticipated.
+
+One look at his malignant, demon-like face convinced Rutherford that
+he had arrived none too early, and that his own plans must be put in
+execution very soon.
+
+Pausing only long enough to exchange a few words with his brother and
+the ladies, in reply to their eager questions, he hurried on to the
+mines, he and they all unaware of a figure skulking behind him, in the
+fast-deepening gloom, in the direction of the mills. From an open
+window, aided by the peculiar condition of the atmosphere in those
+altitudes before a storm, which transmits the slightest sound with
+wonderful distinctness, Minty had overheard most of the conversation,
+and was hastening to fulfill her contract with Haight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+
+Morton Rutherford was not the only one who had observed the
+expression on Maverick's face. To Lyle it seemed she had never seen
+such venomous malignity as was in the look which he gave her.
+Stepping into the dining room a few moments after Morton had left, she
+heard imprecations and curses mingled with her own name and that of
+Mr. Cameron, and realized at once that their secret was known; then,
+as he hastily left the house, she heard a few words of bitter hatred
+which would have no special meaning to his wife, but which Lyle,
+knowing what Houston and his friends had been anticipating for the
+last few days, readily understood.
+
+The wind was now raging down the canyon with terrific force, but Lyle
+had but one thought, to warn those whom she loved and save them from
+danger. Catching up a light wrap which she threw about her shoulders,
+she rushed out of the house, passing Miss Gladden and Ned, who were in
+the porch watching the storm, and who tried to detain her.
+
+"Lyle, what is the matter? Where are you going?" they cried.
+
+"To the mines!" Lyle answered, raising her voice above the roar of the
+storm; "They are going to fire the mines, and they are all there,
+Morton and Everard and Jack. I must warn them if I can!"
+
+"Lyle, come back!" shouted Ned, "let me go!"
+
+She shook her head; "I must go, I know the mines," she cried, and
+turning ran down the road, battling with the terrific wind, and was
+out of sight, almost before they realized what had happened.
+
+Meanwhile, Morton Rutherford had found Houston without difficulty.
+"They are coming, Everard," he announced, in a low tone, "they will
+be here to-night. What are the indications here?"
+
+"I judge from Haight's manner, that word of some kind has been
+received from headquarters, but just what is to be done, or whether
+there is any immediate danger, I cannot yet tell."
+
+"I am going over to Haight's office for a few moments," said
+Rutherford, "I may catch some message from the company that will show
+us the situation."
+
+"Just what I was intending to suggest," said Houston.
+
+"You will remain here until I come back?"
+
+"Yes, unless I should detect some certain signs of danger; in that
+case I shall warn the men, and shall start for tunnel No. 3, that part
+of the mine will be safe for a while, in any event."
+
+"Very well, you will probably hear from me within twenty or thirty
+minutes," and Rutherford started for the mills.
+
+Haight, on returning to the office from dinner, waited some little
+time for the expected dispatch. At last it came:
+
+  "Cameron just arrived with Englishman, Lindlay, and attorney;
+  going out to the mines on evening train. Are at Arlington Hotel,
+  Van Dorn at same hotel and in telegraphic communication with some
+  one at the Y. There is a conspiracy somewhere; what do you know?
+  Answer at once; is everything ready?"
+
+He was still studying the contents of the telegram, wondering just
+what the conspiracy might mean, when Minty slyly entered, and by means
+of the information she had secured, furnished him the needed key to
+the situation. In a few moments the following answer was returned:
+
+  "The truth is out; have just discovered Houston is Cameron's
+  nephew, out here in his interests; Van Dorn et al. working with
+  him. Cameron coming out to-night for the grand coup. Everything is
+  ready awaiting your orders."
+
+Just as the message was sent, Maverick passed on his way to his post,
+and seeing him, Haight stepped to the door and called him:
+
+"I say, Jim, I've learned the truth at last about that superintendent
+of ours, damn him! You seemed so interested in old Cameron this
+morning, I thought you'd like to know that it has turned out that this
+Houston is his nephew."
+
+"Houston, old man Cameron's nephew!" gasped Maverick, with a terrible
+oath, and growing fairly livid, "How'd ye get onto that?"
+
+"No matter how, Jim, but it seems he's been out here all summer
+getting onto some of our little business ways and reporting to the old
+man, and now he's got the old fellow out here to see the fun. Never
+mind, Jim, I guess the fun will be on the other side after all. I'll
+attend to my business and you'll attend to yours, but I thought you'd
+go at it with a better relish after this little piece of news."
+
+Maverick passed on his way, regardless of the storm, incapable of
+coherent speech, muttering oaths and curses intermingled with the
+vilest epithets, Haight watching him with a grim smile for a few
+moments. Then going back to his office, he had but just reseated
+himself at his desk, when Morton Rutherford entered the outer room.
+"Damn him! what is he sneaking around here for?" Haight soliloquized,
+at the same time hastily transferring a revolver from his desk to his
+pocket, "I'll spoil that mug of his if he attempts any funny business
+here."
+
+This movement was seen by Rutherford, who was watching him closely,
+but he appeared to take no notice of it and entered the office as
+usual, with a civil greeting to Haight. The latter sprang to his feet,
+taking his position close by the shaded window, his right hand
+grasping the revolver in his pocket.
+
+Rutherford's lips curled with scorn and contempt as he looked at
+Haight; he saw there could be no semblance of civility between them,
+it was to be open war.
+
+"You are a coward!" he said.
+
+"And you are a sneak," Haight hissed in reply, "prying around here
+when you had better be minding your own business."
+
+"Let me tell you that I am attending to my own business, and you will
+find before you are much older, that I have more right here than
+you."
+
+For a moment Haight hesitated, astonished by Rutherford's words and
+manner, then was about to make some reply, when the click of the
+instrument attracted his attention. Keeping his eye on Rutherford, he
+gave the answering signal with his left hand, then listened intently
+for the message. It came, containing the final orders and the farewell
+words of the Silver City office:
+
+  "Send the mines to hell, and Houston and his crowd with them. Look
+  out for yourself. Good-bye."
+
+In his interest in the message, Haight seemed, for an instant, to have
+partially forgotten Rutherford's presence, his eyes dropped toward the
+instrument, and in that instant, Rutherford cleared the space between
+them at a bound, gripping Haight firmly with one hand, while with the
+other he knocked the revolver which Haight had hastily drawn, half way
+across the room. With a single blow he knocked Haight to the floor,
+partially stunning him, but as he regained his senses, he rolled over
+towards the window, and with a strength born of desperation, struggled
+to his knees, and before Rutherford realized what he was trying to do,
+the shade flew upward to the top of the window. Even then, Rutherford
+would have thought little of it, had not Haight betrayed himself by a
+leer of fiendish triumph. In an instant Rutherford understood that it
+had been some pre-arranged signal.
+
+"You cowardly villain!" he exclaimed, and pausing only long enough to
+give him a blow which left him unconscious on the floor, he rushed
+forth into the darkness and fury of the storm, in the direction of the
+mines.
+
+As he did so, he stumbled against a small boy, running even more
+swiftly in the same direction.
+
+"Mister, Mister Houston! is that you?" rang out Bull-dog's voice,
+above the storm.
+
+"No, my boy, I am going to find Mr. Houston, to save him if I can."
+
+"Oh, sir, let me go! I know about it, they're goin' to fire the mines,
+I heerd Jake say so, and I was a goin' to find Mister Houston myself;
+I'll get there quicker, 'n I know the mine better 'n you."
+
+"But, my boy, you risk your own life," said Rutherford.
+
+"Never mind that, sir; Mister Houston, he's been my friend, 'n his
+life's worth more'n mine anyhow; I'll risk it," and he was already
+rushing on ahead, shouting back to Rutherford, "You go to the tunnels,
+sir, you can help him there."
+
+"Tell him the signal has been given!" called Rutherford, and Bull-dog,
+swinging his ragged hat in reply, sped swiftly on through the raging
+wind.
+
+Rutherford paused for a moment, then started in the direction of the
+tunnels. At that instant, Lyle, still struggling against the fury of
+the wind, had just reached the ground surrounding the mines; in a few
+seconds more she would have been within the fatal boundary line, but
+Bull-dog's voice, as he rushed past, warned her back.
+
+"Go back, go back, Miss Lyle! they've given the signal to fire the
+mines, I'm goin' to warn 'em; don't be afraid, I'll save 'em, Mister
+Houston and Jack," and with these words, he rushed on, disappearing
+through the incline shaft.
+
+Lyle retreated a few steps, and then paused, looking wildly about her,
+dreading, expecting, she scarcely knew what.
+
+Suddenly the darkness seemed divided by a blinding flash, which spread
+into a sheet of flame, enveloping her within its lurid folds, while
+peal after peal of deafening thunder crashed and roared about her, and
+the lightning flashed and gleamed till it seemed as if earth and sky
+were commingled in one mass of flaming combat.
+
+Scarcely had the blinding flashes died in darkness, and the
+reverberations of the thunder still echoed and re-echoed among the
+surrounding mountains, when the earth began to rock and vibrate
+beneath her feet; there was the sound of a terrific explosion, she
+felt for an instant a strange sensation as if floating through the
+air,--then she knew nothing more; she had been thrown to the ground,
+unconscious, by the shock.
+
+Meanwhile, down the rough, narrow road, leading to the mines, Leslie
+Gladden and Ned Rutherford were making their way, having started
+immediately after Lyle, but unaccustomed to the furious mountain
+storms and unfamiliar with the road, they made slow progress in the
+darkness and tempest.
+
+"Miss Gladden, this is too hard for you," said Ned, as they paused
+once, gasping for breath, "I don't believe it is safe either, you
+ought never to have come."
+
+"What do I care for difficulty or danger?" she replied, "Think of Lyle
+going through this storm alone; I only pray she may not have been too
+late!"
+
+Scarcely had she finished speaking, when, without an instant's
+warning, the timber through which they were passing suddenly seemed
+one mass of blinding flame, while almost simultaneously came the
+deafening crash of the thunder.
+
+"Great Heavens! that must have struck awfully near us!" exclaimed Ned,
+but no cry escaped from Leslie's lips, as, shuddering, she clasped his
+arm more closely and struggled bravely on.
+
+It was not until a few seconds later, when there came the sound of the
+terrible explosion, followed by the bursting and crashing of the
+rocks, while the ground quivered and trembled as though shaken by an
+earthquake, that, for an instant, her courage failed, and with a low
+cry, she sank to the ground, shivering with horror. But only for an
+instant, and then she rose to her feet, dizzy and trembling from the
+shock, but brave and determined as ever.
+
+"Come," she said hoarsely, "we must hasten; perhaps we can help them
+in some way, even if we are too late to save them."
+
+Speechless from a horrible, sickening realization of all which that
+terrible shock might mean to those whom they were striving to save,
+Ned silently helped her forward. They had gone but a few steps, when
+there suddenly burst upon the dark and stormy heavens a dull, red
+glare, which grew brighter moment by moment, and on emerging from the
+timber into the open ground, a frightful scene met their gaze.
+
+Dense clouds of smoke were pouring from the shafts of the nearest
+mine, while, at a little distance, could be seen the mills, their
+whole interior already ablaze with light. In that end of the buildings
+containing the sorting rooms and Haight's office, the fire was raging,
+having come in contact with quantities of chemicals which had
+increased its fury.
+
+"Great Caesar!" ejaculated Ned, "the mills were struck, and are on
+fire."
+
+But Leslie uttered a sharp cry, and ran swiftly down the path to where
+Lyle lay unconscious, followed quickly by Ned.
+
+"Poor child, poor child!" she moaned, "oh, merciful heaven, she came
+too late, and they are all lost!"
+
+Then, as she knelt beside the unconscious form, there came another
+terrific explosion, which seemed to jar even the rocks about them to
+their very foundations, while from the already smoking shafts, the
+flames now issued, towering higher and higher, and adding new terror
+to the scene.
+
+Men were seen running from all directions, from the distant groups of
+mines, rushing to the burning mills, where the little fire corps
+belonging to the camp, were already engaged in a futile battle with
+the flames; but around the Yankee Boy mine there was no sign of life.
+
+The rain now began to descend in torrents, and the first dash of the
+storm seemed to revive Lyle, whom Leslie and Ned had raised to a
+sitting posture in their efforts to restore her to consciousness.
+Slowly she opened her eyes with a bewildered look, then springing to
+her feet, still weak and trembling, but resolute and determined, she
+gazed about her at the flaming shafts and burning mills, and suddenly
+cried,
+
+"Oh, I can remember now! I remember it all, it has come back to
+me,--the terrible wreck, the burning cars all around us, and my mother
+crushed in the wreck; then the people carried us out and they put me
+down beside her, lying so white and still, and then,--then that
+villain came and took me away,--I can see it all," and she
+shuddered.
+
+Then looking at Leslie and Ned, who were watching her with startled
+faces, she seemed trying to recall the present situation. Before
+either of them could speak, however, there came the report of another
+explosion, more distant and deeper underground than any that had yet
+occurred, and the sound seemed to bring back to Lyle the memory of her
+last moments of consciousness before the first terrible shock, while
+the faces of her companions were blanched with terror.
+
+"I know now," she exclaimed quickly, "I was too late, but Bull-dog
+warned them, and they are probably safe; we must go to the tunnels,
+they will make their escape there, and we may help them."
+
+She ran swiftly down the path leading the way, while they followed
+only too gladly, their hearts filled with new hope.
+
+The men, finding it impossible to check the flames at the mills, were
+flocking in the direction of the Yankee group of mines. Fearing,
+however, to approach very near the scene of danger, they gathered in
+groups here and there, while a company of wretched women, the wives
+and daughters of the few married men who worked in the fated mines,
+ran hither and thither, sobbing and wringing their hands in their
+agony of fear and suspense for their own loved ones. Seeing Lyle
+leading the way to the tunnels, they all, men and women, followed in
+the same direction.
+
+The fury of the storm had passed; a heavy rain was still falling, but
+the wind had subsided, and the clouds had lifted and were already
+breaking away.
+
+Arriving at the tunnels, they found a crowd of men, among them a
+number who had made their escape from the mines. The hearts of Ned
+Rutherford and Lyle throbbed with joy as they descried Morton standing
+among the crowd, but Lyle's heart sank again with sickening dread as
+she saw no signs of Everard Houston or of Jack, while Leslie Gladden
+moaned in despair. Morton Rutherford was unhurt, except for a few
+bruises from flying rocks, and he was pleading with some of the men,
+and offering large sums of money to any one or two who would go with
+him into the tunnel in search of Houston and some of the missing men.
+
+"Mr. Houston told me that this part of the mine would be safe for some
+time," he shouted, "and I will pay a thousand dollars to any one who
+will go with me as guide."
+
+For a moment no one responded, then one of the men who had escaped,
+spoke,
+
+"No sir, I wouldn't go back in that there mine for five thousand
+dollars, I'm out, an' I stays out," while another added, "'Twouldn't
+be of no use, sir; mos' likely he was catched in some o' them
+cave-ins; he stopped to give us all warnin' an' he was about the last
+one to start."
+
+"Cowards!" exclaimed Lyle, stepping forth among them with blazing
+eyes, "he risked his life to save yours, and you will not even try to
+save him. Morton," she added, turning toward her lover, "I know every
+step of the tunnels, and I will go with you."
+
+The men slunk back like whipped curs, but made no response. The miners
+employed by the company throughout this group of mines were of the
+lowest class, and they were none too friendly to Houston, while the
+better class of men employed in the other mines were not familiar with
+these workings.
+
+Morton Rutherford advanced to meet Lyle; "My darling," he said, in low
+tones, "I cannot allow you to subject yourself to danger."
+
+"I would rather share the danger with you," she replied proudly,
+"besides we must save them."
+
+"I will go, too," said Ned eagerly, "I surely can help."
+
+Lyle was about to suggest that he remain with Miss Gladden, but Leslie
+herself interposed.
+
+"No, no, I do not need him," she said earnestly, "I would suffer no
+more waiting alone, and he may do much good."
+
+At that instant, two young men from another group of mines stepped
+forward; "If you please, sir," said one of them, "we don't want no
+money, and we can't act as guides, not being acquainted with the lay
+of things around here, but we'd like to help you, for we like Mr.
+Houston, and we're his friends."
+
+Their offer was gladly accepted, and preparations were hastily and
+silently made by the little party. Wet cloths and sponges were
+fastened across the lower portion of their faces, to prevent their
+inhaling the smoke and gases, while ropes were securely tied about
+their waists, the ends of which were to be held by persons on the
+outside. A frequent jerking of the rope would assure those outside
+that all was right in the tunnel, but a suspension of the jerking
+would indicate that that person had been overcome by the gases, and he
+would be immediately drawn out to the fresh air, by those at the outer
+end of the line.
+
+Pausing only for a bright smile of encouragement to Leslie, Lyle led
+the way into the tunnel, followed by Morton and Ned, the two miners
+bringing up the rear, and all disappeared in the subterranean
+darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+
+When Bull-dog's voice rang out above the storm, with its warning to
+Lyle, Houston, standing near the entrance of the shaft, alert,
+watchful for the first indication of danger, heard the words
+distinctly and acted instantly.
+
+Having given the usual danger signal, he shouted, "To the tunnels,
+boys, for your lives! The mine has been fired, go to the tunnels!"
+
+On returning from giving the agreed signal to Jack and Mike, he heard
+Bull-dog's voice above him in the shaft, calling his name and shouting
+the warning.
+
+"Come, my boy," shouted Houston in return, "we'll start for the
+tunnels."
+
+"Yes sir, I'm a comin', I know the way, but don't you wait fer me
+'cause you may git catched."
+
+"I shall not leave you, Bull-dog, we'll go together," Houston
+answered, waiting for the little figure gliding swiftly toward him in
+the darkness.
+
+Suddenly the rocks by which they were surrounded began to quiver and
+vibrate; there was a deafening roar followed by a terrific crash, and
+an instant later, a mass of loosened rock was tearing its way through
+the shaft.
+
+"Cling to the wall, Bull-dog," shouted Houston, at the same time
+seizing a projecting ledge with a vise-like grip, and swinging himself
+upward, where he hung by his hands and wrists. It was a horrible
+position, but his powerful, athletic muscles bore the strain until the
+grinding, tearing mass had passed, and he dropped, scratched and
+bruised, but otherwise unhurt, to the ground.
+
+As he did so, he heard a faint moan, and hastening in the direction
+from whence it came, found Bull-dog, who, unable to spring high enough
+to escape the passing rocks, had been swept along and partially buried
+under the debris that followed.
+
+"My boy, are you hurt?" asked Houston, bending over him in the
+darkness, and removing as fast as possible the mass of crushed and
+broken rock under which he lay.
+
+"Not much, I guess," replied the little, familiar voice, in tones that
+tried to be brave and cheery, but which quivered with pain, "I tried
+to hold on, Mister Houston, but that big rock was a little too much
+fer me."
+
+As Houston at last freed him, the little fellow tried to rise, but
+sank quickly back, with an involuntary cry:
+
+"I guess I'm done fer--Mister Houston," he gasped faintly, "but I
+don't care--if you only--get out safe."
+
+The smoke and gases were now pouring down the shaft, and Houston
+realized that there was no time to be lost. Very tenderly he lifted
+the little form in his arms, and began, as rapidly as possible, the
+descent of the shaft, groping his way amid the rocks, toward the cut
+leading to the tunnels, through which he hoped to escape.
+
+The motion roused Bull-dog who had fainted. "Mister Houston," he
+cried, "don't mind me--I wanted to save you, and I guess you can make
+it yet, if you hurry and don't bother with me; I won't mind bein' left
+here, 'cause I'll know then that you're safe."
+
+"Don't you worry, my boy," replied Houston, and his own voice
+trembled, "we'll reach daylight all right, but we'll reach it
+together; I'll never leave you."
+
+There was no reply except a contented, confiding nestling of the
+little head against Houston's shoulder; then, as a second explosion
+thundered above them, jarring the foundations of the rocks once more,
+he murmured drowsily, "There she goes again," and sank into
+unconsciousness.
+
+The smoke was now so stifling that Houston was obliged to go upon his
+hands and knees, carrying Bull-dog in one arm; his progress was
+necessarily slow, but to his great joy he succeeded in finding the cut
+leading to tunnel No. 3; then, to his horror, he discovered that the
+entrance was blocked by a mass of earth and loose rock which had caved
+in.
+
+Laying Bull-dog carefully down, he examined the obstruction, and
+found there was a small opening at the top, and that the mass was of
+such a character that it could easily be removed with pick and
+shovel, but he had nothing. With desperate energy, he began
+tearing away the earth and rocks with his hands, then to his intense
+relief, after a few moments' work, he heard voices on the other
+side. Houston listened; it was Jack and Mike, who, having waited for
+him in the tunnel, expecting him to join them immediately, had
+become alarmed at his non-appearance, and were returning with
+their picks and shovels, which they had taken out with them, calling
+him and searching for him.
+
+Houston shouted, and they hastened to the rescue, and the entrance was
+very quickly cleared sufficiently for Houston to crawl through. Before
+passing through, himself, however, he lifted Bull-dog, and carefully
+handed the unconscious form to Jack.
+
+"Who is this?" the latter asked in surprise.
+
+"Bull-dog, the little hero who has saved our lives by sacrificing his
+own," Houston replied.
+
+"Is he still living?"
+
+"Yes, but unconscious."
+
+Silently and tenderly Jack handed the little fellow to the tender-hearted
+Mike, who at once started toward the tunnel with his burden, while
+Jack turned to assist Houston.
+
+At that instant, there came the third explosion, which was farther
+underground than either of those preceding. It was but a short
+distance from them, and an immense scale of overhanging rock quivered
+for an instant, then fell, throwing its fragments in every direction.
+Mike, at the distance which he had already gained, escaped unhurt.
+Jack and Houston sprang in opposite directions, but the pieces of
+flying rock overtook them, though they escaped being buried beneath
+the mass as it fell. They were both thrown to the ground; Houston
+staggered to his feet, badly bruised and cut and his left arm broken,
+but Jack remained motionless.
+
+Hearing Houston's call, Mike quickly returned, and he and Houston
+found that Jack was still alive, though badly injured about the head.
+The full extent of his injuries they realized they would be unable to
+ascertain until they could reach the surface. Together they consulted
+as to the best course to pursue. Mike wished to go back and get help
+immediately, but Houston insisted that they must first remove Jack and
+little Bull-dog as speedily as possible, as there was danger of other
+explosions following now in rapid succession, and also danger from the
+smoke and gases of the gradually approaching flames, which were
+consuming the timbering of the various shafts, and would at length
+communicate with the tunnels also.
+
+Instructing Mike to lay Jack's head across his shoulder, Houston then
+clasped his right arm closely about Jack's neck and shoulders. Mike,
+carrying Bull-dog on one arm, with the other was to lift Jack
+underneath the knees; and in this way they started for the tunnel.
+
+Houston suffered excruciating pain from the arm hanging helpless
+at his side, but he traveled forward without a murmur, scarcely
+conscious of his own suffering in his anxiety for Jack. The cut was
+comparatively short, but their progress was slow.
+
+Nearly overcome by the suffocating gases and the smoke, and faint from
+pain and loss of blood, Houston had just staggered into the tunnel,
+when he heard the welcome sound of the voices of Lyle and of Morton
+Rutherford, and knew that they were saved.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+
+Meanwhile, the work of destruction went swiftly forward, explosions
+following in quick succession and with terrific force, throughout the
+Yankee group of mines, and the adjoining claims; while the flames from
+the burning shafts were rivaled by those which spread from the mills
+to the shops, storehouses and stables, and finally, to the miners'
+quarters, till all were speedily reduced to ashes.
+
+Around the entrance to tunnel No. 3, a large crowd had gathered, not
+only from the various mines, but also from neighboring mining camps,
+all anxiously awaiting the return of the rescue party.
+
+At last they appeared. The first to emerge into daylight, was Ned
+Rutherford, bearing in his arms the crushed and mutilated form of
+little Bull-dog. Behind him came Houston, partially supported by one
+of the young miners and by Lyle, his left arm hanging at his side, his
+face deathly white beneath the blood and grime, but firm and dauntless
+as ever. As he stepped forth into the light, a wild cheer rose on the
+air, but Houston, raising his right hand with a deprecatory motion,
+silently pointed backward toward the tunnel, where, slowly emerging
+into view of the crowd, were Morton Rutherford and Mike, carrying,
+with the assistance of the other miner, the bleeding and unconscious
+form of Jack.
+
+The cheers were hushed, and the crowd silently surged about Houston
+and the two motionless, unconscious forms laid side by side upon the
+ground, their heads pillowed upon the rough jackets of the men, folded
+and tenderly placed beneath them by the hands of Lyle and Leslie, the
+latter half fainting with excitement.
+
+The men crowding about Houston congratulated him with a hearty
+hand-clasp, unaccompanied by words, except for an occasional inquiry
+as to his own condition.
+
+"I am all right," he said in reply to the latter, "my arm is nothing,
+the merest trifle; my only thought is for the two lives which I fear
+have been sacrificed for mine."
+
+Anxiously he bent above the prostrate forms. Jack's head was
+frightfully gashed, and his heavy, labored breathing indicated that
+his brain was already affected. Houston spoke a word to Morton
+Rutherford, who quickly withdrew, and taking the swiftest horse in
+camp, was soon speeding down the road to the Y, in a second race
+against death.
+
+Houston next knelt beside Bull-dog; a faint fluttering about the heart
+was the only sign of life. The little waif was well known among the
+mining camps of that vicinity, and there were few dry eyes in the
+crowd as Houston told the story of his heroism.
+
+Houston saw the end was very near, and gently slipped his right arm
+under Bull-dog's head. Slowly the little fellow opened his eyes,
+looking, with a happy smile, into the face bending so tenderly over
+him. At that instant, the sun, bursting through the clouds, threw a
+ray of golden light in shining benediction across the little white
+face. His eyes brightened still more; "We're safe!" he whispered
+joyously. There was a slight quiver, and the little form was still.
+
+The sun, shining as brightly and serenely as though storms were
+unknown, looked down into that beautiful canyon upon a strange scene
+of ruin, desolation and death. Amid the wreck and debris of the
+explosions, lay the little hero who had saved so many lives that day,
+upon his face a child-like smile which it had never worn in life;
+while farther on down the canyon, beside the smoking embers of the
+milling plant, lay the one whose signal had wrought all this
+destruction. The men, rushing into the burning mills, had found the
+electrical apparatus in ruins, as though torn to pieces by giant
+hands, and beside it upon the floor lay Haight, a ghastly sight, his
+face blackened and distorted, his right arm and side seared and
+shriveled, by the mighty servant who had suddenly burst its fetters.
+
+Slowly and tenderly Jack was borne to the house, and laid in the room
+which had been Houston's, which Lyle had made ready for him with
+loving care, her tears falling fast as she recalled his farewell of
+the preceding night. To the house came also his two faithful friends,
+Mike and Rex, for the little cabin was no more, Jack had indeed spent
+his last night beneath its roof, though the succeeding night, to which
+he had looked forward, was far different from his anticipations.
+
+Days afterward, his gripsack, packed with such care on that last night
+in the cabin, was found by Houston concealed among the rocks, where
+Jack had hidden it on the morning of that eventful day, intending,
+when his work was done, to set forth upon his wandering life once
+more.
+
+Morton Rutherford, on arriving at the Y, had sent the following cipher
+dispatch to Van Dorn:
+
+  "Come out on special at once. The mines have been fired by
+  telegraphic orders from Silver City office. Everard badly cut and
+  arm broken, but not seriously injured. Jack but just alive. Bring
+  surgeons and nurse as quickly as possible."
+
+Having sent this message, and finding there was a very good physician
+at the Y, he sent him at once to the camp, to remain there until the
+surgeons should arrive, doing meantime all in his power to relieve the
+sufferers. Then giving orders for one of the company's men to take his
+horse, and replace it with a fresh one, Morton returned to the station
+to await Van Dorn's reply.
+
+At the house, Jack was being cared for by Mike and one of the older
+miners, who had had considerable experience in nursing, Houston doing
+everything which his crippled condition and the intense pain he was
+suffering, would permit.
+
+On the arrival of the physician from the Y, he first visited Jack, and
+leaving directions to be carried out for his temporary relief, next
+attended to the setting of Houston's arm and the dressing of his
+wounds. The operation required some time, but at last it was
+completed, and Houston returned to Jack's room.
+
+The room had been darkened, and in accordance with the physician's
+directions, Jack's beard had been shaven and his hair closely cut, to
+relieve his head as much as possible. His breathing was more natural,
+but he lay quiet and motionless as before.
+
+As Houston approached the bed in the dim light, he scarcely recognized
+his friend, so great was the change in his appearance, but as he drew
+nearer, he started visibly. Something in the smooth face and closely
+clipped head seemed wonderfully familiar, and carried him back to the
+days when he had first entered his uncle's home. Bending over him for
+an instant, he scanned the features more closely. It was enough! The
+face with its patrician features carved in such perfect beauty, though
+lined by sorrow, was the face of his cousin,--his boyish hero and
+ideal.
+
+With a quick, dry sob, Houston turned from the bedside, more deeply
+moved than any of his associates had ever seen him.
+
+"Great God!" he exclaimed, in low tones, "it is Guy Cameron! my cousin
+Guy!" and bending over the unconscious form once more, while the great
+tears coursed slowly down his face, he murmured:
+
+"Guy, dear old fellow, and you have known me all this time! God grant
+this has not come too late!"
+
+With a low cry, Lyle had sprung to Houston's side, while Leslie and
+Ned Rutherford followed, and the others looked on in mute wonder and
+astonishment. Her quick ear had caught the name.
+
+"What name did you say?" she cried eagerly, "Did you say Guy Cameron?
+Is Jack--my Jack--is he my mother's brother?"
+
+Houston bowed in assent, he could not speak.
+
+"Oh," moaned Lyle, "no wonder that he loved us so! and we have not
+loved him half enough!" and dropping on her knees beside the bed,
+sobbing bitterly, she seized the hand, nearly as white as the sheet
+upon which it lay, and covered it with passionate kisses.
+
+A few moments later, Morton Rutherford entered the room; Lyle was
+still kneeling by the bedside; beside her was Leslie, quietly weeping.
+Ned's eyes were suspiciously red, while in one corner, honest-hearted
+Mike was vainly trying to check his fast-flowing tears upon the
+sleeves of his blouse. Morton looked quickly toward the strangely
+altered face upon the pillows, and was struck by its wondrous beauty.
+
+Glancing inquiringly at Houston, as he advanced to meet him, he asked
+anxiously:
+
+"Is he worse?"
+
+"No, there is no change yet, one way or another," Houston replied in
+low tones, and continued, "Morton, we were speaking last night, at the
+cabin, of my uncle's son,--my cousin, Guy Cameron."
+
+"Yes, I remember."
+
+"He is found," Houston's voice trembled, and he could say no more, but
+Morton understood. He gazed with new and tearful interest upon the
+beautiful face in its death-like calm; then beckoning to Houston, he
+said, as they passed from the room:
+
+"Ah, you have at last found the key to the wondrous bond between you,
+and to his self-sacrificing love toward you and yours."
+
+For a few moments they recalled certain incidents in their acquaintance
+with the silent, yet gentle and courteous occupant of the little
+cabin, and much that had seemed mysterious was now clear and plain in
+the light of this recent revelation.
+
+At last Morton said; "I must hasten back to the Y," at the same time
+handing his friend the telegram received from Van Dorn:
+
+  "Leave in half an hour on special, with surgeons and nurse.
+  Whitney and Lindlay remain here to attend to business. Warrants
+  for arrests have been issued."
+
+"That is good," said Houston, with a sigh of relief, "They are already
+on their way. And now, my dear Morton, I have one other commission for
+you, if you are willing to perform it."
+
+"You know I am at your service," Morton replied.
+
+"My aunt, whose faith and love have watched and waited for her son's
+return during all these years, must be brought here as quickly as
+possible. I am not in very good condition for travel, and do not feel
+that I can leave Guy. I know I can trust her in your care, you will be
+to her as a son, and such she will regard you when she knows all, and
+I commission you in my name to meet her and bring her out here."
+
+"That I will very gladly do, my dear Everard, and at once; there must
+be no delay. By going out this evening, I will be able to take the
+early train east from Silver City: the special arrives at 6:10, the
+six o'clock train being held at the Y, until after its arrival. I will
+return to the Y, meet Mr. Cameron and have a word with him, and go
+directly on to Silver City on the regular train."
+
+Thirty minutes later, having hastily packed a small grip, and taken a
+tender farewell of Lyle, who knew his errand, and with tearful eyes
+bade him "God-speed," Morton Rutherford left the house, accompanied by
+Ned, who was to return with Mr. Cameron and Van Dorn.
+
+The sun was slowly sinking behind the crests of the mountains,
+flooding the surrounding peaks with glory, when a wagon drawn by four
+panting, foaming horses, drew up before the house.
+
+From the front seat beside the driver, Ned Rutherford and Van
+Dorn sprang hastily to the ground, turning quickly to assist a
+fine-looking, elderly gentleman, with iron-gray hair and beard,
+whose dark, piercing eyes bore a strong resemblance to those of
+both Houston and Jack. He needed little assistance, however, and
+having alighted, turned with firm step and erect bearing, but
+with an expression of deep anxiety, toward the house, followed by
+the two young men, and by three strangers.
+
+At that instant Houston appeared within the little porch, his left arm
+in a sling, his face pale and haggard, though with a grave smile of
+affectionate welcome.
+
+Even in that brief instant, Mr. Cameron could not but observe the
+change which those few short months had wrought in the face of Everard
+Houston, the high-born son of wealth and culture, the pet of society;
+it had matured wonderfully; alert and keen, yet grave and thoughtful,
+he looked as though he had found a deeper and broader meaning to life
+than he had ever dreamed of in his luxurious eastern home.
+
+"My boy!" exclaimed Mr. Cameron, hastening toward him, "are you sure
+you have escaped without serious injury?"
+
+"Quite sure," Houston replied, limping slightly, as he advanced to
+meet his uncle, "my arm was hurt, and I am somewhat scratched and
+bruised and a little weak, but otherwise, sound as ever."
+
+"Thank God for that! I don't mind the loss of the property if you are
+safe; all the way out here, my boy, I have been reproaching myself for
+ever allowing you to come out to this country."
+
+"My dear uncle," Houston replied, with peculiar emphasis, "I think you
+will soon find you have reason to be very glad and grateful that I
+came."
+
+Mr. Cameron introduced the two surgeons and the nurse; "I feared," he
+said, "from your sending for these gentlemen that you might be hurt
+far more seriously than I knew."
+
+"No," said Houston, "but the one who has nearly sacrificed his own
+life in helping to save mine, needs their best skill, and I sent for
+them on his account."
+
+"That was right," replied Mr. Cameron, "all that money can do shall be
+done for him," while one of the surgeons said, "We will see our
+patient at once, Mr. Houston, if you please."
+
+"You will see him very soon," Houston replied with grave courtesy,
+"but there are reasons why my uncle must first see him, and alone."
+
+Mr. Cameron looked surprised, but silently followed Houston into the
+room which had been occupied by the two brothers, but which was now
+prepared for him. Then observing something peculiar in Houston's
+manner as he closed the door, he asked:
+
+"What is it, my boy?"
+
+"Pardon me, if I seem abrupt, uncle," Houston answered, "but every
+moment is precious in saving a life unspeakably dear to each of us."
+
+Mr. Cameron looked startled; Houston continued:
+
+"You have been like a father to me all these years, and I have felt
+toward you as a son, but to-day I have the joy of bringing you to the
+one, who holds in your heart, and always will hold, precedence even
+over myself."
+
+"Everard, my boy!" exclaimed Mr. Cameron, in tones vibrating with
+suppressed emotion, "what is it? Speak quickly, do not keep me in
+suspense,"
+
+"My dear uncle," said Houston very tenderly, "the lost is found."
+
+Mr. Cameron sank, nearly overcome, into the nearest chair, while his
+face grew deathly white.
+
+"Guy?" he gasped, looking upward at Houston.
+
+"Yes," said the latter brokenly.
+
+The strong man covered his face with his hands, while his powerful
+frame shook with emotion.
+
+Houston, when he was able to speak, told him, very briefly, of his
+meeting with Jack, of their association, and the strange bond of
+sympathy and affection between them, of Jack's devotion, and how at
+last, he had been enabled to recognize him.
+
+Controlling himself with a mighty effort, Mr. Cameron rose, saying:
+
+"Take me to him."
+
+Opening the door connecting the two rooms, Houston signaled to those
+within to leave the room, then led the father into the presence of the
+son whom he had so long mourned as dead.
+
+Mr. Cameron walked to the bedside, and looked long and earnestly upon
+the white face, drawn with pain, but still beautiful, and bearing to a
+great extent, the imprint of his own features; then as he tenderly
+clasped the hand lying upon the sheet, he murmured brokenly, between
+great, tearless sobs:
+
+"It is he, my boy, my son! Thank God, it is not too late!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+
+There was a long consultation between the physicians and surgeons
+following a careful and thorough examination of their patient, before
+the rendering of their decision.
+
+He had received various injuries of a serious character, but the
+injury to the head was far the most dangerous of all. There was a
+possibility that with the most careful nursing and the most skillful
+medical aid, he might live, but his recovery was exceedingly
+doubtful,--one chance out of a hundred.
+
+"Do your best," was Mr. Cameron's reply to this decision, "do your
+best, regardless of cost; if you wish counsel, have it; send out
+another nurse, the best you can secure, to relieve this one, and I
+wish one or the other of you gentlemen to remain here constantly, we
+must not be left without a physician. I may as well inform you now,"
+Mr. Cameron added, with great dignity, in conclusion, "that your
+patient is my son."
+
+Astonishment was depicted upon the faces of the physicians, but Mr.
+Cameron continued:
+
+"For some months my nephew has been out here incognito, engaged in
+unearthing the dishonest schemes and plots of the mining company who
+constituted our western agents, and I have just discovered that he was
+aided in this work by my son, who, unknown to me, was out here in
+disguise, working with the same end in view. You will, of course,
+understand, gentlemen, that money is no object; do everything within
+your power, and you shall be abundantly compensated."
+
+Thus it was arranged that one or two physicians were constantly at the
+house, and when these returned to Silver City for a few hours, others
+took their places.
+
+A competent cook and housekeeper were also sent out from Silver City,
+as the excitement resulting from the terrible events of that day,
+together with her husband's connection therewith, which had in some
+way become generally known, proved too much for the feeble strength of
+Mrs. Maverick, and she was prostrated by the shock.
+
+Minty, terror-stricken by the results which she believed had followed
+her report to Haight, and by his fearful fate, in a fit of hysteria,
+confessed the share she had taken in the plot, and was summarily
+dismissed.
+
+After the coming of Mr. Cameron with the surgeons and nurse, Lyle and
+Leslie had withdrawn from the sick-room, and busied themselves in
+caring for Mrs. Maverick, and in superintendence of the necessary
+work; Van Dorn, whose astonishment at the revelations of the last two
+days was beyond expression, keeping them informed of the condition of
+the sufferer. Lyle was pale with excitement, but calmly and bravely
+took her place as head of the strangely assorted household, her heart
+throbbing wildly as she anticipated the meeting with Mr. Cameron.
+
+Within the sick-room the soft, gray twilight had deepened into
+darkness. At one side of the bed sat the nurse, his fingers upon the
+pulse of the patient, while he listened attentively to his breathing,
+now becoming irregular, and broken by low moans and occasional
+mutterings. On the other side sat Mr. Cameron, his head bowed upon his
+hands, his mind going back to the years of Guy's childhood and youth.
+How vividly he recalled many little incidents, seemingly trivial when
+they occurred, but carefully treasured among the most precious
+memories in the long, sad years that followed! With the memory of his
+son, his heart's pride and joy, came also that of the beautiful
+daughter, with her golden hair and starry eyes, the light of their
+home in those happy days.
+
+Mr. Cameron seemed lost in thought, but in reality, while thus
+reviewing the past, his mind was keenly conscious of the present. In
+one corner sat the faithful Mike, while at his feet lay the equally
+faithful Rex, who could be neither coaxed nor driven from the room,
+but remained quietly watching his master's face, an almost human love
+and sorrow looking out of his eyes, as he answered the occasional
+moans with a low, piteous whine.
+
+In another corner Everard talked in low tones with the two physicians
+who were to remain that night, Mr. Cameron taking cognizance, in the
+midst of his own sorrowful thoughts, of every word.
+
+At length some one called for a light, and a moment later, Mr. Cameron
+was conscious of a light step crossing the room, and of a lamp being
+placed on the table near the physicians, though none of its rays fell
+in the direction of the sufferer. Lifting his head, he saw the lamp
+with a screen so attached as to throw a shade over almost the entire
+room, leaving only a small portion lighted; but within that brightly
+illumined portion he had a glimpse, for an instant, of a face, which
+with its radiant eyes and its shining aureole of golden hair, was so
+nearly a counterpart of the one but just recalled so vividly to his
+mind, that it seemed a living reproduction of the same. Only a
+glimpse, for as he started, wondering if it could be a figment of his
+own imagination, the face suddenly vanished into the shadow, and the
+figure glided from the room. Still it haunted him; could there have
+been a real resemblance? or was it only a hallucination of his own?
+
+About an hour later, Houston, who had observed his uncle's involuntary
+start of surprise on seeing Lyle, and who was anxious that he should
+learn the truth as early as possible, slipping his arm within that of
+his uncle's, led him out upon the porch, where they lighted their
+cigars, smoking for a few moments in silence, then talking together in
+low tones of the one so dear to each of them, while Houston related
+the details of his first meeting and early acquaintance with the
+miner, Jack.
+
+"Even if Guy cannot recover," said Mr. Cameron, in tremulous tones,
+when Houston had finished, "Yet if he lives long enough to see and
+recognize his mother and myself, and realize our feeling for him--even
+then, I shall be more than repaid for your coming out here,--though
+all else were lost."
+
+"Indeed you would," responded Houston, "but I cannot help feeling that
+Guy's life will be spared, that he will live to bless your future
+years. But my dear uncle," he continued, very slowly, "although you
+are yet unaware of it, you have nearly as much, if not an equal cause
+for joy in another direction."
+
+"I do not understand you, Everard; you surely do not allude to the
+property?"
+
+"No, very far from that; did you notice the young girl who came into
+Guy's room to-night?"
+
+"To bring the light?"
+
+"The same."
+
+"Yes, and I intended to inquire of you concerning her. Her face
+impressed me strangely; I cannot tell whether it was a fact or my own
+imagination, but I had been thinking of the children,--Guy and his
+sister,--as they were years ago, and it seemed to me that her face, as
+I saw it for an instant, was almost an exact counterpart of my own
+Edna's, as she used to look, even to the hair and eyes which were very
+peculiar."
+
+"It was no imagination on your part, the resemblance is very marked,
+not only in face, but in voice and manner as well."
+
+"How do you account for it?" asked Mr. Cameron quickly, "Who is she?"
+
+"She is the one who, of all the world, would have the best right to
+resemble your daughter," replied Houston; then, in answer to Mr.
+Cameron's look of perplexed inquiry, he continued:
+
+"Pardon me, uncle, for any painful allusion, but at the time of my
+cousin's death, I believe you had no direct proof as to the fate of
+her child?"
+
+"No absolute proof, of course," replied Mr. Cameron, "only the
+testimony of those who identified the mother, that there was no child
+with her, and no child among any of those saved answering to the
+description given, from which we naturally supposed the little one to
+have been killed outright. Why, Everard," he exclaimed, as a new
+thought occurred to him, "you certainly do not think this Edna's
+child, do you?"
+
+"Why might it not be possible?" inquired Houston, wishing to lead his
+uncle gradually up to the truth.
+
+"Is this her home?" asked Mr. Cameron in turn.
+
+"Yes," said Houston, "this has been her home, I believe, for the last
+ten years."
+
+"If the supposition mentioned a moment ago were correct, how would she
+be here, amid such surroundings?"
+
+"Do you know the man who runs this house?" Houston asked.
+
+"A man by the name of Maverick had charge of it when I was out here
+years ago; I do not know whether he is still here."
+
+"He is; do you know him? Did you ever have any business with him
+personally?"
+
+"Yes, I had him in my employ years ago, in the east, and was obliged
+to discharge him for dishonesty."
+
+"Thereby incurring his life-long hatred and enmity, so that years
+afterward, he sought to wreak his revenge upon you by stealing from
+the wrecked train, where your daughter lost her life, the little
+child who would otherwise have been your solace in that time of
+bereavement."
+
+"Everard!" exclaimed Mr. Cameron, "are you sure you are correct? What
+proof have you of this?"
+
+"The proofs were not discovered until recently," Houston replied,
+"although we knew that they existed, but now this girl has found a
+letter from Maverick's wife confessing the whole crime, and stating
+that it was committed through a spirit of revenge; and she also has in
+her possession the articles of clothing she wore at the time she was
+stolen, together with a locket containing her mother's picture and her
+own name,--Marjorie Lyle Washburn."
+
+"That is enough," said Mr. Cameron briefly, "let me see her,
+Everard."
+
+Houston stepped within the house, reappearing a few moments later,
+with Lyle. Very beautiful she looked as she came forward in the soft
+radiance of the moonlight, a child-like confidence shining in the
+lovely eyes.
+
+Mr. Cameron rose to meet her, and taking both her hands within his
+own, he stood for an instant, gazing into the beautiful face.
+
+"My dear child, my own Edna!" he said in broken tones, folding her
+closely within his arms, "Thank God for another child restored to us
+from the dead!"
+
+Houston returned to the sick-room, leaving Mr. Cameron and Lyle in
+their new-found joy. Lyle told him briefly the story of her life, his
+eyes growing stern with indignation as he listened to the wrongs she
+had endured, then luminous with tenderness, as she told of Jack's
+affectionate care for her.
+
+"Call me 'papa' my child, as you used to in the days of your
+babyhood," he said, kissing her, as they rose to return to Guy's room,
+"you never even then, would call Mrs. Cameron or myself anything but
+'mamma' and 'papa,' and now you shall be as our own child!"
+
+Together they watched beside the sick-bed until the morning sun
+touched the mountain peaks with glory, but there came no relief to the
+sufferer, now moaning and tossing in delirium.
+
+Eastward, across the mountain ranges, Morton Rutherford was speeding
+swiftly, scarcely heeding in his sorrow and anxiety, the grandeur and
+beauty through which he was passing; while from Chicago, the
+sweet-faced mother was hastening westward, all unconscious that she
+was being swiftly and surely borne to the answer of her prayers,--that
+in that distant western country to which she was journeying, her son
+lay calling her in his fever and delirium.
+
+She had started in response to a dispatch from Morton Rutherford, at
+Silver City:
+
+  "Mr. Cameron and Everard Houston safe and well, but wish you to
+  come out immediately. Wire where I will meet you in St. Paul. Will
+  explain when I see you.
+
+                                                "Morton Rutherford."
+
+The mining camp that morning, presented a strange scene of idleness
+and desolation. Many of the mines were in ruins, while the remainder
+were shut down.
+
+They would remain shut down for an indefinite period, Houston told the
+men who had gathered about the house for information. The officers of
+the company, he further stated, had been arrested and their property
+would soon be seized, hence it would be impossible to state when the
+mines would be reopened. It was probable that with the next spring, an
+entirely new corporation would be organized, and the mining and
+milling plant rebuilt, and operated on a much more extensive scale
+than before; and should this be the case, he would then and there
+vouch that those of his men who had proven themselves trustworthy and
+honorable, would be certain of work, should they desire it, in the
+newly opened mines.
+
+The men knew of Jack's condition, and while not a sound was made that
+would disturb the sufferer, the better class swung their hats high in
+the air, in token of applause, and then walked silently away.
+
+It was found in the succeeding days that several miners had lost their
+lives in the explosions of the Yankee Boy mine; a few were so far
+underground that their doom was inevitable, while others, whom Houston
+had warned, instead of following his instructions, had endeavored to
+escape through the shafts, and had discovered too late that they had
+only rushed on to certain death.
+
+Maverick, the tool by which all this destruction had been wrought,
+after his deadly work was done, overcome by his wretched cowardice,
+remained concealed until a late hour; then creeping from his hiding
+place to gloat over the havoc and ruin he had wrought, he suddenly found
+his triumph was short. Under the shelter of a few boards, temporarily
+erected, he found the ghastly remains of his companion and director in
+crime. Shivering and trembling with fear, he crept up the road till
+within sight of the house, arriving just in time to see Houston,--whom
+he supposed crushed and buried within the mine,--presenting Lyle to Mr.
+Cameron. He lingered long enough to see her clasped in his arms, then
+skulked back into the shadow, retreating down the road, gnashing his
+teeth with rage and disappointment. The following day search was made
+for him, under instructions from Mr. Cameron and Houston, who
+offered a large reward for him, living or dead. His body was found in
+an old, abandoned shaft on the mountain side, riddled with bullets.
+The vengeance of the miners, desperate from the loss of homes and
+employment, had overtaken him first. He was buried hastily and with
+little ceremony, his two sons having already taken themselves to parts
+unknown, fearful lest the penalty of their father's crimes might be
+inflicted upon them, and his fate become theirs also. A day or two
+later, Mrs. Maverick, who had been prostrated by the shock of the
+explosions and the succeeding events, died from a sudden paralysis,
+her feeble mind having first been cheered and soothed by the
+assurance from Mr. Cameron of his forgiveness for the small share
+which she had taken in the withholding Lyle from her true friends and
+home. She was given a decent burial in the miners' little cemetery
+at the Y, and the house which for so many years had been called by
+their name, knew the Mavericks no more.
+
+Kind hands laid little Bull-dog under the murmuring pines on the
+mountain side, near Morgan's last resting place, but in the hearts, of
+Houston and his friends, his memory could never grow dim.
+
+The small community of miners suddenly vanished, the deserted
+quarters, with their blackened ruins, seeming little like the busy
+camp of but a few days before, resounding with their songs and jests.
+
+Only in the house nestling at the foot of the mountain there were no
+signs of desertion. It was crowded to overflowing, and within its
+walls, during those next succeeding days, what combats were waged,
+between hope and fear, joy and despair, life and death!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+
+Five days had passed, days of raging fever and delirium so violent
+that already the powerful frame seemed nearly exhausted; the sufferer
+calling almost incessantly for the loved ones of his old home, but
+oftenest for his mother. Some faint glimmer of recognition must
+occasionally have reached those darkened chambers of the brain, since
+when attended by Mr. Cameron, Houston or Lyle, he rested more quietly,
+though never calling Lyle by her own name, but always by that of his
+sister, Edna.
+
+The fever had subsided, and he was now rapidly passing into a
+death-like stupor, hovering between life and death, unconscious of
+skilled physicians and trained nurses that came and went, unconscious
+of loving friends bending above him, their prayers and efforts
+combined with the skill of the former, in the terrible combat against
+the mighty foe.
+
+The physicians watching by the bedside, shook their heads, as they
+felt the pulse, fluttering more and more faintly.
+
+"He is sinking, failing rapidly," they said, "to-night will be the
+crisis, the turning point; unless there is a change then for the
+better, he will never see the dawning of another day."
+
+To Mrs. Cameron, journeying westward with Morton Rutherford, the
+moments had seemed like hours, the hours like days, since learning for
+whose sake had come the summons to that distant country. Only the
+speed of the lightning could have satisfied the heart of the mother
+hastening to her long-lost son.
+
+They had been kept informed along the route of Guy's condition, and
+now, upon their arrival at Silver City, on the noon train, they found
+a special car awaiting them, to convey them at once to the Y, which
+had been ordered by telegraphic dispatch from Mr. Cameron.
+
+The watchers by the bedside heard the sound of swiftly approaching
+wheels; Mr. Cameron and Houston stepped quickly out to greet the
+sweet-faced woman hastening toward the house on the arm of Morton
+Rutherford.
+
+"Am I in time? Is our boy still living?" were her first words, as her
+husband met her with outstretched arms, his face working with deep
+emotion.
+
+"Just in time, thank God!" was the broken reply.
+
+"Oh, Walter, is there no hope?" she queried, understanding his words
+only too well.
+
+"I must not deceive you, Marjorie, there is the barest possibility
+that he may live, no more."
+
+"He must live, and he will," replied the mother, in tones that
+reminded both Houston and Morton Rutherford wonderfully of Lyle.
+
+Turning toward Houston, Mrs. Cameron greeted him affectionately, and
+gently touching the wounded arm, exclaimed:
+
+"My poor, dear boy, what a terrible risk you have run!"
+
+To which he replied, "I would go through it all again, Aunt Marjorie,
+for the joy I believe it will bring you and yours."
+
+A few moments later, Mr. Cameron led his wife into the sick-room. Lyle
+had already left the room, and there remained only Leslie Gladden,
+sitting quietly near the foot of the bed, and the nurse, who
+respectfully withdrew from his place beside the patient, as Mrs.
+Cameron approached.
+
+Calmly, though through fast-falling tears, the mother gazed for a
+moment upon her son; then dropping upon her knees beside the bed, she
+slipped one arm underneath the pillows, and gently drew the wounded
+head upon her own breast, tenderly kissing the brow and cheeks; then
+taking his hand within her own, she stroked and caressed it,
+meanwhile crooning over him in low, murmuring tones, as though he had
+been an infant.
+
+There were no dry eyes in that little room, not excepting even the
+nurse, while from the door-way of the adjoining room, Morton
+Rutherford, Lyle and Everard Houston watched the scene with hearts too
+full for utterance. Something in that gentle touch must have carried
+the troubled mind of the sufferer back to the days of his childhood;
+gradually the faint moaning ceased, the drawn, tense features relaxed,
+and a sweet, child-like smile stole over his face now assuming a
+death-like pallor.
+
+For hours the mother knelt there, her husband by her side, Everard and
+Leslie standing near, while in the background, in the dim light, was
+Lyle with Morton Rutherford.
+
+At last, Mr. Cameron, bending over his wife, entreated her to take a
+few moments' rest and a little food. She hesitated, but Everard
+spoke:
+
+"You must take some refreshment, Aunt Marjorie, you have had no food
+for hours; Leslie and I will watch here, and if there should be the
+slightest change, I will call you."
+
+At the name of Leslie, Mrs. Cameron looked up, with a sweet, motherly
+smile, into the beautiful but tear-stained face beside her, and gently
+withdrawing from the bedside, she turned and clasped Miss Gladden in
+her arms, saying:
+
+"My dear Leslie, I did not think we would meet for the first time
+under such circumstances as these, but I am more than glad to find you
+here. Everard has always been, and still is as our own son, and I
+welcome you, my dear, as a daughter."
+
+On entering the dining-room, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron found a most
+tempting luncheon prepared for them, but no one in the room, Lyle
+having judged they would prefer to be by themselves for awhile.
+
+As Mrs. Cameron, having partaken of some slight refreshment, was
+preparing to return to the sick-room, her husband said:
+
+"Wait a moment, my dear; there is another joy in store for you,
+Marjorie, in that, through Everard's coming out into this country, we
+have received back from the dead, as it were, not only our son, but
+also a daughter. I want you to meet her now, my dear, so prepare
+yourself for a great surprise, and perhaps, something of a shock."
+
+"I do not understand you, dear," replied Mrs. Cameron, looking
+bewildered, "you certainly do not refer to Leslie, I have met her."
+
+"No, my love, Leslie is a beautiful girl, and will be to us a lovely
+daughter, but I refer to a daughter of our own flesh and blood."
+
+Stepping to an adjoining room, Mr. Cameron called in a low tone,
+"Lyle, my dear," returning immediately to his wife's side to support
+her in case the shock should prove too much in her present agitated
+condition.
+
+Lyle glided into the room, slowly approaching Mrs. Cameron, who sat
+speechless, pale as death, but controlling herself by a visible
+effort.
+
+"Edna, my child! my own Edna!" she cried, rising with outstretched
+arms, and clasping Lyle to her breast; then turning toward her
+husband, she asked:
+
+"What does this mean, Walter? Can this be Edna's child?"
+
+"Yes, my love," he replied, "this is the little Marjorie we have
+mourned as dead for so many years."
+
+For a while they sat clasped in each other's arms, their tears
+commingling, while Mr. Cameron briefly explained to his wife the main
+facts in Lyle's strange history.
+
+"She shall be our own daughter, shall she not, Walter? She shall be to
+us just what Edna was?"
+
+"Certainly," was the response, "she is our own daughter, Marjorie Lyle
+Cameron."
+
+They returned to Guy's room, Mrs. Cameron resuming her old place, with
+Guy's head upon her breast, his hand in hers, only that now Lyle knelt
+beside her. At their side, and very near his son, was Mr. Cameron,
+while just back of them were Everard, Leslie and Morton Rutherford.
+Ned Rutherford and Van Dorn lingered in the door-way watching, while
+at the foot of the bed stood Mike, the tears coursing down his rugged
+face. On the other side of the bed stood the physicians and nurse,
+their keen eyes watching the subtle changes passing over the face, now
+white as marble, and almost as motionless.
+
+Fainter and shorter grew the gasping breaths, more and more feeble the
+pulse, until at last it was evident to every one within that little
+room, that life had very nearly ebbed away.
+
+But there was one who did not, for one instant, lose faith or hope.
+The sublime faith which had upheld her through all those years of a
+sorrow greater than death, did not desert her now. Lyle seemed to
+share her faith, and they alone remained calm and tearless, the
+saint-like face of the mother shining with love and trust.
+
+Suddenly, upon that death-like stillness, her voice rang out, with
+startling clearness:
+
+"Guy! oh, Guy, my darling!"
+
+And to that soul, slipping through the fast-darkening shadows, almost
+within the grasp of the great enemy, there seemed to have come some
+echo of those tones, with their piercing sweetness, recalling him to
+life; for, with a long, quivering breath, Guy slowly opened his eyes,
+gazing, for an instant, with a dreamy smile, upon the faces
+surrounding him. His eyes closed with a gentle sigh, but while those
+about him anxiously awaited the next breath, they again opened, full
+of the light of recognition, while a rapturous smile grew and deepened
+upon his face, irradiating his features with joy, his lips moving in a
+whisper so faint that only the mother's ear could catch the words:
+
+"I thought--it was--all--a dream,--but--it--is true," then, exhausted,
+he sank into a deep sleep like a child's, his breathing growing more
+and more regular and natural, moment by moment.
+
+The physicians withdrew from the bedside, their vigil was over; "He
+will live," they said briefly, while in response, there rose from all
+parts of the room, deep sobs of joy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIX.
+
+
+For the first week or two, Guy Cameron's recovery was slow, but at the
+expiration of that time his vigorous constitution reasserted itself,
+and he gained rapidly.
+
+Meanwhile, at Silver City, affairs were progressing under the
+efficient management of Mr. Whitney, the clear-headed attorney from
+New York.
+
+When orders for arrest were first issued, it was soon discovered that
+the office of the North Western Mining, Land & Investment Company was
+practically deserted. None of their books or papers were to be found,
+their clerks had been dismissed, and no trace existed of the officers
+of the company. No information regarding their whereabouts could be
+obtained from any of the officers of the several high-titled companies
+occupying the same room, as they were supremely and serenely
+unconscious that anything out of the usual order had occurred, and
+full of regrets that they were unable to furnish the desired
+information.
+
+Blaisdell was discovered the following day, in company with his eldest
+son, in an old abandoned mine about two miles from town, which he
+claimed they were working, his limited means not allowing him to
+wander far from the scene of his crimes. He was brought back to town
+and held pending the discovery of Wilson and Rivers, for whom
+detectives were searching in every direction. The former was never
+found, but at the end of about two weeks, the latter was run to earth
+in an eastern city, where he was masquerading in snow-white wig and
+beard and colored eye-glasses, as a retired and invalid clergyman,
+living in great seclusion.
+
+Blaisdell and Rivers were tried on the charge of murder, the most
+important witnesses for the prosecution being Everard Houston and
+Morton Rutherford; the latter testifying as to the nature of the final
+and fatal dispatch sent on that eventful day, in which he was
+corroborated by the telegraph operator of the Silver City office, who
+had been found and secured as a witness, and who verified Rutherford's
+statements regarding the message, but at the same time cleared Mr.
+Blaisdell from all connection therewith; the message having been sent
+by Rivers in Blaisdell's absence, whether with his knowledge and
+consent, they were unable to ascertain. The charge against Blaisdell
+was therefore dismissed through lack of evidence, while in Rivers'
+case, a verdict was returned for manslaughter, and he was given the
+extreme limit of the law, imprisonment for ten years.
+
+Blaisdell was then speedily arraigned for a new trial on the charge of
+embezzlement, the date on which his case was set for hearing being the
+same as that upon which his partner in crime was to be transferred to
+the state penitentiary.
+
+On that morning, however, the guard on going to the cell occupied by
+Rivers, found him just expiring, having succeeded in smuggling into
+his cell a quantity of morphine, how or when, no one could ascertain.
+He left a letter in which he stated that no state penitentiary had
+ever held him, or ever would, but that "as the game was up" he would
+give them a few particulars regarding his past life. He gave his true
+name, the name of a man who, twenty-five years before, had been wanted
+in the state of New York for a heavy bank robbery and murder. For
+years, under an alias, he had belonged to a gang of counterfeiters in
+Missouri, but upon the discovery and arrest of the leaders of the
+band, he had assumed his present alias and had come west.
+
+As Blaisdell took his place that morning in the prisoner's box, he was
+a pitiable object. Haunted almost to madness by the awful fate of his
+associate, confronted by an overwhelming array of evidence, furnished
+by Houston, Van Dorn and Lindlay, including also a deposition of Guy
+Cameron's, taken in his sick-room, his own abject and hopeless
+appearance bore the most damaging testimony against him. His case was
+quickly decided, his sentence being for seven years.
+
+After the trial, Morton Rutherford and Van Dorn returned at once to
+the camp, and a day or two later, when business affairs had at last
+been satisfactorily adjusted, Mr. Cameron and Houston returned,
+bringing with them Mr. Whitney and Lindlay, for a visit of a week
+among the mountains, before the entire party should return east.
+
+It was now early in the fall. Already the nights were frosty, but the
+days were royal as only early autumnal days among the mountains can
+be. Every breath was exhilarating, each inhalation seeming laden with
+some subtle elixir of life.
+
+Guy Cameron was now convalescent, able to sit with his friends in the
+low, rustic porch, or even to join them in short strolls among the
+rocks by the lake.
+
+One afternoon they all sat in and about the porch, in the soft, hazy
+sunlight, the vines and shrubbery about them brilliant in their
+autumnal tints of crimson and orange and gold. The group was complete,
+with the exception of Mr. Cameron and Mr. Whitney, who still lingered
+within doors, engaged in drawing up some papers of which no one seemed
+to understand the import, excepting Houston, who had just left the
+gentlemen to join the group outside.
+
+It was a strikingly beautiful picture; Mrs. Cameron seated in
+the center, with her sweet face and snow-white hair, and on either
+side a lovely daughter. Near Lyle were seated Guy Cameron and
+Morton Rutherford,--between whom there already existed a deep
+affinity,---with their faces of remarkable strength and beauty.
+On the grass, just outside the porch, in various easy attitudes,
+were Ned Rutherford, Van Dorn and Lindlay, and it was noticeable
+that under the influence of late events, even Ned's boyish face
+was gradually assuming a far more mature and thoughtful expression.
+
+As Houston seated himself beside Leslie, both she and Lyle observed
+that his face was lighted with a smile of deep satisfaction, but he
+remained silent, and the conversation continued as before, the members
+of the little group engaged in anticipations of their return to their
+respective homes, and in comments upon this particular portion of the
+west with which they had become familiar.
+
+"Which will you love best, Jack, my dear," Lyle asked of Guy in low
+tones, using the old form of address still very dear to her, "the
+eastern home, or the mountains?"
+
+"My old home was never so dear to me as now," he replied, "but I am
+deeply attached to the mountains; for years they were my only friends,
+and I shall wish to look upon them occasionally in the future."
+
+"Well," Ned Rutherford was saying, "I wouldn't have thought it, but
+I've got so attached to this place out here, I'd like an excuse of
+some sort,--some kind of business, you know,--that would bring me here
+part of the time; what do you think, Mort?"
+
+"I think our associations here have had a great deal to do with the
+attractions of the place, but as a quiet retreat in which to spend a
+few weeks of each summer, I can not imagine a more delightful place."
+
+"Everard, of what are you thinking so deeply?" demanded Lyle, watching
+his thoughtful face, "you have not spoken a word since you came out."
+
+"I am thinking of the evening when first we had Mr. Lindlay and Mr.
+Van Dorn as guests in this house; thinking of the contrast between
+then and now; that was ushering in the close of the old regime, and
+this is the eve of the new."
+
+"When will the mines be reopened?" inquired Van Dorn.
+
+"Just as soon as possible after the rebuilding of the plant, next
+spring."
+
+"All these mines will be owned and controlled by the New York company,
+will they not?"
+
+"Yes, and they will probably purchase other good properties."
+
+"'Pon my soul, but that will make a fine plant, out 'ere!" exclaimed
+Lindlay.
+
+"I should say so," responded Van Dorn.
+
+Just at that instant, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Whitney appeared, the latter
+carrying a large roll of legal cap, covered with his well-known
+hieroglyphics.
+
+"My dear," said Mr. Cameron, seating himself beside his wife and a
+little in the rear of the remainder of the group, "Mr. Whitney and
+myself have been engaged in drawing up the articles of incorporation
+of the new mining company to be organized out here very shortly, and
+I thought perhaps you and the young people would be interested in
+them. I want to say that they are drawn up subject to the approval of
+all parties interested, and after you have heard them read, we want
+you to express your opinions, jointly and severally. Mr. Whitney, as I
+believe you are the only one who would be able to read those
+cabalistic signs, we will now listen to you."
+
+Amid a general laugh at Mr. Whitney's expense, he began the reading of
+the articles of incorporation. The first article, setting forth the
+object of the corporation, was read, and by the time Mr. Whitney had
+reached the second, the members of the party were all attention.
+
+"Article II. This corporation shall be known as The Rocky Mountain
+Mining Company."
+
+A murmur of approval ran through the little group, and the sonorous
+tones continued:
+
+"Article III. The officers of the company hereby incorporated shall be
+as follows: Walter E. Cameron, president; Walter E. Houston,
+vice-president; Guy M. Cameron, treasurer and general manager; Edward
+B. Rutherford, Jr., secretary."
+
+Mr. Cameron, from his post of observation, watching to see the effect
+produced by the reading of this document, did not have to wait long.
+The faces of the ladies expressed their delight, while Ned Rutherford
+was speechless with astonishment; but it was the figure half reclining
+in the invalid chair that he watched most closely; it was his son's
+approval that he most desired.
+
+At the mention of his name, Guy Cameron had given a slight start, but
+he now lay with closed eyes, the only sign of emotion visible being
+that his pale face had grown still paler. Only the preceding day, Guy
+and his parents had held their first and only conversation together
+regarding the time so long past, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron intending it to
+be the first and last allusion which should be made to that sad time.
+Guy well knew that all was forgiven; he knew that the unhappy secret
+had been guarded with such loving care that his reputation was
+untarnished, there was nothing to be recalled against him on his
+return; yet he would consent only to a brief visit to the old home; he
+would not yet return permanently.
+
+"Let me first go into business somewhere, and retrieve myself in my
+own eyes at least," he had said, "not be taken back as a prodigal."
+
+Mr. Cameron had conferred with Houston, and both hoped that a
+responsible position in the newly organized company, amid the old
+familiar scenes and work, and associated with those to whom he had
+become personally attached, would more than meet his wishes. Mr.
+Cameron had wished to make him general manager on account of his
+familiarity with the business, while Houston wished him to hold the
+office of treasurer, as token of their perfect trust; hence the two
+were combined.
+
+After all the articles of incorporation had been read in full, the
+little group broke up, and crowded around the newly-chosen young
+officers with many congratulations.
+
+"Great Scott!" ejaculated Ned, "I never was so thunder struck in my
+life! Accept it? well, I should say so, Mr. Cameron, and with many
+thanks; you couldn't have picked out anything that would suit me
+better. I guess," he added in a confidential aside to Houston, "I
+guess that will fix the old fellow down there in Boston all right."
+
+Guy grasped his father's hand and Houston's in a manner that removed
+every anxiety from their minds.
+
+"It is more than satisfactory," he said, "more than I could wish."
+
+The following day, Mr. Whitney, Lindlay and Van Dorn returned east,
+leaving the "family party" as they laughingly styled themselves, to
+follow later.
+
+Among the pleasant surprises of those last few days of their stay, it
+was discovered that Leslie Gladden, whom Mrs. Cameron and Lyle had
+urged to make her home with them upon their return, was the owner of a
+palatial residence not many blocks from their own city home, besides
+having a snug little fortune in bonds and stocks.
+
+Houston's surprise was unbounded, but remembering how he had won
+Leslie's love, there was little he could say.
+
+"I thought you once said you never had a home of your own," he
+remarked in considerable perplexity.
+
+"Well," she replied archly, "a residence is not necessarily a home; it
+has never been a home to me since my earliest recollection, but it
+will be one soon, in the truest sense of the word."
+
+One morning a few days later, they awoke to find the mountains about
+them white with snow, and a light snowfall in the canyon; and though
+the latter vanished presently under the balmy breath of a "chinook,"
+it had given them warning that the winter king was approaching, and
+would soon seize the scepter from autumn's hand, to begin his long
+reign among the mountains.
+
+That day, the old house which had witnessed such varied scenes within
+the past few months, was closed, and a very joyous party started for
+Silver City, the initial point of the long eastward journey, their
+hearts throbbing with delight that they were homeward bound.
+
+In the first carriage rode Mr. and Mrs. Cameron and their newly-found
+son and daughter, while following so closely that their merry jokes
+and song and laughter were intermingled, were Everard Houston, Leslie
+Gladden and the two brothers; and as they passed down the winding
+canyon road, casting loving, farewell glances at the friendly peaks,
+clad that day in dazzling brightness, and recalled their first coming
+to the heart of the Rockies, they were, one and all, agreed that the
+end was better than the beginning.
+
+                  *       *       *       *       *
+
+According to Houston's prediction, the mines were reopened the
+following year, and operated on a far more extensive scale. On the
+site of the old mills, an immense building was erected, thoroughly
+equipped with the latest improvements in mining machinery and
+electrical and mechanical appliances. The old mines were repaired and
+extended and new properties were purchased, giving employment to
+hundreds of men. Early in the second year, a railroad was constructed
+by the company, extending up the canyon from the Y, to the camp, for
+the transportation of ore, mining supplies, freight and passengers.
+
+As the mines were enlarged and new properties developed, quite a
+community sprang up in that vicinity, which, after the construction of
+the railroad, speedily developed into a typical mining town; and now,
+after a lapse of three years, few would recognize the old camp.
+
+Half way up the steep grade from the Y, is the smelting plant of the
+company, while at the terminus of the road, are the long, stone
+storehouses, at one end of which is the general office and a pleasant
+reception room. Next comes the great milling and reduction plant,
+while just beyond are the offices of the company, a fine, three-story
+brick building. From this building can be seen, in one direction the
+extensive mining works, with their labyrinth of shafts and tunnels,
+diggings and dumps; while in another direction are stretched the homes
+of the miners, the boarding houses, and, at a little distance, the
+post-office, hotel, stores and shops of the little town, as well as a
+tasteful church and school house. As one gazes upon the peaceful
+picture of the mountain town, there is nothing to recall the frightful
+scene of destruction and ruin of only three years past.
+
+There is little to remind one of former times, until, having followed
+the broad, winding road for some distance, one suddenly comes upon a
+familiar sight. Nestling at the foot of the pine-covered mountain, on
+the site of the old boarding house, is a beautiful, wide-spreading
+stone cottage, so built that its numerous bow-windows take in a view
+of the azure lake and shining cascades, as well as of the surrounding
+peaks and the sunset sky; and on the broad, vine-covered veranda, is a
+well-known group, who come from their distant, city homes, to spend a
+few weeks of each summer amid the grandeur and beauty of the
+mountains, to listen to the whispering of the pines and the music of
+the cascades.
+
+Morton Rutherford and his bride are here; Lyle, physically and
+mentally developed into royal, radiant womanhood, more beautiful than
+ever, but to whom there comes occasionally an irresistible longing to
+revisit her old mountain home, for the years of happiness and love
+have obliterated all bitter memories of the loveless, joyless
+childhood, and only the remembrance of its beauty remains.
+
+By her side, is Guy Cameron, his proud, erect bearing showing the
+change which these few years have wrought in his life; lonely and
+solitary no longer, for near him is a queenly woman, who, knowing the
+sad secret of his past, will share and brighten his future.
+
+Everard Houston and his lovely wife need no introduction, but, beside
+them is a little stranger, possessing Leslie's wondrous dark eyes, but
+Houston's features,--another little Marjorie,--while beside the wee
+maiden is a small chevalier, only two months her senior, rejoicing in
+the name of Morton Rutherford. In the dignified, business-like face of
+the proud father, it is difficult to recognize the former Ned
+Rutherford, but while possessing still the same light-hearted nature,
+yet the responsibilities intrusted to him, and the years of constant
+association with a man like Everard Houston, have developed a business
+ability surprising even to himself. As secretary of the Rocky Mountain
+Mining Company, he has proved to be the right man in the right place,
+thereby reflecting much credit upon Houston's insight and good
+judgment in selecting him for the position. By his side is a fair
+woman, the "Grace" of whom he used to dream when first he visited the
+mountains.
+
+Strolling up and down the graveled walks, in consultation regarding
+the mines, are two figures, one of whom is easily recognized as Arthur
+Van Dorn, mining expert for the company, and superintendent of the
+milling and reduction plant. The energetic, business man by his side
+is M. T. Donovan, superintendent of the entire mining plant, but a
+second glance is necessary to recognize in him, Mike, the old-time
+miner, and the faithful friend of Guy Cameron in his years of
+loneliness. Donovan and Van Dorn present a striking contrast, but they
+are good friends, and the latter's personation of the former, on a
+certain occasion, is a standing joke between them.
+
+There is one more familiar figure, not to be omitted, and that is Rex,
+stretched on the soft grass in an attitude of perfect content, his
+nose resting on his paws, his eyes fixed on his master's face with the
+old-time devotion.
+
+Beautiful as this picture may be, it is not quite complete without a
+glimpse of a far-away, eastern home, where, in the gloaming, beside an
+open grate, sit a couple with peaceful faces, crowned with snow-white
+hair. They have passed the grand summit of middle age, with its broad
+horizons, where hope and ambition are at their zenith, and together
+are journeying down the long, gentle declivity; but the clouds of loss
+and bereavement and pain that gathered about their path in the years
+gone by, have passed, and the valley before them is flooded with
+golden light. Their home circle, once broken, is now nearly complete;
+the once vacant places by the fireside are again filled, and the old
+home, silent for so many years, again resounds with song and laughter,
+and echoes once more to the music of childish voices and the patter of
+little feet.
+
+For hours, they sit talking together of the joys which the late years
+have brought them; until the moonlight steals in through the open
+windows, reverently touching their heads with a silvery radiance, at
+the same time looking down in silent, shining benediction upon the
+peaceful scene in the heart of the Rockies.
+
+FINIS
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Award of Justice, by A. Maynard Barbour
+
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