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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/38343-8.txt b/38343-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3e2eb8d --- /dev/null +++ b/38343-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11377 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Harding of Allenwood, by Harold Bindloss + +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: Harding of Allenwood + +Author: Harold Bindloss + +Release Date: December 19, 2011 [EBook #38343] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + + + + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +HARDING OF ALLENWOOD + + + + +[Illustration: "'PICK UP YOUR SKIRT,' HE SAID BLUNTLY; 'IT GETS +STEEPER.'"--Page 32] + + + + +HARDING OF ALLENWOOD + +BY HAROLD BINDLOSS + +AUTHOR OF PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN, +WINSTON OF THE PRAIRIE, ETC + +WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR + +[Illustration] + +GROSSET & DUNLAP +PUBLISHERS NEW YORK + +Copyright, 1915, by +FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY + +All rights reserved + + + + +CONTENTS + + CHAPTER PAGE + I THE PIONEERS 1 + II PORTENTS OF CHANGE 14 + III AT THE FORD 26 + IV THE OPENING OF THE RIFT 36 + V THE SPENDTHRIFT 48 + VI THE MORTGAGE BROKER 56 + VII AN ACCIDENT 67 + VIII AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE 79 + IX A MAN OF AFFAIRS 92 + X THE CASTING VOTE 103 + XI THE STEAM PLOW 118 + XII THE ENEMY WITHIN 132 + XIII THE TRAITOR 145 + XIV A BOLD SCHEME 156 + XV HARVEST HOME 169 + XVI THE BRIDGE 182 + XVII A HEAVY BLOW 192 + XVIII COVERING HIS TRAIL 203 + XIX THE BLIZZARD 215 + XX A SEVERE TEST 225 + XXI THE DAY OF RECKONING 236 + XXII THE PRICE OF HONOR 245 + XXIII A WOMAN INTERVENES 255 + XXIV A GREAT TRIUMPH 264 + XXV THE REBUFF 276 + XXVI DROUGHT 287 + XXVII THE ADVENTURESS 298 + XXVIII FIRE AND HAIL 308 + XXIX A BRAVE HEART 318 + XXX THE INHERITANCE 326 + + + + + +HARDING, OF ALLENWOOD + + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE PIONEERS + + +It was a clear day in September. The boisterous winds which had swept +the wide Canadian plain all summer had fallen and only a faint breeze +stirred the yellowing leaves of the poplars. Against the glaring blue of +the northern sky the edge of the prairie cut in a long, straight line; +above the southern horizon rounded cloud-masses hung, soft and white as +wool. Far off, the prairie was washed with tints of delicate gray, but +as it swept in to the foreground the color changed, growing in strength, +to brown and ocher with streaks of silvery brightness where the withered +grass caught the light. To the east the view was broken, for the banks +of a creek that wound across the broad level were lined with +timber--birches and poplars growing tall in the shelter of the ravine +and straggling along its crest. Their pale-colored branches glowed among +the early autumn leaves. + +In a gap between the trees two men stood resting on their axes, and rows +of logs and branches and piles of chips were scattered about the +clearing. The men were dressed much alike, in shirts that had once been +blue but were now faded to an indefinite color, old brown overalls, and +soft felt hats that had fallen out of shape. Their arms were bare to the +elbows, the low shirt-collars left their necks exposed, showing skin +that had weathered, like their clothing, to the color of the soil. +Standing still, they were scarcely distinguishable from their +surroundings. + +Harding was thirty years old, and tall and strongly built. He looked +virile and athletic, but his figure was marked by signs of strength +rather than grace. His forehead was broad, his eyes between blue and +gray, and his gaze gravely steady. He had a straight nose and a firm +mouth; and although there was more than a hint of determination in his +expression, it indicated, on the whole, a pleasant, even a magnetic, +disposition. + +Devine was five years younger and of lighter build. He was the handsomer +of the two, but he lacked that indefinite something about his companion +which attracted more attention. + +"Let's quit a few minutes for a smoke," suggested Devine, dropping his +ax. "We've worked pretty hard since noon." + +He sat down on a log and took out an old corncob pipe. When it was +filled and lighted he leaned back contentedly against a friendly stump. + +Harding remained standing, his hand on the long ax-haft, his chin +slightly lifted, and his eyes fixed on the empty plain. Between him and +the horizon there was no sign of life except that a flock of migrating +birds were moving south across the sky in a drawn-out wedge. The wide +expanse formed part of what was then the territory of Assiniboia, and is +now the province of Saskatchewan. As far as one could see, the soil was +thin alluvial loam, interspersed with the stiff "gumbo" that grows the +finest wheat; but the plow had not yet broken its surface. Small towns +were springing up along the railroad track, but the great plain between +the Saskatchewan and the Assiniboine was, for the most part, still a +waste, waiting for the tide of population that had begun to flow. + +Harding was a born pioneer, and his expression grew intent as he gazed +across the wilderness. + +"What will this prairie be like, Fred, when those poplars are tall +enough to cut?" he said gravely, indicating some saplings beside him. +"There's going to be a big change here." + +"That's true; and it's just what I'm counting on. That's what made me +leave old Dakota. I want to be in on the ground-floor!" + +Harding knit his brows, and his face had a concentrated look. He was not +given to talking at large, but he had a gift of half-instinctive +prevision as well as practical, constructive ability, and just then he +felt strangely moved. It seemed to him that he heard in the distance the +march of a great army of new home-builders, moving forward slowly and +cautiously as yet. He was one of the advance skirmishers, though the +first scouts had already pushed on and vanished across the skyline into +the virgin West. + +"Well," he said, "think what's happening! Ontario's settled and busy +with manufactures; Manitoba and the Dakotas, except for the sand-belts, +are filling up. The older States are crowded, and somebody owns all the +soil that's worth working in the Middle West. England and Germany are +overflowing, and we have roughly seven hundred miles of country here +that needs people. They must come. The pressure behind will force them." + +"But think what that will mean to the price of wheat! It's bringing only +a dollar and a half now. We can't raise it at a dollar." + +"It will break the careless," Harding said, "but dollar wheat will come. +The branch railroads will follow the homesteads; you'll see the +elevators dotting the prairie, and when we've opened up this great +tableland between the American border and the frozen line, the wheat +will pour into every settlement faster than the cars can haul it out. +Prices will fall until every slack farmer has mortgaged all he owns." + +"Then what good will it do? If the result is to be only mortgages?" + +"Oh, but I said every _slack_ farmer. It will clear out the incompetent, +improve our methods. The ox-team and the grass trail will have to go. +We'll have steam gang-plows and graded roads. We'll have better machines +all round." + +"And afterward?" + +Harding's eyes sparkled. + +"Afterward? Then the men with brains and grit who have held on--the +fittest, who have survived--will come into such prosperity as few +farmers have ever had. America, with her population leaping up, will +have less and less wheat to ship; England will steadily call for more; +we'll have wheat at a price that will pay us well before we're through. +Then there'll be no more dug-outs and log-shacks, but fine brick +homesteads, with all the farms fenced and mechanical transport on the +roads. It's coming, Fred! Those who live through the struggle will +certainly see it." + +Harding laughed and lifted his ax. + +"But enough of that! If we're to get our homesteads up before the frost +comes, we'll have to hustle." + +The big ax flashed in the sunshine and bit deep into a poplar trunk; but +when a few more logs had been laid beside the rest the men stopped +again, for they heard a beat of hoofs coming toward them across the +prairie. The trees cut off their view of the rider, but when he rounded +a corner of the bluff and pulled up his horse, they saw a young lad, +picturesquely dressed in a deerskin jacket of Indian make, decorated +with fringed hide and embroidery, cord riding-breeches, and polished +leggings. His slouch hat was pushed back on his head, showing a handsome +face that had in it a touch of imperiousness. + +"Hello!" he said, with a look of somewhat indignant surprise. "What are +you fellows doing here?" + +Harding felt amused at the tone of superiority in the youngster's voice; +yet he had a curious, half-conscious feeling that there was something he +recognized about the boy. It was not that he had met him before, but +that well-bred air and the clean English intonation were somehow +familiar. + +"If you look around you," Harding smiled, "you might be able to guess +that we're cutting down trees." + +The boy gave an imperious toss of his head. + +"What I meant was that you have no right on this property." + +"No?" + +"It belongs to us. And logs large enough for building are scarce enough +already. As a matter of fact, we're not allowed to cut these ourselves +without the Colonel's permission." + +"Haven't met him yet," said Devine dryly. "Who's he?" + +"Colonel Mowbray, of Allenwood Grange." + +"And who's Colonel Mowbray? And where's Allenwood Grange?" + +The boy seemed nettled by the twinkle in Devine's eyes, but Harding +noticed that pride compelled him to hide his feelings. + +"You can't cut this lumber without asking leave! Besides, you're +spoiling one of our best coyote covers." + +"Kyotes!" exclaimed Devine. "What do you do with 'em?" + +The youngster stared at him a moment in disdain. + +"We have a pack of hounds at the Grange," he then condescended to +answer. + +"Hunt them! Well, now, that's mighty strange. I'd have thought you'd +find arsenic cheaper. Then if you were to lie out round the +chicken-house with a gun----" + +The boy cut him short. + +"If you want these logs, you must ask for them. Shall I tell the Colonel +you are coming to do so?" + +"Well, sonny," drawled Devine, "you just run along home and send +somebody grown-up. We might talk to him." + +"As it happens," the boy said with great dignity, "Kenwyne is in the +bluff. I must warn you not to touch a tree until you see him." + +Without another word he turned and rode off. + +During the conversation Harding had been studying him closely. The +well-bred reserve in his manner, which, while peremptory, was somehow +free from arrogance, compelled the man's admiration. + +"From the Old Country," he said with a laugh, "and a bit high-handed, +but there's sand in him. Do you know anything about Allenwood?" + +"Not much, but I heard the boys talking about it at the railroad store. +It's a settlement of high-toned Britishers with more money than sense. +They play at farming and ride round the country on pedigree horses." + +"The horse the boy rode was certainly a looker!" Harding commented, +swinging his ax once more. + +As it sliced out a chip with a ringing thud, and another, and yet +another, the boy returned, accompanied by a well-mounted older man with +a sallow face and very dark eyes and a languidly graceful air. The man +was plainly dressed but he wore the stamp Harding had noticed on the +youngster; and again there flashed through Harding's mind the +half-indistinct thought that these people were familiar to him. + +"I understand that you insist upon cutting this timber," Kenwyne began. + +"Yes," Harding replied. "And I was surprised when your friend here said +it belonged to Colonel Mowbray." + +"He went too far, but it does belong to him in a sense. The Colonel +founded the settlement when very few other people thought of leaving +Manitoba, and he had the usual option of cutting all the wood he wanted +on unoccupied land. We have always got it here, and as we have done all +the road-making and general improvements in the neighborhood, we have +come to look upon it as our own." + +"Is that your bridge across the creek?" + +"Yes; and it's not a bad job, I think. We had a good deal of trouble +digging out the grade in the ravine." + +"Well, interfering with bridges is not a habit of mine; so we'll let +your trail stand. But I could make you divert it to the proper road +reserve." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Kenwyne. "That sounds significant." + +"Precisely. This bluff and the section it stands on belong to me; the +transfer was registered at the land office a week ago." + +"Then I think there's nothing more to be said." + +"Oh," Harding responded with a smile, "you might tell your Colonel that +when he wants any lumber he may cut it if he'll let me know!" + +Kenwyne laughed. + +"Thanks!" he said. "It's a generous offer, but I can't promise that +Colonel Mowbray will avail himself of your permission. I wish you good +afternoon." + +He rode away with his companion, and an hour later Harding and Devine +threw their axes on their shoulders and struck out across the prairie. +The sun had dipped, the air was getting cool, and on the clean-cut +western horizon a soft red flush faded beneath a band of vivid green. + +At the foot of a low rise the men stopped. + +"I'll be around the first thing in the morning," Devine said. + +"Then you're not coming to supper?" + +"No," Devine answered reluctantly; "I guess not. I've been over twice +this week, and Hester has enough to do without extra cooking for me." + +"As you wish," said Harding, and they separated in a friendly manner. + +When he was alone Harding went on briskly, walking with an elastic step +and looking far ahead across the shadowy plain. It was a rich land that +stretched away before him, and a compact block of it belonged to him. It +was virgin soil, his to do with as he liked. He thought that he could +make good use of it; but he had no illusions; he knew all about prairie +farming, and was prepared for a hard struggle. + +Crossing the rise, he headed for a glow of light that flickered in the +gloom of a small birch bluff, and presently stopped at a tent pitched +among the trees. Two big red oxen were grazing by the edge of the bluff, +a row of birch logs lay among the grass beside a pile of ship-lap +boards, and some more of the boards had been roughly built into a +pointed shack. In front of this a young girl bent over a fire that +burned between two logs. All round, except where the wood broke the +view, the wilderness rolled away, dim and silent. + +Hester Harding looked up with a smile when her brother stopped. She +resembled him, for she had his direct, thoughtful glance and fine +proportions. Her face and hands were browned by sun and wind, but, +although she had worked hard from childhood, she wore no coarsening +stamp of toil. Her features were good, and the plain print dress she had +made in her scanty spare time became her. + +"Tired, Craig?" she asked in a pleasant voice. + +"Not quite as fresh as I was at sun-up," Harding smiled. "We got +through a good deal of work to-day and I'll soon be able to make a start +with the house. We'll have to rush the framing to get finished before +the frost." + +While they ate their simple supper they talked about his building plans, +and he answered her questions carefully; for Hester had keen +intelligence, and had shared his work and ambitions for the past few +years. For the most part, their life had been hard and frugal. Until +Craig reached the age of eighteen, he had helped his father to cultivate +his patch of wheat-soil in an arid belt of North Dakota. Then the father +had died, leaving about a thousand dollars besides his land and teams, +and the lad had courageously taken up the task of supporting his mother +and sister. Two years afterward, Mrs. Harding died, and Craig, at the +age of twenty, set himself to consider the future. + +During his management of the farm he had made more money than his father +had ever made, but the land was poor and incapable of much improvement. +On the other hand, Dakota was getting settled and homesteads were +becoming valuable, and Craig determined to sell out and invest the money +in a larger holding in a thinly populated part of Manitoba. Hester went +with him to Canada; and when the advancing tide of settlement reached +their new home, Craig sold out again, getting much more than he had paid +for his land, and moved west ahead of the army of prairie-breakers which +he knew would presently follow him. It was a simple plan, but it needed +courage and resourcefulness. He spoke of it to Hester when he lighted +his pipe after the meal. + +"It was a notion of Father's that one should try to anticipate a big +general movement," he remarked. "'Keep a little in front; the pioneers +get the pickings,' he once told me. 'If you follow the main body, you'll +find the land swept bare.' He had a way of saying things like that; I +learned a good deal from him." + +"He knew a good deal," said Hester thoughtfully. "He was more clever +than you are, Craig, but he hadn't your habit of putting his ideas into +practise. I've sometimes thought he must have lost heart after some big +trouble long ago, and only made an effort now and then for Mother's +sake. It's strange that we know nothing about him except that he came +from the Old Country." + +Craig had often wondered about his father, for the man had been somewhat +of an enigma to him. Basil Harding had lived like his neighbors, who +were plain tillers of the soil, and he never spoke of his English +origin, but now and then he showed a breadth of thought and refinement +of manner that were not in keeping with his environment. Mrs. Harding +was the daughter of a Michigan farmer, a shrewd but gentle woman of +practical turn of mind. + +"I wonder," Craig said, "how much Mother knew?" + +"She must have known something. Once or twice, near the end, I think she +meant to tell us, for there was something troubling her, but the last +stroke came so suddenly, and she never spoke." Hester paused, as if lost +in painful memories, and then went on: "It was very strange about that +money you got." + +Craig nodded. When he was twenty-one a Winnipeg lawyer had turned over +to him five thousand dollars on condition that he remain in Canada, and +make no attempt to communicate with his father's relatives. + +"Yes," he said. "And something happened this afternoon that puzzled me." + +He told Hester about his meeting with the men from Allenwood. + +"The curious thing about it," he added, "is that as I watched the boy +sitting on his fine blooded horse and heard him speak, I felt as if I'd +once lived among high-toned English people and could somehow understand +what he was thinking. But of course I never had a horse like his, and we +were born in a rough shack on a poor Dakota farm. Can one inherit one's +ancestors' feelings and memories?" + +"It's very strange," mused Hester. + +Harding laughed. + +"Well, anyway, I'm a farmer," he said. "I stand upon my own +feet--regardless of ancestors. What I am is what I make of myself!" + +He moved off toward the tent. + +"It's getting late," he called back to her. + +But for a long time Hester sat beside the sinking fire. Her brother, +whom she loved and admired, differed slightly, but noticeably in one or +two respects, from any of the prairie farmers she had known. Though it +was hard to procure books, he had read widely and about other subjects +than agriculture. Odd tricks of thought and speech also suggested the +difference; but she knew that nobody else except her mother had noticed +it, for, to all intents, Craig was merely a shrewd, hard-working grower +of wheat. + +Then the girl's face grew gentle as she thought of Fred Devine. He had +proved very constant and had several times made what was then a long and +adventurous journey to see her. Now, when his father had given him a +few hundred dollars, he had followed Craig, and she was ready to marry +him as soon as he could make a home for her. At present he was living in +a dug-out in a bank, and must harvest his first crop before he could +think about a house. + +When the fire had died down to a few smoldering coals, Hester got up and +looked about her. The moon hung, large and red, above the prairie's rim; +the air was sharp and wonderfully exhilarating. Behind the tent the +birch leaves rustled softly in the bluff, and in the distance a coyote +howled. There was no other sound; it was all very still and strangely +lonely; but the girl felt no shrinking. On her mother's side she sprang +from a race of pioneers, and her true work was to help in the breaking +of the wilderness. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +PORTENTS OF CHANGE + + +The moon was above the horizon when Kenwyne pulled up his horse to a +walk opposite Allenwood Grange. The view from this point always appealed +to the artist in Kenwyne. The level plain was broken here by steep, +sandy rises crowned with jack-pines and clumps of poplar, and a shallow +lake reached out into the open from their feet. A short distance back +from its shore, the Grange stood on a gentle slope, with a grove of +birches that hid the stables and outbuildings straggling up the hill +behind. + +As Kenwyne saw it in the moonlight across the glittering water, the +house was picturesque. In the center rose a square, unpretentious +building of notched logs; but from this ship-lap additions, showing +architectural taste, stretched out in many wings, so that, from a +distance, the homestead with its wooded back-ground had something of the +look of an old English manor house. It was this which made the colonists +of Allenwood regard it with affection. Now it was well lighted, and the +yellow glow from its windows shone cheerfully across the lake. + +The foundations of the place had been laid in unsettled times, after the +Hudson Bay fur-traders had relinquished their control of the trackless +West, but before the Dominion Government had established its authority. +The farmers were then spreading cautiously across the Manitoban plain, +in some fear of the Metis half-breeds, and it was considered a bold +adventure when the builder of the Grange pushed far out into the +prairies of the Assiniboine. He had his troubles, but he made his +holding good, and sold it to Colonel Mowbray, who founded the Allenwood +settlement. + +On the whole, the colony had succeeded, but Kenwyne saw that it might +become an anachronism in changing times. He had noted the advance of the +hard-bitten homesteaders who were settling wherever the soil was good, +and who were marked by sternly utilitarian methods and democratic ideas. +Before long Allenwood must cast off its aristocratic traditions and +compete with these newcomers; but Kenwyne feared that its founder was +not the man to change. + +As he rode slowly past the lake, a man came toward him with a gun and a +brace of prairie-chickens. + +"Hello, Ralph!" he said. "Have you forgotten that it's council night?" + +"I'm not likely to forget after the rebuke I got for missing the last +meeting," Kenwyne replied. "Do you happen to know what kind of temper +the Colonel is in, Broadwood?" + +"My opinion is that it might be better. Gerald Mowbray has turned up +again, and I've noticed that the old man is less serene than usual when +his son's about. In fact, as we have to bear the consequences, I wish +the fellow would stay away." + +While Broadwood and Kenwyne were discussing him on the hillside, Colonel +Mowbray sat in his study at the Grange, talking to the elder of his two +sons. The room was small and plainly furnished, with a map of the +territory on the matchboarded wall, a plain table on which lay a few +bundles of neatly docketed papers, and a stove in one corner. +Account-books filled a shelf, and beneath there was a row of +pigeonholes. The room had an air of austere simplicity with which +Colonel Mowbray's appearance harmonized. + +He was tall, but spare of flesh, with an erect carriage and an +autocratic expression. His hair was gray, his eyes were dark and keen, +and his mouth was unusually firm; but the hollowness of his face and the +lines on his forehead showed advancing age. He was a man of some +ability, with simple tastes, certain unchangeable convictions, and a +fiery temper. Leaving the army with a grievance which he never spoke +about, and being of too restless a character to stay at home, he had +founded Allenwood for the purpose of settling young Englishmen upon the +land. He demanded that they be well born, have means enough to make a +fair start, and that their character should bear strict investigation. +Though the two latter conditions were not invariably complied with, his +scheme had prospered. Mowbray was generous, and had taken the sons of +several old friends who did not possess the capital required; while the +discipline he enforced had curbed the wayward. For the most part, the +settlers regarded him with affection as well as respect; but he had +failed most signally with his own son, who now stood rather awkwardly +before him. + +After serving for a year or two in India as an engineer lieutenant, +Gerald Mowbray met with an accident which forced him to leave the army. +He made an unsuccessful start on another career, and had of late been +engaged upon a Government survey of the rugged forest-belt which runs +west to the confines of the Manitoban plain. He was a handsome, +dark-complexioned man, but looked slacker and less capable than his +father. + +"I think five hundred pounds would clear me," he said in an apologetic +tone. "If I could pay off these fellows, it would be a great relief, and +I'd faithfully promise to keep clear of debt in future." + +"It seems to me I've heard something of the kind on previous occasions," +Mowbray returned dryly. "There's a weak strain in you, Gerald, though I +don't know where you got it. I suppose a thousand pounds would be +better?" + +Gerald's eyes grew eager; but the next moment his face fell, for he knew +his father's methods, and saw his ironical smile. + +"Well," he said cautiously, "I could straighten things out if I had five +hundred." + +"With what you got from your mother!" + +Gerald winced. His mother never refused him, even though he knew that it +often meant sacrifice on her part. + +"To save our name," Mowbray said sternly, "and for that reason only, I +am going to let you have three hundred pounds. But I warn you, it's the +last you'll get. You may as well know that it is hard to spare this." + +Gerald looked his surprise. + +"I thought----" + +Mowbray interrupted him. + +"My affairs are not so prosperous as they seem; but I rely on you not to +mention the fact. Now you may go. But, remember--there's to be no more +money thrown away!" + +When Gerald closed the door, Mowbray took down one of his account-books, +and sat still for a long time studying it. He had never been rich, but +he had had enough, and as the settlement grew up he had felt justified +in selling to newcomers, at moderate prices, land which he had got as a +free grant. Now, however, the land was nearly all taken up. For a time +he bred cattle, but this had scarcely paid; then the development of the +milling industry and the building of elevators rendered wheat-growing +possible, and though the grain had to be hauled a long way, Mowbray made +a small profit. Prices, however, were falling, and land nearer the +railroad was coming into cultivation. + +With a gloomy air, Mowbray closed the book and went down to preside over +the council which was held periodically and, as a rule, ended in an +evening of social amusement. + +The hall was large and square, with matchboarded walls and a pointed +roof. In an open hearth a log fire burned cheerily, although two large +windows were opened wide to let in the September air. Bunches of wheat +and oats of unusual growth hung upon the walls, suggesting the settlers' +occupation; but it was significant that the grain was surmounted by a +row of the heads of prairie antelope, as well as moose and caribou from +the North. They were farmers at Allenwood, but they were sportsmen +first. + +About a dozen men were sitting round a table when Mowbray entered, but +they rose and waited until he took his place. They varied in age from +twenty to forty, and in their easy manners and natural grace one +recognized the stamp of birth. Evening dress was not the rule at +Allenwood, and while some wore white shirts and city clothes, others +were attired picturesquely in red-laced blue vests and fringed deerskin. +Their brown faces and athletic figures indicated a healthy life in the +open, but they had too gallant and careless an air for toilers. + +A few suggestions for the improvement of the trails were made and +discussed; and then Mowbray turned to Kenwyne, who had spent the +afternoon looking for suitable logs for the bridge-stringers. + +"Did you and Lance find anything?" Mowbray asked. + +Kenwyne was waiting for this opening to make what he felt was an +important announcement. + +"We went to the bluff," he said. "What we found was two homesteaders +cutting down all the best trees." + +"Homesteaders!" + +Mowbray frowned and the others looked interested. + +"You warned them off, of course!" + +"Lance did. But one of the fellows retorted that the timber was his." + +"Impossible!" Mowbray said sharply. "The nearest preemption is six miles +off--and that's too close!" + +"It appears that the man has just bought the section on our western +range-line. He referred me to the land register, if I had any doubt. I'm +afraid you must take it for granted, sir, that we are going to have +neighbors." + +"Never!" Mowbray brought his fist down on the table with a resounding +blow. "We may not be able to turn out these intruders, but I decline to +consider them neighbors of ours." He turned to the others. "You must +see that this is disturbing news. We came here to live in accordance +with the best English traditions, and although we had to put up with +some hardships, there were compensations--abundant sport, space, and +freedom. In a sense, the country was ours, with its wood and water, as +far as we cared to ride. Now every homestead that is built restricts +what we have regarded, with some justice, as our rights. We took heavy +risks in settling here when people believed it was economically +impossible to farm at Allenwood." + +There was a murmur of approval. + +"These fellows will put an end to our running range horses and cattle," +one man said. "If many of them come into the district, we may have to +put down the coyote hounds, and ask permission before we course a +jack-rabbit. Then they could make us divert our trails to the road +reserves." + +"Something of that kind may happen," Kenwyne interposed. "But the fellow +I met seemed inclined to be friendly. Said he'd let our trail stand and +we might cut what wood we wanted, provided we get his permission." + +Mowbray drew himself up haughtily. + +"Although you recognize the lesser drawbacks," he said, "I'm afraid you +miss the most important point. I must remind you that this settlement +was founded to enable a certain stamp of Englishmen to enjoy a life that +was becoming more difficult without large means at home. A man with +simple tastes could find healthy occupation out of doors, keep a good +horse, and get as much shooting as he wanted. So long as his farming +covered, or nearly covered, his expenses, that was all that was +required. We have not discouraged the making of money, but I must +frankly say that this was not our object. Now I see threats of change. +We may be brought into contact, and perhaps into opposition, with men +whose motives are different. Their coming here has to me a sinister +meaning." + +"Allenwood has been a success," said Broadwood; "one can't deny it--but +I think we owe a good deal to our having settled in a new and +undeveloped country. The experiment turned out well because we got the +land cheap and wheat was dear. Now I foresee a sharp fall in prices, and +it seems to me that we may have to revise our methods to suit the times. +In future, we may find it difficult to live upon our farms unless we +work them properly. I'm afraid we can't stand still while Canada moves +on--and I'm not sure that it's a great misfortune." + +"Do you admire modern methods?" somebody asked. "If you do, you'd better +study what things are coming to in America and England. There is not a +hired man at Allenwood who is not on first-rate terms with his master; +do you want to under-pay and over-drive them or, on the other hand, to +have them making impossible demands, and playing the mischief by a +harvest strike? I agree with our respected leader that we don't want to +change." + +"But tell us about these intruders," Mowbray said to Kenwyne. "What sort +of men are they?" + +"Well, first of all, they're workers; there's no mistaking that. And I'd +judge that they came from the States--Dakota, perhaps." + +"That is to say, they're hustlers!" a lad broke in. "Couldn't we buy +them out before they get started, sir?" + +"It would cost us something to buy a section, and we would have to work +part of it to pay the new taxes. Then the fellows would probably find +out that it was an easy way of getting a good price; and we couldn't +keep on buying them out. We have all the land we want, and must be +careful whom we allow to join us." + +"I think we should try to keep an open mind," Kenwyne suggested. "It +might pay us to watch the men and see what they can teach us. Sooner or +later we shall have to improve our farming, and we may as well begin it +gradually. After all, it's something to gather two bushels of wheat +where only one grew." + +Mowbray looked at him sternly. + +"I'm sorry to see you and Broadwood taking this line, Ralph; but I've +long suspected that your views were not quite sound. Frankly, I'm afraid +of the thin end of the wedge." He turned to the others. "You will +understand that there can be no compromise. We shall continue to live as +English gentlemen and have nothing to do with the grasping commercialism +that is getting a dangerous hold on the older countries. I will do my +best to keep Allenwood free from it while I have the power." + +"Whatever my private opinions are, I think you know you can rely on my +loyal support in all you do for the good of the settlement, sir," +Kenwyne replied. "Now that we have the matter before us, it might be +well if you told us how we are to treat these Americans. We're bound to +meet them." + +"I cannot suggest discourtesy, since it would be foreign to your +character and against our traditions; but I do not wish you to become +intimate with them." + +When the meeting broke up an hour later, Broadwood walked home with +Kenwyne. It was a small and unpretentious house that perched on the +hillside beyond the lake, but the room the men entered was comfortably +furnished. A few photographs of officers in uniform, the football team +of a famous public school, and the crew of an Oxford racing boat, hung +on the pine-board walls. + +"We must have a talk," said Kenwyne. "I feel that these fellows' +settling here is important; it's bound to make a difference. I know the +type; one can't ignore them. They'll have to be reckoned with, as +friends or enemies." + +"In spite of the Colonel's opinion, I believe their influence will be +for good. What Allenwood needs most is waking up." Broadwood laughed. +"It's curious that we should agree on this. Of course, my marriage is +supposed to account for my perversion; but one can understand Mowbray's +painful surprise at you. Your views ought to be sound." + +"What is a sound view?" + +"At Allenwood, it's a view that agrees with Mowbray's." + +"Let's be serious," Kenwyne replied. "There's something to be said for +his contention, after all. We have got along pretty well so far." + +"Yes; but the settlement has never been self-supporting. Mowbray got the +land for nothing and sold it in parcels, as he was entitled to do, +spending part of the price on improvements from which we all benefit. +Then a number of the boys got drafts from home when they lost a crop. +We have been living on capital instead of on revenue; but the time is +coming when this must stop. Our people at home can't keep on financing +us, and the land is nearly all taken up." + +"Well, what follows?" + +"Allenwood will shortly have to earn its living," Broadwood answered, +laughing. "This will be a shock to some of our friends, but even with +wheat going down the thing shouldn't prove insuperably difficult." + +"We may have wheat at less than a dollar. Look at the quantity of good +land that's available, and the character of the men who're coming in. +They'll live on revenue, in dug-outs and fifty-dollar shacks, and all +they don't spend on food will go into new teams and implements. They +don't expect an easy time, and won't get it, but we'll have to meet +their competition. Personally, I don't think that's impossible. I +believe we're their equals in brain and muscle." + +"We used to think we were superior," Broadwood smiled. "Our conservative +sentiments will be our greatest difficulty." + +"I'm afraid we'll have to get rid of them." + +"Mowbray will never throw his traditions overboard." + +"No. I see trouble ahead," said Kenwyne. + +"It's an awkward situation, I'll admit. Instead of Mowbray's leading us, +we'll have to carry him along, so to speak, without his knowing it. As +he's not a fool, the thing may need more tact than we're capable of. For +all that, he must remain leader." + +"Of course," said Kenwyne simply. "He made Allenwood. We must stick to +him." + +Long after Broadwood had gone, Kenwyne stood at the door of his house, +looking out over the lake. There was no wind, and the prairie was very +silent. Stretching back in the moonlight to the horizon, its loneliness +was impressive; but Kenwyne was not deceived. He knew that the tide of +population and progress had already passed its boundaries and was +flowing fast up every channel, following the railroad, the rivers, and +the fur-traders' trails. It would wash away the old landmarks and +undermine every barrier that Mowbray could raise. Kenwyne wondered what +would happen when Allenwood was surrounded by the flood. After all, it +depended upon the settlers whether the inundation proved destructive or +fertilizing. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +AT THE FORD + + +A few days after the council, Beatrice, Colonel Mowbray's only daughter, +sat talking with her mother in the drawing-room at the Grange. Beatrice +had returned on the previous evening from a visit to England, and it +struck her, perhaps by contrast with the homes of her mother's friends, +that the room had a dingy, cheerless look. The few pieces of good +furniture which Mowbray had brought with him had suffered during +transport and showed signs of age; the others, sent out from Toronto, +were crudely new. Rugs and curtains were faded, and there were places +that had been carefully mended. The matchboarded walls looked very bare. +More than all, it struck the girl that her mother seemed listless and +worn. + +Mrs. Mowbray was a gentle, reserved woman. She was still beautiful, but +the years she had spent upon the prairie had left their mark on her. She +had lost her former vivacity and something of her independence of +thought; and, except to those who knew her well, her character seemed +colorless. Mowbray was considerate of his wife, but there was no room +under his roof for two directing wills or more than one set of opinions. +For all that, Mrs. Mowbray wore an air of quiet dignity. + +Beatrice had a trace of her father's imperious temper. She looked very +fresh, for a life spent largely out of doors had given her a vigorous, +graceful carriage as well as a fine, warm color, and had set a sparkle +in her deep-blue eyes. There was a hint of determination about her +mouth, and her glance was often proud. She was just twenty-two, and the +fashionable English dress set off her gracefully outlined and rather +slender figure. + +As she looked at her mother her face grew thoughtful. + +"You are not looking well, Mother dear," she said. + +"I am not ill," Mrs. Mowbray answered in a tired voice. "It has been a +very hot and trying summer, and the crop was poor. That had its effect +upon your father. Then you have heard that Gerald----" + +There was a quick, indignant flash in Beatrice's eyes. + +"Yes, I know! Of course, I stand up for him to outsiders, but I'm +getting ashamed of Gerald. His debts must have been a heavy tax on +Father. I think that too much has been done for the boys. I have nothing +to complain of; but we're not rich, and I'm afraid you have had to +suffer." + +"My dear, you mustn't question your father's judgment." + +Beatrice smiled. + +"I suppose not, and my criticism would certainly be wasted; still, you +can't expect me to have your patience." + +She went to one of the long windows in the drawing-room and threw it +open wide. + +"How I love the prairie!" she exclaimed, looking out over the vast plain +that stretched away to a sky all rose and purple and gold. + +A tired smile crept into her mother's face. + +"It has its charm," she said; "but, after all, you have been away at +school, and have not seen much of it. One has to do without so much +here, and when you have gone through an unvarying round of duties day +after day for years, seeing only the same few people and hearing the +same opinions, you find it dreary. One longs to meet clever strangers +and feel the stir and bustle of life now and then; but instead there +comes another care or a fresh responsibility. You don't realize yet what +a bad harvest or a fall in the wheat market means; for, while the men +have their troubles, in a settlement like Allenwood, the heaviest burden +falls upon the women." + +"You must have had to give up a good deal to come here," Beatrice said. + +"I loved your father, and I knew that he could not be happy in England," +was the simple answer. + +Beatrice was silent for a few moments. It was the first time she had +understood the sacrifice her mother had made, and she was moved to +sympathy. Then, in the flighty manner of youth, she changed the subject. + +"Oh, I must tell you about dear Mr. Morel!" Catching an alert look in +her mother's eyes, Beatrice laughed. Then, with a quick, impulsive +movement, she crossed the floor, took her mother's face between both her +hands, and kissed it. "No," she answered the question that had not been +spoken; "Mr. Morel is a lovely old man who lives all alone, with just +his servants, at Ash Garth, in a fine old house full of art treasures +that seem to have been collected from all over the world. And there's a +rose garden between the lawn and the river, and a big woods all round. +Mr. Morel is charming, and he was particularly kind to me, because he +and Uncle Gordon are such great friends." + +"Did you see much of him?" + +"Oh, yes; and I like him. But, Mother," Beatrice lowered her voice +dramatically, "there's a mystery in his life. I'm sure of it! I asked +Uncle Gordon; but if he knew he wouldn't tell. Then I tried to question +Mr. Morel----" + +"Why, Beatrice!" + +The girl laughed at her mother's shocked tone. + +"Don't worry, Mother dear. He didn't know I was questioning him. And I +do love a mystery! All I learned was that it has something to do with +Canada. Whenever I talked about the prairie he looked so sad, and once I +even thought I saw tears in his eyes." + +Beatrice's brows came together in a perplexed frown; then she laughed +gently. + +"Mysteries have a fascination for me," she said; "I like to puzzle them +out. But I must leave you now; for I promised to go see Evelyn this +afternoon. I may not get home until late." + +Half an hour later Beatrice was in the saddle riding across the bare +sweep of prairie to one of the distant homesteads. When she reached the +river, the stream was turbid and running fast, but a narrow trail +through the poplars on its bank led to the ford, and she urged her horse +into it fearlessly. On the other side the trail was very faint, and a +stake upon a rise indicated where the crossing was safe. A large grass +fire was burning some miles away, for a tawny cloud of smoke trailed +across the plain. + +Beatrice spent a pleasant hour with her friend and started home alone as +dusk was falling. The sky was clear, and the moon hung some distance +above the horizon. A cold breeze had sprung up, and the grass fire had +grown fiercer. Beatrice could see it stretching toward the river in a +long red line; and after a while she rode into the smoke. It grew +thicker and more acrid; she could not see her way; and her horse was +getting frightened. When an orange glare leaped up not far away, the +animal broke into a gallop, pulling hard, and after some trouble in +stopping it Beatrice changed her direction. She was not afraid of +prairie fires, which, as a rule, can be avoided easily, but this one +would necessitate her making a round. + +She found it difficult to get out of the smoke, and when she reached the +river it was at some distance above the stake. She could not ride back, +because the fire was moving up from that direction, cutting her off. She +glanced dubiously at the water. It ran fast between steep, +timber-covered banks. She did not think she could get down to it, and +she knew there was only one safe ford. Still, she could not spend the +night upon the wrong bank, and the fire was drawing closer all the time. +Worse still, her horse was becoming unmanageable. She rode upstream for +a mile; but the river looked deep, and the eddies swirled in a +forbidding way; the bank was abrupt and rotten, and Beatrice dared not +attempt it. In front, the moon, which was getting higher, threw a clear +light upon the water; behind, the smoke rolled up thickly to meet her. +The fire was closing in upon the stream. With his nostrils filled with +the sting of the smoke, the horse reared and threatened to dash over the +crumbling bank. Beatrice, realizing her danger, turned him back +downstream and gave him the rein. + +She did not hope to reach the ford--there was a wall of impenetrable +fire and smoke between her and the stake; she could not attempt the +river where the bank was so steep and the current so swift. + +With her own eyes smarting, and her breathing difficult, Beatrice +suddenly leaned forward and patted the trembling horse. He had not been +able to run far with his lungs full of smoke, and he had now stopped in +a moment of indecision. + +"Good boy!" she coaxed, in a voice that was not quite steady. "Go a +little farther, and then we'll try the river." + +"_Hello!_" came out of the darkness; and through the acrid haze she saw +a man running toward her. + +She hailed him eagerly; but when he reached her she was somewhat +disconcerted to notice that he was not, as she had expected, one of the +Allenwood settlers. + +She saw that he was waiting for her to speak. + +"I want to get across, and the fire has driven me from the ford," she +said. + +"Where are you going?" + +"To the Grange." + +"By your leave!" + +He took the bridle and moved along the bank, though he had some trouble +with the frightened horse. When they had gone a few yards he turned +toward an awkward slope. + +"Is this crossing safe?" Beatrice asked in alarm. + +"It's not good," he answered quietly. "I can take you through." + +Beatrice did not know what gave her confidence, because the ford looked +dangerous, but she let him lead the stumbling horse down to the water. +The next moment the man was wading knee-deep, and the stream frothed +about the horse's legs. The current was swift and the smoke was thick +and biting, but the man went steadily on, and they were some distance +from the bank when he turned to her. + +"Pick up your skirt," he said bluntly; "it gets steeper." + +Beatrice laughed in spite of her danger. The man certainly did not waste +words. + +When they were nearly across, the moon was suddenly hidden behind a dark +cloud, and at that moment the horse lost its footing and made a frantic +plunge. Beatrice gasped. But her fright was needless, for her companion +had firm control of the animal, and in another few moments they were +struggling up the bank. + +As they left the timber and came out of the smoke, into the broad +moonlight, she told him to stop, for the saddle had slipped in climbing +the bank. Then, for the first time, they saw each other clearly. + +He was a big man, with a quiet brown face, and Beatrice noticed his +start of swift, half-conscious admiration as he looked up at her. It +caused her no embarrassment, because she had seen that look on the faces +of other men, and knew that she was pretty; but she failed to estimate +the effect of her beauty on a man unaccustomed to her type. Sitting with +easy grace upon the splendid horse, she had a curiously patrician air. +He noticed her fine calm, the steadiness of her deep-blue eyes, and the +delicate chiseling of her features; indeed, he never forgot the picture +she made, with the poplars for a background and the moonlight on her +face. + +"Thank you; I'm afraid you got very wet," she said. "I know my way now." + +"You can't ride on," he answered. "The cinch buckle's drawn." + +"Oh!" + +"You'd better come on to my place. My sister will look after you while I +fix it." He smiled as he added: "Miss Mowbray, I presume? You may have +heard of me--Craig Harding, from the section just outside your line." + +"Oh!" Beatrice repeated. "I didn't know we had neighbors; I have been +away. Have you met any of the Allenwood people?" + +"A sallow-faced man with dark eyes." + +"Kenwyne," said Beatrice. "He's worth knowing. Anybody else?" + +"There was a lad with him; about eighteen, riding a gray horse." + +"Yes; my brother Lance." + +Harding laughed softly. + +"That's all," he said; "and our acquaintance didn't go very far." + +Beatrice wondered at his amusement, and she gave him a curious glance. +He was dressed in old brown overalls, and she thought he had something +of the look of the struggling farmers she had seen in Manitoba, +hard-bitten men who had come from the bush of Ontario, but there was a +difference, though she could not tell exactly where it lay. Harding's +clothes were old and plain, and she could see that he worked with his +hands, yet there was something about him which suggested a broader mind +and more culture than she associated with the rude preemptors. Then, +though he was curt, his intonation was unusually clean. + +She asked him a few questions about his farm, which he answered +pleasantly. They were walking side by side along one of the prairie +trails, and he was leading the horse. The breeze had fallen and the +night was unusually still, broken only by a coyote calling insistently +to his mate; the wide, bare prairie ahead of them lay bathed in +moonlight. + +Presently a light twinkled across the plain; and Beatrice welcomed it, +because, in spite of the precautions she had taken, her long skirt was +wet and uncomfortable. + +When they reached the camp they found Hester busy cooking at a fire. +Behind her stood a rude board shelter and a tent, and farther off the +skeleton of a house rose from the grass. + +Beatrice studied Hester Harding with interest. Though she found her +simply dressed, with sleeves rolled back and hands smeared with flour, +the prairie girl made a favorable impression on her. She liked the +sensitive, grave face, and the candid, thoughtful look. + +While the girth was being mended, the girls talked beside the fire. Then +Harding saddled his own horse, and he and Beatrice rode off across the +prairie. When the lights of the Grange were visible he turned back; and +soon afterward Beatrice was laughingly relating her adventure to her +mother and Lance. + +"So it was Harding who helped you!" Lance exclaimed. "I made a rather +bad blunder in talking to him the other day--told him he mustn't cut +some timber which it seems was his. But, I must say, he was rather +decent about it." + +He looked at his sister curiously, and then laughed. + +"On the whole," he added, as she started up the stairs, "it might be +better not to say anything about your little experience to the Colonel. +I'm inclined to think it might not please him." + +Beatrice saw that her mother agreed with Lance, and she was somewhat +curious; but she went on up to her room without asking any questions. + +She began to feel interested in Harding. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE OPENING OF THE RIFT + + +A week after his meeting with Beatrice Mowbray, Harding went out one +morning to plow. He was in a thoughtful mood, but it was characteristic +that he did not allow his reflections to interfere with his work. His +house was unfinished, and the nights were getting cold; but neither +Hester nor he placed personal comfort first, and there was a strip of +land that must be broken before the frost set in. + +It was a calm morning and bright sunshine poured down upon the grass +that ran back, growing faintly blue in the distance, until it faded into +the mellow haze that shut in the wide circle of prairie. Here and there +the smooth expanse was broken by small, gleaming ponds and wavy lines of +timber picked out in delicate shades of indigo and gray, but the +foreground was steeped in strong color. Where the light struck it, the +withered grass shone like silver; elsewhere it was streaked with yellow +and cinnamon. The long furrows traced across it were a rich +chocolate-brown, and the turned-back clods had patches of oily +brightness on their faces. The leaves in a neighboring bluff formed +spots of cadmium; and even the big breaker plow, painted crude green and +vermilion, did not seem out of place. It was a new implement, the best +that Harding could buy, and two brawny red oxen hauled it along. Oxen +are economical to feed and have some advantages in the first stages of +breaking land, but Harding meant to change them for Clydesdale horses +and experiment with mechanical traction. He used the old methods where +they paid, but he believed in progress. + +As he guided the slowly moving beasts and watched the clods roll back, +his brown face was grave; for he had been troubled during the past seven +days. When he looked up at Beatrice Mowbray on the river bank something +strange and disturbing had happened to him. He was not given to +indulgence in romantic sentiment and, absorbed as he had been, first by +the necessity of providing for his sister and himself, and afterward by +practical ambitions, he had seldom spared a thought to women. Marriage +did not attract him. He felt no longing for close companionship or +domestic comfort; indeed, he rather liked a certain amount of hardship. +True, his heart had once or twice been mildly stirred by girls he had +met. They were pretty and likable--otherwise he would not have been +attracted, for his taste was good. + +In some respects, Harding was primitive; but this, perhaps, tended to +give him a clearer understanding of essential things, and he had a vague +belief that he would some day meet the woman who was destined to be his +true mate. What was more, he would recognize her when he saw her. + +And when he had looked up at Beatrice in the moonlight, standing out, +clear cut, against the somber background of poplars, the knowledge that +she was the one woman had rushed over him, surging through him as strong +as the swift-running river through which he had brought her. But, now +that the thing had happened, he must grapple with a difficult situation. +He knew his own value, and believed that he had abilities which would +carry him far toward material success; but he also knew his limitations +and the strength of the prejudices that would be arrayed against him. +That he should hope to win this girl of patrician stock was, in a sense, +ludicrous. Yet he had read courage in her, and steadfastness; if she +loved him, she would not count too great any sacrifice she made for his +sake. But this was only one side of the matter. Brought up as she had +been, she might not stand the strain of such a life as his must be for a +time. A deep tenderness awoke within him; he felt that she must be +sheltered from all trouble and gently cared for. + +Harding suddenly broke into a grim laugh. He was going much too +fast--there was no reason to believe that the girl had given him a +passing thought. + +With a call to the oxen he went on with his plowing, and the work +brought him encouragement. It was directly productive: next fall the +prairie he ripped apart would be covered with ripening grain. He had +found that no well-guided effort was lost: it bore fruit always--in his +case, at the rate of twenty bushels of wheat, or fifty bushels of oats, +to the acre. When the seed was wisely sown the harvest followed; and +Harding had steadily enlarged his crop. Now he had made his boldest +venture; and he looked forward to the time when his labor should change +the empty plain into a fertile field. + +A jolt of the plow disturbed him, and as he looked up the oxen stopped. +The share had struck hard ground. On one side, a sinuous line of trail, +rutted by wheels and beaten firm by hoofs, seamed the prairie; on the +other, the furrows ran across and blotted it out. It was a road the +Allenwood settlers used, and Harding knew well what he was doing when he +plowed into it. Still, the land was his and must produce its proper +yield of grain, while to clear the trail with his implements would +entail much useless labor. He had no wish to be aggressive, but if these +people took his action as a challenge, the fault would be theirs. It was +with a quiet, determined smile that he called to the oxen and held down +the share. + +At noon he turned the animals loose, and going back to camp, felt his +heart throb as he saw Beatrice Mowbray talking to Hester. A team stood +near by, and the boy he had met in the bluff was stooping down beside a +light four-wheeled vehicle. Beatrice gave Harding a smile of recognition +and went on talking, but her brother came up to him. + +"The pole came loose," he explained; "and I thought you might lend me +something to fasten it with." + +"Certainly," Harding said, stooping to examine the damaged pole. "It +won't fasten," he added. "It's broken between the iron straps, and +there's not wood enough to bolt them on again." + +Lance frowned. + +"That's a nuisance!" + +"I will give you a pole," Harding said. "There is some lumber here that +will do." + +He picked up a small birch log as he spoke, and, throwing it upon two +trestles, set to work with an ax. When he had it about the right size, +Lance interrupted him. + +"That's good enough. I'll get it smoothed off when the carpenter comes +out from the settlement." + +"That is not my plan," Harding smiled. "I like to finish a job." + +He adjusted a plane, and Beatrice watched him as he ran it along the +pole. It had not struck her hitherto that one could admire the simple +mechanical crafts, but she thought there was something fine in the +prairie farmer's command of the tool. She noticed his easy poise as he +swung to and fro, the rhythmic precision of his movements, and the +accurate judgment he showed. As the thin shavings streamed across his +wrist the rough log began to change its form, growing through gently +tapered lines into symmetry. Though he had only his eye to guide him, +Beatrice saw that he was skilfully striking the balance between strength +and lightness, and it was a surprise to find elements of beauty in such +a common object as a wagon-pole. She felt that Harding had taught her +something when he turned to Lance, saying: + +"There! I guess we can put that in." + +The irons were soon refitted, and while Lance harnessed the team, +Beatrice came to Harding with a smile. + +"Thank you!" she said. "It's curious that you should help me out of a +difficulty twice within a week." + +Harding flushed. + +"If you should happen to meet with another, I hope I'll be near," he +returned. + +"You like helping people?" + +He pondered this longer than she thought it deserved. + +"I believe I like straightening things out. It jars me to see any one in +trouble when there's a way of getting over it; and I hate to see effort +wasted and tools unfit for work." + +"Efficiency is your ideal, then?" + +"Yes. I don't know that it ever struck me before, but you have hit it. +All the same, efficiency is hard to attain." + +Beatrice looked at him curiously. + +"I don't believe you are really a carpenter," she said. + +"Unless you have plenty of money when you start breaking prairie, you +have to be a number of things," he answered, smiling. "Difficulties keep +cropping up, and they must be attacked." + +"Without previous knowledge or technical training?" + +He gave her a quick, appreciative glance. + +"You have a knack of getting at the heart of things!" he said in his +blunt way. "It's not common." + +Beatrice laughed, but she felt mildly flattered. She liked men to treat +her seriously; and so few of them did. Somehow she felt that Harding was +an unusual man: his toil-roughened hands and his blunt manner of speech +were at variance with the indefinite air of culture and good-breeding +that hovered round him. There was strength, shown plainly; and she felt +that he had ability--when confronted with a difficult problem he would +find the best solution. It was interesting to lead him on; but she was +to find him ready to go much farther than she desired. + +"I hope making the new pole for us wasn't too much trouble," she said +lightly. + +"It gives me keen pleasure to be of any use to you," he said. + +The color swept into Beatrice's face, for he was looking at her with an +intent expression that made it impossible to take his remark lightly. +She was angry with herself for feeling confused while he looked so cool. + +"That sounds rather cheap," she replied with a touch of scorn. + +"My excuse is that it's exactly what I felt." + +Composure in difficult circumstances was one of the characteristics of +her family, yet Beatrice felt at a loss. Harding, she thought, was not +the man to yield to a passing impulse or transgress from unmeaning +effrontery; but this made the shock worse. + +Lance saved the situation by announcing that the team was ready. + +As the buggy jolted away across the plain, Beatrice sat silent. She felt +indignant, humiliated, in a sense; but thrilled in spite of this. The +man's tone had been earnest and his gaze steadfast. He meant what he +said. But he had taken an unwarrantable liberty. Nobody knew anything +about him except that he was a working farmer. Her cheeks burned as she +realized that she had, perhaps, been to blame in treating him too +familiarly. Then her anger began to pass. After all, it was easy to +forgive sincere admiration, and he was certainly a fine type--strong and +handsome, clever with his hands, and, she thought, endowed with unusual +mental power. There was something flattering in the thought that he had +appreciated her. For all that, he must be given no opportunity for +repeating the offense; he must be shown that there was a wide gulf +between them. + +Lance broke in upon her thoughts. + +"I like that fellow," he said. "It's a pity he isn't more of our kind." + +Beatrice pondered. Harding was not of their kind; but she did not feel +sure that the difference was wholly in favor of the Allenwood settlers. +This struck her as strange; as it was contrary to the opinions she had +hitherto held. + +"Why?" she asked carelessly. + +"We might have seen something of him then." + +"Can't you do so now, if you wish?" + +"I'm not sure. It might not please the Colonel--you know his opinions." + +Beatrice smiled, for she had often heard them dogmatically expressed. + +"After all, what is there he could object to about Harding?" she asked. + +"Not much in one sense; a good deal in another. You can't deny that the +way one is brought up makes a difference. Perhaps the worst is that he's +frankly out for money--farming for dollars." + +"Aren't we?" + +"Not now. We're farming for pleasure. But Kenwyne and one or two others +think there'll have to be a change in that respect before long." + +"Then we'll be in the same position as Harding, won't we?" + +"I suppose so," Lance admitted. "But the Colonel won't see it; and I +can't say that he's wrong." + +"It seems rather complicated," Beatrice said dryly. + +She was surprised to find herself ready to contend for Harding, and +rather than inquire into the cause of this, she talked about Allenwood +affairs until they reached home. + +Harding, back at his plowing, was thinking of Beatrice. He knew that he +had spoken rashly, but he did not regret it. She now knew what he +thought of her, and could decide what course to take. He smiled as he +imagined her determining that he must be dropped, for he believed the +mood would soon pass. He did not mean to persecute the girl with +unwelcome attentions, but it would not be easy to shake him off. He was +tenacious and knew how to wait. Then, the difference between them was, +after all, less wide than she probably imagined. Harding had kept +strictly to his compact not to try to learn anything of his father's +people in England; but, for all that, he believed himself to be the +girl's equal by birth. That, however, was a point that could not be +urged; and he had no wish to urge it. He was content to stand or fall by +his own merits as a man; and if Beatrice was the girl he thought her, +she would not let his being a working farmer stand in the way. This, of +course, was taking it for granted that he could win her love. He was +ready to fight against her relatives' opposition; but, even if he had +the power, he would put no pressure on the girl. If he was the man she +ought to marry, she would know. + +A breeze got up, rounded clouds with silver edges gathered in the west, +streaking the prairie with patches of indigo shadow, and the air grew +cooler as the sun sank. The big oxen steadily plodded on, the dry grass +crackled beneath the share as the clods rolled back, and by degrees +Harding's mind grew tranquil--as generally happened when he was at work. +He was doing something worth while in breaking virgin ground, in +clearing a way for the advancing host that would people the wilderness, +in roughing out a career for himself. Whatever his father's people +were, his mother sprang from a stern, colonizing stock, and he heard and +thrilled to the call for pioneers. + +As the sun sank low, a man pulled up his horse at the end of the trail +and beckoned Harding. There was something imperious in his attitude, as +he sat with his hand on his hip, watching the farmer haughtily; and +Harding easily guessed that it was Colonel Mowbray. He went on with his +furrow, and only after he had driven the plow across the grass road did +he stop. + +"Are you Mr. Harding, the owner of this section?" demanded the head of +Allenwood. + +"Yes." + +"Then I must express my surprise that you have broken up our trail." + +"It was necessary. I dislike blocking a trail, but you can go round by +the road." + +"You can see that it's soft and boggy in wet weather." + +"Five minutes' extra ride will take you over gravel soil inside the +Allenwood range." + +"Do you expect us to waste five minutes whenever we come this way?" + +"My time is valuable, and if I let your trail stand it would cost me a +good deal of extra labor. I must have a straight unbroken run for my +machines." + +"So, sooner than throw an implement out of gear while you cross the +trail, you take this course! Do you consider it neighborly?" + +Harding smiled. He remembered that in Manitoba any help the nearest +farmer could supply had been willingly given. At Allenwood, he had been +left alone. That did not trouble him; but he thought of Hester, +enduring many discomforts in her rude, board shack while women +surrounded by luxury lived so near. + +"I can't see any reason why I should be neighborly," he replied. + +Mowbray glanced at him with a hint of embarrassment. + +"Have you any complaint against us?" + +"None," said Harding coolly. "I only mentioned the matter because you +did so." + +He imagined that Mowbray was surprised by his reserve. + +"You may be able to understand," the Colonel said, "that it's rash for +an intruding stranger to set himself against local customs, not to speak +of the discourtesy of the thing. When a new trail is made at Allenwood, +every holder is glad to give all the land that's needed." + +"Land doesn't seem to be worth as much to you as it is to me, judging +from the way you work it. Every rod of mine must grow something. I don't +play at farming." + +Mowbray grew red in the face, but kept himself in hand. + +"Do you wish to criticize our methods?" he demanded. + +"I've nothing to do with your methods. It's my business to farm this +section as well as it can be done. I've no wish to annoy your people; +but you do not use the trail for hauling on, and I can't change my plans +because they may interfere with your amusements." + +"Very well," Mowbray answered coldly. "There is nothing more to be +said." + +He rode away and Harding started his oxen. It might have been more +prudent to make a few concessions and conciliate the Colonel, but +Harding could not bring himself to do so. It seemed a shabby course. It +was better that the Allenwood settlers should know at the beginning how +matters stood and of what type their new neighbor was. + +From all that Harding had learned of Colonel Mowbray, he felt that this +stretch of grassland would not be turned into a glowing sea of wheat +without more than one conflict between himself and the head of +Allenwood. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE SPENDTHRIFT + + +Kenwyne felt pleasantly languid as he lounged in a basket-chair after +his evening meal. He had been back-setting land since daybreak. Holding +the plow was an occupation almost unknown to the Allenwood settlers, who +left all the rougher work to their hired men. Kenwyne, however, was of a +practical turn of mind; and, having invested all his money in his farm, +he meant to get some return. He occasionally enjoyed a run with the +coyote hounds, or a day's shooting when the migrating geese and ducks +rested among the sloos; but for the most part he stuck steadily to his +work and, as he bought the latest implements, he was considered richer +than he really was. Though thirty, he was unmarried; an elderly Scottish +housekeeper looked after him. + +One of the obstacles to Allenwood's progress was that the bachelors +outnumbered the married men; and the difficulty seemed insuperable. The +settlers belonged to an exclusive caste, and few young Englishwomen of +education and refinement had shown themselves willing to face the +hardships of the prairie life; though these were softened at Allenwood +by many of the amenities of civilization. Moreover, it was known to the +rasher youths, who occasionally felt tempted by the good looks of the +daughters of the soil, that Colonel Mowbray sternly discountenanced +anything of the nature of a _mésalliance_, and that the married women +would deal even more strictly with the offenders. Broadwood, for +example, had broken the settlement's traditions, and he and his Canadian +wife had suffered. + +While Kenwyne was reading an old newspaper, Gerald Mowbray sauntered in. +He had a careless, genial manner that made him a favorite, but there was +a hint of weakness in his face, and Kenwyne had never trusted him. It +was known that he had been wild and extravagant; but at Allenwood that +was not generally regarded as a grave drawback. They were charitable +there; several of the younger men, who now made good settlers, had left +England at their relatives' urgent request, after gaining undesirable +notoriety. + +Gerald selected a comfortable chair and passed his cigar-case to +Kenwyne. + +"They're good," he said. "I had them sent from Montreal." + +"No, thanks," replied Kenwyne. "I've given up such extravagances, and +stick to the labeled plug. I don't want to be officious, but it might be +better if you did the same." + +Gerald smiled. + +"You're rather a sordid beggar, Ralph; but as that's often a sign of +prosperity, it makes me hopeful. I want you to lend me two hundred +pounds." + +"Impossible!" said Kenwyne firmly. + +"One hundred and fifty, then?" + +"Equally out of the question. All I have is sunk in stock, and earmarked +for next year's operations." Kenwyne paused and considered. He knew the +chances were slight that the money would ever be returned; yet he +respected Colonel Mowbray, and his loyalty extended to the family of the +head of Allenwood. "Why do you want the money?" he asked. + +"I suppose I'll have to tell you. It goes back to India--what you might +call a 'debt of honor.' I borrowed the money in London to square it; and +thought when I came to Canada I'd be too far away for the London fellow +to put undue pressure on me. Oh, I meant to pay sometime, when I was +ready; but the fellow transferred the debt to a man at Winnipeg, who has +sent me a curt demand with an extortionate bill of expenses. Now I have +to pay." + +"I suppose you have been round the settlement?" + +"Yes; but I haven't collected much. In fact, I'm afraid I'll have to +pledge my farm." + +"You can't do that. Our foundation covenant forbids a settler to +alienate his land without the consent of a majority in the council, +subject to the president's veto. Your father would certainly use his +veto." + +"Very true," Gerald agreed. "However, I don't propose to alienate my +land--only to pawn it for a time." + +"It's against the spirit of the deed." + +"I've nothing to do with its spirit. The covenant should say what it +means, and it merely states that a settler shall not sell to any person +who's not a member of the colony. I'm not going to sell." + +"You're going to do a dangerous thing," Kenwyne warned him. + +"Then the remedy is for you to let me have a thousand dollars," Gerald +said quickly. + +"It is impossible; but I will try to raise five hundred. I suppose the +Colonel does not know you have come to me?" + +"I rely upon your not letting him know." Gerald smiled in that +ingratiating way that won him many friends. "I'm deeply grateful, and +you're a good sort, Ralph, though in some ways you differ from the rest +of us. I don't know where you got your tradesman's spirit." + +"It won't be so singular before long," Kenwyne answered with dry +amusement. "Even now, Broadwood and one or two others----" + +"Broadwood doesn't count. He married a girl of the soil." + +"He loves her, and she makes him a good wife." + +"Yes, but it was a mistake. You know our traditions." + +Kenwyne laughed, and nodded toward the open window, through which they +heard the sound of cheerful whistling approaching them along the trail. + +"I suspect that's Broadwood now," he said. + +"Well, I must be going. I will call for the check to-morrow." + +Gerald left as Broadwood entered. + +"I can guess what he wanted. He was at my place," Broadwood said, as he +took the seat Gerald had vacated. + +"Ah! I'll wager he didn't go away empty-handed," Kenwyne smiled. + +"Perhaps I'm betraying a confidence in admitting it. Anyway, I felt that +one ought to help him for the family's sake, lest he get into worse +trouble; and I could afford the loan. Since I married I've been making +some money. But I want to ask you about this Harding. What kind of +fellow is he?" + +"I like what I've seen of him. Why?" + +"Effie has been talking about his sister. Seemed to think it was unkind +to leave the girl alone--in want, perhaps, of odds and ends a woman +could supply. I think she has made up her mind to go see her." + +"I'm not sure that would meet with general approval. What did you say?" + +"I seldom give my opinion on these matters," Broadwood answered with a +laugh. "On the whole, I think Effie's right; and I suspect that knowing +the thing won't please the others gives it a charm. After all, she +hasn't much reason for respecting their prejudices. At first, they +nearly drove us out of Allenwood." + +"I'm glad you didn't go. Your wife is steadily gaining ground, and the +others will be glad to copy her after a while." + +"That's my idea; we'll have to work our land. Have you ever thought what +the Colonel could do with his big block, if he had the capital?" + +"_And_ the wish!" said Kenwyne. "The obstacle is his point of view. +Besides, all of it isn't really his: Mrs. Mowbray, Beatrice, and the +boys have a share. Of course, his taking the lots as one gives him a +solid vote in the council, and with the veto he has on certain points +makes him an absolute ruler." + +"So long as his family support him!" + +"Can you imagine their doing the contrary?" + +"I've thought the Colonel's position was least secure from an attack +within," Broadwood answered thoughtfully. "It doesn't follow that a +man's family is bound to agree with him. Gerald's a dark horse, and one +can't predict what he'll do, except that it will be what suits himself. +Lance is young and headstrong; and Beatrice has a mind of her own.... +But I really came to ask your opinion about this sketch of a new stable. +I must buy another team." + +They discussed the plan for the new building until it grew late and +Broadwood went home. + +The following day Gerald Mowbray left Allenwood for Winnipeg. It was a +dismal, wet evening when he arrived; and Winnipeg was not an attractive +city at that time. There were a few fine stores and offices on Main +Street; Portage Avenue was laid out, and handsome buildings were rising +here and there; but, for the most part, the frame houses had a +dilapidated, squalid look. Rows of pedlers' shacks stretched back from +the wooden station, the streets were unpaved, and the churned-up prairie +soil lay in sticky clods upon the rude plank sidewalks. Dripping teams +floundered heavily through the mire. Although the city was beginning to +feel the stir of commercial activity, the dark corners were devoted to +questionable amusements. + +Gerald had supper at his hotel, and afterward found the time hang upon +his hands. The general lounge was badly lighted, and its uncovered floor +was smeared with gumbo mud from the boots of the wet men who slouched in +to the bar. The door kept swinging open, letting in cold draughts; and +Gerald could find nobody to talk to. He had not enough money to pay off +his debt, but thought he had sufficient to enable him to make some +compromise with his creditor, and so had determined to see what could be +done. It was, however, impossible to spend the dismal evening at the +hotel, and he knew where excitement might be found at a moderate +cost--that is, if one were cautious and lucky. + +Going out, he made his way toward a side street running down to the +river, and noticed the keen glance an armed Northwest policeman gave him +as he turned the corner. Gerald thought it a desirable spot to station +the constable. + +A ramshackle frame house down the street was glaringly illuminated, and +Gerald, entering, found a number of men and one or two women in two +gaudily furnished rooms. There was another room at the back where +refreshments were dispensed without a license. For the most part, the +men were young, brown-faced fellows who had spent the summer on the +lonely plains; but a few had a hard and sinister look. The girls were +pretty and stylishly dressed, but they had a predatory air. + +In one corner of the room an exciting poker game seemed to be in +progress. At the other end a roulette table was surrounded by a crowd of +eager players. Gerald was fond of games of chance, and he saw ahead of +him a pleasant evening. Leaning against the bar, he was merely an +onlooker for a while. The glare of light and the air of excitement, the +eager faces of the players and the click of the balls fascinated him. + +He had not been drinking heavily; yet to his annoyance he felt a trifle +unsteady when at last he strolled over to the roulette table. His first +mistake was to take a five-dollar bill from the wallet which contained +the money to pay his debt. More than one pair of greedy eyes saw the +thick wad of paper currency; and from that moment Gerald was a marked +man in the room. + + * * * * * + +In the gray hour preceding daybreak, when, sick and dizzy, Gerald +stumbled back to his hotel, he found that he had only ten dollars +remaining of the amount that had been entrusted to him to settle his +debt. Ten dollars would not pay his hotel bill, even. + +He woke about noon, his head aching severely. He could form no definite +idea as to what was best to be done. One thing, however, was certain: No +one at Allenwood must know how he had spent the preceding evening. His +relatives had no reason for believing his conduct irreproachable, but so +long as he did not thrust his failings upon their notice they ignored +them. Then, the revelation of how he had lost the money given him would +no doubt lead to his banishment from Allenwood; and except for a small +allowance from his mother's English property, he had no resources. The +survey he had been engaged upon was abandoned for a time, and he could +find no other employment. He must hold on at Allenwood, trusting that +something would turn up, and augmenting his income by the small sums he +might win from the younger men at cards. First of all, however, he must +call upon his creditor; it was a disagreeable task, but one that could +not be shirked. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE MORTGAGE BROKER + + +Davies sat at his desk sorting a bundle of papers. His office, a large +room in a smart, new building, was elaborately furnished; but the +furnishings spelled expense rather than taste. The walls were hung with +maps of the Canadian territories, plans of new town sites, and +photographs of buildings. Davies was one of a class that was, for a +time, to exercise a far-reaching influence on the Western prairie. His +business was to sell the new settlers land--which was seldom paid for on +the spot; the agent being willing to take what he could get and leave +the balance on mortgage. He also lent money to farmers who had suffered +from bad seasons, or who rashly determined to extend their operations +with borrowed capital. + +Interest was then very high, and the scratch-farming generally practised +was not productive. Crops on the half-worked soil suffered from drought +and blight, and often ripened too late to escape the autumn frost; yet, +in spite of these disadvantages, the influx of new settlers forced up +the price of land. As a rule, the unfortunate farmer soon became +indebted to local storekeepers as well as to the man from whom he had +bought his holding. When he harvested a good crop, he paid off some +arrears of interest, and perhaps kept a few dollars to go on with; but +he seldom got out of debt, and so toiled on, living with stern +frugality, while the money-lender pocketed his earnings. Shylock ran no +risk, since the security was good and he could sell up the defaulter. +For a time, many of the small homesteaders struggled with dire poverty, +in spite of legislation intended to protect them; and it was not until a +succession of good harvests and the gradual development of the country +enabled them to break the yoke of the usurer that a tide of prosperity +flowed across the plains. + +Davies was an unfavorable specimen of his class. There were some land +and mortgage agents who dealt fairly with their clients and even ran +some risk in keeping them on their feet; but Davies was cunning, +grasping, and pitiless. + +When Gerald entered he gave him a curt nod, snapped a rubber band around +the papers, placed them carefully in a pigeonhole in his desk, and then +turned to his caller. + +"Mr. Mowbray! I expected to see you sooner. Guess you have come to +settle your account." + +Gerald found it hard to keep his temper. He had an aristocratic contempt +for all traders, and had, even in Canada, generally been treated with +some deference. + +"In the first place, I don't see what you have to do with this debt," he +began. "I borrowed from parties in London, and I'm responsible to them." + +"Here's my authority," Davies said, handing him a letter. "Whether the +lender instructed me to collect the money for him, or made other +arrangements doesn't matter to you. I can give you a receipt that will +stand good as soon as you put up the money." + +"Unfortunately, that is more than I can do." + +Davies did not look surprised. + +"What's your proposition?" he asked. + +"I'll think over yours," Gerald answered as coolly as he could. + +Davies studied him for a moment or two. Gerald's expression was +supercilious, but his face did not indicate much strength of character. +Besides, the only justification for arrogance that Davies recognized was +the possession of money. + +"You're the son of Colonel Mowbray of Allenwood, aren't you? Your people +hold a good piece of land there." + +"You seem to know all about me. I'd better warn you, however, that you +won't find my relatives willing to pay my debts." + +Davies smiled. + +"I could try them. They might do something if I stated my claim." + +This was what Gerald had feared, and he could not hide his alarm. + +"It will save you trouble if you realize that you wouldn't get a +dollar," he said hastily. + +Davies was silent for a few moments. As a matter of fact, he was by no +means anxious to be paid. Allenwood was isolated as yet, and the land +accordingly not worth much, but the homesteads were unusually good and +the advance of cultivation and settlement would largely increase their +value. Davies wanted a hold on Allenwood which might be turned to +advantage later, and he now saw an opportunity for getting it. Young +Mowbray obviously objected to having his friends learn how he was +situated, and this would make him easier to manage. + +"Well," Davies said, "you have some land there, haven't you? What's the +acreage, township, and range?" + +Gerald named them, and Davies made some calculations on a piece of paper +before he looked up. + +"If I find this all right in the land register, I'll cancel your London +debt, and take a mortgage on your holding," he said, handing Gerald the +paper he had been writing on. "Here's an outline of the terms." + +"The interest's extortionate!" + +"If you think so, go round the town and see if you can find anybody +who'll be more liberal. If not, you can come back to-morrow and we'll +fix up the deal." + +Davies felt safe in making the suggestion. He did not think Gerald had +much business ability, and trusted to his reluctance to make his +embarrassments known. Besides, the mortgage brokers had their hands full +and were not all so confident of the rapid advance of settlement as +Davies was. Indeed, there were men who declared that the country was +being opened up too rapidly, and predicted a bad set-back. + +Gerald left Davies' office with a faint hope of being able to find a +safer way out of the difficulty. To give his land in pledge would be a +violation of the covenant that bound the Allenwood settlers. It was an +offense that his father and his neighbors could not forgive. He shrank +from the dangerous course; but the day went by without his finding any +escape, and the next morning he called on Davies and the mortgage was +signed. + +While Gerald was at Winnipeg, Mrs. Broadwood startled the settlement at +Allenwood by calling on Harding's sister. The visit was prompted by +sympathy for the lonely prairie girl; but, coupled with that, Mrs. +Broadwood delighted in the feeling that all the Allenwood women would +disapprove of her course. She was small and pretty, with plenty of +determination and an exuberant cheerfulness which contact with her +husband's friends had somewhat toned down; and there was about her an +air of homely Western frankness that was charming. + +When she reached Harding's camp, Hester sat sewing in the sun. The girl +made a remarkably pretty picture, she thought, seated beside a pile of +prairie hay, with a few purple asters springing up at her feet and, +behind her, a ragged pine-tree drooping its branches to the ground. And +over all the gold of sunshine. + +"You look like a priestess of the sun!" Mrs. Broadwood greeted her, +laughing. + +Hester smiled in response. + +"I'm sitting outside because it's rather damp and cold in the shack," +she said. "As you see, our house isn't finished yet." + +She rose as she spoke, and came forward, and Mrs. Broadwood looked at +her admiringly. Hester was tall and naturally dignified, and her +characteristic expression was grave composure. Besides, her visitor +remarked the excellent taste and fit of her simple dress. + +"I'm sure we're going to be friends," said Mrs. Broadwood. + +"I hope so," Hester answered simply. + +The visitor found a seat in the prairie hay, and sinking down in the +soft grass, she breathed the smell of wild peppermint with delight. She +noticed the hearth of parallel logs, with a big kerosene can, used as a +washing boiler, hanging from a tripod at one end; the camp oven; the +sawing frame; and the scented cedar shingles strewn about beside the +framework of the house. All these things were familiar, for she was one +of the pioneers. + +"My!" she exclaimed. "This _is_ nice! Makes me feel homesick." + +"It must be a change from Allenwood," Hester answered with a smile. + +"That's why I like it! I'm quite happy there; but this is the kind of +place where I belong. Twice before I met my husband I helped make a new +home on the plains, and this spot reminds me of the last time. We fixed +camp by Stony Creek in early summer, when the grass was green and all +the flowers were out. There were rows of the red prairie lilies. I never +saw so many!--and I remember how the new birch leaves used to rustle in +the bluff at night. Thinking of it somehow hurts me." She laughed +prettily. "I'm what Tom calls a sentimentalist." + +"So am I," said Hester; "so you needn't stop." + +"Well, I remember everything about the night we put in our stakes--Sally +baking bannocks, with the smoke going straight up; the loaded wagons in +a row; the tired horses rolling in the grass; and the chunk of the boys' +axes, chopping in the bluff. Though we'd been on the trail since sun-up, +there was work for hours, bread to bake and clothes to wash; and when we +went to sleep, a horse got his foot in a line and brought the tent down +on us. It was all hard in those days, a hustle from dawn to dark; but +now, when things are different, I sometimes want them back. But I +needn't tell you--I guess you know!" + +"Yes; I know," said Hester. "Perhaps it's the work we were born for." + +She was silent for a few moments, looking far out over the prairie; then +she asked abruptly: + +"What are the Allenwood people like?" + +"They're much the same as you and I, but they wear more frills, and when +you rub against those who use the most starch you find them prickly. +Then, they've some quaint notions that Walter Raleigh or Jacques Cartier +must have brought over; but, taking them all round, they're a straight, +clean crowd." She looked intently at Hester. "Somehow you make me feel +that you belong to them." + +Hester smiled. Mrs. Broadwood was impulsive and perhaps not always +discreet, but Hester thought her true. + +"I don't understand that," she replied. "Though I think my mother was a +woman of unusual character, she came from the Michigan bush. My father +was English, but he had only a small farm and didn't bring us up +differently from our neighbors. Still, he had different ideas and bought +a good many books. Craig and I read them all, and he would talk to us +about them." + +"Craig's your brother? I've seen him once or twice. Tell me about him." + +Hester nodded toward the trail that wormed its way across the prairie. A +girl was riding toward them. + +"Beatrice Mowbray," Mrs. Broadwood said; "the best of them all at +Allenwood, though sometimes she's not easy to get on with." + +When Beatrice joined them, Mrs. Broadwood repeated her suggestion. She +was frankly curious, and Hester was not unwilling to talk about her +brother. Indeed, she made the story an interesting character sketch, and +Beatrice listened quietly while she told how the lad was left with a +patch of arid soil, and his mother and sister to provide for. Hester +related how he braved his neighbors' disapproval of the innovations +which they predicted would lead him to ruin, and by tenacity and +boldness turned threatened failure into brilliant success. Then losing +herself in her theme, she sketched the birth of greater ambitions, and +the man's realization of his powers. Beatrice's eyes brightened with +keen approval. She admired strength and daring, and Hester had drawn a +striking picture of her brother. + +When the visitors rose to go, Harding appeared. He had come, he +explained, for an ox-chain clevis. + +"I have another visit to make," Beatrice said, when he had helped her to +mount. "The shortest way is across the ravine and there used to be a +trail, unless you have plowed it up." + +"No," he laughed; "I mean to improve that one. However, as it's not very +good, and there's an awkward place, I'll show you the way down." + +They left the camp together, and Harding was not pleased to notice no +difference in the girl's attitude to him. He had not expected her to +show embarrassment, but he would not have minded a dignified aloofness. +It looked as if she had not thought it worth while to resent his +boldness when they last met. For all that, it made his heart beat fast +to be near her. + +Beatrice glanced toward the dark-brown line of the fall plowing. + +"Do you know what our people are saying about you? You haven't shown +much regard for your neighbors' feelings." + +"I'd try to respect their needs." + +"Well, that is something. Still, the trail was at least convenient, and +it had stood for a number of years." + +"I'm afraid some more of the old landmarks will have to go. These are +changing times." + +"And I suppose there's satisfaction in feeling that you are leading the +way?" + +"I can't claim that," Harding answered with a smile. "As a matter of +fact, we're following a plain trail; the fur-traders blazed it for us +before the railroad came; and I dare say your father had broken ground +at Allenwood when I was learning to harness a team." + +"It doesn't seem to make you diffident. Now, I agree with my friends +that there's a good deal to admire in the old order." + +"That's so. All that's best in it will stay; you can't destroy it. In a +way, it's a comforting thought because we can't stand still, and +progress means a fight." + +"And yet some people believe in throwing away the weapons our fathers +have used and proved." + +Harding laughed. + +"When they're fine steel, that's foolish; but we might be allowed to rub +off the rust and regrind them." + +Beatrice liked his half-humorous manner, which she suspected covered a +strong sincerity. Besides, she had asked for his opinions; he had not +obtruded them. She gave him a quick glance of scrutiny as he led her +horse down the steep, brush-encumbered trail into the ravine; and she +admitted to herself that he improved on acquaintance. One got used to +his rough clothes and his line of thought which differed so widely from +the views held at Allenwood. + +Yellow birch leaves shone about them, the pale-tinted stems were +streaked with silver by the sinking sun, and the ravine was filled with +heavy blue shadow. There was something strangely exhilarating in the +light, glowing color and the sharp wind; and Beatrice felt her senses +stirred. Then she noticed Harding's set lips and the concentrated look +in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking earnestly and perhaps exercising +some self-restraint. She suddenly recalled his presumption the last time +they were together. She had not carried out her plan of avoiding him, +but she thought it might be better to run no risk. + +"I mustn't take you any farther," she said. "The trail is good up the +other side." + +"All right," he acquiesced. "Turn out at the big poplar." + +He stood there in the sunset, his rough felt hat in his hand, the +slanting rays playing through his fair hair, watching her until she and +her horse coalesced with the blue shadows of the hillside. + +It would not be easy to win her, he knew. First, there was the life she +had led, in what a different environment from the rough, pioneer one +that he had known! Then there were the prejudices of her relatives to +consider. She must come to him happily, without one regret. + +Harding sighed; but his jaws set determinedly. He had been taught, as a +child, that the sweetest apples hang on the highest branches: they are +not easy to reach, but, once secured, they are worth the having. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +AN ACCIDENT + + +With the help of men from the railroad settlement Harding finished his +house and made it weather-proof before the frost struck deep into the +soil. Plowing was now impossible, but there was much to be done. The +inside of the dwelling had to be fitted up, and logs were needed for the +stables he must build in the spring. Trees large enough for the purpose +were scarce; and where coal is unobtainable, cutting wood for fuel keeps +the settler busy during the rigorous winter. Harding might have +simplified his task by buying sawed lumber, but the long railroad +haulage made it expensive, and he never shrank from labor which led to +economy. He was not a niggard, but he had ambitions and he saw that his +money must be made productive if those ambitions were to be gratified. + +He was coming home one evening with Devine, bringing a load of wood on +his jumper-sled. It had been a bitter day, and the cold got keener as a +leaden haze crept up across the plain. There was still a curious gray +light, and objects in the immediate foreground stood out with harsh +distinctness. The naked branches of the poplars on the edge of the +ravine they skirted cut sharply against the sky, and the trail, which +ran straight across the thin snow, was marked by a streak of dingy blue. +The wind was fitful, but when it gathered strength the men bent their +heads and shivered in their old deerskin jackets. + +As the oxen plodded on, Devine looked round at the sled rather +anxiously. + +"Hadn't you better throw some of these logs off, Craig?" he suggested. +"It's a heavy load, and I'm afraid there's a blizzard working up. We +want to get home before it breaks." + +"The oxen can haul them," Harding replied. "We'll get nothing done for +the next few days, and we have our hands plumb full this winter." + +"I used to think I was a bit of a hustler," Devine said, "but you sure +have me beat." + +"If I'm not mistaken, we'll get a lie-off to-morrow." Harding struck one +of the oxen with his mittened hand. "Pull out, Bright, before you +freeze!" + +The big animals moved faster, and the tired men plodded on silently. +There is no easy road to wealth on the wheatlands of the West; indeed, +it is only by patient labor and stoic endurance that a competence can be +attained. Devine and his comrade knew this by stern experience, and, +half frozen as they were, they braced themselves for the effort of +reaching home. They must adapt their pace to the oxen's, and it was not +quick enough to keep them warm. + +As they approached a bluff, Harding looked up. + +"Somebody riding pretty fast!" he said. + +A beat of hoofs, partly muffled by the snow, came down the bitter wind, +and a few moments later a horseman appeared from behind the trees. He +was indistinct in the gathering gloom, but seemed to be riding +furiously, and Harding drew the oxen out of the trail. + +"One of the Allenwood boys. Young Mowbray, isn't it?" said Devine. + +The next moment Lance Mowbray dashed past them, scattering the snow. The +horse was going at a frantic gallop, the rider's fur coat had blown +open, his arms were tense, and his hands clenched on the bridle. His +face was set, and he gazed fixedly ahead as if he did not see the men +and the sledge. + +"It's that wild brute of a range horse," Harding remarked. "Nearly +bucked the boy off the last time he passed my place. Something in the +bluff must have scared him; he has the bit in his teeth." + +"Looks like it," Devine agreed. "Young Mowbray can ride, but I'm +expecting trouble when he makes the timber." + +They turned and stopped to watch, for the Allenwood trail ran down the +side of the ravine among the trees not far away. Horse and rider rapidly +grew indistinct and vanished over the edge of the hollow. Then there was +a dull thud and the beat of hoofs suddenly broke off. The deep silence +that followed was ominous. + +"Throw the load off, and bring the oxen!" cried Harding as he started to +run along the trail. + +He was breathless when he reached the edge of the declivity; but he saw +nothing when he looked down. A blurred network of trunks and branches +rose from the shadowy depths with a pale glimmer of snow beneath; that +was all, and there was no sound except the wail of the rising wind. +Plunging straight down through the timber, Harding made for a bend of +the trail where there was a precipitous bank, and on reaching it he saw +a big, dark object lying in the snow some distance beneath him. This +was the horse; its rider could not be far away. When he scrambled down +he found the boy lying limp and still, his fur cap fallen off and his +coat torn away from his body. His face looked very white, his eyes were +closed, and he did not answer when Harding spoke. Kneeling down, he saw +that the lad was alive but unconscious. Nothing could be done until +Devine arrived. + +It was a relief when he heard the oxen stumbling through the brush. +Presently Devine came running up, and after a glance at the boy turned +and felt the horse. + +"Stone dead! What's the matter with Mowbray?" + +"Some ribs broken, I suspect," said Harding. "Bring the sled close up. +We've got to take him home." + +They laid Lance on the jumper, and Harding stripped off his own skin +coat and wrapped it round the boy. + +"The shock's perhaps the worst thing, and he feels cold." + +Both had had some experience of accidents in a country where surgical +assistance could seldom be obtained, and Devine nodded agreement. + +"Guess we'll have trouble in hauling up the grade and getting to +Allenwood before the blizzard, but we've got to make it." + +The opposite slope was rough and steep, and the jumper too wide to pass +easily between the trees. They had to lift it, and help the oxen here +and there; but they struggled up and then found that their difficulties +were not over when they reached the open plain. The wind had risen while +they were in the hollow and was now blowing the dry snow about. It had +grown dark and the trail was faint. + +"Might be wiser to take him to your homestead," Devine suggested; "but +they'll be able to look after him better at the Grange. Get a move on +the beasts, Craig; we've no time to lose." + +Harding urged the oxen, which stepped out briskly with their lighter +load, but he had some difficulty in guiding them, though Devine went +ahead to keep the trail. It was impossible to see any distance, and +there was no landmark on the bare white level; the savage wind buffeted +their smarting faces and filled their eyes with snow. The cold struck +through Harding's unprotected body like a knife, but he went on +stubbornly, keeping his eyes on Devine's half-distinguishable figure. He +was sorry for the unconscious youngster, but he did not glance at him. +This was a time when pity was best expressed in action. + +They had gone about two miles when the blizzard broke upon them in a +blinding cloud of snow and the cold suddenly increased. Though he wore a +thick jacket, Harding felt as if his flesh had changed to ice; his hands +were numb, and his feet seemed dead. He knew the risk he ran of being +crippled by frostbite; but to take his coat back might cost Lance his +life. + +They had been struggling forward for a long time when Devine stopped and +came back. + +"We've been off the trail for the last ten minutes," he said. "Guess +it's got snowed up." + +It was a bald statement of an alarming situation. Their only guide had +failed them, and unless they could soon find shelter all must perish. It +might, perhaps, be possible to keep moving for another hour or two, and +then they would sink down, exhausted, to freeze. Yet, having faced +similar perils and escaped, they were not utterly dismayed. + +"The long rise can't be very far off," Harding said hopefully. "If we +could make it, there's a little coulée running down the other side. Then +we ought to see the Grange lights when we strike the lake." + +His voice was scarcely audible through the roar of the icy gale, but +Devine caught a word or two and understood. + +"Then," he shouted back, "you want to keep the wind on your left cheek!" + +It was the only guide to the direction of the blast, for the snow +whirled about them every way at once, and sight was useless amid the +blinding haze. Feeling, however, to some extent remained, and although +their faces were freezing into dangerous insensibility, so long as they +kept their course one side was still a little more painful than the +other. They struggled on, urging the jaded oxen, and dragging them by +their heads where the drifts were deep. The snow seemed to thicken as +they went. They could not see each other a yard or two apart, and the +power that kept them on their feet was dying out of them. Both had been +working hard since sunrise, and weary flesh and blood cannot long endure +a furious wind when the thermometer falls to forty or fifty below. +Nothing broke the surface of the plain except the blowing waves of snow +that swirled across their course and beat into their faces. It seemed +impossible that they could keep on. Hope had almost left them when +Devine suddenly called out: + +"It's surely rising ground!" + +Harding imagined by the oxen's slower pace, and his own labored +breathing, that his comrade was right, but the rise was gradual and +extensive. They might wander across it without coming near the lake; but +they could take no precautions and much must be left to chance. + +"Get on!" he said curtly. + +By the force of the wind which presently met them he thought they had +reached the summit. Somewhere near them a watercourse started and ran +down to the lake; but the men could not tell which way to turn, although +they knew that the decision would be momentous. One way led to shelter, +the other to death in the snowy wilds. + +"Left and down!" Harding cried at a venture. + +They trudged on, Devine a few paces in front picking out the trail, and +Harding urging forward the snow-blinded oxen. They had not gone more +than a few yards when Devine suddenly disappeared. There was a rush of +loosened snow apparently falling into a hollow, and then his voice rose, +hoarse but exultant. + +"We've struck the coulée!" + +He scrambled out and it was comparatively easy to follow the ravine +downhill; and soon after they left it the surface grew unusually level, +and no tufts of withered grass broke the snow. + +"Looks like the lake," said Devine. "We'll be safe once we hit the other +side." + +Harding was nearly frozen, and he began to despair of ever reaching the +Grange; but he roused himself from the lethargy into which he was +sinking when a faint yellow glimmer shone through the swirling snow. It +grew brighter, more lights appeared, and they toiled up to the front of +a building. With some trouble Devine found the door and knocked. + +It was opened in a few moments by Gerald Mowbray, who stood looking out +in surprise. + +Devine briefly explained. + +"If it's likely to scare his mother, get her out of the way," he added. +"We have to bring him in at once. Send somebody for the oxen, and show +us where to go!" + +"Wait a moment and I'll meet you," said Gerald, hastening into the +house. + +When he disappeared, Devine turned to Harding. + +"Get hold! You don't want to shake him, but the coats will keep him +pretty safe." + +With some trouble they carried him in, passed through a vestibule, and +came with shuffling steps into a large hall. It was well lighted, and so +warm that Harding felt limp and dizzy from the sudden change of +temperature. His skin burned, the blood rushed to his head, and he +stopped for fear he should drop his burden. Gerald, it seemed, had not +had time to warn the people in the hall, and Beatrice rose with a +startled cry. One or two women sat with white faces, as if stupefied by +alarm, and two or three men got up hurriedly. Harding indistinctly +recognized Colonel Mowbray among them. + +"Be quick! Get hold of him!" he called to the nearest. + +He was replaced by two willing helpers, and, half dazed and not knowing +what to do, he slackly followed the others up the middle of the floor. +All who were not needed stood watching them, for they made a striking +group as they moved slowly forward, carrying what seemed to be a +shapeless bundle of snowy furs. Devine was white from head to foot, a +bulky figure in his shaggy coat and cap, though the bent forms of the +other men partly concealed him; Harding came alone, walking unsteadily, +with the snow falling off him in glistening powder, his face haggard, +and his frost-split lips covered with congealed blood. + +As the little group passed on, following Gerald, Harding suddenly +reeled, and, clutching at the back of a chair, fell into it with a +crash. After that he was not sure of anything until some one brought him +a glass of wine, and soon afterward Devine came back with Gerald. + +"My mother begs you will excuse her, but she'll thank you before you +go," he said. "The Colonel hopes to see you shortly, but he's busy with +Lance, and we're fortunate in having a man who should have been a +doctor. Now if you'll come with me, I'll give you a change of clothes. +Your oxen are in the stable." + +"We can't stay," remonstrated Harding. + +"It's impossible for you to go home." + +"That's true," said Devine, touching Harding's arm. "Better get up, +Craig, before the snow melts on you." + +Gerald gave them clothes, and then, saying that he was needed, left them +alone. After they had changed, Devine found his way to the stable to see +if the oxen were any the worse, and Harding went back to the hall. A +group of men and women were talking in low voices, but no one spoke to +him, and he sat down in a corner, feeling awkward and uncomfortable in +his borrowed garments. Evidently the Mowbrays had been entertaining some +of their neighbors who, to judge by scraps of conversation he overheard, +thought they would better take their leave but doubted if they could +reach home. Harding knew that he could not do so, but he felt averse to +accepting Mowbray's hospitality, and he feared that Hester would be +anxious about his safety. + +He was still sitting in the corner when Beatrice came up to him. + +"I'm afraid you have been neglected, but you can understand that we are +rather upset," she said. + +"How is your brother?" Harding asked. + +"Better than we thought at first. One of our friends has bandaged him. +There are two ribs broken, but he declares he now feels fairly +comfortable." + +"I'm afraid he's exaggerating, but it's a good sign. Anyway, I'm glad to +hear he's conscious." + +"He was conscious before you brought him home. He says he tried to speak +to you, but you didn't hear him." + +"That's possible," Harding replied. "The trail wasn't very good--and we +were busy." + +Beatrice gave him a strange look. + +"So one would imagine! There was probably no trail at all. Two of our +friends who live half a mile off don't think they can get back. It's +fortunate for us that you and your partner had the strength and +courage----" + +"What could we do?" Harding asked. "You wouldn't have expected us to +leave him in the bluff?" + +Beatrice's eyes sparkled, and a flush of color crept into her face. +Harding thought she was wonderfully beautiful, and feared it was unwise +to look at her lest he should make a fool of himself. + +"I can't say that I wouldn't have expected you to give him your coat; +but that was very fine of you," she said. "You must have known the risk +you took. When you came in you looked worse than he did." + +It struck Harding as significant that she should have noticed his +appearance in the midst of her alarm; but it might not mean much, after +all. Women were often more observant than men. + +"Then I ought to have been ashamed. It was the shock we were afraid of. +You see, after a bad accident there's often a collapse, and when one's +in that state even moderate cold is dangerous." + +"How do you know these things?" Beatrice asked. + +"When you live as we do, you learn something about accidents," he +answered. + +Beatrice gave him a look that thrilled him. + +"I promised Lance that I would not stay but a minute," she said; "but I +will send Mr. Kenwyne to look after you." She added in a lower voice: "I +have not attempted to thank you, but you must believe that we're very, +very grateful." + +Harding's eyes followed her across the room and lingered on her when she +stopped a moment to speak with one of the neighbors. Kenwyne's voice at +his elbow roused him. + +"Colonel Mowbray expects you to remain here, but on the whole I think +you'd better come with me," Kenwyne was saying. "They're naturally in +some confusion, and my farm isn't very far. I think my team can make +it." + +Harding was glad to get away quietly, but he left a message that he +hoped to call in the morning for his oxen and for news of Lance. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE + + +On the morning after the accident Colonel Mowbray sat at breakfast with +his wife and daughter. The gale had fallen in the night, and although +the snow lay deep about the house, Gerald had already gone out with a +hired man to see how the range horses, which were left loose in the +winter, had fared during the storm. Lance was feverish, but there was +nothing in his condition to cause anxiety, and he was in charge of a man +whom some youthful escapade had prevented from obtaining a medical +diploma. There were one or two others of his kind at Allenwood whose +careers had been blighted by boyish folly. Breakfast had been well +served, for everything went smoothly at the Grange; in spite of the low +temperature outside, the room was comfortably warm, and the china and +the table appointments showed artistic taste. + +Colonel Mowbray looked thoughtfully stern. + +"Perhaps it was as well Kenwyne took the Americans home last night," he +remarked. + +"You asked them to stay," Beatrice said, with more indignation than she +cared to show; "and after what they did----" + +Mowbray cut her short. + +"I cannot deny that we are heavily in their debt, and I shall take the +first opportunity for thanking them. In fact, if I can make any return +in the shape of practical help, I shall be glad. All the same, to have +had them here would have meant our putting them on a more intimate +footing than might be wise." + +Beatrice smiled, but said nothing. She respected her father, but the +thought of his helping such a man as Harding was amusing. + +"From what I've heard about Mr. Harding, I don't think he would have +presumed upon it," Mrs. Mowbray replied. "Besides, it looks as if we +owed Lance's life to him and his companion and I really don't see why +you object to the man. Of course, it was tactless of him to plow up our +trail, but he was within his rights." + +Mowbray looked at her sharply. His wife was generally docile and seldom +questioned his decisions, but she now and then showed an unexpected +firmness. + +"I don't object to him, personally. For that matter, I know very little +about him, good or bad," he said; and his tone implied that he was not +anxious to learn anything more. "It is rather what he stands for that I +disapprove of." + +"What does he stand for?" + +"What foolish people sometimes call Progress--the taint of +commercialism, purely utilitarian ideas; in short, all I've tried to +keep Allenwood free from. Look at England! You know how the old friendly +relations between landlord and tenant have been overthrown." + +"I wonder whether they were always friendly?" Beatrice interposed. + +"They ought to have been friendly, and in most of the instances I can +think of they were. But what can one expect when a rich tradesman buys +up a fine estate, and manages it on what he calls 'business lines'? This +must mean putting the screw of a merciless competition upon the farmer. +On the other hand, you see men with honored names living in extravagant +luxury without a thought of their duty to their land, gambling on the +Stock Exchange--even singing in music halls. The country's in a bad way +when you read of its old aristocracy opening hat shops." + +"But what are the poor people to do if they have no money?" Beatrice +asked. + +"The point is that they're being ruined by their own folly and the +chaotic way things have been allowed to drift; but the other side of the +picture's worse. When one thinks of wealth and poverty jostling each +other in the towns; oppressive avarice and sullen discontent instead of +helpful cooperation! The community plundered by trusts! Industries +wrecked by strikes! This is what comes of free competition and contempt +for authority; and the false principle that a man must turn all his +talents to the making of money is at the root of it all." + +It was a favorite hobby of the Colonel's, and Mrs. Mowbray made no +remark; but Beatrice was pleased to see that he had forgotten Harding. + +"You would have made a good feudal baron," she said with a smile. "Your +retainers wouldn't have had many real grievances, but you would always +have been on the king's side." + +"The first principle of all firm and successful government is that the +king can do no wrong." + +"We don't challenge it at Allenwood, and it really seems to work well," +Beatrice answered lightly; and then, because Mowbray insisted on formal +manners, she turned to her mother. "And now, with your permission, I had +better go to Lance." + +When she left them Mowbray frowned. + +"There's another matter I want to talk about," he said. "I'm inclined to +think we'll have to do away with the card tables when the younger people +spend the evening with us." + +"But you're fond of a game!" + +"Yes. I'll confess that a close game of whist is one of my keenest +pleasures, and if I finish two or three dollars to the good it adds to +the zest. For all that, one must be consistent, and I've grounds for +believing there has been too much high play of late. The offenders will +have to be dealt with if I can find them out." + +Mrs. Mowbray knew that her husband's first object was the good of the +settlement, and that he would make any personal sacrifice to secure it. + +"We can have music, or get up a dance instead," she suggested; and added +anxiously: "You don't think that Gerald----" + +"I'd have grave suspicions, only that he knows what to expect," Mowbray +answered grimly. "Something might be learned from Lance, but it would +not be fair to ask." + +"He wouldn't tell," Mrs. Mowbray said stoutly, knowing her husband's +sense of honor. "Do you think it's serious enough to be disturbed +about?" + +"I'm afraid so, although at the moment I can hardly judge. A game of +cards in public, for strictly moderate points, or a small wager on a +race, can do the boys no harm; but as soon as the stake gets large +enough to be worth winning for itself, it leads to trouble; and +systematic, secret gambling is a dangerous thing. As a matter of fact, I +won't have it at Allenwood. At present I can do nothing but keep a +careful watch." + +An hour later Mrs. Mowbray was sitting with Lance, when word was brought +her that Harding had called. + +"Let him come up here, if only for a minute," Lance begged. + +"Well, but it must not be longer," his mother consented. + +Harding bowed to her respectfully when he entered the room; then he +turned to Lance with a smile. + +"Glad to see you looking much better than I expected." + +Lance gave him his hand, though he winced as he held it out, and his +mother noticed Harding's quick movement to save him a painful effort. +There was a gentleness that pleased her in the prairie man's face. + +"I don't want to embarrass you, but you'll understand how I feel about +what you did for me," said Lance. "I won't forget it." + +"Pshaw!" returned Harding. "We all get into scrapes. I wouldn't be here +now if other people hadn't dragged me clear of a mower-knife, and once +out of the way of a locomotive when my team balked in the middle of the +track." + +"I don't suppose any of the fellows gave you his clothes with the +thermometer at minus forty. But I won't say any more on that point. Was +my horse killed?" + +"On the spot!" + +Lance looked troubled. + +"Well, it was my own fault," he said slowly. "I was trying a new +headstall, and I wasn't very careful in linking up the bit." + +He began to talk about the latest types of harness, and listened with +obvious interest to Harding's views on the subject, but after a while +his voice grew feeble, and his mother interrupted. + +"You'll come back and see me when I'm better, won't you?" he asked +eagerly. + +Harding made a vague sign of assent, and left the room with Mrs. +Mowbray. When they reached the hall, she stopped him. + +"You did us a great service last night--I can find no adequate way of +expressing my gratitude," she said. + +Harding saw that she had not spoken out of mere conventional politeness. + +"I think you make too much of it. Certainly, it was fortunate we +happened to come along; the rest followed. But I can understand how you +feel--I had a good mother." + +She was pleased by his reply, and she had watched him closely while he +talked to Lance. The man was modest and yet quietly sure of himself. He +had shown no awkwardness, and his rather formal deference to herself was +flattering. She somehow felt that he would not have offered it solely on +account of her station. + +"I'm glad to see your son looking pretty bright," Harding went on. + +"You roused him. He was very listless and heavy until you came." + +"I'm afraid I talked too much; it's a way I sometimes have." Harding +smiled. Then he looked at her directly. "He asked me to come back." + +Mrs. Mowbray knew he was shrewd enough to take a hint, and that she +could without discourtesy prevent his coming; still, she did not wish to +do so. She had heard her husband's views, to which she generally +deferred; but she liked Harding, and he had saved her son's life. +Moreover, she had a suspicion that his influence would be good for the +boy. + +"I hope you will come whenever it pleases you," she said with quiet +sincerity. + +"It will please me very much. I'll make use of the privilege as long as +he finds that I amuse him." + +Harding went home with a feeling of half-exultant satisfaction. Lance, +for whom he had a rather curious liking, had been unmistakably glad to +see him and, what was more important, Mrs. Mowbray was now his friend. +For all that, he knew that tact was needed: the Colonel, while no doubt +grateful, did not approve of him, and he must carefully avoid doing +anything that might imply a readiness to take advantage of the slight +favor he had been granted. Harding was not an adventurer, and the +situation was galling to his pride, but he was shrewd and was willing to +make some sacrifice if it gave him an opportunity for seeing Beatrice. + +When Harding returned a week later he met the girl for a few moments, +and had to be content with this. Lance brightened up noticeably when he +talked to him, and as he was leaving pressed him to come again; but the +unqualified doctor, whom he met in the hall, did not seem satisfied with +the patient's progress. + +Harding waited for a while before he went back. He found Mrs. Mowbray +alone on his arrival, and thought she looked anxious when he asked how +Lance was getting on. + +"He doesn't seem to improve as quickly as he ought, and Mr. Carson's +puzzled," she said. "He tells me the injury is not serious enough to +account for my boy's low condition, but he keeps restless and feverish, +and doesn't sleep." Then, after a moment, she added confidentially: "One +could imagine that he has something on his mind." + +"Have you any suspicion what it is?" + +"No--" She hesitated. "That is, nothing definite; and as he has given me +no hint, it's possible that I'm mistaken in thinking that he is +disturbed. But you may go in; you seem to cheer him." + +Harding pondered this. He had been used to people who expressed their +thoughts with frank directness, but he saw that Mrs. Mowbray was of a +different stamp. She was most fastidious, yet she had taken him into her +confidence as far as her reserve permitted. After all, there were things +which a boy would confess to a man outside his family sooner than to his +mother. + +"Well," he said as meaningly as he thought advisable, "I'll do what I +can." + +On entering the sick room he thought her anxiety was justified. Lance +did not look well, although he smiled at his visitor. + +"I'm glad you came," he said. "It's a change to see somebody fresh. The +boys mean well but they worry me." + +"You'd get tired of me if I came oftener," Harding answered with a +laugh. + +They talked for a few minutes about a sheep dog that had been given to +Lance; and then, during a slight pause, the boy closed his eyes with a +sigh. Harding looked at him keenly. + +"I'm told you're not sleeping well," he said; "and you don't look as fit +as you ought. I guess lying on your back gets monotonous." + +"Yes," Lance answered listlessly. "Then I'm worried about losing my +horse." + +"One feels that kind of thing, of course; but it wasn't an animal I'd +get attached to. Hard in the mouth, I guess, a bad buck-jumper, and a +wicked eye. On the whole, you're better off without him." + +"Perhaps you're right, and I meant to sell him. I'd had offers, and the +Warrior blood brings a long price." + +"Ah! That means you wanted the money?" + +Lance was silent for a few moments, and then he answered half +resentfully: + +"I did." + +It was obvious to Harding that delicacy was required here. Mrs. Mowbray +was right in her suspicions, but if he made a mistake Lance would take +alarm. Harding feared, however, that tact was not much in his line. + +"I am an outsider here," he said with blunt directness; "but perhaps +that's a reason why you can talk to me candidly. It's sometimes +embarrassing to tell one's intimate friends about one's troubles. Why +did you want the money?" + +Lance flushed and hesitated, but he gathered confidence from Harding's +grave expression. + +"To tell the truth, I'd got myself into an awkward mess." + +"One does now and then. I've been fixed that way myself. Perhaps I can +help." + +"No; you can't," Lance said firmly. "All the same, it's a relief to take +somebody into my confidence. Well, I owed a good deal of money; I'd been +playing cards." + +"Do you pay debts of that kind at once?" + +"Of course. It's a matter of principle; though the boys wouldn't have +pressed me." + +"I'd have let them wait," said Harding. "But I don't play cards. I +suppose you borrowed the money from somebody else, and he wants it back. +Now the proper person for you to go to is your father." + +Lance colored and hesitated again. + +"I can't!" he blurted out with evident effort. "It's not because I'm +afraid. He'd certainly be furious--I'm not thinking of that. There's a +reason why it would hit him particularly hard. Besides, you know, we're +far from rich." + +Having learned something about Gerald Mowbray, Harding understood the +lad's reticence. Indeed, he respected his loyalty to his brother. + +"Very well. If you'll tell me what you owe, and where you got the money, +I may suggest something." + +He had expected Lance to refuse; but, worn by pain and anxious as he +was, the boy was willing to seize upon any hope of escape. He explained +his affairs very fully, and Harding made a note of the amount and of a +name that was not unfamiliar to him. + +When Lance finished his story and dropped back among his pillows with a +flushed face, there was a short silence in the room. + +Harding was not, as a rule, rashly generous; but he liked the boy, and +Lance was Beatrice's brother--that in itself was a strong claim on him. +Then, Mrs. Mowbray had been gracious to him; though he was a stranger +and in a sense an intruder, she had taken him into her confidence, and +he felt a deep respect for her. There was in his mind, however, no +thought of profiting by the situation; indeed, he was frankly reluctant +to part with money which could be better employed than in paying +gambling debts. + +"So you went to Davies, of Winnipeg--a mortgage broker?" he remarked. +"Who told you about him? These fellows don't lend to people they know +nothing about." + +"A man introduced me," Lance said awkwardly; and Harding again suspected +Gerald. + +"When you signed his note for the sum you wanted, how much did you +really get?" + +Lance smiled ruefully as he told him. + +"You seem to know their tricks," he added. + +"Some of them," Harding replied dryly. "Now, if you'll give me your word +that you won't stake a dollar on a horse or card again, I'll take up +this debt; but I don't want your promise unless you mean to keep it." + +Lance's eyes were eager, though his face was red. + +"I've had my lesson. It was the first time I'd really played high, and I +was a bit excited; the room was hot and full of smoke, and they'd +brought in a good deal of whisky." Then he pulled himself up. "But I +can't let you do this; and I don't see----" + +"Why I'm willing to help?" Harding finished for him. "Well, one's +motives aren't always very plain, even to oneself. Still--you can take +it that I've a pretty strong grievance against all mortgage brokers. +They've ruined one or two friends of mine, and they're going to make +trouble in this country. I'll give you a few instances." + +He meant to frighten the lad, but there was no need to overstate the +truth, and his face grew stern as he related how struggling farmers had +been squeezed dry, and broken in spirit and fortune by the +money-lender's remorseless grasp. Lance was duly impressed, and realized +how narrow an escape he had had. + +"Are you willing to leave the thing entirely to me?" Harding concluded. +"You must understand that you're only changing your creditor." + +"I can trust you," Lance said with feeling. "I can't tell you what a +relief it is to get out of that fellow's hands! But I ought to warn you +that he's tricky; you may have some trouble." + +Harding laughed as he stood up. + +"Oh, I can deal with him. Now you go to sleep and don't worry any more." + +After he left, Lance lay for a while thinking over the conversation. He +was puzzled to know what had prompted Harding to come to his rescue. The +Allenwood settlers had certainly been none too friendly to the prairie +man, who was considered an outsider because he believed in work and in +progress. Lance thought that there was no selfish motive in Harding's +offer. What, then? + +He suddenly shook off the thoughts and, reaching out to a table by his +bedside, rang a small handbell there. Beatrice answered it. + +"I want something to eat," he said petulantly. "Not slops this time; I'm +tired of them." + +His sister looked at him in surprise. + +"Why, you wouldn't touch your lunch!" + +"All the more reason I should want something now. You ought to be glad +I'm getting better!" + +Beatrice laughed. + +"It's a very sudden improvement," she said. "Mr. Harding must be a +magician. What has he done to you?" + +"Harding knows a lot," Lance answered somewhat awkwardly; then added +impulsively: "In fact, I think he's a remarkably fine fellow all round." + +Beatrice opened her eyes wide. Such an opinion from the son of Colonel +Mowbray was pure heresy; but she made no comment. She kissed Lance +lightly on the forehead and tripped off downstairs to order some food +for him. + +Somehow, she was inclined to agree with her brother in his opinion of +the prairie man. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +A MAN OF AFFAIRS + + +The warmth of the big stove, which glowed a dull red in places, had +melted holes in the frost that obscured the double windows of Davies' +office, but icy draughts flowed round the room, and the temperature of +the passage outside was down to zero. From where the stove-pipe pierced +the wall, drops of a black distillate trickled down, and the office was +filled with the smell of tar and hot iron. Rents gaped in the pine +paneling, and the door had shrunk to a remarkably easy fit. The building +was new, pretentious, and supposed to be centrally heated, but Winnipeg +was then passing through the transition stage which occurs in the +history of most Western towns: emerging from rude disorder with bold but +badly guided striving toward beauty and symmetry. Civic ambition was +poorly seconded by builder's skill, and the plans of aspiring architects +were crudely materialized. + +From where Davies sat he could look into the snowy street; the view was +far from pleasing. The blackened wreck of a burnt-out store confronted +the office block, and behind it straggled a row of squalid shacks. +Farther on rose a wall of concrete with rusty iron framing sticking out +of it; and a mound of cut stone and sawed lumber, left as it lay when +the frost stopped work, encroached upon the plank sidewalk. Davies, +however, was not engrossed in the view, though he had lent money upon +some adjacent building lots. A survey map of the Allenwood district lay +on his table, and he alternately studied it and gazed out of the window +with a thoughtful air. + +The Allenwood soil was good, consisting, as it did for the most part, of +stiff black gumbo; it was well watered and fairly well wooded; and it +occupied the center of a fertile belt. Its position had other natural +advantages, and the configuration of the country made it probable that +with the first railroad extension a line would run past the settlement +to the American frontier. Davies had reason to believe that his view was +shared by far-seeing railroad directors; but, whether the line were run +or not, the Allenwood farms would rise in value. Davies wanted a hold on +the settlement; and he had, to some extent, succeeded in getting it. He +held a mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's homestead; it seemed possible to get +the younger brother into his power; and he was negotiating with another +embarrassed settler. On the other hand, money was tight just then, and +Davies' schemes were hampered by a lack of capital. He had written to +Lance Mowbray, pressing for some interest that was overdue, and when the +lad begged for time had curtly summoned him to Winnipeg. Now he was +expecting him, for the east-bound train had arrived. + +He heard steps in the passage and looked up with some surprise as two +men entered his office. Their bronzed faces and their cheap skin coats +suggested that they worked upon the land, but there was something in the +expression and bearing of the taller man that contradicted this. Davies +was a judge of character, and he read that something as a sense of +power. + +"Good-morning, gentlemen," he said, with a suave smile. "I don't believe +I have an appointment with you, but I'm always open for business." + +"My name is Harding," said the taller man; "and this is my partner, Mr. +Devine. You were expecting Lance Mowbray, of Allenwood; I've come +instead." + +Davies would have preferred dealing with young Mowbray himself; this +substitute made him feel somewhat uneasy. After careful inquiries into +Mowbray's affairs, Davies did not expect to get the overdue interest. +What he wanted was to renew the loan at a higher rate as the price of +waiting. + +Harding got down to business at once. + +"Mowbray owes you some interest; I've come to pay it." + +Davies' eyes narrowed. + +"Rather a long and expensive journey, if that was all that brought you," +he said with a sneer. "A check would have done." + +"You seemed to think an interview needful; and I don't propose to bear +the cost," Harding answered quietly. "Anyway, now that I'm here I'll pay +up the principal, if we can come to terms." + +"There are no terms to be arranged. I'll settle the account on receipt +of the sum Mowbray borrowed and the interest." + +"I'll give you what he got," said Harding coolly. + +Davies pondered a moment. The offer had been a shock to him, for it +suggested that Mowbray had found a way of escape. That meant that his +hold on Allenwood would be weakened. Harding looked shrewd and +businesslike; there was little possibility of hoodwinking such a man. + +"Do you expect me to abandon my rights?" he asked. + +"I'm here to look after Mowbray's. You charged him what you call +expenses, which you didn't incur. Guess you'll have to prove them if you +take the case to court." + +"One has to make inquiries about the security when lending money." + +"As a matter of fact, you knew the security was bad. Mowbray told you +that his land was held in trust until he was twenty-one. What you traded +on was his fear of the deal coming to his people's knowledge. I guess +his brother gave you all the information you required." + +Davies' start indicated that the shot, made at a venture, had reached +its mark. He grew angry, but he quickly saw that this was no time to +lose his temper. + +"It's a pretty cool proposition you make," he said. + +"It's fair, and I don't press you to agree. Stick to your full claim, if +you like, and you'll get your interest on what you actually lent, but on +nothing more until payment of the principal is due. Then we'll give you +all the trouble we can. But your hold on the boy is gone now that you +know the money's ready." + +Davies was forced to recognize that his debtor had escaped him; and, as +it happened, he was pressed for money. + +"Well," he conceded, "it's a small matter, after all. I'll give you a +receipt if you'll put down the amount." + +"I'd rather my bank paid this; it keeps a record. Then I want Mowbray's +note as well as the receipt." + +Harding handed him a check, and Davies looked at it in surprise. + +"You have made another deduction!" + +"Certainly. You demanded an interview, and I've knocked off my fare to +Winnipeg. Now where's the note?" + +Davies produced it, and then looked at him with an ironical grin. + +"It's all straight, and I hope you're satisfied. A farmer, aren't you? +May I suggest that you have mistaken your profession?" + +Harding laughed good-naturedly as he pocketed the papers. + +"I don't know. My belief is that a farmer doesn't lose anything by +studying business methods." + +When they reached the street, Harding turned to Devine. + +"I've learned something I wanted to know," he said. "That fellow has a +mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's land. He's playing a deep game." + +"I don't see what he's getting after." + +"Allenwood. It's worth plotting for." + +"I guess he'd find the Colonel a pretty big obstacle. Anyway, it's not +our business." + +"No," Harding replied with a thoughtful air. "As far as I can see at +present, it's not my business.... Now we'll look up the steam-plow man." + +They found the implement dealer disengaged, and spent the afternoon in +his store before Harding, who insisted upon several variations in the +standard design, finally ordered a steam gang-plow. The agent was struck +by the aptness of many of Harding's suggestions about improvements, and +he invited the men to his hotel for the evening. When they parted he +frankly admitted that he had picked up some useful hints. He also +surmised that Harding had learned all that was worth knowing about new +machines. + +The two men left Winnipeg the next day, and Devine went to report to +Hester while Harding stopped at the Grange to see Lance. + +The boy greeted him eagerly, and his eyes glistened with relief when +Harding handed him the papers. + +"I'll square it off, every dollar, as soon as I can," he said. "In fact, +I feel so much about it that I can't express myself--if you'd been in my +place, you would understand. I see he didn't claim all my note called +for. How did you beat him down?" + +"I knew the man I had to deal with," Harding smiled. "What you have to +do is to keep clear of debt in future." + +"I've given you my word; but I can't get out of debt to you." Lance +looked at him with frank admiration. "You beat the fellow at his own +game!" he exclaimed. + +Harding held out his hand. + +"I must go now," he said; "I promised to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood. +We'll settle how you're to pay me the next time I come." + +Mrs. Mowbray was waiting for him in the hall below. + +"I want to thank you," she said to him. "I don't know what you have done +to my boy, but he is so very much better." + +Harding met the gaze she quietly fixed on him. He saw that she knew +there was some secret between him and her son, but had confidence enough +to ask no questions. + +"For one thing," he answered lightly, "I've given him some good advice, +which I think he'll act on." + +"He seems to have a respect for your judgment--and I feel he's not +mistaken." + +"That's very kind," said Harding. "I hope I shall be able to keep your +good opinion; though you may find it shaken by and by." + +Mrs. Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then laid her hand gently on his +arm. + +"You have helped my boy to get better and, whatever may happen, that +goes a long way," she said. + +When Harding left her he felt that in Mrs. Mowbray he would have a +staunch ally in his fight for Beatrice. + +He returned to the Grange one afternoon about a week later, and found +Beatrice alone. Lance, after his long confinement, had gone for his +first drive, and his mother had accompanied him to see that he kept the +robes properly wrapped about him. The Colonel and Gerald were at a +neighbor's. + +Beatrice gave him her hand cordially. + +"I am glad of this opportunity for seeing you alone, because there's +something I want to ask of you," she said. + +"I shall do anything I can to please you." + +"It's really something I want you not to do." + +"Ah!" Harding smiled. "That's often harder." + +They had entered a room which Beatrice and her mother used. It was not +large, and it was scantily furnished, but most of the articles it +contained, though worn and battered, were good. Curtains, rugs, and +chairs were of artistic design, and their faded coloring was harmonious. +By contrast with the rude prairie homesteads he had lived in, all that +Harding saw struck a note of luxurious refinement. What was more, the +room seemed somehow stamped with its occupants' character. Colonel +Mowbray, he knew, seldom entered it; it was the retreat of the two +delicate, high-bred women he admired. He felt it was a privilege to be +there. The unusual surroundings reacted upon him, and emphasized in a +curious way his companion's grace and charm. + +For a few moments after they were seated, Beatrice was silent, gazing +thoughtfully before her. Her hair shone where the light touched it, and +reminded Harding of the glitter of a prairie lake on a breezy, sunny +day; her face was in profile, its fine chiseling forced up by a faded +purple curtain behind her, which harmonized agreeably with the +straw-colored dress that fell about her figure in graceful lines. As it +happened, Beatrice was feeling somewhat embarrassed. She had a favor to +ask, and she shrank with unusual timidity from placing herself in the +man's debt. She believed that he had saved her brother's life and +afterward rendered him some valuable service; but he had done this of +his own accord, and it would be different were he to comply with her +request. + +"You have been urging some plans on Kenwyne and Broadwood," she began. + +"You have heard about that! However, they didn't need urging; they +agreed with me about the necessity for the thing." + +"It's possible." There was a touch of haughtiness in Beatrice's tone. +"Ralph Kenwyne has always been something of a revolutionary; and we know +where Broadwood gets his ideas." + +"From his wife? You can't expect me to condemn them. She was brought up +as I was and thinks as I do." + +Beatrice saw she was not beginning well and changed her ground. + +"After all, that's not an important point. I suppose you know my father +is bitterly opposed to your plans?" + +"I was afraid so. It's unfortunate." + +"Then can't you see that it would be better to give them up?" + +Harding felt disturbed but determined. He was keenly anxious to please +the girl, but to yield in this matter would be to act against his +principles. She did not know what she was asking. + +"No," he said; "I can't see that." + +"Do you consider it good taste to encourage our friends to thwart their +acknowledged leader?" + +"It looks bad, as you put it," Harding replied. "For all that, a +leader's business is to lead. He can't keep his followers standing still +when they want to move on. Their wishes must be respected. Despotic +authority's out of date." + +"What is the use of choosing a ruler if he isn't to be obeyed?" she said +haughtily. + +"It sounds logical," Harding replied; "but it doesn't always work." + +Beatrice was struggling hard with her wounded pride. Although on the +whole broadminded, she had inherited some of the convictions of her +caste; and, being the only daughter of the head of the settlement, she +had been treated with more deference by the men at Allenwood than was +perhaps good for her. It had cost her an effort to ask a favor from +Harding, but she had not doubted the result, and his refusal was a +shock. That the man who now proved obdurate had boldly shown his +admiration for her, made it worse. Yet, because she believed her cause +was good, she determined to disregard her injured feelings. + +"If you persist in your plans, it will hurt Colonel Mowbray, and lead to +dissention here," she argued. "Why must you try to bring in these +changes? We have done very well as we are." + +He rose and stood with his hand on a chair-back, looking steadily at +her; and she noticed with half-grudging approval the strength of his +figure and the resolution in his quiet, brown face. + +"The trouble is that you can't continue as you are. Allenwood's +threatened from outside, and I'm not sure it's safe within." + +"Is that your business?" + +The cold pride in her tone hurt, for it implied that she regarded him as +an intruding stranger. + +"In a way, yes; but we'll let that drop. If I could have pleased you by +giving up a personal advantage, I'd have gladly done so; but this is a +bigger thing. It isn't a matter of being content with a smaller crop; +it's letting land that was meant to be worked lie idle, wasting useful +effort, and trying to hold up a state of things that can't last. If I +give way, I'll be going back on all I believe in and betraying a trust." + +Beatrice laughed scornfully; and saw him wince. + +"I want you to understand what's behind this movement," he continued +gravely. "Your people can't keep Allenwood for a place of amusement much +longer, and some of those who see this have asked my help. I've +promised and I can't draw back. Besides, to break new soil and raise +good wheat where only the wild grasses grow is the work I was meant for; +the one thing worth while I'm able to do. I'd feel mean and ashamed if I +held off and let the waste go on." + +"Of course, it would be too great a sacrifice to make for a prejudiced +old man, who has nevertheless always placed the good of Allenwood first, +and an inexperienced, sentimental girl!" + +Harding flushed at the taunt. It was very hard to displease her, but he +would not be justified in giving way, and he thought that later, when +she understood better, she would not blame him for being firm. Moreover, +his temper was getting short. + +"That's neither kind nor fair," he said. "Separate or together, your +people and I must move on. We can't stand still, blocking the way, and +defying Nature and the ordered procession of things. This land was made +for the use of man, and he must pay with hard work for all it gives +him." + +"I am sorry you take that view; but there seems nothing further to be +said." She rose as she spoke. "I'm afraid it's impossible that we should +agree." + +He left at once, and drove home in a downcast mood. No doubt, he had +disappointed her badly. He had not even had the tact to make his refusal +graceful; she must think him an iconoclastic boor, driven by a rude +hatred of all that she respected. Still, he had tried to be honest; he +could not shirk the task he was clearly meant to do. The struggle, +however, had tried him hard, and he drove with set lips and knitted +brows across the great white waste, oblivious of the biting cold. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE CASTING VOTE + + +It was a bitter evening. The snow on the crests of the rises glittered +like steel; the hollows were sharply picked out in blue. The frost was +pitiless, and a strong breeze whipped up clouds of dry snow and drove +them in swirls across the plain. A half moon, harshly bright, hung low +above the western horizon, and the vast stretch of sky that domed in the +prairie was sprinkled with stars. + +Harding and Devine were on their way to attend a council meeting at the +Grange. Wrapped, as they were, in the thick driving-robe, with their fur +caps pulled well down, they could not keep warm. The cold of the icy +haze seemed to sear the skin. Harding's woolen-mittened hand was numbed +on the reins, and he feared that it was getting frostbitten. + +"It's fierce to-night," Devine remarked. "Do you think there'll be a +good turn-out of the Allenwood boys?" + +"The cold won't stop them. I expect the Colonel has sent round to whip +them up." + +"I guess you're right. Do you know, now that I've met one or two of them +I see something in you and Hester that's in them. Can't tell you what it +is, but it's there, and it was plainer in your father. What are they +like when you get to know them?" + +"Much the same as the rest of us." + +"The rest of us! Then you don't claim to be different from the general +prairie crowd?" + +Harding frowned. + +"I suppose I wouldn't mind being thought the best farmer in the +district," he said; "but that's all the distinction I care about." + +"You'll get that easy enough. You've gone ahead fast, Craig, and you're +going farther; but you may have some trouble on the way. When a man +breaks a new trail for himself and leaves other men behind, it doesn't +make them fond of him." + +"Oh, I have no delusions on that point. To attain success, one cannot +hope to travel a balmy road." + +"Why do you want to rope in the Allenwood boys?" Devine asked curiously. + +"The reason's plain. You and I might make the steam-plow pay, but the +price is high, and we can't do much more alone. If you want the best +economy in farming, you must have cooperation. It's easier to buy +expensive tools if you divide the cost." + +"I see that. But have you no other reason? You don't feel that you'd +like to make friends with these people and, so to speak, have them +acknowledge you?" + +"No," said Harding firmly. Since his talk with Beatrice he had felt a +curious antagonism to the whole Allenwood settlement. + +It was too cold to talk much, and the men drove on in silence until the +lights of the Grange twinkled out across the plain. Ten minutes later +they entered the big hall, and Harding cast a quick glance about. He +noticed the clusters of wheat-ears and the big moose-heads on the wall, +the curious Eastern weapons and the English sporting guns that +glistened beneath them, and the fine timbering of the pointed roof. He +did not think there was another homestead to compare with this between +Winnipeg and the valleys of British Columbia; but it was the company +that seized his attention. It looked as if every man in the settlement +were present; and they were worth the glance he gave them. Dressed with +picturesque freedom, they were, for the most part, handsome men, with +powerful frames and pleasant, brown faces. Harding knew they had +courage and intelligence, yet he felt that there was something +lacking--something hard to define. He thought of them as without the +striving spirit; as too content. + +One or two gave him a welcoming smile, and there was a slight general +movement when he sat down. Mowbray, however, looked up with some +surprise from the head of the long table. + +"After certain favors Mr. Harding has done me, it would be singularly +inappropriate if I questioned his coming here as my guest. On the other +hand, the presence of any outside person at our council is irregular." + +"May I explain?" Kenwyne said. "Mr. Harding and his partner came by my +invitation to give us some information about matters of which he knows +more than any one else. They will, of course, take no other part in the +proceedings." + +Mowbray bowed. "I am satisfied. Mr. Harding will understand that a +president must show due regard to form." + +His manner was courteous, yet Harding was conscious of a subtle +antagonism between them. To some extent, it was personal, but its roots +struck deeper; it was the inevitable hostility between the old school +and the new. Mowbray was a worthy representative of the former. +Fastidiously neat in his dress, though his clothes were by no means of +the latest cut, and sitting very upright, he had an air of dignity and +command. He might be prejudiced, but it was obvious that he was neither +dull nor weak. + +"We have," he said, taking up a paper, "a motion of some importance +before us. It is proposed that we consider the advisability of +cooperating with Messrs. Harding and Devine: first, in the purchase and +use of a steam-plow; second, in the organization of a joint creamery; +and, third, in opening a sales office in Winnipeg or other convenient +center for the disposal of stock and general produce." + +Putting down the paper he looked round with an ironical smile. + +"You will observe that the scheme is by no means modest; indeed, it +strikes me as the most revolutionary project that has ever been +suggested in this place. It is nevertheless my duty to ask those +responsible for it to say what they can in its favor." + +Kenwyne rose with a composed expression. + +"Briefly, the advantages are these. With mechanical power we can plow +more land than at present and at a reduced cost." + +"That is far from certain," Mowbray declared. "We cannot take it for +granted. These machines go wrong." + +"With your permission, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures +later. We are missing opportunities by being content with rearing only a +limited number of beef cattle. Winnipeg and Brandon are growing fast; +new towns are springing up along the railroad, and there will soon be a +demand for dairy produce that will counterbalance the rather frequent +loss of a wheat crop." + +"It will mean more paid hands and working all the land," some one +objected. + +"Exactly. I may add that this is our aim. The land must be developed." + +There was a murmur of disapproval, but Kenwyne went on. + +"Then there is reason to believe that we seldom obtain the prices we +ought to get. Stockbuyers' profits and salesmen's charges are high, and +we can't expect these gentry to look after _our_ interests. We could +best secure these by setting up an agency of our own, and hiring trained +assistance. I'm afraid we cannot claim to be successful business men." + +"If that claim is ever justified, you will have to choose another +leader," Mowbray remarked. "This settlement was not founded with the +object of making money. Now, Broadwood!" + +Broadwood rose with a smile. + +"We must all agree, sir, that there's not much danger of the object you +mention being realized. No doubt, there are some to whom this doesn't +matter, but the rest are confronted with the necessity for making a +living, and I suspect that one or two have the trouble I've experienced +in paying my storekeepers' bills." + +"Don't be personal!" some one called out. + +"That strikes me as foolish," Broadwood retorted. "One can't help being +personal. We all know one another; we use one another's horses and +borrow one another's cash; and it's the necessity for doing the latter +that I wish to obviate. We all know our neighbors' needs, and I want to +show you how they can be supplied." + +He had struck the right note with his easy humor; but Harding saw that +Mowbray was not pleased. + +"_You_ don't need much," one cried amid laughter. "You got a bumper +harvest, and cut down your subscription to the hounds." + +Broadwood smiled. + +"I came out of the rut and worked. A rash experiment, perhaps, but it +didn't prove so harrowing as I feared; and there's some satisfaction in +having no debts. But my point is that you can't do much without proper +implements, and I feel that we'll have to get them. The proposal I've +the pleasure of seconding, shows you how." + +He sat down, and Mowbray looked up with a sarcastic smile. + +"Broadwood's remarks don't take us much farther; he seems careful to +avoid practical details. Now the first thing I notice about this scheme +is that it is founded on combination. Its proposers are right in +assuming the necessity for this, if their purpose is to secure +economical success; but such success can be bought at too high a price. +Carry the cooperative idea out to its logical conclusion, and a man +becomes a machine. He must subordinate his private judgment, he cannot +choose his course, all his movements must be regulated by central +control. Then you may get efficiency, but you destroy character, +independence, personal responsibility, all the finest attributes of +human nature. You may object that I am exaggerating; that nobody wants +this. The danger is that if you decide to go some distance, you may be +driven farther than you think. Then, Allenwood was founded to encourage +individual liberty--that settlers here might live a healthy life, free +from economic pressure; on their own land, farming it like gentlemen, +and not with bitter greed; enjoying the wind and sunshine, finding +healthy sport. We demand a high standard of conduct, but that is all. We +are bound to one another by community of ideals and traditions, and not +by the hope of dividends." + +There was an outbreak of applause; then Kenwyne rose. + +"The difficulty is that to lead our own lives, regardless of changing +times and in defiance of commercial principles, needs larger means than +most of us possess. The plain truth is that Allenwood has been living +upon its capital, drawing upon resources that cannot be renewed, and we +must presently face the reckoning. Some of us see this clearly, and I +think the rest are beginning to understand. If you have no objections, +sir, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures." + +Harding got up and stood silent for a moment or two, conscious that all +present were watching him. He felt that they were keeping the ring, and +that the affair had developed into a fight between himself and Mowbray. +Harding regretted this, because the Colonel's hostility would make the +secret hope he cherished very difficult to realize; but he could not act +against his convictions. He stood for progress--blundering progress, +perhaps--and Mowbray for the preservation of obsolete ways and means; +the conflict was inevitable. Harding might lose the first round, but he +knew that the result was certain. Vast, insuperable forces were arrayed +against his antagonist. + +"To begin with, what do you expect to gain by persuading us to join +you?" Mowbray asked. + +"A saving of expense and the help of the only neighbors I have at +present," Harding answered. "My partner and I are ready to go on alone, +but we can't hope to do much unassisted." + +Opening the papers he had brought, he read out particulars of the cost +of plowing by horses and by steam; then statistics of American and +Canadian grain production and the fluctuations of prices. + +"Where did you get the figures about the mechanical plowing?" Mowbray +asked in an ironical tone. "From the makers?" + +"In the first place. I afterward checked them by information from +farmers who have used the machines." + +"Very wise! These implements are expensive. Can you guarantee that they +will work satisfactorily?" + +"That would be rash. I expect a certain amount of trouble." + +"Skilled mechanics' wages are high. Do you recommend our keeping a man +here in case things go wrong?" + +"Certainly not! If you buy a steam-plow, you must learn to keep it in +order." + +Broadwood, picturing the Colonel sprawled under an oily engine, battling +with obstinate bolts, laughed aloud. + +Mowbray frowned. + +"Granting the accuracy of your statistics," he said, "you seem to have +proved the economy of mechanical power, when used on a large scale. But +we are not agreed upon the necessity for such a thing." + +This was the opening Harding had waited for and he seized it quickly. + +"At present wheat is your mainstay. How many of you will find it +profitable to grow at the current price?" + +"Not many, perhaps," Mowbray admitted; and the disturbed expression of +others bore out the statement. "But is there adequate ground for +concluding it will remain at an abnormally low price?" + +"It will not remain there. For the next few years it will go down +steadily." + +There was a murmur of disagreement; and Mowbray smiled. + +"I presume you are willing to justify this gloomy forecast?" he said. + +"I'll try," answered Harding. "You have seen what one railroad has done +for Western Canada. It has opened up the country, brought wide tracts of +land into cultivation, and largely increased the wheat crop. That +increase will go on, and you will presently see rival lines tapping new +belts of fertile soil." + +"But do you imply that the grain output of Western Canada can force down +prices?" a man asked with a scornful laugh. "We have all Europe for a +market. I imagine they'll use what we can send them in a few big English +towns." + +It was obvious that the question met with approval, and Harding quietly +searched the faces turned toward him. He belonged by right of birth to +these men's caste, but he did not want them to own him. He asked their +help, but he could do without it, though they could not dispense with +his. Their supineness irritated him; they would not see the truth that +was luminously clear. He felt a strange compulsion to rouse and dominate +them. + +"The Canadian output will soon have to be reckoned with," he said. "In +the meantime, it's the effect of a general expansion throughout the +world that I'm counting on. What has been done in Canada is being done +everywhere. Look abroad and see! The American middle West linked up with +new railroads, grain pouring out to New York and Baltimore; Californian +wheat shipments doubling, and the Walla country in Oregon all one grain +belt. They're tapping new soil in Argentina; Australia and Chile are +being exploited wherever they get rain; and British irrigation works in +Egypt and India will have their effect." + +Gerald Mowbray spoke for the first time. + +"One feels tempted to inquire where Mr. Harding secured this mass of +information?" he said, with a slight curl of his lips. + +"You can get a good deal for a few dollars' subscription to New York +papers," Harding answered dryly. "When the snow's deep, men with no +amusements have time to read. But that's beside the question. I must now +ask you to consider the improvement in transport. Locomotives are +doubling their size and power; you have seen the new grain cars. The +triple-expansion engine is cutting down ocean freight, making distance +of no account. All countries must compete in the world's markets with +the cheapest grower. To survive in the struggle that's coming, one must +use efficient tools." + +"And what will happen after the markets have been flooded?" a man asked +derisively. + +"Then," said Harding gravely, "when the slack and careless have been +killed off there will be a startling change. The farming expansion can't +last; there's not enough accessible virgin land to draw upon. American +shipments will fall off; the demands of the world's growing population +will overtake the supply. Those who live through the fight will find +riches thrust upon them." + +"We are losing sight of the general produce and dairy scheme," Mowbray +remarked. "Have you anything to tell us on this point?" + +"Not much. Winnipeg is growing, so is Brandon, and they'll provide good +markets for farming truck; but the country that will ask for most is +British Columbia." + +"Rather a long way off!" somebody commented. + +"Wait and see," said Harding. "They're opening new mines and sawmills +all over the province; Columbia's aim is industrial, not agricultural, +and most of the land there is rock and forest. They're cut off from the +Pacific States by the tariff, and naturally they'll turn to us across +the Rockies. I foresee our sending general produce west instead of east. +Now, although I've taken up too much time, will you give me a minute to +read some figures?" + +He paused, and with an almost involuntary burst of applause they bade +him go on. The statistics he gave were telling, clinching his arguments, +and when he sat down there was a deep murmur of approval from opponents +as well as friends. The breadth of his views and his far-reaching +knowledge appealed to them. It was the first time they had heard +anything like this at Allenwood. + +After waiting a few moments for silence, Mowbray turned to Devine. + +"Have you anything of interest to tell us?" + +"Well," Devine said with simple earnestness, "I was raised at a prairie +homestead. I began to drive horses soon after I could walk, and ever +since I've been living on the soil. That's how I know that in the long +run scratch-farming will never pay. With Nature up against us, we can +take no chances when we break new land, for she's mighty hard to beat, +with her dry seasons, harvest frost, blight, and blowing sand. We've got +to use the best of everything man can invent and, if we're to stand for +a run of bad times, get the last cent's value for every dollar. Any +machine that won't give you the top output must be scrapped: you must +get your full return for your labor. Slouching and inefficiency lead you +straight into the hands of the mortgage man." + +When he sat down, Mowbray smiled. + +"Our visitors have certainly given us food for thought," the Colonel +said. "I offer them our thanks, and should now be glad to hear any fresh +opinions." + +Several men spoke; some with warmth and some with careless humor. + +"As we don't get much further, we will take a vote," Mowbray suggested. +"I will move the resolution as it stands. Though this has not been our +usual custom, you are entitled to a ballot." + +There was silence for a moment. Mowbray's views were known, and the men +shrank from wounding him, for he did not bear opposition well. For all +that, with a fastidious sense of honor, they disdained the shield of +the secret vote. + +"I think we will stick to the show of hands," Kenwyne replied. + +"Very well," said Mowbray. "For the motion!" + +Harding, glancing round the room, was surprised and somewhat moved to +notice that Lance's hand went up among the rest. The boy had voted +against his father. So far as Harding could judge, half the men were in +favor of the scheme. + +"Against the motion!" + +The hands were raised, and Mowbray counted them with care. + +"Equal, for and against," he announced. "I have a casting vote, and I +think the importance of the matter justifies my using it. I declare the +motion lost." + +There was an impressive silence for a few moments; then Broadwood spoke. + +"Although we have decided against going on with the scheme, as a body, I +take it there is nothing to prevent any individuals who wish to do so +joining in Mr. Harding's venture?" + +"I must leave you to decide how far such action is in good taste, or +likely to promote the harmony which has been the rule at Allenwood. Now +I think we can close the meeting." + +When the company dispersed, Harding, Devine, and Broadwood drove home +with Kenwyne. The Scotch housekeeper opened the door for them, and +handed Kenwyne the mail which had been brought in his absence. He tore +open a newspaper and turned to the quotations. + +"Wheat down sixpence a quarter at Liverpool," he said. "It will have +its effect in Chicago and Winnipeg." He dropped the paper and took off +his fur coat. "I suppose you're going on with the plan, Harding?" + +"The plow's ordered." + +"You're a hustler," Broadwood laughed; "but you mustn't make the pace +too hot. We've been used to going steady. What did you think of the +meeting?" + +"It went better than I expected." + +"We'd have had a majority only that they were afraid of the Colonel; and +I don't blame them. In a way, he made a rather pathetic figure, trying +to sweep back the tide. The old man has courage; it's a pity he won't +see that his is a lost cause." + +"He can't," said Kenwyne gravely; "and we must realize that." + +"Then are you going to let him ruin you?" Devine asked. + +"I hope not; but we all feel that we can't disown our leader," Broadwood +answered. "I dare say you can understand that we have a hard row to +hoe." + +"Well, the creamery scheme will have to be dropped," Kenwyne said; "but +there'll be plenty of work for the new plow." + +"Yes," Harding replied. "If all the rest stand out, Devine and I can +keep it busy." + +"How much land do you intend to break?" + +Harding told him, and Kenwyne looked astonished. + +"You're a bold man. If it's not an impertinence, can you finance the +thing?" + +"It will take every dollar I have." + +"And if you lose? The spring rains are sometimes hard enough to uproot +the young blades; or a summer hailstorm or drought may come and ruin the +crop." + +Harding shrugged his shoulder. + +"Those things must be considered, of course. But one never gets very far +by standing still and waiting for a disaster that may never occur. +'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,'" he quoted with a smile. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE STEAM PLOW + + +The winter passed quickly. Harding was kept fully occupied; for there +was cordwood to be cut, there were building logs to be got ready, and +the fitting up of the new house kept him busy at his carpenter's bench. +He was used to the prairie climate, and he set off cheerfully at dawn to +work in the snow all day, returning at dark, half-frozen and stiff from +swinging the heavy ax. Now and then he drove Hester to Mrs. Broadwood's, +or spent an evening with one or two others of the Allenwood settlers. He +went partly for his sister's sake, but also because he sometimes met +Beatrice at his new friends' houses, and since Lance had recovered he no +longer had an excuse for visiting the Grange. Mrs. Mowbray had always +been gracious, but he knew that the Colonel now regarded him as a +dangerous person. + +Beatrice's manner puzzled him. As a rule, she was friendly, yet he could +not flatter himself that he was making much progress, and sometimes she +was distinctly aloof. He might have placed a favorable interpretation +upon her reserve, but unfortunately it was tinged with what looked very +much like hostility. Harding imagined that she was influenced by her +father; and he was troubled. + +There were, however, days when his homestead rocked beneath the icy +blast, while the snow lashed the ship-lap walls, and to venture out +involved serious risk. The blizzards were often followed by bitter +evenings when the prairie lay white and silent in the Arctic frost, and +no furs would protect one against the cold. At such times, Harding sat +quietly by the red-hot stove, sometimes with a notebook in his hand, and +sometimes merely thinking hard. Many barriers stood between him and the +girl he loved, and, being essentially practical, he considered how he +could remove the worst. Beatrice had been luxuriously brought up, and he +must have material advantages to offer her; although if she were what he +believed, she would not attach undue importance to them. He was +ambitious and generally ready to take a risk, but now he was staking his +all on an abundant crop. It could not be done rashly. Adverse +contingencies must be foreseen and guarded against; all the precautions +that experience dictated must be taken. He would be ruined if he lost. + +The days were lengthening, though the frost still held, when his +steam-plow arrived at the railroad settlement. No one seemed willing to +undertake its transport to Allenwood; and when a thing was extremely +difficult Harding believed in doing it himself. The machine had been +dismantled, but some of the engine-castings were massive, and the +boiler, with its large, wood-burning firebox was of considerable weight. +It must, however, be moved at once, because the frost might break, and +the prairie is impassable by loaded vehicles for a few weeks after the +thaw. As a rule, the snowfall is light on the Western plains, and +jumper-sleds are not in general use. In this instance Harding found the +long, high-wheeled wagon suit his purpose best, and he carefully +strengthened one before he set off to bring home the plow. + +It was not an easy task. The high plain sloped to the railroad in +wave-like undulations, with sandy crests and timber in the hollows. In +summer, it would hardly have been possible to haul the plow across this +belt of broken country, but the few inches of beaten snow on the trail +simplified the task. For all that, Harding spent several days on the +road, moving the machine in detachments, until he came to the boiler, +which must be handled in one piece. When, with the help of several +train-men, he got it into his wagon, he knew his troubles had begun. + +Leaving the settlement at dawn with Devine, they camped at sunset by a +frozen creek and got a few hours' sleep beside a fire until the cold +awakened them. After this, Harding lay thinking over the next day's work +until the sky began to whiten in the east, and it was time to get +breakfast. + +They set off in the stinging cold while the crimson sunrise glared +across the snow, but it was afternoon and the teams were worn out when +they approached the ravine a few miles from home. This, they knew, +presented their greatest obstacle. The frost held, sky and air were +clear, and a nipping wind had risen. As they drew near the wavy line of +trees that marked the edge of the dip, Harding was not pleased to notice +a group of people. He had arranged for two of the Allenwood men to meet +him with some tackle, but he saw that Hester, Beatrice, Mrs. Broadwood, +and several more had accompanied them. He was not often self-conscious, +but when he had anything difficult to do he did not like onlookers. They +embarrassed him. + +For all that, he felt a keen thrill of pleasure when Beatrice, with Mrs. +Broadwood, came toward him when he stopped his team on the edge of the +hollow. The sides of the ravine were clothed with leafless poplars, and +the snow shone a soft gray-blue in their shadow. In places, the slope +was very steep, and the trail, with several awkward bends, ran down +diagonally to the bridge at the bottom, shut in by rows of slender +trunks except where the ground fell away on its outer edge. A thin cloud +of steam hung over the jaded horses. Except for the sparkle in his eyes, +Harding had a very tired look when Beatrice stopped beside him. + +"It will not be easy getting down," she said. + +Harding smiled. + +"I suppose I deserve some trouble?" + +"I really think you do," Beatrice answered with a laugh. "I would have +stopped you if I could; but now the plow's here, it's too late to be +disagreeable about it--so I don't wish you any difficulty in getting +down!" + +"It's a sensible attitude. Fight against a thing you don't like, but +make the best of it when it's an accomplished fact." + +"I don't like steam-plows at Allenwood," said Beatrice with a flush of +color. + +"Allenwood is hifalutin," Mrs. Broadwood put in. "They're trying to run +it on ideals." + +"Is it necessary to separate ideals from practical efficiency?" Harding +asked. + +"They don't often go together," Beatrice answered scornfully. + +"There's some truth in that. But it's the fault of human nature; you +can't blame the machines." + +"The machines are to be admired," the girl returned. "One blames the men +who use them with the wrong object." + +Harding smiled; but before he could answer, Broadwood came up with +Kenwyne to announce that everything was ready. + +"You'll have to be careful," he warned Harding. "We'll lock the back +wheels before we hook on the tackles. Will you let the front team +loose?" + +"No; I may want them to swing me round the bends. First of all, I'll +take a look at what you've done." + +He walked down the trail with them and examined the fastenings of a big +iron block through which ran a wire rope with a tackle at one end. + +"The clevis is rather small, but it's the strongest I could find," +Kenwyne said. + +A little farther on they stopped where the bank fell nearly +perpendicularly for some distance below the outer edge of the road. + +"We banked the snow up here and beat it firm," he pointed out. "For all +that, it would be wise to keep well to the inside." + +"We'll shift the tackle when I get to the bend above," Harding replied, +and went down to the bridge. It was rudely built of logs and had no +parapet. + +"I found the turn awkward the last time, but I see you have made it a +bit easier," he said. "Well, we'd better make a start." + +Lance and one or two others joined them when they reached the top. +Harding examined the wagon and harness, and Beatrice watched him with +interest. He certainly lived up to his belief in efficiency, because she +did not think he omitted any precaution he could have taken. There was +something to admire in him as he quietly moved about beside the horses +and the ponderous mass of iron. It would not be an easy matter to +transport the load to the bottom of the gorge, but Beatrice felt that he +was at his best when confronting a difficulty. + +"The locked wheels won't hold her if anything goes wrong," he said. +"Keep all the strain you can upon the rope." + +They hooked it to the back axle, and Harding cautiously led the team +down the incline while Devine went to the leading horses' heads, and the +others checked the wagon with the tackle. The teams were obviously +nervous, and the pole-horses now and then lifted their haunches to hold +back the load, although they did not feel much of its weight. After some +trouble Harding got the wagon round the first turning, taking the +leaders up the side of the ravine in order to do so; but the trail ahead +was steeper, and the big drop not far below. They chocked the wheels +with logs while they moved the tackle, and Harding stood for a few +moments, breathing heavily, as he looked down into the gorge. He could +see the snowy trail wind for a short distance among the trees, and then +it dipped out of sight beyond a turn. It was beaten hard, and here and +there its surface caught a ray of light and flashed with an icy gleam. +They were half-way down; but the worst was to come. + +"It's an ugly bit," he cautioned Devine. "Hold the leaders in to the +side of the hill." + +They started, and as the weight came upon them the blocks screamed, and +the men began to strain against the drag of the rope. Foot by foot they +let it slip round the smooth trunk of a tree, while the women stood +watching the tall figure at the pole-horses' heads. The powerful animals +braced themselves back, slipping a yard or two now and then, while +Harding broke into a run. The cloud of steam that hung over them grew +thicker as the trees closed in; the tackle was running out and those who +held it were panting hard, but they had rope enough to reach the next +bend. + +Then there was a crash and Kenwyne, reeling backward with those behind +him, fell heavily into the snow while the broken wire struck the trees. +A shout from Devine came up the hollow, and Hester clenched her hand as +she saw him flung off by a plunging horse and roll down the trail. He +dropped over the edge, but the wagon, lurching violently, went on, and +for a few moments Harding, running fast, clung to the near horse's head. +Then he let go; but instead of jumping clear, as the watchers had +expected, he grasped the side of the wagon as it passed and swung +himself up. They saw him seize the reins, standing upright behind the +driving-seat; and then the wagon plunged out of sight among the trees. + +Devine, scrambling to his feet, ran madly after it and vanished; and the +men who had held the tackle picked themselves up and looked down in +dismay. There was nothing they could do. The disaster must happen before +they could possibly reach the scene. It seemed impossible that Harding +could get round the next turn. + +Beatrice cast a quick glance at Hester, and felt braced by her attitude. +They were not emotional at Allenwood; but the prairie girl bore herself +with a stoic calm which Beatrice had never seen equaled there. Her +fiancé had narrowly escaped with his life, her brother was in imminent +peril, yet her eyes were steady and her pose was firm. His danger could +not be made light of, but the girl evidently had confidence in him. +Beatrice imagined that Hester had her brother's swiftness of action, +nevertheless she could wait and suffer calmly when there was nothing +else to be done. After all, stern courage was part of the girl's +birthright, for she was a daughter of the pioneers. + +Beatrice did not know that her own face was tense and white. The +accident had been unexpected and unnerving. She was shaken by its +suddenness and by a dread she could not explain: it was no time for +analysis of feelings. She was watching the trail with desperate +concentration, wondering whether the wagon and its reckless driver would +break out from the trees. In a moment they did appear--the team going +downhill at a mad gallop, Harding lashing them with a loop of the reins. +There is not often a brake on a prairie wagon, and as the chain that +locked the wheels had obviously broken, Harding's intention was plain. +He meant to keep the horses ahead of the iron load that would overturn +the wagon and mangle the animals if it overtook them. This warranted his +furious speed. But the trail was narrow and tortuous, and with the heavy +weight spread over a long wheel-base, the wagon was hard to steer. +Beatrice realized this, but in spite of her horror she felt a thrill of +fierce approval. + +The man was standing upright now; he looked strangely unmoved. Beatrice +supposed this was a delusion; but she could see the nerve and judgment +with which he guided the team. They were passing the spot where the bank +fell away. The wheels on one side were on its edge. Beatrice turned +dizzy. She felt that they must go over, and man and horses and wagon be +crushed to pulp beneath the heavy load. They passed; but there was a +turn not far off, and room was needed to take the curve. As they rushed +on, half hidden by the trees, she felt her breath come hard and a +contraction in her throat as she wondered whether he could get round. If +not, the load of iron would rush headlong over the fallen horses, +leaving in its path a mass of mangled flesh and pools of blood. To her +excited imagination, the boiler was no longer a senseless thing. It +seemed filled with malevolent, destructive power; she felt she hated it. + +There was a tense moment; then the leading horses plunged from the trees +with the pole-team behind them, all still on their feet. Harding had +somehow steered them round. But the danger was not yet over, for the +trail shelved to one side and there was an awkward curve near the +bridge. The wagon seemed to Beatrice to be going like the toboggans she +had seen on the long slide at Montreal. It was more difficult to see as +it got farther off and the trees were thicker. Her eyes filled with +water from the intensity of her gaze, and she feared to waste a moment +in wiping them. Something terrible might happen before she could see +again. She wanted to shriek; and she might have done so only that, even +in such a moment, she remembered what was expected of the Mowbray +strain. Horses and wagon were still rushing on. Then there was a thud +and a harsh rattle: Harding was on the bridge. Another moment and the +mad beat of hoofs slackened and stopped. + +Lance, waving his fur cap, broke into a harsh, triumphant yell, and the +rest of the Allenwood men set up a cheer. In the midst of it Devine +appeared, scrambling up the hill through the brush. + +"He's done it! He's done it!" he cried excitedly, running up to Hester. +"It's great! She was going like an express freight on a downgrade when +he jumped up." + +Hester smiled at him proudly, and he turned and started off at top speed +down the trail. They all followed, and, crossing the bridge, found +Harding standing by his blowing team. The horses' coats were foul with +sweat, and Harding's face was badly scratched, but he did not seem to +know it, and except that he was breathless he looked much as usual. + +"This is quite ridiculous!" Mrs. Broadwood panted, with a keen glance at +Beatrice. "There's some excuse for Hester, but I can't see why you and I +should go running after a man who doesn't belong to either of us and +seems to feel a good deal cooler than we do!" + +Beatrice flushed, but she did not answer. + +"You were lucky in getting down," Kenwyne said to Harding. "We thought +you were going over the bank." + +"So did I, at first," Harding answered. + +Broadwood and Lance made some remarks about the accident, and Hester +watched them with a smile. There was a hint of strain in their voices, +but their manner was very matter-of-fact. She surmised that they wished +to forget their relapse into emotional excitement. She contented herself +with giving her brother a quick, expressive look. + +Harding unhooked the broken wire from the back of the wagon. + +"Well," he said, "we must set about getting up." + +The ascending trail had a gentler slope, and there was not much risk in +climbing it; though it cost them heavy labor. With the help of a yoke of +oxen, they got the wagon up, and when the top was reached Kenwyne came +up to Harding. + +"You and Devine have done enough," he said. "There should be no trouble +now. We'll lead the teams home while you take it easy." + +Harding was glad to comply. He followed with Hester and Mrs. Broadwood, +because Beatrice seemed so evidently trying to avoid him. + +The girl felt disturbed. When she thought that Harding could not escape, +a curious sense of personal loss had intensified her alarm. Terror, of +course, was natural; the other feeling was not to be explained so +readily. Although she disliked some of his opinions, she knew that he +attracted her. His was a magnetic nature: he exerted a strong influence +over every one; but she would not admit that she was in love with him. +That would be absurd. And yet she had been deeply stirred by his danger. + +Lance and Devine had lingered in the rear, and the little group stopped +in the middle of the trail and waited for them. Then, when they moved +forward again, Beatrice and Harding were somehow thrown together, and +she checked the impulse to overtake the others when she saw that she and +the prairie man were falling behind. To avoid being alone with him would +exaggerate his importance. + +"You must have known you were doing a dangerous thing when you got up on +the wagon," she said. + +"I suppose I did," he replied. "But I saw that I might lose the boiler +if it went down the bank. The thing cost a good deal of money." + +"You were able to remember that?" + +"Certainly! Then there were the teams. It would have been a pity to let +them be killed." + +Beatrice thought he might have offered a better explanation. He had +implied that anxiety about the boiler had influenced him more than +regard for his horses. She felt that she must give him an opportunity +for defending himself. + +"I wonder which consideration counted most?" + +He looked at her with amusement; and she flushed as she suddenly +recalled that he was sometimes very shrewd. + +"Well," he said, "the main thing was to get hold of the reins--and I +don't know that it matters now." + +"I suppose not," Beatrice agreed, vexed that he did not seem anxious to +make the best impression. "After all, breaking land on a large scale +must be expensive, and I understand that your plans are ambitious." + +Harding glanced across the prairie: it ran back to the blue smear of +trees on the horizon, covered with thin snow, and struck a note of utter +desolation. + +"Yes," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "All this looks lifeless and +useless now, but I can see it belted with wheat and oats and flax in the +fall. There will be a difference when the binders move through the grain +in rows." + +"In rows!" + +"We'll want a number, if all goes well. Devine's land follows my +boundary, and we must drive our plows in one straight line. We begin at +the rise yonder and run east to the creek." + +The boldness of the undertaking appealed to the girl as she glanced +across the wide stretch of snow. + +"It's a big thing," she said. + +"A beginning. Two men can't do much, but more are coming. In a year or +two the wheat will run as far as you can see, and there'll be homesteads +all along the skyline." + +They walked on in silence for a moment; then he gave her an amused +glance. + +"I guess Colonel Mowbray doesn't like what I'm doing?" + +"He doesn't go so far. It's to what you are persuading our friends to do +that he objects." + +"That's a pity. They'll have to follow--not because I lead, but because +necessity drives." + +"You're taking it for granted that it does drive; and you must see my +father's point of view." + +"That I'm encouraging your people to rebel? That's not my wish, but he +can't hold them much longer--the drift of things is against him." + +Beatrice's eyes sparkled. He thought she looked very charming with her +proud air and the color in her face; but he must keep his head. He was +readjusting his opinions about sudden, mutual love, and he saw that +precipitation might cost him too much. If he could not have the girl on +his own terms, he must take her on hers. + +"Colonel Mowbray founded the settlement," Beatrice said, "and it has +prospered. Can't you understand his feelings when he sees his control +threatened?" + +"The time when one man could hold full command has gone. He can be a +moral influence and keep the right spirit in his people, but he must +leave them freedom of action." + +"That is just the trouble! It's the modern spirit which you are bringing +into the settlement that disturbs us. We managed to get along very well +before we ever heard of Mr. Harding and his steam-plow and his +wheat-binders and his creameries." + +She could not keep the slight scorn out of her voice; indeed, she did +not wish to do so. But he took it good-naturedly. + +"Do you know what I see?" he questioned with a smile. "A time when +Colonel Mowbray--and Colonel Mowbray's daughter," he added +teasingly--"will look with pride upon the vast acres of Allenwood turned +from waste grassland into productive fields of wheat and oats and flax; +when the obsolete horse-plow will be scrapped as old iron and the now +despised steam-plow will be a highly treasured possession of every +settler; when----" + +"Never!" Beatrice interrupted emphatically. "You must understand that my +father's views and yours are as widely different as the poles--and my +father is the head of Allenwood!" + +Harding looked down at the haughty face turned up to him; and a great +longing suddenly surged through him. He had never desired her more than +at that instant. His admiration showed so strongly in his eyes that the +blood swept into Beatrice's face. + +"Bee!" Lance called back to them. "Mrs. Broadwood wants you to verify +what I'm telling her about the collie pup." + +Beatrice loved her brother for the interruption. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE ENEMY WITHIN + + +It was getting late, but the Allenwood Sports Club prolonged its sitting +at the Carlyon homestead. The institution had done useful work in +promoting good fellowship by means of healthful amusements, but recently +its management had fallen into the hands of the younger men, and the +founders contented themselves with an occasional visit to see that all +was going well. Some, however, were not quite satisfied, and Mowbray +entertained suspicions about the Club. He was an autocrat, but he shrank +from spying, or attempting to coerce a member into betraying his +comrades. Some allowance must be made for young blood; and, after all, +nothing that really needed his interference could go on, he felt, +without his learning about it. Nevertheless, he had a disturbing feeling +that an undesirable influence was at work. + +Carlyon's room was unusually well furnished, and several fine London +guns occupied a rack on the matchboarded wall. The cost of one would +have purchased a dozen of the Massachusetts-made weapons which the +prairie farmers used. The photograph of a horseman in English hunting +dress with M.F.H. appended to the autograph was equally suggestive, and +it was known that Carlyon's people had sent him to Canada with money +enough to make a fair start. Unfortunately, he had not realized that +success in farming demands care and strenuous work. + +He sat with a flushed, excited face at a rosewood table, upon which the +cigar ends, bottles, and glasses scarcely left room for the cards he was +eagerly scanning. Gerald Mowbray leaned back in his chair, watching him +with a smile. Emslie, the third man, wore a disturbed frown; opposite +him, Markham sat with a heavy, vacant air. + +"Your luck's changing, Carlyon," Gerald said; "but we must stop at this +round. Markham's half asleep--and I'm not surprised, considering what +he's drunk; and the Colonel will wonder where I've been, if I stay much +longer." + +Carlyon drained his glass. + +"Very well," he consented, with a harsh laugh and a glitter in his eyes. +"As I've a good deal to get back, I'll double and throw my Percheron +team in. Does that take you?" + +Markham immediately became alert. + +"I think not. Go on, Gerald!" + +Gerald put down a card, Emslie followed with a deepening frown, but +Markham chuckled as he played. Carlyon started, and then with an obvious +effort pulled himself together. For the next few moments all were quiet, +and the stillness was emphasized by the patter of the falling cards. +Then Carlyon pushed his chair back noisily and looked at the others, his +face pale and set. + +"I thought it was a certainty; there was only one thing I forgot," he +said in a strained voice. + +Markham leaned forward heavily. + +"Fellows who play like you can't afford to forget, my boy. Know better +next time; let it be a lesson." + +Carlyon glanced at a notebook and took out a wad of bills which he tried +to count. + +"Sorry, but I seem to be five dollars short; don't know when you'll get +it, but I'll send the horses to the next Brandon sales. I dare say +somebody will help me with my plowing." + +"Don't be an ass!" said Gerald. "Throwing in the team was a piece of +silly bluff. We're not going to take advantage of it." + +Emslie nodded agreement; and Markham drawled: + +"Don't want his splay-footed beasts, and won't lend him my good +Clydesdales to spoil. Count out the bills, Gerald; his hand is shaking." + +Carlyon protested that he was a sportsman and paid his debts, but they +overruled him. + +"Silly thing to do, unless you're made," Markham declared. Then he +turned to Gerald. "What's become of the younger brother? Never see him +now." + +"Oh, he's reformed. On the whole, it's just as well, for there's not +room for two gamblers in the family. Besides, the Americans seem to have +got hold of him: they live like Methodists." + +"You mean the girl has? Devilish handsome; has a grand way of looking at +you. Ask Carlyon; he knows." + +Carlyon colored under Markham's broadly humorous gaze. + +"Miss Harding won't trouble herself about Lance," he said. "I may add +that she doesn't appreciate a graceful compliment." + +"Smacked your face?" suggested Markham with a chuckle. "Must be going. +Give me my coat." + +A newspaper and some letters fell out of a pocket as he put it on, and +he picked them up. + +"Quite forgot. Met the mail-carrier as I was driving in. Better look +what wheat is doing." + +Carlyon eagerly opened the paper. + +"Down again two cents at Chicago! Winnipeg will follow." + +"There's a certain cure," said Markham thickly. "All stop plowing. If +you do nothing long enough, 'must send the market up. Call it a +brilliant idea; wonder nobody else thought of it. You look sober, +Emslie. Come and help me into my rig." + +They went out, and a few minutes afterward a furious beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels rang out across the prairie. + +"I hope he will get home without breaking his neck," Carlyon said to +Gerald. + +"Oh, Markham can take care of himself. But we have something else to +think about now." + +"That's true," Carlyon agreed with a depressed air. "I took your advice +and told that fellow in the Pit to buy wheat; but I wish I'd heard +Harding's speech at the council before I made the deal. Now it's clear +that I'm dipped pretty deep." He picked up the letters that were +scattered among the cards and started as he saw the embossed stamp on +one of them. "It's from my broker; I'll soon know the worst." + +Gerald, lighting a cigarette, watched the tense expression of the boy's +face as he read the letter, and for a few moments nothing was said. +Carlyon looked crushed, but Gerald's position was too serious to allow +of his sympathizing much. Taking advantage of his friends' love of +excitement, he had won a number of small sums at cards, but this was of +no account against what he owed. After a moment Carlyon laid a statement +of account before him. + +"You can see how much I'm out." + +"Can't you carry it over?" + +"Impossible," Carlyon answered dejectedly. "I didn't actually buy the +grain; I've got to find the difference. Besides, what would be the use +of holding on, if wheat's still going to drop?" + +"It's awkward," Gerald agreed. "You might get some exemption under the +Homesteads Act, but this broker could sell you up. Would your people do +anything?" + +"They won't be asked. Things were not going well with them when I left, +and I guess they find it hard enough to keep Dick at college and provide +for the girls. They gave me a good start, but it was understood that I'd +get nothing more." + +"Then the only remedy is to borrow the money here." + +Carlyon laughed. + +"Who'd lend it to me? Besides, if the Colonel knew how I was fixed, he'd +turn me out of the settlement." + +"I know a man in Winnipeg who does this kind of business, but he'd +charge you high and want a bond. That means he'd seize your land in a +year or two if you couldn't pay." + +"The other fellow would seize it now," Carlyon said with eagerness. "If +I could get the money, I'd have time to see what could be done, and +something might turn up. Will you introduce me?" + +The matter was arranged before Gerald left; and two days later they were +in Winnipeg. They found Davies willing to do business. Indeed, after +making a few difficulties as an excuse for raising the interest, he +supplied Carlyon with the money he needed, and when the men left his +office he lighted a cigar with a satisfied smile. He now held two +mortgages on land at Allenwood, and he thought that he could make good +use of them if, as he expected, the loans were not repaid. Then it was +possible that Mowbray might bring him another customer. He saw a big +profit for himself, and trouble for the Allenwood settlers, when the +reckoning came. + +Shortly after Gerald's visit to Winnipeg, one of his neighbors returned +from England, where he had gone to look into matters connected with some +property he had recently inherited. His absence had been a relief to +Beatrice, and she was especially disturbed to learn that on his arrival +he had spent an hour in private talk with her father. Brand had +continually shown strong admiration for her, which she by no means +reciprocated. She did not actually dislike the man; but his attentions +annoyed her. She knew, however, that he enjoyed Colonel Mowbray's full +approval. He came of good family and his character was irreproachable; +moreover, being past forty, he had outgrown all youthful rashnesses. Of +rather handsome person and polished manners, Brand was generally +characterized by staid gravity, and Mowbray considered his views +exceptionally sound. + +Beatrice was keenly curious about what he had said to her father. She +imagined that her mother knew, but no hint was given to her, and when +she met Brand it was always in the company of others and there was +nothing to be gathered from his manner. It was, however, not often that +he displayed his sentiments. + +The thaw had begun when she walked home from the Broadwood farm one +afternoon. The snow had vanished as if by magic, and shallow lagoons +glittered among the bleached grass. The sky was a brilliant blue, and +rounded clouds with silver edges rolled across it before the fresh +northwest breeze which would blow persistently until summer was done. +Their swift shadows streaked the plain and passed, leaving it suffused +with light. There was a genial softness in the air. + +Beatrice picked her way cautiously toward a straggling bluff, for the +ponds along its edge had overflowed and the ground was marish. On +reaching the woods she stopped in a sheltered nook to enjoy the +sunshine. The birches and poplars were bare, but their stems were +changing color and the twigs had lost their dry and brittle look. The +willows in a hollow were stained with vivid hues by the rising sap, and +there was a flush of green among the grass. Small purple flowers like +crocuses were pushing through the sod. From high overhead there fell a +harsh, clanging cry, and the girl, looking up, saw a flock of brent +geese picked out in a wedge against the sky. Behind came a wedge of +mallard, and farther off, gleaming snowily, a flight of sandhill cranes. +Spring was in the air; the birds had heard its call, and were pressing +on toward the polar marshes, following the sun. Beatrice felt a curious +stirring of her blood. It was half pleasant, half painful, for while she +responded to the gladness that pervaded everything the sunshine kissed, +she was conscious of a disturbing longing, a mysterious discontent. She +would not try to analyze her feelings, but she felt that her life was +narrow and somehow incomplete. + +She was startled presently by a drumming of hoofs; and she frowned as +Brand rode out of the bluff. He had seen her, and she decided not to try +to avoid him by walking on. If she must face a crisis, it was better to +get it over. Brand got down and turned to her with a smile. He looked +well in his wide, gray hat and his riding dress, for the picturesqueness +of the fringed deerskin jacket, which was then the vogue at Allenwood, +did not detract from his air of dignity. His features were regular, but +his expression was somewhat cold. + +"I'm glad we have met, and I'll confess that I expected to find you +here. In fact, I came to look for you," he said with a smile. + +Beatrice knew what was coming. While she felt that it would be better to +meet the situation frankly, she nevertheless shrank from doing so. + +"I have seen so little of you since you came home," she said, partly to +defer his declaration, "that I haven't had an opportunity for expressing +my sympathy." + +"It was a shock," he answered. "I hadn't seen either of my cousins since +they were boys, but we were good friends then, and I never expected to +succeed them. Their yacht was run down at night, and when the steamer +got her boat out only the paid hand was left." + +"Will you go back to England now to live?" + +"I think I'll stay at Allenwood. One gets used to Western +ways--although there's a good deal to be said for either course, and it +doesn't altogether depend on me." + +Beatrice hesitated a moment, then: + +"There is some one else to please?" she asked with charming innocence. + +Brand drew a quick breath as he gazed at the young face so near him. She +was leaning against a poplar trunk, the sun fretting her with gold +between the bare branches, the wind caressing a few loose strands of +hair that were blown across her cheek. + +"I will please the girl I hope to marry," he said in a strained voice. +"She loves the prairie, and she shall have her choice. I think you know, +Beatrice, that I have long been waiting for you." + +Beatrice was annoyed to find herself blushing. + +"I'm sorry," she faltered. "You know I tried to show you--you must see +it was difficult." + +"It is not your fault that I wouldn't take a hint," he answered quietly. +"But you are very young; and I knew that I would never change." + +"You thought I might?" + +"I hoped so. I was afraid that after the romantic admiration you have +had from the boys, you might find me too matter-of-fact and staid. But +there was a chance that you might get used to that, and I made up my +mind to be patient." + +"I'm sorry, for your sake, that you waited." + +Her glance was gently regretful, and he read decision in it, but he was +a determined man. + +"It seems I haven't waited long enough," he returned with a faint smile. +"But while you will grow more attractive for a long time yet, I have +reached my prime, and inheriting the English property rather forced my +hand. After all, our life here is bare and monotonous--you would have a +wider circle and more scope in the Old Country." + +Beatrice liked his terseness and in some ways she liked and respected +him. Moreover she was offered a beautiful English country house, a +position of some influence, and friends of taste and rank. + +"You were very considerate," she said. "But I'm afraid what you wish is +impossible." + +"Wait!" he begged. "I haven't said much about myself, but I believe I +appreciate you better than any of the boys is capable of doing; I could +carry your wishes further and take more care of you." He paused with a +grave smile. "I'm not a romantic person, but I think I'm trustworthy. +Then, it would please your father." + +"Ah! You have told him?" + +"Yes; and he was good enough to express his full approval." + +Beatrice's face was disturbed, but she answered frankly: + +"Though I know you won't take an unfair advantage of his consent, I wish +you hadn't gone to him. It may make things more difficult for me. And +now, please understand that I cannot marry you." + +Brand's lips came together in a straight line. He did not have a +pleasant look; but his voice was unusually suave when he answered: + +"It looks as if I must face my disappointment. I'll do nothing that +might embarrass you. All the same, I warn you that I shall not despair." + +"You must not think of me," Beatrice said firmly. "I'm very sorry, but +I want to save you trouble." + +He quietly picked up his horse's bridle. + +"You are going home? May I walk with you as far as the trail-forks?" + +Beatrice could not refuse this, and he talked pleasantly about Allenwood +matters until he left her. She went on alone in a thoughtful mood. She +wished that Brand had not made his offer, because she knew that her +refusal had been a blow, and she did not like to think that she had +wounded him. Moreover, his quiet persistence might still prove +troublesome. Perhaps it was unfortunate that she could not return his +affection; for Brand had many good qualities, and her father approved of +him. Then, with a thrill of perplexing emotion, she thought of Harding. +In some respects, he was too practical and matter-of-fact; but she knew +that his character had another side. While he worked and planned, he had +dreams of a splendid future which she thought would be realized. He was +a visionary as well as a man of affairs; virile, daring, and beneath the +surface generous and tender. It was curious how she knew so much about +him, yet she felt that she was right. + +Harding was, however, barred out, so to speak; divided from her by +conventions and traditions that could not be broken, unless, indeed, +love warranted the sacrifice. But she would not admit that she loved +him. He loved her, she knew; but that was not enough. It was all +complicated; nothing seemed right. She no longer noticed the sunshine or +the bracing freshness of the wind as she moved on across the plain with +downcast eyes. + +Nerving herself for the encounter, she told her father that evening, +and he sat silent for a few moments, looking hard at her while she stood +by his writing table with an embarrassed air. + +"It seems to me you are very hard to please," he said. + +"Perhaps I am," she answered. "But I don't like him enough." + +"I suppose that's an adequate reason, but I regret it keenly. It would +have been a relief to know your future was secure, as it would have been +with Brand." + +Beatrice was touched. He had not taken the line she expected, and she +saw that he was anxious. + +"Perhaps it's better that you should learn the truth," he went on. "For +the last few years my affairs have not gone well. Gerald's extravagance +has been a heavy drain; Lance is young and rash; and I feel now that the +prosperity of Allenwood is threatened. The American made me realize +that. In fact, the fellow has brought us trouble ever since he came." + +"Perhaps it might be wise to take a few of the precautions he +recommended," Beatrice suggested, eager to lead him away from the +subject of Brand. + +Mowbray's eyes flashed with anger. + +"No! If we are to be ruined, I hope we'll meet our fate like +gentlemen--and it may not come to that. We have struggled through +critical periods before, and can make a good fight yet without using +detestable means." + +Beatrice was troubled. She admired her father's pride and courage, but +she had an uncomfortable suspicion that he was leading a forlorn hope. +Unflinching bravery was not the only thing needful: one could not face +long odds with obsolete weapons. + +"But they are not all detestable," she urged. "You could choose the +best--or, if you like, the least offensive." + +"Compromise is dangerously easy; when you begin, you are apt to go all +the way. I didn't expect this from you. I believed my own family +staunch, and I must say it's a shock to find the tradesman's spirit in +my children. Even Lance shows the taint. He actually is planning to sell +his riding horses and buy some machine that will save a hired man's +wages!" + +Beatrice smiled. + +"Perhaps that is better than following Gerald's example. But you mustn't +be unjust. You know that none of us would think of thwarting you." + +She crossed over to the back of his chair and put her arms around him. + +"I'm sorry you are disappointed about Mr. Brand," she said softly; "but +I know you'll forgive me." + +Before he could answer, she had slipped out of the room. She went at +once to find her mother. + +"Your father would never force you to marry a man you do not care for," +Mrs. Mowbray assured her. "So far as that goes, you have nothing to +fear." + +"What do you mean?" Beatrice asked in alarm. + +Her mother's eyes were anxious, and there was a warning in the look she +gave the girl. + +"My dear, you would not find him compliant if you wished to marry a man +he did not approve of." + +Beatrice stooped to flick an imaginary piece of lint off of her skirt. +She did not want her mother to see her face just then. + +"After all," she answered, far more confidently than she felt, "that may +never happen." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THE TRAITOR + + +The prairie was bright with sunshine, and the boisterous west wind was +cut off by a bluff where Harding sat amid a litter of dismantled +machinery. Behind him the newly opened birch leaves showed specks of +glowing green, and a jack-rabbit, which had put off its winter coat and +was now dappled white and gray, fed quietly, with a watchful eye turned +toward the unconscious man; in front, the vast sweep of grass that +flashed with a silvery gleam as it bowed to the wind was broken by the +warm chocolate hue of a broad strip of plowing. The rows of clods, with +their polished faces, stretched across the foreground; and on their +outer edge Devine, dressed in overalls the color of the soil, drove a +team of big, red oxen. + +Harding, however, was absorbed in the study of several brass rings and +coils of packing that had formed the gland of a pump. Near by stood a +giant plow with a row of shares, looking out of place among the earth +and grass with its glaring paint, its ugly boiler, and its sooty stack, +though the work that it had done was obvious. Something had gone wrong, +and Harding was trying to locate the trouble. The delay was +embarrassing, for he had a wide stretch of land to break, and the loss +of even an hour was serious. There was not a trained mechanic in the +neighborhood; and if the plow were likely to give him trouble, the +sooner he learned to master it the better. Every part of the machine +seemed to be perfect; yet the steam had gone down on the previous +evening, and he must find out the reason. It was exasperating work. + +While Harding was struggling with the pump, Beatrice came along the +trail through the bluff. Her companion, Banff, one of Lance's many dogs, +had trailed off through the bushes, his nose to the ground, and she was, +for the moment, alone. When she caught sight of Harding she stopped +irresolutely. She felt that it might be wiser to pass on without +disturbing him; yet something compelled her to wait. + +She stood watching him. He attracted her--that much she admitted; but +she persuaded herself that it was only because he was interesting to +talk to and, unlike the other men she knew, he said things that made one +think. + +Harding was so deep in his machinery problem that he did not see her. He +was once more fitting the different parts together, when Banff came +bounding out of the bushes with a glad bark and the little gray rabbit +scuttled off through the briars. + +Harding turned quickly; and Beatrice saw his eyes light up. + +"I'm glad you've come," he said, emptying a box of tools and turning it +upside down. "That isn't a bad seat--and the sun's pleasant here." + +Beatrice noticed that he took it for granted that she would remain; but, +after all, he had some reason for this, for they seldom passed without +stopping to speak when they met. + +"Has the machine gone wrong?" she asked, sitting down where the sunlight +fell upon her. + +"Yes, pretty badly. I can't find out what's the matter. I suppose you +think it's a just punishment for bringing such things to Allenwood?" + +She laughed. + +"Well, you gave our friends some offense when you brought your plow over +and broke Kenwyne's land." + +"I expected that. There'll no doubt be more remarks when I break the +piece of stiff gumbo on Lance's holding." + +Beatrice looked up sharply. + +"You mean to do that? You must know it will cause trouble," she said +with a frown. + +"I'm sorry to displease you; but this is something that must be done." + +"Why must it? Do you wish Lance to offend his father?" + +"No; but Colonel Mowbray has no cause for complaint. He gave the land to +Lance on the understanding that he worked it; there's no reason why he +should object to his using the best implements. Then, Lance is your +brother and I don't want to see him ruined." + +Beatrice blushed under his frank gaze; and because she was annoyed at +doing so, she flung out a taunt: + +"Do you think the only way of escaping ruin is to copy you?" + +Harding laughed. He loved her in that mood. She looked so alluring with +a little frown between her brows and just the suspicion of a pout on her +lips. + +"You see," he explained, in a voice that he might have used to an +offended child, "your Allenwood friends will have to make a change +soon, or they'll suffer. And their attitude is not logical. Your father +doesn't ask them to cultivate with the spade; they've dropped the +ox-teams and bought Clydesdales; they've given up the single furrow and +use the gang-plow. Why not go on to steam? After all, you're not +standing still: you're moving forward a little behind the times. Why not +keep abreast of them, or push on ahead?" + +"It sounds plausible," she admitted. "In a way, perhaps, you're right; +but----" + +"I know. There's much that's fine and graceful in the customs of the +past. But you can't preserve them without some adaptation. We're a new +nation working in the melting pot. All the scum and dross comes to the +top and makes an ugly mess, but the frothing up clarifies the rest. By +and by the product will be run out, hard, true metal." + +"You're an optimist." + +Harding laughed. + +"I'm talking at random; it's a weakness of mine." + +Beatrice sat silent a moment, looking out over the stretch of brown +furrows. + +"Do you intend to continue the breaking to where your partner is at +work?" she asked, putting her thoughts into words. + +"I'm going farther back. You can see our guide-poles on the top of the +last ridge." + +"But isn't it rash to sow so much, unless you have a reserve to carry +you over a bad harvest? Suppose the summer's dry or we get autumn +frost?" + +"Then," said Harding grimly, "there'll be a disastrous smash. I've no +reserve: I'm plowing under every cent I have--staking all upon the +chances of the weather." + +"But why do you take such a risk? Doesn't it daunt you?" + +He saw a gleam of sympathetic approval in her eyes. She had courage: it +was in the blood of those who stood for lost causes. Suddenly swept off +his feet, he determined to follow the lead she unconsciously had given +him. + +"Well," he said, leaning forward on the big plow, "I'll tell you." + +He paused with a smile, for he saw that the position he accidentally had +taken was unfortunate. He had associated himself with the machine which, +in a sense, materialized the difference between her people and him. He +did not change his position; instead, one hand moved caressingly over +the clumsy plow while he spoke. + +"One gets easily nothing that's worth having; it must be worked and +schemed and fought for. I took the risk for you!" + +Beatrice started and an indignant flush suffused her face. She was +alarmed and angry, and yet the shock she felt was not surprise. He had +once given her a plain warning, and she had continued to see him. Her +traditions took arms against him, old prejudices revived, and her pride +was wounded, but something in her turned traitor, and she felt a strange +responsive thrill. + +"You do not know what you are saying," she said haughtily, rising from +the tool-box and turning toward a spot of bare ground where the dog was +digging energetically. "Here, Banff!" Then, obeying some impulse which +she did not understand, she added to Harding: "You scarcely know +anything about me!" + +"When I met you that night at the river and saw your face in the +moonlight, I knew all that was needful." + +The answer moved the girl. She wondered whether one could fall in love +that way. But she must end the interview and escape from an embarrassing +position. + +"I am sorry our acquaintance has led to this; I would have prevented it +if I could," she said. "And now, good-afternoon!" + +Harding straightened up, and one hand clenched. + +"Stop! We're going to thrash this matter out." + +His manner was commanding and Beatrice waited, although she was not used +to obeying. + +"You were angry at first," he said. "You are rather angry now; but I did +you no wrong." + +"I admit that. But I wish this hadn't happened. It has spoiled +everything." + +"Then you liked me as a friend?" + +"Yes," Beatrice answered hesitatingly; "I'll be frank. You are different +from the men I know." + +"Then what have you against me as a lover? Character, person, manners, +or opinions?" + +She was silent a moment, feeling that she ought to go away. In staying +she was trifling with danger; but after all he had a right to be heard. + +"Oh, I know your people's point of view," he went on; "but I think it is +not altogether yours. In one respect, they're wrong. My mother was the +daughter of a bush pioneer, and in all that's most important I'm her +son; but my father belonged to your own rank. He was brought up as an +English gentleman. I'll show you the evidence I have of this some day, +though it makes no difference." + +"It must make a difference," Beatrice insisted with a surprised look. + +"It can make none. For some reason his relatives cast him off, and +declined to claim me. I don't know why, and I shall never trouble to +find out. I tell you this because I think you ought to know. It is as +Craig Harding, the prairie farmer, that I stand or fall; my own faults +and merits are the only things that count." + +"It's a bold claim you make." + +"Well," he said, "so far, I've been clearing the ground. The sure +foundation is the bed-rock of human nature, and we must settle this as +man and woman. I know what you are; I knew when I first saw you; and I +want you. I need you, Beatrice. My love is great enough to master any +doubt you may have, and to hold you safe from all harm. Then, if all +goes well, I can give you what you wish, and put you where you want to +be. The woman I marry will have a wider influence than the wife of any +man at Allenwood; a small matter in the real scale of things, but with +so much against me I must urge all I can." He paused and stretched out +his hands. "You are not afraid, Beatrice. It is not too great a venture +for you?" + +She stood still, with a tense expression, struggling against something +that drew her toward him. Prudence, training, and prejudice, urged her +to resist, and yet she was on the point of yielding. + +"I _am_ afraid," she said. "Only one thing could justify such a risk." + +"That's true; it's what encourages me. You couldn't have made me love +you as I do, unless you were able to give love in return." + +She was silent, knowing that what he said was true. + +He took a step nearer her, and his own face was tense. + +"If you can declare you care nothing at all for me, that it would cause +you no regret if you never saw me again, I'll make the best fight I can +with my trouble and leave you alone for good. You will answer honestly?" + +The color swept into her face, for she felt compelled to speak the naked +truth. + +"I can't go so far as that," she said in a low voice. "I should feel +regret." + +"Then the rest will follow! Why do you hesitate?" + +She smiled, for the matter was too serious for trivial embarrassment, +and she knew the man would force her to deal frankly with plain issues. + +"You seem so sure?" + +"I am, of myself." + +"The difficulty is that I'm not an isolated individual, but a member of +a family, and belong to a race that has its code of rules. I must think +of the shock to my parents and my friends; all the pain that any rash +act of mine might give to others. They may be wrong, but what they think +I feel, in a half-instinctive way, that reasoning can't change. I should +have to stand upon defense against my subconscious self." + +"I know," he said gently. "But the choice is one that many have to make. +One must often stand alone. It's true that I have all to gain and you +all to risk; but, Beatrice----" + +He broke off, and held out both hands appealingly to her. + +"Beatrice!" + +The girl was deeply stirred. She had not expected him to plead like +this. In her world one took things for granted and implied instead of +asserting them. At Allenwood he was spoken of as a rude, materialistic +iconoclast, but she had found him a reckless idealist; although he made +her feel that instead of being impractical he was dealing with stern +realities. She would have made the great adventure only that she was not +sure of her own heart yet. The consequences were too serious for one to +risk a mistake. + +She stood motionless, her eyes veiled by her dark lashes, and he knew +the struggle that was going on within her. In his own eyes there was a +great yearning; but a birthright of the pioneer is patience. + +"I'm afraid you ask too much," she said at last. "If you like, you may +think I am not brave enough." She raised her eyes to his; and winced at +the pain she saw there. But she went on bravely: "Had things been +different, I might perhaps have married you, but I think our ways are +separate. And now you must let me go, and not speak of this again." + +He bowed, and it struck Beatrice that there was a great dignity in his +bearing. + +"Very well," he answered gravely. "I will not trouble you again unless, +in one way or another, you give me permission." + +She turned away, and he stood still until long after she and the dog +had disappeared in the bluff. Then he roused himself with a laugh. + +"I won't get her this way!" he said half aloud, and picked up some of +the fittings of the pump. + +Beatrice went straight to her mother, for there was strong confidence +between the two. + +"So you refused him!" Mrs. Mowbray said, after listening silently while +Beatrice was telling her of the interview. "Did you find it hard?" + +"Yes," she answered slowly; "harder than I thought. But it was the only +way." + +"If you felt that, dear, it certainly was so." + +Beatrice looked up in surprise, but her mother's face was quietly +thoughtful. + +"You can't mean that I did not do right?" + +"No; there's a heavy penalty for leaving the circle you were born in and +breaking caste. It would have hurt me to see you suffer as you must have +done. Only the very brave can take that risk." + +The girl was puzzled. Her mother agreed with her, and yet she had +faintly reflected Harding's ideas. + +"Well," Beatrice said, "I shrink from telling Father." + +"I'm not sure that he need know. It would disturb him, and he might do +something that we should regret. On the whole, I think you had better +visit our friends in Toronto as you were asked. They would be glad to +have you for the summer." + +"Do you wish me to run away?" Beatrice asked in surprise. + +"It might be better for both. Harding is not one of us, but I think he +feels things deeply, and his is a stubborn nature. In a sense, it is +your duty to make it as easy as you can for him." + +Beatrice looked at her mother curiously. + +"You seem more concerned about Mr. Harding than I expected." + +"He gave your brother his coat in the blizzard and saved his life," Mrs. +Mowbray answered. "That counts for something." + +The girl hesitated a moment. + +"Well, I'll go to Toronto," she promised. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +A BOLD SCHEME + + +One morning a week or two after his meeting with Beatrice, Harding drove +his rattling engine across the plowed land. His face was sooty, his +overalls were stained with grease, and now and then a shower of cinders +fell about his head. Behind him Devine stood in the midst of a +dust-cloud, regulating the bite of the harrows that tossed about the +hard, dry clods. It was good weather for preparing the seedbed, and the +men had been busy since sunrise, making the most of it. Spring comes +suddenly in the Northwest, the summer is hot but short, and the grain +must be sown early if it is to escape the autumn frost. + +When they reached the edge of the breaking, Harding stopped the engine, +and, taking a spanner from a box, turned to look about. The blue sky was +flecked with fleecy clouds driving fast before the western breeze. The +grass had turned a vivid green, and was checkered by clusters of crimson +lilies. The ducks and geese had gone, but small birds of glossy black +plumage with yellow bars on their wings fluttered round the harrows. + +"Looks promising," Harding said. "The season has begun well. That's +fortunate, for we have lots to do. I'd go on all night if there was a +moon." + +"Then I'm glad there isn't," Devine replied; "I want some sleep. But +this jolting's surely rough on the machine. I wasn't sure that new +locomotive type would work. She's too heavy to bang across the furrows +with her boiler on board." + +"She'll last until I get my money back, which is all I want. The +rope-haulage pattern has its drawbacks, but the machine we're using +won't be on the market long. They'll do away with furnace and boiler, +and drive by gasoline or oil. I'd thought of trying that, but they +haven't got the engine quite right yet." + +"You look ahead," Devine commented. + +"I have to; I must make this farm pay. Now if you'll clear the harrows, +I'll tighten these brasses up." + +He set to work, but while he adjusted the loose bearing Devine announced +in a whisper: + +"Here's the Colonel!" + +Harding saw Mowbray riding toward them, and went on with his task. +Beatrice had no doubt told her mother about his proposal, and he could +imagine the Colonel's anger if he had heard of it. Pulling up his horse +near the harrows, Mowbray sat silent, watching Harding. Fastidiously +neat in dress, with long riding gloves and a spotless gray hat, he +formed a marked contrast to the big, greasy man sprinkled with soot from +the engine. + +"I regret, Mr. Harding, that after the service you did my son, I should +come with a complaint when I visit you." + +"We'll let the service go; I'll answer the complaint as far as I can." + +"Very well. I was disagreeably surprised to learn that you have +persuaded my friends to take a course which the majority of our council +decided against, and to which it is well known that I object." + +Harding felt relieved. Mowbray did not seem to know of what he had said +to Beatrice, and his grievance did not require very delicate handling. +Harding was too proud to conciliate him, and as he could expect nothing +but uncompromising opposition, he saw no necessity for forbearance. + +"The majority was one, a casting vote," he said. "If you are referring +to my plowing for some of your people, I did not persuade them. They saw +the advantage of mechanical traction and asked me to bring the engine +over." + +"The explanation doesn't take us far. It's obvious that they couldn't +have experimented without your help." + +"I hardly think that's so. There are dealers in Winnipeg and Toronto who +would be glad to sell them the machines. If three or four combined, they +could keep an engine busy and the cost wouldn't be prohibitive." + +"Our people are not mechanics," Mowbray said haughtily. + +"I'm not sure that's a matter for congratulation," Harding answered with +a smile. "But I never drove a steam-plow until a few weeks ago, and +there seems to be no reason why your friends shouldn't learn. You don't +claim that they're less intelligent than I am." + +"Your talents run in this direction," Mowbray retorted with a polished +sneer. + +"In a way, that's fortunate. When you're farming for a profit, you want +to be able to do a little of everything. Some of the Allenwood boys are +pretty good horse-breakers, and you approve; why managing an engine +should be objectionable isn't very plain." + +"It is not my intention to argue these matters with you." + +"Then what is it you want me to do?" + +"To be content with using these machines on your own land. I must ask +you to leave Allenwood alone." + +"I'm afraid you ask too much," Harding replied. "I can't break off the +arrangements now without a loss to your friends and myself, and I see no +reason why I should do so." + +"Do you consider it gentlemanly conduct to prompt men who acknowledge me +as their leader to thwart my wishes?" + +"Hardly so. Where you have a clear right to forbid anything that might +be hurtful to the settlement, I'd be sorry to interfere." + +Mowbray's eyes glinted. + +"Do you presume to judge between my people and me?" + +"Oh, no," Harding answered with good humor. "That's not my business; but +I reserve the right to do what's likely to pay me, and to make friends +with whom I please, whether they belong to Allenwood or not." + +Mowbray was silent a moment, looking down at him with a frown. + +"Then there's nothing more to be said. Your only standard seems to be +what is profitable." + +Mowbray rode away, and Devine laughed. + +"Guess the Colonel isn't used to back talk, Craig. If he wasn't quite so +high-toned, he'd go home and throw things about. What he wants is +somebody to stand right up to him. You'll have him plumb up against you +right along; where you look at a thing one way, he looks at it another. +It's clean impossible that you should agree." + +"I'm afraid that's so," said Harding. "And now we'll make a start +again." + +The ribbed wheels bit the clods, and the engine lurched clumsily across +the furrows, with the harrows clattering as they tore through the +tangled grass roots and scattered the dry soil. Harding was violently +shaken, and Devine half smothered by the dust that followed them across +the breaking. It was not a dainty task, and the machine was far from +picturesque, but they were doing better work than the finest horses at +Allenwood were capable of. The sun grew steadily hotter, the lower half +of Harding's body was scorched by the furnace, and the perspiration +dripped from his forehead upon his greasy overalls, but he held on until +noon, with the steam gradually going down. The boiler was of the +water-tube type and the water about Allenwood was alkaline. + +"She must hold up until supper, and I'll try to wash her out afterward," +he said. + +"You were at it half last night," Devine objected. + +"That's the penalty for using new tools. They have their tricks, and +you've got to learn them. I don't find you get much without taking +trouble." + +"I believe you're fond of trouble," Devine answered, laughing. + +They went home together, for Devine often dined with the Hardings. They +had just finished the meal of salt pork and fried potatoes when there +was a rattle of wheels. Hester was putting the dessert--hot cakes +soaked in molasses--and coffee on the table, but she went to the door. + +"A stranger in a buggy!" she announced. + +Harding was surprised to see the Winnipeg land-agent getting down, but +he greeted him hospitably. + +"Come in and have some dinner," he invited. + +Davies entered and bowed to Hester. + +"No, thanks. As I didn't know where I'd be at noon, I brought some lunch +along. But if it won't trouble Miss Harding, I'll take some coffee." + +He sat down and the men lighted their pipes; and Hester studied the +newcomer as she removed the plates. He was smartly dressed and had an +alert look, but while there was nothing particular in his appearance +that she could object to, she was not prepossessed in his favor. Davies +had already noticed that the room was of a type common to the prairie +homesteads. Its uncovered floor was, perhaps, cleaner than usual when +plowing was going on, and the square stove was brightly polished, but +the room contained no furniture that was not strictly needed. There was +nothing that suggested luxury; and comfort did not seem to be much +studied. On the other hand, he had noticed outside signs of bold +enterprise and a prosperity he had not expected to find. Davies was a +judge of such matters, and he saw that his host was a man of practical +ability. + +"What brought you into our neighborhood?" Harding asked. + +Davies smiled. + +"I'm always looking for business, and I find it pays to keep an eye on +my customers. Some of them have a trick of lighting out when things go +wrong, and leaving a few rusty implements to settle their debts. +Financing small farmers isn't always profitable." + +"They can't take their land away," Devine said. "I guess you don't often +lose much in the end." + +"Land!" exclaimed Davies. "I've money locked up in holdings I can't +sell, and have to pay big taxes on." + +"You'll sell them all right by and by, but of course you know that," +Harding replied. He gave the land-agent a shrewd look. "You have a call +or two to make at Allenwood, and would rather get there in the +afternoon?" + +"True! The boys might find it embarrassing if I showed up just now. +They're willing to do business with me, and when they're in Winnipeg +they'll take a cigar or play a game of pool; but asking me to lunch is a +different matter." He continued smiling, but Hester, who was watching +him closely, thought there was something sinister in his amusement as he +added: "They stick to the notions they brought from the Old Country, and +I don't know that they'll find them pay." + +"I shouldn't imagine all the business you'd get at Allenwood would have +made a trip from Winnipeg worth while," Harding said. + +"That's so," Davies agreed, as if eager to explain. "I'd a call in +Brandon, and wanted to look up some customers in the outlying +settlements. When I got so far, I thought I'd come on and see how this +country's opening up. I notice the boys are doing pretty well." + +"You don't mean at Allenwood? You haven't been there yet." + +"No; this is my first trip, and I expect it will be my last. Is there +much doing yonder?" + +"The land's all right. They hauled out some fine wheat last fall. +Stock's better than the usual run, and they've the finest light horses +I've seen." + +"That's more in their line than farming," Davies replied. "You wouldn't +call raising horses a business proposition just now?" + +Hester thought the men were fencing, trying to learn something about +each other's real opinions. Craig looked careless, but Hester was not +deceived. She knew him well, and saw that he was thinking. + +"Prices are certainly low; but it strikes me you had better keep out of +Colonel Mowbray's way," Harding said. "If he suspected that any of the +boys had dealings with you, he'd make trouble, and probably insist upon +paying you off." + +Davies looked hard at him. He was not prepared to admit that he had lent +money at Allenwood, but he could not tell how much Harding knew. + +"One seldom objects to being paid a debt. Has the Colonel much money to +spare?" + +"I don't know; I can't claim to be a friend of his." + +"Well, it doesn't matter, as I've nothing to do with him. Now that I'm +here, I'll say that I'd be glad to accommodate you and your partner if +you want to extend your operations or hold on for better prices at any +time. You're putting in a big crop." + +"Thanks; I don't think we'll make a deal," Devine drawled. "We don't +farm for the benefit of another man. When I haul my wheat to the +elevators I want the money myself, and not to turn it over to somebody +else, who'll leave me a few pennies to go on with." + +Davies took his leave soon afterward, and Devine and Harding went back +to the plow. They had some trouble in keeping steam, and after a little +the heavy engine sank into the soft soil as they crossed a hollow where +the melting snow had run. The ribbed wheels went in deeper as they +crushed down the boggy mold, and ground up the fence posts the men +thrust under them. Before long they were embedded to the axle, and +Harding turned off the steam. + +"Bring the wagon and drop me off a spade as you pass," he said. "I'll +dig her out while you drive to the bluff and cut the biggest poplar logs +you can find." + +When Devine hurried away he sat down and lighted his pipe. Until he got +the spade there was nothing to be done and much to think about. To begin +with, Davies' visit had turned his attention upon a matter that had +already occupied his thoughts, and proved it worth consideration. The +Allenwood homesteads were the best in the country, the settlement was +fortunately located, and its inhabitants were people of intelligence. +Their progress had been retarded by customs and opinions out of place on +the prairie, but they might go a long way if these were abandoned. They +were farming on the wrong lines, and wasting effort, but Harding did not +think this would continue. Already some among them were pressing for a +change. Harding was ready to work his big farm alone, but he looked to +Allenwood for help that would benefit all. + +The matter, however, had a more important side. Although Beatrice had +refused him he did not despair; she had shown that she did not regard +him with complete indifference. It was not his personal character, but +his position and her father's hostility that stood in the way, and these +were obstacles that might be overcome. He could expect nothing but the +Colonel's stern opposition, and he must carefully arm himself for the +fight; he did not undervalue the power of his antagonist. + +Devine returned and threw him down a spade, and for the next hour +Harding worked steadily, digging a trench to the buried wheels and +beating its bottom flat. When his comrade came back they lined it with +the logs he brought, and Harding started the engine. The machine shook +and rattled, straining and panting under a full head of steam, but the +wheels churned furiously in the soil and smashed the ends of the logs +they bit upon. One big piece shot out of the trench and narrowly missed +Devine, who fell among the harrows when he jumped. Harding stopped the +engine as his friend got up. + +"This won't do," he said. "We'll cut a log into short billets." + +They packed some, split into sections, under the wheels, and Harding +restarted the engine. + +"Now," he said, "you can shove the rest in as she grinds them down." + +The wheels spun, splintering the timber, rising a few inches and sinking +again, while the big machine shook and tilted in danger of falling over. +Harding, standing on the slippery plates, opened the throttle wide, and +after a while the front rose to a threatening height while the logs +groaned and cracked. + +"Stand clear!" he cried. "She's climbing out!" + +The engine straightened itself with a dangerous lurch, rolled forward, +gathering speed, and ran out on to firmer ground. They had no further +trouble, and when dusk settled down and the air grew sharp, Harding drew +the fire and blew the water out of the boiler. + +"After all, we have done pretty good work to-day," he said. "I'll come +back and tend to those tubes as soon as she cools." + +They went home together, and after supper was finished, they sat smoking +and talking in the kitchen. It was now sharply cold outside, but the +small room was warm and cheerful with the nickeled lamp lighted and a +fire in the polished stove. + +"The mortgage man was trying to play you," Devine remarked. "He +certainly didn't learn much. Do you reckon he has been lending money to +the Allenwood boys?" + +"I think it's very likely." + +"Then, with their way of farming and wheat going down, they won't be +able to pay him off." + +"No; and he doesn't want them to pay him off," Harding answered. + +"You mean he wants their farms?" + +"Yes; he'll probably get them, unless somebody interferes." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Devine. "Who's going to interfere? ... Now _you_ have +been thinking of something all afternoon." + +Harding smiled. + +"It's possible I may see what I can do," he admitted. + +"You're a daisy!" Devine exclaimed. "It wouldn't surprise me if you +thought of buying up the Canadian Pacific. All the same, I don't see +where you're going to get the money. What do you think, Hester?" + +Hester laid down her sewing. + +"Isn't it too big a thing, Craig? You have a great deal of land now, +and even if you get a good harvest, you'd hardly have money enough to +sow another crop and leave enough to carry you over a bad season." + +Harding quietly lighted his pipe, and there was silence for a few +minutes. His sister and her fiancé knew him well and had confidence in +his ability; he had so far made good, but the boldness of this last +scheme daunted them. + +"Farming has two sides," he said presently. "You want to raise the best +and biggest crop you can; and then you want to handle your money well. +That's where many good farmers fail. Bank your surplus and you get +market interest, but nothing for your knowledge and experience. The +money ought to be put into new teams and the latest machines, and after +that into breaking new land. If you make a profit on two hundred acres, +you'll increase it by a third when you break a hundred acres more, not +to mention what you save by working on a larger scale. Well, I see what +could be done with a united Allenwood where every man worked jointly +with the rest, but the settlement needs a head." + +"It has one. Colonel Mowbray is not likely to give up his place," Hester +answered. + +"He may not be able to keep it. There's another claimant--this fellow +Davies, and he's not a fool. I can't tell you yet whether I'll make a +third. It wants thinking over." + +The others did not reply. They agreed that the matter demanded careful +thought. After a short silence, Hester changed the subject. + +"I saw Mrs. Broadwood to-day, and she told me that Miss Mowbray had +gone East for the summer. As she had spoken about staying at Allenwood +all the year, Mrs. Broadwood was surprised." + +Harding betrayed his interest by an abrupt movement, yet he made no +answer. On the whole the news was encouraging. He would miss Beatrice, +but, on the other hand, it looked as if she had gone away to avoid him, +and she would not have done so had she been unmoved by what he said to +her. He regretted that he had driven her away; of course he might be +mistaken, but there was hope in the suspicion he entertained. + +"Well," he said, after a minute or two, "I'll go along and fix that +boiler." + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +HARVEST HOME + + +It was a good summer at Allenwood, for the June rains were prolonged. +The mornings broke cool and breezy, but, as a rule, at noon the clouds +which had sailed eastward singly began to gather in compact banks. Then +would come a roll of thunder and a deluge that might last an hour, after +which the prairie lay bright in the sunshine until evening fell. The +grass rippled across the waste in waves of vivid green, with flowers +tossing beneath the gusts like wreaths of colored foam. Wild barley +raised its spiky heads along the trails, and in the hollows the natural +hay grew rank and tall. No sand blew from the bare ridges to cut the +tender grain, which shot up apace and belted the prairie with its darker +verdure. + +Harding found full scope for his energies. He worked late and early in +the fierce July heat. He had bought heavy horses because he could not +reap by steam, and he had to build barns and stables of ship-lap lumber. +Then there was prairie hay to cut, and after stripping the nearer +hollows he must drive far across the plain to seek grass long enough in +the sloos where the melted snow had run in the spring. This brought him +into collision with Mowbray, who came upon him one morning driving a +mower through dusty grass which the Colonel had marked down for his own. +Perhaps what annoyed the old man most was to see the American using an +extra horse and a knife that would cut a wider swath than any at +Allenwood. He thought this a sign of the grasping spirit of the times. + +Mowbray contended that the grass was his, because it had long been cut +for use at the Grange; and Harding replied that, as the land was +unoccupied, neither had any prescriptive right and the hay could be +harvested by the firstcomer. When the Colonel grew angry, Harding +yielded the point and suggested that the sloos be mown turn about. To +this Mowbray agreed reluctantly, because he saw he could not keep in +front of a rival who had with perverse unfairness provided himself with +better implements. + +After the hay was gathered Harding's new buildings had to be roofed, and +when the house grew insufferably hot Hester baked and cooked and washed +in a lean-to shed. + +In the meanwhile, the grain was ripening fast, and when the riotous +Northwest wind began to die away the oats turned lemon and silver, and +the wheat burnished gold. The mornings were now sharply cold, and as the +green sunset faded the air grew wonderfully bracing. + +Harding and Devine had been working steadily for fourteen hours a day, +but they must nerve themselves for a last tense effort. After the great +crop had been hauled to the elevators there would be time to rest, but +until this was done the strain both were feeling must be borne. The new +binders were got out when the Ontario harvesters, who had been engaged +by Harding's agents, began to arrive, bringing with them a Chinese cook. +Western harvesters are generously fed, and Harding would not have his +sister overtaxed. + +Soon after he started his harvest, Beatrice returned from Toronto. It +was late afternoon when she drew near Allenwood. She was tired with the +long journey, but she did not object when Lance made a round which would +take them past Harding's farm. He said the longer trail was smoother. + +The sun hung large and red on the horizon; the air was clear; and the +crimson light raked the great field of grain. In the foreground the +stooked sheaves, standing in long ranks, cast blue shadows across the +yellow stubble; farther back the tall wheat ran, it seemed, right across +the plain, shining in the sunset like burnished copper. Above the +crimson on the prairie's edge the sky was coldly green. + +At first it was the magnitude of the field and its glow of color that +struck the girl. Harvest scenes were not new to her, and, indeed, she +seldom gazed on one without feeling stirred; but she had never seen a +harvest like this. It filled her with a sense of Nature's bounty and the +fruitfulness of the soil, but as her eyes grew accustomed to the glaring +light she noticed signs of human activity. The splendid crop had not +sprung up of itself. It was the reward of anxious thought and sturdy +labor, and she began to appreciate the bold confidence of the man who +had planted it. + +Along the wall of wheat moved a row of machines, marshaled in regular +order and drawn by dusty teams. She could see by the raw paint that most +of them were new; and, leaning back in her seat, she listened to their +rhythmic clink. Noting their even distance, and the precision with which +the sheaves they flung aside rose in stooks behind them, she saw that +there was nothing haphazard here. The measured beat of this activity +showed the firm control of a master mind. No effort was wasted: action +had its destined result; and behind this thought she had a +half-conscious recognition of man's working in harmony with Nature's +exact but beneficent laws. Duly complied with, they had covered the +waste with grain. Glancing across it, the girl felt a curious thrill. +The primeval curse had proved a blessing; seed-time and harvest had not +failed; and here, paid for by the sweat of earnest effort, was an +abundance of bread. + +Moved as she was, she had a practical as well as an imaginative mind, +and she noted the difference between Harding's and the Allenwood +methods. What he had told her was true: her friends could not stand +against such forces as he directed. + +"It's worth looking at," Lance remarked. "I wanted you to see it because +Harding's being talked about just now. I can't explain how he has broken +so much ground with the means at his command, but it's a triumph of +organization and ability." + +"I suppose Father isn't pleased?" + +Lance laughed as he flicked up his horses. + +"That hardly expresses it. I rather think he regards our friend's +industry as a dangerous example; but he's most of all surprised. He +fully expected to see Harding ruined." + +Just then one of the binders stopped, and its driver raised his hand. +The machines behind swung round him as they came up and fell into line +again while he busied himself with his team. A few moments later he +mounted a big, barebacked Clydesdale that came at a clumsy gallop +through the stubble and passed on down the trail. + +"It's Harding," said Beatrice. "He must have run out of twine." + +"I don't think so," Lance answered. "Harding's not the man to run out of +anything. It's more likely a bolt has broken, and he's going for +another; he'll have duplicates on hand." + +Beatrice did not wish to appear curious about their neighbor, but she +asked one or two cautious questions as they drove on. + +"Well," said Lance, "though our experiments are not exactly popular, +several of us are trying to copy him in a modest way, and I'm glad I let +him do some breaking for me by steam. The Colonel was disagreeable about +it, but he admitted my right to do as I liked; and the result is that I +have a crop partly stooked up that will make it easy to pay Harding off, +and leave me some money in hand." + +"What do you mean by paying Harding off?" Beatrice asked sharply. + +Lance looked confused. + +"I didn't intend to mention it--you'll keep it to yourself. I'd got into +a bit of a mess shortly before I was hurt at the ravine, and Harding +paid up the money-lender I'd gone to in Winnipeg. What's more, he beat +the fellow down, so that I only had to account for what I actually got." + +"Ah!" said Beatrice. "Now I understand your restlessness when you were +ill. But on what terms did Harding lend you the money?" + +"He made only one condition: that I wouldn't take another bet until I +was free again. Of course, I shall insist on paying him interest. +Harding's a remarkably fine fellow, and I mean to stick to him." + +Beatrice felt troubled by the keenness of her gratitude. She was fond of +Lance, but she knew his weaknesses, and she saw that Harding had +rendered him a great service. Moreover, she thought Lance's admiration +for the man was justified. He had turned the lad out of a path that led +through quagmires and set him on firm ground; his influence would be for +good. + +Lance gave her the news of the settlement; and when the lights of the +Grange shone out through the creeping dark, everything else was +forgotten in the pleasure of reaching home. + +Three weeks later, when the thrasher had gone and the stooked sheaves +had vanished, leaving only the huge straw wheat bins towering above the +stubble, Harding drove to the Grange one evening with Hester and Devine. +He had not entered the house for several months, and felt diffident +about the visit, but Lance had urged him to come. The Allenwood Harvest +Home was, he said, a function which everybody in the neighborhood was +expected to attend. Besides, they had been fortunate in getting a +clergyman from a distant settlement to take the service, and he was +worth hearing. + +The days were shortening rapidly, and when the party reached the Grange +a row of lamps were burning in the hall. The moose heads had gone, and +in their place sheaves of grain adorned the walls. Between the sheaves +were festoons of stiff wheat ears and feathery heads of oats, warm +bronze interspersed with cadmium and silver, and garlands of dry, blue +flax. All had been arranged with taste, and the new flag that draped the +reading desk made a blotch of vivid crimson among the harmonies of +softer color. A tall, silver lamp behind the desk threw its light on +the ruddy folds, and Harding, glancing at it, felt a certain admiring +thrill. That symbol was honored at Allenwood, standing as it did for +great traditions, and peace and order and justice had followed it to the +West, but it was not for nothing that the new country had quartered the +Beaver of Industry on its crimson field. + +He was shown a place with his companions, and Mowbray gave him a nod of +recognition. Harding felt that the Colonel had proclaimed a truce while +they met for thanksgiving. Lance and several others smiled at him as he +quietly looked about in search of Beatrice, whom he could not see. The +hall was filled with handsome, brown-skinned men, and there was +something fine, but in a sense exotic, in their bearing and in the faces +of the women. + +All rose respectfully when a young man in white surplice and colored +hood came in. He had a strong, clean-cut face, and carried himself well, +but his manner was quietly reverent. Harding felt that these people from +the Old Country knew how things should be done, and he had a curious +sense of kinship with them. It was as if he were taking part in +something familiar; though this was the first Anglican service he had +attended. + +A man at the rather battered grand piano struck a few chords, and +Harding saw Beatrice when the opening hymn began. She stood a few yards +away, but her voice reached him plainly. It was, he recognized, +singularly sweet and clear, though he knew nothing of the training and +study that had developed it. He could pick it out from the others, and +as he listened his lips quivered and a mistiness gathered in his eyes. +Harding was not, as a rule, particularly imaginative or sensitive, but +he was capable at times of a strange emotional stirring. + + "The sower went forth sowing, + The seed in secret slept." + +He had heard it sung before, and it had meant little to him, but now he +saw how true it was in a stern, practical sense. + + "Through weeks of faith and patience!" + +Well, there was need of both, when glaring skies withheld all moisture +and withering winds swept the dead, gray waste. This year, however, the +prairie had blossomed under the genial warmth and rain. Bounty was the +note that the tall green wheat had struck. But the voice he loved sang +on: + + "Within an hallowed acre, + He sows yet other grain." + +The emotion he felt grew keener; memories awoke, and a line from +Longfellow ran through his mind, "Her mother's voice, singing in +Paradise." He heard the hymn, grasping its impressive analogy while he +thought of the strong, brave, patient woman who had upheld his +easy-going father at his uncongenial task. Harding knew now what he owed +his mother. He had, indeed, known it long, but love had quickened all +his senses and given him a clearer vision. + +When the music stopped, he set himself to listen, with Beatrice's face +seen now and then in delicate profile. He saw that Psalm and Lesson and +Collect were chosen well, and that the order of these people's prayers, +with all its aids of taste and music, was not a mere artistic formula. +It was the embroidered sheath that held the shining sword. + +Harding, however, was not the only one to feel an emotional quickening, +for there were those at Allenwood whose harvest thanksgiving was +poignant with regret. It reminded them too keenly of the quiet English +countryside where autumn mists crept among the stubble; of an ancient +church with stained glass windows and memorial brasses to those who bore +their name; of some well-loved, now sleeping beneath the sod. After all, +they were exiles, and though they had found a good country, the old one +called to them. + +Mrs. Mowbray's face was sad, and her husband, who sat beside her, looked +unusually stern. + +Beatrice, with all the rich imagery of harvest before her eyes and in +her ears, was thinking of one great wheatfield, and of the man who had +reclaimed it from the wilderness. She had seen him come in, and had +noticed that he looked worn. His figure was somewhat fined down and his +face was thin. It was a strong face and an attractive one; the character +it reflected was wholesome. There was nothing about the prairie man to +suggest the ascetic, yet Beatrice vaguely realized that strenuous toil +and clean ambition had driven the grosser passions out of him. + +The clergyman walked to the flag-draped pulpit, and Beatrice tried to +collect her wandering thoughts. As he read out the text she started, for +it seemed strangely apposite. + + "He that soweth little shall reap little; but he that + soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously." + +She suspected him of no desire to attack the customs of his +congregation, for he must be ignorant of the line they took at +Allenwood, but his words were edged with biting truth. At first he spoke +of the great lonely land they had entered: a land that was destined to +become one of the world's granaries and, better still, a home for the +outcast and the poor. They, the pioneers, had a special duty and a +privilege--to break the way for the host that should come after them; +and of them was demanded honest service. To sow plenteously; to be +faithful in the minor things--choosing the wheat that ripened early and +escaped the frost, filling the seeder with an open hand, sparing no +effort, and practising good husbandry; and withal blazing the trail by +marks of high endeavor, so that all who followed it could see. + +Then he spoke of the fruitful season and the yield of splendid grain. +The soil had returned them in full measure what they had sown, and he +pleaded that of this bounty they should give what they could spare. In +the Old Country which they loved there were many poor, and now in time +of stagnant trade the cities heard the cry of hungry children. There was +one institution which, sowing with generous recklessness, sent none away +unfed, and he begged that they would give something of their surplus. + +He stopped, and Hester looked at Harding as the closing hymn began, +showing him the edge of a dollar in her glove. + +"Craig," she whispered, "have you any money?" + +He pressed three bits of paper into her hand, and, noticing the figures +on the margin of one, she gave him a surprised glance. His face was +unusually gentle, and there was a smile on it. She made a sign of +approval and softly doubled up the bills as she joined in the singing. + +Five minutes later the congregation went out into the open air, and +Harding heard Mowbray press the clergyman to remain. + +"I'm sorry, but as I'm to preach at Poplar on Sunday, I must make +Sandhill Lake to-night," he answered. "In fact, I must get away at once; +there's no moon and the trail is bad." + +He climbed into his rig, and Harding, knowing there was a twenty-mile +journey before him with a dangerous ford on the way, watched him drive +off into the dark with a feeling of admiration. When he next heard about +the man it was that he had been found in winter, returning from a +distant Indian reservation, snow-blind and starving, with hands and feet +frozen. + +While Harding was looking for Hester, Mrs. Mowbray came up to him. + +"You must stay with the others for our supper and dance," she said. "I +have made your sister promise. I think we can sink all differences +to-night." + +Harding smiled. + +"I can't refuse. Somehow I feel that the differences aren't so great as +I once supposed." + +"Perhaps that's true," Mrs. Mowbray answered thoughtfully. "Though I +dare say you and my husband must disagree about the means you use, you +have, after all, a good deal in common. One's object is the most +important thing." + +She left him as Kenwyne came up, and went to speak to one of her +neighbors. + +Mowbray had called Beatrice into his study. + +"Count this for me," he said, giving her a brass tray filled with paper +currency and silver coin. "I promised I'd send it to the bank, and I may +as well make out the form before I lock the money up." + +He went away to get a pen, and on coming back he looked surprised when +Beatrice told him the amount. + +"There must be a mistake," he said. "We have never collected so much +before." + +"I've counted it twice." Beatrice indicated three bills. "Though I think +everybody was generous, these perhaps explain the difference." + +"Consecutive numbers and all fresh; from the same person obviously," +Mowbray said and put down the bills. "Bad taste on my part and, in a +way, a breach of confidence, but you had seen them and I was surprised." +Then he counted and sealed up the money. + +The supper was served in a big, wooden barn, which was afterward cleared +for dancing, and it was some time before Harding had an opportunity for +speaking to Beatrice. She could not avoid him all the evening, and she +did not wish to do so, but she was glad that he met her without +embarrassment. + +"I've learned that you got Lance out of trouble," she said after they +had talked a while. "One way and another, he's deeply in your debt." + +"Did he tell you?" Harding asked with a slight frown. + +"No; that is, it slipped out, and I took advantage of the indiscretion." +Beatrice looked at him steadily. "It has made a difference to the boy; I +imagine he was at a dangerous turning, and you set him straight." + +"You must tell nobody else." + +"Do you always try to hide your good deeds?" + +"I can't claim that they're numerous," Harding answered with a smile. +"Anyway, I had a selfish motive on this occasion; you see, I enjoy +beating a mortgage man." + +Beatrice knew the explanation was inadequate, but she was grateful for +his reserve. He was very generous, as she had another proof, for she +knew who had given the three large bills which had surprised her father. +There was, however, nothing more to be said, and she chatted about +indifferent matters until she was called away. + +Before the gathering broke up, Harding found himself seated in a corner +of the big hall talking quietly to Mrs. Mowbray. She was interested in +his farming plans and the changes he wanted made, and she listened +carefully, noting how his schemes revealed his character. Now and then +she asked a question, and he was surprised at her quick understanding. +Moreover, he felt that he had her sympathy, so far as she could loyally +give it. When, at length, he went away Mrs. Mowbray sat alone for some +minutes quietly thinking. She could find no opening for hostile +criticism. The honesty of the man's motives and his obvious ability +appealed to her. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +THE BRIDGE + + +There had been rain since harvest, and the ground was soft when Harding +and his comrade stood beside their smoking teams on the slope of the +ravine. Pale sunshine streamed down between the leafless trees, +glistening upon the pools and wet wheel-ruts that marked the winding +trail. The grade was steep and the torn-up surface was badly adapted for +heavy loads. Harding frowned as he glanced at the double span of +foul-coated horses harnessed to a wagon filled with bags of grain. They +were powerful, willing animals, and it jarred on him to overdrive them, +as he had been forced to do. Besides, except for the steep ascent, he +could have taken his load to the elevators with a single team. + +"I hate to abuse good horses, but we must get up," he said when he had +recovered breath. "Watch out the wagon doesn't run back when we make a +start." + +Devine drove a birch log behind the wheels and then ran to the leaders' +heads and cracked his whip, while Harding called to the pole-team. For a +few moments the battering hoofs churned up the sloppy trail and the +wagon groaned and shook, the horses floundering and slipping without +moving it. Then with a harsh creak the high wheels began to turn and +they slowly struggled up the hill. Harness rattled, chain and clevis +rang, the steam from the toiling animals rose in a thin cloud, and white +smears streaked their coats as they strained at the collar. The men were +red in face and panting hard, but as they fought the grade they broke +into breathless shouts. Harding was sparing of the whip; but this was +not a time to be weakly merciful, when the load might overpower his +teams and, running back, drag them over the edge. Nor dare he stop again +and subject the animals to the cruel effort of restarting. They must get +up somehow before their strength gave out. + +Running with hand upon the bridle, and splashing in the pools, he rushed +the horses at the last ascent; and then threw himself down with labored +breath in the grass. + +"This won't do," he panted after a few moments. "We'll have to put up +five or six bags less, and you can figure how many extra loads that will +make before we empty the bins. Then, I hate to keep a man and team +standing by here when they could be hauling another load." + +"It's one of the things a prairie farmer runs up against," Devine +remarked. + +"Just so. When they can't be put right, you have got to make the best of +them; but this grade can be altered." + +"It might," Devine agreed with a doubtful air. "Do you think you can +persuade the Colonel to join you?" + +"No; but it's my duty to try. When you have helped Frank up, you can +take the extra team and haul in the cordwood. I'll be back from the +railroad about dark to-morrow." + +In the meanwhile, Kenwyne, Broadwood, and Lance Mowbray stood among the +trees about three miles farther down the ravine, looking at the trail to +Allenwood, which led along its edge. Near it the ground fell sharply to +the creek, but the slope was regular, and small trees, blazed with the +ax at intervals, marked a smooth descending line. On the opposite side, +a gully offered an approach to the prairie at an easy gradient. + +"We must have the bridge here; but it isn't a job we can manage without +assistance," said Kenwyne. "I don't want to be disrespectful, Lance, but +I hope your father enjoyed his lunch." + +Lance grinned. + +"As a matter of fact, he did; but unfortunately he read the paper +afterwards and the market report seemed to upset him. To make things +worse, I rashly mentioned that it bore out Harding's prognostications. +In consequence, I expect you'll need all the tact you've got." + +"I wish Harding had a little more," Broadwood remarked. "I can be meek, +when it's for the good of the settlement, but our friend's too blunt." + +"If he's blunt to-day, there'll be trouble," Lance replied with a +chuckle. "I imagine the Colonel's in fighting form. Here he comes!" + +It was in an unusually thoughtful mood that Mowbray rode toward them. +The steady fall in the price of wheat was sufficient to cause him +anxiety, but he had further grounds for feeling disturbed. There was an +unsettling influence at work at Allenwood; plans were being mooted which +he thought originated with Harding; and, worse than all, he suspected +that his household was not altogether with him. Gerald certainly showed +unexpected sense in denouncing the innovations; but Mowbray had doubts +about Beatrice, who seemed to be cultivating Miss Harding's +acquaintance; and even his wife now and then took the part of the +offender. Besides, there were, so to speak, portents of change in the +air, and Mowbray felt that he was being driven where he did not mean to +go. He blamed Harding for this, and thought it was time he put a stop to +the fellow's encroachments. For all that, he greeted the waiting men +pleasantly when he dismounted. + +"The days are getting colder, but it's a bracing afternoon," he said. +"Now, perhaps we'd better walk over the line of the proposed trail." + +They took him along the side of the ravine, and Kenwyne, stopping now +and then, drew his attention to a plan he carried. + +"We'll need about forty feet of log underpinning at this point, and +you'll see that it's provided for," he said. "On the next section +there's a good deal of soil to move; I have an estimate of the number of +wagon loads." Farther on he stopped again. "From here to the bridge it +will come to only a ton for every three or four yards." + +Mowbray studied the plan and some sheets of figures. + +"You seem to have thought the matter out very carefully," he commented. + +"It needed close attention," said Broadwood. + +Mowbray looked at the men keenly. + +"There's a comprehensiveness about these plans and calculations that I +did not expect from you," he said dryly. "To tell the truth, I'm +somewhat surprised by them." + +They did not answer this, and Kenwyne frowned in warning as he saw +Lance's amused expression. + +"The trail would be useful, sir," Broadwood urged. + +"I think so. Do you feel competent to make it? The scheme is bolder than +anything of the kind we have undertaken." + +"We couldn't attempt it alone. Our idea is to ask for a general levy." + +Mowbray nodded, for when they improved the roads at Allenwood the +settlers were called upon to supply labor or money according to the size +of their farms. + +"By making an effort we might get the trail cut and the bridge built +before the frost stops us," Kenwyne said. "We couldn't finish the +grading, but the snow would give us a pretty good surface for hauling +our wheat over. The new crossing would save us nearly three miles on the +journey to the railroad, and we ought to get a good load up the easier +incline without doubling the teams." + +Mowbray's suspicions grew. + +"We have not found the longer distance an insurmountable disadvantage so +far. Why should it trouble you so much now?" + +"Some of us have bigger crops this year," Broadwood said. + +"Do you think this justifies your taxing your neighbors?" + +"No," Broadwood answered incautiously. "We expect they'll follow our +example, and have as much grain as we have next season." + +"I see!" Mowbray frowned. "You are working for a change. The system we +have followed so far doesn't satisfy you." + +"But you cannot imagine, sir, that there's any danger to the settlement +in our growing better crops." + +"Of course not. It's the taint of commercialism I object to. However, +let me look at those estimates again." + +They had now nearly reached the top of the hill on the opposite side and +Mowbray, sitting down on a birch log, opened the papers. The others +looked at one another dubiously as they heard a beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels. + +"I notice no allowance for unexpected difficulties, which are bound to +crop up," Mowbray presently remarked. "The work will, as usually +happens, prove harder than it looks. I do not see how you can finish it +before the frost comes." + +"We expect to get it done, sir," Kenwyne replied. "In fact, we ventured +to ask Mr. Harding, who has helped us to work the scheme out, to meet +you here. He will be able to give you any information." + +"Ah!" + +Looking up, Mowbray saw Harding coming down the trail, and the loaded +wagon and the fine Clydesdale horses standing among the trees. The sight +angered him. Harding had not been ruined by his rash experiment, as +Mowbray had honestly believed would happen. On the contrary, he had +prospered, and Mowbray suspected him of a wish to flaunt his success in +the faces of his less fortunate neighbors. It was in a very +uncompromising mood that he waited for him to speak. + +"If I can get the help I want from Allenwood, I'll engage to cut this +trail on the terms of the estimates," Harding said. "If extra labor is +required, I'll provide it. You can see the advantages, Colonel Mowbray: +three miles saved on the journey to the elevators, besides doing away +with the need for using an extra team on the grade. You'll save a dollar +or two a load; on a big crop the difference will be striking. The trail +will pay for itself in one season." + +"I notice that you confine yourself to the monetary point of view," said +Mowbray. + +"I think not. There are other advantages, but I won't speak of them now; +I'd be glad to explain anything about the work." + +Mowbray's face hardened. The intruding fellow had insolently declined to +talk over any but the material benefits to be expected. It looked as if +he attached no importance to his opinions; and in one respect Mowbray +was not mistaken. Harding had ideas of progress, mutual help, and good +fellowship with which he did not expect the Colonel to sympathize. + +"I do not propose to ask any questions," Mowbray said, getting up and +giving Kenwyne the plans. "I needn't keep you; this work will not be +undertaken with my sanction." + +"But it can't be undertaken without it!" Broadwood protested. + +"I agree with you. On such matters as a general levy I have power of +veto, and I must warn you that it will be used." + +Harding turned away, somewhat red in face, and went back up the trail. +He recovered his good humor, however, when he started his horses and +walked beside them across the withered grass. The prairie was bright +with sunshine, and the wide outlook was cheering. Faint wavy lines of +trees and glistening ponds checkered the great plain; there was not a +house or trail of smoke on it. It was all raw material, ready for him +and others to make good use of. + +Presently a buggy appeared over a rise, and Harding felt a thrill of +pleasure as he recognized the team and the driver. When Beatrice reached +him she checked the horses. + +"You're going to the elevators with your grain?" she said. "How is it +you came by the Long Bluff?" + +"I went round by Willow Gulch in the ravine." + +"Then you went to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood where the new trail is to +cross? I've heard something about the matter." + +"I did. And I'm afraid I offended Colonel Mowbray." + +"So he has stopped the undertaking! I expected it." + +"No," said Harding, with a half-humorous air. "The trail will be made, +though I won't be able to begin this season." + +Beatrice looked thoughtful. + +"I'm sorry about this," she said; "it may cause more trouble. Why can't +you leave us alone?" + +"I'm afraid I am meddlesome. But it's hard to leave things alone when +you know they ought to be done." + +"That sounds egotistical. Are you never mistaken?" + +"Often, but it's generally when I get to planning what I'd like to do." + +"I don't quite understand." + +"It would certainly be egotistical if I bored you with my crude ideas," +he answered, smiling. + +"Never mind that. I want to know." + +"Well," he said, "sometimes you look about to see how you can alter +matters and what plans you can make; but when they're made they won't +always work. It's different when you don't have to look." + +Beatrice had a dim perception of what he meant, but she would let him +explain. His point of view interested her; though she knew that she ran +some risk in leading him into confidential talk. + +"I don't think you have made it very clear yet." + +"I meant that there are times when you see your work ready laid out. +It's there; you didn't plan it--you simply can't mistake it. Then if you +go straight ahead and do the best you can, you can't go wrong." + +"But when you don't feel sure? When you haven't the conviction that it +is your task?" + +"Then," he said quietly, "I think it's better to sit tight and wait. +When the time to act comes, you certainly will know." + +Beatrice pondered this, because it seemed to apply with some force to +herself. He had once urged her to take a daring course, to assert her +freedom at the cost of sacrificing much that she valued. Though she had +courage, she had shrunk from the venture, because she had not the firm +conviction that it was justified. She felt drawn to Harding; indeed, she +had met no other man whom she liked so well; but there was much against +him, and nothing but deep, unquestioning love would warrant her +marrying him. That she felt such love she would not admit. It was better +to take the advice he had given her and wait. This was the easier for +her to do because she believed that he had no suspicion of her real +feeling for him. + +"After all," she said, smiling, "your responsibility ends with yourself. +I don't see why you should interfere with other people. You can farm +your land as you think fit, without trying to make us copy you." + +"That sounds all right; but when you come to think of it, you'll see +that neither of us can stand alone." + +"We got along pretty well before you came." + +"I don't doubt it. The trouble is that what was best a few years ago +isn't best now. I wish I could make your father realize that." + +"Does it follow that he's mistaken because he doesn't agree with you?" + +Harding laughed. + +"If I were singular in my way of thinking, I'd be more modest, but all +over the country farmers are getting ready for the change. There's a big +expansion in the air, and your people can't stand out against it." + +"Then I suppose we'll be crushed, and we'll deserve our fate." Beatrice +smiled at him as she started the horses. "But at least it will not be +from lack of advice!" + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +A HEAVY BLOW + + +Snow was drifting around the Grange before a bitter wind when Mowbray +sat in his study with a stern, anxious face. The light of the lamp on +his writing table fell upon a black-edged letter that lay beside a +bundle of documents; the big stove in a corner glowed a dull red, and +acrid fumes of burning wood escaped as the icy draughts swept in. +Mowbray's hands and feet were very cold, but he sat motionless, trying +to rally his forces after a crushing blow. + +The sound of music reached him from the hall, where some of his younger +neighbors were spending the evening, and he frowned when an outbreak of +laughter followed the close of a song. He had left his guests half an +hour before, when the mounted mail-carrier had called, and he could not +force himself to rejoin them yet. He must have time to recover from the +shock he had received. Since he left the hall he had been trying to +think; but he had no control of his mind and was conscious of only a +numbing sense of grief and disaster. + +He looked up as his wife came in. Her movements were generally quiet, +and when she sat down her expression was calm. + +"I got away as soon as I could," she said. "I am afraid you have had bad +news." + +"Very bad. Godfrey's dead!" + +Mrs. Mowbray started. Godfrey Barnett was her husband's cousin. He had +been the managing director of an old-established private bank in which +Mowbray's relatives were interested, and the dividend upon some of the +shares formed an important part of the Colonel's income. + +"I'm very sorry," Mrs. Mowbray said softly. "Godfrey was always a +favorite of mine. But it must have been sudden; you did not know that he +was ill." + +Her heart sank as she saw her husband's face turn grim. The blow had +been heavier than she thought. + +"He said something about not being up to his usual form when he last +wrote, and Alan alludes to a cablegram that should have prepared me, but +I never got it. No doubt it was overlooked. He mentions that the strain +was almost unbearable--the crisis at the office--and the inquest." + +"The inquest!" + +The Colonel took up an English newspaper. + +"It's all here; Alan says there's nothing to add. I've been trying to +understand it, but I can't quite realize it yet. The paper and the +letter came together. I suppose he waited a few days, thinking he had +cabled." + +The Colonel paused, and Mrs. Mowbray gave him a sympathetic glance, for +she knew what his forced calm cost. The Mowbrays were stern and quiet +under strain. + +"Well?" she said. + +"They found Godfrey dead, with a bottle of some narcotic beside him. +The doctor gave evidence that he had prescribed the drug; it seems +Godfrey couldn't sleep and his nerves had gone to bits. The man was +obviously tactful and saved the situation. The verdict was that Godfrey +had accidentally taken too large a dose." + +"Ah! You don't think----" + +"I dare not think--he was my cousin." Mowbray shivered and pulled +himself together. "Now for the sequel. You haven't heard the worst yet, +if one can call what follows worse." + +"Don't tell me. Give me the paper." + +He handed her the journal published in an English country town and she +read the long account with a feeling of deep pity. It appeared that when +news of Godfrey's death spread there had been a run on the bank. +Barnett's business was for the most part local; and struggling +shopkeepers, farmers, small professional men, and a number of the +country gentry hurried to withdraw their money. The firstcomers were +paid, but the bank soon closed its doors. Then came the inquest, and +Mrs. Mowbray wondered how the merciful verdict had been procured. It was +all very harrowing, and when she looked up her eyes were wet. + +"He must have known!" she said. "It seems heartless to talk about the +financial side of the matter, but----" + +"It must be talked about, and it's easier than the other. I think I know +why the bank came down, and perhaps I'm responsible to some extent. When +one of the big London amalgamations wanted to absorb Barnett's, Godfrey +consulted me. I told him I wasn't a business man, but so far as my +opinion went he ought to refuse." + +"Why?" + +"Barnett's was a small, conservative bank. Godfrey knew his customers; +he was their financial adviser and often their personal friend. The bank +would take some risk to carry an honest client over bad times; it was +easy with the farmers after a poor harvest. Godfrey could give and take; +he managed a respected firm like a gentleman. In short, Barnett's was +human, not a mere money-making machine." + +"I can imagine that," Mrs. Mowbray responded. "Would it have been +different if he had joined the amalgamation?" + +"Very different. Barnett's would have become a branch office without +power of discretion. Everything would have had to be done on an +unchangeable system--the last penny exacted; no mercy shown a client who +might fall a day behind; one's knowledge of a customer disregarded in +favor of a rule about the security he could offer. I warned Godfrey that +so far as my influence could command it, every vote that went with the +family shares should be cast against the deal; although the amalgamation +had given him a plain hint that they meant to secure a footing in the +neighborhood, whether they came to terms with Barnett's or not." + +Mrs. Mowbray thought his advice to his cousin was characteristic of her +husband, and, in a wide sense, she agreed with him. He was a lover of +fair play and individual liberty; but the course Godfrey had taken was +nevertheless rash. Barnett's was not strong enough to fight a +combination which had practically unlimited capital. The struggle had +no doubt been gallant, but the kindly, polished gentleman had been +disastrously beaten. What was worse, Mrs. Mowbray suspected that her +husband was now leading a similar forlorn hope at Allenwood. + +"I suppose it means a serious loss to us," she said. + +"That's certain. Alan has not had time to investigate matters yet, but I +gather that my relatives do not mean to shirk their responsibility. +Barnett's, of course, was limited, but the name must be saved if +possible and the depositors paid. I will tell Alan that I strongly agree +with this." + +It was rash and perhaps quixotic, but it was typical of the man, and +Mrs. Mowbray did not object. + +"I'm sorry for you," she said caressingly. "It will hit you very hard." + +Mowbray's face grew gentler. + +"I fear the heaviest burden will fall on your shoulders; we shall have +to cut down expenses, and there's the future---- Well, I'm thankful you +have your small jointure. Things are going hard against me, and I feel +very old." + +"It's unfortunate that my income is only a life interest. The boys----" + +"Gerald must shift for himself; he has had more than his share. I don't +think we need be anxious about Lance. The boy seems to have a singularly +keen scent for money." + +"But Beatrice!" + +"Beatrice," said Mowbray, "must make a good match. It shouldn't be +difficult with her advantages. And now I suppose I'd better go down. I +think the effect of this disaster must remain a secret between us." + +He locked up the papers and shortly afterward stood talking to Brand in +a quiet corner of the hall. + +"If it wouldn't be an intrusion, I'd like to offer you my sympathy, +sir," Brand said. "The mail-carrier brought me a letter from my English +steward." + +"Thank you; it has been a shock. Did you deal with Barnett's?" + +"I understand they have handled the estate accounts for many years." + +"Then you will be relieved to hear that it's probable all the depositors +will be paid." + +Brand made a gesture of expostulation; but Mowbray's mind had taken a +sudden turn. + +"So you haven't disposed of your English property!" he commented. + +Brand's glance rested on Beatrice, who was standing near, talking to one +of the younger men. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and there was warm +color in her face. Her pose was light and graceful; she seemed filled +with eager gaiety, and Brand's expression hardened. + +"No," he replied in a meaning tone; "I may want the place some day. +Perhaps I'd better warn you that I haven't given up hope yet, in spite +of my rebuff." + +"I wish she'd taken you," Mowbray said frankly. "It would have been a +relief to me; but I cannot influence her." + +Glancing back at Beatrice, Brand was seized by a fit of passion. He was +a strong, reserved man, who had cared little for women--he had, indeed, +rather despised them. Now he had fallen in love at forty-two, and had +been swept away. Hitherto he had generally lived up to a simple code of +honor; but restraints were breaking down. He would have the girl, +whatever it cost him or her. He knew the strength of his position. It +might be necessary to exercise patience, but the odds were on his side. + +"This is a matter I must fight out for myself," he said in a hard voice. +"And I mean to win." + +Mowbray looked at him in surprise. There was something new and +overbearing in the man's expression which the Colonel resented, but he +supposed he must make allowances. + +"You have my good wishes," he said; "but you must understand that that's +as far as I can go." + +He moved away and soon afterward Brand joined Beatrice. + +"I must congratulate you on your cheerfulness," he smiled. "You seem to +cast a ray of brightness about the place to-night. It drew me. Being of +a cold nature I felt I'd like to bask in the genial warmth." + +Beatrice laughed. + +"That sounds stilted; one doesn't expect such compliments from you." + +"No," Brand said with a direct glance. "I'm old and sober; but you don't +know what I'm capable of when I'm stirred." + +"I'm not sure that I'm curious. To tell the truth, it costs me rather an +effort to be gay to-night. Somehow, there's a feeling of trouble in the +air." + +Brand thought she had no knowledge of her father's misfortune--it was +unlikely that Mowbray would tell her; but she was clever enough to see +the other troubles that threatened the Grange in common with most of the +homesteads at Allenwood. + +"So you face it with a laugh!" he said. "It's a gallant spirit; but I +dare say the boys make it easier for you. Trouble doesn't seem to touch +them." + +He looked about the hall, noting the careless bearing of the handsome, +light-hearted young men and the three or four attractive girls. Their +laughter was gay, their voices had a spirited ring, and the room was +filled with warmth and brightness; yet he felt the presence of an +ominous shadow. This afforded him a certain gloomy satisfaction, the +meanness of which he recognized. He knew that he could not win the girl +he desired by his personal merits, but the troubles he thought were +coming might give him his opportunity. + +Beatrice was presently glad of an excuse for dismissing him, and when +the others had gone she went to her father, who was standing moodily by +the hearth. + +"You don't look well to-night," she said. + +"I'm not ill." + +"Then you're anxious." + +"I must confess that I have something to think about." + +"I know," said Beatrice. "Things look black just now. With the wheat +market falling----" + +"What do you know about the market?" Mowbray asked in surprise. + +"I read the newspapers and hear the boys talk. They're brave and take it +carelessly, but one feels----" + +Mowbray gave her a keen glance. + +"Well, what do you feel?" + +"That I'd like to help you in any way I can. So far, I've taken all you +have given me and done nothing in return." + +"You can help," he answered slowly. "It would ease my mind if you +married Brand." + +"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Not that! I'm sorry, but it's impossible." + +He made a gesture of resignation. + +"Well, I can't force you." + +Beatrice was silent a moment. + +"It's hard to refuse the only big thing you have ever asked," she said +hesitatingly. "I really want to help, and I feel humiliated when I see +how little I can do. Mrs. Broadwood and Hester Harding can manage a +farm; Broadwood says he only began to make money after he married." She +paused, seeing Mowbray's frown, and went on with a forced smile: +"However, I can at least cease to be an expense. I have cost you a great +deal one way and another, and now you must give me nothing more." + +"I'm afraid I may have to cut down your allowance," he answered +gloomily. + +"That's one thing I can save you." She looked at him with diffident +eagerness. "I've been thinking a good deal lately, and I see that if +wheat keeps getting cheaper it may be serious for us all. Couldn't we +take precautions?" + +"What kind of precautions?" + +"Oh, I can't tell you that--I don't know enough about farming. But +perhaps we could make some changes and economies; break more land, for +example." + +"If we lose on what we have broken already, how shall we economize by +plowing more?" + +"It sounds logical; but can't you save labor and reduce the average +expense by working on a large scale?" + +"Perhaps. But it needs capital." + +"A few new horses and bigger plows wouldn't cost very much. We are +spending a good deal of money on other things that are not directly +useful." + +Mowbray looked at her with an ironical smile and Beatrice felt confused. +She remembered that she had staunchly defended her father's conservative +attitude to Harding, and now she was persuading him to abandon it. + +"This is a new line for you to take," he said. "I should like to know +what has suggested it. Has Mrs. Broadwood converted you, or have you +been talking to the Americans?" + +"I meet Mr. Harding now and then, and he generally talks about farming." + +"I suppose you can't avoid the fellow altogether, but politeness is all +that is required. He has a habit of exaggerating the importance of +things, and he can only look at them from his point of view." + +Beatrice felt guilty. Her father had not forbidden her speaking to the +man; he trusted her to remember what was due to her station. She could +imagine his anger were he to suspect that she had allowed Harding to +make love to her. + +"Kenwyne and Broadwood seem to agree with him," she urged. + +"They're rank pessimists; you mustn't listen to them. Try to be as +economical as you can; but leave these matters alone. You don't +understand them." + +She went to her room, feeling downcast. She had failed to influence him, +but it was partly her fault that she had been unable to do so. She had +wasted her time in idle amusements, and now she must take the +consequences. Nobody except Harding would listen when she wished to talk +about things that mattered. She felt ashamed of her ignorance and of her +utter helplessness. But perhaps she might learn; she would ask Hester +Harding to teach her. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +COVERING HIS TRAIL + + +It was bitterly cold in the log-walled room at the back of the +settlement store where Gerald Mowbray sat by the red-hot stove. His +deerskin jacket and moccasins were much the worse for wear, and his face +was thin and darkened by the glare of the snow. For the past month he +had been traveling with a survey party through the rugged forest-belt of +Northern Ontario, living in the open in Arctic weather, until the +expedition had fallen back on the lonely settlement to get fresh +supplies. + +All round the rude log-shacks, small, ragged pines, battered by the +wind, and blackened here and there by fire, rose from the deep snow that +softened the harsh contour of the rocky wilderness. This is one of the +coldest parts of Canada. The conifers that roll across it are generally +too small for milling, and its penetration is remarkably difficult, but +a silver vein accounted for the presence of a few hard-bitten miners. +Occasionally they ran some risk of starving when fresh snow delayed the +transport of provisions, and it was only at irregular intervals that a +mail reached them. An Indian mail-carrier had, however, arrived shortly +before the survey party, and Gerald had a letter in his hand, and a +Montreal newspaper lay beside him. The letter troubled him. He was +thankful to be left alone for a few minutes, for he had much to think +about. + +Hardship and fatigue had no attractions for him, but he had grown tired +of the monotony of his life at the Grange, and as qualified surveyors +were not plentiful in the wilds, the authorities had been glad to obtain +the services of an engineer officer. Though he was only an assistant, +the pay was good, and he had thought it wise to place himself out of his +creditors' reach. Unfortunately, some of the more persistent had learned +where he had gone, and the letter contained a curt demand for the +settlement of an account. Gerald could not pay it, but the newspaper +brought a ray of hope. He had speculated with part of the money his +father had once given him to pay his debts, and the mining shares he +bought had turned out worthless. Now, however, they were unexpectedly +going up; it seemed that the company had at last tapped a vein of +promising ore. If he could hold out, he might be able to liquidate his +most pressing debts. But this creditor's demand was peremptory and he +could not see how he was to gain time. He wished the men whose harsh +voices reached him from the store would stop talking. They were rough +choppers, of whose society he had grown very tired; and the taciturn +surveyor was not a much better companion. + +The surveyor came in before Gerald found a solution of his difficulties. +He was a big, gaunt man. Throwing off his ragged furs he sat down in a +broken chair and lighted his pipe. + +"Thermometer's at minus fifty, but we must pull out at sun-up," he +remarked. "Now, as I have to run my corner-line as ordered and the grub +we've been able to get won't last long, I can't take all the boys and +hunt for that belt of farming land." + +"Supposititious, isn't it?" Gerald suggested. "We've seen nothing to +indicate there being any soil up here that one could get a plowshare +into. Still, the authorities have rather liberal ideas of what could be +called cultivatable land." + +"That's so," the surveyor agreed. "Where I was raised they used to say +that a bushman can get a crop wherever he can fire the seed among the +rocks with a shotgun. Anyway, the breeds and the Indians talk about a +good strip of alluvial bottom, and we've got to find out something about +it before we go back." + +"It will be difficult to haul the stores and camp truck if you divide +the gang." + +"Sure; but here's my plan." The surveyor opened a rather sketchy map. "I +take the sleds and follow the two sides of the triangle. I'll give you +the base, and two packers. Marching light, by compass, you'll join me +where the base-line meets the side; but you'll do no prospecting survey +unless you strike the alluvial bottom." + +"What about provisions?" + +"You can carry enough to see you through; the cache I made in advance is +within a few marches of where we meet." + +It was not a task that appealed to Gerald. It would be necessary to +cross a trackless wilderness which only a few of the Hudson Bay +half-breeds knew anything about. He must sleep in the snow with an +insufficient camp outfit, and live on cut-down rations, with the risk of +starving if anything delayed him, because the weight he could transport +without a sledge was limited. + +He would have refused to undertake the journey only that a half-formed +plan flashed into his mind. + +"Suppose I miss you?" he suggested. + +"Well," said the surveyor dryly, "that might mean trouble. You should +get there first; but I can't stop long if you're late, because we've got +to make the railroad while the grub holds out. Anyhow, I could leave you +rations for two or three marches in a cache, and by hustling you should +catch up." + +Gerald agreed to this, and soon afterward he went to sleep on the floor. +It was early in the evening, but he knew that the next eight or nine +days' work would try him hard. + +It was dark when the storekeeper wakened him, and after a hasty +breakfast he went out with the surveyor. Dawn was breaking, and there +was an ashy grayness in the east, but the sky was barred with clouds. +The black pines were slowly growing into shape against the faint glimmer +of the snow. The cold was piercing and Gerald shivered while the +surveyor gave him a few last directions; then he slung his heavy pack +upon his shoulders and set off down the unpaved street. There were +lights in the log shacks and once or twice somebody greeted him, but +after a few minutes the settlement faded behind and he and his +companions were alone among the tangled firs. No sound but the crunch of +snow beneath their big shoes broke the heavy silence; the small trees, +slanting drunkenly, were dim and indistinct, and the solitude was +impressive. + +Gerald's lips were firmly set as he pushed ahead. Theoretically, his +task was simple; he had only to keep a fixed course and he must cut the +surveyor's line of march, but in practise there were difficulties. It +is not easy to travel straight in a rugged country where one is +continually forced aside by natural obstacles; nor can one correctly +allow for all the divergences. This, however, was not what troubled +Gerald, for the plan he had worked out since the previous night did not +include his meeting the surveyor. It was the smallness of the quantity +of provisions his party could transport that he was anxious about, +because he meant to make a much longer march than his superior had +directed. + +His companions were strong, stolid bushmen, whose business it was to +carry the provisions and camp outfit. They knew nothing about +trigonometry; but they were at home in the wilds, and Gerald was glad +the weather threatened to prove cloudy. He did not want them to check +his course by the sun. Properly, it was northwest; and he marched in +that direction until it was unlikely that anybody from the settlement +would strike his trail; then he headed two points farther west, and, +seeing that the packers made no remark, presently diverged another +point. + +Traveling was comparatively easy all day. Wind and fire had thinned the +bush, cleaning out dead trees and undergrowth, and the snow lay smooth +upon the outcropping rock. Here and there they struck a frozen creek +which offered a level road, and when dark came they had made an +excellent march. Gerald was glad of this, because all the food he could +save now would be badly needed before the journey was finished. For all +that, he felt anxious as he sat beside the camp-fire after his frugal +supper. + +A bank of snow kept off the stinging wind; there was, fortunately, no +lack of fuel, and, sitting close to the pile of snapping branches, the +men were fairly warm; but the dark pines were wailing mournfully and +thick gloom encroached upon the narrow ring of light. The eddying smoke +leaped out of it and vanished with startling suddenness. Gerald's +shoulders ached from the weight of his pack, and the back of one leg was +sore. He must be careful of it, because he had a long way to go, and men +were sometimes lamed by snowshoe trouble. + +The two packers sat, for the most part, smoking silently. Gerald now and +then gave them a pleasant word, but he did not wish their relations to +become friendly, as it was not advisable that they should ask him +questions about the march. Indeed, he shrank from thinking of it as he +listened to the savage wind in the pine-tops and glanced at the +surrounding darkness. The wilderness is daunting in winter, even to +those who know it best; but Gerald with his gambler's instincts was +willing to take a risk. If he went home with the surveyor, ruin awaited +him. + +For a time he sat drowsily enjoying the rest and warmth, and then, lying +down on a layer of spruce-twigs, he went to sleep. But the cold wakened +him. One of the packers got up, grumbling, and threw more branches on +the fire, and Gerald went to sleep again. + +Starting shortly before daylight, they were met by blinding snow, but +they struggled on all day across a rocky elevation. The snow clogged +their eyelashes and lashed their tingling cheeks until the pain was +nearly unbearable; still, that was better than feeling them sink into +dangerous insensibility. They must go on while progress was possible. +The loss of a day or two might prove fatal, and there was a chance of +their getting worse weather. + +It overtook them two days later when they sat shivering in camp with the +snow flying past their heads and an icy blizzard snapping rotten +branches from the buffeted trees. Twigs hurtled about their ears; the +woods was filled with a roar like the sea; the smoke was blinding to lee +of the fire, and its heat could hardly reach them a yard to windward. +Gerald drank a quart of nearly boiling black tea, but he could not keep +warm. There was no feeling in his feet, and his hands were too numbed to +button his ragged coat, which had fallen open. When he tried to smoke, +his pipe was frozen, and as he crouched beneath the snow-bank he +wondered dully whether he should change his plans and face the worst his +creditors could do. + +By altering his course northerly when he resumed the march he might +still strike the surveyor's line, but after another day or two it would +be too late. Still, he thought of his father's fury and the shares that +were bound to rise. If he were disowned, he must fall back upon +surveying for a livelihood. It was unthinkable that he should spend the +winter in the icy wilds, and the summer in portaging canoes over rocky +hills and dragging the measuring chain through mosquito haunted bush. He +could not see how he was to avoid exposure when Davies claimed his loan; +but something might turn up, and he was sanguine enough to be content if +he could put off the day of reckoning. + +The blizzard continued the next morning and no one could leave camp; +indeed, Gerald imagined that death would have struck down the strongest +of them in an hour. But the wind fell at night, and when dawn broke +they set out again in Arctic frost. One could make good progress in the +calm air, though the glitter was blinding when the sun climbed the +cloudless sky as they followed a winding stream. Then a lake offered a +smooth path, and they had made a good march when dark fell. + +In the night it grew cloudy and the temperature rose, and when they +started at daybreak they were hindered by loose, fresh snow. At noon +they stopped exhausted after covering a few miles; and the next day the +going was not much better, for they were forced to flounder through a +tangle of blown-down trees. It was only here and there that the pines +and spruces could find sufficient moisture among the rocks, and they +died and fell across each other in a dry summer. + +On the seventh day after leaving the settlement the three men plodded +wearily through thin forest as the gloomy evening closed in. Their +shoulders were sore from the pack-straps, the backs of their legs ached +with swinging the big snowshoes, and all were hungry and moody. +Provisions were getting low, and they had been compelled to cut down +rations. Now the cold was Arctic, and a lowering, steel-gray sky showed +between the whitened tops of the trees. The packers had been anxiously +looking for blaze-marks all afternoon; and Gerald, knowing they would +not find them, felt his courage sink. He was numb with cold, and he +dully wondered whether he had taken too great a risk. + +Presently one of the men, who had been searching some distance to the +right, joined his comrade. They spoke together and then turned back to +meet Gerald. + +"Say, boss, isn't it time we struck the boys' tracks?" one asked. + +"Yes," said Gerald, recognizing that much depended on how he handled the +situation. "We should have picked them up this morning." + +The men were silent for a moment. + +"Looks as if we'd got off our line," one of them then said resolutely. +"How were you heading?" + +"Northwest, magnetic." + +"No, sir. You were a piece to the west of that." + +"You think so?" + +The man laughed harshly. + +"Sure! I was raised among the timber; guess I've broken too many trails +not to know where I'm going." + +"Well," said Gerald in a confidential tone, "I didn't mention it before +because I didn't want to make you uneasy, but I'm afraid this compass is +unreliable. It hasn't been swiveling as it ought; oil frozen on the cap, +perhaps, or the card warped against the glass. I tried to adjust it once +or twice, but my fingers were too cold." He held it out awkwardly for +them to examine, and it dropped from his mittens. Clutching at it, he +lost his balance and crushed the compass beneath the wooden bow of his +shoe. + +Then he stepped back with an exclamation, and the packer, dropping on +his knees, groped in the snow until he brought out the compass with its +case badly bent. + +"You've fixed her for good this time; there's an old log where she +fell," he said; and he and his comrade waited in gloomy silence while +Gerald watched them. + +They did not suspect him: the thing had passed for an accident; but +Gerald felt daunted by the deadly cold and silence of the bush. His +companions' faces were indistinct and their figures had lost their +sharpness; they looked shaggy and scarcely human in their ragged +skin-coats. + +One of the packers suddenly threw down his load. + +"We're going to camp right here and talk this thing out," he said, and +taking off his net shoe began to scrape up the snow. + +Half an hour later they sat beside a snapping fire, eating morsels of +salt pork and flinty bannocks out of a frying-pan, with a black pannikin +of tea between them. The smoke went straight up; now and then a mass of +snow fell from the bending needles with a soft thud, though there was +scarcely a breath of wind. + +"I reckon we've been going about west-northwest since we left the +settlement," one of the men said to Gerald. "Where does that put you?" + +"Some way to the south of where I meant to be. Twenty degrees off our +line is a big angle; you can see how it lengthens the base we've been +working along while McCarthy makes his two sides. That means we've lost +most of our advantage in cutting across the corner. Then we were held up +once or twice, and we'll probably be behind instead of ahead of him at +the intersection of the lines. Tell me the distances you think we have +made." + +After some argument, they agreed upon them, and Gerald drew a rude +triangle in the snow, though its base stopped short of joining one side. + +"If you're right about course and distance, our position's somewhere +here," he said, indicating the end of the broken line. + +This placed the responsibility for any mistake upon his companions; but +one of them had a suggestion. + +"If we head a few points north, we'll certainly cut McCarthy's track." + +"Yes; but we'd be behind him and he can't wait." + +"Then if we stick to the line we're on, we'll join." + +"If we run it far enough, but we'll have to go a long way first. It's +difficult to catch a man who's marching as fast as you are when you have +to converge at a small angle upon his track." + +This was obvious as they looked at the diagram. + +"What are you going to do about it?" one of the packers asked. + +Gerald hesitated, because his plan might daunt them; moreover he must be +careful not to rouse their suspicion. + +"We want food first of all, and we'll have to sacrifice a day or two in +finding the cache. To do so, we'll cut McCarthy's line; this won't be +hard if he's blazed it." + +"You'll follow him after you find the grub?" + +"No," said Gerald, "I don't think so. He can't leave us much, and we'd +probably use it all before we caught him up. The best thing we can do is +to strike nearly north for the Hudson Bay post. We might get there +before the food runs out." + +There was silence for a few moments, and he waited for the others to +speak, for he had carefully ascertained the position of the factory +before he left the settlement. If they missed the remote outpost, or did +not get there soon enough, they could not escape starvation. + +"Well," said the first packer, "I guess that's our only plan, but we'll +certainly have to hustle. Better get to sleep now. There'll be a moon in +the early morning, and we'll pull out then." + +Gerald made a sign of agreement. His companions had taken the direction +of affairs into their own hands, and he was glad to leave it to them. It +relieved him of responsibility, and they were not likely to blunder +where error would be fatal. When they reached the factory he must find +an excuse for remaining until McCarthy arrived at the settlements and +reported the party missing. It would be mentioned in the papers, a +relief expedition might be despatched, and Gerald's creditors would wait +until the uncertainty about his fate was dissipated. He meant to delay +his reappearance as long as possible; but he knew there was a +possibility of its never being made. One took many chances in the frozen +North. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +THE BLIZZARD + + +Six weeks had passed since Gerald broke his compass. With head lowered +against the driving snow, he plodded slowly across the plain behind a +team of exhausted dogs. A Hudson Bay half-breed lashed the animals, for +the sledge was running heavily, and, with the provisions all consumed, +the party must reach shelter before night. There was no wood in the +empty waste, the men were savage with hunger, and a merciless wind drove +the snow into their faces. Though scarcely able to drag himself along, +Gerald pushed the back of the sledge, and the two packers followed, each +carrying a heavy bundle of skins to ease the load upon the dogs. The +white men had tried to persuade their guide to make a cache of his +freight, but he had refused. He had served the Hudson Bay from his youth +in the grim desolation of the North, and he proudly stated that he had +never lost a skin. Gerald, finding argument useless, would have tried a +bribe, only, unfortunately, he had nothing to offer. + +He had reached the factory scarcely able to walk from snowshoe lameness; +and one of the packers had a frozen foot. The Scottish agent, who was +short of stores, had not welcomed them effusively. It was, however, +impossible to turn them away; he promised them shelter, but he declined +to supply them with provisions to continue their journey. They might +stay, he said, though they must put up with meager fare, and when fresh +stores arrived from the railroad he would see what could be done. + +The delay suited Gerald; he limped contentedly about the rude log-house +for some time; but when he and the packer recovered, they found that +they were expected to take part in the work of the post. When the +weather permitted, Gerald was despatched long distances with a +half-breed to collect skins from the Indian trappers; and when +snow-laden gales screamed about the log-house and it might have been +fatal to venture out of sight of it, he was employed in hauling cordwood +from the clearing. + +At last some dog-teams arrived with stores, and the agent, seizing the +opportunity of sending out a load of furs, gave his guests just food +enough to carry them to the settlements and let them go with a +half-breed. The journey proved arduous, for during most of it they +struggled through tangled forest filled with fallen pines, and when at +length they reached the plains an icy wind met them in the teeth. Now, +however, they were near the end, and Gerald, stumbling along, pinched +with the bitter cold, speculated dully about the news awaiting him. + +His creditors could have done nothing until they learned what had become +of him. That was something gained; and there was a probability of his +being able to pay them off. The shares he owned were going up; there +would be developments when the new shaft tapped the main body of the +ore. The tip he had got from a safe quarter when he made the purchase +was to be trusted after all. Mining companies were not run solely for +the benefit of outside investors, and the directors were no doubt +waiting for an opportune moment for taking the public into their +confidence about their long-delayed success. The last newspaper Gerald +had read, however, indicated that some information had leaked out, and +he hoped that an announcement which would send up the price had been +made while he was in the wilds. + +The lashing snow gained in fury. When Gerald looked up, the dogs were +half hidden in the cloud of swirling, tossing flakes. Beyond them lay a +narrow strip of livid white, dead level, unbroken by bush or tuft of +grass. There was, however, no boundary to this contracted space, for it +extended before them as they went on, as it had done without a change +since the march began at dawn. Gerald felt that he was making no +progress and was with pain and difficulty merely holding his ground. The +half-breed struggled forward beside the dogs, white from head to foot, +but Gerald could not see the packers, and felt incapable of looking for +them. Snow filled his eyes and lashed his numbed cheeks, his lips were +bleeding, and his hands and his feet felt wooden with the icy cold. +Lowering his head against the blast, he stumbled on, pushing the back of +the sledge and seeking refuge from bodily suffering in confused thought. + +After all, he had no hope of getting free from debt. The most he could +expect was to pay off the men who pressed him hardest; but that would be +enough for a time. Gerald could not face a crisis boldly; he preferred +to put off the evil day, trusting vaguely in his luck. Looking back, he +saw that he might have escaped had he practised some self-denial and +told the truth to his father and his friends. Instead, he had made +light of his embarrassments and borrowed from one man to pay another; to +make things worse, he had gambled and speculated with part of the +borrowed sums in the hope that success would enable him to meet his +obligations. Money had to be found, but Gerald would not realize that +for the man who does not possess it, the only safe plan is to work. +Sometimes he won, but more often he lost; and the Winnipeg mortgage +broker watched his futile struggles, knowing that they would only lead +him into worse difficulties. + +Then Gerald began to wonder whether the half-breed, who had nothing to +guide him, could find the settlement. It seemed impossible that he could +steer a straight course across the trackless waste when he could see +scarcely fifty yards ahead. They might have wandered far off their line, +though, so far as one could judge, the savage wind had blown steadily in +front. It was a question of vital importance; but Gerald was growing +indifferent. His brain got numb, and his body was losing even the sense +of pain. The only thing he realized plainly was that he could not keep +on his feet much longer. + +At last, when it was getting dark, there was a cry from the half-breed, +and one of the packers stumbled past. He shouted exultantly, the dogs +swerved off their course, and Gerald felt the sledge move faster. The +snow got firm beneath his feet and he knew they had struck a trail. It +must lead to the settlement, which could not be far ahead. Half an hour +later, a faint yellow glow appeared, the worn-out dogs broke into a run, +dim squares of houses loomed out of the snow, and lights blinked here +and there. They were obviously moving up a street, and when they stopped +where a blaze of light fell upon them Gerald leaned drunkenly upon the +sledge. The journey was over, but he was scarcely capable of the effort +that would take him out of the deadly cold. + +He saw the half-breed unharnessing the dogs, and, pulling himself +together, he struggled up a few steps, crossed a veranda with wooden +pillars, and stumbled into a glaring room. It was filled with tobacco +smoke and the smell of hot iron, and its rank atmosphere was almost +unbreathable. Gerald began to choke, and his head swam as he made his +way to the nearest chair. The place, as he vaguely realized, was a +hotel, and the packers had already entered because he heard their voices +though he could not see them. There was a stove in the middle of the +room, and a group of men stood about it asking questions. Some one spoke +to him, but he did not understand what the fellow said. Reeling across +the room, he grasped the chair and fell into it heavily. + +Exhausted as he was, it was some time before he recovered from the shock +caused by the change of temperature. Some one helped him to throw off +his furs, which were getting wet, and to free him of his big snowshoes. +His sensations were acutely painful, but his head was getting clear, +and, after a while, he followed a man into a colder room where food was +set before him. He ate greedily; and feeling better afterward he went +back to the other room and asked for a newspaper. + +He turned to the financial reports; but he could not see the print well, +for he was still somewhat dizzy and the light was trying. The figures +danced before him in a blur, and when he found his shares mentioned it +cost him some trouble to make out the price. Then he let the paper drop, +and sat still for some minutes with a sense of confused indignation. The +shares had gone up, but only a few points. The rogues in the ring were +keeping information back until weak holders were forced to sell. It was +a swindle on the public and, what was more, it meant ruin to him. The +shares would be taken from him before they rose, because he could not +hope to hide his return from his creditors. + +The safe arrival of his party would soon be reported in the newspapers; +and to disappear again would result in his being regarded as a defaulter +and a statement of his debts being sent to the Grange. He had borne all +the hardship and danger for nothing! He was no nearer escaping from his +troubles than he had been when he broke his compass in the wilds. + +There was, however, one hope left. He must see Davies in Winnipeg. The +fellow was clever, and might think of something, particularly as it was +to his interest to keep Gerald on his feet. He thought he could count on +Davies' support until the loan on mortgage fell due. His thoughts +carried him no farther. He was dazed by fatigue and the shock of +disappointment. + +After vacantly smoking for a while, Gerald went off to bed. His room was +singularly comfortless, but a hot iron pipe ran through it and it struck +him as luxurious by contrast with the camps in the snowy waste. Ten +minutes after he lay down he was sound asleep. + +The snow had stopped the next morning, and reaching the railroad after a +long and very cold drive, he arrived in Winnipeg the following day and +went straight to Davies' office. + +The broker looked up with a curious expression as Gerald came in. + +"This is a surprise," he said. "We thought you were lost in the timber +belt." + +"It ought to be a relief," Gerald answered, sitting down. + +Davies looked amused. + +"Oh, so far as my business interests go, it doesn't make much +difference. I have good security for what you owe me." + +"But I suspect you're not quite ready to prove your claim to my farm." + +For a few moments Davies studied Gerald's face. He wondered how much he +knew about his plans concerning Allenwood, and, what was more important, +whether he might try to thwart them. Young Mowbray was not a fool, and +these people from the Old Country had a strong sense of caste; they +stood by one another and were capable of making some sacrifice to +protect their common interests against an outsider. If Mowbray had such +feelings, he would need careful handling; but Davies was more inclined +to think him a degenerate who placed his own safety before any other +consideration. + +"I don't want to prove it yet. It will be time enough when the mortgage +falls due. But what has this to do with things?" + +"The trouble is that you may not be able to wait," said Gerald coolly. +"If you will read this letter, you will understand, though I'm not sure +it will be a surprise to you." + +He gave Davies the letter demanding payment of his debt, and the broker +saw that he was shrewder than he thought. As a matter of fact, Davies +had been in communication with the other creditors. + +"Well," he remarked, "you certainly seem to be awkwardly fixed." + +"I am; but I suspect the situation's as awkward for you. This leads me +to think you'll see the necessity for helping me out of the hole. If +these fellows come down on me, their first move will be to try to seize +my land, and you'll have to produce your mortgage. This will make +trouble at Allenwood." + +Davies pondered. Though he had long been scheming for a hold on +Allenwood, his position was not very strong yet. He had spent a good +deal of money over his plans and, although he was sure of getting it +back, if he were forced into premature action he would fail in the +object he aimed at. It might accordingly be worth while to spend a +further sum. On the other hand, money was getting scarce with him. Wheat +was falling, trade was slack, and land, in which he had invested his +capital, was difficult to sell. Still, it was undesirable to spoil a +promising scheme for the sake of avoiding a moderate risk. + +"I understand your father's unable to pay the debt for you," he said. + +"Yes; he'd probably disown me if he heard of it. I don't expect this to +interest you, but some of his neighbors have money, and when they saw +the settlement was threatened they'd raise a fund to buy you out. You +might, of course, make them wait, but if they were ready to find the +cash, you'd have to give up your mortgages when they fell due." + +"If these men are so rich, why don't you ask them to lend you the +money?" + +"Because I've bled them as much as they will stand, and they'd think the +matter serious enough to hold a council about. This would have the +result I've just indicated. I think you see now that you had better help +me to settle my most pressing claims." + +Davies regarded him with a grim smile. + +"It strikes me that your talents were wasted in the army. You might have +made your mark in my business if you'd gone into it before you took to +betting. That's your weak spot. A gambler never makes good." + +"Perhaps. But what about the loan?" + +"Your name wouldn't be worth five cents on paper," said Davies dryly. +"However, if you could get somebody with means to endorse it, I might be +able to discount it for you. The rate would be high." + +"Men who wouldn't lend me money would be shy of giving me their +signature." + +"That's so; but there's the chance that they might not be called upon to +make good. You'll have to persuade them that things are sure to change +for the better in, say, three months. Can you do so? I must have a solid +man." + +Gerald sat quiet for a while, with knitted brows. He had been frank with +Davies because frankness would serve him best; but he understood that +the fellow wanted the signature of one of the Allenwood farmers because +this would strengthen his grasp on the settlement. Gerald saw ruin and +disgrace ahead, but by taking a worse risk than any he had yet run, he +might put off the disaster for three months. Procrastination and a +curious belief that things could not come to the very worst were his +besetting weaknesses. He shrank from the consequences that might result; +but he could see no other way of escape, and he looked up with a +strained expression. + +"All right. I will get you a name that you can take. I shall have to go +to Allenwood." + +Davies had been watching him keenly. + +"Very well," he said. "Sign this, and look in again when you have got +your friend's signature." + +Three days later Gerald was back in the broker's office. + +"Can you negotiate it now?" he asked nervously, producing the paper. + +"Yes," said Davies. "The name's good enough. I know Harding." + +After deducting a high rate of interest, he gave Gerald the money, and +then locked the note away with a look of great satisfaction. + +Harding's name was forged, and Davies knew it. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +A SEVERE TEST + + +Winter ended suddenly, as it generally does on the plains, and rain and +sunshine melted the snow from the withered grass. Then the northwest +wind awoke, and rioting across the wide levels dried the spongy sod, +while goose and crane and duck, beating their northward way, sailed down +on tired wings to rest a while among the sloos. For a week or two, when +no team could have hauled a load over the boggy trails, Harding was busy +mending harness and getting ready his implements. The machines were +numerous and expensive, but he had been forced to put off their +adjustment because it is risky to handle cold iron in the Canadian +frost. He had been unusually silent and preoccupied of late; but Hester, +knowing his habits, asked no questions. When he was ready, Craig would +tell her what was in his mind, and in the meantime she had matters of +her own to think about. All the work that could be done went forward +with regular precision, and, in spite of Harding's reserve, there was +mutual confidence between the two. Hester was quietly happy, but she was +conscious of some regret. + +In a few more months she must leave her brother's house and transfer to +another the care and thought she had given him. She knew he would miss +her, and now and then she wondered anxiously whether any other woman +could understand and help him as she had done. Craig had faults and he +needed indulging. + +Then, too, he sometimes gave people a wrong impression. She had heard +him called hard. Although in reality generous and often compassionate, +his clear understanding of practical things made him impatient of +incompetence and stupidity. He needed a wider outlook and more +toleration for people who could not see what was luminously plain to +him. Life was not such a simple matter with clean-cut rules and duties +as Craig supposed. Grasping its main issues firmly, he did not perceive +that they merged into one another through a fine gradation of varying +tones and shades. + +Rather late one night Hester sat sewing while Harding was busy at his +writing table, his pipe, which had gone out, lying upon the papers. He +had left the homestead before it was light that morning to set his +steam-plow to work, though nobody at Allenwood had taken a team from the +stable yet. Devine had told her of the trouble they had encountered: how +the soft soil clogged the moldboards, and the wheels sank, and the +coulters crashed against patches of unthawed ground. This, however, had +not stopped Harding. There was work to be done and he must get about it +in the best way he could. At supper time he came home in very greasy +overalls, looking tired, but as soon as the meal was finished he took +out some papers, and now, at last, he laid down his pen and sat with +knitted brows and clenched hand. + +"Come back, Craig!" Hester called softly. + +He started, threw the papers into a drawer, and looked at his watch. + +"I thought I'd give them half an hour, and I've been all evening," he +said, feeling for his pipe. "Now we'll have a talk. I told Fred to order +all the dressed lumber he wanted, and I'd meet the bill. The house he +thought of putting up wasn't half big enough; in a year or two he'd have +had to build again. Then we want the stuff to season, and there's no +time to lose if it's to be ready for you when the harvest's in." + +Hester blushed prettily. + +"You have given us a good deal already, Craig. We would have been +satisfied with the smaller homestead." + +"Shucks!" returned Harding. "I don't give what I can't afford. You and +Fred have helped to put me where I am, and I'd have felt mean if I +hadn't given you a good start off when I'm going to spend money +recklessly on another plan. Now that all I need for the summer's paid +for, I've been doing some figuring." + +"Ah! You think of buying some of the Allenwood land?" + +"Yes," he said gravely. "It will be a strain, but now's the time, when +the falling markets will scare off buyers. I hate to see things go to +pieces, and they want a man to show them how the settlement should be +run. They have to choose between me and the mortgage broker. It will +cost me a tough fight to beat him, but I think I see my way." + +"But what about Colonel Mowbray?" + +"He's the trouble. I surely don't know what to do with him; but I guess +he'll have to be satisfied with moral authority. I might leave him +that." + +Hester felt sorry for the Colonel. He was autocratic and arbitrary, his +ways were obsolete, and he had no place in a land that was beginning to +throb with modern activity. She saw the pathetic side of his position; +and, after all, the man was of a finer type than the feverish money +makers. His ideals were high, though his way of realizing them was out +of date. + +"Craig," she said, "it may be better for Allenwood that you should take +control, but you're running a big risk, and somehow your plan looks +rather pitiless. You're not really hard----" + +She paused and Harding smiled. + +"I'm as I was made, and to watch Allenwood going to ruin is more than I +can stand for. It would be worse to let the moneylender sell it out to +small farmers under a new mortgage and grind them down until they and +the land were starved. Broadwood and one or two more will help me all +they can, but they haven't the money or the grip to run the place +alone." + +"And you feel that you can do it. Well, perhaps you can, but it sounds +rash. You are very sure of yourself, Craig." + +"How can I explain?" he said with a half amused, half puzzled air. "The +feeling's not vanity. I have a conviction that this is my job, and now +that I begin to see my way, I have to put it through. I'm not swaggering +about my abilities--there are smarter men in many ways at Allenwood; my +strong point is this: I can see how things are going, and feel the drift +of forces I didn't set in motion and can't control. All I do is to fall +into line and let them carry me forward, instead of standing against the +stream. The world demands a higher standard of economical efficiency; +in using the best tools and the latest methods I'm obeying the call." + +"What was it that first fixed your thoughts on Allenwood?" she asked. + +"Beatrice Mowbray. I'm going to marry her if I make good." + +"You have no doubts about that either?" + +"Oh, yes; I have plenty. I know what I'm up against; but human nature's +strongest in the end. She likes me as a man." + +Hester understood him. She was to marry a man of her own station, which +would save her many perplexities, but Craig, respecting no standard but +personal merit, would have married above or beneath him with equal +boldness. It was not because he was ambitious, but because he loved her +that he had chosen Beatrice Mowbray. Yet Hester was anxious on his +account. + +"It's a big risk," she said. "The girl is dainty and fastidious. There's +nothing coarse in you, but you have no outward polish. Perhaps the +tastes you have inherited may make things easier." + +"Well, sometimes I have a curious feeling about these Allenwood people. +I seem to understand them; I find myself talking as they do. There was +something Kenwyne said the other night about an English custom, and I +seemed to know all about it, though I'd never heard of the thing +before." + +He got up and knocked out his pipe. + +"All that doesn't matter," he said whimsically. "What's important now is +that it's late, and I must have steam up on the plow by daybreak." + +For the next week Harding was very busy; and then, coming back to the +house one afternoon for some engine-packing, he found Beatrice alone in +their plain living-room. She noticed the quick gleam of pleasure in his +eyes and was conscious of a response to it, but she was very calm as she +explained that Hester had gone to saddle a horse on which she meant to +ride with her to Mrs. Broadwood's. + +"That should give us ten minutes," Harding said. "There's something I +once promised to show you and I may not have a better chance." + +Unlocking a drawer, he took out a small rosewood box, finely inlaid. + +"This was my father's. Hester has never seen it. I found it among his +things." + +"It is beautiful." + +Harding opened the box and handed her a photograph. + +"That is my mother," he said. + +Beatrice studied it with interest. The face was of peasant type, with +irregular features and a worn look. Beatrice thought the woman could not +have been beautiful and must have led a laborious life, but she was +struck by the strength and patience the face expressed. + +Harding next took out a small Prayer-book in a finely tooled binding of +faded leather and gave it to her open. The first leaf bore a date and a +line of writing in delicate slanted letters: _To Basil, from his +mother._ + +"My father's name was Basil," Harding explained, and taking up another +photograph he placed it with its back beside the inscription in the +book. It was autographed: _Janet Harding_. + +"I imagine it was sent to him with the book, perhaps when he was at +school," Harding resumed. "You will note that the hand is the same." + +This was obvious. The writing had a distinctive character, and Beatrice +examined the faded portrait carefully. It was full length, and showed a +lady in old-fashioned dress with an unmistakable stamp of dignity and +elegance. The face had grown very faint, but on holding it to the light +she thought she could perceive an elusive likeness to Hester Harding. + +"This lady must have been your grandmother," she remarked. + +"Yes," said Harding. "I have another picture which seems to make the +chain complete." + +He took it from the box and beckoned Beatrice to the window before he +gave it to her, for the photograph was very indistinct. Still, the front +of an English country house built in the Georgian style could be made +out, with a few figures on the broad steps to the terrace. In the center +stood the lady whose portrait Beatrice had seen, though she was +recognizable rather by her figure and fine carriage than her features. +She had her hand upon the shoulder of a boy in Eton dress. + +"That," said Harding, "was my father." + +Beatrice signified by a movement of her head that she had heard, for she +was strongly interested in the back-ground of the picture. The wide lawn +with its conventionally cut border of shrubbery stretched beyond the +old-fashioned house until it ended at the edge of a lake, across which +rounded masses of trees rolled up the side of a hill. All this was +familiar; it reminded her of summer afternoons in England two or three +years ago. Surely she had walked along that terrace then! She could +remember the gleaming water, the solid, dark contour of the beechwood on +the hill, and the calm beauty of the sunlit landscape that she glimpsed +between massive scattered oaks. Then she started as she distinguished +the tower of a church in the faded distance, its spires rising among the +tall beech-trees. + +"But this is certainly Ash Garth!" she cried. + +"I never heard its name," Harding answered quietly. + +Beatrice sat down with the photograph in her hand. Her curiosity was +strongly roused, and she had a half disturbing sense of satisfaction. + +"It looks as if your father had lived there," she said. + +"Yes; I think it must have been his home." + +"But the owner of Ash Garth is Basil Morel! It is a beautiful place. You +come down from the bleak moorland into a valley through which a river +winds, and the house stands among the beechwoods at the foot of the +hill." + +"The picture shows something of the kind," agreed Harding, watching her +with a reserved smile. + +Beatrice hesitated. + +"Perhaps I could find out what became of your father's people and where +they are now." + +"I don't want to know. I have shown you these things in confidence; I'd +rather not have them talked about." + +"But you must see what they might mean to you!" Beatrice exclaimed in +surprise. + +He moved from the window and stood facing her with an air of pride. + +"They mean nothing at all to me. My father was obviously an exile, +disowned by his English relatives. If he had done anything to deserve +this, I don't want to learn it, but I can't think that's so. It was more +likely a family quarrel. Anyway, I'm quite content to leave my relatives +alone. Besides, I promised something of the kind." + +He told her about the money he had received, and she listened with keen +interest. + +"But did he never tell you anything about his English life?" + +"No," said Harding. "I'm not sure that my mother knew, though Hester +thinks she meant to tell us something in her last illness. My father was +a reserved man. I think he felt his banishment and it took the heart out +of him. He was not a good farmer, not the stuff the pioneers are made +of, and I believe he only worked his land for my mother's sake, while it +was she who really managed things until I grew up. She was a brave, +determined woman, and kept him on his feet." + +Beatrice was silent for a few moments. The man loved her, and although +she would not admit that she loved him, it was satisfactory to feel that +he really belonged to her own rank. This explained several traits of his +that had puzzled her. It was, however, unfortunate that he held such +decided views, and she felt impelled to combat them. + +"But you need ask nothing from the people except that they should +acknowledge you," she urged. "Think of the difference this would make to +you and Hester. It would give you standing and position." + +"Hester is going to marry a man who loves her for herself, and the only +position I value I have made. What would I gain by raking up a painful +story? The only relatives I'm proud to claim are my mother's in +Michigan, and they're plain, rugged folks." + +There was something in his attitude that appealed to Beatrice. He had no +false ambitions; he was content to be judged on his own merits--a severe +test. For all that, she set some value upon good birth, and it was +distasteful to see that he denied the advantages of his descent. Then +she grew embarrassed as she recognized that what really troubled her was +his indifference to the opinion of her relatives. He must know that he +had a means of disarming her father's keenest prejudice, but he would +not use it. + +"I understand that Hester knows nothing about these portraits," she +said. + +"No; I've never mentioned them. It could do no good." + +"Then why have you told me?" + +"Well," he answered gravely, "I thought you ought to know." + +"I have no claim upon the secrets you keep from your sister." + +Harding was silent, and Beatrice felt annoyed. After all, she understood +why he had told her and she recognized that he had acted honestly in +doing so. Still, if he really loved her, she felt, he should not let +pride stand in the way of removing every obstacle to get her. + +Hester came in and announced that the horses were ready; and soon +afterward she and Beatrice were riding together across the prairie while +Harding went doggedly back to his work. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +THE DAY OF RECKONING + + +As the spring advanced, business men in Winnipeg and the new western +towns began to feel an increasing financial pressure. Money was tight, +and the price of wheat, upon which the prosperity of the country +depended, steadily fell. It was the beginning of a sharp set-back, a +characteristic feature of the sanguine West, during which all overdrafts +on the natural resources of the prairie must be met. The resources are +large, but their development is slow, depending, as it does, upon the +patient labor of the men who drive the plow, while those who live upon +the farmer are eager to get rich. + +The tide of industrial progress is often irregular. There are pauses of +varying length, and sometimes recoils, when reckless traders find their +ventures stranded and in danger of being wrecked before the next impulse +of the flood can float them on. They borrow and buy too freely; +trafficking produce not yet grown; building stores and offices in excess +of the country's needs. A time comes when this is apparent, speculation +ceases, credit fails, and the new cities must wait until expanding +agriculture overtakes them. In the meanwhile, the fulfilment of +obligations is demanded and, as often happens, cannot be made. + +Davies suffered among the rest. He had foreseen a set-back, but it +proved more severe than he expected. He had bought land he could not +sell, had cooperated in erecting buildings which stood empty, and had +made loans to men unable to repay them. + +One morning he sat in his office, gloomily reading a newspaper which +made a bold attempt to deal optimistically with the depressing +situation. Among other news there was a report of a meeting of the +shareholders in a mining company; and this Davies studied with interest. +It was what is termed an extraordinary meeting, called to consider the +course to be adopted in consequence of the engineer's failing to reach +the ore after sinking a costly shaft; and Davies, glancing at another +column, noted that the shares had sharply fallen. Gerald Mowbray had +speculated in this stock, and Davies was then expecting a call from him. + +Instead of Mowbray, Carlyon came in. The boy looked anxious, but he was +calm. + +"I suppose you know what I've come about," he began. + +"Yes; you're behind with your interest." + +Carlyon's ease of manner was perhaps overdone, but he hid his feelings +pluckily. + +"Then, as I can't pay, what are you going to do? I must know now; when +you're farming, you have to look ahead." + +"I'm going to sell you up when the mortgage falls in. You have some time +yet." + +"Can't you renew the loan upon any terms?" + +"No," said Davies truthfully. "I would if I could. I have to meet my +engagements and money's scarce." + +Carlyon got up, turning an unlighted cigar in nervous fingers, but there +was a smile in his eyes that showed he could face ruin with dignity. + +"Then, if that's your last word, I needn't waste your time; and it +wouldn't be fair to blame you for my foolishness. I dare say I can find +a job as teamster; it seems the only thing that's left." + +"You have grit. I'm sorry I can't keep you on your feet," Davies +answered with more feeling than Carlyon had expected. + +"Thanks. Mowbray's waiting outside; I'll send him in." + +Davies looked up when the door opened a few moments later. Gerald's +careless manner had gone; he showed obvious signs of strain. Indeed, +there was something in his face that hinted at desperation. Davies was +not surprised at this. After a curt greeting he took up the newspaper. + +"I expect you have seen the report of the company's meeting." + +"I have," said Gerald. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination. At +last, the directors have treated us with brutal frankness. I've filled +up my proxy in favor of appointing a committee to investigate." + +"It can't do much good. The fellows can investigate until they're tired, +but they can't find ore that does not exist." + +"It would be some comfort if they found out anything that would put the +rogues who deluded us into jail," Gerald answered savagely. + +Davies smiled in a meaning way. + +"Rather too drastic a proceeding." He gave the other a direct glance. +"People who play a crooked game shouldn't appeal to the law." + +The blood crept into Gerald's face and he wondered with dire misgivings +what the man meant and how much he knew. He had counted on a report +from the mining engineer that would send up the value of his shares, and +had rested on this his last hope of escaping from a serious danger. +Instead, he had learned that the mine was barren. It was a crushing +blow, for he must find a large sum of money at once. The consequences +would be disastrous if he failed. + +"Well," he said, "the most important point is that my shares are worth +next to nothing, and I've very little expectation of their ever going +up. I don't suppose you'd take them as security for a loan at a quarter +of their face value?" + +"I would not," Davies answered firmly. + +"Very well. My note falls due in a few days. What are you going to do?" + +"Present it for payment." + +Gerald looked at him keenly, to see if he meant it; but he could read in +the broker's imperturbable face nothing to lead him to doubt this. He +tried to pull himself together, and failed. Gerald had not inherited the +stern, moral courage of the Mowbray stock. + +"You can't afford to let me drop," he pleaded in a hoarse voice. "As +soon as you take away your support the brutes I've borrowed from will +come down on me like wolves, and, to protect your interests, you'll have +to enforce your mortgage rights. I needn't point out that this will +spoil your plans. You're not ready to make your grab at Allenwood yet." + +Davies heard him unmoved. He was comparing his attitude with that of the +ruined lad he had just dismissed. Carlyon was, of course, a fool who +deserved his fate, but his pluck had roused the moneylender's sympathy. +He did not mean to let it make him merciful, but he had some human +feeling, and it inspired him with contempt for Mowbray. The fellow was +clever enough to see that Davies' plans were directed against his +relatives and friends, but this had not prevented his falling in with +them for the sake of a temporary advantage. His pride was a sham; he +forgot it when it threatened to cost him something. Moreover he had not +been straight with Davies in several ways. He had a rogue's heart, but +was without the rogue's usual nerve. + +"I often have to change my plans," Davies said calmly. "Just now I'm +short of money, and must get some in. Anyway, there's no secret about +the mortgage; it had to be registered." + +"Of course; but I don't suppose anybody knows about it, for all that. +People don't spend their time turning up these records." + +"It would be a wise precaution, when they dealt with you," Davies +answered pointedly. + +Gerald did not resent the taunt. + +"But you can't get your money for the note," he urged. "It's impossible +for me to meet it now." + +"Or later, I guess. Well, I'll have to fall back on the endorser; he's a +solid man." + +A look of terror sprang into Gerald's face. + +"You can't do that!" + +"Why not?" + +"Well," Gerald faltered, "he never expected he'd have to pay the note." + +"That's his affair. He ought to have known you better." + +Gerald roused himself for a last effort. + +"Renew it on any terms you like; I'll agree to whatever you demand. I +have some influence at Allenwood, and can get you other customers. +You'll find it worth while to have my help." + +Davies smiled scornfully. + +"You can't be trusted. You'd sell your friends, and that means you'd +sell me if you thought it would pay. I'm willing to take a risk when I +back a sport; but one can't call you that. You have had your run and +lost, and now you must put up the stakes." He took a pen from the rack +and opened a book. "There doesn't seem to be anything more to be said. +Good-morning." + +Gerald left, with despair in his heart; and when he had gone Davies took +the note from his safe and examined the signature on the back with a +thoughtful air. After all, though money was tight, he might retain his +hold on Allenwood if he played his cards cleverly. + +During the afternoon Carlyon and Gerald took the westbound train, and +the next evening Gerald reached the Grange. There had been a hard rain +all day, and he was wet after the long drive, but he went straight to +the study where his father was occupied. It was not dark outside yet, +but the room was shadowy and heavy rain beat against its walls. Mowbray +sat at a table by the window, apparently lost in thought, for although +there were some papers in front of him the light was too dim to read. He +glanced up with a frown when his son came in. + +"If you had thought it worth while to let me know you were going to +Winnipeg, I could have given you an errand," he said, and added dryly: +"One would imagine that these trips are beyond your means." + +Gerald was conscious of some shame and of pity for his father, whom he +must humble; but his fears for his own safety outweighed everything +else. + +"I want you to listen, sir. There's something you must know." + +"Very well," said Mowbray. "It is not good news; your voice tells me +that." + +It was a desperately hard confession, and Mowbray sat strangely still, a +rigid, shadowy figure against the fading window, until the story was +finished. Then he turned to his son, who had drawn back as far as +possible into the gloom. + +"You cur!" There was intense bitterness in his tone. "I can't trust +myself to speak of what I feel. And I know, to my sorrow, how little it +would affect you. But, having done this thing, why do you slink home to +bring disgrace on your mother and sister? Could you not hide your shame +across the frontier?" + +It was a relief to Gerald that he could, at least, answer this. + +"If you will think for a moment, sir, you will see the reason. I don't +want to hide here, but it's plain that, for all our sakes, I must meet +this note. If it's dishonored, the holder will come to you; and, +although I might escape to the boundary, you would be forced to find the +money." Gerald hesitated before he added: "It would be the only way to +save the family honor." + +"Stop!" cried Mowbray. "Our honor is a subject you have lost all right +to speak about!" + +For a moment or two he struggled to preserve his self-control, and then +went on in a stern, cold voice: + +"Still, there is some reason in what you urge. It shows the selfish +cunning that has been your ruin." + +"Let me finish, sir," Gerald begged hoarsely. "The note must be met. If +I take it up on presentation, the matter ends there; but you can see the +consequences if it's dishonored." + +"They include your arrest and imprisonment. It's unthinkable that your +mother and sister should be branded with this taint!" Mowbray clenched +his hand. "The trouble is that I cannot find the money. You have already +brought me to ruin." + +There was silence for the next minute, and the lashing of the rain on +the ship-lap boards sounded harshly distinct. + +Gerald saw a possible way of escape, but, desperate as he was, he +hesitated about taking it. It meant sacrificing his sister; but the way +seemed safe. His father would stick at nothing that might save the +family honor. + +"There's Brand," he suggested, knowing it was the meanest thing he had +ever done. "Of course, one would rather not tell an outsider; but he can +keep a secret and might help." + +"Ah!" Mowbray exclaimed sharply, as if he saw a ray of hope. Then he +paused and asked with harsh abruptness: "Whose name did you use on the +note?" + +"Harding's." + +Mowbray lost his self-control. Half rising in his chair, he glared at +his son. + +"It's the last straw!" he said, striking the table furiously. "How the +low-bred fellow will triumph over us!" + +"He can't," Gerald pointed out cunningly, using his strongest argument +in an appeal to his father's prejudice. "He will know nothing about the +note if I can take it up when due." + +Mowbray sank back in his chair, crushed with shame. + +"It must be managed somehow," he said in a faltering voice. "Now--go; +and, for both of our sakes, keep out of my way." + +Gerald left him without a word, and Mowbray sat alone in the darkness, +feeling old and broken as he grappled with the bitterest grief he had +known. There had, of course, been one or two of the Mowbrays who had led +wild and reckless lives, but Gerald was the first to bring actual +disgrace upon the respected name. The Colonel could have borne his +extravagance and forgiven a certain amount of dissipation, but it +humbled him to the dust to realize that his son was a thief and a +coward. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +THE PRICE OF HONOR + + +It was very quiet in the drawing-room of the Grange, where Mrs. Mowbray +sat with an exhausted look, as if she had made an effort that had cost +her much. She had just finished speaking, and was watching Beatrice, +whose face was white and strained. + +"But what has Gerald done? I think I have a right to know," the girl +broke out. + +"He wrote somebody else's name on the back of a promise to pay some +money, which meant that the other man, who really knew nothing about it, +guaranteed that the payment would be made." + +"But that is forgery!" Beatrice cried, aghast. + +"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray with a shudder; "I'm afraid it's forgery of a +very serious kind, because it enabled him to obtain a good deal of money +which he could not otherwise have got." + +"Oh, how dreadful!" Beatrice impulsively crossed the floor and, kneeling +down beside her mother, put her arm round her. "I know how you must feel +it. And now I can understand Father's troubled look. He has been very +quiet and stern since Gerald came home." + +"Your father has more trouble than you know. Perhaps I'd better tell you +about it, as you must grasp the situation. You heard that Godfrey +Barnett was dead, but you don't know that he died ruined by the failure +of the bank." + +"Ah! All our money was in Barnett's, wasn't it?" + +"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray. "It has all gone." + +She stopped in distress. The task of influencing the girl to take a +course she must shrink from was painful to her; but she had promised her +husband and must go on with it. There was no other way, and it was in +accordance with her traditions that the threatened honor of the family +should come before her daughter's inclinations. + +"Now you can see why it's impossible for your father to save Gerald by +paying the money. It explains why he has been forced to ask help from +Brand." + +Beatrice drew back from her, as if overwhelmed. + +"Blow after blow! How has he borne it all? And yet he is very brave." + +"You are his daughter," said Mrs. Mowbray meaningly, though she felt +that what she was doing was cruel. "You must be brave, too. I think you +see how you can make things easier for him." + +"Oh!" The girl drew a quick breath. Then she rose with a hot face, +burning with fierce rebellion. "The fault is Gerald's, and he must +suffer for it! Why should I! He has always brought us trouble; +everything has been given up for the sake of the boys. Don't I know how +you have had to deny yourself because of their extravagance? It's +unjust! Not even my father has the right to ask this sacrifice from me!" + +"Gerald cannot suffer alone. If he is arrested for forgery, it will +crush your father and be a stain on Lance's name as long as he lives. +Lance has been very steady since his accident, and I dare not think of +his being thrown back into his reckless ways. Then the disgrace will +reflect even more seriously on you--a girl is condemned for the sins of +her relatives. I do not speak of myself, because the worst that could +happen to me was to learn that my son had done this thing." + +Beatrice's mood changed suddenly. Her high color faded and she made a +hopeless gesture. + +"It's true! I feel as if I were in a trap and could not get out. It's +horrible!" + +She sank down again by her mother's side and struggled for composure. + +"Let us face the matter quietly," she said. "Brand is our friend; he +cannot be so ungenerous as to ask a price for his help." + +"He is a hard man, and very determined." + +"Yes; I know. I have been afraid of him. He made me feel he was waiting +until his opportunity came. But, for all that, I can't believe----" + +Mrs. Mowbray gave her a glance of compassionate sympathy. + +"Even if Brand does not claim his reward, we know what would persuade +him to do us the great service your father must ask. Can we take this +favor from him, and then deny him what he longs for? There is nobody +else who can help us, and our need is pressing." + +"But I am not asking the favor!" Beatrice urged in desperation. "The +debt is not mine! It would be different if I were in Gerald's place." + +"You must see that you are using a false argument," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently. "A girl cannot separate herself in this way from her +father and brother: the family responsibilities are hers. It may sound +very harsh, but you cannot repudiate the liability Gerald has incurred. +When he did wrong, he made us all accountable." + +Beatrice could not deny this. She had been taught that the family was +not a group but a unit and its honor indivisible, and she had always +been made to feel that it was her duty to reflect credit upon her name. +It was a comfortable doctrine when things went well; when things went +wrong, however, it became very cruel. Seeing no hope at all, she fell +into mute despair, and it was some time before she could rouse herself. +At last she got up with a quietly resolute expression. + +"Well," she said slowly, as if it cost her a great effort, "I must try +not to disgrace you by any foolish weakness. Since this is our debt, I +must pay it. One understands that women have often done such things. It +seems as if all the burdens were laid on our shoulders--and men call us +weak!" She paused a moment, and then asked in a dead, indifferent voice: +"Whose name did Gerald forge?" + +"I don't know. Your father didn't tell me. I thought he tried to avoid +it." + +Moving calmly to the door, Beatrice was surprised to find Gerald waiting +in the passage outside. She gave him a steady look. Her face was white +and hard, and there was scorn in her eyes. Gerald drew back, almost as +if she had struck him. + +"You have been talking to Mother?" he asked awkwardly. + +"Yes," she said; "and you know what we talked about. So far as anything +I can do may count, you are safe. That, of course, was all you wanted to +know." + +She saw keen relief in his face. + +"After all," he urged, "Brand is a very good fellow and has many +advantages to offer." + +She turned upon him with burning indignation. + +"Don't be a hypocrite! You know it would not have mattered if he had +been the meanest rogue in Canada--so long as you got free." + +She swept past him and left him standing in the passage with a downcast +air. + +Seeking refuge in her room, she locked the door and tried to think. She +must face the situation and not let futile anger and horror overcome +her. Growing calm after a time, she began to wonder why the prospect of +marrying Brand was so repugnant. He belonged to her own station, they +had much in common, and, in a way, she liked him. Then, she had long +known that she would be expected to make a good match, and Brand had +kept his beautiful English house waiting for her; his wife would have +the position and social influence Beatrice had been taught to value. But +these things seemed worthless now. + +She looked out through the open window at the prairie. It had grown +green with the rain, though clumps of bleached grass still checkered it +with silvery gray. Red lilies were opening here and there, and as she +gazed the blue shadow of a cloud swept across the plain and vanished, +leaving it bright with sunshine. Its vastness and the sense of freedom +it conveyed appealed to the girl. There was a charm in the wide horizon; +one never felt cramped upon the plains. She loved the spacious land, +and did not want to live in England. + +But this was a deceptive argument. Brand would stay at Allenwood if she +wished. Indeed, she knew that he would make many a sacrifice to please +her if she married him. She must look for a better reason. + +It was not hard to find, for in this crisis she must be honest with +herself. The blood crept to her face as she realized that she could not +marry Brand because she loved some one else. Now that such love was +hopeless and must be overcome, the disturbing truth was plain. She had +fenced with and tried to deny it, but when it was too late, it had +beaten her. + +By way of relief, she tried to occupy her mind with another thought. Her +father had been reluctant to tell whose name Gerald had forged. Beatrice +knew that her brother would choose a man of wealth, otherwise the name +would have no weight, and she did not think he had fixed on Brand. Her +father's reticence made her feel that it must be Harding. Beatrice +thought her father unjust and foolish. Harding would not take a shabby +advantage of his position; he was generous, but, unfortunately, no help +could come from him. She could not tell her lover that her brother was a +thief; besides, this was a secret that must be carefully hidden from +everybody outside the family. Brand, she reflected with a shudder of +repugnance, would soon belong to it. There was no help anywhere. + +Beatrice leaned against the window-frame, her head buried in her arms. +The soft air from the prairie swept over her caressingly, the hot +sunshine bathed her; but her heart was black with despondency. She was +in a trap--a trap set by her own brother--and no escape was possible. + +She threw her head up with a sudden resolve. At least she would make the +sacrifice bravely, without murmur, as befitted the daughter of the house +of Mowbray. + +Her mood changing again as quickly, she threw herself across the bed and +burst into a fit of passionate sobbing. + +And while she lay there, worn with crying, her father sat in his study +talking to Brand. He related with candor what had happened, making no +attempt to hide the ugliest facts; and Brand grasped at the opportunity +opened for him. He recognized that it would give him a strong claim on +Mowbray's gratitude. It might be mean to take advantage of it; but he +had waited a long time for Beatrice, and might lose her altogether if he +let this chance slip. + +"You have my sympathy, sir," he said suavely. "It must have been a great +shock; but I am glad you have taken me into your confidence, because I +can be of help. You can repay me whenever you find you can do so without +trouble." + +Mowbray gave a sigh of great relief. + +"Thank you, Brand. You cannot understand how you have eased my mind. I +know of no one else who would, or could, have done so much." + +The Colonel sank back in his chair, and Brand noticed how worn he +looked. The younger man was conscious of a slight feeling of pity; but +he could not afford to indulge it: he must strike while the iron was +hot. + +"Now that things are going so hard for you, in a financial way, it +would be some satisfaction to feel that your daughter's future was +safe," he said. + +Mowbray was silent a moment. Then he answered slowly. + +"Yes. I wish indeed that she could see her way to marry you." + +"I will speak plainly. I have been waiting patiently, but, so far as I +can judge, I have gained nothing by this. I'm afraid I may lose all if I +wait much longer. Beatrice likes me, we agree on many points, our tastes +are similar, and I think there's every reason to hope she could be happy +with me. I could give her all that a girl brought up as she has been +could desire." + +"Do you suggest that I should urge her to marry you?" Mowbray asked with +some asperity. + +Brand hesitated. He knew that he was doing an unchivalrous thing, but +the passion he hitherto had kept in check mastered him. + +"Well," he said, "I suppose that is what I really meant." + +Mowbray looked at him in haughty surprise. + +"You know I cannot refuse you; but I hardly expected you to take this +line. It might have been better if you had relied upon my gratitude and +my daughter's recognition of the service you have done us. We are not in +the habit of forgetting our debts." + +"The trouble is that I cannot afford to take a risk; there is some +danger of Beatrice's becoming estranged from me. I would not press you +if I saw any strong reason why she should not be happy as my wife, but I +know of none, and I feel that this is my last chance." + +"Then you mean to insist upon your claim?" + +"Very reluctantly, sir." + +Mowbray was silent for a moment or two, and then he looked up with a +strained expression. + +"You place me in a helpless position. You make me and my family your +debtors, and then----" He broke off abruptly. "Did you mean to hint +there was some particular danger of my daughter's becoming estranged +from you?" + +"Since you force me to be candid, I believe she is attracted by another +man; perhaps I ought to say interested in him. I cannot suspect any +attachment yet; but I am afraid." + +"Who is he?" + +Brand hesitated a moment before answering. + +"I cannot give you his name, because I may be mistaken. Still, he is a +man you would strongly disapprove of." + +There was suspicion in Mowbray's eyes and his face hardened. + +"What you hint at surprises me, Brand; but I cannot compliment you upon +your conduct to-night. However, as Beatrice is the most interested +person, it is, I think, only right that she should be allowed to speak." + +He rang, and the servant who promptly answered was sent for Beatrice. +When the door opened a few moments afterward, Mowbray was surprised to +see not his daughter but the maid. + +"Miss Mowbray is ill," she announced, "and begs you to excuse her." + +The maid withdrew, and Mowbray frowned. + +"When must my daughter pay this debt?" he asked. + +"When is the forged note due?" + +"I understand that the Winnipeg fellow will bring it to me here on +Friday night." + +"Then there are two days yet. I will leave Miss Mowbray free until +Friday night. In the meantime I shall expect you to use your influence +with her." He hesitated a moment, feeling that he might not be taking +the right line. "I must urge you again, sir, to consider," he finished, +"that it will be only for your daughter's good, in every way, to marry +me." + +When he left, Mowbray sat motionless in his chair for a long while, +looking out over the prairie but seeing nothing in front of him. Then +with an effort he roused himself. After all, he tried to believe, it +would not be so bad for the girl. She was young; she might yet learn to +love Brand, even though she married him under compulsion. As for +Harding---- Mowbray dismissed the thought. He had no fear that his +daughter would so far forget her station: the pride of caste had been +drilled into her too strongly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +A WOMAN INTERVENES + + +The following afternoon Beatrice rode moodily across the plain. After +another talk with her mother, she had passed a sleepless night and spent +the morning wandering restlessly to and fro. It was horribly degrading +to her to feel that Brand had bought her; but it was true, and it +destroyed the hope that time might reconcile her to her lot. She could +not forgive him that, but after all it was only part of an intolerable +situation. + +On a long gradual rise her horse began to slacken speed, and she pulled +up when she reached the top. Sitting still for a time, she vacantly +looked about. The hill commanded a wide view: she could see the prairie +roll back, changing as it receded from vivid green to faint ethereal +blue on the far horizon. White clouds swept across the sky, streaking +the plain with shadows. There was something exhilarating in the picture, +but Beatrice felt that she hated it for its mocking suggestion of space +and freedom. There was no freedom at Allenwood; she was to be sold into +shameful bondage. + +A gray streak of smoke that moved across the waste caught her eye. It +was Harding, harrowing by steam or perhaps bedding down his seed-wheat +with the land-packer. Beatrice thought of him with a poignant sense of +regret. He loved her, and she had deceived herself in thinking she could +not love him. She had been bound by foolish traditions and had not had +the courage to break loose. It was too late now and she must pay the +penalty of her cowardice. She longed to call Harding to her help; he was +strong enough to save her. But the family disgrace must be kept secret. +There was no way out; she seemed to be turning round and round in a +narrow cage and beating herself vainly against the bars. + +As she started her horse she saw in the distance the Broadwood homestead +rising, a blur of gray buildings, and she rode toward it. She needed +sympathy, and her mother had nothing but resignation to urge. Effie +Broadwood was kind and fond of her; it would be some comfort to tell her +that she was in trouble--though of course she could not go into +particulars. + +Mrs. Broadwood at once noticed the girl's troubled face, and knew that +something had gone wrong. She led Beatrice into her plain little +sitting-room and made her comfortable on a sofa. Then, sitting down +beside her, she took her hand affectionately. + +"Now, dear," she said, "we can have a quiet talk. I know that something +is troubling you." + +Beatrice was moved by her unaffected sympathy. She had friends at +Allenwood but she could not go to them. They would think her rather to +be envied than pitied; but this warm-hearted, unconventional woman would +understand. She longed to take her into her confidence, and although +this was impossible, the numbing despair in her heart began to melt. + +"I can't tell you much; but--I suppose I shall be married soon." + +Mrs. Broadwood looked keenly interested. + +"Is it an Allenwood man?" + +"Brand. I must tell him definitely to-morrow evening." + +"Ah!" Mrs. Broadwood exclaimed. There was a pathetic note in the girl's +voice that touched her. "But if you don't want the man you have only to +let him know." + +"I wish it were as easy as that!" Beatrice answered hopelessly. + +Mrs. Broadwood was silent for a few moments, but her fingers clasped the +small hand under them with a comforting pressure. + +"I think I understand. Your father and mother are on his side; but if +you'd hate to have him for a husband you must not sacrifice yourself." + +"But I must!" said Beatrice desperately, and her forced calm suddenly +broke down. Her companion's gentleness had destroyed it, and now a +reaction from the strain she had borne had begun. "No," she added in a +broken voice, "there's no way out! I've been trying to find one and I +can't." + +She buried her face in one of the pillows and broke into choking sobs. +It was weak, she felt, and not what was to be expected from a Mowbray, +but there was comfort in the bitter tears. For a while Mrs. Broadwood +let her cry, but when she began to soothe her, Beatrice roused herself. +She could not remember afterward what she said, but her confused excuses +for her emotion and her fragmentary half confidences left a disturbing +impression on Mrs. Broadwood's mind. + +Beatrice rode home feeling slightly comforted, though she was no nearer +a solution of her difficulties. She had, of course, been very weak and +perhaps had said more than was wise, but she had not betrayed her +brother; and Effie Broadwood was a true friend. Beatrice was justified +in thinking so, for Mrs. Broadwood was to prove a better friend than she +suspected. + +When the girl had gone, Mrs. Broadwood spent some time in thinking over +what she had heard. Although she had keen intelligence, there were +points that puzzled her; she had been given several clues, but they +broke off before they led her far. Then she decided that something might +be learned by tactfully questioning her husband, and she went about her +work until he came home in the evening. She let him finish his supper +and light his pipe before she began. + +"The Mowbrays are in trouble just now, aren't they, Tom?" + +"I dare say; they certainly have their difficulties. Why?" + +"Beatrice rode over this afternoon and she had something on her mind. +What do you think's the matter?" + +"For one thing, the Colonel must have lost a good deal since wheat began +to go down. Then I heard something about the failure of an English bank; +Lance once told me the family had shares in it. I expect the stoppage +made a difference in their income." + +"That doesn't quite account for it. Do you know of anything else?" + +"Gerald may have been giving them trouble again. I know he has borrowed +a good deal of money which he'd find it difficult to pay, and I'm afraid +he's been mortgaging his land." + +This confirmed some of Mrs. Broadwood's suspicions; but the matter was +still far from clear. + +"The Colonel would be very mad about the mortgage," she said. "Still, +it's Gerald's land, and he can do what he likes with it." + +"Not altogether. He's bound by the settlement covenant, and, as his +father gave him the land, he ought to respect his opinions. Mowbray's +convinced that to let in strangers would be hurtful to Allenwood." + +While feeling sure that Gerald was the cause of the Mowbrays' troubles, +Mrs. Broadwood did not think that Beatrice would marry a man she did not +care for in order to benefit the settlement. There must be another +reason. + +"Suppose Gerald had already mortgaged his farm and wanted some more +money, how would he borrow it?" + +"He'd find it hard, as he has no security to offer," Broadwood answered +with a smile. "I don't know much about these matters, and don't want to +know anything more, but I believe the usual plan is something like this: +you give the lender a note, an engagement to pay in, we'll say, three +months, and get somebody to endorse it. His putting down his name makes +him liable for the amount, and if the lender was satisfied about him, +he'd give you the money at once and take off as much interest as he +could." + +"But who'd guarantee Gerald in that way?" + +"I don't know. I certainly would not." + +"He would have to be a man who was known to have money," she persisted. + +"I suppose so; it would naturally make the transaction easier. But it's +not our business to pry into the Mowbrays' affairs." + +"Oh, no," said Mrs. Broadwood. "Still, I was sorry for Beatrice and it +made me curious." + +She changed the subject and after a time took up a book as an excuse for +silence. She wanted to think, because she now felt sure that Gerald's +financial difficulties accounted for the pressure that was being put +upon Beatrice. The girl was being forced to marry Brand because he would +supply the money to save her brother from disgrace. Mrs. Broadwood felt +that it must be disgrace and not an ordinary debt. There would, however, +be no great difficulty if he had given some one a note, for the man who +endorsed it must have known that he might be called upon to pay. But +suppose he had not heard about the transaction at all? Mrs. Broadwood +dropped her book, for she saw that she had guessed the riddle. Gerald +had not asked the man to guarantee him; he had forged his name. Taking +this for granted made everything plain. + +Then she began to wonder whose name Gerald had forged. It could not be +his father's, for Mowbray was known to be far from rich. The only man +with much money at Allenwood was Brand, but Mrs. Broadwood thought it +could not be Brand, because she knew Mowbray's pride and believed that +in spite of his anxiety to keep the matter quiet he would not force his +daughter to marry a man his son had robbed. Admitting this, she must +look for some one else. Then it dawned upon her that the man was +Harding. + +"What did you say?" Broadwood asked, looking up from his paper. + +"I was thinking," his wife replied. "S'pose I must have thought aloud. +Anyway it wouldn't interest you. How's wheat going?" + +"Down," said Broadwood, and there was silence again. + +Mrs. Broadwood saw what she could do. She admitted that she might make a +deplorable mess of things if she were mistaken, but the need was serious +enough to justify some risk. She had courage and she was fond of +Beatrice. + +The next afternoon she drove across the prairie to the spot where she +thought Harding was at work. She found him busy with his engine at the +end of a wide belt of plowing which the land packer had rolled down hard +and smooth. + +"Craig!" she called, pulling up her horse. "I want you a minute." + +He came to the step of the buck-board, dressed in greasy overalls, with +an oil smear on his hand, but she felt that he was to be trusted as she +gave him an approving glance. She liked his level look and his steady +eyes; there was force in his quiet face. He was the type of man she +admired: swift in action, free from what she called meanness, and +determined. Indeed, she felt inclined to hesitate as she thought of his +resolute character. It would be easy to set him in motion, but once that +was done he could not be stopped, and there might be startling +developments. It was rather like firing the train to a mine; and there +was a disturbing possibility that she might, after all, be wrong in her +surmises. + +But she gathered up her courage; and she knew that there was no time to +be wasted. + +"Craig," she said, "do you want Beatrice Mowbray?" + +He started and his brown face flushed. + +"I want her more than anything else in the world." + +Mrs. Broadwood gave him a quick, approving nod. + +"Do you know how she feels about you?" + +"No. I only know what I hope." + +"Well," said Mrs. Broadwood thoughtfully, "I believe she'd rather take +you than Brand." + +"Brand!" + +"I expect she'll be engaged to him to-night, unless you act." Mrs. +Broadwood checked him as he was about to speak. "This is your chance, +Craig; you'll never get another half as good. Listen quietly for a few +minutes." + +He stood very still, without asking a question, until she had finished. + +"I guess you're right," he said with set jaws; "and I know the man who +holds the note. If Beatrice is to give Brand her answer to-night, it +means that Davies is coming here to squeeze the Colonel, and if his +train's on time, he ought to make the Grange in about three hours." + +"And you'll be there to meet him?" + +Harding smiled. + +"When I'm wanted I like to be on hand, and I guess I'm wanted pretty +badly now." + +"You certainly are. I suppose you see what you must do?" + +"If there's a note out with my name on it, it has got to be taken up. +You can leave the thing to me. I meet my obligations." + +Mrs. Broadwood saw that he had found a more effective way of dealing +with the situation than had yet occurred to her. + +"Craig," she exclaimed with frank admiration, "you're a wonder!" + +He held out his hand with a twinkle of rather grim amusement. + +"Anyway, I have to thank you for putting me on the track, and I'm not +going to forget it. Now I have several matters to fix up before I start +for the Grange." + +She touched the horse with the whip and he stepped back. + +"Good luck!" she called. "You deserve it!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +A GREAT TRIUMPH + + +It was getting dark when Brand reached the Grange. He found Beatrice in +the hall, for she had not heard his arrival in time to get away. She met +him calmly, but after a word of greeting she did not speak, and he +hesitated. + +"Well," he said with an effort, "I have come for your answer." + +"Isn't it too soon?" she asked. "You haven't carried out your part of +the bargain yet." + +Brand frowned in embarrassment. + +"You are very bitter; but I dare say it must be hard for you to see my +conduct in a favorable light." + +"I'm afraid it's impossible." + +Beatrice moved toward the broad stairway. + +"My father is waiting for you in the library," she said. + +Taking this for a dismissal, Brand joined Mowbray in his study. He was +sorry that the lamp was lighted, because he felt disturbed, and the +Colonel's constrained manner did not set him at ease. For all that, they +forced themselves to talk about matters of no importance until Davies +was shown in. + +"I came to see your son, but I meant to ask for an interview with you +before I left," the money-lender said to Mowbray, and then glanced at +Brand. "I imagine that our business had better----" + +"Mr. Brand is acquainted with it, and I prefer him to remain. My son has +informed me that you hold a note of his. No doubt, you have brought it +with you?" + +"You propose to pay it for him?" + +"Certainly," said Mowbray with a trace of haughtiness. "Since he was +foolish enough to give you such a document it must be met." + +Davies felt surprised; but he took out the paper. He had not expected it +to be met, and as he stood with it in his hand, hesitating, he was +strangely irritated by Mowbray's smile. Then he put the note on the +table, and, after examining it, Mowbray gave it to Brand, who made a +sign indicating that he was satisfied. + +"Yes," he said, "it seems to be in order." Then he turned to Davies. +"We'll keep this paper; I'll give you a check." + +"Presently." Davies picked up the note. When he spoke, he addressed +Mowbray. "I'll give you the note canceled in return for payment of half +the amount; the rest to stand against a purchase I want to make." + +"You can have it all. I have no wish to defer payment. And I don't +understand what your purchases have to do with me." + +"I'll explain. One of your young neighbors is giving up his farm. He +hasn't broken much land and the buildings are small. The place ought to +go cheap, and I'm open to buy it. Then there's a section of vacant land, +and I'm willing to pay a small sum for an option of taking it up at a +fixed price in a year's time." + +Mowbray looked at him in cold surprise. + +"To begin with, I cannot sell you my neighbor's property; nor can I give +you an option on the vacant lot." + +"In a sense that's true, but you can fix things as I want it if you +like. Your word goes a long way in these matters." + +"I see no reason why I should use my influence in your favor." + +"It's impossible!" Brand interposed bluntly. "We are very careful whom +we let in at Allenwood." + +"In short, you mean to keep me out," Davies suggested with an ugly +smile. + +"Take it for granted that we cannot sell you the land you want." + +"Very well," said Davies. "I must try to convince you that you had +better indulge me." He fingered the note. "I have not parted with this +document yet. It seems to me that there's something unusual about Mr. +Harding's signature." + +As a rule, both Brand and Mowbray were capable of self-control, but the +attack was so unexpected that they showed their alarm. It had not +occurred to them that the moneylender might suspect the forgery. Indeed, +there was terror in the Colonel's face before he recovered himself, and +Brand's grew angrily red. + +"You scoundrel! What do you mean?" he cried. + +"Only that I'm not sure Mr. Harding would know his own writing if I +showed it to him." + +Mowbray motioned Brand to be silent, and for a few moments both sat +still, feeling overwhelmed. Brand saw that it was now out of his power +to protect his companion; and the Colonel realized that the sacrifice of +his daughter might prove useless. He was in the moneylender's hands, and +to comply with his exactions would not end them. The honor of the +Mowbrays was at the rascal's mercy. + +There was a knock at the door. + +"Mr. Harding!" a servant announced. + +"I can't see him at present," said Mowbray with a start as he heard a +quick, resolute step in the passage. + +Before he finished speaking, Harding entered. + +"This must look like an intrusion, and you'll have to excuse my not +waiting your leave," he said. "The fact is, I was determined to get in." + +"So it seems," Mowbray answered. "Since you have succeeded, may I ask if +you came here by this gentleman's request?" + +"Why, no!" Harding looked at Davies with a twinkle. "I guess my turning +up is a surprise to him." + +Davies' crestfallen air bore this out, but he waited silently, and for a +moment or two neither Brand nor Mowbray spoke. The Colonel, to his +astonishment, was conscious of some relief. After all, he would rather +fall into Harding's hands than the moneylender's. + +"Perhaps you will explain the object of your visit," Mowbray said, when +the silence threatened to become awkward. + +"Certainly; though it ought to be plain. Mr. Davies holds a note with my +name on it, which I understand Mr. Gerald Mowbray cannot meet." He +leaned forward and took the note. "It's due to-day." + +Baffled rage shone in Davies' eyes. + +"You admit your liability?" he cried indignantly. + +"Of course! My name's here; I don't go back on my obligations." + +Mowbray looked at him with dull astonishment; and Brand, whose wits were +clearer, with reluctant admiration. He thought the farmer was playing +his part well; but Davies would not give in yet. + +"Am I to understand that you acknowledge this as your signature?" he +asked in a calmer tone. + +"Do you mean to tell me that you doubted it?" Harding returned. "You +haven't the reputation of being a fool. Would you have lent money on a +note you suspected was forged?" + +Davies saw the game was up. Brand was Mowbray's friend, and Harding was +an obviously hostile witness. Unless he were very careful he might lay +himself open to a charge of conspiracy; and he was powerless to attack +Mowbray so long as Harding acknowledged his signature. + +"Well," resumed Harding, taking out his wallet, "I guess I'll keep this +paper and give you a check." + +Brand saw his last hope vanishing. + +"Stop a minute!" he interposed. "You're taking too much for granted in +concluding that Gerald cannot pay. The debt is his in the first place, +and with the help of a friend he is able to find the money." + +Mowbray looked up with a curious expression in which there was relief +and shame. Though he would have forced his daughter into a marriage she +shrank from, the necessity for doing so had preyed upon his mind and he +seized the chance of freeing himself of his debt to Brand. He did not +stop to reason, but acted on the vague feeling that Harding, whom he +had distrusted, would prove an easier creditor. + +"Gerald cannot pay this note," he said firmly. + +Brand turned to him in surprise; but he saw that Mowbray was not to be +moved, and he understood what had prompted the Colonel's sudden change. +Brand had not played a straight game, and he had lost. At the last +moment the prairie man had beaten him. All that he could do now was to +bear his defeat with dignity. + +"Very well, sir," he answered, getting up. "Since I cannot be of +service, I will leave you to arrange matters with these gentlemen." + +Mowbray went to the door with him, and closing it behind them laid his +hand on Brand's arm. + +"You pressed me hard, but you were willing to help when I needed it +badly. I shall remember that with gratitude." + +"I wish you could forget the rest, but it's too much to hope," Brand +replied; and when Mowbray went back into the room he walked moodily down +the passage. + +Reaching the hall, he found Beatrice waiting there. She had seen Davies +come in and had heard of Harding's arrival, and she now wondered with +tense anxiety what was going on. She could form no conclusion and could +not ask Gerald, because he had carefully kept out of her way. Looking up +at Brand's step, she felt her heart beat with returning hope, for his +lips were set and his brows knit. He had rather the air of a man who had +received a heavy blow than that of a rejoicing lover. Something +unexpected had happened to humble him and set her free. + +"Well," he said with an effort, "I have lost you. Still, I want you to +believe that I loved you." + +Beatrice was trembling from the shock of relief, but she knew that it +would be cruel to show what she felt. + +"I never doubted that," she answered quietly; "but you took the wrong +way." + +"There was no other available. Now that I have lost, perhaps you will +forgive me. I'm going to England in a week or two; I haven't the courage +to stay here." + +"I'm sorry," she said. "But to go away may be best." + +Brand left her, and she leaned against the big newel-post and tried to +keep calm. The thing she dreaded most was not to happen. In some +miraculous way she was free! She wondered with keen anxiety what her +father and Harding were talking about. Davies, she knew, had left the +house a few moments after Brand. + +As a matter of fact, the moneylender was promptly dismissed, with a +check for the full amount of the note; and when Mowbray returned after +closing the door behind him, Harding laid the note on the table. + +"This is yours, sir," he said with a smile. "You may destroy it." + +"Mine!" Mowbray showed his surprise. "You mean--you----" He stumbled +over the words. "You admit your responsibility?" he finally ended. + +"Of course!" + +Harding picked up the note, tore it across twice, and threw the pieces +into the open fire. + +"There's an end of that," he smiled. "Since it bore my signature I +don't know that I have any claim, but you can pay me when you like. I +won't press you." + +Mowbray did not answer for a moment. He felt overcome and could not +collect his thoughts. His prejudices against Harding were strong, but +they were, in a sense, impersonal. It was not the man he objected to, +but what he stood for. The fellow's generosity humbled him. + +"I'm afraid I have done nothing to warrant this great kindness," he said +awkwardly. "Am I to understand that you offer it to me without +conditions, asking nothing in return?" + +"No; not altogether. I guess I might choose a better time, but I feel +that you should know what I want. I'm going to ask a favor. I suppose +you no longer think of compelling Miss Mowbray to marry Brand?" + +"You can take it that I do not. But what is this to you?" + +"Well," Harding said with a slight unsteadiness in his voice, "I want to +ask you if you will give her to me?" + +Mowbray straightened himself in his chair. + +"So you, too, mean to make terms, when you know I cannot refuse!" + +"No," Harding answered shortly, "I make none. If you had insisted on +Miss Mowbray's marrying Brand, I might have had something to say. All I +ask is that you give her a free choice; if she uses it to take somebody +else, I won't complain." + +"That is remarkably generous," Mowbray conceded. + +"We'll let that go. Perhaps my request is something of a shock, but I +want you to hear me out. If things go well with me this year, I can give +my wife every comfort you have at Allenwood, and she can lead the life +she likes best--except that I can't leave the prairie. Then there is +nothing that need separate your daughter from you. Many of her friends +are mine; they'll welcome me into the settlement. I did not go to them; +they came to me." + +Mowbray knew this was true. His own younger son firmly believed in +Harding. Kenwyne, who had fastidious tastes, was his friend. There were +others Mowbray could think of, and all were men of character and +standing. + +"May I ask how long you have entertained these views about my daughter?" + +"Since the first time I saw her, and that was very soon after I came to +this neighborhood. I knew as soon as she spoke to me that I would never +marry any one else." + +Mowbray studied him. He had not suspected Harding of romantic +tendencies, but the man was obviously serious. + +"Has she any reason to suspect your feelings?" he asked. + +"The best of reasons; I have told her on more than one occasion. Still, +I can't claim that she approves of me." + +Had Harding made his proposal earlier, it would not have been +entertained for a moment, but Mowbray had suffered during the last few +days. He had found that it cost him more than he had expected to +disregard his daughter's inclinations, and he shrank from doing so +again. Then he owed much to Harding, who had behaved with somewhat +surprising good taste. After all, if Beatrice were fond of him--Mowbray +stopped here, feeling that the matter must be settled at once. He +determined to confront the girl with Harding and learn the truth. + +"I hope to give you an answer in a few minutes," he said, and left the +room. + +Somewhat to his surprise, Mrs. Mowbray agreed to his plan, and when he +went back to his study he and Harding waited until Beatrice entered. She +was highly strung but calm, though a trace of color crept into her face +as she glanced at Harding. + +"Gerald is safe," Mowbray told her. "Mr. Harding, who has acted very +generously, has ensured that. Now he asks that I should allow you to +marry him." + +Beatrice look startled; her face grew dead-white and her expression +strained. + +"After what he has learned about us he is very rash. But this is not +generosity!" + +Mowbray stopped Harding, who would have spoken. + +"I see that I did not make his meaning clear. He merely asks that I +withdraw my objections, and not that I try to influence your decision. I +am willing to do the former, but you must make your choice." + +Beatrice gave Harding a swift, grateful look. + +"I am sorry I misunderstood. I should have known you better," she said +in a very low voice. + +Then she was silent for a moment, with downcast eyes, and the two men +waited tensely. When she looked up her eyes glistened with tears; but +behind the tears there shone a great happiness. + +"It is not hard to decide," she murmured, reaching her hand out timidly +toward Harding. + +He grasped it eagerly, and Mowbray forced himself to smile. In spite of +the Colonel's prejudices, he felt that his daughter's quiet confidence +in the prairie man was justified. + +"I sincerely wish you well," he said. He laid one hand on Harding's arm, +and there was a tremor in his voice as he continued: "We have not agreed +on many points, but I have learned that you can be trusted. I am glad to +remember it now." + +"Thank you, sir," said Harding. "I know the value of what you have given +me." + +After a few more words Mowbray let them go, and when they sat together +on the large black settle in a corner of the hall, the girl was +conscious of a calm tenderness for her lover that was stronger than +anything she had yet felt. + +"Craig," she said softly, "I wasn't brave enough when you first urged +me, but the hesitation I then felt has gone, and I am ashamed of it. I +know that I am safe with you." + +"Thank you for that," he answered and his face grew compassionate. "But +you look very tired and distressed." + +"I am tired--but I'm happy." A faint flush tinted her cheeks and she +smiled shyly. "The last few days have been very trying, Craig; and when +there seemed to be no way out, then I knew that I wanted you. Now I am +still half dazed; my escape seems so wonderful!" + +"I know," Harding said gently. "I was sorry for you all. It must have +been hard for your father, but one can see his point of view. You must +forget about it, dear. I am starting for Winnipeg to-morrow, and may be +there a week. You will have time to get used to things before I come +back." + +"You are very considerate, and even kinder than I thought." + +He smiled into her eyes. + +"I am going to leave you now, because I feel that I ought to. But you +know I want to stay!" + +He lifted the hand she gave him and kissed it tenderly. Then a swift +flood surged through him. + +"Beatrice!" he breathed. "Oh, Beatrice! You don't know what it means to +me!" + +The little fingers were nearly crushed in his strong grasp; but he +released them quickly and turned away. + +"Good-by, dear!" he said. + +Beatrice let him go, but her look was strangely tender and her heart +beat fast. He had shown a fine unselfishness, and a tact that was +perhaps remarkable. She had no hesitation about him now. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +THE REBUFF + + +Harding spent a busy week in Winnipeg, carrying out a scheme he had +agreed upon with Broadwood, Kenwyne, and one or two others, though he +feared it would again bring him into conflict with Colonel Mowbray. He +regretted this, but he could not allow it to influence him. Allenwood, +in which he now had a strong interest, must not be allowed to suffer +because of the Colonel's old-fashioned opinions. Harding saw what ought +to be done; and he felt that to leave it undone, in order to save +himself trouble, would be weak and, in a sense, treacherous to those who +now looked to him for a lead. He could not act against his convictions; +he must do what he thought best, and take the consequences. + +The storekeepers and implement dealers in the small settlements had many +bad debts, and their charges were proportionately high, but Harding did +not see why he and his friends should pay for the defaulters. Expensive +machines were needed; and new wheat was being produced which would +resist drought and ripen soon enough to escape the autumn frost; but +local dealers were unable, or perhaps too careless, to obtain the seed. +Then, Harding saw that a time was coming when mixed farming produce, +which he called truck, would be in strong demand; and it was his custom +to anticipate a need. Kenwyne and the others recognized the +desirability of this, and had agreed to open a joint agency in Winnipeg. +Harding was not sure that the expense could be recouped for a time, but +he believed the undertaking would pay in the end. + +After finding a suitable office, he called on a number of business men +and the flour-millers who were then beginning what was to become the +leading industry of the city. He wanted to learn their views about the +kind of wheat best suited to their use, and to enter into direct +relations with them. On the whole, he succeeded better than he had +hoped, and had now only to appoint an agent. Two or three suitable men +had offered their services, and it was difficult to decide. + +He was thinking over the matter in the newly opened office, when Gerald +came in. The Mowbray black sheep seemed to feel no embarrassment in +meeting him, for his manner was inclined to be patronizing. Sitting +down, he lighted a cigarette. + +"This is a new venture. I don't know that it will meet with general +approval at Allenwood," he remarked. + +"One mustn't expect too much," Harding answered. "I guess the people who +object now will come round by and by." + +"I wonder how long you think it will be before my father falls into +line," said Gerald with a careless laugh. "Everything considered, I +rather admire your pluck." + +Harding let this pass. It was not a tactful allusion to his engagement +to Beatrice, and he was annoyed by Gerald's manner. He had not expected +much gratitude, but the fellow did not even seem to realize that Harding +had saved him from jail. + +"I suppose you know I have been turned out of Allenwood," Gerald +resumed. + +Harding admitted that he had been told so. + +"Since then I've heard from the Government people that they're not +likely to want me for the new survey. As a matter of fact, I'm not +sorry. The last man I went into the woods with was a sour, exacting +brute." + +"They've got to be hard. It isn't easy to run a line through a rough +country." + +"Nobody knows that better than I do," Gerald replied with feeling. +"Well, I've been here a week, and can't find any congenial occupation." + +"You don't look worried about it." + +Gerald laughed. + +"Oh, I'm not, as a rule, despondent; and I knew that I could as a last +resort fall back on you. This explains my call. I believe you want an +agent to manage your office." + +Harding's expression indicated ironical amusement. + +"Do you think what you have just told me is a recommendation for the +job?" + +"It seems to prove my need of it." + +"But not your suitability. I'm not looking for a man whom nobody else +will have." + +Gerald looked at him in astonishment. Though he had not given the matter +much thought, he had imagined that Harding would be glad to do him a +favor for his sister's sake. It was something of a shock to be refused. +And the manner of the refusal was mortifying. The fellow was a coarser +brute than he had thought; but Gerald did not mean to let his resentment +run away with him. + +"I have a few useful qualifications," he said. "Some of the bigger +implement dealers and the heads of the milling firms are men of taste +and education. It's possible they might rather deal with me than with a +drummer fellow, or a raw farmer fresh from the soil." + +"I'm fresh from the soil, but I guess I could run this end of the +business," Harding returned. + +Gerald saw that he had blundered; but he did not feel beaten yet. + +"Perhaps I'd better mention that I spoke to Kenwyne and Broadwood, and +they were willing that I should have the agency." + +"That's so. I have a letter from Kenwyne, who says he'd like to give you +a lift, but leaves me to decide." + +"Then his wishes ought to count. You must see that your position at +Allenwood won't be easy; it will need some tact to make it comfortable, +and your giving me the post would go a long distance in your favor. You +can't afford to disregard our people's feelings until you've made your +footing good." + +"Can I not?" Harding's patience was exhausted. "Have I ever tried to +gain your friends' favor by indulging any of their crank notions? If +necessary, I'll put my plans through in spite of the crowd!" He checked +himself. "But this has nothing to do with the matter. You're not the man +I want." + +"May I inquire what kind of a man you do want?" + +"First of all, one I can trust." + +Gerald colored, but he got up with some dignity and moved toward the +door. + +"You may regret your decision," he said threateningly. + +Harding sat silent until the door closed, and then he went over to the +window and looked out at the narrow street with a frown. He was angry, +but he did not think he had been too severe. It was plain that he might +have made things easier for himself by falling in with Gerald's +suggestion; the fellow was a favorite at Allenwood, where his last +offense was known only to one or two people. Harding had no doubt that +Mowbray would have appreciated his giving his son another chance; and +Beatrice would have thought it generous. For all that, the business of +the settlement could not be done by wastrels; and Harding felt that he +could not secure a personal advantage by a breach of trust. + +Gerald's feelings about the matter were far from pleasant. Returning to +his second-class hotel he endeavored to solace them with a drink before +he sat down in the untidy lounge to consider. He had been grossly +insulted; but he persuaded himself that this did not trouble him most. +The worst was that Harding was a coarse, low-bred brute, and was, +unfortunately, going to marry Beatrice. Gerald had not hesitated about +sacrificing his sister to save himself, but it was easy for him now to +feel that she was making a grave mistake. It was perhaps curious that he +had preserved a keen sense of family pride, and a belief that people of +his station must keep up their dignity; but he was honest as far as he +went. He knew that he had by no means lived up to his creed; but, while +some allowances must be made for men, this did not apply to women. It +was essential that they should remember what was due to their birth and +rank. On no account should a well-bred girl marry beneath her. + +He went to the bar for another drink, and afterward became convinced +that Beatrice's marriage to Harding could only end in disaster. It must, +therefore, be prevented. He could not see how this was to be done, but +chance might provide a means. + +In the meanwhile he was confronted by the stern necessity for earning +his living. Taking up a newspaper, he studied the advertisements; but +unfortunately there seemed to be no demand for people with refined +tastes and polite accomplishments in Canada. Farm teamsters were wanted, +and shovel hands for a branch railroad; but these occupations did not +appeal to Gerald. A clerk was required at a new hotel. Well, that was +more in his line, and he set off to interview the proprietor. After a +few curt questions the man dismissed him, and Gerald spent the next day +or two moodily walking about the town, until it occurred to him that he +had better see what Davies could do. The fellow, who knew the worst of +him, owed him something. He felt much less bitter against the +moneylender, who had helped to ruin him, than he did against Harding, +whom he had injured. + +Davies was disengaged when Gerald entered. + +"So you're up against it!" he remarked. "Your friends at Allenwood have +no use for you?" + +"It looks like that. Otherwise I wouldn't have come here." + +"I see they're opening an office in this city." + +"Harding's in charge. I don't get on with him." + +"Well, perhaps that's natural." Davies was keen enough to notice the +rancor in Gerald's tone. He was afraid his plans about Allenwood might +have to be abandoned, but if he were able to go on with them, Harding +would prove his most dangerous opponent. + +"I guess Mr. Harding talked pretty straight to you?" he suggested. + +"He took an unfair advantage of my position!" + +"So you thought you'd strike me for a job? I guess you know you're not +worth much." + +Gerald winced at this, but he could not resent it. His father had +disowned him, and, except for a surreptitious gift from his mother, he +had no resources. + +"It's plain that I can't insist upon good terms," he replied. "I quite +expected you to see it." + +Davies considered. He did not suspect Mowbray of any fondness for steady +work, and he thought his services as a clerk would be dear at five +dollars a week; but the fellow was shrewd and plausible, and had what +Davies called tone. Well-brought-up young Englishmen and a few Americans +of the same stamp were coming into Manitoba looking for land, and +Mowbray, who understood these people, might act as a decoy. Then, he +knew all about Allenwood, and this knowledge might be useful later. On +the whole, Davies thought he would take the risk of employing him. + +"Well," he said, "I'll make you an offer." + +It was not an advantageous one for Gerald, but after some objections he +accepted it, and the next day reluctantly set to work. His occupation, +however, proved less unpleasant than he had feared, and at the end of a +few weeks Davies thought he had acted wisely. Mowbray was intelligent +and unscrupulous, his judgment was good, and Davies began to take him +into his confidence. + +Harding, in the meanwhile, appointed an agent and went home. He hired a +horse at the railroad settlement, and the first of the Allenwood +farmsteads were rising above the edge of the plain when a mounted figure +appeared near a bluff that the trail skirted. The figure was small and +distant, but it cut sharp against the evening light, and Harding's heart +beat fast as he recognized it. Touching his horse with the quirt, he +rode on at a gallop and pulled up near Beatrice with an exultant gleam +in his eyes. + +"This is very kind!" he cried. + +She looked at him shyly, with some color in her face. + +"Didn't you expect me to meet you? How far have you ridden at that +furious pace?" + +"Since I saw you quite a way back. The horse wouldn't come fast enough!" + +She smiled at him. + +"If you are not in a great hurry to get home, let's walk as far as the +ridge," she suggested. + +Harding, springing down, held out his hand, and when she slipped from +the saddle he caught her in his arms and held her fast while he kissed +her. Beatrice was not demonstrative, but he felt her arms tighten about +his neck, and the soft pressure of her cheek upon his face, and it gave +him a thrill of triumph. Now he realized all that he had won. + +For a long while they did not speak. Then Beatrice freed herself with a +soft laugh, and they walked on across the prairie. But Harding would not +release one little hand, which he clung to as they climbed the trail +together. + +The red sunset burned in front of them with the edge of the plain +cutting against it in a hard, straight line. Above the lurid glow the +wide arch of sky shone a vivid green, and the great sweep of grass ran +forward steeped in deepening shades of blue. There was something +mysteriously impressive in the half light and the riot of color. + +"What a glorious evening!" Beatrice could not help exclaiming. "I am +glad I shall not have to leave the prairie." + +The crimson flush on the skyline merged into rose and magenta and mauve. + +"It is lighted up in your honor," Harding said. + +"You have a pretty imagination; but I fear the gray days are more in +keeping with the life I've led. It was often rather dreary at the +Grange, and I felt that I was objectless--drifting on without a +purpose." She smiled at Harding. "You can't understand the feeling?" + +"No," he said. "All my life I've had too much to do. One gets +self-centered through thinking only of one's work. It may be better to +stop now and then and look about." + +"It depends upon what you see. If your surroundings never change, you +come to know them too well and begin to think that nothing different is +possible. It makes one narrow. We may both need patience, Craig, before +we learn to understand each other's point of view." + +Harding realized the truth of this. They looked at many things +differently, and there were points on which their convictions were +opposed. + +She gave the strong hand that held hers a slight pressure of caress. + +"I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been driven out of my way +by the grass fire that night?" she questioned, woman-like. + +"Nothing would have been different. I was bound to meet you sooner or +later." + +She laughed contentedly, and they walked on in silence for a while. +Harding felt that he ought to tell her about Gerald, but he hesitated. + +"Tell me what you have been doing in Winnipeg," she said, as if she had +divined his thoughts. + +He explained his business there carefully, and Beatrice was pleased that +he took her interest and comprehension for granted. + +"Gerald wanted me to make him our agent, and I refused," he ended. + +She was conscious of disappointment, though she appreciated his candor. + +"I'm afraid he will find things hard. Of course, it's his own fault, but +that won't make his difficulties lighter. Couldn't you have taken the +risk of giving him another chance?" + +"No," said Harding. "I wanted to help him, for your sake, but I couldn't +give him the post. You see, I was acting for others as well as for +myself." He hesitated before he added: "I felt that we must have the +best man we could get." + +"And you could get more reliable men than my brother! Unfortunately, +it's true. But the others were willing; Kenwyne told me so." + +He looked at her in surprise, for there was a faint hardness in her +voice. + +"I don't think they quite understood how important the matter is. +Anyway, they left it to me and I felt forced to do what seemed best for +all." + +"Well," she said, as if puzzled, "Gerald certainly wronged you." + +"That didn't count; not the wrong you mean. The greatest injury he could +have done me would have been in giving you to Brand. However, it was not +this, but his unfitness for our work that made me refuse him." + +He had blundered, and Beatrice felt hurt. She could have forgiven him +for bitterly resenting Gerald's attempt to separate them, but he seemed +to consider that comparatively unimportant. There was a hard strain in +him; perhaps her father had been right in thinking him too deeply imbued +with the commercial spirit. + +He helped her to the saddle, and the misunderstanding was forgotten as +they rode in confidential talk across the shadowy plain until the lights +of the Grange twinkled out ahead. Harding left her at the forking of the +trail, but he was thoughtful as he trotted home alone. He must exercise +care and tact in future. Beatrice was proud, and he feared that he had +not altogether won her yet. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +DROUGHT + + +The wheat was growing tall and changing to a darker shade; when the wind +swept through it, it undulated like the waves of a vast green sea, +rippling silver and white where the light played on the bending blades. + +Harding lay among the dusty grass in a dry sloo, and Hester sat beside +him in the blue shadow of the big hay wagon. Since six o'clock that +morning Harding and Devine had been mowing prairie hay. They had stopped +long enough to eat the lunch Hester had brought them; and now Devine had +returned to his work, and sat jolting in the driving-seat of a big +machine as he guided three powerful horses along the edge of the grass. +It went down in dry rows, ready for gathering, before the glistening +knife, and a haze of dust and a cloud of flies followed the team across +the sloo. Harding's horses stood switching their tails in the sunshine +that flooded the plain with a dazzling glare. + +"It was rough on Fred that you wouldn't let him finish his pipe," +Harding said. + +"He went obediently," Hester answered with a smile. "I wanted to talk to +you." + +"I suspected something of the kind; but I can't see why you must stop me +now." + +"You are away at daybreak and come home late." + +"Very well," said Harding resignedly. "But I've got to clean up this +sloo by dark." + +"Then you're not going to the Grange? You haven't been since Sunday." + +"Beatrice understands that I'm busy." + +"That's fortunate. It's not nice to feel neglected. Can't you take your +mind off your farming for a little while, Craig?" + +"It's my job. What's more, sticking to it seems the best way of making +things easier for Beatrice. I'm an outsider at Allenwood and have got to +justify my unorthodox notions by success. I haven't much polish and I'm +not a good talker, but I can grow wheat--and luckily that comes into the +scheme." + +"It may, perhaps. When are you to be married, Craig?" + +"I don't know. Beatrice puts it off. I had hoped it might be after +harvest, but nothing's settled yet." + +"Then you ought to be firm and insist upon fixing the wedding soon." + +"I wish I could. But why?" + +"Because it might be better not to leave Beatrice among her friends too +long." + +Harding looked surprised. + +"Since the Colonel's given in, and Gerald's gone, I don't think there is +anybody who would try to turn her against me." + +"No," agreed Hester. "Her parents would be angry if she broke her +engagement. Now that they have accepted you, you can count on their +support, even if they're not quite satisfied with the match. The trouble +is that you and they belong to very different schools. They'll try to +make the best of you, but Beatrice will see how hard they find it." + +"Hurrying on the wedding won't help much." + +"It might. Beatrice will try to accept her husband's views, and she'll +probably find it easier than she thinks; but at present all she sees and +hears will remind her of the changes she will have to make. Things you +do will not seem right; some of your ideas will jar. Then the other +women will let her see that they feel sorry for her and think she's +throwing herself away. She'll deny it, but it will hurt." + +"Perhaps that's true," said Harding. "But talking of the wedding raises +another question. I want a better house, and when I build I may as well +locate at Allenwood." + +"Then you are still determined on getting control there?" + +"I don't want control, but I may have to take it," Harding answered. +"The settlement will fall to bits if it's left alone, and I suspect that +I'm the only man who can hold it up. I'm glad you have talked to me. +What you've said makes it clear that I've not time to lose. Now, +however, this hay must be cut." + +He led his team into the grass when Hester went away, but although he +worked hard until dark fell, his mind was busy with many things beside +the clattering machine. + +A few days later he had occasion to visit Winnipeg, and after some talk +with his agent there, he asked him: + +"Do you know how Davies is fixed just now, Jackson?" + +"I don't know much about him personally, but men in his line of business +are feeling the set-back. They've bought options on land there's no +demand for, and can't collect accounts; farmers with money seem to have +stopped coming in; and the small homesteaders are going broke. Doesn't +seem to be any money in the country, and credit's played out." + +"Then it ought to be a good time to pick up land cheap, and I want you +to find a broker who'll ask Davies what he'll take for two or three +mortgages he holds on Allenwood. My name's not to be mentioned; you must +get a man who can handle the matter cautiously." + +"I know one; but, if you don't mind my asking, could you put a deal of +that kind through?" + +"I must," said Harding. "It will be a strain, but the crop's coming on +well and I ought to have a surplus after harvest." + +"Isn't the dry weather hurting you?" + +"Not yet. We can stand for another week or two if the wind's not too +bad. Anyhow, you can find out whether Davies is inclined to trade." + +When Harding went out into the street, he was met by a cloud of swirling +dust. He wiped the grit from his eyes and brushed it off his clothes +with an annoyance that was not accounted for by the slight discomfort it +caused him. The sun was fiercely hot, the glare trying, and the plank +sidewalks and the fronts of the wooden stores had begun to crack. Sand +and cement from half-finished buildings were blowing down the street; +and when Harding stopped to watch a sprinkler at work on a lawn at the +corner of an avenue where frame houses stood among small trees, the +glistening shower vanished as it fell. There were fissures in the hard +soil and the grass looked burnt. But it was the curious, hard +brightness of the sky and the way the few white clouds swept across it +that gave Harding food for thought. + +The soil of the Western prairie freezes deep, and, thawing slowly, +retains moisture for the wheat plant for some time; but the June rain +had been unusually light. Moreover, the plains rise in three or four +tablelands as they run toward the Rockies, and the strength of the +northwest wind increases with their elevation. It was blowing fresh in +the low Red River basin, but it would be blowing harder farther west, +where there are broken, sandy belts. After a period of dry weather, the +sand drives across the levels with disastrous consequences to any crops +in the neighborhood. This, however, was a danger that could not be +guarded against. + +The next day Jackson reported about the mortgages. + +"Davies was keen on business and offered my man improved preemptions in +a dozen different townships," he said. "Pressed him to go out and take a +look at them; but when he heard the buyer wanted an Allenwood location +he wouldn't trade." + +"What do you gather from that?" + +"The thing seems pretty plain, and what I've found out since yesterday +agrees with my conclusions. Davies is pressed for money, but he means to +hold on to Allenwood as long as he can. A good harvest would help him +because he'd then be able to get in some money from his customers." + +"A good harvest would help us all; but there's not much hope of it +unless the weather changes. In the meanwhile, we'll let the matter drop, +because I don't want to give the fellow a hint about my plans." + +Nearing home on the following evening, Harding pulled up his horse on +the edge of the wheat as he saw Devine coming to meet him. + +"What's the weather been like?" he asked, getting down from the rig. + +"Bad," said Devine gloomily. "Hot and blowing hard." + +Harding looked about as they crossed a stretch of grass that had turned +white and dry. The sunset was red and angry, but above the horizon the +sky was a hard, dark blue that threatened wind. Everything was very +still now, but the men knew the breeze would rise again soon after +daybreak. They said nothing for a time after they stopped beside the +wheat. + +The soil was thinly covered with sand, and the tall blades had a yellow, +shriveled look, while the stems were bent and limp. Harding gathered a +few and examined them. They were scored with fine lines as if they had +been cut by a sharp file. + +"Not serious yet, but the grain won't stand for much more of this." + +"That's so," Devine agreed. "The sand hasn't got far in, but I guess it +will work right through unless we have a change. If not, there'll be +trouble for both of us this fall." + +"Sure," said Harding curtly. "Bring the horse, Fred, and we'll drive on +to the rise." + +They presently alighted where the plain merged into a belt of broken +country, dotted with clumps of scrub birch and poplar. It rolled in +ridges and hollows, but the harsh grass which thinly covered its surface +had shriveled and left bare banks of sand, which lay about the slopes in +fantastic shapes as they had drifted. Harding stooped and took up a +handful. It was hot and felt gritty. The broken ground ran on as far as +he could see, and the short, stunted trees looked as if they had been +scorched. Glowing red in the dying sunset, the desolate landscape had a +strangely sinister effect. + +"The stuff's as hard and sharp as steel," he said, throwing down the +sand. "There's enough of it to wipe out all the crops between Allenwood +and the frontier if the drought lasts." + +"What we want is a good big thunderstorm. This blamed sand-belt's a +trouble we never reckoned on." + +"No," said Harding. "I took a look at it when I was picking my location, +but there was plenty of grass, and the brush was strong and green. Guess +they'd had more rain the last two or three years. I figured out things +pretty carefully--and now the only set-back I didn't allow for is going +to pull me up! Well, we must hope for a change of weather; there's +nothing else to be done." + +He turned away with a gloomy face, and they walked back to the rig. +Harding had early seen that Beatrice would not be an easy prize. It was +not enough, entrancing as it was, to dream over her beauty, her +fastidious daintiness in manners and thought, her patrician calm, and +the shy tenderness she now and then showed for him. The passionate +thrill her voice and glance brought him--spurred him rather--to action. +First of all, he must work and fight for her, and he had found a keen +pleasure in the struggle. One by one he had pulled down the barriers +between them; but now, when victory seemed secure, an obstacle he could +not overcome had suddenly risen. All his strength of mind and body +counted for nothing against the weather. Beatrice could not marry a +ruined man; it was unthinkable that he should drag her down to the +grinding care and drudgery that formed the lot of a broken farmer's +wife. He was helpless, and could only wait and hope for rain. + +When he had finished his work the next evening he drove over to the +Grange, feeling depressed and tired, for he had begun at four o'clock +that morning. It was very hot: a fiery wind still blew across the plain, +although the sun had set, and Beatrice was sitting on the veranda with +her mother and Mowbray. They had a languid air, and the prairie, which +had turned a lifeless gray, looked strangely dreary as it ran back into +the gathering dark. + +"Not much hope of a change!" Mowbray remarked. + +Beatrice gave Harding a sympathetic glance, and unconsciously he set his +lips tight. She looked cool and somehow ethereal in her thin white dress +and her eyes were gentle. It was horrible to think that he might have to +give her up; but he knew it might come to this. + +"You're tired; I'm afraid you have been working too hard," Beatrice said +gently. + +"The weather accounts for it, not the work," he answered. "It's +depressing to feel that all you've done may lead to nothing." + +"Very true," Mowbray assented. "You're fortunate if this is the first +time you have been troubled by the feeling. Many of us have got used to +it; but one must go on." + +"It's hard to fight a losing battle, sir." + +"It is," said Mowbray grimly. "That it really does not matter in the end +whether you lose or not, so long as you're on the right side, doesn't +seem to give one much consolation. But your crop strikes me as looking +better than ours." + +"I plowed deep; the sub-soil holds the moisture. Of course, with +horse-traction----" + +Harding hesitated, but Mowbray smiled. + +"I can't deny that your machines have their advantages," the Colonel +said. "They'd be useful if you could keep them in their place as +servants; the danger is that they'll become your masters. When you have +bought them you must make them pay, and that puts you under the yoke of +an iron thing that demands to be handled with the sternest economy. The +balance sheet's the only standard it leaves you--and you have to make +some sacrifices if you mean to come out on the credit side. Your finer +feelings and self-respect often have to go." + +"I'm not sure they need go; but, in a way, you're right. You must strike +a balance, or the machines that cost so much will break you. For all +that, it's useful as a test; the result of bad work shows when you come +to the reckoning. I can't see that to avoid waste must be demoralizing." + +"It isn't. The harm begins when you set too high a value on economical +efficiency." + +Harding did not answer, and there was silence for a time. Mrs. Mowbray +had a headache from the heat, and Beatrice felt limp. She noticed the +slackness of Harding's pose and felt sorry for him. He differed from her +father, and she could not think he was always right, but he was honest; +indeed, it was his strong sincerity that had first attracted her. She +liked his strength and boldness; the athletic symmetry of his form had +its effect; but what struck her most was his freedom from what the +Canadians contemptuously called meanness. Beatrice was fastidiously +refined in some respects, and she thought of him as clean. Unconsciously +she forgave him much for this, because he jarred upon her now and then. +Her father's old-fashioned ideals were touched with a grace that her +lover could not even admire, but, watching him as he sat in the fading +light, she felt that he was trustworthy. + +Mosquitos began to invade the veranda, and Mrs. Mowbray was driven into +the house. The Colonel presently followed her, and Beatrice, leaving her +chair, cuddled down beside Harding on the steps. + +"Craig," she said, "you're quiet to-night." + +"This dry weather makes one think; and then there's the difference +between your father and myself. He wants to be just, but there's a +natural antagonism between us that can't be got over." + +"It isn't personal, dear." + +"No," said Harding; "we're antagonistic types. The trouble is that you +must often think as he does--and I wouldn't have you different." + +"That's dear of you, Craig. But, even if we don't agree always, what +does it matter? I like you because you're so candid and honest. You +would never hide anything you thought or did from me." + +They sat there in the gathering gloom. An early owl ventured out and +hooted from his sheltered tree-top; a chorus of frogs down in the lake +sent back an indignant reply; a honeysuckle vine that climbed over the +veranda flaunted its perfumed blossoms to the hot, night air, luring +pollen-bearers. + +To Harding, the worries of the day were, for the moment, forgotten: a +great peace filled him. And over the girl, as she felt his strong arm +around her, there rested a deep, satisfying sense of security and +trust. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +THE ADVENTURESS + + +Before the wheat had suffered serious damage, a few thunder showers +broke upon the plain, and Harding and his neighbors took courage. The +crop was not out of danger; indeed, a week's dry weather would undo the +good the scanty rain had done; but ruin, which had seemed imminent, was, +at least, delayed. Then Harding got news from his agent that +necessitated his return to Winnipeg, and Mrs. Mowbray and Beatrice, who +wished to visit the millinery stores, arranged to accompany him. + +It was hot and dry when they reached the city, but Harding was of +sanguine temperament and, being relieved from fear of immediate +disaster, proceeded with his plans for the consolidation of Allenwood. +He could not carry them far, because even if he secured an abundant +harvest, which was at present doubtful, he would have some difficulty in +raising capital enough to outbid his rival. Acting cautiously with +Jackson's help, however, he found two men who had lent Davies money and +were now frankly alarmed by the general fall in values. One, indeed, was +willing to transfer his interest to Harding on certain terms which the +latter could not accept. + +He was thinking over these matters one morning when, to his surprise, he +saw Brand crossing the street toward him. They had not met since the +evening of their encounter with Davies at the Grange, and Harding was +sensible of some constraint. Brand was a reserved man whom he had +neither understood nor liked, but he had thought him honorable until he +learned the price he had demanded for helping Mowbray. + +There was no embarrassment in Brand's manner. He looked as cool and +inscrutable as usual. + +"I'm rather glad we have met," he said. + +"I thought you had gone back to the Old Country," Harding replied. + +"No; I find it harder to sell my farm than I imagined. The settlement +covenant's the trouble, and I don't feel inclined to give the land away. +I want a talk with you. Will you come to my hotel?" + +Harding agreed, and a few minutes later they sat down in a quiet corner +of the hotel lounge. + +"How's your campaign against the moneylender progressing?" Brand began +abruptly. + +"Then you know something about it?" + +"I'm not a fool. I've been watching the game with interest for some +time. I have a reason for asking; you can be frank with me." + +Harding knew when to trust a man and, in spite of what had happened, he +trusted Brand. When he had given him a short explanation, Brand seemed +satisfied. + +"Very well; now I have something to say. My prejudices are against you; +they're on Mowbray's side, but I'm beginning to see that his position is +untenable. It seems I can't get a fair price for my farm, and after +spending some happy years on it, I have a sentimental affection for the +place. Don't know that I'd care to see it fall into the hands of some +raw English lad whose inexperience would be a danger to Allenwood. The +drift of all this is--will you work the land for me if we can make a +satisfactory arrangement?" + +Harding hesitated. + +"I don't know that I could take a favor----" + +"From me? Don't make a mistake. I'm not acting out of any personal +regard for you. On the whole, I'd rather see you in control of Allenwood +than a mortgage broker; that's all." + +"Thanks! On that understanding we might come to terms." + +"Then there's another matter. Managing my farm won't help you much, and +I feel that I owe something to the settlement. If it looks as if the +moneylender would be too strong for you, and you're short of funds, you +can write to me. I can afford to spend something on Allenwood's +defense." + +They talked it over, and when Harding left the hotel he had promised, in +case of necessity, to ask Brand's help. Moreover, although he had not +expected this, he felt some sympathy and a half reluctant liking for his +beaten rival. + +During the same day Davies had a confidential talk with Gerald. + +"Do you know that your mother and sister are in town with Harding?" he +asked. + +"Yes; but I haven't seen them yet." + +"Rather not meet Harding? Are you pleased that the man's going to marry +your sister?" + +"I'm not!" Gerald answered curtly. + +He stopped writing and frowned at the book in which he was making an +entry. He felt very bitter against Harding, who had insulted him, but +he was moved by a deeper and less selfish feeling. It jarred upon his +sense of fitness that his sister should marry a low-bred fellow with +whom he was convinced she could not live happily. Beatrice had lost her +head, but she was a Mowbray and would recover her senses; then she would +rue the mistake she had made. She might resent Gerald's interference and +would, no doubt, suffer for a time if he succeeded in separating her +from her lover; but men, as he knew, got over an irregular passion, and +he had no reason to believe that women were different. + +"She will marry him unless something is done," Davies resumed cunningly. + +"What is that to you?" + +"Well, I think you can guess my hand. His marrying your sister would +give Harding some standing at Allenwood, and he's already got more +influence there than suits me. The fellow's dangerous; I hear he's been +getting at one or two of the men who backed me. But we'll quit fencing. +Do you want to stop this match?" + +Although he had fallen very low, Gerald felt the humiliation of allowing +Davies to meddle with the Mowbray affairs; but he overcame his +repugnance, because the man might be of help. + +"Yes," he answered shortly; "but I don't see how it can be stopped." + +"You knew Coral Stanton in your more prosperous days, didn't you?" + +Gerald admitted it. Miss Stanton described herself as a clairvoyante, +but although there were then in the Western cities ladies of her +profession who confined themselves to forecasting the changes of the +markets and fortune-telling, the term had to some extent become +conventionalized and conveyed another meaning. Coral had arrived in +Winnipeg with a third-rate opera company, which she left after a quarrel +with the manager's wife; and although it was known that gambling for +high stakes went on in her consulting rooms, she had for a time avoided +trouble with the civic authorities. The girl was of adventurous turn of +mind and was marked by an elfish love of mischief. + +"I can't see what my knowing Coral has to do with the matter," Gerald +replied. + +"Then I'll have to explain. Things have been going wrong with her since +the Ontario lumber man was doped in her rooms. The police have given her +warning, and I guess she wouldn't stick at much if she saw a chance of +earning a hundred dollars easily." + +"What d'you suggest that she should do?" + +"If you'll listen for a few minutes, I'll tell you." + +Davies chuckled as he unfolded a plan that appealed to his broad sense +of humor; but Gerald frowned. Although likely to result to her ultimate +benefit, the plot was, in the first place, directed against his sister. +It was repugnant in several ways, but he thought it would work, for +Beatrice, like his mother, had Puritanical views. Besides, he could +think of nothing else. + +"Well," he said, "will you talk to Coral?" + +"Certainly not," Davies answered cautiously; "that's your part of the +business. I'll put up the money." + +The following day Harding was lunching with Beatrice and her mother at +their hotel, when the waitress brought him a note. Beatrice, sitting +next to him, noticed that it was addressed in a woman's hand and was +heavily scented. Indeed, there was something she disliked in the +insidious perfume. She watched Harding as he opened the envelope and saw +that what he read disturbed him. This struck her as curious, but she did +not see the note. He thrust it into his pocket and began to talk about +something of no importance. + +Beatrice thought over the incident during the afternoon, but by evening +she had banished it from her mind. After dinner they sat in the big +rotunda of the hotel. Harding was unusually quiet, but Beatrice scarcely +noticed it, for she was interested in watching the people who sauntered +in and out through the revolving glass door. They were of many different +types: wiry, brown-faced plainsmen; silent, grave-eyed fellows from the +forest belt; smart bank clerks and traders; mechanics; and a few women. +One or two seemed to be needy adventurers, but they came and went among +the rest, though it was obvious that they could not be staying at the +hotel. + +Beatrice's attention was suddenly attracted by a girl who came in. She +was handsome, dressed in the extreme of fashion, and marked by a certain +rakish boldness that was not unbecoming. Beatrice was struck by the +darkness of her hair and the brilliance of her color, until she saw that +something was due to art; then she noticed a man smile at another as he +indicated the girl, and two more turn and look after her when she +passed. Thereupon Beatrice grew pitiful, ashamed and angry, for she +could not tell which of the feelings predominated; and she wondered why +the hotel people had not prevented the girl's entrance. She was pleased +to see that Harding was talking to a man who had joined him and had +noticed nothing. + +Her life at the Grange had been somewhat austere, and her relatives were +old-fashioned people of high character who condemned what they called +modern laxity. For all that, the adventuress roused her curiosity, and +she watched her as she moved about the room. She drew near them, and +Beatrice thought her eyes rested strangely on Harding for a moment. A +strong scent floated about her--the same that had perfumed the note. +Beatrice was startled, but she tried to persuade herself that she was +mistaken. The adventuress passed on; but when Harding's companion left +him she came up at once and gave him an inviting smile. He looked at her +in surprise, but there was some color in his face. It was unthinkable +that he should know the girl, but she stopped beside him. + +"Craig," she cooed, "you don't pretend that you've forgotten me?" + +Harding looked at her coldly. + +"I have never seen you before in my life!" he said emphatically. + +Coral laughed, and Beatrice noticed the music in her voice. + +"Aw, come off!" she exclaimed. "What you giving us? Guess you've been +getting rich and turned respectable." + +Harding cast a quick glance round. Beatrice and Mrs. Mowbray sat near, +and it would be difficult to defend himself to either. The girl had made +an unfortunate mistake, or perhaps expected to find him an easy victim; +now he began to understand the note. The blood filled his face and he +looked guilty in his embarrassment and anger, for he saw that he was +helpless. The hotel people would not interfere; and to repulse the woman +rudely or run away from her was likely to attract the attention he +wished to avoid. + +"You have mistaken me for somebody else," he replied uneasily. + +She gave him a coquettish smile. + +"Well, I guess you're Craig Harding unless you've changed your name as +well as your character. I reckoned you'd come back to me when I heard +you were in town. You ought to feel proud I came to look for you, when +you didn't answer my note." + +There was something seductive and graceful in her mocking courtesy, but +Harding lost his temper. + +"I've had enough! You don't know me, and if you try to play this fool +game I'll have you fired out!" + +"That to an old friend--and a lady!" she exclaimed. "You've surely lost +the pretty manners that made me love you." + +Harding turned in desperation, and started to the door; but she +followed, putting her hand on his shoulder, and some of the bystanders +laughed. Beatrice, quivering with the shock, hated them for their +amusement. Even if he were innocent, Harding had placed himself in a +horribly humiliating position. But she could not think him innocent. All +she had seen and heard condemned him. + +Harding shook off the girl's hand and, perhaps alarmed by the look he +gave her, she left him and soon afterward disappeared, but when he +returned to the table Beatrice and her mother had gone. He was getting +cool again, but he felt crushed, for no defense seemed possible. He +could only offer a blunt denial which, in the face of appearances, could +hardly be believed. + +He left the hotel and spent an hour walking about the city, trying to +think what he must do. When he returned a bell-boy brought him word that +Mrs. Mowbray wished to see him in the drawing-room. Harding went up and +found the room unoccupied except by Beatrice and her mother. The girl's +face was white, but it was stern and she had her father's immovable +look. Rising as he came in, she stood very straight, holding out a +little box. + +"This is yours," she said. "I must give it back to you. You will +understand what that means." + +Harding took the box, containing the ring he had given her, and steadily +met her accusing eyes, though he could see no hope for him in them. + +"I suppose there's no use in my saying that it's all a mistake or a +wicked plot?" + +"No; I'm afraid the evidence against you is too strong." She hesitated a +moment, and he thought he saw some sign of relenting. "Craig," she +begged, in a broken voice, "do go. I--I believed in you." + +"You have no reason to doubt me now." + +He turned to Mrs. Mowbray. + +"Can't you be persuaded? I give you my solemn word----" + +"Don't!" Beatrice interrupted. "Don't make it worse!" + +"I'm sorry I must agree with my daughter's decision until I see more +reason to change it than I can hope for at present," Mrs. Mowbray +replied. "It would be better if you left us. We return to-morrow." + +Her tone was final; and, with a last glance at Beatrice, Harding went +out dejectedly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +FIRE AND HAIL + + +On the morning after her return from Winnipeg, Beatrice sat in her +father's study, with Mowbray facing her across the table. He looked +thoughtful, but not so shocked and indignant as she had expected. + +"So you are determined to throw Harding over!" + +"Yes," Beatrice said in a strained voice. "It seems impossible to do +anything else." + +"A broken engagement's a serious matter; we Mowbrays keep our word. I +hope you're quite sure of your ground." + +"What I heard left no room for doubt." + +"Did you hear the man's defense?" + +"I refused to listen," said Beatrice coldly. "That he should try to +excuse himself only made it worse." + +"I'm not sure that's very logical. I'll confess that Harding and I +seldom agree, but one must be fair." + +"Does that mean that one ought to be lenient?" Beatrice asked with an +angry sparkle in her eyes. + +Mowbray was conscious of some embarrassment. His ideas upon the subject +were not sharply defined, but if it had not been his daughter who +questioned him he could have expressed them better. Beatrice ought to +have left her parents to deal with a delicate matter like this, but +instead she had boldly taken it into her own hands. He had tried to +bring up his children well, but the becoming modesty which characterized +young women in his youth had gone. + +"No," he answered; "not exactly lenient. But the thing may not be so bad +as you think--and one must make allowances. Then, a broken engagement +reflects upon both parties. Even if one of them has an unquestionable +grievance, it proves that that person acted very rashly in making a +promise in the first instance." + +"Yes," said Beatrice; "that is my misfortune. I was rash and easily +deceived. I made the bargain in confiding ignorance, without reserve, +while the man kept a good deal back." + +"But your mother tells me that he declared he had never seen the woman; +and Harding is not a liar." + +"I used to think so, but it looks as if I were mistaken," Beatrice +answered bitterly as she turned away. + +Leaving him, she found a quiet spot in the shadow of a bluff, and sat +down to grapple with her pain. It had hurt more than she had thought +possible to cast off Harding, and she could bear her trouble only by +calling pride to her aid. There was, she told herself, much about the +man that had from the first offended her, but she had made light of it, +believing him steadfast and honorable. Now she knew she had been +deceived. She had been ready to throw away all the privileges of her +station; she had disregarded her friends' opinion--and this was her +reward! The man for whom she would have made the sacrifice was gross and +corrupt; but nobody should guess that she found it strangely hard to +forget him. + +Lance came upon her, there at the edge of the woods; but her head was +buried in her arms and she did not see him. The boy turned at once and +went to have a talk with his father. His expression was very resolute +when he entered Mowbray's study. + +"What are you going to do about Bee's trouble, sir?" he asked abruptly. + +His father gave him an amused smile. + +"I haven't decided," he said. "Have you anything useful to suggest?" + +"I feel that you ought to put it right." + +"Can you tell me how?" + +"No. Of course, it's a delicate matter; but you have a wider knowledge +and experience." + +"Umh!" the Colonel grunted. "Why do you conclude that your sister's +wrong?" + +"I know the man. He's not the kind she thinks." + +"Your mother saw the woman, and heard what she said." + +"There's been a mistake," Lance persisted. "I've a suspicion that +somebody may have put her up to it." + +"Made a plot to blacken Harding, you mean? Rather far-fetched, isn't it? +Whom do you suspect?" + +Lance turned red, for his father's tone was sarcastic, and he thought of +Gerald; but he could not drop a hint against his brother. + +"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out." + +"When you have found out, you can tell me," Mowbray answered, and gave +the boy an approving smile. "You're quite right in standing by your +friend, and you certainly owe Harding something. If you can prove him +better than we think, nobody will be more pleased than I." + +Lance had to be satisfied with this. He did not know how to set about +his investigations, but he determined to visit Winnipeg as soon as he +could. + +For the next week or two there was quietness at the Grange. The dry +weather held, and boisterous winds swept the sunburned plain. The sod +cracked, the wheat was shriveling, and although in public men and women +made a brave pretense of cheerfulness, in private they brooded over the +ruin that threatened them. To make things worse, three or four days a +week, heavy clouds that raced across the sky all morning gathered in +solid banks at noon, and then, as if in mockery, broke up and drove +away. Few of the settlers had much reserve capital, and the low prices +obtained for the last crop had strained their finances; but Harding was, +perhaps, threatened most. + +He had, as had been his custom, boldly trusted to the earth all he had +won by previous effort, and this year it looked as if the soil would +refuse its due return. Still, his taking such a risk was only partly due +to the prompting of his sanguine temperament. While he had hope of +winning Beatrice he must stake his all on the chance of gaining +influence and wealth. He had lost her; but after a few black days during +which he had thought of abandoning the struggle and letting things +drift, he quietly resumed his work. What he had begun must be finished, +even if it brought no advantage to himself. The disaster that seemed +unavoidable braced him to sterner effort; but when dusk settled down he +stood in the dim light and brooded over his withering wheat. Being what +he was, a man of constructive genius, it cut deep that he must watch the +grain that had cost so much thought and toil go to waste; but the red +band on the prairie's edge and the luminous green above it held only a +menace. + +One day Harding drove with Devine to a distant farm, and they set out on +the return journey late in the afternoon. It was very hot, for the wind +had died away, and deep stillness brooded over the lifeless plain. The +gophers that made their burrows in the trail had lost their usual +briskness, and sat up on their haunches until the wheels were almost +upon them. The prairie-chickens the horses disturbed would not rise, but +ran a few yards and sank down in the parched grass. The sky was leaden, +and the prairie glimmered a curious, livid white. Harding's skin +prickled, and he was conscious of a black depression and a headache. + +"If this only meant rain!" he exclaimed dejectedly. "But I've given up +hope." + +"Something's surely coming," Devine replied, glancing at a great bank of +cloud that had changed its color to an oily black. "If this weather +holds for another week, the crop will be wiped out, but somehow I can't +believe we'll all go broke." + +Harding had once thought as his comrade did, but now his optimistic +courage had deserted him. The future was very dark. He meant to fight +on, but defeat seemed certain. It would be easier to bear because he had +already lost what he valued most. + +Presently the wagon wheels sank in yielding sand, and that roused him. + +"Our hauling costs us high with these loose trails. I'd counted on +cutting more straw with the crop this year and using it to bind the +road. But now we may not have any grain to send out." + +The plan was characteristic of him, though his dejection was not. As a +rule, straw has no value in a newly opened country, and not much is cut +with the grain, the tall stubble being burned off; but Harding had seen +a use for the waste material in improving the means of transport. + +"Well," said Devine, "we'd better hustle. The team won't stand for a +storm." + +Harding urged the horses, and as the wheels ran out on firm ground the +pace grew faster, and a distant bluff began to rise from the waste. When +they were a mile or two from the woods there was a rumble of thunder and +the light grew dim. The dark sky seemed descending to meet the earth, +the bluff grew indistinct, but the burned grass still retained its +ghostly whiteness. Then the temperature suddenly fell, and when a puff +of cold wind touched his face Harding used the whip. He knew what was +going to happen. + +Throwing up their heads in alarm as a pale flash glimmered across the +trail, the team broke into a gallop, while the light wagon rocked and +swung as the wheels jolted over hummocks and smashed through scrubby +brush. Harding did not think he could hold the horses in the open when +the storm broke, and he did not wish to be hurled across the rugged +prairie behind a bolting team. Springing down when they reached the +trees, he and Devine locked the wheels and then stood waiting at the +horses' heads. All was now very still again, but a gray haze was closing +in. Now and then leaves stirred and rustled, and once or twice a dry +twig came down. The faint crackle it made jarred on the men's tingling +nerves. + +Harding found it difficult to keep still. He slowly filled his pipe for +the sake of occupation. The match he struck burned steadily, but its +pale flame was suddenly lost in a dazzling glare as the lightning fell +in an unbroken fork from overhead to a corner of the bluff. Then the +pipe dropped and was trodden on, as the men swayed to and fro, using all +their strength to hold the plunging team. It was only for a moment they +heard the battering hoofs, for a deafening crash that rolled across the +heavens drowned all other sound, and as it died away the trees began to +moan. A few large drops of rain fell, and then, as the men watched it, +gathering a faint hope, the rain turned to hail. A savage wind struck +the bluff, the air got icy cold, and the hail changed from fine grains +to ragged lumps. Harding could hear it roar among the trees between the +peals of thunder, until the scream of wind and the groan of bending +branches joined in and formed a wild tumult of sound. + +Though the men stood to lee of the woods, the hail found them out, +bruising their faces and cutting their wet hands; even their bodies +afterward felt as if they had been beaten. It raked the bluff like +rifle-fire, cutting twigs and shredding leaves, and the wild wind swept +the wreckage far to leeward. Light branches were flying, and Harding was +struck, but his grapple with the maddened horses demanded all his +thought. The lightning leaped about them and blazed through the woods, +silhouetting bending trees and the horses' tense, wet bodies, before it +vanished and left what seemed to be black darkness behind. + +Then, when the men were getting exhausted, the thunder grew fainter and +the bitter wind died away. There was a strange, perplexing stillness in +the heavy gloom, until the cloud-ranks parted and a ray of silver light +broke through. The grass steamed as the beam moved across it, and +suddenly the bluff was warm and bright, and they could see the havoc +that had been made. + +Torn branches hung from the poplars, slender birch-twigs lay in heaps, +and banks of hail, now changing fast to water, stretched out into the +wet, sparkling plain. + +Harding's face was very stern as he picked up a handful of the icy +pieces. + +"With a strong wind behind it, this stuff would cut like a knife," he +said. "Well, it has saved our putting the binders into the grain." + +Devine made a sign of gloomy agreement. There was no hope left; the crop +they had expected much from was destroyed. + +They clambered into the wagon and drove for some time before the first +farmstead began to lift above the edge of the plain. In the meanwhile +the hail that glistened in the grass tussocks melted away, and only a +few dark clouds drifting to the east marred the tranquillity of the +summer evening. The men were silent, but Devine understood why his +comrade drove so hard, holding straight across dry sloos where the tall +grass crackled about the wheels, and over billowy rises where the +horses' feet sank deep in sand. He was anxious to learn the worst, and +Devine feared that it would prove very bad. + +At last they crossed a higher ridge and Harding, looking down, saw his +homestead lying warm in the evening light. He had often watched it rise +out of the prairie, with a stirring of his blood. It was his; much of it +had been built by his own labor; and he had won from the desolate waste +the broad stretch of fertile soil that rolled away behind it. But he now +gazed at it with a frown. As the buildings grew into shape, dark patches +of summer fallow broke the gray sweep of grass, and then the neutral +green of alfalfa and clover, running in regular oblongs, appeared. +Behind, extending right across the background, lay the wheat, a smear of +indefinite color darker than the plain. That was all they could see of +it at that distance. They were going fast, but Harding lashed the horses +in his impatience. + +Devine, however, looked more closely about, and it struck him that the +ground had dried with remarkable rapidity; indeed, if he had not felt +the hail, he could hardly have believed the plain had been wet. For all +that, not venturing to hope for fear of meeting a heavier shock, he said +nothing to his comrade, and presently they dipped into a hollow. They +could not see across the ridge in front, and Harding urged his horses +savagely when they came to the ascent. The animals' coats were foul, +spume dripped from the bits, and their sides were white where the traces +slapped, but they breasted the hill pluckily. The men were grim and +highly strung, braced to meet the worst. To Harding it meant ruin and +the downfall of all his plans; to Devine his wedding put off. It might +be some years before he made good, and he feared that he could no longer +count on his comrade's help. If Harding were forced to give up his farm, +he might leave the prairie. + +At last, when the suspense was telling upon both, they reached the +summit and Harding stood up to see better. + +"Why, the ground has not been wet!" he exclaimed, unbelieving. "The hail +has not touched us!" + +It was true; the fire and the ragged ice had passed over that belt of +prairie and left its wake of ruin farther on. Still, though the wheat +was none the worse, it was none the better. It stood as when they had +seen it last, limp from drought and cut by blowing sand. Disaster was +only suspended, not removed. But there was hope. + +"Things don't look half so bad as they might!" said Harding cheerfully. +"I don't deserve it. I got savage and bitter; and bitterness is a bad +substitute for grit. Now I'll brace up, and face the future the way a +man ought!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +A BRAVE HEART + + +Three days passed, and still no rain fell to save the withering grain. +On the evening of the fourth day, Beatrice was walking home alone from +one of the neighboring farms. She was lost in painful thought and +scarcely noticed where she was until she passed a clump of prominent +trees which she knew was at the edge of Harding's place. Then she +stopped and looked about her. + +The sun had dipped, but an angry orange glow flushed the wide horizon +and the sky overhead was a cold dark blue. The great sweep of grain +caught the fading light, and Beatrice knew enough about farming to see +how it had suffered. She could not look at it unmoved; the sight was +pitiful. The wheat had cost long and patient labor, and she knew with +what hope and ambition the man who had sown it had worked. It was only +after years of strenuous toil, careful thought, and stern economy, that +he had been able to break the broad belt of prairie, and in doing so he +had boldly staked his all. Now it looked as if he had lost, and she was +grieved to see so much effort thrown away. + +Harding had transgressed, but the work he did was good, and Beatrice +began to wonder how far that might atone for his lack of principle. +Human character was mixed; men might be true in many ways, and yet fall +victims to a besetting sin. But it was a sin Beatrice could not forgive. +Harding had sought the other woman while he professed his love for her. +In Beatrice, pride, fastidiousness, and Puritanical convictions +converged. + +Letting her eyes travel farther along the grain, she started as she saw +him. He had not noticed her, for he stood looking at his crop. His +figure was outlined against the last of the light, and his pose was +slack and stamped with dejection. It was obvious that he thought himself +alone, for Harding was not the man to betray his troubles. + +Beatrice's heart suddenly filled with pity. He must be very hard hit; +and she believed that it was not the loss of fortune he felt most. +Everything had gone against him. One could not refuse a man compassion +because his sin had found him out. + +To her surprise, she felt that she must speak to him. She did not know +what she meant to say, but, half hesitating, she moved forward. Harding +looked round at her step, and the fading glow struck upon his face. + +It was brown and thin, and marked by a great physical weariness. The +toil he had borne since the thaw came and the suspense he had suffered +had set their stamp on him; he looked fined down, his face had an +ascetic cast. + +Beatrice caught her breath. By some strange inward power she grasped the +truth. This man had done no wrong; there was no deceit in him. What she +had believed of him was impossible! All that she had seen and heard +condemned him; there was no weak point in the evidence of his guilt; but +she trusted the prompting of her heart. Calm judgment and logical +reasoning had no place in this matter. She had wronged him. And how she +must have hurt him! + +She held out both her hands, and there were tears in her eyes. + +"Craig," she said, "I've come back. I couldn't stay away." + +Harding could not speak. He took her into his arms--and suddenly the +earth seemed to be giving way under his feet; his brain reeled and a +great blackness settled down over him. + +"Why, you're ill!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Oh, I have brought you to this!" + +The anguish in her cry cut through him as he was losing consciousness, +and he pulled himself together. + +"No," he smiled, "I'm not ill; but you must give me a moment to realize +that I really have you again." + +They walked back the few paces to the trail. An old log lay beside it, +half buried in grass and wild flowers, and here they sat together, in +the cool stillness of the dusk, until the darkness came down and hovered +round them. Out of the early night sky, one star shone down on them, +like a blessing. + +For the time being, it was nothing to them that the prairie sod was +cracked and parched, and that the destroying wind would rise again at +dawn. + + * * * * * + +On the way back to the Grange, Beatrice brought up the subject which she +felt must be talked of and then dropped for good. + +"How dreadfully mistaken I was about--the girl!" she said, hesitatingly. + +"How did you find it out?" + +"I haven't really found out anything; I'm afraid I can't explain. I +suddenly saw the truth, and wondered why I had been blind." + +"Do you mean----" + +"I mean that I should never have left you, Craig dear. I know that you +never saw that girl before in your life--but I did not know it until I +saw you standing there, in the wheat, this evening." + +Harding dropped the hand he was holding, and caught her to him. + +"Dear!" was all he said. + +"Can you explain what happened in Winnipeg?" she asked as they walked on +again. + +"No; I'm puzzled. But, for your sake, I shall not rest until I've +cleared myself." Then, with a sudden shock, he remembered the wheat they +had left. "But I was forgetting--I may be a ruined man." + +"And I the daughter of another," Beatrice answered with a smile. "That +could make no difference, Craig; and we're not ruined yet. Still, +because I was hard and unjust at first, I should like you to remember +that I came to you when you were in trouble, and didn't ask whether you +were innocent or not." + +"I'll remember it," said Harding, "as long as I live." + +When they reached the house, Mowbray and his wife were sitting on the +veranda, and Lance came down the steps to meet them with his hand held +out. Neither spoke, but Harding was touched by the sincerity of his +welcome. + +Beatrice ran up the steps to her mother, and Harding, after a word of +greeting turned away. He felt that, until he had cleared himself, it +would be more becoming in him to keep away from the Colonel and Mrs. +Mowbray. + +The next morning Mowbray called Beatrice into his study. + +"I am glad that your confidence in Harding has returned," he said. "You +must, however, understand that the situation is still awkward." + +"Yes; Craig and I talked it over last night." + +"You talked this matter over!" Mowbray exclaimed. + +"Of course," said Beatrice calmly. "It's of some importance to me. Are +you surprised?" + +"I must admit that I am. When I was young, a well-brought-up girl would +hardly have ventured to mention such subjects to her mother, much less +discuss them with her lover." + +Beatrice smiled at him. + +"I'm afraid your feelings must get many a rude jar in these degenerate +times. Still, you know things are changing." + +"That's true," said Mowbray. "I've had cause to realize it of late. For +example, your brother Lance goes off to Winnipeg on some mysterious +business without consulting me, and only tells me in a casual manner +that he may have to go again. Respect for parents is not a +characteristic of your generation. But I want to speak about Harding." + +He talked very kindly and shrewdly, and when Beatrice left him she +sought her favorite place in the shadow of a nearby bluff to think over +what he had said. + +There was less wind for the next two days, and driving sand no longer +raked the grain. From early morning dingy clouds rolled up slowly from +the west, and though not a drop of rain fell the distance grew blurred. +The horses on the range were restless and galloped furiously now and +then; the gophers scurried up and down the trails; men at work grew +impatient over trifling obstacles, and often stopped to watch the +clouds. These rolled on and vanished in the east, while many an anxious +farmer wondered when the last would rise from the horizon and leave the +pitiless sky uncovered again. Thirsty wild creatures stirred in the +shadow of the bluffs and rustled through the withered grass beside the +dried-up creeks. Leaves fluttered and hung still again with a strange +limpness, their under sides exposed. It was as if the sun-scorched waste +and all that lived on it were panting for the rain. And still the clouds +that never broke rolled slowly on. + +At dusk on the second evening, Beatrice and Harding walked across the +prairie, speaking in low voices, anxious and yet serene. + +"What are you thinking of, Craig?" Beatrice asked presently. + +"Of the weather," Harding answered. "Wondering if these clouds will +break or clear away again. It looks as if our future hung upon the +chance of a storm. If it doesn't come, there's a long uphill fight +before us; and I hate to think of what you may have to bear." + +"I'm not afraid," said Beatrice. "If I stayed at Allenwood, I should not +escape. Perhaps I have missed something by getting through life too +easily. I really don't think I'm much weaker, or less capable, than +Effie Broadwood, and she's not cast down." + +Harding kissed the hand he held. + +"A brave heart like yours carries one a long way, but training and +experience are needed. Grit alone is not much use when you're up against +a thing you don't know how to do." + +"It helps you to learn. Am I so very stupid? Don't you see, dear, that I +want to prove that I can be useful?" + +"To carry heavy pails, bake, and mend old overalls? That would be an +unthinkable waste of fine material. It's your business to be your +beautiful and gracious self, a refining influence, a light in the home!" + +Beatrice laughed. + +"I'm afraid when you think about me you lose your usual sense. I should +be as useful if I were made of painted wax, and you'd get tired of your +goddess some day and want to break me up. I'm alive, you know. I want to +be in the midst of the strife. I hear the bugles call." + +Harding kissed her tenderly. + +"I'm afraid we'll have to fall in with the firing line, but it will be +my business to shield you from harm," he said. + +"It's a good fight," she answered with sparkling eyes; "you have taught +me that. The flag goes steadily forward with the pioneers in the van. +There are great alkali barrens, rocks, and muskegs to be overcome, arid +plains to be watered, forests cleared, the waste places to be made +fruitful. That's why we have painted the Beaver of Industry in the +field. But we have our camp-followers--and I might have been +one--useless idlers, grafters, and dishonest contractors who rob the +fighting men." + +"When we've broken the wilderness, we'll have time to deal with them; +but I'm afraid many a pioneer will go down before we march much +farther." + +"Ah!" said Beatrice softly. "But whether the fight is hard or not, you +must teach me to do my part." + +She stopped, holding out her hands with an excited cry: + +"The rain, Craig; the rain!" + +Her hands felt wet, something drummed upon her broad straw hat, and the +dust leaped up from the grass; then the quick patter ceased, and there +was stillness again. It lasted for several minutes while both stood +tense and still, scarcely venturing to hope. Then there was a roar in +the distance and a puff of cool wind, and Harding, touching the girl's +arm, hurried her forward. + +"It's coming!" he said hoarsely. "Coming in earnest!" + +"Oh, let's stay!" cried Beatrice. "I want to feel it's true!" + +Harding laughed, but led her on, and presently they met the advancing +rain. It beat, wonderfully refreshing, on their hot faces, and soon +Beatrice's thin dress was soaked. Steam rose from the parched earth; +there was a hothouse smell, a dull roar, and a rustle among the beaten +grass, and the fading light was shut off by a curtain of falling water. +Alternating between happy laughter and silence, during which their +thankfulness became too deep for speech, they hurried toward Harding's +farm, and Beatrice threw her arms round Hester's neck when she met her +at the door. + +"Oh!" she cried. "Our troubles are over! The rain! The rain!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +THE INHERITANCE + + +The rain lasted several days and saved the crops: the wheat, although +somewhat damaged, was ripening fast. + +As Lance drove home from one of his mysterious absences from the Grange, +he looked out over the rippling fields with a sense of thankfulness in +his boyish heart. Harding was not to be ruined after all! The rain had +saved his fortune; and in Lance's pocket there was a paper that would +clear his name. + +Beatrice met him on the steps, but he brushed past her with a smile and +hurried to his father's study, where he knew he would find the Colonel. + +"I've been away several times, and now I must tell you why, sir," he +said. "You will remember that I've declared my belief in Harding all +along." + +"I've no doubt he feels properly grateful," Mowbray remarked. + +"I'm grateful to him. And now I have some satisfaction in being able to +prove his innocence. Read this." + +He gave his father a note, and Mowbray read it aloud: + +"'_I hereby declare that Craig Harding of Allenwood is a stranger to me. +I met him for the first and only time at the Rideau Hotel, Winnipeg, +and I regret that I then claimed his acquaintance._'" + +"It sounds conclusive. I see it's signed 'Coral Stanton, clairvoyante.' +May I ask how you came to meet this lady and get the document?" + +"Both things needed some tact, sir," Lance answered with a grin. + +"So I should imagine. Rather a delicate business for one so young. You +must have seen that your motives were liable to be misunderstood." + +Lance colored. + +"I had to take the risk. As a matter of fact, things threatened to +become embarrassing at first. However, I got the statement." + +"What did you give for it?" + +"A hundred dollars; what Miss Stanton was promised." + +"Then she was hired to act a part? But what made her willing to betray +her employers?" + +"They deserved it," Lance answered in a curious tone. "It seems she got +into difficulties with the police and had to leave the town; the +clairvoyante business was only a blind, and somebody was robbed after +gambling at her rooms. The men who made the plot took a shabby advantage +of the situation." + +"Do you know their names?" + +"Yes," said Lance, hesitatingly. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather not +mention them." + +Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then made a sign of stern agreement. + +"Perhaps that's best." He was silent for a few moments, grappling with +this new pain that seared him to the heart. So Gerald had sunk to this! +"Leave the paper here, and send Beatrice to me," he said slowly. + +Lance was glad to escape. He found Beatrice with her mother, and she and +Mrs. Mowbray went at once to the Colonel's study. + +"Your brother took some trouble to get this for you," Mowbray said, +handing her the statement, which she read in silence. + +"I will thank Lance; but this note really makes no difference," she +declared. + +"That's hard to understand." + +"I had Craig's word. If I had doubted him, would I have believed this +woman? But there's another matter I want to speak of. Craig didn't want +me to, but he gave me permission." + +Taking out the photographs Harding had shown her, she handed them to +Mowbray. Mrs. Mowbray, looking over his shoulder, uttered an +exclamation. The Colonel, too, was startled. + +"That's Ash Garth, with Janet Harding on the steps! Where did you get +them? What does it mean?" + +Instead of answering, the girl glanced at her mother. + +"I think it's quite plain," Mrs. Mowbray said. "Beatrice is engaged to +Basil Harding's son." + +"Why was I not told before?" Mowbray asked excitedly. "He's as well born +as you are! Can't you see how it alters things?" + +"Craig declares it makes no difference--and I'm beginning to agree with +him." + +"That's absurd!" Mowbray exclaimed. "False pride; mistaken sentiment! We +know the advantage of springing from a good stock. Now I understand why +I sometimes felt a curious sympathy with Harding, even when I hated his +opinions." + +"You gave us no reason to suspect it," Beatrice answered with a smile. +"Do you know his father's history?" + +"Yes; but I don't know that I ought to tell it without his son's +permission." + +"Then we'll wait," said Beatrice. "Craig will be here soon." + +Harding came in a few minutes afterward, and Mowbray, giving him a +friendly greeting, handed him the letter Lance had brought, and the +photographs. + +"Your father was a comrade of mine," the Colonel said. "We were both +stationed at an outpost in Northern India." + +"Then you may be able to tell me something about his early life," +replied Harding quietly. "It's a subject he never spoke of." + +"I can do so. Are you willing that Beatrice and her mother should hear?" + +"Yes; I don't wish to hide anything from them." + +"Very well. Your father was an infantry captain and well thought of in +his regiment. His worst faults were a quick temper and a rash +impulsiveness, but he suffered for them. Before coming to India, he +married beneath him, a girl of some beauty but no education. His +relatives strongly opposed the match, and there was a quarrel with them. + +"After a time Basil was ordered to a station where there was some +European society and his wife was out of her element there. The other +women of the post objected to her, and openly insulted her. Basil had +one quarrel after another on her behalf, and finally, after an unusually +stormy scene with the artillery major, Basil sent in his papers. + +"His relatives refused to receive him, they cut off his allowance; but +he clung to his wife until she died a couple years later. Then he came +to Canada and vanished. + +"His mother died; and one by one the others followed--all except Basil +Morel, his mother's brother." + +"Ah!" Beatrice interrupted. + +The Colonel glanced at her a moment, and then went on: + +"Morel had a very strong affection for Basil--he was his namesake and +only nephew. Feeling that they had been too hard on him, Morel traced +Basil in Canada, wrote him a long letter, and enclosed a draft for a +thousand pounds, as part of back allowances. Basil wrote a brief and +bitter note in answer, then deposited the money in a Winnipeg bank, to +be given to his son after his death, on condition that the son never +question where it came from. This son was by the second wife; there were +no children by the first. + +"Well, Basil died; the bank reported to Morel that the money had been +paid to the son; and then--the old man, living alone at Ash Garth, was +getting very lonely; he had time to brood over the injustice done Basil, +and, before he died, he wanted to make it up to Basil's son. But the son +had completely disappeared. He had left Dakota and gone to Manitoba; +from there all trace of him had vanished. Morel is now a broken old man; +but, because Basil and I were comrades, he confides many things to me, +and I know that deep down in his heart there is still a hope that he +will live long enough to find Basil's son." + +The Colonel's voice was husky, and he paused a moment before he said: + +"With your permission, Mr. Harding, I should like to send him a cable." + +Harding nodded assent. + +Beatrice was crying softly. + +"Now I understand why Mr. Morel always looked so sad when I talked of +the prairie," she said brokenly. "Mother, you must have known!" she +added as an afterthought. + +"Yes, but I didn't feel that it was my secret, dear," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently. + +At the Colonel's request, Harding told them of his early life; and then +he and Beatrice drove across the prairie to tell the story to Hester. +Beatrice felt that it was the girl's right to know. + +Harvest came, and although the crop was lighter than he had hoped, +Harding saw that he would have a satisfactory margin. It was not so with +most of his neighbors, and when the strain of forced effort slackened, +and the smoke of the thrasher no longer streaked the stubble, there were +anxious hearts at Allenwood. Even the buoyant courage of the younger men +began to sink; hitherto they had carelessly borne their private +troubles, but now they felt that the settlement was in danger. Those who +had never taken thought before asked what must be done, and nobody could +tell them. Harding and his friends had a surprise to spring on their +neighbors, and on Davies as well, but they waited until the time was +ripe. + +Then one evening Mowbray rode over to Kenwyne's homestead. + +"You and Broadwood have opposed me, but I have never doubted your +sincerity," he said. "In fact, since Brand has gone, I feel I'd rather +trust you and Harding than the boys who have given me their thoughtless +support. We are threatened with grave trouble." + +"We must try to justify your belief in us, sir," said Kenwyne. "What is +the trouble?" + +"Carlyon, Webster, and Shepstone came to me, and confessed that they +have mortgaged their farms. To make things worse, I have a letter from +the man in Winnipeg they borrowed from, informing me that he would seize +Gerald's land unless a large sum is paid. You must see that this means +disaster to Allenwood." + +Mowbray looked harassed and worn, and Kenwyne felt sorry for him. + +"I suggest that you let the fellow produce his mortgages and receive him +at a council meeting. The matter's of interest to everybody." + +"Then you have some scheme?" Mowbray asked eagerly. + +"As it's far-reaching, we'd rather put it before the council. I'm half +afraid we can't expect your approval until you know everything; but you +should be able to command a majority if we don't convince you." + +"I can do nothing to save the settlement," Mowbray said with dignity; +"and I dare not refuse to let others try, even if their ways are not +mine. We'll leave it at that. I'll call the meeting." + +It was a calm, clear evening when all the Allenwood settlers assembled +in the hall at the Grange. The days were getting shorter, and a lamp or +two was lighted; but, outside, the last of the sunset glowed in a red +band along the prairie's rim. Mowbray sat at the head of the table; +Harding, Broadwood, Kenwyne, and Lance were close together; the rest +scattered about the spacious room, some half hidden in the shadow, some +where the partial illumination touched them. All were silent and +expectant; they felt it would prove a memorable night for Allenwood. + +There was a rattle of wheels outside, and soon afterward Davies was +shown in. He was smartly dressed in well-cut city clothes, and his +aggressive, self-conscious air contrasted with the easy grace of the +brown-faced men in shooting jackets and fringed deerskin. + +"I came here expecting a private interview," he said to Mowbray. "I do +not understand why I'm asked to meet these gentlemen, most of whom I +have not the pleasure of knowing." + +"I cannot tell what you expected," Mowbray answered haughtily. "Your +business is, however, of interest to us all, and to state it now will +save some time, because nothing can be done until our council is +informed of it." + +Davies' glance wandered round the room, as if in search of somebody, but +he did not notice Harding, who was in the shadow. + +"Very well," he said, undoing a bundle of documents. "I hold mortgages +on land and property belonging to Gerald Mowbray, Carlyon, Webster, and +Shepstone." He read out particulars of the sums lent and interest due, +and then put the papers on the table. "You are at liberty to examine +them." + +Carlyon turned to Mowbray, with a flushed face. + +"They can't be contested, sir. Speaking for the others, as well as +myself, I must say that we feel our position, and are very sorry that we +have brought this trouble upon you and our friends." + +Harding moved forward and picked up the mortgages, and Davies showed his +surprise. After examining the documents carefully, Harding passed them +to Broadwood, who looked over them in a silence that was accentuated by +the rattle of a loose blind as puffs of wind swept into the room. + +"All right," Broadwood said, and handed a sheet of paper to each of the +debtors. + +"Will you agree to these terms? Yes or no?" he asked. + +One of the young men laughed hoarsely, as if from unexpected relief; +another made a glad sign of assent; and Carlyon's eyes were bright as he +turned to Broadwood. + +"Agree?" he exclaimed. "We never hoped for such a chance as this!" + +Broadwood put one of the papers in front of Mowbray. + +"They consent, sir. We'd like your sanction." + +"I cannot give it unreservedly. But as I cannot suggest anything better, +I must not refuse." Mowbray addressed Davies. "As the farms were +mortgaged against the provisions of our settlement covenant, I believe +your claim might be disputed, but I won't urge that point. The money was +borrowed and must be paid." + +"With your permission, sir!" Harding took the big inkstand and placed it +before Davies. "Write a formal discharge for these debts, and I'll give +you a check." + +Davies' face was hot with baffled fury, but he asked in a sneering tone: + +"Will the bank make it good?" + +"Here's their letter," said Harding dryly. + +Davies glanced at the letter, and threw it down. Then he pulled himself +together. + +"It seems," he said to Mowbray, "that you have made some arrangement to +finance these gentlemen, and they have agreed; but Mr. Gerald Mowbray +owes a much larger sum, and I have his word that he is unable to pay. He +left the matter in my hands, and before going any further I should like +to suggest that we might arrive at some understanding----" + +Mowbray cut him short. + +"We can make no terms with you, if that is what is meant. My son owes +you money; you must take what you are entitled to." + +"But the debt is his. He must decide." + +"He has decided," Harding said quietly. "Here's a telegram from him, +answering a letter of mine which he probably got after you left. He +agrees to transfer the mortgaged property to his father and another, on +terms that don't concern you. Read it." + +"Ah!" cried Davies, hoarse with anger. "Mowbray has gone back on me. I +was a fool to trust him!" + +Colonel Mowbray flushed, but did not answer, and Harding turned to +Davies. + +"This has nothing to do with our business. Write your receipts, +including Gerald Mowbray's debt, and take your money." + +Davies did so, and carefully examined the check Harding gave him. Then +he got up and made Mowbray an ironical bow. One of the men opened the +door, and he went out surlily. + +There was a general movement and a murmur throughout the room, +expressing relief and a slackening of tension. + +"It's a satisfaction to see the last of the fellow," one man said, +voicing the feelings of all. "The settlement has escaped a danger; but +we must be careful not to let it fall into another. May I inquire about +the agreement which Mr. Harding has made with our friends?" + +Harding explained that they were to farm their land under his +instructions, paying a moderate rate of interest. A fixed sum was to be +set aside every year to redeem the loan, so that in time the debtors +would again acquire possession, and any surplus would belong to them. + +"Mr. Harding's position is now very strong," the man contended. "He can, +if he wishes, dictate to the rest of us, and I think we ought to know +his plans and how he expects to profit." + +There was deep silence when Harding got upon his feet and glanced round +the room. A few of the men were obviously suspicious, and one or two +hostile, but some looked willing to give him fair play and some quietly +confident in him. + +"To begin with, I expect no direct profit from Allenwood," he said. "The +advantage I shall gain will be the keeping down of my working expenses +by your cooperation. With better trails we'll need fewer teams to bring +out supplies and haul in our grain; and we can avoid using two +half-empty wagons when one will take both loads. We can buy and sell on +joint lines, saving all round, and can use the latest and biggest +machines. Singly, we cannot afford them; combined, we can buy and, what +is more, keep the implements employed. But we can work out details +later. You have reached a turning-point to-night. Those of you with +private means, if there are any such, may continue to farm as a pastime, +but for the man who must live by his farming, it is serious work. There +is a time of low prices before us that will weed out the slack; but with +care and effort we can hold out until the flood of prosperity which is +coming sweeps our difficulties away. We must perfect our methods, fall +in with modern practise, and study economy. That I have now some power +here is true; I ask your help, and value it, but if needful I can do +without it. I and several more are going on, working together on the +best plan we can find, as we have begun." + +A murmur of applause greeted the close of the speech, for Harding's +blunt candor had gained him the respect of his antagonists and +strengthened the loyalty of his friends. + +Then Mowbray leaned forward, holding up his hand. + +"We have heard Mr. Harding's intentions declared with the +straightforwardness one expects from him; and it must be clear to all +that he has freed Allenwood from a peril." He paused, and his voice was +strained as he resumed: "For a while we prospered here, and I like to +think I led you well; but the times began to change without our +recognizing it. I cannot change, but you must, for you are young; the +future lies before you. I am old, and I feel my age to-night. The +burden of rule gets heavy; I want to lay it down. You must choose +another leader who understands these times, and I think you see where a +wise choice lies." + +For a moment nobody spoke, and then a unanimous cry of protest broke +out. It rang with feeling, and when it died away man after man urged +Mowbray to keep control. + +He listened with a faint smile. + +"I am honored by this mark of confidence," he said quietly. "But if I +consent, you must give me the helper I need, and you must follow him +with the loyalty you have always shown me. To some extent we shall +counterbalance extremes in each other, which may be for the good of all, +because I have much to learn from the present, and my helper something +from the past. I could not ask you to obey an outsider, but the man I +choose will soon become a member of my family. I nominate Mr. Harding, +who has saved the settlement." + +There were cries of agreement that swelled into a storm of satisfaction, +and Harding said a few words in a voice that shook. This was a turn of +affairs he had not expected, and he was moved by Mowbray's confidence +and the number of friends he had made. + +Then the council broke up, and when the last had gone Mowbray joined his +wife on the veranda, where he sat looking with tired eyes toward the +pale red glow on the skyline left by the setting sun. The prairie was +formless and shadowy, but darkness had not quite closed in. + +"I feel that all this is symbolical, my dear," he said. "My day is over, +but the night has not yet come. Though it will not be by the way I +would have chosen, I may still see Allenwood safe and prosperous." + +Mrs. Mowbray took his hand caressingly. + +"You have led the boys well, and taught them much; they will not forget +it. You never shrank from a sacrifice that was for their good--and I +know the cost of the one you have made to-night." + +"I knew I could trust to your sympathy; you haven't failed me yet," he +said gently. "I wonder why Gerald broke away from the rascal at last. I +may be wrong, but I'd like to believe that when the time came he found +he could not betray his friends; that his heart spoke, and a trace of +the honor we tried to teach him awoke to life." + +"I think you're right," Mrs. Mowbray answered. "I am sure there is hope +for him." + +Then she turned and her eyes rested on the dark figures of Beatrice and +Harding, who had left the house and were walking slowly across the +plain. Moving side by side, with love and confidence in their hearts, +they looked toward the east, where the dawn would rise. + + +THE END + + + + +JOHN FOX, JR'S. +STORIES OF THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS + +=May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap's list.= + + +=THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +[Illustration] + +The "lonesome pine" from which the story takes its name was a tall tree +that stood in solitary splendor on a mountain top. The fame of the pine +lured a young engineer through Kentucky to catch the trail, and when he +finally climbed to its shelter he found not only the pine but the +_foot-prints of a girl_. And the girl proved to be lovely, piquant, and +the trail of these girlish foot-prints led the young engineer a madder +chase than "the trail of the lonesome pine." + + +=THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +This is a story of Kentucky, in a settlement known as "Kingdom Come." It +is a life rude, semi-barbarous; but natural and honest, from which often +springs the flower of civilization. + +"Chad." the "little shepherd" did not know who he was nor whence he +came--he had just wandered from door to door since early childhood, +seeking shelter with kindly mountaineers who gladly fathered and +mothered this waif about whom there was such a mystery--a charming waif, +by the way, who could play the banjo better that anyone else in the +mountains. + + +=A KNIGHT OF THE CUMBERLAND.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +The scenes are laid along the waters of the Cumberland, the lair of +moonshiner and feudsman. The knight is a moonshiner's son, and the +heroine a beautiful girl perversely christened "The Blight." Two +impetuous young Southerners fall under the spell of "The Blight's" +charms and she learns what a large part jealousy and pistols have in the +love making of the mountaineers. + +Included in this volume is "Hell fer-Sartain" and other stories, some of +Mr. Fox's most entertaining Cumberland valley narratives. + + +_Ask for complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction_ + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP'S DRAMATIZED NOVELS + +THE KIND THAT ARE MAKING THEATRICAL HISTORY + +=May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.= + + +=WITHIN THE LAW.= By Bayard Veiller & Marvin Dana. +Illustrated by Wm. Charles Cooke. + +This is a novelization of the immensely successful play which ran for +two years in New York and Chicago. + +The plot of this powerful novel is of a young woman's revenge directed +against her employer who allowed her to be sent to prison for three +years on a charge of theft, of which she was innocent. + + +=WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY.= By Robert Carlton Brown. +Illustrated with scenes from the play. + +This is a narrative of a young and innocent country girl who is suddenly +thrown into the very heart of New York, "the land of her dreams," where +she is exposed to all sorts of temptations and dangers. + +The story of Mary is being told in moving pictures and played in +theatres all over the world. + + +=THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM.= By David Belasco. +Illustrated by John Rae. + +This is a novelization of the popular play in which David Warfield, as +Old Peter Grimm, scored such a remarkable success. + +The story is spectacular and extremely pathetic but withal, powerful, +both as a book and as a play. + + +=THE GARDEN OF ALLAH.= By Robert Hichens. + +This novel is an intense, glowing epic of the great desert, sunlit, +barbaric, with its marvelous atmosphere of vastness and loneliness. + +It is a book of rapturous beauty, vivid in word painting. 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Popular Copyrighted Fiction_ + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP'S DRAMATIZED NOVELS + +Original, sincere and courageous--often amusing--the +kind that are making theatrical history. + + +MADAME X. By Alexandre Bisson and J. W. McConaughy. +Illustrated with scenes from the play. + +A beautiful Parisienne became an outcast because her husband would not +forgive an error of her youth. Her love for her son is the great final +influence in her career. A tremendous dramatic success. + + +THE GARDEN OF ALLAH. By Robert Hichens. + +An unconventional English woman and an inscrutable stranger meet and +love in an oasis of the Sahara. Staged this season with magnificent cast +and gorgeous properties. + + +THE PRINCE OF INDIA. By Lew. Wallace. + +A glowing romance of the Byzantine Empire, presenting with extraordinary +power the siege of Constantinople, and lighting its tragedy with the +warm underglow of an Oriental romance. As a play it is a great dramatic +spectacle. + + +TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY. By Grace +Miller White. Illust. by Howard Chandler Christy. + +A girl from the dregs of society, loves a young Cornell University +student, and it works startling changes in her life and the lives of +those about her. The dramatic version is one of the sensations of the +season. + + +YOUNG WALLINGFORD. By George Randolph +Chester. Illust. by F. R. Gruger and Henry Raleigh. + +A series of clever swindles conducted by a cheerful young man, each of +which is just on the safe side of a State's prison offence. As +"Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford," it is probably the most amusing expose of +money manipulation ever seen on the stage. + + +THE INTRUSION OF JIMMY. By P. G. Wodehouse. +Illustrations by Will Grefe. + +Social and club life in London and New York, an amateur burglary +adventure and a love story. Dramatized under the title of "A Gentleman +of Leisure," it furnishes hours of laughter to the play-goers. + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + +FOUR TIMELY BOOKS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE + + +I ACCUSE (_J'ACCUSE!_) By a German. A Scathing +Arraignment of the German War Policy. + +At this vital time in the nation's history every patriotic American +should read and reread this wonderful book and learn the absurdity of +the German excuse that they wanted a "Place in the Sun." + +Learn how the German masses were deluded with the idea that they were +making a defensive war to protect the Fatherland. + +Let the author of this illuminating book again show the sacrilege of +claiming a Christian God as a Teutonic ally and riddle once more the +divine right of kings. + + +PAN-GERMANISM. By Roland G. Usher. + +The clear, graphic style gives it a popular appeal that sets it miles +apart from the ordinary treatise, and for the reader who wishes to get a +rapid focus on the world events of the present, perhaps no book written +will be more interesting. + +It is the only existing forecast of exactly the present development of +events in Europe. It is, besides, a brisk, clear, almost primer-like +reduction of the complex history of Europe during the last forty years +to a simple, connected story clear enough to the most casual reader. + + +THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE. By Roland G. Usher. + +A glance into America's future by the man who, in his book +PAN-GERMANISM, foretold with such amazing accuracy the coming of the +present European events. An exceedingly live and timely book that is +bound to be read and discussed widely because it strikes to the heart of +American problems, and more especially because it hits right and left at +ideas that have become deep-seated convictions in many American minds. + + +THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE. By James M. +Beck, LL.D., Formerly Assistant Attorney-General +of the United States, Author of the "War and Humanity." +With an Introduction by the Hon. Joseph +H. Choate; Late U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain. + +No work on the War has made a deeper impression throughout the world +than "The Evidence in the Case," a calm, dispassionate, but forceful +discussion of the moral responsibility for the present war as disclosed +by the diplomatic papers. Arnold Bennett says that it "is certainly by +far _the most convincing indictment of Germany_ in existence." + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK + + + + +Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in the +original edition have been corrected. + +In Chapter II, "might become an anachorism" was changed to "might become +an anachronism". + +In Chapter X, a comma was changed to a period after "a council meeting +at the Grange", and a period was changed to a comma after "If all the +rest stand out". + +In Chapter XVIII, a comma was changed to a period after "He was a big, +gaunt man". + +In Chapter XX, a missing quotation mark was added after "I'm obeying the +call." + +In Chapter XXV, a missing period was added after "in keeping with the +life I've led". + +In Chapter XXVI, "brought him spurred him rather to action" was changed +to "brought him--spurred him rather--to action". + +In addition, numerous spelling and punctuation errors were corrected in +the advertisements at the back of the book. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Harding of Allenwood, by Harold Bindloss + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + +***** This file should be named 38343-8.txt or 38343-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/3/4/38343/ + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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: Harding of Allenwood + +Author: Harold Bindloss + +Release Date: December 19, 2011 [EBook #38343] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + + + + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 324px;"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="324" height="500" alt="cover" title="Harding of Allenwood by Harold Bindloss" /> +</div> + +<hr class="thin" /> + +<h1>HARDING OF ALLENWOOD</h1> + +<hr class="thin" /> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"> +<img src="images/image-1.jpg" width="385" height="600" alt=""'PICK UP YOUR SKIRT,' HE SAID BLUNTLY; 'IT GETS +STEEPER.'"—Page 32" title="" /> +</div> +<p class="caption">"'PICK UP YOUR SKIRT,' HE SAID BLUNTLY; 'IT GETS +STEEPER.'"—Page 32</p> + +<hr class="thin" /> + +<p class="center bigtext">HARDING OF<br /> +ALLENWOOD</p> + +<p class="center">BY<br /> +<span class="bigtext">HAROLD BINDLOSS</span></p> + +<p class="center">AUTHOR OF<br /> +PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN,<br /> +WINSTON OF THE PRAIRIE, <span class="smcap">Etc</span></p> + +<p class="center">WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 139px;"> +<img src="images/logo.png" width="139" height="150" alt="publisher's logo" title="" /> +</div> + +<p class="center">GROSSET & DUNLAP<br /> +<span class="smalltext"><span style="word-spacing: 2em;">PUBLISHERS NEW</span> YORK</span></p> + +<p class="center smalltext"><i>Copyright, 1915, by</i><br /> +<span class="smcap">Frederick A. Stokes Company</span></p> + +<p class="center smalltext"><i>All rights reserved</i></p> + +<hr class="wide" /> + + +<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> + +<table class="figcenter" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="Table of Contents"> +<tr> +<td class="smalltext chapnum">CHAPTER</td> +<td class="smalltext chapname"> </td> +<td class="smalltext chappage">PAGE</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">I</td> +<td class="chapname">The Pioneers</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">II</td> +<td class="chapname">Portents of Change</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">14</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">III</td> +<td class="chapname">At the Ford</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">26</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">IV</td> +<td class="chapname">The Opening of the Rift</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">36</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">V</td> +<td class="chapname">The Spendthrift</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">48</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">VI</td> +<td class="chapname">The Mortgage Broker</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">56</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">VII</td> +<td class="chapname">An Accident</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">67</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">VIII</td> +<td class="chapname">An Unexpected Escape</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">79</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">IX</td> +<td class="chapname">A Man of Affairs</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">92</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">X</td> +<td class="chapname">The Casting Vote</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">103</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XI</td> +<td class="chapname">The Steam Plow</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">118</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XII</td> +<td class="chapname">The Enemy Within</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">132</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XIII</td> +<td class="chapname">The Traitor</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">145</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XIV</td> +<td class="chapname">A Bold Scheme</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">156</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XV</td> +<td class="chapname">Harvest Home</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">169</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XVI</td> +<td class="chapname">The Bridge</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">182</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XVII</td> +<td class="chapname">A Heavy Blow</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">192</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XVIII</td> +<td class="chapname">Covering His Trail</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">203</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XIX</td> +<td class="chapname">The Blizzard</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">215</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XX</td> +<td class="chapname">A Severe Test</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">225</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXI</td> +<td class="chapname">The Day of Reckoning</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">236</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXII</td> +<td class="chapname">The Price of Honor</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">245</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXIII</td> +<td class="chapname">A Woman Intervenes</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">255</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXIV</td> +<td class="chapname">A Great Triumph</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">264</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXV</td> +<td class="chapname">The Rebuff</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">276</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXVI</td> +<td class="chapname">Drought</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">287</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXVII</td> +<td class="chapname">The Adventuress</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">298</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXVIII</td> +<td class="chapname">Fire and Hail</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">308</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXIX</td> +<td class="chapname">A Brave Heart</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">318</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="chapnum">XXX</td> +<td class="chapname">The Inheritance</td> +<td class="chappage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">326</a></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<hr class="wide" /> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="HARDING_OF_ALLENWOOD" id="HARDING_OF_ALLENWOOD"></a>HARDING,<br />OF ALLENWOOD</h2> + +<h2 class="chapterone"><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE PIONEERS</span></h2> + + +<p>It was a clear day in September. The boisterous winds which had swept +the wide Canadian plain all summer had fallen and only a faint breeze +stirred the yellowing leaves of the poplars. Against the glaring blue of +the northern sky the edge of the prairie cut in a long, straight line; +above the southern horizon rounded cloud-masses hung, soft and white as +wool. Far off, the prairie was washed with tints of delicate gray, but +as it swept in to the foreground the color changed, growing in strength, +to brown and ocher with streaks of silvery brightness where the withered +grass caught the light. To the east the view was broken, for the banks +of a creek that wound across the broad level were lined with +timber—birches and poplars growing tall in the shelter of the ravine +and straggling along its crest. Their pale-colored branches glowed among +the early autumn leaves.</p> + +<p>In a gap between the trees two men stood resting on their axes, and rows +of logs and branches and piles of chips were scattered about the +clearing. The men<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> were dressed much alike, in shirts that had once been +blue but were now faded to an indefinite color, old brown overalls, and +soft felt hats that had fallen out of shape. Their arms were bare to the +elbows, the low shirt-collars left their necks exposed, showing skin +that had weathered, like their clothing, to the color of the soil. +Standing still, they were scarcely distinguishable from their +surroundings.</p> + +<p>Harding was thirty years old, and tall and strongly built. He looked +virile and athletic, but his figure was marked by signs of strength +rather than grace. His forehead was broad, his eyes between blue and +gray, and his gaze gravely steady. He had a straight nose and a firm +mouth; and although there was more than a hint of determination in his +expression, it indicated, on the whole, a pleasant, even a magnetic, +disposition.</p> + +<p>Devine was five years younger and of lighter build. He was the handsomer +of the two, but he lacked that indefinite something about his companion +which attracted more attention.</p> + +<p>"Let's quit a few minutes for a smoke," suggested Devine, dropping his +ax. "We've worked pretty hard since noon."</p> + +<p>He sat down on a log and took out an old corncob pipe. When it was +filled and lighted he leaned back contentedly against a friendly stump.</p> + +<p>Harding remained standing, his hand on the long ax-haft, his chin +slightly lifted, and his eyes fixed on the empty plain. Between him and +the horizon there was no sign of life except that a flock of migrating +birds were moving south across the sky in a drawn-out wedge. The wide +expanse formed part of what was then the territory of Assiniboia, and is +now the prov<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>ince of Saskatchewan. As far as one could see, the soil was +thin alluvial loam, interspersed with the stiff "gumbo" that grows the +finest wheat; but the plow had not yet broken its surface. Small towns +were springing up along the railroad track, but the great plain between +the Saskatchewan and the Assiniboine was, for the most part, still a +waste, waiting for the tide of population that had begun to flow.</p> + +<p>Harding was a born pioneer, and his expression grew intent as he gazed +across the wilderness.</p> + +<p>"What will this prairie be like, Fred, when those poplars are tall +enough to cut?" he said gravely, indicating some saplings beside him. +"There's going to be a big change here."</p> + +<p>"That's true; and it's just what I'm counting on. That's what made me +leave old Dakota. I want to be in on the ground-floor!"</p> + +<p>Harding knit his brows, and his face had a concentrated look. He was not +given to talking at large, but he had a gift of half-instinctive +prevision as well as practical, constructive ability, and just then he +felt strangely moved. It seemed to him that he heard in the distance the +march of a great army of new home-builders, moving forward slowly and +cautiously as yet. He was one of the advance skirmishers, though the +first scouts had already pushed on and vanished across the skyline into +the virgin West.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "think what's happening! Ontario's settled and busy +with manufactures; Manitoba and the Dakotas, except for the sand-belts, +are filling up. The older States are crowded, and somebody owns all the +soil that's worth working in the Middle West. England and Germany are +overflowing, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> we have roughly seven hundred miles of country here +that needs people. They must come. The pressure behind will force them."</p> + +<p>"But think what that will mean to the price of wheat! It's bringing only +a dollar and a half now. We can't raise it at a dollar."</p> + +<p>"It will break the careless," Harding said, "but dollar wheat will come. +The branch railroads will follow the homesteads; you'll see the +elevators dotting the prairie, and when we've opened up this great +tableland between the American border and the frozen line, the wheat +will pour into every settlement faster than the cars can haul it out. +Prices will fall until every slack farmer has mortgaged all he owns."</p> + +<p>"Then what good will it do? If the result is to be only mortgages?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, but I said every <i>slack</i> farmer. It will clear out the incompetent, +improve our methods. The ox-team and the grass trail will have to go. +We'll have steam gang-plows and graded roads. We'll have better machines +all round."</p> + +<p>"And afterward?"</p> + +<p>Harding's eyes sparkled.</p> + +<p>"Afterward? Then the men with brains and grit who have held on—the +fittest, who have survived—will come into such prosperity as few +farmers have ever had. America, with her population leaping up, will +have less and less wheat to ship; England will steadily call for more; +we'll have wheat at a price that will pay us well before we're through. +Then there'll be no more dug-outs and log-shacks, but fine brick +homesteads, with all the farms fenced and mechanical<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> transport on the +roads. It's coming, Fred! Those who live through the struggle will +certainly see it."</p> + +<p>Harding laughed and lifted his ax.</p> + +<p>"But enough of that! If we're to get our homesteads up before the frost +comes, we'll have to hustle."</p> + +<p>The big ax flashed in the sunshine and bit deep into a poplar trunk; but +when a few more logs had been laid beside the rest the men stopped +again, for they heard a beat of hoofs coming toward them across the +prairie. The trees cut off their view of the rider, but when he rounded +a corner of the bluff and pulled up his horse, they saw a young lad, +picturesquely dressed in a deerskin jacket of Indian make, decorated +with fringed hide and embroidery, cord riding-breeches, and polished +leggings. His slouch hat was pushed back on his head, showing a handsome +face that had in it a touch of imperiousness.</p> + +<p>"Hello!" he said, with a look of somewhat indignant surprise. "What are +you fellows doing here?"</p> + +<p>Harding felt amused at the tone of superiority in the youngster's voice; +yet he had a curious, half-conscious feeling that there was something he +recognized about the boy. It was not that he had met him before, but +that well-bred air and the clean English intonation were somehow +familiar.</p> + +<p>"If you look around you," Harding smiled, "you might be able to guess +that we're cutting down trees."</p> + +<p>The boy gave an imperious toss of his head.</p> + +<p>"What I meant was that you have no right on this property."</p> + +<p>"No?"</p> + +<p>"It belongs to us. And logs large enough for build<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>ing are scarce enough +already. As a matter of fact, we're not allowed to cut these ourselves +without the Colonel's permission."</p> + +<p>"Haven't met him yet," said Devine dryly. "Who's he?"</p> + +<p>"Colonel Mowbray, of Allenwood Grange."</p> + +<p>"And who's Colonel Mowbray? And where's Allenwood Grange?"</p> + +<p>The boy seemed nettled by the twinkle in Devine's eyes, but Harding +noticed that pride compelled him to hide his feelings.</p> + +<p>"You can't cut this lumber without asking leave! Besides, you're +spoiling one of our best coyote covers."</p> + +<p>"Kyotes!" exclaimed Devine. "What do you do with 'em?"</p> + +<p>The youngster stared at him a moment in disdain.</p> + +<p>"We have a pack of hounds at the Grange," he then condescended to +answer.</p> + +<p>"Hunt them! Well, now, that's mighty strange. I'd have thought you'd +find arsenic cheaper. Then if you were to lie out round the +chicken-house with a gun——"</p> + +<p>The boy cut him short.</p> + +<p>"If you want these logs, you must ask for them. Shall I tell the Colonel +you are coming to do so?"</p> + +<p>"Well, sonny," drawled Devine, "you just run along home and send +somebody grown-up. We might talk to him."</p> + +<p>"As it happens," the boy said with great dignity, "Kenwyne is in the +bluff. I must warn you not to touch a tree until you see him."</p> + +<p>Without another word he turned and rode off.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>During the conversation Harding had been studying him closely. The +well-bred reserve in his manner, which, while peremptory, was somehow +free from arrogance, compelled the man's admiration.</p> + +<p>"From the Old Country," he said with a laugh, "and a bit high-handed, +but there's sand in him. Do you know anything about Allenwood?"</p> + +<p>"Not much, but I heard the boys talking about it at the railroad store. +It's a settlement of high-toned Britishers with more money than sense. +They play at farming and ride round the country on pedigree horses."</p> + +<p>"The horse the boy rode was certainly a looker!" Harding commented, +swinging his ax once more.</p> + +<p>As it sliced out a chip with a ringing thud, and another, and yet +another, the boy returned, accompanied by a well-mounted older man with +a sallow face and very dark eyes and a languidly graceful air. The man +was plainly dressed but he wore the stamp Harding had noticed on the +youngster; and again there flashed through Harding's mind the +half-indistinct thought that these people were familiar to him.</p> + +<p>"I understand that you insist upon cutting this timber," Kenwyne began.</p> + +<p>"Yes," Harding replied. "And I was surprised when your friend here said +it belonged to Colonel Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"He went too far, but it does belong to him in a sense. The Colonel +founded the settlement when very few other people thought of leaving +Manitoba, and he had the usual option of cutting all the wood he wanted +on unoccupied land. We have always got it here, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> as we have done all +the road-making and general improvements in the neighborhood, we have +come to look upon it as our own."</p> + +<p>"Is that your bridge across the creek?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; and it's not a bad job, I think. We had a good deal of trouble +digging out the grade in the ravine."</p> + +<p>"Well, interfering with bridges is not a habit of mine; so we'll let +your trail stand. But I could make you divert it to the proper road +reserve."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" exclaimed Kenwyne. "That sounds significant."</p> + +<p>"Precisely. This bluff and the section it stands on belong to me; the +transfer was registered at the land office a week ago."</p> + +<p>"Then I think there's nothing more to be said."</p> + +<p>"Oh," Harding responded with a smile, "you might tell your Colonel that +when he wants any lumber he may cut it if he'll let me know!"</p> + +<p>Kenwyne laughed.</p> + +<p>"Thanks!" he said. "It's a generous offer, but I can't promise that +Colonel Mowbray will avail himself of your permission. I wish you good +afternoon."</p> + +<p>He rode away with his companion, and an hour later Harding and Devine +threw their axes on their shoulders and struck out across the prairie. +The sun had dipped, the air was getting cool, and on the clean-cut +western horizon a soft red flush faded beneath a band of vivid green.</p> + +<p>At the foot of a low rise the men stopped.</p> + +<p>"I'll be around the first thing in the morning," Devine said.</p> + +<p>"Then you're not coming to supper?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>"No," Devine answered reluctantly; "I guess not. I've been over twice +this week, and Hester has enough to do without extra cooking for me."</p> + +<p>"As you wish," said Harding, and they separated in a friendly manner.</p> + +<p>When he was alone Harding went on briskly, walking with an elastic step +and looking far ahead across the shadowy plain. It was a rich land that +stretched away before him, and a compact block of it belonged to him. It +was virgin soil, his to do with as he liked. He thought that he could +make good use of it; but he had no illusions; he knew all about prairie +farming, and was prepared for a hard struggle.</p> + +<p>Crossing the rise, he headed for a glow of light that flickered in the +gloom of a small birch bluff, and presently stopped at a tent pitched +among the trees. Two big red oxen were grazing by the edge of the bluff, +a row of birch logs lay among the grass beside a pile of ship-lap +boards, and some more of the boards had been roughly built into a +pointed shack. In front of this a young girl bent over a fire that +burned between two logs. All round, except where the wood broke the +view, the wilderness rolled away, dim and silent.</p> + +<p>Hester Harding looked up with a smile when her brother stopped. She +resembled him, for she had his direct, thoughtful glance and fine +proportions. Her face and hands were browned by sun and wind, but, +although she had worked hard from childhood, she wore no coarsening +stamp of toil. Her features were good, and the plain print dress she had +made in her scanty spare time became her.</p> + +<p>"Tired, Craig?" she asked in a pleasant voice.</p> + +<p>"Not quite as fresh as I was at sun-up," Harding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> smiled. "We got +through a good deal of work to-day and I'll soon be able to make a start +with the house. We'll have to rush the framing to get finished before +the frost."</p> + +<p>While they ate their simple supper they talked about his building plans, +and he answered her questions carefully; for Hester had keen +intelligence, and had shared his work and ambitions for the past few +years. For the most part, their life had been hard and frugal. Until +Craig reached the age of eighteen, he had helped his father to cultivate +his patch of wheat-soil in an arid belt of North Dakota. Then the father +had died, leaving about a thousand dollars besides his land and teams, +and the lad had courageously taken up the task of supporting his mother +and sister. Two years afterward, Mrs. Harding died, and Craig, at the +age of twenty, set himself to consider the future.</p> + +<p>During his management of the farm he had made more money than his father +had ever made, but the land was poor and incapable of much improvement. +On the other hand, Dakota was getting settled and homesteads were +becoming valuable, and Craig determined to sell out and invest the money +in a larger holding in a thinly populated part of Manitoba. Hester went +with him to Canada; and when the advancing tide of settlement reached +their new home, Craig sold out again, getting much more than he had paid +for his land, and moved west ahead of the army of prairie-breakers which +he knew would presently follow him. It was a simple plan, but it needed +courage and resourcefulness. He spoke of it to Hester when he lighted +his pipe after the meal.</p> + +<p>"It was a notion of Father's that one should try<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> to anticipate a big +general movement," he remarked. "'Keep a little in front; the pioneers +get the pickings,' he once told me. 'If you follow the main body, you'll +find the land swept bare.' He had a way of saying things like that; I +learned a good deal from him."</p> + +<p>"He knew a good deal," said Hester thoughtfully. "He was more clever +than you are, Craig, but he hadn't your habit of putting his ideas into +practise. I've sometimes thought he must have lost heart after some big +trouble long ago, and only made an effort now and then for Mother's +sake. It's strange that we know nothing about him except that he came +from the Old Country."</p> + +<p>Craig had often wondered about his father, for the man had been somewhat +of an enigma to him. Basil Harding had lived like his neighbors, who +were plain tillers of the soil, and he never spoke of his English +origin, but now and then he showed a breadth of thought and refinement +of manner that were not in keeping with his environment. Mrs. Harding +was the daughter of a Michigan farmer, a shrewd but gentle woman of +practical turn of mind.</p> + +<p>"I wonder," Craig said, "how much Mother knew?"</p> + +<p>"She must have known something. Once or twice, near the end, I think she +meant to tell us, for there was something troubling her, but the last +stroke came so suddenly, and she never spoke." Hester paused, as if lost +in painful memories, and then went on: "It was very strange about that +money you got."</p> + +<p>Craig nodded. When he was twenty-one a Winnipeg lawyer had turned over +to him five thousand dollars on condition that he remain in Canada, and +make<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> no attempt to communicate with his father's relatives.</p> + +<p>"Yes," he said. "And something happened this afternoon that puzzled me."</p> + +<p>He told Hester about his meeting with the men from Allenwood.</p> + +<p>"The curious thing about it," he added, "is that as I watched the boy +sitting on his fine blooded horse and heard him speak, I felt as if I'd +once lived among high-toned English people and could somehow understand +what he was thinking. But of course I never had a horse like his, and we +were born in a rough shack on a poor Dakota farm. Can one inherit one's +ancestors' feelings and memories?"</p> + +<p>"It's very strange," mused Hester.</p> + +<p>Harding laughed.</p> + +<p>"Well, anyway, I'm a farmer," he said. "I stand upon my own +feet—regardless of ancestors. What I am is what I make of myself!"</p> + +<p>He moved off toward the tent.</p> + +<p>"It's getting late," he called back to her.</p> + +<p>But for a long time Hester sat beside the sinking fire. Her brother, +whom she loved and admired, differed slightly, but noticeably in one or +two respects, from any of the prairie farmers she had known. Though it +was hard to procure books, he had read widely and about other subjects +than agriculture. Odd tricks of thought and speech also suggested the +difference; but she knew that nobody else except her mother had noticed +it, for, to all intents, Craig was merely a shrewd, hard-working grower +of wheat.</p> + +<p>Then the girl's face grew gentle as she thought of Fred Devine. He had +proved very constant and had several times made what was then a long and +adven<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>turous journey to see her. Now, when his father had given him a +few hundred dollars, he had followed Craig, and she was ready to marry +him as soon as he could make a home for her. At present he was living in +a dug-out in a bank, and must harvest his first crop before he could +think about a house.</p> + +<p>When the fire had died down to a few smoldering coals, Hester got up and +looked about her. The moon hung, large and red, above the prairie's rim; +the air was sharp and wonderfully exhilarating. Behind the tent the +birch leaves rustled softly in the bluff, and in the distance a coyote +howled. There was no other sound; it was all very still and strangely +lonely; but the girl felt no shrinking. On her mother's side she sprang +from a race of pioneers, and her true work was to help in the breaking +of the wilderness.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II<br /> +<span class="smalltext">PORTENTS OF CHANGE</span></h2> + + +<p>The moon was above the horizon when Kenwyne pulled up his horse to a +walk opposite Allenwood Grange. The view from this point always appealed +to the artist in Kenwyne. The level plain was broken here by steep, +sandy rises crowned with jack-pines and clumps of poplar, and a shallow +lake reached out into the open from their feet. A short distance back +from its shore, the Grange stood on a gentle slope, with a grove of +birches that hid the stables and outbuildings straggling up the hill +behind.</p> + +<p>As Kenwyne saw it in the moonlight across the glittering water, the +house was picturesque. In the center rose a square, unpretentious +building of notched logs; but from this ship-lap additions, showing +architectural taste, stretched out in many wings, so that, from a +distance, the homestead with its wooded back-ground had something of the +look of an old English manor house. It was this which made the colonists +of Allenwood regard it with affection. Now it was well lighted, and the +yellow glow from its windows shone cheerfully across the lake.</p> + +<p>The foundations of the place had been laid in unsettled times, after the +Hudson Bay fur-traders had relinquished their control of the trackless +West, but before the Dominion Government had established its<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> authority. +The farmers were then spreading cautiously across the Manitoban plain, +in some fear of the Metis half-breeds, and it was considered a bold +adventure when the builder of the Grange pushed far out into the +prairies of the Assiniboine. He had his troubles, but he made his +holding good, and sold it to Colonel Mowbray, who founded the Allenwood +settlement.</p> + +<p>On the whole, the colony had succeeded, but Kenwyne saw that it might +become an anachronism in changing times. He had noted the advance of the +hard-bitten homesteaders who were settling wherever the soil was good, +and who were marked by sternly utilitarian methods and democratic ideas. +Before long Allenwood must cast off its aristocratic traditions and +compete with these newcomers; but Kenwyne feared that its founder was +not the man to change.</p> + +<p>As he rode slowly past the lake, a man came toward him with a gun and a +brace of prairie-chickens.</p> + +<p>"Hello, Ralph!" he said. "Have you forgotten that it's council night?"</p> + +<p>"I'm not likely to forget after the rebuke I got for missing the last +meeting," Kenwyne replied. "Do you happen to know what kind of temper +the Colonel is in, Broadwood?"</p> + +<p>"My opinion is that it might be better. Gerald Mowbray has turned up +again, and I've noticed that the old man is less serene than usual when +his son's about. In fact, as we have to bear the consequences, I wish +the fellow would stay away."</p> + +<p>While Broadwood and Kenwyne were discussing him on the hillside, Colonel +Mowbray sat in his study at the Grange, talking to the elder of his two +sons.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> The room was small and plainly furnished, with a map of the +territory on the matchboarded wall, a plain table on which lay a few +bundles of neatly docketed papers, and a stove in one corner. +Account-books filled a shelf, and beneath there was a row of +pigeonholes. The room had an air of austere simplicity with which +Colonel Mowbray's appearance harmonized.</p> + +<p>He was tall, but spare of flesh, with an erect carriage and an +autocratic expression. His hair was gray, his eyes were dark and keen, +and his mouth was unusually firm; but the hollowness of his face and the +lines on his forehead showed advancing age. He was a man of some +ability, with simple tastes, certain unchangeable convictions, and a +fiery temper. Leaving the army with a grievance which he never spoke +about, and being of too restless a character to stay at home, he had +founded Allenwood for the purpose of settling young Englishmen upon the +land. He demanded that they be well born, have means enough to make a +fair start, and that their character should bear strict investigation. +Though the two latter conditions were not invariably complied with, his +scheme had prospered. Mowbray was generous, and had taken the sons of +several old friends who did not possess the capital required; while the +discipline he enforced had curbed the wayward. For the most part, the +settlers regarded him with affection as well as respect; but he had +failed most signally with his own son, who now stood rather awkwardly +before him.</p> + +<p>After serving for a year or two in India as an engineer lieutenant, +Gerald Mowbray met with an accident which forced him to leave the army. +He made an unsuccessful start on another career, and had of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> late been +engaged upon a Government survey of the rugged forest-belt which runs +west to the confines of the Manitoban plain. He was a handsome, +dark-complexioned man, but looked slacker and less capable than his +father.</p> + +<p>"I think five hundred pounds would clear me," he said in an apologetic +tone. "If I could pay off these fellows, it would be a great relief, and +I'd faithfully promise to keep clear of debt in future."</p> + +<p>"It seems to me I've heard something of the kind on previous occasions," +Mowbray returned dryly. "There's a weak strain in you, Gerald, though I +don't know where you got it. I suppose a thousand pounds would be +better?"</p> + +<p>Gerald's eyes grew eager; but the next moment his face fell, for he knew +his father's methods, and saw his ironical smile.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said cautiously, "I could straighten things out if I had five +hundred."</p> + +<p>"With what you got from your mother!"</p> + +<p>Gerald winced. His mother never refused him, even though he knew that it +often meant sacrifice on her part.</p> + +<p>"To save our name," Mowbray said sternly, "and for that reason only, I +am going to let you have three hundred pounds. But I warn you, it's the +last you'll get. You may as well know that it is hard to spare this."</p> + +<p>Gerald looked his surprise.</p> + +<p>"I thought——"</p> + +<p>Mowbray interrupted him.</p> + +<p>"My affairs are not so prosperous as they seem; but I rely on you not to +mention the fact. Now you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> may go. But, remember—there's to be no more +money thrown away!"</p> + +<p>When Gerald closed the door, Mowbray took down one of his account-books, +and sat still for a long time studying it. He had never been rich, but +he had had enough, and as the settlement grew up he had felt justified +in selling to newcomers, at moderate prices, land which he had got as a +free grant. Now, however, the land was nearly all taken up. For a time +he bred cattle, but this had scarcely paid; then the development of the +milling industry and the building of elevators rendered wheat-growing +possible, and though the grain had to be hauled a long way, Mowbray made +a small profit. Prices, however, were falling, and land nearer the +railroad was coming into cultivation.</p> + +<p>With a gloomy air, Mowbray closed the book and went down to preside over +the council which was held periodically and, as a rule, ended in an +evening of social amusement.</p> + +<p>The hall was large and square, with matchboarded walls and a pointed +roof. In an open hearth a log fire burned cheerily, although two large +windows were opened wide to let in the September air. Bunches of wheat +and oats of unusual growth hung upon the walls, suggesting the settlers' +occupation; but it was significant that the grain was surmounted by a +row of the heads of prairie antelope, as well as moose and caribou from +the North. They were farmers at Allenwood, but they were sportsmen +first.</p> + +<p>About a dozen men were sitting round a table when Mowbray entered, but +they rose and waited until he took his place. They varied in age from +twenty to forty, and in their easy manners and natural grace one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> +recognized the stamp of birth. Evening dress was not the rule at +Allenwood, and while some wore white shirts and city clothes, others +were attired picturesquely in red-laced blue vests and fringed deerskin. +Their brown faces and athletic figures indicated a healthy life in the +open, but they had too gallant and careless an air for toilers.</p> + +<p>A few suggestions for the improvement of the trails were made and +discussed; and then Mowbray turned to Kenwyne, who had spent the +afternoon looking for suitable logs for the bridge-stringers.</p> + +<p>"Did you and Lance find anything?" Mowbray asked.</p> + +<p>Kenwyne was waiting for this opening to make what he felt was an +important announcement.</p> + +<p>"We went to the bluff," he said. "What we found was two homesteaders +cutting down all the best trees."</p> + +<p>"Homesteaders!"</p> + +<p>Mowbray frowned and the others looked interested.</p> + +<p>"You warned them off, of course!"</p> + +<p>"Lance did. But one of the fellows retorted that the timber was his."</p> + +<p>"Impossible!" Mowbray said sharply. "The nearest preemption is six miles +off—and that's too close!"</p> + +<p>"It appears that the man has just bought the section on our western +range-line. He referred me to the land register, if I had any doubt. I'm +afraid you must take it for granted, sir, that we are going to have +neighbors."</p> + +<p>"Never!" Mowbray brought his fist down on the table with a resounding +blow. "We may not be able to turn out these intruders, but I decline to +consider them neighbors of ours." He turned to the others.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> "You must +see that this is disturbing news. We came here to live in accordance +with the best English traditions, and although we had to put up with +some hardships, there were compensations—abundant sport, space, and +freedom. In a sense, the country was ours, with its wood and water, as +far as we cared to ride. Now every homestead that is built restricts +what we have regarded, with some justice, as our rights. We took heavy +risks in settling here when people believed it was economically +impossible to farm at Allenwood."</p> + +<p>There was a murmur of approval.</p> + +<p>"These fellows will put an end to our running range horses and cattle," +one man said. "If many of them come into the district, we may have to +put down the coyote hounds, and ask permission before we course a +jack-rabbit. Then they could make us divert our trails to the road +reserves."</p> + +<p>"Something of that kind may happen," Kenwyne interposed. "But the fellow +I met seemed inclined to be friendly. Said he'd let our trail stand and +we might cut what wood we wanted, provided we get his permission."</p> + +<p>Mowbray drew himself up haughtily.</p> + +<p>"Although you recognize the lesser drawbacks," he said, "I'm afraid you +miss the most important point. I must remind you that this settlement +was founded to enable a certain stamp of Englishmen to enjoy a life that +was becoming more difficult without large means at home. A man with +simple tastes could find healthy occupation out of doors, keep a good +horse, and get as much shooting as he wanted. So long as his farming +covered, or nearly covered, his expenses,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> that was all that was +required. We have not discouraged the making of money, but I must +frankly say that this was not our object. Now I see threats of change. +We may be brought into contact, and perhaps into opposition, with men +whose motives are different. Their coming here has to me a sinister +meaning."</p> + +<p>"Allenwood has been a success," said Broadwood; "one can't deny it—but +I think we owe a good deal to our having settled in a new and +undeveloped country. The experiment turned out well because we got the +land cheap and wheat was dear. Now I foresee a sharp fall in prices, and +it seems to me that we may have to revise our methods to suit the times. +In future, we may find it difficult to live upon our farms unless we +work them properly. I'm afraid we can't stand still while Canada moves +on—and I'm not sure that it's a great misfortune."</p> + +<p>"Do you admire modern methods?" somebody asked. "If you do, you'd better +study what things are coming to in America and England. There is not a +hired man at Allenwood who is not on first-rate terms with his master; +do you want to under-pay and over-drive them or, on the other hand, to +have them making impossible demands, and playing the mischief by a +harvest strike? I agree with our respected leader that we don't want to +change."</p> + +<p>"But tell us about these intruders," Mowbray said to Kenwyne. "What sort +of men are they?"</p> + +<p>"Well, first of all, they're workers; there's no mistaking that. And I'd +judge that they came from the States—Dakota, perhaps."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>"That is to say, they're hustlers!" a lad broke in. "Couldn't we buy +them out before they get started, sir?"</p> + +<p>"It would cost us something to buy a section, and we would have to work +part of it to pay the new taxes. Then the fellows would probably find +out that it was an easy way of getting a good price; and we couldn't +keep on buying them out. We have all the land we want, and must be +careful whom we allow to join us."</p> + +<p>"I think we should try to keep an open mind," Kenwyne suggested. "It +might pay us to watch the men and see what they can teach us. Sooner or +later we shall have to improve our farming, and we may as well begin it +gradually. After all, it's something to gather two bushels of wheat +where only one grew."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him sternly.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry to see you and Broadwood taking this line, Ralph; but I've +long suspected that your views were not quite sound. Frankly, I'm afraid +of the thin end of the wedge." He turned to the others. "You will +understand that there can be no compromise. We shall continue to live as +English gentlemen and have nothing to do with the grasping commercialism +that is getting a dangerous hold on the older countries. I will do my +best to keep Allenwood free from it while I have the power."</p> + +<p>"Whatever my private opinions are, I think you know you can rely on my +loyal support in all you do for the good of the settlement, sir," +Kenwyne replied. "Now that we have the matter before us, it might be +well if you told us how we are to treat these Americans. We're bound to +meet them."</p> + +<p>"I cannot suggest discourtesy, since it would be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> foreign to your +character and against our traditions; but I do not wish you to become +intimate with them."</p> + +<p>When the meeting broke up an hour later, Broadwood walked home with +Kenwyne. It was a small and unpretentious house that perched on the +hillside beyond the lake, but the room the men entered was comfortably +furnished. A few photographs of officers in uniform, the football team +of a famous public school, and the crew of an Oxford racing boat, hung +on the pine-board walls.</p> + +<p>"We must have a talk," said Kenwyne. "I feel that these fellows' +settling here is important; it's bound to make a difference. I know the +type; one can't ignore them. They'll have to be reckoned with, as +friends or enemies."</p> + +<p>"In spite of the Colonel's opinion, I believe their influence will be +for good. What Allenwood needs most is waking up." Broadwood laughed. +"It's curious that we should agree on this. Of course, my marriage is +supposed to account for my perversion; but one can understand Mowbray's +painful surprise at you. Your views ought to be sound."</p> + +<p>"What is a sound view?"</p> + +<p>"At Allenwood, it's a view that agrees with Mowbray's."</p> + +<p>"Let's be serious," Kenwyne replied. "There's something to be said for +his contention, after all. We have got along pretty well so far."</p> + +<p>"Yes; but the settlement has never been self-supporting. Mowbray got the +land for nothing and sold it in parcels, as he was entitled to do, +spending part of the price on improvements from which we all benefit. +Then a number of the boys got drafts from home when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> they lost a crop. +We have been living on capital instead of on revenue; but the time is +coming when this must stop. Our people at home can't keep on financing +us, and the land is nearly all taken up."</p> + +<p>"Well, what follows?"</p> + +<p>"Allenwood will shortly have to earn its living," Broadwood answered, +laughing. "This will be a shock to some of our friends, but even with +wheat going down the thing shouldn't prove insuperably difficult."</p> + +<p>"We may have wheat at less than a dollar. Look at the quantity of good +land that's available, and the character of the men who're coming in. +They'll live on revenue, in dug-outs and fifty-dollar shacks, and all +they don't spend on food will go into new teams and implements. They +don't expect an easy time, and won't get it, but we'll have to meet +their competition. Personally, I don't think that's impossible. I +believe we're their equals in brain and muscle."</p> + +<p>"We used to think we were superior," Broadwood smiled. "Our conservative +sentiments will be our greatest difficulty."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid we'll have to get rid of them."</p> + +<p>"Mowbray will never throw his traditions overboard."</p> + +<p>"No. I see trouble ahead," said Kenwyne.</p> + +<p>"It's an awkward situation, I'll admit. Instead of Mowbray's leading us, +we'll have to carry him along, so to speak, without his knowing it. As +he's not a fool, the thing may need more tact than we're capable of. For +all that, he must remain leader."</p> + +<p>"Of course," said Kenwyne simply. "He made Allenwood. We must stick to +him."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>Long after Broadwood had gone, Kenwyne stood at the door of his house, +looking out over the lake. There was no wind, and the prairie was very +silent. Stretching back in the moonlight to the horizon, its loneliness +was impressive; but Kenwyne was not deceived. He knew that the tide of +population and progress had already passed its boundaries and was +flowing fast up every channel, following the railroad, the rivers, and +the fur-traders' trails. It would wash away the old landmarks and +undermine every barrier that Mowbray could raise. Kenwyne wondered what +would happen when Allenwood was surrounded by the flood. After all, it +depended upon the settlers whether the inundation proved destructive or +fertilizing.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III<br /> +<span class="smalltext">AT THE FORD</span></h2> + + +<p>A few days after the council, Beatrice, Colonel Mowbray's only daughter, +sat talking with her mother in the drawing-room at the Grange. Beatrice +had returned on the previous evening from a visit to England, and it +struck her, perhaps by contrast with the homes of her mother's friends, +that the room had a dingy, cheerless look. The few pieces of good +furniture which Mowbray had brought with him had suffered during +transport and showed signs of age; the others, sent out from Toronto, +were crudely new. Rugs and curtains were faded, and there were places +that had been carefully mended. The matchboarded walls looked very bare. +More than all, it struck the girl that her mother seemed listless and +worn.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray was a gentle, reserved woman. She was still beautiful, but +the years she had spent upon the prairie had left their mark on her. She +had lost her former vivacity and something of her independence of +thought; and, except to those who knew her well, her character seemed +colorless. Mowbray was considerate of his wife, but there was no room +under his roof for two directing wills or more than one set of opinions. +For all that, Mrs. Mowbray wore an air of quiet dignity.</p> + +<p>Beatrice had a trace of her father's imperious tem<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>per. She looked very +fresh, for a life spent largely out of doors had given her a vigorous, +graceful carriage as well as a fine, warm color, and had set a sparkle +in her deep-blue eyes. There was a hint of determination about her +mouth, and her glance was often proud. She was just twenty-two, and the +fashionable English dress set off her gracefully outlined and rather +slender figure.</p> + +<p>As she looked at her mother her face grew thoughtful.</p> + +<p>"You are not looking well, Mother dear," she said.</p> + +<p>"I am not ill," Mrs. Mowbray answered in a tired voice. "It has been a +very hot and trying summer, and the crop was poor. That had its effect +upon your father. Then you have heard that Gerald——"</p> + +<p>There was a quick, indignant flash in Beatrice's eyes.</p> + +<p>"Yes, I know! Of course, I stand up for him to outsiders, but I'm +getting ashamed of Gerald. His debts must have been a heavy tax on +Father. I think that too much has been done for the boys. I have nothing +to complain of; but we're not rich, and I'm afraid you have had to +suffer."</p> + +<p>"My dear, you mustn't question your father's judgment."</p> + +<p>Beatrice smiled.</p> + +<p>"I suppose not, and my criticism would certainly be wasted; still, you +can't expect me to have your patience."</p> + +<p>She went to one of the long windows in the drawing-room and threw it +open wide.</p> + +<p>"How I love the prairie!" she exclaimed, looking out over the vast plain +that stretched away to a sky all rose and purple and gold.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>A tired smile crept into her mother's face.</p> + +<p>"It has its charm," she said; "but, after all, you have been away at +school, and have not seen much of it. One has to do without so much +here, and when you have gone through an unvarying round of duties day +after day for years, seeing only the same few people and hearing the +same opinions, you find it dreary. One longs to meet clever strangers +and feel the stir and bustle of life now and then; but instead there +comes another care or a fresh responsibility. You don't realize yet what +a bad harvest or a fall in the wheat market means; for, while the men +have their troubles, in a settlement like Allenwood, the heaviest burden +falls upon the women."</p> + +<p>"You must have had to give up a good deal to come here," Beatrice said.</p> + +<p>"I loved your father, and I knew that he could not be happy in England," +was the simple answer.</p> + +<p>Beatrice was silent for a few moments. It was the first time she had +understood the sacrifice her mother had made, and she was moved to +sympathy. Then, in the flighty manner of youth, she changed the subject.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I must tell you about dear Mr. Morel!" Catching an alert look in +her mother's eyes, Beatrice laughed. Then, with a quick, impulsive +movement, she crossed the floor, took her mother's face between both her +hands, and kissed it. "No," she answered the question that had not been +spoken; "Mr. Morel is a lovely old man who lives all alone, with just +his servants, at Ash Garth, in a fine old house full of art treasures +that seem to have been collected from all over the world. And there's a +rose garden between<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> the lawn and the river, and a big woods all round. +Mr. Morel is charming, and he was particularly kind to me, because he +and Uncle Gordon are such great friends."</p> + +<p>"Did you see much of him?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes; and I like him. But, Mother," Beatrice lowered her voice +dramatically, "there's a mystery in his life. I'm sure of it! I asked +Uncle Gordon; but if he knew he wouldn't tell. Then I tried to question +Mr. Morel——"</p> + +<p>"Why, Beatrice!"</p> + +<p>The girl laughed at her mother's shocked tone.</p> + +<p>"Don't worry, Mother dear. He didn't know I was questioning him. And I +do love a mystery! All I learned was that it has something to do with +Canada. Whenever I talked about the prairie he looked so sad, and once I +even thought I saw tears in his eyes."</p> + +<p>Beatrice's brows came together in a perplexed frown; then she laughed +gently.</p> + +<p>"Mysteries have a fascination for me," she said; "I like to puzzle them +out. But I must leave you now; for I promised to go see Evelyn this +afternoon. I may not get home until late."</p> + +<p>Half an hour later Beatrice was in the saddle riding across the bare +sweep of prairie to one of the distant homesteads. When she reached the +river, the stream was turbid and running fast, but a narrow trail +through the poplars on its bank led to the ford, and she urged her horse +into it fearlessly. On the other side the trail was very faint, and a +stake upon a rise indicated where the crossing was safe. A large grass +fire was burning some miles away, for a tawny cloud of smoke trailed +across the plain.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>Beatrice spent a pleasant hour with her friend and started home alone as +dusk was falling. The sky was clear, and the moon hung some distance +above the horizon. A cold breeze had sprung up, and the grass fire had +grown fiercer. Beatrice could see it stretching toward the river in a +long red line; and after a while she rode into the smoke. It grew +thicker and more acrid; she could not see her way; and her horse was +getting frightened. When an orange glare leaped up not far away, the +animal broke into a gallop, pulling hard, and after some trouble in +stopping it Beatrice changed her direction. She was not afraid of +prairie fires, which, as a rule, can be avoided easily, but this one +would necessitate her making a round.</p> + +<p>She found it difficult to get out of the smoke, and when she reached the +river it was at some distance above the stake. She could not ride back, +because the fire was moving up from that direction, cutting her off. She +glanced dubiously at the water. It ran fast between steep, +timber-covered banks. She did not think she could get down to it, and +she knew there was only one safe ford. Still, she could not spend the +night upon the wrong bank, and the fire was drawing closer all the time. +Worse still, her horse was becoming unmanageable. She rode upstream for +a mile; but the river looked deep, and the eddies swirled in a +forbidding way; the bank was abrupt and rotten, and Beatrice dared not +attempt it. In front, the moon, which was getting higher, threw a clear +light upon the water; behind, the smoke rolled up thickly to meet her. +The fire was closing in upon the stream. With his nostrils filled with +the sting of the smoke, the horse reared and threatened to dash over the +crumbling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> bank. Beatrice, realizing her danger, turned him back +downstream and gave him the rein.</p> + +<p>She did not hope to reach the ford—there was a wall of impenetrable +fire and smoke between her and the stake; she could not attempt the +river where the bank was so steep and the current so swift.</p> + +<p>With her own eyes smarting, and her breathing difficult, Beatrice +suddenly leaned forward and patted the trembling horse. He had not been +able to run far with his lungs full of smoke, and he had now stopped in +a moment of indecision.</p> + +<p>"Good boy!" she coaxed, in a voice that was not quite steady. "Go a +little farther, and then we'll try the river."</p> + +<p>"<i>Hello!</i>" came out of the darkness; and through the acrid haze she saw +a man running toward her.</p> + +<p>She hailed him eagerly; but when he reached her she was somewhat +disconcerted to notice that he was not, as she had expected, one of the +Allenwood settlers.</p> + +<p>She saw that he was waiting for her to speak.</p> + +<p>"I want to get across, and the fire has driven me from the ford," she +said.</p> + +<p>"Where are you going?"</p> + +<p>"To the Grange."</p> + +<p>"By your leave!"</p> + +<p>He took the bridle and moved along the bank, though he had some trouble +with the frightened horse. When they had gone a few yards he turned +toward an awkward slope.</p> + +<p>"Is this crossing safe?" Beatrice asked in alarm.</p> + +<p>"It's not good," he answered quietly. "I can take you through."</p> + +<p>Beatrice did not know what gave her confidence, be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>cause the ford looked +dangerous, but she let him lead the stumbling horse down to the water. +The next moment the man was wading knee-deep, and the stream frothed +about the horse's legs. The current was swift and the smoke was thick +and biting, but the man went steadily on, and they were some distance +from the bank when he turned to her.</p> + +<p>"Pick up your skirt," he said bluntly; "it gets steeper."</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed in spite of her danger. The man certainly did not waste +words.</p> + +<p>When they were nearly across, the moon was suddenly hidden behind a dark +cloud, and at that moment the horse lost its footing and made a frantic +plunge. Beatrice gasped. But her fright was needless, for her companion +had firm control of the animal, and in another few moments they were +struggling up the bank.</p> + +<p>As they left the timber and came out of the smoke, into the broad +moonlight, she told him to stop, for the saddle had slipped in climbing +the bank. Then, for the first time, they saw each other clearly.</p> + +<p>He was a big man, with a quiet brown face, and Beatrice noticed his +start of swift, half-conscious admiration as he looked up at her. It +caused her no embarrassment, because she had seen that look on the faces +of other men, and knew that she was pretty; but she failed to estimate +the effect of her beauty on a man unaccustomed to her type. Sitting with +easy grace upon the splendid horse, she had a curiously patrician air. +He noticed her fine calm, the steadiness of her deep-blue eyes, and the +delicate chiseling of her features; indeed, he never forgot the picture +she made,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> with the poplars for a background and the moonlight on her +face.</p> + +<p>"Thank you; I'm afraid you got very wet," she said. "I know my way now."</p> + +<p>"You can't ride on," he answered. "The cinch buckle's drawn."</p> + +<p>"Oh!"</p> + +<p>"You'd better come on to my place. My sister will look after you while I +fix it." He smiled as he added: "Miss Mowbray, I presume? You may have +heard of me—Craig Harding, from the section just outside your line."</p> + +<p>"Oh!" Beatrice repeated. "I didn't know we had neighbors; I have been +away. Have you met any of the Allenwood people?"</p> + +<p>"A sallow-faced man with dark eyes."</p> + +<p>"Kenwyne," said Beatrice. "He's worth knowing. Anybody else?"</p> + +<p>"There was a lad with him; about eighteen, riding a gray horse."</p> + +<p>"Yes; my brother Lance."</p> + +<p>Harding laughed softly.</p> + +<p>"That's all," he said; "and our acquaintance didn't go very far."</p> + +<p>Beatrice wondered at his amusement, and she gave him a curious glance. +He was dressed in old brown overalls, and she thought he had something +of the look of the struggling farmers she had seen in Manitoba, +hard-bitten men who had come from the bush of Ontario, but there was a +difference, though she could not tell exactly where it lay. Harding's +clothes were old and plain, and she could see that he worked with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> his +hands, yet there was something about him which suggested a broader mind +and more culture than she associated with the rude preemptors. Then, +though he was curt, his intonation was unusually clean.</p> + +<p>She asked him a few questions about his farm, which he answered +pleasantly. They were walking side by side along one of the prairie +trails, and he was leading the horse. The breeze had fallen and the +night was unusually still, broken only by a coyote calling insistently +to his mate; the wide, bare prairie ahead of them lay bathed in +moonlight.</p> + +<p>Presently a light twinkled across the plain; and Beatrice welcomed it, +because, in spite of the precautions she had taken, her long skirt was +wet and uncomfortable.</p> + +<p>When they reached the camp they found Hester busy cooking at a fire. +Behind her stood a rude board shelter and a tent, and farther off the +skeleton of a house rose from the grass.</p> + +<p>Beatrice studied Hester Harding with interest. Though she found her +simply dressed, with sleeves rolled back and hands smeared with flour, +the prairie girl made a favorable impression on her. She liked the +sensitive, grave face, and the candid, thoughtful look.</p> + +<p>While the girth was being mended, the girls talked beside the fire. Then +Harding saddled his own horse, and he and Beatrice rode off across the +prairie. When the lights of the Grange were visible he turned back; and +soon afterward Beatrice was laughingly relating her adventure to her +mother and Lance.</p> + +<p>"So it was Harding who helped you!" Lance exclaimed. "I made a rather +bad blunder in talking to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> him the other day—told him he mustn't cut +some timber which it seems was his. But, I must say, he was rather +decent about it."</p> + +<p>He looked at his sister curiously, and then laughed.</p> + +<p>"On the whole," he added, as she started up the stairs, "it might be +better not to say anything about your little experience to the Colonel. +I'm inclined to think it might not please him."</p> + +<p>Beatrice saw that her mother agreed with Lance, and she was somewhat +curious; but she went on up to her room without asking any questions.</p> + +<p>She began to feel interested in Harding.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE OPENING OF THE RIFT</span></h2> + + +<p>A week after his meeting with Beatrice Mowbray, Harding went out one +morning to plow. He was in a thoughtful mood, but it was characteristic +that he did not allow his reflections to interfere with his work. His +house was unfinished, and the nights were getting cold; but neither +Hester nor he placed personal comfort first, and there was a strip of +land that must be broken before the frost set in.</p> + +<p>It was a calm morning and bright sunshine poured down upon the grass +that ran back, growing faintly blue in the distance, until it faded into +the mellow haze that shut in the wide circle of prairie. Here and there +the smooth expanse was broken by small, gleaming ponds and wavy lines of +timber picked out in delicate shades of indigo and gray, but the +foreground was steeped in strong color. Where the light struck it, the +withered grass shone like silver; elsewhere it was streaked with yellow +and cinnamon. The long furrows traced across it were a rich +chocolate-brown, and the turned-back clods had patches of oily +brightness on their faces. The leaves in a neighboring bluff formed +spots of cadmium; and even the big breaker plow, painted crude green and +vermilion, did not seem out of place. It was a new implement, the best +that Harding could buy, and two brawny red oxen hauled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> it along. Oxen +are economical to feed and have some advantages in the first stages of +breaking land, but Harding meant to change them for Clydesdale horses +and experiment with mechanical traction. He used the old methods where +they paid, but he believed in progress.</p> + +<p>As he guided the slowly moving beasts and watched the clods roll back, +his brown face was grave; for he had been troubled during the past seven +days. When he looked up at Beatrice Mowbray on the river bank something +strange and disturbing had happened to him. He was not given to +indulgence in romantic sentiment and, absorbed as he had been, first by +the necessity of providing for his sister and himself, and afterward by +practical ambitions, he had seldom spared a thought to women. Marriage +did not attract him. He felt no longing for close companionship or +domestic comfort; indeed, he rather liked a certain amount of hardship. +True, his heart had once or twice been mildly stirred by girls he had +met. They were pretty and likable—otherwise he would not have been +attracted, for his taste was good.</p> + +<p>In some respects, Harding was primitive; but this, perhaps, tended to +give him a clearer understanding of essential things, and he had a vague +belief that he would some day meet the woman who was destined to be his +true mate. What was more, he would recognize her when he saw her.</p> + +<p>And when he had looked up at Beatrice in the moonlight, standing out, +clear cut, against the somber background of poplars, the knowledge that +she was the one woman had rushed over him, surging through him as strong +as the swift-running river through which he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> had brought her. But, now +that the thing had happened, he must grapple with a difficult situation. +He knew his own value, and believed that he had abilities which would +carry him far toward material success; but he also knew his limitations +and the strength of the prejudices that would be arrayed against him. +That he should hope to win this girl of patrician stock was, in a sense, +ludicrous. Yet he had read courage in her, and steadfastness; if she +loved him, she would not count too great any sacrifice she made for his +sake. But this was only one side of the matter. Brought up as she had +been, she might not stand the strain of such a life as his must be for a +time. A deep tenderness awoke within him; he felt that she must be +sheltered from all trouble and gently cared for.</p> + +<p>Harding suddenly broke into a grim laugh. He was going much too +fast—there was no reason to believe that the girl had given him a +passing thought.</p> + +<p>With a call to the oxen he went on with his plowing, and the work +brought him encouragement. It was directly productive: next fall the +prairie he ripped apart would be covered with ripening grain. He had +found that no well-guided effort was lost: it bore fruit always—in his +case, at the rate of twenty bushels of wheat, or fifty bushels of oats, +to the acre. When the seed was wisely sown the harvest followed; and +Harding had steadily enlarged his crop. Now he had made his boldest +venture; and he looked forward to the time when his labor should change +the empty plain into a fertile field.</p> + +<p>A jolt of the plow disturbed him, and as he looked up the oxen stopped. +The share had struck hard ground. On one side, a sinuous line of trail, +rutted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> by wheels and beaten firm by hoofs, seamed the prairie; on the +other, the furrows ran across and blotted it out. It was a road the +Allenwood settlers used, and Harding knew well what he was doing when he +plowed into it. Still, the land was his and must produce its proper +yield of grain, while to clear the trail with his implements would +entail much useless labor. He had no wish to be aggressive, but if these +people took his action as a challenge, the fault would be theirs. It was +with a quiet, determined smile that he called to the oxen and held down +the share.</p> + +<p>At noon he turned the animals loose, and going back to camp, felt his +heart throb as he saw Beatrice Mowbray talking to Hester. A team stood +near by, and the boy he had met in the bluff was stooping down beside a +light four-wheeled vehicle. Beatrice gave Harding a smile of recognition +and went on talking, but her brother came up to him.</p> + +<p>"The pole came loose," he explained; "and I thought you might lend me +something to fasten it with."</p> + +<p>"Certainly," Harding said, stooping to examine the damaged pole. "It +won't fasten," he added. "It's broken between the iron straps, and +there's not wood enough to bolt them on again."</p> + +<p>Lance frowned.</p> + +<p>"That's a nuisance!"</p> + +<p>"I will give you a pole," Harding said. "There is some lumber here that +will do."</p> + +<p>He picked up a small birch log as he spoke, and, throwing it upon two +trestles, set to work with an ax. When he had it about the right size, +Lance interrupted him.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>"That's good enough. I'll get it smoothed off when the carpenter comes +out from the settlement."</p> + +<p>"That is not my plan," Harding smiled. "I like to finish a job."</p> + +<p>He adjusted a plane, and Beatrice watched him as he ran it along the +pole. It had not struck her hitherto that one could admire the simple +mechanical crafts, but she thought there was something fine in the +prairie farmer's command of the tool. She noticed his easy poise as he +swung to and fro, the rhythmic precision of his movements, and the +accurate judgment he showed. As the thin shavings streamed across his +wrist the rough log began to change its form, growing through gently +tapered lines into symmetry. Though he had only his eye to guide him, +Beatrice saw that he was skilfully striking the balance between strength +and lightness, and it was a surprise to find elements of beauty in such +a common object as a wagon-pole. She felt that Harding had taught her +something when he turned to Lance, saying:</p> + +<p>"There! I guess we can put that in."</p> + +<p>The irons were soon refitted, and while Lance harnessed the team, +Beatrice came to Harding with a smile.</p> + +<p>"Thank you!" she said. "It's curious that you should help me out of a +difficulty twice within a week."</p> + +<p>Harding flushed.</p> + +<p>"If you should happen to meet with another, I hope I'll be near," he +returned.</p> + +<p>"You like helping people?"</p> + +<p>He pondered this longer than she thought it deserved.</p> + +<p>"I believe I like straightening things out. It jars me to see any one in +trouble when there's a way of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> getting over it; and I hate to see effort +wasted and tools unfit for work."</p> + +<p>"Efficiency is your ideal, then?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. I don't know that it ever struck me before, but you have hit it. +All the same, efficiency is hard to attain."</p> + +<p>Beatrice looked at him curiously.</p> + +<p>"I don't believe you are really a carpenter," she said.</p> + +<p>"Unless you have plenty of money when you start breaking prairie, you +have to be a number of things," he answered, smiling. "Difficulties keep +cropping up, and they must be attacked."</p> + +<p>"Without previous knowledge or technical training?"</p> + +<p>He gave her a quick, appreciative glance.</p> + +<p>"You have a knack of getting at the heart of things!" he said in his +blunt way. "It's not common."</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed, but she felt mildly flattered. She liked men to treat +her seriously; and so few of them did. Somehow she felt that Harding was +an unusual man: his toil-roughened hands and his blunt manner of speech +were at variance with the indefinite air of culture and good-breeding +that hovered round him. There was strength, shown plainly; and she felt +that he had ability—when confronted with a difficult problem he would +find the best solution. It was interesting to lead him on; but she was +to find him ready to go much farther than she desired.</p> + +<p>"I hope making the new pole for us wasn't too much trouble," she said +lightly.</p> + +<p>"It gives me keen pleasure to be of any use to you," he said.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>The color swept into Beatrice's face, for he was looking at her with an +intent expression that made it impossible to take his remark lightly. +She was angry with herself for feeling confused while he looked so cool.</p> + +<p>"That sounds rather cheap," she replied with a touch of scorn.</p> + +<p>"My excuse is that it's exactly what I felt."</p> + +<p>Composure in difficult circumstances was one of the characteristics of +her family, yet Beatrice felt at a loss. Harding, she thought, was not +the man to yield to a passing impulse or transgress from unmeaning +effrontery; but this made the shock worse.</p> + +<p>Lance saved the situation by announcing that the team was ready.</p> + +<p>As the buggy jolted away across the plain, Beatrice sat silent. She felt +indignant, humiliated, in a sense; but thrilled in spite of this. The +man's tone had been earnest and his gaze steadfast. He meant what he +said. But he had taken an unwarrantable liberty. Nobody knew anything +about him except that he was a working farmer. Her cheeks burned as she +realized that she had, perhaps, been to blame in treating him too +familiarly. Then her anger began to pass. After all, it was easy to +forgive sincere admiration, and he was certainly a fine type—strong and +handsome, clever with his hands, and, she thought, endowed with unusual +mental power. There was something flattering in the thought that he had +appreciated her. For all that, he must be given no opportunity for +repeating the offense; he must be shown that there was a wide gulf +between them.</p> + +<p>Lance broke in upon her thoughts.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>"I like that fellow," he said. "It's a pity he isn't more of our kind."</p> + +<p>Beatrice pondered. Harding was not of their kind; but she did not feel +sure that the difference was wholly in favor of the Allenwood settlers. +This struck her as strange; as it was contrary to the opinions she had +hitherto held.</p> + +<p>"Why?" she asked carelessly.</p> + +<p>"We might have seen something of him then."</p> + +<p>"Can't you do so now, if you wish?"</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure. It might not please the Colonel—you know his opinions."</p> + +<p>Beatrice smiled, for she had often heard them dogmatically expressed.</p> + +<p>"After all, what is there he could object to about Harding?" she asked.</p> + +<p>"Not much in one sense; a good deal in another. You can't deny that the +way one is brought up makes a difference. Perhaps the worst is that he's +frankly out for money—farming for dollars."</p> + +<p>"Aren't we?"</p> + +<p>"Not now. We're farming for pleasure. But Kenwyne and one or two others +think there'll have to be a change in that respect before long."</p> + +<p>"Then we'll be in the same position as Harding, won't we?"</p> + +<p>"I suppose so," Lance admitted. "But the Colonel won't see it; and I +can't say that he's wrong."</p> + +<p>"It seems rather complicated," Beatrice said dryly.</p> + +<p>She was surprised to find herself ready to contend for Harding, and +rather than inquire into the cause of this, she talked about Allenwood +affairs until they reached home.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>Harding, back at his plowing, was thinking of Beatrice. He knew that he +had spoken rashly, but he did not regret it. She now knew what he +thought of her, and could decide what course to take. He smiled as he +imagined her determining that he must be dropped, for he believed the +mood would soon pass. He did not mean to persecute the girl with +unwelcome attentions, but it would not be easy to shake him off. He was +tenacious and knew how to wait. Then, the difference between them was, +after all, less wide than she probably imagined. Harding had kept +strictly to his compact not to try to learn anything of his father's +people in England; but, for all that, he believed himself to be the +girl's equal by birth. That, however, was a point that could not be +urged; and he had no wish to urge it. He was content to stand or fall by +his own merits as a man; and if Beatrice was the girl he thought her, +she would not let his being a working farmer stand in the way. This, of +course, was taking it for granted that he could win her love. He was +ready to fight against her relatives' opposition; but, even if he had +the power, he would put no pressure on the girl. If he was the man she +ought to marry, she would know.</p> + +<p>A breeze got up, rounded clouds with silver edges gathered in the west, +streaking the prairie with patches of indigo shadow, and the air grew +cooler as the sun sank. The big oxen steadily plodded on, the dry grass +crackled beneath the share as the clods rolled back, and by degrees +Harding's mind grew tranquil—as generally happened when he was at work. +He was doing something worth while in breaking virgin ground, in +clearing a way for the advancing host that would people the wilderness, +in roughing out a career<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> for himself. Whatever his father's people +were, his mother sprang from a stern, colonizing stock, and he heard and +thrilled to the call for pioneers.</p> + +<p>As the sun sank low, a man pulled up his horse at the end of the trail +and beckoned Harding. There was something imperious in his attitude, as +he sat with his hand on his hip, watching the farmer haughtily; and +Harding easily guessed that it was Colonel Mowbray. He went on with his +furrow, and only after he had driven the plow across the grass road did +he stop.</p> + +<p>"Are you Mr. Harding, the owner of this section?" demanded the head of +Allenwood.</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"Then I must express my surprise that you have broken up our trail."</p> + +<p>"It was necessary. I dislike blocking a trail, but you can go round by +the road."</p> + +<p>"You can see that it's soft and boggy in wet weather."</p> + +<p>"Five minutes' extra ride will take you over gravel soil inside the +Allenwood range."</p> + +<p>"Do you expect us to waste five minutes whenever we come this way?"</p> + +<p>"My time is valuable, and if I let your trail stand it would cost me a +good deal of extra labor. I must have a straight unbroken run for my +machines."</p> + +<p>"So, sooner than throw an implement out of gear while you cross the +trail, you take this course! Do you consider it neighborly?"</p> + +<p>Harding smiled. He remembered that in Manitoba any help the nearest +farmer could supply had been willingly given. At Allenwood, he had been +left alone.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> That did not trouble him; but he thought of Hester, +enduring many discomforts in her rude, board shack while women +surrounded by luxury lived so near.</p> + +<p>"I can't see any reason why I should be neighborly," he replied.</p> + +<p>Mowbray glanced at him with a hint of embarrassment.</p> + +<p>"Have you any complaint against us?"</p> + +<p>"None," said Harding coolly. "I only mentioned the matter because you +did so."</p> + +<p>He imagined that Mowbray was surprised by his reserve.</p> + +<p>"You may be able to understand," the Colonel said, "that it's rash for +an intruding stranger to set himself against local customs, not to speak +of the discourtesy of the thing. When a new trail is made at Allenwood, +every holder is glad to give all the land that's needed."</p> + +<p>"Land doesn't seem to be worth as much to you as it is to me, judging +from the way you work it. Every rod of mine must grow something. I don't +play at farming."</p> + +<p>Mowbray grew red in the face, but kept himself in hand.</p> + +<p>"Do you wish to criticize our methods?" he demanded.</p> + +<p>"I've nothing to do with your methods. It's my business to farm this +section as well as it can be done. I've no wish to annoy your people; +but you do not use the trail for hauling on, and I can't change my plans +because they may interfere with your amusements."</p> + +<p>"Very well," Mowbray answered coldly. "There is nothing more to be +said."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>He rode away and Harding started his oxen. It might have been more +prudent to make a few concessions and conciliate the Colonel, but +Harding could not bring himself to do so. It seemed a shabby course. It +was better that the Allenwood settlers should know at the beginning how +matters stood and of what type their new neighbor was.</p> + +<p>From all that Harding had learned of Colonel Mowbray, he felt that this +stretch of grassland would not be turned into a glowing sea of wheat +without more than one conflict between himself and the head of +Allenwood.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE SPENDTHRIFT</span></h2> + + +<p>Kenwyne felt pleasantly languid as he lounged in a basket-chair after +his evening meal. He had been back-setting land since daybreak. Holding +the plow was an occupation almost unknown to the Allenwood settlers, who +left all the rougher work to their hired men. Kenwyne, however, was of a +practical turn of mind; and, having invested all his money in his farm, +he meant to get some return. He occasionally enjoyed a run with the +coyote hounds, or a day's shooting when the migrating geese and ducks +rested among the sloos; but for the most part he stuck steadily to his +work and, as he bought the latest implements, he was considered richer +than he really was. Though thirty, he was unmarried; an elderly Scottish +housekeeper looked after him.</p> + +<p>One of the obstacles to Allenwood's progress was that the bachelors +outnumbered the married men; and the difficulty seemed insuperable. The +settlers belonged to an exclusive caste, and few young Englishwomen of +education and refinement had shown themselves willing to face the +hardships of the prairie life; though these were softened at Allenwood +by many of the amenities of civilization. Moreover, it was known to the +rasher youths, who occasionally felt tempted by the good looks of the +daughters of the soil, that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> Colonel Mowbray sternly discountenanced +anything of the nature of a <i>mésalliance</i>, and that the married women +would deal even more strictly with the offenders. Broadwood, for +example, had broken the settlement's traditions, and he and his Canadian +wife had suffered.</p> + +<p>While Kenwyne was reading an old newspaper, Gerald Mowbray sauntered in. +He had a careless, genial manner that made him a favorite, but there was +a hint of weakness in his face, and Kenwyne had never trusted him. It +was known that he had been wild and extravagant; but at Allenwood that +was not generally regarded as a grave drawback. They were charitable +there; several of the younger men, who now made good settlers, had left +England at their relatives' urgent request, after gaining undesirable +notoriety.</p> + +<p>Gerald selected a comfortable chair and passed his cigar-case to +Kenwyne.</p> + +<p>"They're good," he said. "I had them sent from Montreal."</p> + +<p>"No, thanks," replied Kenwyne. "I've given up such extravagances, and +stick to the labeled plug. I don't want to be officious, but it might be +better if you did the same."</p> + +<p>Gerald smiled.</p> + +<p>"You're rather a sordid beggar, Ralph; but as that's often a sign of +prosperity, it makes me hopeful. I want you to lend me two hundred +pounds."</p> + +<p>"Impossible!" said Kenwyne firmly.</p> + +<p>"One hundred and fifty, then?"</p> + +<p>"Equally out of the question. All I have is sunk in stock, and earmarked +for next year's operations." Kenwyne paused and considered. He knew the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> +chances were slight that the money would ever be returned; yet he +respected Colonel Mowbray, and his loyalty extended to the family of the +head of Allenwood. "Why do you want the money?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"I suppose I'll have to tell you. It goes back to India—what you might +call a 'debt of honor.' I borrowed the money in London to square it; and +thought when I came to Canada I'd be too far away for the London fellow +to put undue pressure on me. Oh, I meant to pay sometime, when I was +ready; but the fellow transferred the debt to a man at Winnipeg, who has +sent me a curt demand with an extortionate bill of expenses. Now I have +to pay."</p> + +<p>"I suppose you have been round the settlement?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; but I haven't collected much. In fact, I'm afraid I'll have to +pledge my farm."</p> + +<p>"You can't do that. Our foundation covenant forbids a settler to +alienate his land without the consent of a majority in the council, +subject to the president's veto. Your father would certainly use his +veto."</p> + +<p>"Very true," Gerald agreed. "However, I don't propose to alienate my +land—only to pawn it for a time."</p> + +<p>"It's against the spirit of the deed."</p> + +<p>"I've nothing to do with its spirit. The covenant should say what it +means, and it merely states that a settler shall not sell to any person +who's not a member of the colony. I'm not going to sell."</p> + +<p>"You're going to do a dangerous thing," Kenwyne warned him.</p> + +<p>"Then the remedy is for you to let me have a thousand dollars," Gerald +said quickly.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>"It is impossible; but I will try to raise five hundred. I suppose the +Colonel does not know you have come to me?"</p> + +<p>"I rely upon your not letting him know." Gerald smiled in that +ingratiating way that won him many friends. "I'm deeply grateful, and +you're a good sort, Ralph, though in some ways you differ from the rest +of us. I don't know where you got your tradesman's spirit."</p> + +<p>"It won't be so singular before long," Kenwyne answered with dry +amusement. "Even now, Broadwood and one or two others——"</p> + +<p>"Broadwood doesn't count. He married a girl of the soil."</p> + +<p>"He loves her, and she makes him a good wife."</p> + +<p>"Yes, but it was a mistake. You know our traditions."</p> + +<p>Kenwyne laughed, and nodded toward the open window, through which they +heard the sound of cheerful whistling approaching them along the trail.</p> + +<p>"I suspect that's Broadwood now," he said.</p> + +<p>"Well, I must be going. I will call for the check to-morrow."</p> + +<p>Gerald left as Broadwood entered.</p> + +<p>"I can guess what he wanted. He was at my place," Broadwood said, as he +took the seat Gerald had vacated.</p> + +<p>"Ah! I'll wager he didn't go away empty-handed," Kenwyne smiled.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps I'm betraying a confidence in admitting it. Anyway, I felt that +one ought to help him for the family's sake, lest he get into worse +trouble; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> I could afford the loan. Since I married I've been making +some money. But I want to ask you about this Harding. What kind of +fellow is he?"</p> + +<p>"I like what I've seen of him. Why?"</p> + +<p>"Effie has been talking about his sister. Seemed to think it was unkind +to leave the girl alone—in want, perhaps, of odds and ends a woman +could supply. I think she has made up her mind to go see her."</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure that would meet with general approval. What did you say?"</p> + +<p>"I seldom give my opinion on these matters," Broadwood answered with a +laugh. "On the whole, I think Effie's right; and I suspect that knowing +the thing won't please the others gives it a charm. After all, she +hasn't much reason for respecting their prejudices. At first, they +nearly drove us out of Allenwood."</p> + +<p>"I'm glad you didn't go. Your wife is steadily gaining ground, and the +others will be glad to copy her after a while."</p> + +<p>"That's my idea; we'll have to work our land. Have you ever thought what +the Colonel could do with his big block, if he had the capital?"</p> + +<p>"<i>And</i> the wish!" said Kenwyne. "The obstacle is his point of view. +Besides, all of it isn't really his: Mrs. Mowbray, Beatrice, and the +boys have a share. Of course, his taking the lots as one gives him a +solid vote in the council, and with the veto he has on certain points +makes him an absolute ruler."</p> + +<p>"So long as his family support him!"</p> + +<p>"Can you imagine their doing the contrary?"</p> + +<p>"I've thought the Colonel's position was least se<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>cure from an attack +within," Broadwood answered thoughtfully. "It doesn't follow that a +man's family is bound to agree with him. Gerald's a dark horse, and one +can't predict what he'll do, except that it will be what suits himself. +Lance is young and headstrong; and Beatrice has a mind of her own.... +But I really came to ask your opinion about this sketch of a new stable. +I must buy another team."</p> + +<p>They discussed the plan for the new building until it grew late and +Broadwood went home.</p> + +<p>The following day Gerald Mowbray left Allenwood for Winnipeg. It was a +dismal, wet evening when he arrived; and Winnipeg was not an attractive +city at that time. There were a few fine stores and offices on Main +Street; Portage Avenue was laid out, and handsome buildings were rising +here and there; but, for the most part, the frame houses had a +dilapidated, squalid look. Rows of pedlers' shacks stretched back from +the wooden station, the streets were unpaved, and the churned-up prairie +soil lay in sticky clods upon the rude plank sidewalks. Dripping teams +floundered heavily through the mire. Although the city was beginning to +feel the stir of commercial activity, the dark corners were devoted to +questionable amusements.</p> + +<p>Gerald had supper at his hotel, and afterward found the time hang upon +his hands. The general lounge was badly lighted, and its uncovered floor +was smeared with gumbo mud from the boots of the wet men who slouched in +to the bar. The door kept swinging open, letting in cold draughts; and +Gerald could find nobody to talk to. He had not enough money to pay off +his debt, but thought he had sufficient to enable him to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> make some +compromise with his creditor, and so had determined to see what could be +done. It was, however, impossible to spend the dismal evening at the +hotel, and he knew where excitement might be found at a moderate +cost—that is, if one were cautious and lucky.</p> + +<p>Going out, he made his way toward a side street running down to the +river, and noticed the keen glance an armed Northwest policeman gave him +as he turned the corner. Gerald thought it a desirable spot to station +the constable.</p> + +<p>A ramshackle frame house down the street was glaringly illuminated, and +Gerald, entering, found a number of men and one or two women in two +gaudily furnished rooms. There was another room at the back where +refreshments were dispensed without a license. For the most part, the +men were young, brown-faced fellows who had spent the summer on the +lonely plains; but a few had a hard and sinister look. The girls were +pretty and stylishly dressed, but they had a predatory air.</p> + +<p>In one corner of the room an exciting poker game seemed to be in +progress. At the other end a roulette table was surrounded by a crowd of +eager players. Gerald was fond of games of chance, and he saw ahead of +him a pleasant evening. Leaning against the bar, he was merely an +onlooker for a while. The glare of light and the air of excitement, the +eager faces of the players and the click of the balls fascinated him.</p> + +<p>He had not been drinking heavily; yet to his annoyance he felt a trifle +unsteady when at last he strolled over to the roulette table. His first +mistake was to take a five-dollar bill from the wallet which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> contained +the money to pay his debt. More than one pair of greedy eyes saw the +thick wad of paper currency; and from that moment Gerald was a marked +man in the room.</p> + +<hr class="thin" /> + +<p>In the gray hour preceding daybreak, when, sick and dizzy, Gerald +stumbled back to his hotel, he found that he had only ten dollars +remaining of the amount that had been entrusted to him to settle his +debt. Ten dollars would not pay his hotel bill, even.</p> + +<p>He woke about noon, his head aching severely. He could form no definite +idea as to what was best to be done. One thing, however, was certain: No +one at Allenwood must know how he had spent the preceding evening. His +relatives had no reason for believing his conduct irreproachable, but so +long as he did not thrust his failings upon their notice they ignored +them. Then, the revelation of how he had lost the money given him would +no doubt lead to his banishment from Allenwood; and except for a small +allowance from his mother's English property, he had no resources. The +survey he had been engaged upon was abandoned for a time, and he could +find no other employment. He must hold on at Allenwood, trusting that +something would turn up, and augmenting his income by the small sums he +might win from the younger men at cards. First of all, however, he must +call upon his creditor; it was a disagreeable task, but one that could +not be shirked.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE MORTGAGE BROKER</span></h2> + + +<p>Davies sat at his desk sorting a bundle of papers. His office, a large +room in a smart, new building, was elaborately furnished; but the +furnishings spelled expense rather than taste. The walls were hung with +maps of the Canadian territories, plans of new town sites, and +photographs of buildings. Davies was one of a class that was, for a +time, to exercise a far-reaching influence on the Western prairie. His +business was to sell the new settlers land—which was seldom paid for on +the spot; the agent being willing to take what he could get and leave +the balance on mortgage. He also lent money to farmers who had suffered +from bad seasons, or who rashly determined to extend their operations +with borrowed capital.</p> + +<p>Interest was then very high, and the scratch-farming generally practised +was not productive. Crops on the half-worked soil suffered from drought +and blight, and often ripened too late to escape the autumn frost; yet, +in spite of these disadvantages, the influx of new settlers forced up +the price of land. As a rule, the unfortunate farmer soon became +indebted to local storekeepers as well as to the man from whom he had +bought his holding. When he harvested a good crop, he paid off some +arrears of interest, and perhaps kept a few dollars to go on with; but +he seldom got out of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> debt, and so toiled on, living with stern +frugality, while the money-lender pocketed his earnings. Shylock ran no +risk, since the security was good and he could sell up the defaulter. +For a time, many of the small homesteaders struggled with dire poverty, +in spite of legislation intended to protect them; and it was not until a +succession of good harvests and the gradual development of the country +enabled them to break the yoke of the usurer that a tide of prosperity +flowed across the plains.</p> + +<p>Davies was an unfavorable specimen of his class. There were some land +and mortgage agents who dealt fairly with their clients and even ran +some risk in keeping them on their feet; but Davies was cunning, +grasping, and pitiless.</p> + +<p>When Gerald entered he gave him a curt nod, snapped a rubber band around +the papers, placed them carefully in a pigeonhole in his desk, and then +turned to his caller.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Mowbray! I expected to see you sooner. Guess you have come to +settle your account."</p> + +<p>Gerald found it hard to keep his temper. He had an aristocratic contempt +for all traders, and had, even in Canada, generally been treated with +some deference.</p> + +<p>"In the first place, I don't see what you have to do with this debt," he +began. "I borrowed from parties in London, and I'm responsible to them."</p> + +<p>"Here's my authority," Davies said, handing him a letter. "Whether the +lender instructed me to collect the money for him, or made other +arrangements doesn't matter to you. I can give you a receipt that will +stand good as soon as you put up the money."</p> + +<p>"Unfortunately, that is more than I can do."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>Davies did not look surprised.</p> + +<p>"What's your proposition?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"I'll think over yours," Gerald answered as coolly as he could.</p> + +<p>Davies studied him for a moment or two. Gerald's expression was +supercilious, but his face did not indicate much strength of character. +Besides, the only justification for arrogance that Davies recognized was +the possession of money.</p> + +<p>"You're the son of Colonel Mowbray of Allenwood, aren't you? Your people +hold a good piece of land there."</p> + +<p>"You seem to know all about me. I'd better warn you, however, that you +won't find my relatives willing to pay my debts."</p> + +<p>Davies smiled.</p> + +<p>"I could try them. They might do something if I stated my claim."</p> + +<p>This was what Gerald had feared, and he could not hide his alarm.</p> + +<p>"It will save you trouble if you realize that you wouldn't get a +dollar," he said hastily.</p> + +<p>Davies was silent for a few moments. As a matter of fact, he was by no +means anxious to be paid. Allenwood was isolated as yet, and the land +accordingly not worth much, but the homesteads were unusually good and +the advance of cultivation and settlement would largely increase their +value. Davies wanted a hold on Allenwood which might be turned to +advantage later, and he now saw an opportunity for getting it. Young +Mowbray obviously objected to having his friends learn how he was +situated, and this would make him easier to manage.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>"Well," Davies said, "you have some land there, haven't you? What's the +acreage, township, and range?"</p> + +<p>Gerald named them, and Davies made some calculations on a piece of paper +before he looked up.</p> + +<p>"If I find this all right in the land register, I'll cancel your London +debt, and take a mortgage on your holding," he said, handing Gerald the +paper he had been writing on. "Here's an outline of the terms."</p> + +<p>"The interest's extortionate!"</p> + +<p>"If you think so, go round the town and see if you can find anybody +who'll be more liberal. If not, you can come back to-morrow and we'll +fix up the deal."</p> + +<p>Davies felt safe in making the suggestion. He did not think Gerald had +much business ability, and trusted to his reluctance to make his +embarrassments known. Besides, the mortgage brokers had their hands full +and were not all so confident of the rapid advance of settlement as +Davies was. Indeed, there were men who declared that the country was +being opened up too rapidly, and predicted a bad set-back.</p> + +<p>Gerald left Davies' office with a faint hope of being able to find a +safer way out of the difficulty. To give his land in pledge would be a +violation of the covenant that bound the Allenwood settlers. It was an +offense that his father and his neighbors could not forgive. He shrank +from the dangerous course; but the day went by without his finding any +escape, and the next morning he called on Davies and the mortgage was +signed.</p> + +<p>While Gerald was at Winnipeg, Mrs. Broadwood startled the settlement at +Allenwood by calling on Harding's sister. The visit was prompted by +sym<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>pathy for the lonely prairie girl; but, coupled with that, Mrs. +Broadwood delighted in the feeling that all the Allenwood women would +disapprove of her course. She was small and pretty, with plenty of +determination and an exuberant cheerfulness which contact with her +husband's friends had somewhat toned down; and there was about her an +air of homely Western frankness that was charming.</p> + +<p>When she reached Harding's camp, Hester sat sewing in the sun. The girl +made a remarkably pretty picture, she thought, seated beside a pile of +prairie hay, with a few purple asters springing up at her feet and, +behind her, a ragged pine-tree drooping its branches to the ground. And +over all the gold of sunshine.</p> + +<p>"You look like a priestess of the sun!" Mrs. Broadwood greeted her, +laughing.</p> + +<p>Hester smiled in response.</p> + +<p>"I'm sitting outside because it's rather damp and cold in the shack," +she said. "As you see, our house isn't finished yet."</p> + +<p>She rose as she spoke, and came forward, and Mrs. Broadwood looked at +her admiringly. Hester was tall and naturally dignified, and her +characteristic expression was grave composure. Besides, her visitor +remarked the excellent taste and fit of her simple dress.</p> + +<p>"I'm sure we're going to be friends," said Mrs. Broadwood.</p> + +<p>"I hope so," Hester answered simply.</p> + +<p>The visitor found a seat in the prairie hay, and sinking down in the +soft grass, she breathed the smell of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> wild peppermint with delight. She +noticed the hearth of parallel logs, with a big kerosene can, used as a +washing boiler, hanging from a tripod at one end; the camp oven; the +sawing frame; and the scented cedar shingles strewn about beside the +framework of the house. All these things were familiar, for she was one +of the pioneers.</p> + +<p>"My!" she exclaimed. "This <i>is</i> nice! Makes me feel homesick."</p> + +<p>"It must be a change from Allenwood," Hester answered with a smile.</p> + +<p>"That's why I like it! I'm quite happy there; but this is the kind of +place where I belong. Twice before I met my husband I helped make a new +home on the plains, and this spot reminds me of the last time. We fixed +camp by Stony Creek in early summer, when the grass was green and all +the flowers were out. There were rows of the red prairie lilies. I never +saw so many!—and I remember how the new birch leaves used to rustle in +the bluff at night. Thinking of it somehow hurts me." She laughed +prettily. "I'm what Tom calls a sentimentalist."</p> + +<p>"So am I," said Hester; "so you needn't stop."</p> + +<p>"Well, I remember everything about the night we put in our stakes—Sally +baking bannocks, with the smoke going straight up; the loaded wagons in +a row; the tired horses rolling in the grass; and the chunk of the boys' +axes, chopping in the bluff. Though we'd been on the trail since sun-up, +there was work for hours, bread to bake and clothes to wash; and when we +went to sleep, a horse got his foot in a line and brought the tent down +on us. It was all hard in those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> days, a hustle from dawn to dark; but +now, when things are different, I sometimes want them back. But I +needn't tell you—I guess you know!"</p> + +<p>"Yes; I know," said Hester. "Perhaps it's the work we were born for."</p> + +<p>She was silent for a few moments, looking far out over the prairie; then +she asked abruptly:</p> + +<p>"What are the Allenwood people like?"</p> + +<p>"They're much the same as you and I, but they wear more frills, and when +you rub against those who use the most starch you find them prickly. +Then, they've some quaint notions that Walter Raleigh or Jacques Cartier +must have brought over; but, taking them all round, they're a straight, +clean crowd." She looked intently at Hester. "Somehow you make me feel +that you belong to them."</p> + +<p>Hester smiled. Mrs. Broadwood was impulsive and perhaps not always +discreet, but Hester thought her true.</p> + +<p>"I don't understand that," she replied. "Though I think my mother was a +woman of unusual character, she came from the Michigan bush. My father +was English, but he had only a small farm and didn't bring us up +differently from our neighbors. Still, he had different ideas and bought +a good many books. Craig and I read them all, and he would talk to us +about them."</p> + +<p>"Craig's your brother? I've seen him once or twice. Tell me about him."</p> + +<p>Hester nodded toward the trail that wormed its way across the prairie. A +girl was riding toward them.</p> + +<p>"Beatrice Mowbray," Mrs. Broadwood said; "the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> best of them all at +Allenwood, though sometimes she's not easy to get on with."</p> + +<p>When Beatrice joined them, Mrs. Broadwood repeated her suggestion. She +was frankly curious, and Hester was not unwilling to talk about her +brother. Indeed, she made the story an interesting character sketch, and +Beatrice listened quietly while she told how the lad was left with a +patch of arid soil, and his mother and sister to provide for. Hester +related how he braved his neighbors' disapproval of the innovations +which they predicted would lead him to ruin, and by tenacity and +boldness turned threatened failure into brilliant success. Then losing +herself in her theme, she sketched the birth of greater ambitions, and +the man's realization of his powers. Beatrice's eyes brightened with +keen approval. She admired strength and daring, and Hester had drawn a +striking picture of her brother.</p> + +<p>When the visitors rose to go, Harding appeared. He had come, he +explained, for an ox-chain clevis.</p> + +<p>"I have another visit to make," Beatrice said, when he had helped her to +mount. "The shortest way is across the ravine and there used to be a +trail, unless you have plowed it up."</p> + +<p>"No," he laughed; "I mean to improve that one. However, as it's not very +good, and there's an awkward place, I'll show you the way down."</p> + +<p>They left the camp together, and Harding was not pleased to notice no +difference in the girl's attitude to him. He had not expected her to +show embarrassment, but he would not have minded a dignified aloofness. +It looked as if she had not thought it worth while to resent his +boldness when they last met. For<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> all that, it made his heart beat fast +to be near her.</p> + +<p>Beatrice glanced toward the dark-brown line of the fall plowing.</p> + +<p>"Do you know what our people are saying about you? You haven't shown +much regard for your neighbors' feelings."</p> + +<p>"I'd try to respect their needs."</p> + +<p>"Well, that is something. Still, the trail was at least convenient, and +it had stood for a number of years."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid some more of the old landmarks will have to go. These are +changing times."</p> + +<p>"And I suppose there's satisfaction in feeling that you are leading the +way?"</p> + +<p>"I can't claim that," Harding answered with a smile. "As a matter of +fact, we're following a plain trail; the fur-traders blazed it for us +before the railroad came; and I dare say your father had broken ground +at Allenwood when I was learning to harness a team."</p> + +<p>"It doesn't seem to make you diffident. Now, I agree with my friends +that there's a good deal to admire in the old order."</p> + +<p>"That's so. All that's best in it will stay; you can't destroy it. In a +way, it's a comforting thought because we can't stand still, and +progress means a fight."</p> + +<p>"And yet some people believe in throwing away the weapons our fathers +have used and proved."</p> + +<p>Harding laughed.</p> + +<p>"When they're fine steel, that's foolish; but we might be allowed to rub +off the rust and regrind them."</p> + +<p>Beatrice liked his half-humorous manner, which she suspected covered a +strong sincerity. Besides, she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> had asked for his opinions; he had not +obtruded them. She gave him a quick glance of scrutiny as he led her +horse down the steep, brush-encumbered trail into the ravine; and she +admitted to herself that he improved on acquaintance. One got used to +his rough clothes and his line of thought which differed so widely from +the views held at Allenwood.</p> + +<p>Yellow birch leaves shone about them, the pale-tinted stems were +streaked with silver by the sinking sun, and the ravine was filled with +heavy blue shadow. There was something strangely exhilarating in the +light, glowing color and the sharp wind; and Beatrice felt her senses +stirred. Then she noticed Harding's set lips and the concentrated look +in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking earnestly and perhaps exercising +some self-restraint. She suddenly recalled his presumption the last time +they were together. She had not carried out her plan of avoiding him, +but she thought it might be better to run no risk.</p> + +<p>"I mustn't take you any farther," she said. "The trail is good up the +other side."</p> + +<p>"All right," he acquiesced. "Turn out at the big poplar."</p> + +<p>He stood there in the sunset, his rough felt hat in his hand, the +slanting rays playing through his fair hair, watching her until she and +her horse coalesced with the blue shadows of the hillside.</p> + +<p>It would not be easy to win her, he knew. First, there was the life she +had led, in what a different environment from the rough, pioneer one +that he had known! Then there were the prejudices of her relatives to +consider. She must come to him happily, without one regret.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>Harding sighed; but his jaws set determinedly. He had been taught, as a +child, that the sweetest apples hang on the highest branches: they are +not easy to reach, but, once secured, they are worth the having.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">AN ACCIDENT</span></h2> + + +<p>With the help of men from the railroad settlement Harding finished his +house and made it weather-proof before the frost struck deep into the +soil. Plowing was now impossible, but there was much to be done. The +inside of the dwelling had to be fitted up, and logs were needed for the +stables he must build in the spring. Trees large enough for the purpose +were scarce; and where coal is unobtainable, cutting wood for fuel keeps +the settler busy during the rigorous winter. Harding might have +simplified his task by buying sawed lumber, but the long railroad +haulage made it expensive, and he never shrank from labor which led to +economy. He was not a niggard, but he had ambitions and he saw that his +money must be made productive if those ambitions were to be gratified.</p> + +<p>He was coming home one evening with Devine, bringing a load of wood on +his jumper-sled. It had been a bitter day, and the cold got keener as a +leaden haze crept up across the plain. There was still a curious gray +light, and objects in the immediate foreground stood out with harsh +distinctness. The naked branches of the poplars on the edge of the +ravine they skirted cut sharply against the sky, and the trail, which +ran straight across the thin snow, was marked by a streak of dingy blue. +The wind was fitful, but when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> it gathered strength the men bent their +heads and shivered in their old deerskin jackets.</p> + +<p>As the oxen plodded on, Devine looked round at the sled rather +anxiously.</p> + +<p>"Hadn't you better throw some of these logs off, Craig?" he suggested. +"It's a heavy load, and I'm afraid there's a blizzard working up. We +want to get home before it breaks."</p> + +<p>"The oxen can haul them," Harding replied. "We'll get nothing done for +the next few days, and we have our hands plumb full this winter."</p> + +<p>"I used to think I was a bit of a hustler," Devine said, "but you sure +have me beat."</p> + +<p>"If I'm not mistaken, we'll get a lie-off to-morrow." Harding struck one +of the oxen with his mittened hand. "Pull out, Bright, before you +freeze!"</p> + +<p>The big animals moved faster, and the tired men plodded on silently. +There is no easy road to wealth on the wheatlands of the West; indeed, +it is only by patient labor and stoic endurance that a competence can be +attained. Devine and his comrade knew this by stern experience, and, +half frozen as they were, they braced themselves for the effort of +reaching home. They must adapt their pace to the oxen's, and it was not +quick enough to keep them warm.</p> + +<p>As they approached a bluff, Harding looked up.</p> + +<p>"Somebody riding pretty fast!" he said.</p> + +<p>A beat of hoofs, partly muffled by the snow, came down the bitter wind, +and a few moments later a horseman appeared from behind the trees. He +was indistinct in the gathering gloom, but seemed to be riding +furiously, and Harding drew the oxen out of the trail.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>"One of the Allenwood boys. Young Mowbray, isn't it?" said Devine.</p> + +<p>The next moment Lance Mowbray dashed past them, scattering the snow. The +horse was going at a frantic gallop, the rider's fur coat had blown +open, his arms were tense, and his hands clenched on the bridle. His +face was set, and he gazed fixedly ahead as if he did not see the men +and the sledge.</p> + +<p>"It's that wild brute of a range horse," Harding remarked. "Nearly +bucked the boy off the last time he passed my place. Something in the +bluff must have scared him; he has the bit in his teeth."</p> + +<p>"Looks like it," Devine agreed. "Young Mowbray can ride, but I'm +expecting trouble when he makes the timber."</p> + +<p>They turned and stopped to watch, for the Allenwood trail ran down the +side of the ravine among the trees not far away. Horse and rider rapidly +grew indistinct and vanished over the edge of the hollow. Then there was +a dull thud and the beat of hoofs suddenly broke off. The deep silence +that followed was ominous.</p> + +<p>"Throw the load off, and bring the oxen!" cried Harding as he started to +run along the trail.</p> + +<p>He was breathless when he reached the edge of the declivity; but he saw +nothing when he looked down. A blurred network of trunks and branches +rose from the shadowy depths with a pale glimmer of snow beneath; that +was all, and there was no sound except the wail of the rising wind. +Plunging straight down through the timber, Harding made for a bend of +the trail where there was a precipitous bank, and on reaching it he saw +a big, dark object lying in the snow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> some distance beneath him. This +was the horse; its rider could not be far away. When he scrambled down +he found the boy lying limp and still, his fur cap fallen off and his +coat torn away from his body. His face looked very white, his eyes were +closed, and he did not answer when Harding spoke. Kneeling down, he saw +that the lad was alive but unconscious. Nothing could be done until +Devine arrived.</p> + +<p>It was a relief when he heard the oxen stumbling through the brush. +Presently Devine came running up, and after a glance at the boy turned +and felt the horse.</p> + +<p>"Stone dead! What's the matter with Mowbray?"</p> + +<p>"Some ribs broken, I suspect," said Harding. "Bring the sled close up. +We've got to take him home."</p> + +<p>They laid Lance on the jumper, and Harding stripped off his own skin +coat and wrapped it round the boy.</p> + +<p>"The shock's perhaps the worst thing, and he feels cold."</p> + +<p>Both had had some experience of accidents in a country where surgical +assistance could seldom be obtained, and Devine nodded agreement.</p> + +<p>"Guess we'll have trouble in hauling up the grade and getting to +Allenwood before the blizzard, but we've got to make it."</p> + +<p>The opposite slope was rough and steep, and the jumper too wide to pass +easily between the trees. They had to lift it, and help the oxen here +and there; but they struggled up and then found that their difficulties +were not over when they reached the open plain. The wind had risen while +they were in the hollow and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> was now blowing the dry snow about. It had +grown dark and the trail was faint.</p> + +<p>"Might be wiser to take him to your homestead," Devine suggested; "but +they'll be able to look after him better at the Grange. Get a move on +the beasts, Craig; we've no time to lose."</p> + +<p>Harding urged the oxen, which stepped out briskly with their lighter +load, but he had some difficulty in guiding them, though Devine went +ahead to keep the trail. It was impossible to see any distance, and +there was no landmark on the bare white level; the savage wind buffeted +their smarting faces and filled their eyes with snow. The cold struck +through Harding's unprotected body like a knife, but he went on +stubbornly, keeping his eyes on Devine's half-distinguishable figure. He +was sorry for the unconscious youngster, but he did not glance at him. +This was a time when pity was best expressed in action.</p> + +<p>They had gone about two miles when the blizzard broke upon them in a +blinding cloud of snow and the cold suddenly increased. Though he wore a +thick jacket, Harding felt as if his flesh had changed to ice; his hands +were numb, and his feet seemed dead. He knew the risk he ran of being +crippled by frostbite; but to take his coat back might cost Lance his +life.</p> + +<p>They had been struggling forward for a long time when Devine stopped and +came back.</p> + +<p>"We've been off the trail for the last ten minutes," he said. "Guess +it's got snowed up."</p> + +<p>It was a bald statement of an alarming situation. Their only guide had +failed them, and unless they could soon find shelter all must perish. It +might, perhaps, be possible to keep moving for another hour<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> or two, and +then they would sink down, exhausted, to freeze. Yet, having faced +similar perils and escaped, they were not utterly dismayed.</p> + +<p>"The long rise can't be very far off," Harding said hopefully. "If we +could make it, there's a little coulée running down the other side. Then +we ought to see the Grange lights when we strike the lake."</p> + +<p>His voice was scarcely audible through the roar of the icy gale, but +Devine caught a word or two and understood.</p> + +<p>"Then," he shouted back, "you want to keep the wind on your left cheek!"</p> + +<p>It was the only guide to the direction of the blast, for the snow +whirled about them every way at once, and sight was useless amid the +blinding haze. Feeling, however, to some extent remained, and although +their faces were freezing into dangerous insensibility, so long as they +kept their course one side was still a little more painful than the +other. They struggled on, urging the jaded oxen, and dragging them by +their heads where the drifts were deep. The snow seemed to thicken as +they went. They could not see each other a yard or two apart, and the +power that kept them on their feet was dying out of them. Both had been +working hard since sunrise, and weary flesh and blood cannot long endure +a furious wind when the thermometer falls to forty or fifty below. +Nothing broke the surface of the plain except the blowing waves of snow +that swirled across their course and beat into their faces. It seemed +impossible that they could keep on. Hope had almost left them when +Devine suddenly called out:</p> + +<p>"It's surely rising ground!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>Harding imagined by the oxen's slower pace, and his own labored +breathing, that his comrade was right, but the rise was gradual and +extensive. They might wander across it without coming near the lake; but +they could take no precautions and much must be left to chance.</p> + +<p>"Get on!" he said curtly.</p> + +<p>By the force of the wind which presently met them he thought they had +reached the summit. Somewhere near them a watercourse started and ran +down to the lake; but the men could not tell which way to turn, although +they knew that the decision would be momentous. One way led to shelter, +the other to death in the snowy wilds.</p> + +<p>"Left and down!" Harding cried at a venture.</p> + +<p>They trudged on, Devine a few paces in front picking out the trail, and +Harding urging forward the snow-blinded oxen. They had not gone more +than a few yards when Devine suddenly disappeared. There was a rush of +loosened snow apparently falling into a hollow, and then his voice rose, +hoarse but exultant.</p> + +<p>"We've struck the coulée!"</p> + +<p>He scrambled out and it was comparatively easy to follow the ravine +downhill; and soon after they left it the surface grew unusually level, +and no tufts of withered grass broke the snow.</p> + +<p>"Looks like the lake," said Devine. "We'll be safe once we hit the other +side."</p> + +<p>Harding was nearly frozen, and he began to despair of ever reaching the +Grange; but he roused himself from the lethargy into which he was +sinking when a faint yellow glimmer shone through the swirling snow. It +grew brighter, more lights appeared, and they toiled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> up to the front of +a building. With some trouble Devine found the door and knocked.</p> + +<p>It was opened in a few moments by Gerald Mowbray, who stood looking out +in surprise.</p> + +<p>Devine briefly explained.</p> + +<p>"If it's likely to scare his mother, get her out of the way," he added. +"We have to bring him in at once. Send somebody for the oxen, and show +us where to go!"</p> + +<p>"Wait a moment and I'll meet you," said Gerald, hastening into the +house.</p> + +<p>When he disappeared, Devine turned to Harding.</p> + +<p>"Get hold! You don't want to shake him, but the coats will keep him +pretty safe."</p> + +<p>With some trouble they carried him in, passed through a vestibule, and +came with shuffling steps into a large hall. It was well lighted, and so +warm that Harding felt limp and dizzy from the sudden change of +temperature. His skin burned, the blood rushed to his head, and he +stopped for fear he should drop his burden. Gerald, it seemed, had not +had time to warn the people in the hall, and Beatrice rose with a +startled cry. One or two women sat with white faces, as if stupefied by +alarm, and two or three men got up hurriedly. Harding indistinctly +recognized Colonel Mowbray among them.</p> + +<p>"Be quick! Get hold of him!" he called to the nearest.</p> + +<p>He was replaced by two willing helpers, and, half dazed and not knowing +what to do, he slackly followed the others up the middle of the floor. +All who were not needed stood watching them, for they made a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> striking +group as they moved slowly forward, carrying what seemed to be a +shapeless bundle of snowy furs. Devine was white from head to foot, a +bulky figure in his shaggy coat and cap, though the bent forms of the +other men partly concealed him; Harding came alone, walking unsteadily, +with the snow falling off him in glistening powder, his face haggard, +and his frost-split lips covered with congealed blood.</p> + +<p>As the little group passed on, following Gerald, Harding suddenly +reeled, and, clutching at the back of a chair, fell into it with a +crash. After that he was not sure of anything until some one brought him +a glass of wine, and soon afterward Devine came back with Gerald.</p> + +<p>"My mother begs you will excuse her, but she'll thank you before you +go," he said. "The Colonel hopes to see you shortly, but he's busy with +Lance, and we're fortunate in having a man who should have been a +doctor. Now if you'll come with me, I'll give you a change of clothes. +Your oxen are in the stable."</p> + +<p>"We can't stay," remonstrated Harding.</p> + +<p>"It's impossible for you to go home."</p> + +<p>"That's true," said Devine, touching Harding's arm. "Better get up, +Craig, before the snow melts on you."</p> + +<p>Gerald gave them clothes, and then, saying that he was needed, left them +alone. After they had changed, Devine found his way to the stable to see +if the oxen were any the worse, and Harding went back to the hall. A +group of men and women were talking in low voices, but no one spoke to +him, and he sat down in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> a corner, feeling awkward and uncomfortable in +his borrowed garments. Evidently the Mowbrays had been entertaining some +of their neighbors who, to judge by scraps of conversation he overheard, +thought they would better take their leave but doubted if they could +reach home. Harding knew that he could not do so, but he felt averse to +accepting Mowbray's hospitality, and he feared that Hester would be +anxious about his safety.</p> + +<p>He was still sitting in the corner when Beatrice came up to him.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid you have been neglected, but you can understand that we are +rather upset," she said.</p> + +<p>"How is your brother?" Harding asked.</p> + +<p>"Better than we thought at first. One of our friends has bandaged him. +There are two ribs broken, but he declares he now feels fairly +comfortable."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid he's exaggerating, but it's a good sign. Anyway, I'm glad to +hear he's conscious."</p> + +<p>"He was conscious before you brought him home. He says he tried to speak +to you, but you didn't hear him."</p> + +<p>"That's possible," Harding replied. "The trail wasn't very good—and we +were busy."</p> + +<p>Beatrice gave him a strange look.</p> + +<p>"So one would imagine! There was probably no trail at all. Two of our +friends who live half a mile off don't think they can get back. It's +fortunate for us that you and your partner had the strength and +courage——"</p> + +<p>"What could we do?" Harding asked. "You wouldn't have expected us to +leave him in the bluff?"</p> + +<p>Beatrice's eyes sparkled, and a flush of color crept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> into her face. +Harding thought she was wonderfully beautiful, and feared it was unwise +to look at her lest he should make a fool of himself.</p> + +<p>"I can't say that I wouldn't have expected you to give him your coat; +but that was very fine of you," she said. "You must have known the risk +you took. When you came in you looked worse than he did."</p> + +<p>It struck Harding as significant that she should have noticed his +appearance in the midst of her alarm; but it might not mean much, after +all. Women were often more observant than men.</p> + +<p>"Then I ought to have been ashamed. It was the shock we were afraid of. +You see, after a bad accident there's often a collapse, and when one's +in that state even moderate cold is dangerous."</p> + +<p>"How do you know these things?" Beatrice asked.</p> + +<p>"When you live as we do, you learn something about accidents," he +answered.</p> + +<p>Beatrice gave him a look that thrilled him.</p> + +<p>"I promised Lance that I would not stay but a minute," she said; "but I +will send Mr. Kenwyne to look after you." She added in a lower voice: "I +have not attempted to thank you, but you must believe that we're very, +very grateful."</p> + +<p>Harding's eyes followed her across the room and lingered on her when she +stopped a moment to speak with one of the neighbors. Kenwyne's voice at +his elbow roused him.</p> + +<p>"Colonel Mowbray expects you to remain here, but on the whole I think +you'd better come with me," Kenwyne was saying. "They're naturally in +some confusion, and my farm isn't very far. I think my team can make +it."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>Harding was glad to get away quietly, but he left a message that he +hoped to call in the morning for his oxen and for news of Lance.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE</span></h2> + + +<p>On the morning after the accident Colonel Mowbray sat at breakfast with +his wife and daughter. The gale had fallen in the night, and although +the snow lay deep about the house, Gerald had already gone out with a +hired man to see how the range horses, which were left loose in the +winter, had fared during the storm. Lance was feverish, but there was +nothing in his condition to cause anxiety, and he was in charge of a man +whom some youthful escapade had prevented from obtaining a medical +diploma. There were one or two others of his kind at Allenwood whose +careers had been blighted by boyish folly. Breakfast had been well +served, for everything went smoothly at the Grange; in spite of the low +temperature outside, the room was comfortably warm, and the china and +the table appointments showed artistic taste.</p> + +<p>Colonel Mowbray looked thoughtfully stern.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps it was as well Kenwyne took the Americans home last night," he +remarked.</p> + +<p>"You asked them to stay," Beatrice said, with more indignation than she +cared to show; "and after what they did——"</p> + +<p>Mowbray cut her short.</p> + +<p>"I cannot deny that we are heavily in their debt, and I shall take the +first opportunity for thanking them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> In fact, if I can make any return +in the shape of practical help, I shall be glad. All the same, to have +had them here would have meant our putting them on a more intimate +footing than might be wise."</p> + +<p>Beatrice smiled, but said nothing. She respected her father, but the +thought of his helping such a man as Harding was amusing.</p> + +<p>"From what I've heard about Mr. Harding, I don't think he would have +presumed upon it," Mrs. Mowbray replied. "Besides, it looks as if we +owed Lance's life to him and his companion and I really don't see why +you object to the man. Of course, it was tactless of him to plow up our +trail, but he was within his rights."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at her sharply. His wife was generally docile and seldom +questioned his decisions, but she now and then showed an unexpected +firmness.</p> + +<p>"I don't object to him, personally. For that matter, I know very little +about him, good or bad," he said; and his tone implied that he was not +anxious to learn anything more. "It is rather what he stands for that I +disapprove of."</p> + +<p>"What does he stand for?"</p> + +<p>"What foolish people sometimes call Progress—the taint of +commercialism, purely utilitarian ideas; in short, all I've tried to +keep Allenwood free from. Look at England! You know how the old friendly +relations between landlord and tenant have been overthrown."</p> + +<p>"I wonder whether they were always friendly?" Beatrice interposed.</p> + +<p>"They ought to have been friendly, and in most of the instances I can +think of they were. But what can<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> one expect when a rich tradesman buys +up a fine estate, and manages it on what he calls 'business lines'? This +must mean putting the screw of a merciless competition upon the farmer. +On the other hand, you see men with honored names living in extravagant +luxury without a thought of their duty to their land, gambling on the +Stock Exchange—even singing in music halls. The country's in a bad way +when you read of its old aristocracy opening hat shops."</p> + +<p>"But what are the poor people to do if they have no money?" Beatrice +asked.</p> + +<p>"The point is that they're being ruined by their own folly and the +chaotic way things have been allowed to drift; but the other side of the +picture's worse. When one thinks of wealth and poverty jostling each +other in the towns; oppressive avarice and sullen discontent instead of +helpful cooperation! The community plundered by trusts! Industries +wrecked by strikes! This is what comes of free competition and contempt +for authority; and the false principle that a man must turn all his +talents to the making of money is at the root of it all."</p> + +<p>It was a favorite hobby of the Colonel's, and Mrs. Mowbray made no +remark; but Beatrice was pleased to see that he had forgotten Harding.</p> + +<p>"You would have made a good feudal baron," she said with a smile. "Your +retainers wouldn't have had many real grievances, but you would always +have been on the king's side."</p> + +<p>"The first principle of all firm and successful government is that the +king can do no wrong."</p> + +<p>"We don't challenge it at Allenwood, and it really seems to work well," +Beatrice answered lightly; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> then, because Mowbray insisted on formal +manners, she turned to her mother. "And now, with your permission, I had +better go to Lance."</p> + +<p>When she left them Mowbray frowned.</p> + +<p>"There's another matter I want to talk about," he said. "I'm inclined to +think we'll have to do away with the card tables when the younger people +spend the evening with us."</p> + +<p>"But you're fond of a game!"</p> + +<p>"Yes. I'll confess that a close game of whist is one of my keenest +pleasures, and if I finish two or three dollars to the good it adds to +the zest. For all that, one must be consistent, and I've grounds for +believing there has been too much high play of late. The offenders will +have to be dealt with if I can find them out."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray knew that her husband's first object was the good of the +settlement, and that he would make any personal sacrifice to secure it.</p> + +<p>"We can have music, or get up a dance instead," she suggested; and added +anxiously: "You don't think that Gerald——"</p> + +<p>"I'd have grave suspicions, only that he knows what to expect," Mowbray +answered grimly. "Something might be learned from Lance, but it would +not be fair to ask."</p> + +<p>"He wouldn't tell," Mrs. Mowbray said stoutly, knowing her husband's +sense of honor. "Do you think it's serious enough to be disturbed +about?"</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid so, although at the moment I can hardly judge. A game of +cards in public, for strictly moderate points, or a small wager on a +race, can do the boys<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> no harm; but as soon as the stake gets large +enough to be worth winning for itself, it leads to trouble; and +systematic, secret gambling is a dangerous thing. As a matter of fact, I +won't have it at Allenwood. At present I can do nothing but keep a +careful watch."</p> + +<p>An hour later Mrs. Mowbray was sitting with Lance, when word was brought +her that Harding had called.</p> + +<p>"Let him come up here, if only for a minute," Lance begged.</p> + +<p>"Well, but it must not be longer," his mother consented.</p> + +<p>Harding bowed to her respectfully when he entered the room; then he +turned to Lance with a smile.</p> + +<p>"Glad to see you looking much better than I expected."</p> + +<p>Lance gave him his hand, though he winced as he held it out, and his +mother noticed Harding's quick movement to save him a painful effort. +There was a gentleness that pleased her in the prairie man's face.</p> + +<p>"I don't want to embarrass you, but you'll understand how I feel about +what you did for me," said Lance. "I won't forget it."</p> + +<p>"Pshaw!" returned Harding. "We all get into scrapes. I wouldn't be here +now if other people hadn't dragged me clear of a mower-knife, and once +out of the way of a locomotive when my team balked in the middle of the +track."</p> + +<p>"I don't suppose any of the fellows gave you his clothes with the +thermometer at minus forty. But I won't say any more on that point. Was +my horse killed?"</p> + +<p>"On the spot!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>Lance looked troubled.</p> + +<p>"Well, it was my own fault," he said slowly. "I was trying a new +headstall, and I wasn't very careful in linking up the bit."</p> + +<p>He began to talk about the latest types of harness, and listened with +obvious interest to Harding's views on the subject, but after a while +his voice grew feeble, and his mother interrupted.</p> + +<p>"You'll come back and see me when I'm better, won't you?" he asked +eagerly.</p> + +<p>Harding made a vague sign of assent, and left the room with Mrs. +Mowbray. When they reached the hall, she stopped him.</p> + +<p>"You did us a great service last night—I can find no adequate way of +expressing my gratitude," she said.</p> + +<p>Harding saw that she had not spoken out of mere conventional politeness.</p> + +<p>"I think you make too much of it. Certainly, it was fortunate we +happened to come along; the rest followed. But I can understand how you +feel—I had a good mother."</p> + +<p>She was pleased by his reply, and she had watched him closely while he +talked to Lance. The man was modest and yet quietly sure of himself. He +had shown no awkwardness, and his rather formal deference to herself was +flattering. She somehow felt that he would not have offered it solely on +account of her station.</p> + +<p>"I'm glad to see your son looking pretty bright," Harding went on.</p> + +<p>"You roused him. He was very listless and heavy until you came."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>"I'm afraid I talked too much; it's a way I sometimes have." Harding +smiled. Then he looked at her directly. "He asked me to come back."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray knew he was shrewd enough to take a hint, and that she +could without discourtesy prevent his coming; still, she did not wish to +do so. She had heard her husband's views, to which she generally +deferred; but she liked Harding, and he had saved her son's life. +Moreover, she had a suspicion that his influence would be good for the +boy.</p> + +<p>"I hope you will come whenever it pleases you," she said with quiet +sincerity.</p> + +<p>"It will please me very much. I'll make use of the privilege as long as +he finds that I amuse him."</p> + +<p>Harding went home with a feeling of half-exultant satisfaction. Lance, +for whom he had a rather curious liking, had been unmistakably glad to +see him and, what was more important, Mrs. Mowbray was now his friend. +For all that, he knew that tact was needed: the Colonel, while no doubt +grateful, did not approve of him, and he must carefully avoid doing +anything that might imply a readiness to take advantage of the slight +favor he had been granted. Harding was not an adventurer, and the +situation was galling to his pride, but he was shrewd and was willing to +make some sacrifice if it gave him an opportunity for seeing Beatrice.</p> + +<p>When Harding returned a week later he met the girl for a few moments, +and had to be content with this. Lance brightened up noticeably when he +talked to him, and as he was leaving pressed him to come again; but the +unqualified doctor, whom he met in the hall, did not seem satisfied with +the patient's progress.</p> + +<p>Harding waited for a while before he went back.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> He found Mrs. Mowbray +alone on his arrival, and thought she looked anxious when he asked how +Lance was getting on.</p> + +<p>"He doesn't seem to improve as quickly as he ought, and Mr. Carson's +puzzled," she said. "He tells me the injury is not serious enough to +account for my boy's low condition, but he keeps restless and feverish, +and doesn't sleep." Then, after a moment, she added confidentially: "One +could imagine that he has something on his mind."</p> + +<p>"Have you any suspicion what it is?"</p> + +<p>"No—" She hesitated. "That is, nothing definite; and as he has given me +no hint, it's possible that I'm mistaken in thinking that he is +disturbed. But you may go in; you seem to cheer him."</p> + +<p>Harding pondered this. He had been used to people who expressed their +thoughts with frank directness, but he saw that Mrs. Mowbray was of a +different stamp. She was most fastidious, yet she had taken him into her +confidence as far as her reserve permitted. After all, there were things +which a boy would confess to a man outside his family sooner than to his +mother.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said as meaningly as he thought advisable, "I'll do what I +can."</p> + +<p>On entering the sick room he thought her anxiety was justified. Lance +did not look well, although he smiled at his visitor.</p> + +<p>"I'm glad you came," he said. "It's a change to see somebody fresh. The +boys mean well but they worry me."</p> + +<p>"You'd get tired of me if I came oftener," Harding answered with a +laugh.</p> + +<p>They talked for a few minutes about a sheep dog<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> that had been given to +Lance; and then, during a slight pause, the boy closed his eyes with a +sigh. Harding looked at him keenly.</p> + +<p>"I'm told you're not sleeping well," he said; "and you don't look as fit +as you ought. I guess lying on your back gets monotonous."</p> + +<p>"Yes," Lance answered listlessly. "Then I'm worried about losing my +horse."</p> + +<p>"One feels that kind of thing, of course; but it wasn't an animal I'd +get attached to. Hard in the mouth, I guess, a bad buck-jumper, and a +wicked eye. On the whole, you're better off without him."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps you're right, and I meant to sell him. I'd had offers, and the +Warrior blood brings a long price."</p> + +<p>"Ah! That means you wanted the money?"</p> + +<p>Lance was silent for a few moments, and then he answered half +resentfully:</p> + +<p>"I did."</p> + +<p>It was obvious to Harding that delicacy was required here. Mrs. Mowbray +was right in her suspicions, but if he made a mistake Lance would take +alarm. Harding feared, however, that tact was not much in his line.</p> + +<p>"I am an outsider here," he said with blunt directness; "but perhaps +that's a reason why you can talk to me candidly. It's sometimes +embarrassing to tell one's intimate friends about one's troubles. Why +did you want the money?"</p> + +<p>Lance flushed and hesitated, but he gathered confidence from Harding's +grave expression.</p> + +<p>"To tell the truth, I'd got myself into an awkward mess."</p> + +<p>"One does now and then. I've been fixed that way myself. Perhaps I can +help."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>"No; you can't," Lance said firmly. "All the same, it's a relief to take +somebody into my confidence. Well, I owed a good deal of money; I'd been +playing cards."</p> + +<p>"Do you pay debts of that kind at once?"</p> + +<p>"Of course. It's a matter of principle; though the boys wouldn't have +pressed me."</p> + +<p>"I'd have let them wait," said Harding. "But I don't play cards. I +suppose you borrowed the money from somebody else, and he wants it back. +Now the proper person for you to go to is your father."</p> + +<p>Lance colored and hesitated again.</p> + +<p>"I can't!" he blurted out with evident effort. "It's not because I'm +afraid. He'd certainly be furious—I'm not thinking of that. There's a +reason why it would hit him particularly hard. Besides, you know, we're +far from rich."</p> + +<p>Having learned something about Gerald Mowbray, Harding understood the +lad's reticence. Indeed, he respected his loyalty to his brother.</p> + +<p>"Very well. If you'll tell me what you owe, and where you got the money, +I may suggest something."</p> + +<p>He had expected Lance to refuse; but, worn by pain and anxious as he +was, the boy was willing to seize upon any hope of escape. He explained +his affairs very fully, and Harding made a note of the amount and of a +name that was not unfamiliar to him.</p> + +<p>When Lance finished his story and dropped back among his pillows with a +flushed face, there was a short silence in the room.</p> + +<p>Harding was not, as a rule, rashly generous; but he liked the boy, and +Lance was Beatrice's brother—that in itself was a strong claim on him. +Then, Mrs. Mow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>bray had been gracious to him; though he was a stranger +and in a sense an intruder, she had taken him into her confidence, and +he felt a deep respect for her. There was in his mind, however, no +thought of profiting by the situation; indeed, he was frankly reluctant +to part with money which could be better employed than in paying +gambling debts.</p> + +<p>"So you went to Davies, of Winnipeg—a mortgage broker?" he remarked. +"Who told you about him? These fellows don't lend to people they know +nothing about."</p> + +<p>"A man introduced me," Lance said awkwardly; and Harding again suspected +Gerald.</p> + +<p>"When you signed his note for the sum you wanted, how much did you +really get?"</p> + +<p>Lance smiled ruefully as he told him.</p> + +<p>"You seem to know their tricks," he added.</p> + +<p>"Some of them," Harding replied dryly. "Now, if you'll give me your word +that you won't stake a dollar on a horse or card again, I'll take up +this debt; but I don't want your promise unless you mean to keep it."</p> + +<p>Lance's eyes were eager, though his face was red.</p> + +<p>"I've had my lesson. It was the first time I'd really played high, and I +was a bit excited; the room was hot and full of smoke, and they'd +brought in a good deal of whisky." Then he pulled himself up. "But I +can't let you do this; and I don't see——"</p> + +<p>"Why I'm willing to help?" Harding finished for him. "Well, one's +motives aren't always very plain, even to oneself. Still—you can take +it that I've a pretty strong grievance against all mortgage brokers. +They've ruined one or two friends of mine, and they're<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> going to make +trouble in this country. I'll give you a few instances."</p> + +<p>He meant to frighten the lad, but there was no need to overstate the +truth, and his face grew stern as he related how struggling farmers had +been squeezed dry, and broken in spirit and fortune by the +money-lender's remorseless grasp. Lance was duly impressed, and realized +how narrow an escape he had had.</p> + +<p>"Are you willing to leave the thing entirely to me?" Harding concluded. +"You must understand that you're only changing your creditor."</p> + +<p>"I can trust you," Lance said with feeling. "I can't tell you what a +relief it is to get out of that fellow's hands! But I ought to warn you +that he's tricky; you may have some trouble."</p> + +<p>Harding laughed as he stood up.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I can deal with him. Now you go to sleep and don't worry any more."</p> + +<p>After he left, Lance lay for a while thinking over the conversation. He +was puzzled to know what had prompted Harding to come to his rescue. The +Allenwood settlers had certainly been none too friendly to the prairie +man, who was considered an outsider because he believed in work and in +progress. Lance thought that there was no selfish motive in Harding's +offer. What, then?</p> + +<p>He suddenly shook off the thoughts and, reaching out to a table by his +bedside, rang a small handbell there. Beatrice answered it.</p> + +<p>"I want something to eat," he said petulantly. "Not slops this time; I'm +tired of them."</p> + +<p>His sister looked at him in surprise.</p> + +<p>"Why, you wouldn't touch your lunch!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>"All the more reason I should want something now. You ought to be glad +I'm getting better!"</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed.</p> + +<p>"It's a very sudden improvement," she said. "Mr. Harding must be a +magician. What has he done to you?"</p> + +<p>"Harding knows a lot," Lance answered somewhat awkwardly; then added +impulsively: "In fact, I think he's a remarkably fine fellow all round."</p> + +<p>Beatrice opened her eyes wide. Such an opinion from the son of Colonel +Mowbray was pure heresy; but she made no comment. She kissed Lance +lightly on the forehead and tripped off downstairs to order some food +for him.</p> + +<p>Somehow, she was inclined to agree with her brother in his opinion of +the prairie man.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A MAN OF AFFAIRS</span></h2> + + +<p>The warmth of the big stove, which glowed a dull red in places, had +melted holes in the frost that obscured the double windows of Davies' +office, but icy draughts flowed round the room, and the temperature of +the passage outside was down to zero. From where the stove-pipe pierced +the wall, drops of a black distillate trickled down, and the office was +filled with the smell of tar and hot iron. Rents gaped in the pine +paneling, and the door had shrunk to a remarkably easy fit. The building +was new, pretentious, and supposed to be centrally heated, but Winnipeg +was then passing through the transition stage which occurs in the +history of most Western towns: emerging from rude disorder with bold but +badly guided striving toward beauty and symmetry. Civic ambition was +poorly seconded by builder's skill, and the plans of aspiring architects +were crudely materialized.</p> + +<p>From where Davies sat he could look into the snowy street; the view was +far from pleasing. The blackened wreck of a burnt-out store confronted +the office block, and behind it straggled a row of squalid shacks. +Farther on rose a wall of concrete with rusty iron framing sticking out +of it; and a mound of cut stone and sawed lumber, left as it lay when +the frost stopped work, encroached upon the plank sidewalk. Davies, +however, was not engrossed in the view, though he had lent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> money upon +some adjacent building lots. A survey map of the Allenwood district lay +on his table, and he alternately studied it and gazed out of the window +with a thoughtful air.</p> + +<p>The Allenwood soil was good, consisting, as it did for the most part, of +stiff black gumbo; it was well watered and fairly well wooded; and it +occupied the center of a fertile belt. Its position had other natural +advantages, and the configuration of the country made it probable that +with the first railroad extension a line would run past the settlement +to the American frontier. Davies had reason to believe that his view was +shared by far-seeing railroad directors; but, whether the line were run +or not, the Allenwood farms would rise in value. Davies wanted a hold on +the settlement; and he had, to some extent, succeeded in getting it. He +held a mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's homestead; it seemed possible to get +the younger brother into his power; and he was negotiating with another +embarrassed settler. On the other hand, money was tight just then, and +Davies' schemes were hampered by a lack of capital. He had written to +Lance Mowbray, pressing for some interest that was overdue, and when the +lad begged for time had curtly summoned him to Winnipeg. Now he was +expecting him, for the east-bound train had arrived.</p> + +<p>He heard steps in the passage and looked up with some surprise as two +men entered his office. Their bronzed faces and their cheap skin coats +suggested that they worked upon the land, but there was something in the +expression and bearing of the taller man that contradicted this. Davies +was a judge of character, and he read that something as a sense of +power.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>"Good-morning, gentlemen," he said, with a suave smile. "I don't believe +I have an appointment with you, but I'm always open for business."</p> + +<p>"My name is Harding," said the taller man; "and this is my partner, Mr. +Devine. You were expecting Lance Mowbray, of Allenwood; I've come +instead."</p> + +<p>Davies would have preferred dealing with young Mowbray himself; this +substitute made him feel somewhat uneasy. After careful inquiries into +Mowbray's affairs, Davies did not expect to get the overdue interest. +What he wanted was to renew the loan at a higher rate as the price of +waiting.</p> + +<p>Harding got down to business at once.</p> + +<p>"Mowbray owes you some interest; I've come to pay it."</p> + +<p>Davies' eyes narrowed.</p> + +<p>"Rather a long and expensive journey, if that was all that brought you," +he said with a sneer. "A check would have done."</p> + +<p>"You seemed to think an interview needful; and I don't propose to bear +the cost," Harding answered quietly. "Anyway, now that I'm here I'll pay +up the principal, if we can come to terms."</p> + +<p>"There are no terms to be arranged. I'll settle the account on receipt +of the sum Mowbray borrowed and the interest."</p> + +<p>"I'll give you what he got," said Harding coolly.</p> + +<p>Davies pondered a moment. The offer had been a shock to him, for it +suggested that Mowbray had found a way of escape. That meant that his +hold on Allenwood would be weakened. Harding looked shrewd and +businesslike; there was little possibility of hoodwinking such a man.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>"Do you expect me to abandon my rights?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"I'm here to look after Mowbray's. You charged him what you call +expenses, which you didn't incur. Guess you'll have to prove them if you +take the case to court."</p> + +<p>"One has to make inquiries about the security when lending money."</p> + +<p>"As a matter of fact, you knew the security was bad. Mowbray told you +that his land was held in trust until he was twenty-one. What you traded +on was his fear of the deal coming to his people's knowledge. I guess +his brother gave you all the information you required."</p> + +<p>Davies' start indicated that the shot, made at a venture, had reached +its mark. He grew angry, but he quickly saw that this was no time to +lose his temper.</p> + +<p>"It's a pretty cool proposition you make," he said.</p> + +<p>"It's fair, and I don't press you to agree. Stick to your full claim, if +you like, and you'll get your interest on what you actually lent, but on +nothing more until payment of the principal is due. Then we'll give you +all the trouble we can. But your hold on the boy is gone now that you +know the money's ready."</p> + +<p>Davies was forced to recognize that his debtor had escaped him; and, as +it happened, he was pressed for money.</p> + +<p>"Well," he conceded, "it's a small matter, after all. I'll give you a +receipt if you'll put down the amount."</p> + +<p>"I'd rather my bank paid this; it keeps a record. Then I want Mowbray's +note as well as the receipt."</p> + +<p>Harding handed him a check, and Davies looked at it in surprise.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>"You have made another deduction!"</p> + +<p>"Certainly. You demanded an interview, and I've knocked off my fare to +Winnipeg. Now where's the note?"</p> + +<p>Davies produced it, and then looked at him with an ironical grin.</p> + +<p>"It's all straight, and I hope you're satisfied. A farmer, aren't you? +May I suggest that you have mistaken your profession?"</p> + +<p>Harding laughed good-naturedly as he pocketed the papers.</p> + +<p>"I don't know. My belief is that a farmer doesn't lose anything by +studying business methods."</p> + +<p>When they reached the street, Harding turned to Devine.</p> + +<p>"I've learned something I wanted to know," he said. "That fellow has a +mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's land. He's playing a deep game."</p> + +<p>"I don't see what he's getting after."</p> + +<p>"Allenwood. It's worth plotting for."</p> + +<p>"I guess he'd find the Colonel a pretty big obstacle. Anyway, it's not +our business."</p> + +<p>"No," Harding replied with a thoughtful air. "As far as I can see at +present, it's not my business.... Now we'll look up the steam-plow man."</p> + +<p>They found the implement dealer disengaged, and spent the afternoon in +his store before Harding, who insisted upon several variations in the +standard design, finally ordered a steam gang-plow. The agent was struck +by the aptness of many of Harding's suggestions about improvements, and +he invited the men to his hotel for the evening. When they parted he +frankly admitted that he had picked up some useful hints. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> also +surmised that Harding had learned all that was worth knowing about new +machines.</p> + +<p>The two men left Winnipeg the next day, and Devine went to report to +Hester while Harding stopped at the Grange to see Lance.</p> + +<p>The boy greeted him eagerly, and his eyes glistened with relief when +Harding handed him the papers.</p> + +<p>"I'll square it off, every dollar, as soon as I can," he said. "In fact, +I feel so much about it that I can't express myself—if you'd been in my +place, you would understand. I see he didn't claim all my note called +for. How did you beat him down?"</p> + +<p>"I knew the man I had to deal with," Harding smiled. "What you have to +do is to keep clear of debt in future."</p> + +<p>"I've given you my word; but I can't get out of debt to you." Lance +looked at him with frank admiration. "You beat the fellow at his own +game!" he exclaimed.</p> + +<p>Harding held out his hand.</p> + +<p>"I must go now," he said; "I promised to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood. +We'll settle how you're to pay me the next time I come."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray was waiting for him in the hall below.</p> + +<p>"I want to thank you," she said to him. "I don't know what you have done +to my boy, but he is so very much better."</p> + +<p>Harding met the gaze she quietly fixed on him. He saw that she knew +there was some secret between him and her son, but had confidence enough +to ask no questions.</p> + +<p>"For one thing," he answered lightly, "I've given him some good advice, +which I think he'll act on."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>"He seems to have a respect for your judgment—and I feel he's not +mistaken."</p> + +<p>"That's very kind," said Harding. "I hope I shall be able to keep your +good opinion; though you may find it shaken by and by."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then laid her hand gently on his +arm.</p> + +<p>"You have helped my boy to get better and, whatever may happen, that +goes a long way," she said.</p> + +<p>When Harding left her he felt that in Mrs. Mowbray he would have a +staunch ally in his fight for Beatrice.</p> + +<p>He returned to the Grange one afternoon about a week later, and found +Beatrice alone. Lance, after his long confinement, had gone for his +first drive, and his mother had accompanied him to see that he kept the +robes properly wrapped about him. The Colonel and Gerald were at a +neighbor's.</p> + +<p>Beatrice gave him her hand cordially.</p> + +<p>"I am glad of this opportunity for seeing you alone, because there's +something I want to ask of you," she said.</p> + +<p>"I shall do anything I can to please you."</p> + +<p>"It's really something I want you not to do."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" Harding smiled. "That's often harder."</p> + +<p>They had entered a room which Beatrice and her mother used. It was not +large, and it was scantily furnished, but most of the articles it +contained, though worn and battered, were good. Curtains, rugs, and +chairs were of artistic design, and their faded coloring was harmonious. +By contrast with the rude prairie homesteads he had lived in, all that +Harding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> saw struck a note of luxurious refinement. What was more, the +room seemed somehow stamped with its occupants' character. Colonel +Mowbray, he knew, seldom entered it; it was the retreat of the two +delicate, high-bred women he admired. He felt it was a privilege to be +there. The unusual surroundings reacted upon him, and emphasized in a +curious way his companion's grace and charm.</p> + +<p>For a few moments after they were seated, Beatrice was silent, gazing +thoughtfully before her. Her hair shone where the light touched it, and +reminded Harding of the glitter of a prairie lake on a breezy, sunny +day; her face was in profile, its fine chiseling forced up by a faded +purple curtain behind her, which harmonized agreeably with the +straw-colored dress that fell about her figure in graceful lines. As it +happened, Beatrice was feeling somewhat embarrassed. She had a favor to +ask, and she shrank with unusual timidity from placing herself in the +man's debt. She believed that he had saved her brother's life and +afterward rendered him some valuable service; but he had done this of +his own accord, and it would be different were he to comply with her +request.</p> + +<p>"You have been urging some plans on Kenwyne and Broadwood," she began.</p> + +<p>"You have heard about that! However, they didn't need urging; they +agreed with me about the necessity for the thing."</p> + +<p>"It's possible." There was a touch of haughtiness in Beatrice's tone. +"Ralph Kenwyne has always been something of a revolutionary; and we know +where Broadwood gets his ideas."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>"From his wife? You can't expect me to condemn them. She was brought up +as I was and thinks as I do."</p> + +<p>Beatrice saw she was not beginning well and changed her ground.</p> + +<p>"After all, that's not an important point. I suppose you know my father +is bitterly opposed to your plans?"</p> + +<p>"I was afraid so. It's unfortunate."</p> + +<p>"Then can't you see that it would be better to give them up?"</p> + +<p>Harding felt disturbed but determined. He was keenly anxious to please +the girl, but to yield in this matter would be to act against his +principles. She did not know what she was asking.</p> + +<p>"No," he said; "I can't see that."</p> + +<p>"Do you consider it good taste to encourage our friends to thwart their +acknowledged leader?"</p> + +<p>"It looks bad, as you put it," Harding replied. "For all that, a +leader's business is to lead. He can't keep his followers standing still +when they want to move on. Their wishes must be respected. Despotic +authority's out of date."</p> + +<p>"What is the use of choosing a ruler if he isn't to be obeyed?" she said +haughtily.</p> + +<p>"It sounds logical," Harding replied; "but it doesn't always work."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was struggling hard with her wounded pride. Although on the +whole broadminded, she had inherited some of the convictions of her +caste; and, being the only daughter of the head of the settlement, she +had been treated with more deference by the men at Allenwood than was +perhaps good for her. It had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> cost her an effort to ask a favor from +Harding, but she had not doubted the result, and his refusal was a +shock. That the man who now proved obdurate had boldly shown his +admiration for her, made it worse. Yet, because she believed her cause +was good, she determined to disregard her injured feelings.</p> + +<p>"If you persist in your plans, it will hurt Colonel Mowbray, and lead to +dissention here," she argued. "Why must you try to bring in these +changes? We have done very well as we are."</p> + +<p>He rose and stood with his hand on a chair-back, looking steadily at +her; and she noticed with half-grudging approval the strength of his +figure and the resolution in his quiet, brown face.</p> + +<p>"The trouble is that you can't continue as you are. Allenwood's +threatened from outside, and I'm not sure it's safe within."</p> + +<p>"Is that your business?"</p> + +<p>The cold pride in her tone hurt, for it implied that she regarded him as +an intruding stranger.</p> + +<p>"In a way, yes; but we'll let that drop. If I could have pleased you by +giving up a personal advantage, I'd have gladly done so; but this is a +bigger thing. It isn't a matter of being content with a smaller crop; +it's letting land that was meant to be worked lie idle, wasting useful +effort, and trying to hold up a state of things that can't last. If I +give way, I'll be going back on all I believe in and betraying a trust."</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed scornfully; and saw him wince.</p> + +<p>"I want you to understand what's behind this movement," he continued +gravely. "Your people can't keep Allenwood for a place of amusement much +longer, and some of those who see this have asked my help.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> I've +promised and I can't draw back. Besides, to break new soil and raise +good wheat where only the wild grasses grow is the work I was meant for; +the one thing worth while I'm able to do. I'd feel mean and ashamed if I +held off and let the waste go on."</p> + +<p>"Of course, it would be too great a sacrifice to make for a prejudiced +old man, who has nevertheless always placed the good of Allenwood first, +and an inexperienced, sentimental girl!"</p> + +<p>Harding flushed at the taunt. It was very hard to displease her, but he +would not be justified in giving way, and he thought that later, when +she understood better, she would not blame him for being firm. Moreover, +his temper was getting short.</p> + +<p>"That's neither kind nor fair," he said. "Separate or together, your +people and I must move on. We can't stand still, blocking the way, and +defying Nature and the ordered procession of things. This land was made +for the use of man, and he must pay with hard work for all it gives +him."</p> + +<p>"I am sorry you take that view; but there seems nothing further to be +said." She rose as she spoke. "I'm afraid it's impossible that we should +agree."</p> + +<p>He left at once, and drove home in a downcast mood. No doubt, he had +disappointed her badly. He had not even had the tact to make his refusal +graceful; she must think him an iconoclastic boor, driven by a rude +hatred of all that she respected. Still, he had tried to be honest; he +could not shirk the task he was clearly meant to do. The struggle, +however, had tried him hard, and he drove with set lips and knitted +brows across the great white waste, oblivious of the biting cold.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE CASTING VOTE</span></h2> + + +<p>It was a bitter evening. The snow on the crests of the rises glittered +like steel; the hollows were sharply picked out in blue. The frost was +pitiless, and a strong breeze whipped up clouds of dry snow and drove +them in swirls across the plain. A half moon, harshly bright, hung low +above the western horizon, and the vast stretch of sky that domed in the +prairie was sprinkled with stars.</p> + +<p>Harding and Devine were on their way to attend a council meeting at the +Grange. Wrapped, as they were, in the thick driving-robe, with their fur +caps pulled well down, they could not keep warm. The cold of the icy +haze seemed to sear the skin. Harding's woolen-mittened hand was numbed +on the reins, and he feared that it was getting frostbitten.</p> + +<p>"It's fierce to-night," Devine remarked. "Do you think there'll be a +good turn-out of the Allenwood boys?"</p> + +<p>"The cold won't stop them. I expect the Colonel has sent round to whip +them up."</p> + +<p>"I guess you're right. Do you know, now that I've met one or two of them +I see something in you and Hester that's in them. Can't tell you what it +is, but it's there, and it was plainer in your father. What are they +like when you get to know them?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>"Much the same as the rest of us."</p> + +<p>"The rest of us! Then you don't claim to be different from the general +prairie crowd?"</p> + +<p>Harding frowned.</p> + +<p>"I suppose I wouldn't mind being thought the best farmer in the +district," he said; "but that's all the distinction I care about."</p> + +<p>"You'll get that easy enough. You've gone ahead fast, Craig, and you're +going farther; but you may have some trouble on the way. When a man +breaks a new trail for himself and leaves other men behind, it doesn't +make them fond of him."</p> + +<p>"Oh, I have no delusions on that point. To attain success, one cannot +hope to travel a balmy road."</p> + +<p>"Why do you want to rope in the Allenwood boys?" Devine asked curiously.</p> + +<p>"The reason's plain. You and I might make the steam-plow pay, but the +price is high, and we can't do much more alone. If you want the best +economy in farming, you must have cooperation. It's easier to buy +expensive tools if you divide the cost."</p> + +<p>"I see that. But have you no other reason? You don't feel that you'd +like to make friends with these people and, so to speak, have them +acknowledge you?"</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding firmly. Since his talk with Beatrice he had felt a +curious antagonism to the whole Allenwood settlement.</p> + +<p>It was too cold to talk much, and the men drove on in silence until the +lights of the Grange twinkled out across the plain. Ten minutes later +they entered the big hall, and Harding cast a quick glance about. He +noticed the clusters of wheat-ears and the big moose-heads on the wall, +the curious Eastern weapons and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> English sporting guns that +glistened beneath them, and the fine timbering of the pointed roof. He +did not think there was another homestead to compare with this between +Winnipeg and the valleys of British Columbia; but it was the company +that seized his attention. It looked as if every man in the settlement +were present; and they were worth the glance he gave them. Dressed with +picturesque freedom, they were, for the most part, handsome men, with +powerful frames and pleasant, brown faces. Harding knew they had +courage and intelligence, yet he felt that there was something +lacking—something hard to define. He thought of them as without the +striving spirit; as too content.</p> + +<p>One or two gave him a welcoming smile, and there was a slight general +movement when he sat down. Mowbray, however, looked up with some +surprise from the head of the long table.</p> + +<p>"After certain favors Mr. Harding has done me, it would be singularly +inappropriate if I questioned his coming here as my guest. On the other +hand, the presence of any outside person at our council is irregular."</p> + +<p>"May I explain?" Kenwyne said. "Mr. Harding and his partner came by my +invitation to give us some information about matters of which he knows +more than any one else. They will, of course, take no other part in the +proceedings."</p> + +<p>Mowbray bowed. "I am satisfied. Mr. Harding will understand that a +president must show due regard to form."</p> + +<p>His manner was courteous, yet Harding was conscious of a subtle +antagonism between them. To some extent, it was personal, but its roots +struck deeper; it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> was the inevitable hostility between the old school +and the new. Mowbray was a worthy representative of the former. +Fastidiously neat in his dress, though his clothes were by no means of +the latest cut, and sitting very upright, he had an air of dignity and +command. He might be prejudiced, but it was obvious that he was neither +dull nor weak.</p> + +<p>"We have," he said, taking up a paper, "a motion of some importance +before us. It is proposed that we consider the advisability of +cooperating with Messrs. Harding and Devine: first, in the purchase and +use of a steam-plow; second, in the organization of a joint creamery; +and, third, in opening a sales office in Winnipeg or other convenient +center for the disposal of stock and general produce."</p> + +<p>Putting down the paper he looked round with an ironical smile.</p> + +<p>"You will observe that the scheme is by no means modest; indeed, it +strikes me as the most revolutionary project that has ever been +suggested in this place. It is nevertheless my duty to ask those +responsible for it to say what they can in its favor."</p> + +<p>Kenwyne rose with a composed expression.</p> + +<p>"Briefly, the advantages are these. With mechanical power we can plow +more land than at present and at a reduced cost."</p> + +<p>"That is far from certain," Mowbray declared. "We cannot take it for +granted. These machines go wrong."</p> + +<p>"With your permission, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures +later. We are missing opportunities by being content with rearing only a +limited number of beef cattle. Winnipeg and Brandon are growing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> fast; +new towns are springing up along the railroad, and there will soon be a +demand for dairy produce that will counterbalance the rather frequent +loss of a wheat crop."</p> + +<p>"It will mean more paid hands and working all the land," some one +objected.</p> + +<p>"Exactly. I may add that this is our aim. The land must be developed."</p> + +<p>There was a murmur of disapproval, but Kenwyne went on.</p> + +<p>"Then there is reason to believe that we seldom obtain the prices we +ought to get. Stockbuyers' profits and salesmen's charges are high, and +we can't expect these gentry to look after <i>our</i> interests. We could +best secure these by setting up an agency of our own, and hiring trained +assistance. I'm afraid we cannot claim to be successful business men."</p> + +<p>"If that claim is ever justified, you will have to choose another +leader," Mowbray remarked. "This settlement was not founded with the +object of making money. Now, Broadwood!"</p> + +<p>Broadwood rose with a smile.</p> + +<p>"We must all agree, sir, that there's not much danger of the object you +mention being realized. No doubt, there are some to whom this doesn't +matter, but the rest are confronted with the necessity for making a +living, and I suspect that one or two have the trouble I've experienced +in paying my storekeepers' bills."</p> + +<p>"Don't be personal!" some one called out.</p> + +<p>"That strikes me as foolish," Broadwood retorted. "One can't help being +personal. We all know one another; we use one another's horses and +borrow one another's cash; and it's the necessity for doing the latter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> +that I wish to obviate. We all know our neighbors' needs, and I want to +show you how they can be supplied."</p> + +<p>He had struck the right note with his easy humor; but Harding saw that +Mowbray was not pleased.</p> + +<p>"<i>You</i> don't need much," one cried amid laughter. "You got a bumper +harvest, and cut down your subscription to the hounds."</p> + +<p>Broadwood smiled.</p> + +<p>"I came out of the rut and worked. A rash experiment, perhaps, but it +didn't prove so harrowing as I feared; and there's some satisfaction in +having no debts. But my point is that you can't do much without proper +implements, and I feel that we'll have to get them. The proposal I've +the pleasure of seconding, shows you how."</p> + +<p>He sat down, and Mowbray looked up with a sarcastic smile.</p> + +<p>"Broadwood's remarks don't take us much farther; he seems careful to +avoid practical details. Now the first thing I notice about this scheme +is that it is founded on combination. Its proposers are right in +assuming the necessity for this, if their purpose is to secure +economical success; but such success can be bought at too high a price. +Carry the cooperative idea out to its logical conclusion, and a man +becomes a machine. He must subordinate his private judgment, he cannot +choose his course, all his movements must be regulated by central +control. Then you may get efficiency, but you destroy character, +independence, personal responsibility, all the finest attributes of +human nature. You may object that I am exaggerating; that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> nobody wants +this. The danger is that if you decide to go some distance, you may be +driven farther than you think. Then, Allenwood was founded to encourage +individual liberty—that settlers here might live a healthy life, free +from economic pressure; on their own land, farming it like gentlemen, +and not with bitter greed; enjoying the wind and sunshine, finding +healthy sport. We demand a high standard of conduct, but that is all. We +are bound to one another by community of ideals and traditions, and not +by the hope of dividends."</p> + +<p>There was an outbreak of applause; then Kenwyne rose.</p> + +<p>"The difficulty is that to lead our own lives, regardless of changing +times and in defiance of commercial principles, needs larger means than +most of us possess. The plain truth is that Allenwood has been living +upon its capital, drawing upon resources that cannot be renewed, and we +must presently face the reckoning. Some of us see this clearly, and I +think the rest are beginning to understand. If you have no objections, +sir, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures."</p> + +<p>Harding got up and stood silent for a moment or two, conscious that all +present were watching him. He felt that they were keeping the ring, and +that the affair had developed into a fight between himself and Mowbray. +Harding regretted this, because the Colonel's hostility would make the +secret hope he cherished very difficult to realize; but he could not act +against his convictions. He stood for progress—blundering progress, +perhaps—and Mowbray for the preservation of obsolete ways and means; +the conflict was inevi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>table. Harding might lose the first round, but he +knew that the result was certain. Vast, insuperable forces were arrayed +against his antagonist.</p> + +<p>"To begin with, what do you expect to gain by persuading us to join +you?" Mowbray asked.</p> + +<p>"A saving of expense and the help of the only neighbors I have at +present," Harding answered. "My partner and I are ready to go on alone, +but we can't hope to do much unassisted."</p> + +<p>Opening the papers he had brought, he read out particulars of the cost +of plowing by horses and by steam; then statistics of American and +Canadian grain production and the fluctuations of prices.</p> + +<p>"Where did you get the figures about the mechanical plowing?" Mowbray +asked in an ironical tone. "From the makers?"</p> + +<p>"In the first place. I afterward checked them by information from +farmers who have used the machines."</p> + +<p>"Very wise! These implements are expensive. Can you guarantee that they +will work satisfactorily?"</p> + +<p>"That would be rash. I expect a certain amount of trouble."</p> + +<p>"Skilled mechanics' wages are high. Do you recommend our keeping a man +here in case things go wrong?"</p> + +<p>"Certainly not! If you buy a steam-plow, you must learn to keep it in +order."</p> + +<p>Broadwood, picturing the Colonel sprawled under an oily engine, battling +with obstinate bolts, laughed aloud.</p> + +<p>Mowbray frowned.</p> + +<p>"Granting the accuracy of your statistics," he said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> "you seem to have +proved the economy of mechanical power, when used on a large scale. But +we are not agreed upon the necessity for such a thing."</p> + +<p>This was the opening Harding had waited for and he seized it quickly.</p> + +<p>"At present wheat is your mainstay. How many of you will find it +profitable to grow at the current price?"</p> + +<p>"Not many, perhaps," Mowbray admitted; and the disturbed expression of +others bore out the statement. "But is there adequate ground for +concluding it will remain at an abnormally low price?"</p> + +<p>"It will not remain there. For the next few years it will go down +steadily."</p> + +<p>There was a murmur of disagreement; and Mowbray smiled.</p> + +<p>"I presume you are willing to justify this gloomy forecast?" he said.</p> + +<p>"I'll try," answered Harding. "You have seen what one railroad has done +for Western Canada. It has opened up the country, brought wide tracts of +land into cultivation, and largely increased the wheat crop. That +increase will go on, and you will presently see rival lines tapping new +belts of fertile soil."</p> + +<p>"But do you imply that the grain output of Western Canada can force down +prices?" a man asked with a scornful laugh. "We have all Europe for a +market. I imagine they'll use what we can send them in a few big English +towns."</p> + +<p>It was obvious that the question met with approval, and Harding quietly +searched the faces turned toward him. He belonged by right of birth to +these men's caste, but he did not want them to own him. He asked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> their +help, but he could do without it, though they could not dispense with +his. Their supineness irritated him; they would not see the truth that +was luminously clear. He felt a strange compulsion to rouse and dominate +them.</p> + +<p>"The Canadian output will soon have to be reckoned with," he said. "In +the meantime, it's the effect of a general expansion throughout the +world that I'm counting on. What has been done in Canada is being done +everywhere. Look abroad and see! The American middle West linked up with +new railroads, grain pouring out to New York and Baltimore; Californian +wheat shipments doubling, and the Walla country in Oregon all one grain +belt. They're tapping new soil in Argentina; Australia and Chile are +being exploited wherever they get rain; and British irrigation works in +Egypt and India will have their effect."</p> + +<p>Gerald Mowbray spoke for the first time.</p> + +<p>"One feels tempted to inquire where Mr. Harding secured this mass of +information?" he said, with a slight curl of his lips.</p> + +<p>"You can get a good deal for a few dollars' subscription to New York +papers," Harding answered dryly. "When the snow's deep, men with no +amusements have time to read. But that's beside the question. I must now +ask you to consider the improvement in transport. Locomotives are +doubling their size and power; you have seen the new grain cars. The +triple-expansion engine is cutting down ocean freight, making distance +of no account. All countries must compete in the world's markets with +the cheapest grower. To survive in the struggle that's coming, one must +use efficient tools."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>"And what will happen after the markets have been flooded?" a man asked +derisively.</p> + +<p>"Then," said Harding gravely, "when the slack and careless have been +killed off there will be a startling change. The farming expansion can't +last; there's not enough accessible virgin land to draw upon. American +shipments will fall off; the demands of the world's growing population +will overtake the supply. Those who live through the fight will find +riches thrust upon them."</p> + +<p>"We are losing sight of the general produce and dairy scheme," Mowbray +remarked. "Have you anything to tell us on this point?"</p> + +<p>"Not much. Winnipeg is growing, so is Brandon, and they'll provide good +markets for farming truck; but the country that will ask for most is +British Columbia."</p> + +<p>"Rather a long way off!" somebody commented.</p> + +<p>"Wait and see," said Harding. "They're opening new mines and sawmills +all over the province; Columbia's aim is industrial, not agricultural, +and most of the land there is rock and forest. They're cut off from the +Pacific States by the tariff, and naturally they'll turn to us across +the Rockies. I foresee our sending general produce west instead of east. +Now, although I've taken up too much time, will you give me a minute to +read some figures?"</p> + +<p>He paused, and with an almost involuntary burst of applause they bade +him go on. The statistics he gave were telling, clinching his arguments, +and when he sat down there was a deep murmur of approval from opponents +as well as friends. The breadth of his views and his far-reaching +knowledge appealed to them. It<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> was the first time they had heard +anything like this at Allenwood.</p> + +<p>After waiting a few moments for silence, Mowbray turned to Devine.</p> + +<p>"Have you anything of interest to tell us?"</p> + +<p>"Well," Devine said with simple earnestness, "I was raised at a prairie +homestead. I began to drive horses soon after I could walk, and ever +since I've been living on the soil. That's how I know that in the long +run scratch-farming will never pay. With Nature up against us, we can +take no chances when we break new land, for she's mighty hard to beat, +with her dry seasons, harvest frost, blight, and blowing sand. We've got +to use the best of everything man can invent and, if we're to stand for +a run of bad times, get the last cent's value for every dollar. Any +machine that won't give you the top output must be scrapped: you must +get your full return for your labor. Slouching and inefficiency lead you +straight into the hands of the mortgage man."</p> + +<p>When he sat down, Mowbray smiled.</p> + +<p>"Our visitors have certainly given us food for thought," the Colonel +said. "I offer them our thanks, and should now be glad to hear any fresh +opinions."</p> + +<p>Several men spoke; some with warmth and some with careless humor.</p> + +<p>"As we don't get much further, we will take a vote," Mowbray suggested. +"I will move the resolution as it stands. Though this has not been our +usual custom, you are entitled to a ballot."</p> + +<p>There was silence for a moment. Mowbray's views were known, and the men +shrank from wounding him, for he did not bear opposition well. For all +that, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> a fastidious sense of honor, they disdained the shield of +the secret vote.</p> + +<p>"I think we will stick to the show of hands," Kenwyne replied.</p> + +<p>"Very well," said Mowbray. "For the motion!"</p> + +<p>Harding, glancing round the room, was surprised and somewhat moved to +notice that Lance's hand went up among the rest. The boy had voted +against his father. So far as Harding could judge, half the men were in +favor of the scheme.</p> + +<p>"Against the motion!"</p> + +<p>The hands were raised, and Mowbray counted them with care.</p> + +<p>"Equal, for and against," he announced. "I have a casting vote, and I +think the importance of the matter justifies my using it. I declare the +motion lost."</p> + +<p>There was an impressive silence for a few moments; then Broadwood spoke.</p> + +<p>"Although we have decided against going on with the scheme, as a body, I +take it there is nothing to prevent any individuals who wish to do so +joining in Mr. Harding's venture?"</p> + +<p>"I must leave you to decide how far such action is in good taste, or +likely to promote the harmony which has been the rule at Allenwood. Now +I think we can close the meeting."</p> + +<p>When the company dispersed, Harding, Devine, and Broadwood drove home +with Kenwyne. The Scotch housekeeper opened the door for them, and +handed Kenwyne the mail which had been brought in his absence. He tore +open a newspaper and turned to the quotations.</p> + +<p>"Wheat down sixpence a quarter at Liverpool," he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> said. "It will have +its effect in Chicago and Winnipeg." He dropped the paper and took off +his fur coat. "I suppose you're going on with the plan, Harding?"</p> + +<p>"The plow's ordered."</p> + +<p>"You're a hustler," Broadwood laughed; "but you mustn't make the pace +too hot. We've been used to going steady. What did you think of the +meeting?"</p> + +<p>"It went better than I expected."</p> + +<p>"We'd have had a majority only that they were afraid of the Colonel; and +I don't blame them. In a way, he made a rather pathetic figure, trying +to sweep back the tide. The old man has courage; it's a pity he won't +see that his is a lost cause."</p> + +<p>"He can't," said Kenwyne gravely; "and we must realize that."</p> + +<p>"Then are you going to let him ruin you?" Devine asked.</p> + +<p>"I hope not; but we all feel that we can't disown our leader," Broadwood +answered. "I dare say you can understand that we have a hard row to +hoe."</p> + +<p>"Well, the creamery scheme will have to be dropped," Kenwyne said; "but +there'll be plenty of work for the new plow."</p> + +<p>"Yes," Harding replied. "If all the rest stand out, Devine and I can +keep it busy."</p> + +<p>"How much land do you intend to break?"</p> + +<p>Harding told him, and Kenwyne looked astonished.</p> + +<p>"You're a bold man. If it's not an impertinence, can you finance the +thing?"</p> + +<p>"It will take every dollar I have."</p> + +<p>"And if you lose? The spring rains are sometimes hard enough to uproot +the young blades; or a summer hailstorm or drought may come and ruin the +crop."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>Harding shrugged his shoulder.</p> + +<p>"Those things must be considered, of course. But one never gets very far +by standing still and waiting for a disaster that may never occur. +'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,'" he quoted with a smile.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE STEAM PLOW</span></h2> + + +<p>The winter passed quickly. Harding was kept fully occupied; for there +was cordwood to be cut, there were building logs to be got ready, and +the fitting up of the new house kept him busy at his carpenter's bench. +He was used to the prairie climate, and he set off cheerfully at dawn to +work in the snow all day, returning at dark, half-frozen and stiff from +swinging the heavy ax. Now and then he drove Hester to Mrs. Broadwood's, +or spent an evening with one or two others of the Allenwood settlers. He +went partly for his sister's sake, but also because he sometimes met +Beatrice at his new friends' houses, and since Lance had recovered he no +longer had an excuse for visiting the Grange. Mrs. Mowbray had always +been gracious, but he knew that the Colonel now regarded him as a +dangerous person.</p> + +<p>Beatrice's manner puzzled him. As a rule, she was friendly, yet he could +not flatter himself that he was making much progress, and sometimes she +was distinctly aloof. He might have placed a favorable interpretation +upon her reserve, but unfortunately it was tinged with what looked very +much like hostility. Harding imagined that she was influenced by her +father; and he was troubled.</p> + +<p>There were, however, days when his homestead<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> rocked beneath the icy +blast, while the snow lashed the ship-lap walls, and to venture out +involved serious risk. The blizzards were often followed by bitter +evenings when the prairie lay white and silent in the Arctic frost, and +no furs would protect one against the cold. At such times, Harding sat +quietly by the red-hot stove, sometimes with a notebook in his hand, and +sometimes merely thinking hard. Many barriers stood between him and the +girl he loved, and, being essentially practical, he considered how he +could remove the worst. Beatrice had been luxuriously brought up, and he +must have material advantages to offer her; although if she were what he +believed, she would not attach undue importance to them. He was +ambitious and generally ready to take a risk, but now he was staking his +all on an abundant crop. It could not be done rashly. Adverse +contingencies must be foreseen and guarded against; all the precautions +that experience dictated must be taken. He would be ruined if he lost.</p> + +<p>The days were lengthening, though the frost still held, when his +steam-plow arrived at the railroad settlement. No one seemed willing to +undertake its transport to Allenwood; and when a thing was extremely +difficult Harding believed in doing it himself. The machine had been +dismantled, but some of the engine-castings were massive, and the +boiler, with its large, wood-burning firebox was of considerable weight. +It must, however, be moved at once, because the frost might break, and +the prairie is impassable by loaded vehicles for a few weeks after the +thaw. As a rule, the snowfall is light on the Western plains, and +jumper-sleds are not in general use. In this instance Harding found the +long, high-wheeled wagon suit his purpose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> best, and he carefully +strengthened one before he set off to bring home the plow.</p> + +<p>It was not an easy task. The high plain sloped to the railroad in +wave-like undulations, with sandy crests and timber in the hollows. In +summer, it would hardly have been possible to haul the plow across this +belt of broken country, but the few inches of beaten snow on the trail +simplified the task. For all that, Harding spent several days on the +road, moving the machine in detachments, until he came to the boiler, +which must be handled in one piece. When, with the help of several +train-men, he got it into his wagon, he knew his troubles had begun.</p> + +<p>Leaving the settlement at dawn with Devine, they camped at sunset by a +frozen creek and got a few hours' sleep beside a fire until the cold +awakened them. After this, Harding lay thinking over the next day's work +until the sky began to whiten in the east, and it was time to get +breakfast.</p> + +<p>They set off in the stinging cold while the crimson sunrise glared +across the snow, but it was afternoon and the teams were worn out when +they approached the ravine a few miles from home. This, they knew, +presented their greatest obstacle. The frost held, sky and air were +clear, and a nipping wind had risen. As they drew near the wavy line of +trees that marked the edge of the dip, Harding was not pleased to notice +a group of people. He had arranged for two of the Allenwood men to meet +him with some tackle, but he saw that Hester, Beatrice, Mrs. Broadwood, +and several more had accompanied them. He was not often self-conscious, +but when he had anything difficult to do he did not like onlookers. They +embarrassed him.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>For all that, he felt a keen thrill of pleasure when Beatrice, with Mrs. +Broadwood, came toward him when he stopped his team on the edge of the +hollow. The sides of the ravine were clothed with leafless poplars, and +the snow shone a soft gray-blue in their shadow. In places, the slope +was very steep, and the trail, with several awkward bends, ran down +diagonally to the bridge at the bottom, shut in by rows of slender +trunks except where the ground fell away on its outer edge. A thin cloud +of steam hung over the jaded horses. Except for the sparkle in his eyes, +Harding had a very tired look when Beatrice stopped beside him.</p> + +<p>"It will not be easy getting down," she said.</p> + +<p>Harding smiled.</p> + +<p>"I suppose I deserve some trouble?"</p> + +<p>"I really think you do," Beatrice answered with a laugh. "I would have +stopped you if I could; but now the plow's here, it's too late to be +disagreeable about it—so I don't wish you any difficulty in getting +down!"</p> + +<p>"It's a sensible attitude. Fight against a thing you don't like, but +make the best of it when it's an accomplished fact."</p> + +<p>"I don't like steam-plows at Allenwood," said Beatrice with a flush of +color.</p> + +<p>"Allenwood is hifalutin," Mrs. Broadwood put in. "They're trying to run +it on ideals."</p> + +<p>"Is it necessary to separate ideals from practical efficiency?" Harding +asked.</p> + +<p>"They don't often go together," Beatrice answered scornfully.</p> + +<p>"There's some truth in that. But it's the fault of human nature; you +can't blame the machines."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>"The machines are to be admired," the girl returned. "One blames the men +who use them with the wrong object."</p> + +<p>Harding smiled; but before he could answer, Broadwood came up with +Kenwyne to announce that everything was ready.</p> + +<p>"You'll have to be careful," he warned Harding. "We'll lock the back +wheels before we hook on the tackles. Will you let the front team +loose?"</p> + +<p>"No; I may want them to swing me round the bends. First of all, I'll +take a look at what you've done."</p> + +<p>He walked down the trail with them and examined the fastenings of a big +iron block through which ran a wire rope with a tackle at one end.</p> + +<p>"The clevis is rather small, but it's the strongest I could find," +Kenwyne said.</p> + +<p>A little farther on they stopped where the bank fell nearly +perpendicularly for some distance below the outer edge of the road.</p> + +<p>"We banked the snow up here and beat it firm," he pointed out. "For all +that, it would be wise to keep well to the inside."</p> + +<p>"We'll shift the tackle when I get to the bend above," Harding replied, +and went down to the bridge. It was rudely built of logs and had no +parapet.</p> + +<p>"I found the turn awkward the last time, but I see you have made it a +bit easier," he said. "Well, we'd better make a start."</p> + +<p>Lance and one or two others joined them when they reached the top. +Harding examined the wagon and harness, and Beatrice watched him with +interest. He certainly lived up to his belief in efficiency, because she +did not think he omitted any precaution he could have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> taken. There was +something to admire in him as he quietly moved about beside the horses +and the ponderous mass of iron. It would not be an easy matter to +transport the load to the bottom of the gorge, but Beatrice felt that he +was at his best when confronting a difficulty.</p> + +<p>"The locked wheels won't hold her if anything goes wrong," he said. +"Keep all the strain you can upon the rope."</p> + +<p>They hooked it to the back axle, and Harding cautiously led the team +down the incline while Devine went to the leading horses' heads, and the +others checked the wagon with the tackle. The teams were obviously +nervous, and the pole-horses now and then lifted their haunches to hold +back the load, although they did not feel much of its weight. After some +trouble Harding got the wagon round the first turning, taking the +leaders up the side of the ravine in order to do so; but the trail ahead +was steeper, and the big drop not far below. They chocked the wheels +with logs while they moved the tackle, and Harding stood for a few +moments, breathing heavily, as he looked down into the gorge. He could +see the snowy trail wind for a short distance among the trees, and then +it dipped out of sight beyond a turn. It was beaten hard, and here and +there its surface caught a ray of light and flashed with an icy gleam. +They were half-way down; but the worst was to come.</p> + +<p>"It's an ugly bit," he cautioned Devine. "Hold the leaders in to the +side of the hill."</p> + +<p>They started, and as the weight came upon them the blocks screamed, and +the men began to strain against the drag of the rope. Foot by foot they +let it slip<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> round the smooth trunk of a tree, while the women stood +watching the tall figure at the pole-horses' heads. The powerful animals +braced themselves back, slipping a yard or two now and then, while +Harding broke into a run. The cloud of steam that hung over them grew +thicker as the trees closed in; the tackle was running out and those who +held it were panting hard, but they had rope enough to reach the next +bend.</p> + +<p>Then there was a crash and Kenwyne, reeling backward with those behind +him, fell heavily into the snow while the broken wire struck the trees. +A shout from Devine came up the hollow, and Hester clenched her hand as +she saw him flung off by a plunging horse and roll down the trail. He +dropped over the edge, but the wagon, lurching violently, went on, and +for a few moments Harding, running fast, clung to the near horse's head. +Then he let go; but instead of jumping clear, as the watchers had +expected, he grasped the side of the wagon as it passed and swung +himself up. They saw him seize the reins, standing upright behind the +driving-seat; and then the wagon plunged out of sight among the trees.</p> + +<p>Devine, scrambling to his feet, ran madly after it and vanished; and the +men who had held the tackle picked themselves up and looked down in +dismay. There was nothing they could do. The disaster must happen before +they could possibly reach the scene. It seemed impossible that Harding +could get round the next turn.</p> + +<p>Beatrice cast a quick glance at Hester, and felt braced by her attitude. +They were not emotional at Allenwood; but the prairie girl bore herself +with a stoic calm which Beatrice had never seen equaled there.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> Her +fiancé had narrowly escaped with his life, her brother was in imminent +peril, yet her eyes were steady and her pose was firm. His danger could +not be made light of, but the girl evidently had confidence in him. +Beatrice imagined that Hester had her brother's swiftness of action, +nevertheless she could wait and suffer calmly when there was nothing +else to be done. After all, stern courage was part of the girl's +birthright, for she was a daughter of the pioneers.</p> + +<p>Beatrice did not know that her own face was tense and white. The +accident had been unexpected and unnerving. She was shaken by its +suddenness and by a dread she could not explain: it was no time for +analysis of feelings. She was watching the trail with desperate +concentration, wondering whether the wagon and its reckless driver would +break out from the trees. In a moment they did appear—the team going +downhill at a mad gallop, Harding lashing them with a loop of the reins. +There is not often a brake on a prairie wagon, and as the chain that +locked the wheels had obviously broken, Harding's intention was plain. +He meant to keep the horses ahead of the iron load that would overturn +the wagon and mangle the animals if it overtook them. This warranted his +furious speed. But the trail was narrow and tortuous, and with the heavy +weight spread over a long wheel-base, the wagon was hard to steer. +Beatrice realized this, but in spite of her horror she felt a thrill of +fierce approval.</p> + +<p>The man was standing upright now; he looked strangely unmoved. Beatrice +supposed this was a delusion; but she could see the nerve and judgment +with which he guided the team. They were passing the spot where the bank +fell away. The wheels on one side<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> were on its edge. Beatrice turned +dizzy. She felt that they must go over, and man and horses and wagon be +crushed to pulp beneath the heavy load. They passed; but there was a +turn not far off, and room was needed to take the curve. As they rushed +on, half hidden by the trees, she felt her breath come hard and a +contraction in her throat as she wondered whether he could get round. If +not, the load of iron would rush headlong over the fallen horses, +leaving in its path a mass of mangled flesh and pools of blood. To her +excited imagination, the boiler was no longer a senseless thing. It +seemed filled with malevolent, destructive power; she felt she hated it.</p> + +<p>There was a tense moment; then the leading horses plunged from the trees +with the pole-team behind them, all still on their feet. Harding had +somehow steered them round. But the danger was not yet over, for the +trail shelved to one side and there was an awkward curve near the +bridge. The wagon seemed to Beatrice to be going like the toboggans she +had seen on the long slide at Montreal. It was more difficult to see as +it got farther off and the trees were thicker. Her eyes filled with +water from the intensity of her gaze, and she feared to waste a moment +in wiping them. Something terrible might happen before she could see +again. She wanted to shriek; and she might have done so only that, even +in such a moment, she remembered what was expected of the Mowbray +strain. Horses and wagon were still rushing on. Then there was a thud +and a harsh rattle: Harding was on the bridge. Another moment and the +mad beat of hoofs slackened and stopped.</p> + +<p>Lance, waving his fur cap, broke into a harsh, tri<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>umphant yell, and the +rest of the Allenwood men set up a cheer. In the midst of it Devine +appeared, scrambling up the hill through the brush.</p> + +<p>"He's done it! He's done it!" he cried excitedly, running up to Hester. +"It's great! She was going like an express freight on a downgrade when +he jumped up."</p> + +<p>Hester smiled at him proudly, and he turned and started off at top speed +down the trail. They all followed, and, crossing the bridge, found +Harding standing by his blowing team. The horses' coats were foul with +sweat, and Harding's face was badly scratched, but he did not seem to +know it, and except that he was breathless he looked much as usual.</p> + +<p>"This is quite ridiculous!" Mrs. Broadwood panted, with a keen glance at +Beatrice. "There's some excuse for Hester, but I can't see why you and I +should go running after a man who doesn't belong to either of us and +seems to feel a good deal cooler than we do!"</p> + +<p>Beatrice flushed, but she did not answer.</p> + +<p>"You were lucky in getting down," Kenwyne said to Harding. "We thought +you were going over the bank."</p> + +<p>"So did I, at first," Harding answered.</p> + +<p>Broadwood and Lance made some remarks about the accident, and Hester +watched them with a smile. There was a hint of strain in their voices, +but their manner was very matter-of-fact. She surmised that they wished +to forget their relapse into emotional excitement. She contented herself +with giving her brother a quick, expressive look.</p> + +<p>Harding unhooked the broken wire from the back of the wagon.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>"Well," he said, "we must set about getting up."</p> + +<p>The ascending trail had a gentler slope, and there was not much risk in +climbing it; though it cost them heavy labor. With the help of a yoke of +oxen, they got the wagon up, and when the top was reached Kenwyne came +up to Harding.</p> + +<p>"You and Devine have done enough," he said. "There should be no trouble +now. We'll lead the teams home while you take it easy."</p> + +<p>Harding was glad to comply. He followed with Hester and Mrs. Broadwood, +because Beatrice seemed so evidently trying to avoid him.</p> + +<p>The girl felt disturbed. When she thought that Harding could not escape, +a curious sense of personal loss had intensified her alarm. Terror, of +course, was natural; the other feeling was not to be explained so +readily. Although she disliked some of his opinions, she knew that he +attracted her. His was a magnetic nature: he exerted a strong influence +over every one; but she would not admit that she was in love with him. +That would be absurd. And yet she had been deeply stirred by his danger.</p> + +<p>Lance and Devine had lingered in the rear, and the little group stopped +in the middle of the trail and waited for them. Then, when they moved +forward again, Beatrice and Harding were somehow thrown together, and +she checked the impulse to overtake the others when she saw that she and +the prairie man were falling behind. To avoid being alone with him would +exaggerate his importance.</p> + +<p>"You must have known you were doing a dangerous thing when you got up on +the wagon," she said.</p> + +<p>"I suppose I did," he replied. "But I saw that I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> might lose the boiler +if it went down the bank. The thing cost a good deal of money."</p> + +<p>"You were able to remember that?"</p> + +<p>"Certainly! Then there were the teams. It would have been a pity to let +them be killed."</p> + +<p>Beatrice thought he might have offered a better explanation. He had +implied that anxiety about the boiler had influenced him more than +regard for his horses. She felt that she must give him an opportunity +for defending himself.</p> + +<p>"I wonder which consideration counted most?"</p> + +<p>He looked at her with amusement; and she flushed as she suddenly +recalled that he was sometimes very shrewd.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "the main thing was to get hold of the reins—and I +don't know that it matters now."</p> + +<p>"I suppose not," Beatrice agreed, vexed that he did not seem anxious to +make the best impression. "After all, breaking land on a large scale +must be expensive, and I understand that your plans are ambitious."</p> + +<p>Harding glanced across the prairie: it ran back to the blue smear of +trees on the horizon, covered with thin snow, and struck a note of utter +desolation.</p> + +<p>"Yes," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "All this looks lifeless and +useless now, but I can see it belted with wheat and oats and flax in the +fall. There will be a difference when the binders move through the grain +in rows."</p> + +<p>"In rows!"</p> + +<p>"We'll want a number, if all goes well. Devine's land follows my +boundary, and we must drive our plows in one straight line. We begin at +the rise yonder and run east to the creek."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>The boldness of the undertaking appealed to the girl as she glanced +across the wide stretch of snow.</p> + +<p>"It's a big thing," she said.</p> + +<p>"A beginning. Two men can't do much, but more are coming. In a year or +two the wheat will run as far as you can see, and there'll be homesteads +all along the skyline."</p> + +<p>They walked on in silence for a moment; then he gave her an amused +glance.</p> + +<p>"I guess Colonel Mowbray doesn't like what I'm doing?"</p> + +<p>"He doesn't go so far. It's to what you are persuading our friends to do +that he objects."</p> + +<p>"That's a pity. They'll have to follow—not because I lead, but because +necessity drives."</p> + +<p>"You're taking it for granted that it does drive; and you must see my +father's point of view."</p> + +<p>"That I'm encouraging your people to rebel? That's not my wish, but he +can't hold them much longer—the drift of things is against him."</p> + +<p>Beatrice's eyes sparkled. He thought she looked very charming with her +proud air and the color in her face; but he must keep his head. He was +readjusting his opinions about sudden, mutual love, and he saw that +precipitation might cost him too much. If he could not have the girl on +his own terms, he must take her on hers.</p> + +<p>"Colonel Mowbray founded the settlement," Beatrice said, "and it has +prospered. Can't you understand his feelings when he sees his control +threatened?"</p> + +<p>"The time when one man could hold full command has gone. He can be a +moral influence and keep the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> right spirit in his people, but he must +leave them freedom of action."</p> + +<p>"That is just the trouble! It's the modern spirit which you are bringing +into the settlement that disturbs us. We managed to get along very well +before we ever heard of Mr. Harding and his steam-plow and his +wheat-binders and his creameries."</p> + +<p>She could not keep the slight scorn out of her voice; indeed, she did +not wish to do so. But he took it good-naturedly.</p> + +<p>"Do you know what I see?" he questioned with a smile. "A time when +Colonel Mowbray—and Colonel Mowbray's daughter," he added +teasingly—"will look with pride upon the vast acres of Allenwood turned +from waste grassland into productive fields of wheat and oats and flax; +when the obsolete horse-plow will be scrapped as old iron and the now +despised steam-plow will be a highly treasured possession of every +settler; when——"</p> + +<p>"Never!" Beatrice interrupted emphatically. "You must understand that my +father's views and yours are as widely different as the poles—and my +father is the head of Allenwood!"</p> + +<p>Harding looked down at the haughty face turned up to him; and a great +longing suddenly surged through him. He had never desired her more than +at that instant. His admiration showed so strongly in his eyes that the +blood swept into Beatrice's face.</p> + +<p>"Bee!" Lance called back to them. "Mrs. Broadwood wants you to verify +what I'm telling her about the collie pup."</p> + +<p>Beatrice loved her brother for the interruption.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE ENEMY WITHIN</span></h2> + + +<p>It was getting late, but the Allenwood Sports Club prolonged its sitting +at the Carlyon homestead. The institution had done useful work in +promoting good fellowship by means of healthful amusements, but recently +its management had fallen into the hands of the younger men, and the +founders contented themselves with an occasional visit to see that all +was going well. Some, however, were not quite satisfied, and Mowbray +entertained suspicions about the Club. He was an autocrat, but he shrank +from spying, or attempting to coerce a member into betraying his +comrades. Some allowance must be made for young blood; and, after all, +nothing that really needed his interference could go on, he felt, +without his learning about it. Nevertheless, he had a disturbing feeling +that an undesirable influence was at work.</p> + +<p>Carlyon's room was unusually well furnished, and several fine London +guns occupied a rack on the matchboarded wall. The cost of one would +have purchased a dozen of the Massachusetts-made weapons which the +prairie farmers used. The photograph of a horseman in English hunting +dress with M.F.H. appended to the autograph was equally suggestive, and +it was known that Carlyon's people had sent him to Canada with money +enough to make a fair start. Unfortunately,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> he had not realized that +success in farming demands care and strenuous work.</p> + +<p>He sat with a flushed, excited face at a rosewood table, upon which the +cigar ends, bottles, and glasses scarcely left room for the cards he was +eagerly scanning. Gerald Mowbray leaned back in his chair, watching him +with a smile. Emslie, the third man, wore a disturbed frown; opposite +him, Markham sat with a heavy, vacant air.</p> + +<p>"Your luck's changing, Carlyon," Gerald said; "but we must stop at this +round. Markham's half asleep—and I'm not surprised, considering what +he's drunk; and the Colonel will wonder where I've been, if I stay much +longer."</p> + +<p>Carlyon drained his glass.</p> + +<p>"Very well," he consented, with a harsh laugh and a glitter in his eyes. +"As I've a good deal to get back, I'll double and throw my Percheron +team in. Does that take you?"</p> + +<p>Markham immediately became alert.</p> + +<p>"I think not. Go on, Gerald!"</p> + +<p>Gerald put down a card, Emslie followed with a deepening frown, but +Markham chuckled as he played. Carlyon started, and then with an obvious +effort pulled himself together. For the next few moments all were quiet, +and the stillness was emphasized by the patter of the falling cards. +Then Carlyon pushed his chair back noisily and looked at the others, his +face pale and set.</p> + +<p>"I thought it was a certainty; there was only one thing I forgot," he +said in a strained voice.</p> + +<p>Markham leaned forward heavily.</p> + +<p>"Fellows who play like you can't afford to forget, my boy. Know better +next time; let it be a lesson."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>Carlyon glanced at a notebook and took out a wad of bills which he tried +to count.</p> + +<p>"Sorry, but I seem to be five dollars short; don't know when you'll get +it, but I'll send the horses to the next Brandon sales. I dare say +somebody will help me with my plowing."</p> + +<p>"Don't be an ass!" said Gerald. "Throwing in the team was a piece of +silly bluff. We're not going to take advantage of it."</p> + +<p>Emslie nodded agreement; and Markham drawled:</p> + +<p>"Don't want his splay-footed beasts, and won't lend him my good +Clydesdales to spoil. Count out the bills, Gerald; his hand is shaking."</p> + +<p>Carlyon protested that he was a sportsman and paid his debts, but they +overruled him.</p> + +<p>"Silly thing to do, unless you're made," Markham declared. Then he +turned to Gerald. "What's become of the younger brother? Never see him +now."</p> + +<p>"Oh, he's reformed. On the whole, it's just as well, for there's not +room for two gamblers in the family. Besides, the Americans seem to have +got hold of him: they live like Methodists."</p> + +<p>"You mean the girl has? Devilish handsome; has a grand way of looking at +you. Ask Carlyon; he knows."</p> + +<p>Carlyon colored under Markham's broadly humorous gaze.</p> + +<p>"Miss Harding won't trouble herself about Lance," he said. "I may add +that she doesn't appreciate a graceful compliment."</p> + +<p>"Smacked your face?" suggested Markham with a chuckle. "Must be going. +Give me my coat."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>A newspaper and some letters fell out of a pocket as he put it on, and +he picked them up.</p> + +<p>"Quite forgot. Met the mail-carrier as I was driving in. Better look +what wheat is doing."</p> + +<p>Carlyon eagerly opened the paper.</p> + +<p>"Down again two cents at Chicago! Winnipeg will follow."</p> + +<p>"There's a certain cure," said Markham thickly. "All stop plowing. If +you do nothing long enough, 'must send the market up. Call it a +brilliant idea; wonder nobody else thought of it. You look sober, +Emslie. Come and help me into my rig."</p> + +<p>They went out, and a few minutes afterward a furious beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels rang out across the prairie.</p> + +<p>"I hope he will get home without breaking his neck," Carlyon said to +Gerald.</p> + +<p>"Oh, Markham can take care of himself. But we have something else to +think about now."</p> + +<p>"That's true," Carlyon agreed with a depressed air. "I took your advice +and told that fellow in the Pit to buy wheat; but I wish I'd heard +Harding's speech at the council before I made the deal. Now it's clear +that I'm dipped pretty deep." He picked up the letters that were +scattered among the cards and started as he saw the embossed stamp on +one of them. "It's from my broker; I'll soon know the worst."</p> + +<p>Gerald, lighting a cigarette, watched the tense expression of the boy's +face as he read the letter, and for a few moments nothing was said. +Carlyon looked crushed, but Gerald's position was too serious to allow +of his sympathizing much. Taking advantage of his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> friends' love of +excitement, he had won a number of small sums at cards, but this was of +no account against what he owed. After a moment Carlyon laid a statement +of account before him.</p> + +<p>"You can see how much I'm out."</p> + +<p>"Can't you carry it over?"</p> + +<p>"Impossible," Carlyon answered dejectedly. "I didn't actually buy the +grain; I've got to find the difference. Besides, what would be the use +of holding on, if wheat's still going to drop?"</p> + +<p>"It's awkward," Gerald agreed. "You might get some exemption under the +Homesteads Act, but this broker could sell you up. Would your people do +anything?"</p> + +<p>"They won't be asked. Things were not going well with them when I left, +and I guess they find it hard enough to keep Dick at college and provide +for the girls. They gave me a good start, but it was understood that I'd +get nothing more."</p> + +<p>"Then the only remedy is to borrow the money here."</p> + +<p>Carlyon laughed.</p> + +<p>"Who'd lend it to me? Besides, if the Colonel knew how I was fixed, he'd +turn me out of the settlement."</p> + +<p>"I know a man in Winnipeg who does this kind of business, but he'd +charge you high and want a bond. That means he'd seize your land in a +year or two if you couldn't pay."</p> + +<p>"The other fellow would seize it now," Carlyon said with eagerness. "If +I could get the money, I'd have time to see what could be done, and +something might turn up. Will you introduce me?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>The matter was arranged before Gerald left; and two days later they were +in Winnipeg. They found Davies willing to do business. Indeed, after +making a few difficulties as an excuse for raising the interest, he +supplied Carlyon with the money he needed, and when the men left his +office he lighted a cigar with a satisfied smile. He now held two +mortgages on land at Allenwood, and he thought that he could make good +use of them if, as he expected, the loans were not repaid. Then it was +possible that Mowbray might bring him another customer. He saw a big +profit for himself, and trouble for the Allenwood settlers, when the +reckoning came.</p> + +<p>Shortly after Gerald's visit to Winnipeg, one of his neighbors returned +from England, where he had gone to look into matters connected with some +property he had recently inherited. His absence had been a relief to +Beatrice, and she was especially disturbed to learn that on his arrival +he had spent an hour in private talk with her father. Brand had +continually shown strong admiration for her, which she by no means +reciprocated. She did not actually dislike the man; but his attentions +annoyed her. She knew, however, that he enjoyed Colonel Mowbray's full +approval. He came of good family and his character was irreproachable; +moreover, being past forty, he had outgrown all youthful rashnesses. Of +rather handsome person and polished manners, Brand was generally +characterized by staid gravity, and Mowbray considered his views +exceptionally sound.</p> + +<p>Beatrice was keenly curious about what he had said to her father. She +imagined that her mother knew, but no hint was given to her, and when +she met Brand<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> it was always in the company of others and there was +nothing to be gathered from his manner. It was, however, not often that +he displayed his sentiments.</p> + +<p>The thaw had begun when she walked home from the Broadwood farm one +afternoon. The snow had vanished as if by magic, and shallow lagoons +glittered among the bleached grass. The sky was a brilliant blue, and +rounded clouds with silver edges rolled across it before the fresh +northwest breeze which would blow persistently until summer was done. +Their swift shadows streaked the plain and passed, leaving it suffused +with light. There was a genial softness in the air.</p> + +<p>Beatrice picked her way cautiously toward a straggling bluff, for the +ponds along its edge had overflowed and the ground was marish. On +reaching the woods she stopped in a sheltered nook to enjoy the +sunshine. The birches and poplars were bare, but their stems were +changing color and the twigs had lost their dry and brittle look. The +willows in a hollow were stained with vivid hues by the rising sap, and +there was a flush of green among the grass. Small purple flowers like +crocuses were pushing through the sod. From high overhead there fell a +harsh, clanging cry, and the girl, looking up, saw a flock of brent +geese picked out in a wedge against the sky. Behind came a wedge of +mallard, and farther off, gleaming snowily, a flight of sandhill cranes. +Spring was in the air; the birds had heard its call, and were pressing +on toward the polar marshes, following the sun. Beatrice felt a curious +stirring of her blood. It was half pleasant, half painful, for while she +responded to the gladness that per<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>vaded everything the sunshine kissed, +she was conscious of a disturbing longing, a mysterious discontent. She +would not try to analyze her feelings, but she felt that her life was +narrow and somehow incomplete.</p> + +<p>She was startled presently by a drumming of hoofs; and she frowned as +Brand rode out of the bluff. He had seen her, and she decided not to try +to avoid him by walking on. If she must face a crisis, it was better to +get it over. Brand got down and turned to her with a smile. He looked +well in his wide, gray hat and his riding dress, for the picturesqueness +of the fringed deerskin jacket, which was then the vogue at Allenwood, +did not detract from his air of dignity. His features were regular, but +his expression was somewhat cold.</p> + +<p>"I'm glad we have met, and I'll confess that I expected to find you +here. In fact, I came to look for you," he said with a smile.</p> + +<p>Beatrice knew what was coming. While she felt that it would be better to +meet the situation frankly, she nevertheless shrank from doing so.</p> + +<p>"I have seen so little of you since you came home," she said, partly to +defer his declaration, "that I haven't had an opportunity for expressing +my sympathy."</p> + +<p>"It was a shock," he answered. "I hadn't seen either of my cousins since +they were boys, but we were good friends then, and I never expected to +succeed them. Their yacht was run down at night, and when the steamer +got her boat out only the paid hand was left."</p> + +<p>"Will you go back to England now to live?"</p> + +<p>"I think I'll stay at Allenwood. One gets used to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> Western +ways—although there's a good deal to be said for either course, and it +doesn't altogether depend on me."</p> + +<p>Beatrice hesitated a moment, then:</p> + +<p>"There is some one else to please?" she asked with charming innocence.</p> + +<p>Brand drew a quick breath as he gazed at the young face so near him. She +was leaning against a poplar trunk, the sun fretting her with gold +between the bare branches, the wind caressing a few loose strands of +hair that were blown across her cheek.</p> + +<p>"I will please the girl I hope to marry," he said in a strained voice. +"She loves the prairie, and she shall have her choice. I think you know, +Beatrice, that I have long been waiting for you."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was annoyed to find herself blushing.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry," she faltered. "You know I tried to show you—you must see +it was difficult."</p> + +<p>"It is not your fault that I wouldn't take a hint," he answered quietly. +"But you are very young; and I knew that I would never change."</p> + +<p>"You thought I might?"</p> + +<p>"I hoped so. I was afraid that after the romantic admiration you have +had from the boys, you might find me too matter-of-fact and staid. But +there was a chance that you might get used to that, and I made up my +mind to be patient."</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry, for your sake, that you waited."</p> + +<p>Her glance was gently regretful, and he read decision in it, but he was +a determined man.</p> + +<p>"It seems I haven't waited long enough," he returned with a faint smile. +"But while you will grow more attractive for a long time yet, I have +reached my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> prime, and inheriting the English property rather forced my +hand. After all, our life here is bare and monotonous—you would have a +wider circle and more scope in the Old Country."</p> + +<p>Beatrice liked his terseness and in some ways she liked and respected +him. Moreover she was offered a beautiful English country house, a +position of some influence, and friends of taste and rank.</p> + +<p>"You were very considerate," she said. "But I'm afraid what you wish is +impossible."</p> + +<p>"Wait!" he begged. "I haven't said much about myself, but I believe I +appreciate you better than any of the boys is capable of doing; I could +carry your wishes further and take more care of you." He paused with a +grave smile. "I'm not a romantic person, but I think I'm trustworthy. +Then, it would please your father."</p> + +<p>"Ah! You have told him?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; and he was good enough to express his full approval."</p> + +<p>Beatrice's face was disturbed, but she answered frankly:</p> + +<p>"Though I know you won't take an unfair advantage of his consent, I wish +you hadn't gone to him. It may make things more difficult for me. And +now, please understand that I cannot marry you."</p> + +<p>Brand's lips came together in a straight line. He did not have a +pleasant look; but his voice was unusually suave when he answered:</p> + +<p>"It looks as if I must face my disappointment. I'll do nothing that +might embarrass you. All the same, I warn you that I shall not despair."</p> + +<p>"You must not think of me," Beatrice said firmly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> "I'm very sorry, but +I want to save you trouble."</p> + +<p>He quietly picked up his horse's bridle.</p> + +<p>"You are going home? May I walk with you as far as the trail-forks?"</p> + +<p>Beatrice could not refuse this, and he talked pleasantly about Allenwood +matters until he left her. She went on alone in a thoughtful mood. She +wished that Brand had not made his offer, because she knew that her +refusal had been a blow, and she did not like to think that she had +wounded him. Moreover, his quiet persistence might still prove +troublesome. Perhaps it was unfortunate that she could not return his +affection; for Brand had many good qualities, and her father approved of +him. Then, with a thrill of perplexing emotion, she thought of Harding. +In some respects, he was too practical and matter-of-fact; but she knew +that his character had another side. While he worked and planned, he had +dreams of a splendid future which she thought would be realized. He was +a visionary as well as a man of affairs; virile, daring, and beneath the +surface generous and tender. It was curious how she knew so much about +him, yet she felt that she was right.</p> + +<p>Harding was, however, barred out, so to speak; divided from her by +conventions and traditions that could not be broken, unless, indeed, +love warranted the sacrifice. But she would not admit that she loved +him. He loved her, she knew; but that was not enough. It was all +complicated; nothing seemed right. She no longer noticed the sunshine or +the bracing freshness of the wind as she moved on across the plain with +downcast eyes.</p> + +<p>Nerving herself for the encounter, she told her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> father that evening, +and he sat silent for a few moments, looking hard at her while she stood +by his writing table with an embarrassed air.</p> + +<p>"It seems to me you are very hard to please," he said.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps I am," she answered. "But I don't like him enough."</p> + +<p>"I suppose that's an adequate reason, but I regret it keenly. It would +have been a relief to know your future was secure, as it would have been +with Brand."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was touched. He had not taken the line she expected, and she +saw that he was anxious.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps it's better that you should learn the truth," he went on. "For +the last few years my affairs have not gone well. Gerald's extravagance +has been a heavy drain; Lance is young and rash; and I feel now that the +prosperity of Allenwood is threatened. The American made me realize +that. In fact, the fellow has brought us trouble ever since he came."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps it might be wise to take a few of the precautions he +recommended," Beatrice suggested, eager to lead him away from the +subject of Brand.</p> + +<p>Mowbray's eyes flashed with anger.</p> + +<p>"No! If we are to be ruined, I hope we'll meet our fate like +gentlemen—and it may not come to that. We have struggled through +critical periods before, and can make a good fight yet without using +detestable means."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was troubled. She admired her father's pride and courage, but +she had an uncomfortable suspicion that he was leading a forlorn hope. +Unflinching bravery was not the only thing needful: one could not face +long odds with obsolete weapons.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>"But they are not all detestable," she urged. "You could choose the +best—or, if you like, the least offensive."</p> + +<p>"Compromise is dangerously easy; when you begin, you are apt to go all +the way. I didn't expect this from you. I believed my own family +staunch, and I must say it's a shock to find the tradesman's spirit in +my children. Even Lance shows the taint. He actually is planning to sell +his riding horses and buy some machine that will save a hired man's +wages!"</p> + +<p>Beatrice smiled.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps that is better than following Gerald's example. But you mustn't +be unjust. You know that none of us would think of thwarting you."</p> + +<p>She crossed over to the back of his chair and put her arms around him.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry you are disappointed about Mr. Brand," she said softly; "but +I know you'll forgive me."</p> + +<p>Before he could answer, she had slipped out of the room. She went at +once to find her mother.</p> + +<p>"Your father would never force you to marry a man you do not care for," +Mrs. Mowbray assured her. "So far as that goes, you have nothing to +fear."</p> + +<p>"What do you mean?" Beatrice asked in alarm.</p> + +<p>Her mother's eyes were anxious, and there was a warning in the look she +gave the girl.</p> + +<p>"My dear, you would not find him compliant if you wished to marry a man +he did not approve of."</p> + +<p>Beatrice stooped to flick an imaginary piece of lint off of her skirt. +She did not want her mother to see her face just then.</p> + +<p>"After all," she answered, far more confidently than she felt, "that may +never happen."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE TRAITOR</span></h2> + + +<p>The prairie was bright with sunshine, and the boisterous west wind was +cut off by a bluff where Harding sat amid a litter of dismantled +machinery. Behind him the newly opened birch leaves showed specks of +glowing green, and a jack-rabbit, which had put off its winter coat and +was now dappled white and gray, fed quietly, with a watchful eye turned +toward the unconscious man; in front, the vast sweep of grass that +flashed with a silvery gleam as it bowed to the wind was broken by the +warm chocolate hue of a broad strip of plowing. The rows of clods, with +their polished faces, stretched across the foreground; and on their +outer edge Devine, dressed in overalls the color of the soil, drove a +team of big, red oxen.</p> + +<p>Harding, however, was absorbed in the study of several brass rings and +coils of packing that had formed the gland of a pump. Near by stood a +giant plow with a row of shares, looking out of place among the earth +and grass with its glaring paint, its ugly boiler, and its sooty stack, +though the work that it had done was obvious. Something had gone wrong, +and Harding was trying to locate the trouble. The delay was +embarrassing, for he had a wide stretch of land to break, and the loss +of even an hour was serious. There was not a trained mechanic in the +neighborhood; and if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> the plow were likely to give him trouble, the +sooner he learned to master it the better. Every part of the machine +seemed to be perfect; yet the steam had gone down on the previous +evening, and he must find out the reason. It was exasperating work.</p> + +<p>While Harding was struggling with the pump, Beatrice came along the +trail through the bluff. Her companion, Banff, one of Lance's many dogs, +had trailed off through the bushes, his nose to the ground, and she was, +for the moment, alone. When she caught sight of Harding she stopped +irresolutely. She felt that it might be wiser to pass on without +disturbing him; yet something compelled her to wait.</p> + +<p>She stood watching him. He attracted her—that much she admitted; but +she persuaded herself that it was only because he was interesting to +talk to and, unlike the other men she knew, he said things that made one +think.</p> + +<p>Harding was so deep in his machinery problem that he did not see her. He +was once more fitting the different parts together, when Banff came +bounding out of the bushes with a glad bark and the little gray rabbit +scuttled off through the briars.</p> + +<p>Harding turned quickly; and Beatrice saw his eyes light up.</p> + +<p>"I'm glad you've come," he said, emptying a box of tools and turning it +upside down. "That isn't a bad seat—and the sun's pleasant here."</p> + +<p>Beatrice noticed that he took it for granted that she would remain; but, +after all, he had some reason for this, for they seldom passed without +stopping to speak when they met.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>"Has the machine gone wrong?" she asked, sitting down where the sunlight +fell upon her.</p> + +<p>"Yes, pretty badly. I can't find out what's the matter. I suppose you +think it's a just punishment for bringing such things to Allenwood?"</p> + +<p>She laughed.</p> + +<p>"Well, you gave our friends some offense when you brought your plow over +and broke Kenwyne's land."</p> + +<p>"I expected that. There'll no doubt be more remarks when I break the +piece of stiff gumbo on Lance's holding."</p> + +<p>Beatrice looked up sharply.</p> + +<p>"You mean to do that? You must know it will cause trouble," she said +with a frown.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry to displease you; but this is something that must be done."</p> + +<p>"Why must it? Do you wish Lance to offend his father?"</p> + +<p>"No; but Colonel Mowbray has no cause for complaint. He gave the land to +Lance on the understanding that he worked it; there's no reason why he +should object to his using the best implements. Then, Lance is your +brother and I don't want to see him ruined."</p> + +<p>Beatrice blushed under his frank gaze; and because she was annoyed at +doing so, she flung out a taunt:</p> + +<p>"Do you think the only way of escaping ruin is to copy you?"</p> + +<p>Harding laughed. He loved her in that mood. She looked so alluring with +a little frown between her brows and just the suspicion of a pout on her +lips.</p> + +<p>"You see," he explained, in a voice that he might have used to an +offended child, "your Allenwood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> friends will have to make a change +soon, or they'll suffer. And their attitude is not logical. Your father +doesn't ask them to cultivate with the spade; they've dropped the +ox-teams and bought Clydesdales; they've given up the single furrow and +use the gang-plow. Why not go on to steam? After all, you're not +standing still: you're moving forward a little behind the times. Why not +keep abreast of them, or push on ahead?"</p> + +<p>"It sounds plausible," she admitted. "In a way, perhaps, you're right; +but——"</p> + +<p>"I know. There's much that's fine and graceful in the customs of the +past. But you can't preserve them without some adaptation. We're a new +nation working in the melting pot. All the scum and dross comes to the +top and makes an ugly mess, but the frothing up clarifies the rest. By +and by the product will be run out, hard, true metal."</p> + +<p>"You're an optimist."</p> + +<p>Harding laughed.</p> + +<p>"I'm talking at random; it's a weakness of mine."</p> + +<p>Beatrice sat silent a moment, looking out over the stretch of brown +furrows.</p> + +<p>"Do you intend to continue the breaking to where your partner is at +work?" she asked, putting her thoughts into words.</p> + +<p>"I'm going farther back. You can see our guide-poles on the top of the +last ridge."</p> + +<p>"But isn't it rash to sow so much, unless you have a reserve to carry +you over a bad harvest? Suppose the summer's dry or we get autumn +frost?"</p> + +<p>"Then," said Harding grimly, "there'll be a disastrous smash. I've no +reserve: I'm plowing under every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> cent I have—staking all upon the +chances of the weather."</p> + +<p>"But why do you take such a risk? Doesn't it daunt you?"</p> + +<p>He saw a gleam of sympathetic approval in her eyes. She had courage: it +was in the blood of those who stood for lost causes. Suddenly swept off +his feet, he determined to follow the lead she unconsciously had given +him.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, leaning forward on the big plow, "I'll tell you."</p> + +<p>He paused with a smile, for he saw that the position he accidentally had +taken was unfortunate. He had associated himself with the machine which, +in a sense, materialized the difference between her people and him. He +did not change his position; instead, one hand moved caressingly over +the clumsy plow while he spoke.</p> + +<p>"One gets easily nothing that's worth having; it must be worked and +schemed and fought for. I took the risk for you!"</p> + +<p>Beatrice started and an indignant flush suffused her face. She was +alarmed and angry, and yet the shock she felt was not surprise. He had +once given her a plain warning, and she had continued to see him. Her +traditions took arms against him, old prejudices revived, and her pride +was wounded, but something in her turned traitor, and she felt a strange +responsive thrill.</p> + +<p>"You do not know what you are saying," she said haughtily, rising from +the tool-box and turning toward a spot of bare ground where the dog was +digging energetically. "Here, Banff!" Then, obeying some im<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>pulse which +she did not understand, she added to Harding: "You scarcely know +anything about me!"</p> + +<p>"When I met you that night at the river and saw your face in the +moonlight, I knew all that was needful."</p> + +<p>The answer moved the girl. She wondered whether one could fall in love +that way. But she must end the interview and escape from an embarrassing +position.</p> + +<p>"I am sorry our acquaintance has led to this; I would have prevented it +if I could," she said. "And now, good-afternoon!"</p> + +<p>Harding straightened up, and one hand clenched.</p> + +<p>"Stop! We're going to thrash this matter out."</p> + +<p>His manner was commanding and Beatrice waited, although she was not used +to obeying.</p> + +<p>"You were angry at first," he said. "You are rather angry now; but I did +you no wrong."</p> + +<p>"I admit that. But I wish this hadn't happened. It has spoiled +everything."</p> + +<p>"Then you liked me as a friend?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," Beatrice answered hesitatingly; "I'll be frank. You are different +from the men I know."</p> + +<p>"Then what have you against me as a lover? Character, person, manners, +or opinions?"</p> + +<p>She was silent a moment, feeling that she ought to go away. In staying +she was trifling with danger; but after all he had a right to be heard.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I know your people's point of view," he went on; "but I think it is +not altogether yours. In one respect, they're wrong. My mother was the +daughter of a bush pioneer, and in all that's most important I'm her +son; but my father belonged to your own rank. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> was brought up as an +English gentleman. I'll show you the evidence I have of this some day, +though it makes no difference."</p> + +<p>"It must make a difference," Beatrice insisted with a surprised look.</p> + +<p>"It can make none. For some reason his relatives cast him off, and +declined to claim me. I don't know why, and I shall never trouble to +find out. I tell you this because I think you ought to know. It is as +Craig Harding, the prairie farmer, that I stand or fall; my own faults +and merits are the only things that count."</p> + +<p>"It's a bold claim you make."</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "so far, I've been clearing the ground. The sure +foundation is the bed-rock of human nature, and we must settle this as +man and woman. I know what you are; I knew when I first saw you; and I +want you. I need you, Beatrice. My love is great enough to master any +doubt you may have, and to hold you safe from all harm. Then, if all +goes well, I can give you what you wish, and put you where you want to +be. The woman I marry will have a wider influence than the wife of any +man at Allenwood; a small matter in the real scale of things, but with +so much against me I must urge all I can." He paused and stretched out +his hands. "You are not afraid, Beatrice. It is not too great a venture +for you?"</p> + +<p>She stood still, with a tense expression, struggling against something +that drew her toward him. Prudence, training, and prejudice, urged her +to resist, and yet she was on the point of yielding.</p> + +<p>"I <i>am</i> afraid," she said. "Only one thing could justify such a risk."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>"That's true; it's what encourages me. You couldn't have made me love +you as I do, unless you were able to give love in return."</p> + +<p>She was silent, knowing that what he said was true.</p> + +<p>He took a step nearer her, and his own face was tense.</p> + +<p>"If you can declare you care nothing at all for me, that it would cause +you no regret if you never saw me again, I'll make the best fight I can +with my trouble and leave you alone for good. You will answer honestly?"</p> + +<p>The color swept into her face, for she felt compelled to speak the naked +truth.</p> + +<p>"I can't go so far as that," she said in a low voice. "I should feel +regret."</p> + +<p>"Then the rest will follow! Why do you hesitate?"</p> + +<p>She smiled, for the matter was too serious for trivial embarrassment, +and she knew the man would force her to deal frankly with plain issues.</p> + +<p>"You seem so sure?"</p> + +<p>"I am, of myself."</p> + +<p>"The difficulty is that I'm not an isolated individual, but a member of +a family, and belong to a race that has its code of rules. I must think +of the shock to my parents and my friends; all the pain that any rash +act of mine might give to others. They may be wrong, but what they think +I feel, in a half-instinctive way, that reasoning can't change. I should +have to stand upon defense against my subconscious self."</p> + +<p>"I know," he said gently. "But the choice is one that many have to make. +One must often stand alone.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> It's true that I have all to gain and you +all to risk; but, Beatrice——"</p> + +<p>He broke off, and held out both hands appealingly to her.</p> + +<p>"Beatrice!"</p> + +<p>The girl was deeply stirred. She had not expected him to plead like +this. In her world one took things for granted and implied instead of +asserting them. At Allenwood he was spoken of as a rude, materialistic +iconoclast, but she had found him a reckless idealist; although he made +her feel that instead of being impractical he was dealing with stern +realities. She would have made the great adventure only that she was not +sure of her own heart yet. The consequences were too serious for one to +risk a mistake.</p> + +<p>She stood motionless, her eyes veiled by her dark lashes, and he knew +the struggle that was going on within her. In his own eyes there was a +great yearning; but a birthright of the pioneer is patience.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid you ask too much," she said at last. "If you like, you may +think I am not brave enough." She raised her eyes to his; and winced at +the pain she saw there. But she went on bravely: "Had things been +different, I might perhaps have married you, but I think our ways are +separate. And now you must let me go, and not speak of this again."</p> + +<p>He bowed, and it struck Beatrice that there was a great dignity in his +bearing.</p> + +<p>"Very well," he answered gravely. "I will not trouble you again unless, +in one way or another, you give me permission."</p> + +<p>She turned away, and he stood still until long after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> she and the dog +had disappeared in the bluff. Then he roused himself with a laugh.</p> + +<p>"I won't get her this way!" he said half aloud, and picked up some of +the fittings of the pump.</p> + +<p>Beatrice went straight to her mother, for there was strong confidence +between the two.</p> + +<p>"So you refused him!" Mrs. Mowbray said, after listening silently while +Beatrice was telling her of the interview. "Did you find it hard?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," she answered slowly; "harder than I thought. But it was the only +way."</p> + +<p>"If you felt that, dear, it certainly was so."</p> + +<p>Beatrice looked up in surprise, but her mother's face was quietly +thoughtful.</p> + +<p>"You can't mean that I did not do right?"</p> + +<p>"No; there's a heavy penalty for leaving the circle you were born in and +breaking caste. It would have hurt me to see you suffer as you must have +done. Only the very brave can take that risk."</p> + +<p>The girl was puzzled. Her mother agreed with her, and yet she had +faintly reflected Harding's ideas.</p> + +<p>"Well," Beatrice said, "I shrink from telling Father."</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure that he need know. It would disturb him, and he might do +something that we should regret. On the whole, I think you had better +visit our friends in Toronto as you were asked. They would be glad to +have you for the summer."</p> + +<p>"Do you wish me to run away?" Beatrice asked in surprise.</p> + +<p>"It might be better for both. Harding is not one of us, but I think he +feels things deeply, and his is a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> stubborn nature. In a sense, it is +your duty to make it as easy as you can for him."</p> + +<p>Beatrice looked at her mother curiously.</p> + +<p>"You seem more concerned about Mr. Harding than I expected."</p> + +<p>"He gave your brother his coat in the blizzard and saved his life," Mrs. +Mowbray answered. "That counts for something."</p> + +<p>The girl hesitated a moment.</p> + +<p>"Well, I'll go to Toronto," she promised.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A BOLD SCHEME</span></h2> + + +<p>One morning a week or two after his meeting with Beatrice, Harding drove +his rattling engine across the plowed land. His face was sooty, his +overalls were stained with grease, and now and then a shower of cinders +fell about his head. Behind him Devine stood in the midst of a +dust-cloud, regulating the bite of the harrows that tossed about the +hard, dry clods. It was good weather for preparing the seedbed, and the +men had been busy since sunrise, making the most of it. Spring comes +suddenly in the Northwest, the summer is hot but short, and the grain +must be sown early if it is to escape the autumn frost.</p> + +<p>When they reached the edge of the breaking, Harding stopped the engine, +and, taking a spanner from a box, turned to look about. The blue sky was +flecked with fleecy clouds driving fast before the western breeze. The +grass had turned a vivid green, and was checkered by clusters of crimson +lilies. The ducks and geese had gone, but small birds of glossy black +plumage with yellow bars on their wings fluttered round the harrows.</p> + +<p>"Looks promising," Harding said. "The season has begun well. That's +fortunate, for we have lots to do. I'd go on all night if there was a +moon."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>"Then I'm glad there isn't," Devine replied; "I want some sleep. But +this jolting's surely rough on the machine. I wasn't sure that new +locomotive type would work. She's too heavy to bang across the furrows +with her boiler on board."</p> + +<p>"She'll last until I get my money back, which is all I want. The +rope-haulage pattern has its drawbacks, but the machine we're using +won't be on the market long. They'll do away with furnace and boiler, +and drive by gasoline or oil. I'd thought of trying that, but they +haven't got the engine quite right yet."</p> + +<p>"You look ahead," Devine commented.</p> + +<p>"I have to; I must make this farm pay. Now if you'll clear the harrows, +I'll tighten these brasses up."</p> + +<p>He set to work, but while he adjusted the loose bearing Devine announced +in a whisper:</p> + +<p>"Here's the Colonel!"</p> + +<p>Harding saw Mowbray riding toward them, and went on with his task. +Beatrice had no doubt told her mother about his proposal, and he could +imagine the Colonel's anger if he had heard of it. Pulling up his horse +near the harrows, Mowbray sat silent, watching Harding. Fastidiously +neat in dress, with long riding gloves and a spotless gray hat, he +formed a marked contrast to the big, greasy man sprinkled with soot from +the engine.</p> + +<p>"I regret, Mr. Harding, that after the service you did my son, I should +come with a complaint when I visit you."</p> + +<p>"We'll let the service go; I'll answer the complaint as far as I can."</p> + +<p>"Very well. I was disagreeably surprised to learn that you have +persuaded my friends to take a course<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> which the majority of our council +decided against, and to which it is well known that I object."</p> + +<p>Harding felt relieved. Mowbray did not seem to know of what he had said +to Beatrice, and his grievance did not require very delicate handling. +Harding was too proud to conciliate him, and as he could expect nothing +but uncompromising opposition, he saw no necessity for forbearance.</p> + +<p>"The majority was one, a casting vote," he said. "If you are referring +to my plowing for some of your people, I did not persuade them. They saw +the advantage of mechanical traction and asked me to bring the engine +over."</p> + +<p>"The explanation doesn't take us far. It's obvious that they couldn't +have experimented without your help."</p> + +<p>"I hardly think that's so. There are dealers in Winnipeg and Toronto who +would be glad to sell them the machines. If three or four combined, they +could keep an engine busy and the cost wouldn't be prohibitive."</p> + +<p>"Our people are not mechanics," Mowbray said haughtily.</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure that's a matter for congratulation," Harding answered with +a smile. "But I never drove a steam-plow until a few weeks ago, and +there seems to be no reason why your friends shouldn't learn. You don't +claim that they're less intelligent than I am."</p> + +<p>"Your talents run in this direction," Mowbray retorted with a polished +sneer.</p> + +<p>"In a way, that's fortunate. When you're farming for a profit, you want +to be able to do a little of everything. Some of the Allenwood boys are +pretty good<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> horse-breakers, and you approve; why managing an engine +should be objectionable isn't very plain."</p> + +<p>"It is not my intention to argue these matters with you."</p> + +<p>"Then what is it you want me to do?"</p> + +<p>"To be content with using these machines on your own land. I must ask +you to leave Allenwood alone."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid you ask too much," Harding replied. "I can't break off the +arrangements now without a loss to your friends and myself, and I see no +reason why I should do so."</p> + +<p>"Do you consider it gentlemanly conduct to prompt men who acknowledge me +as their leader to thwart my wishes?"</p> + +<p>"Hardly so. Where you have a clear right to forbid anything that might +be hurtful to the settlement, I'd be sorry to interfere."</p> + +<p>Mowbray's eyes glinted.</p> + +<p>"Do you presume to judge between my people and me?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, no," Harding answered with good humor. "That's not my business; but +I reserve the right to do what's likely to pay me, and to make friends +with whom I please, whether they belong to Allenwood or not."</p> + +<p>Mowbray was silent a moment, looking down at him with a frown.</p> + +<p>"Then there's nothing more to be said. Your only standard seems to be +what is profitable."</p> + +<p>Mowbray rode away, and Devine laughed.</p> + +<p>"Guess the Colonel isn't used to back talk, Craig. If he wasn't quite so +high-toned, he'd go home and throw things about. What he wants is +somebody to stand right up to him. You'll have him plumb up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> against you +right along; where you look at a thing one way, he looks at it another. +It's clean impossible that you should agree."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid that's so," said Harding. "And now we'll make a start +again."</p> + +<p>The ribbed wheels bit the clods, and the engine lurched clumsily across +the furrows, with the harrows clattering as they tore through the +tangled grass roots and scattered the dry soil. Harding was violently +shaken, and Devine half smothered by the dust that followed them across +the breaking. It was not a dainty task, and the machine was far from +picturesque, but they were doing better work than the finest horses at +Allenwood were capable of. The sun grew steadily hotter, the lower half +of Harding's body was scorched by the furnace, and the perspiration +dripped from his forehead upon his greasy overalls, but he held on until +noon, with the steam gradually going down. The boiler was of the +water-tube type and the water about Allenwood was alkaline.</p> + +<p>"She must hold up until supper, and I'll try to wash her out afterward," +he said.</p> + +<p>"You were at it half last night," Devine objected.</p> + +<p>"That's the penalty for using new tools. They have their tricks, and +you've got to learn them. I don't find you get much without taking +trouble."</p> + +<p>"I believe you're fond of trouble," Devine answered, laughing.</p> + +<p>They went home together, for Devine often dined with the Hardings. They +had just finished the meal of salt pork and fried potatoes when there +was a rattle of wheels. Hester was putting the dessert—hot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> cakes +soaked in molasses—and coffee on the table, but she went to the door.</p> + +<p>"A stranger in a buggy!" she announced.</p> + +<p>Harding was surprised to see the Winnipeg land-agent getting down, but +he greeted him hospitably.</p> + +<p>"Come in and have some dinner," he invited.</p> + +<p>Davies entered and bowed to Hester.</p> + +<p>"No, thanks. As I didn't know where I'd be at noon, I brought some lunch +along. But if it won't trouble Miss Harding, I'll take some coffee."</p> + +<p>He sat down and the men lighted their pipes; and Hester studied the +newcomer as she removed the plates. He was smartly dressed and had an +alert look, but while there was nothing particular in his appearance +that she could object to, she was not prepossessed in his favor. Davies +had already noticed that the room was of a type common to the prairie +homesteads. Its uncovered floor was, perhaps, cleaner than usual when +plowing was going on, and the square stove was brightly polished, but +the room contained no furniture that was not strictly needed. There was +nothing that suggested luxury; and comfort did not seem to be much +studied. On the other hand, he had noticed outside signs of bold +enterprise and a prosperity he had not expected to find. Davies was a +judge of such matters, and he saw that his host was a man of practical +ability.</p> + +<p>"What brought you into our neighborhood?" Harding asked.</p> + +<p>Davies smiled.</p> + +<p>"I'm always looking for business, and I find it pays to keep an eye on +my customers. Some of them have a trick of lighting out when things go +wrong, and leav<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>ing a few rusty implements to settle their debts. +Financing small farmers isn't always profitable."</p> + +<p>"They can't take their land away," Devine said. "I guess you don't often +lose much in the end."</p> + +<p>"Land!" exclaimed Davies. "I've money locked up in holdings I can't +sell, and have to pay big taxes on."</p> + +<p>"You'll sell them all right by and by, but of course you know that," +Harding replied. He gave the land-agent a shrewd look. "You have a call +or two to make at Allenwood, and would rather get there in the +afternoon?"</p> + +<p>"True! The boys might find it embarrassing if I showed up just now. +They're willing to do business with me, and when they're in Winnipeg +they'll take a cigar or play a game of pool; but asking me to lunch is a +different matter." He continued smiling, but Hester, who was watching +him closely, thought there was something sinister in his amusement as he +added: "They stick to the notions they brought from the Old Country, and +I don't know that they'll find them pay."</p> + +<p>"I shouldn't imagine all the business you'd get at Allenwood would have +made a trip from Winnipeg worth while," Harding said.</p> + +<p>"That's so," Davies agreed, as if eager to explain. "I'd a call in +Brandon, and wanted to look up some customers in the outlying +settlements. When I got so far, I thought I'd come on and see how this +country's opening up. I notice the boys are doing pretty well."</p> + +<p>"You don't mean at Allenwood? You haven't been there yet."</p> + +<p>"No; this is my first trip, and I expect it will be my last. Is there +much doing yonder?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>"The land's all right. They hauled out some fine wheat last fall. +Stock's better than the usual run, and they've the finest light horses +I've seen."</p> + +<p>"That's more in their line than farming," Davies replied. "You wouldn't +call raising horses a business proposition just now?"</p> + +<p>Hester thought the men were fencing, trying to learn something about +each other's real opinions. Craig looked careless, but Hester was not +deceived. She knew him well, and saw that he was thinking.</p> + +<p>"Prices are certainly low; but it strikes me you had better keep out of +Colonel Mowbray's way," Harding said. "If he suspected that any of the +boys had dealings with you, he'd make trouble, and probably insist upon +paying you off."</p> + +<p>Davies looked hard at him. He was not prepared to admit that he had lent +money at Allenwood, but he could not tell how much Harding knew.</p> + +<p>"One seldom objects to being paid a debt. Has the Colonel much money to +spare?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know; I can't claim to be a friend of his."</p> + +<p>"Well, it doesn't matter, as I've nothing to do with him. Now that I'm +here, I'll say that I'd be glad to accommodate you and your partner if +you want to extend your operations or hold on for better prices at any +time. You're putting in a big crop."</p> + +<p>"Thanks; I don't think we'll make a deal," Devine drawled. "We don't +farm for the benefit of another man. When I haul my wheat to the +elevators I want the money myself, and not to turn it over to somebody +else, who'll leave me a few pennies to go on with."</p> + +<p>Davies took his leave soon afterward, and Devine and Harding went back +to the plow. They had some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> trouble in keeping steam, and after a little +the heavy engine sank into the soft soil as they crossed a hollow where +the melting snow had run. The ribbed wheels went in deeper as they +crushed down the boggy mold, and ground up the fence posts the men +thrust under them. Before long they were embedded to the axle, and +Harding turned off the steam.</p> + +<p>"Bring the wagon and drop me off a spade as you pass," he said. "I'll +dig her out while you drive to the bluff and cut the biggest poplar logs +you can find."</p> + +<p>When Devine hurried away he sat down and lighted his pipe. Until he got +the spade there was nothing to be done and much to think about. To begin +with, Davies' visit had turned his attention upon a matter that had +already occupied his thoughts, and proved it worth consideration. The +Allenwood homesteads were the best in the country, the settlement was +fortunately located, and its inhabitants were people of intelligence. +Their progress had been retarded by customs and opinions out of place on +the prairie, but they might go a long way if these were abandoned. They +were farming on the wrong lines, and wasting effort, but Harding did not +think this would continue. Already some among them were pressing for a +change. Harding was ready to work his big farm alone, but he looked to +Allenwood for help that would benefit all.</p> + +<p>The matter, however, had a more important side. Although Beatrice had +refused him he did not despair; she had shown that she did not regard +him with complete indifference. It was not his personal character, but +his position and her father's hostility that stood in the way, and these +were obstacles that might be overcome. He could expect nothing but the +Colonel's stern<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> opposition, and he must carefully arm himself for the +fight; he did not undervalue the power of his antagonist.</p> + +<p>Devine returned and threw him down a spade, and for the next hour +Harding worked steadily, digging a trench to the buried wheels and +beating its bottom flat. When his comrade came back they lined it with +the logs he brought, and Harding started the engine. The machine shook +and rattled, straining and panting under a full head of steam, but the +wheels churned furiously in the soil and smashed the ends of the logs +they bit upon. One big piece shot out of the trench and narrowly missed +Devine, who fell among the harrows when he jumped. Harding stopped the +engine as his friend got up.</p> + +<p>"This won't do," he said. "We'll cut a log into short billets."</p> + +<p>They packed some, split into sections, under the wheels, and Harding +restarted the engine.</p> + +<p>"Now," he said, "you can shove the rest in as she grinds them down."</p> + +<p>The wheels spun, splintering the timber, rising a few inches and sinking +again, while the big machine shook and tilted in danger of falling over. +Harding, standing on the slippery plates, opened the throttle wide, and +after a while the front rose to a threatening height while the logs +groaned and cracked.</p> + +<p>"Stand clear!" he cried. "She's climbing out!"</p> + +<p>The engine straightened itself with a dangerous lurch, rolled forward, +gathering speed, and ran out on to firmer ground. They had no further +trouble, and when dusk settled down and the air grew sharp, Harding drew +the fire and blew the water out of the boiler.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>"After all, we have done pretty good work to-day," he said. "I'll come +back and tend to those tubes as soon as she cools."</p> + +<p>They went home together, and after supper was finished, they sat smoking +and talking in the kitchen. It was now sharply cold outside, but the +small room was warm and cheerful with the nickeled lamp lighted and a +fire in the polished stove.</p> + +<p>"The mortgage man was trying to play you," Devine remarked. "He +certainly didn't learn much. Do you reckon he has been lending money to +the Allenwood boys?"</p> + +<p>"I think it's very likely."</p> + +<p>"Then, with their way of farming and wheat going down, they won't be +able to pay him off."</p> + +<p>"No; and he doesn't want them to pay him off," Harding answered.</p> + +<p>"You mean he wants their farms?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; he'll probably get them, unless somebody interferes."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" exclaimed Devine. "Who's going to interfere? ... Now <i>you</i> have +been thinking of something all afternoon."</p> + +<p>Harding smiled.</p> + +<p>"It's possible I may see what I can do," he admitted.</p> + +<p>"You're a daisy!" Devine exclaimed. "It wouldn't surprise me if you +thought of buying up the Canadian Pacific. All the same, I don't see +where you're going to get the money. What do you think, Hester?"</p> + +<p>Hester laid down her sewing.</p> + +<p>"Isn't it too big a thing, Craig? You have a great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> deal of land now, +and even if you get a good harvest, you'd hardly have money enough to +sow another crop and leave enough to carry you over a bad season."</p> + +<p>Harding quietly lighted his pipe, and there was silence for a few +minutes. His sister and her fiancé knew him well and had confidence in +his ability; he had so far made good, but the boldness of this last +scheme daunted them.</p> + +<p>"Farming has two sides," he said presently. "You want to raise the best +and biggest crop you can; and then you want to handle your money well. +That's where many good farmers fail. Bank your surplus and you get +market interest, but nothing for your knowledge and experience. The +money ought to be put into new teams and the latest machines, and after +that into breaking new land. If you make a profit on two hundred acres, +you'll increase it by a third when you break a hundred acres more, not +to mention what you save by working on a larger scale. Well, I see what +could be done with a united Allenwood where every man worked jointly +with the rest, but the settlement needs a head."</p> + +<p>"It has one. Colonel Mowbray is not likely to give up his place," Hester +answered.</p> + +<p>"He may not be able to keep it. There's another claimant—this fellow +Davies, and he's not a fool. I can't tell you yet whether I'll make a +third. It wants thinking over."</p> + +<p>The others did not reply. They agreed that the matter demanded careful +thought. After a short silence, Hester changed the subject.</p> + +<p>"I saw Mrs. Broadwood to-day, and she told me that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> Miss Mowbray had +gone East for the summer. As she had spoken about staying at Allenwood +all the year, Mrs. Broadwood was surprised."</p> + +<p>Harding betrayed his interest by an abrupt movement, yet he made no +answer. On the whole the news was encouraging. He would miss Beatrice, +but, on the other hand, it looked as if she had gone away to avoid him, +and she would not have done so had she been unmoved by what he said to +her. He regretted that he had driven her away; of course he might be +mistaken, but there was hope in the suspicion he entertained.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, after a minute or two, "I'll go along and fix that +boiler."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV<br /> +<span class="smalltext">HARVEST HOME</span></h2> + + +<p>It was a good summer at Allenwood, for the June rains were prolonged. +The mornings broke cool and breezy, but, as a rule, at noon the clouds +which had sailed eastward singly began to gather in compact banks. Then +would come a roll of thunder and a deluge that might last an hour, after +which the prairie lay bright in the sunshine until evening fell. The +grass rippled across the waste in waves of vivid green, with flowers +tossing beneath the gusts like wreaths of colored foam. Wild barley +raised its spiky heads along the trails, and in the hollows the natural +hay grew rank and tall. No sand blew from the bare ridges to cut the +tender grain, which shot up apace and belted the prairie with its darker +verdure.</p> + +<p>Harding found full scope for his energies. He worked late and early in +the fierce July heat. He had bought heavy horses because he could not +reap by steam, and he had to build barns and stables of ship-lap lumber. +Then there was prairie hay to cut, and after stripping the nearer +hollows he must drive far across the plain to seek grass long enough in +the sloos where the melted snow had run in the spring. This brought him +into collision with Mowbray, who came upon him one morning driving a +mower through dusty grass which the Colonel had marked down for his own. +Perhaps what annoyed the old man most was to see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> the American using an +extra horse and a knife that would cut a wider swath than any at +Allenwood. He thought this a sign of the grasping spirit of the times.</p> + +<p>Mowbray contended that the grass was his, because it had long been cut +for use at the Grange; and Harding replied that, as the land was +unoccupied, neither had any prescriptive right and the hay could be +harvested by the firstcomer. When the Colonel grew angry, Harding +yielded the point and suggested that the sloos be mown turn about. To +this Mowbray agreed reluctantly, because he saw he could not keep in +front of a rival who had with perverse unfairness provided himself with +better implements.</p> + +<p>After the hay was gathered Harding's new buildings had to be roofed, and +when the house grew insufferably hot Hester baked and cooked and washed +in a lean-to shed.</p> + +<p>In the meanwhile, the grain was ripening fast, and when the riotous +Northwest wind began to die away the oats turned lemon and silver, and +the wheat burnished gold. The mornings were now sharply cold, and as the +green sunset faded the air grew wonderfully bracing.</p> + +<p>Harding and Devine had been working steadily for fourteen hours a day, +but they must nerve themselves for a last tense effort. After the great +crop had been hauled to the elevators there would be time to rest, but +until this was done the strain both were feeling must be borne. The new +binders were got out when the Ontario harvesters, who had been engaged +by Harding's agents, began to arrive, bringing with them a Chinese cook. +Western harvesters are generously fed, and Harding would not have his +sister overtaxed.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>Soon after he started his harvest, Beatrice returned from Toronto. It +was late afternoon when she drew near Allenwood. She was tired with the +long journey, but she did not object when Lance made a round which would +take them past Harding's farm. He said the longer trail was smoother.</p> + +<p>The sun hung large and red on the horizon; the air was clear; and the +crimson light raked the great field of grain. In the foreground the +stooked sheaves, standing in long ranks, cast blue shadows across the +yellow stubble; farther back the tall wheat ran, it seemed, right across +the plain, shining in the sunset like burnished copper. Above the +crimson on the prairie's edge the sky was coldly green.</p> + +<p>At first it was the magnitude of the field and its glow of color that +struck the girl. Harvest scenes were not new to her, and, indeed, she +seldom gazed on one without feeling stirred; but she had never seen a +harvest like this. It filled her with a sense of Nature's bounty and the +fruitfulness of the soil, but as her eyes grew accustomed to the glaring +light she noticed signs of human activity. The splendid crop had not +sprung up of itself. It was the reward of anxious thought and sturdy +labor, and she began to appreciate the bold confidence of the man who +had planted it.</p> + +<p>Along the wall of wheat moved a row of machines, marshaled in regular +order and drawn by dusty teams. She could see by the raw paint that most +of them were new; and, leaning back in her seat, she listened to their +rhythmic clink. Noting their even distance, and the precision with which +the sheaves they flung aside rose in stooks behind them, she saw that +there was nothing haphazard here. The measured beat of this activity<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> +showed the firm control of a master mind. No effort was wasted: action +had its destined result; and behind this thought she had a +half-conscious recognition of man's working in harmony with Nature's +exact but beneficent laws. Duly complied with, they had covered the +waste with grain. Glancing across it, the girl felt a curious thrill. +The primeval curse had proved a blessing; seed-time and harvest had not +failed; and here, paid for by the sweat of earnest effort, was an +abundance of bread.</p> + +<p>Moved as she was, she had a practical as well as an imaginative mind, +and she noted the difference between Harding's and the Allenwood +methods. What he had told her was true: her friends could not stand +against such forces as he directed.</p> + +<p>"It's worth looking at," Lance remarked. "I wanted you to see it because +Harding's being talked about just now. I can't explain how he has broken +so much ground with the means at his command, but it's a triumph of +organization and ability."</p> + +<p>"I suppose Father isn't pleased?"</p> + +<p>Lance laughed as he flicked up his horses.</p> + +<p>"That hardly expresses it. I rather think he regards our friend's +industry as a dangerous example; but he's most of all surprised. He +fully expected to see Harding ruined."</p> + +<p>Just then one of the binders stopped, and its driver raised his hand. +The machines behind swung round him as they came up and fell into line +again while he busied himself with his team. A few moments later he +mounted a big, barebacked Clydesdale that came at a clumsy gallop +through the stubble and passed on down the trail.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>"It's Harding," said Beatrice. "He must have run out of twine."</p> + +<p>"I don't think so," Lance answered. "Harding's not the man to run out of +anything. It's more likely a bolt has broken, and he's going for +another; he'll have duplicates on hand."</p> + +<p>Beatrice did not wish to appear curious about their neighbor, but she +asked one or two cautious questions as they drove on.</p> + +<p>"Well," said Lance, "though our experiments are not exactly popular, +several of us are trying to copy him in a modest way, and I'm glad I let +him do some breaking for me by steam. The Colonel was disagreeable about +it, but he admitted my right to do as I liked; and the result is that I +have a crop partly stooked up that will make it easy to pay Harding off, +and leave me some money in hand."</p> + +<p>"What do you mean by paying Harding off?" Beatrice asked sharply.</p> + +<p>Lance looked confused.</p> + +<p>"I didn't intend to mention it—you'll keep it to yourself. I'd got into +a bit of a mess shortly before I was hurt at the ravine, and Harding +paid up the money-lender I'd gone to in Winnipeg. What's more, he beat +the fellow down, so that I only had to account for what I actually got."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" said Beatrice. "Now I understand your restlessness when you were +ill. But on what terms did Harding lend you the money?"</p> + +<p>"He made only one condition: that I wouldn't take another bet until I +was free again. Of course, I shall insist on paying him interest. +Harding's a remarkably fine fellow, and I mean to stick to him."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>Beatrice felt troubled by the keenness of her gratitude. She was fond of +Lance, but she knew his weaknesses, and she saw that Harding had +rendered him a great service. Moreover, she thought Lance's admiration +for the man was justified. He had turned the lad out of a path that led +through quagmires and set him on firm ground; his influence would be for +good.</p> + +<p>Lance gave her the news of the settlement; and when the lights of the +Grange shone out through the creeping dark, everything else was +forgotten in the pleasure of reaching home.</p> + +<p>Three weeks later, when the thrasher had gone and the stooked sheaves +had vanished, leaving only the huge straw wheat bins towering above the +stubble, Harding drove to the Grange one evening with Hester and Devine. +He had not entered the house for several months, and felt diffident +about the visit, but Lance had urged him to come. The Allenwood Harvest +Home was, he said, a function which everybody in the neighborhood was +expected to attend. Besides, they had been fortunate in getting a +clergyman from a distant settlement to take the service, and he was +worth hearing.</p> + +<p>The days were shortening rapidly, and when the party reached the Grange +a row of lamps were burning in the hall. The moose heads had gone, and +in their place sheaves of grain adorned the walls. Between the sheaves +were festoons of stiff wheat ears and feathery heads of oats, warm +bronze interspersed with cadmium and silver, and garlands of dry, blue +flax. All had been arranged with taste, and the new flag that draped the +reading desk made a blotch of vivid crimson among the harmonies of +softer color. A tall,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> silver lamp behind the desk threw its light on +the ruddy folds, and Harding, glancing at it, felt a certain admiring +thrill. That symbol was honored at Allenwood, standing as it did for +great traditions, and peace and order and justice had followed it to the +West, but it was not for nothing that the new country had quartered the +Beaver of Industry on its crimson field.</p> + +<p>He was shown a place with his companions, and Mowbray gave him a nod of +recognition. Harding felt that the Colonel had proclaimed a truce while +they met for thanksgiving. Lance and several others smiled at him as he +quietly looked about in search of Beatrice, whom he could not see. The +hall was filled with handsome, brown-skinned men, and there was +something fine, but in a sense exotic, in their bearing and in the faces +of the women.</p> + +<p>All rose respectfully when a young man in white surplice and colored +hood came in. He had a strong, clean-cut face, and carried himself well, +but his manner was quietly reverent. Harding felt that these people from +the Old Country knew how things should be done, and he had a curious +sense of kinship with them. It was as if he were taking part in +something familiar; though this was the first Anglican service he had +attended.</p> + +<p>A man at the rather battered grand piano struck a few chords, and +Harding saw Beatrice when the opening hymn began. She stood a few yards +away, but her voice reached him plainly. It was, he recognized, +singularly sweet and clear, though he knew nothing of the training and +study that had developed it. He could pick it out from the others, and +as he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> listened his lips quivered and a mistiness gathered in his eyes. +Harding was not, as a rule, particularly imaginative or sensitive, but +he was capable at times of a strange emotional stirring.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0q">"The sower went forth sowing,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">The seed in secret slept."<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>He had heard it sung before, and it had meant little to him, but now he +saw how true it was in a stern, practical sense.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0q">"Through weeks of faith and patience!"<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>Well, there was need of both, when glaring skies withheld all moisture +and withering winds swept the dead, gray waste. This year, however, the +prairie had blossomed under the genial warmth and rain. Bounty was the +note that the tall green wheat had struck. But the voice he loved sang +on:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0q">"Within an hallowed acre,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">He sows yet other grain."<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>The emotion he felt grew keener; memories awoke, and a line from +Longfellow ran through his mind, "Her mother's voice, singing in +Paradise." He heard the hymn, grasping its impressive analogy while he +thought of the strong, brave, patient woman who had upheld his +easy-going father at his uncongenial task. Harding knew now what he owed +his mother. He had, indeed, known it long, but love had quickened all +his senses and given him a clearer vision.</p> + +<p>When the music stopped, he set himself to listen, with Beatrice's face +seen now and then in delicate profile. He saw that Psalm and Lesson and +Collect<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> were chosen well, and that the order of these people's prayers, +with all its aids of taste and music, was not a mere artistic formula. +It was the embroidered sheath that held the shining sword.</p> + +<p>Harding, however, was not the only one to feel an emotional quickening, +for there were those at Allenwood whose harvest thanksgiving was +poignant with regret. It reminded them too keenly of the quiet English +countryside where autumn mists crept among the stubble; of an ancient +church with stained glass windows and memorial brasses to those who bore +their name; of some well-loved, now sleeping beneath the sod. After all, +they were exiles, and though they had found a good country, the old one +called to them.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray's face was sad, and her husband, who sat beside her, looked +unusually stern.</p> + +<p>Beatrice, with all the rich imagery of harvest before her eyes and in +her ears, was thinking of one great wheatfield, and of the man who had +reclaimed it from the wilderness. She had seen him come in, and had +noticed that he looked worn. His figure was somewhat fined down and his +face was thin. It was a strong face and an attractive one; the character +it reflected was wholesome. There was nothing about the prairie man to +suggest the ascetic, yet Beatrice vaguely realized that strenuous toil +and clean ambition had driven the grosser passions out of him.</p> + +<p>The clergyman walked to the flag-draped pulpit, and Beatrice tried to +collect her wandering thoughts. As he read out the text she started, for +it seemed strangely apposite.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"He that soweth little shall reap little; but he that +soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously."</p></div> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>She suspected him of no desire to attack the customs of his +congregation, for he must be ignorant of the line they took at +Allenwood, but his words were edged with biting truth. At first he spoke +of the great lonely land they had entered: a land that was destined to +become one of the world's granaries and, better still, a home for the +outcast and the poor. They, the pioneers, had a special duty and a +privilege—to break the way for the host that should come after them; +and of them was demanded honest service. To sow plenteously; to be +faithful in the minor things—choosing the wheat that ripened early and +escaped the frost, filling the seeder with an open hand, sparing no +effort, and practising good husbandry; and withal blazing the trail by +marks of high endeavor, so that all who followed it could see.</p> + +<p>Then he spoke of the fruitful season and the yield of splendid grain. +The soil had returned them in full measure what they had sown, and he +pleaded that of this bounty they should give what they could spare. In +the Old Country which they loved there were many poor, and now in time +of stagnant trade the cities heard the cry of hungry children. There was +one institution which, sowing with generous recklessness, sent none away +unfed, and he begged that they would give something of their surplus.</p> + +<p>He stopped, and Hester looked at Harding as the closing hymn began, +showing him the edge of a dollar in her glove.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she whispered, "have you any money?"</p> + +<p>He pressed three bits of paper into her hand, and, noticing the figures +on the margin of one, she gave him a surprised glance. His face was +unusually gentle,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> and there was a smile on it. She made a sign of +approval and softly doubled up the bills as she joined in the singing.</p> + +<p>Five minutes later the congregation went out into the open air, and +Harding heard Mowbray press the clergyman to remain.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry, but as I'm to preach at Poplar on Sunday, I must make +Sandhill Lake to-night," he answered. "In fact, I must get away at once; +there's no moon and the trail is bad."</p> + +<p>He climbed into his rig, and Harding, knowing there was a twenty-mile +journey before him with a dangerous ford on the way, watched him drive +off into the dark with a feeling of admiration. When he next heard about +the man it was that he had been found in winter, returning from a +distant Indian reservation, snow-blind and starving, with hands and feet +frozen.</p> + +<p>While Harding was looking for Hester, Mrs. Mowbray came up to him.</p> + +<p>"You must stay with the others for our supper and dance," she said. "I +have made your sister promise. I think we can sink all differences +to-night."</p> + +<p>Harding smiled.</p> + +<p>"I can't refuse. Somehow I feel that the differences aren't so great as +I once supposed."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps that's true," Mrs. Mowbray answered thoughtfully. "Though I +dare say you and my husband must disagree about the means you use, you +have, after all, a good deal in common. One's object is the most +important thing."</p> + +<p>She left him as Kenwyne came up, and went to speak to one of her +neighbors.</p> + +<p>Mowbray had called Beatrice into his study.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>"Count this for me," he said, giving her a brass tray filled with paper +currency and silver coin. "I promised I'd send it to the bank, and I may +as well make out the form before I lock the money up."</p> + +<p>He went away to get a pen, and on coming back he looked surprised when +Beatrice told him the amount.</p> + +<p>"There must be a mistake," he said. "We have never collected so much +before."</p> + +<p>"I've counted it twice." Beatrice indicated three bills. "Though I think +everybody was generous, these perhaps explain the difference."</p> + +<p>"Consecutive numbers and all fresh; from the same person obviously," +Mowbray said and put down the bills. "Bad taste on my part and, in a +way, a breach of confidence, but you had seen them and I was surprised." +Then he counted and sealed up the money.</p> + +<p>The supper was served in a big, wooden barn, which was afterward cleared +for dancing, and it was some time before Harding had an opportunity for +speaking to Beatrice. She could not avoid him all the evening, and she +did not wish to do so, but she was glad that he met her without +embarrassment.</p> + +<p>"I've learned that you got Lance out of trouble," she said after they +had talked a while. "One way and another, he's deeply in your debt."</p> + +<p>"Did he tell you?" Harding asked with a slight frown.</p> + +<p>"No; that is, it slipped out, and I took advantage of the indiscretion." +Beatrice looked at him steadily. "It has made a difference to the boy; I +imagine he was at a dangerous turning, and you set him straight."</p> + +<p>"You must tell nobody else."</p> + +<p>"Do you always try to hide your good deeds?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>"I can't claim that they're numerous," Harding answered with a smile. +"Anyway, I had a selfish motive on this occasion; you see, I enjoy +beating a mortgage man."</p> + +<p>Beatrice knew the explanation was inadequate, but she was grateful for +his reserve. He was very generous, as she had another proof, for she +knew who had given the three large bills which had surprised her father. +There was, however, nothing more to be said, and she chatted about +indifferent matters until she was called away.</p> + +<p>Before the gathering broke up, Harding found himself seated in a corner +of the big hall talking quietly to Mrs. Mowbray. She was interested in +his farming plans and the changes he wanted made, and she listened +carefully, noting how his schemes revealed his character. Now and then +she asked a question, and he was surprised at her quick understanding. +Moreover, he felt that he had her sympathy, so far as she could loyally +give it. When, at length, he went away Mrs. Mowbray sat alone for some +minutes quietly thinking. She could find no opening for hostile +criticism. The honesty of the man's motives and his obvious ability +appealed to her.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE BRIDGE</span></h2> + + +<p>There had been rain since harvest, and the ground was soft when Harding +and his comrade stood beside their smoking teams on the slope of the +ravine. Pale sunshine streamed down between the leafless trees, +glistening upon the pools and wet wheel-ruts that marked the winding +trail. The grade was steep and the torn-up surface was badly adapted for +heavy loads. Harding frowned as he glanced at the double span of +foul-coated horses harnessed to a wagon filled with bags of grain. They +were powerful, willing animals, and it jarred on him to overdrive them, +as he had been forced to do. Besides, except for the steep ascent, he +could have taken his load to the elevators with a single team.</p> + +<p>"I hate to abuse good horses, but we must get up," he said when he had +recovered breath. "Watch out the wagon doesn't run back when we make a +start."</p> + +<p>Devine drove a birch log behind the wheels and then ran to the leaders' +heads and cracked his whip, while Harding called to the pole-team. For a +few moments the battering hoofs churned up the sloppy trail and the +wagon groaned and shook, the horses floundering and slipping without +moving it. Then with a harsh creak the high wheels began to turn and +they slowly struggled up the hill. Harness rattled, chain and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> clevis +rang, the steam from the toiling animals rose in a thin cloud, and white +smears streaked their coats as they strained at the collar. The men were +red in face and panting hard, but as they fought the grade they broke +into breathless shouts. Harding was sparing of the whip; but this was +not a time to be weakly merciful, when the load might overpower his +teams and, running back, drag them over the edge. Nor dare he stop again +and subject the animals to the cruel effort of restarting. They must get +up somehow before their strength gave out.</p> + +<p>Running with hand upon the bridle, and splashing in the pools, he rushed +the horses at the last ascent; and then threw himself down with labored +breath in the grass.</p> + +<p>"This won't do," he panted after a few moments. "We'll have to put up +five or six bags less, and you can figure how many extra loads that will +make before we empty the bins. Then, I hate to keep a man and team +standing by here when they could be hauling another load."</p> + +<p>"It's one of the things a prairie farmer runs up against," Devine +remarked.</p> + +<p>"Just so. When they can't be put right, you have got to make the best of +them; but this grade can be altered."</p> + +<p>"It might," Devine agreed with a doubtful air. "Do you think you can +persuade the Colonel to join you?"</p> + +<p>"No; but it's my duty to try. When you have helped Frank up, you can +take the extra team and haul in the cordwood. I'll be back from the +railroad about dark to-morrow."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>In the meanwhile, Kenwyne, Broadwood, and Lance Mowbray stood among the +trees about three miles farther down the ravine, looking at the trail to +Allenwood, which led along its edge. Near it the ground fell sharply to +the creek, but the slope was regular, and small trees, blazed with the +ax at intervals, marked a smooth descending line. On the opposite side, +a gully offered an approach to the prairie at an easy gradient.</p> + +<p>"We must have the bridge here; but it isn't a job we can manage without +assistance," said Kenwyne. "I don't want to be disrespectful, Lance, but +I hope your father enjoyed his lunch."</p> + +<p>Lance grinned.</p> + +<p>"As a matter of fact, he did; but unfortunately he read the paper +afterwards and the market report seemed to upset him. To make things +worse, I rashly mentioned that it bore out Harding's prognostications. +In consequence, I expect you'll need all the tact you've got."</p> + +<p>"I wish Harding had a little more," Broadwood remarked. "I can be meek, +when it's for the good of the settlement, but our friend's too blunt."</p> + +<p>"If he's blunt to-day, there'll be trouble," Lance replied with a +chuckle. "I imagine the Colonel's in fighting form. Here he comes!"</p> + +<p>It was in an unusually thoughtful mood that Mowbray rode toward them. +The steady fall in the price of wheat was sufficient to cause him +anxiety, but he had further grounds for feeling disturbed. There was an +unsettling influence at work at Allenwood; plans were being mooted which +he thought originated with Harding; and, worse than all, he suspected +that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> his household was not altogether with him. Gerald certainly showed +unexpected sense in denouncing the innovations; but Mowbray had doubts +about Beatrice, who seemed to be cultivating Miss Harding's +acquaintance; and even his wife now and then took the part of the +offender. Besides, there were, so to speak, portents of change in the +air, and Mowbray felt that he was being driven where he did not mean to +go. He blamed Harding for this, and thought it was time he put a stop to +the fellow's encroachments. For all that, he greeted the waiting men +pleasantly when he dismounted.</p> + +<p>"The days are getting colder, but it's a bracing afternoon," he said. +"Now, perhaps we'd better walk over the line of the proposed trail."</p> + +<p>They took him along the side of the ravine, and Kenwyne, stopping now +and then, drew his attention to a plan he carried.</p> + +<p>"We'll need about forty feet of log underpinning at this point, and +you'll see that it's provided for," he said. "On the next section +there's a good deal of soil to move; I have an estimate of the number of +wagon loads." Farther on he stopped again. "From here to the bridge it +will come to only a ton for every three or four yards."</p> + +<p>Mowbray studied the plan and some sheets of figures.</p> + +<p>"You seem to have thought the matter out very carefully," he commented.</p> + +<p>"It needed close attention," said Broadwood.</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at the men keenly.</p> + +<p>"There's a comprehensiveness about these plans and calculations that I +did not expect from you," he said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> dryly. "To tell the truth, I'm +somewhat surprised by them."</p> + +<p>They did not answer this, and Kenwyne frowned in warning as he saw +Lance's amused expression.</p> + +<p>"The trail would be useful, sir," Broadwood urged.</p> + +<p>"I think so. Do you feel competent to make it? The scheme is bolder than +anything of the kind we have undertaken."</p> + +<p>"We couldn't attempt it alone. Our idea is to ask for a general levy."</p> + +<p>Mowbray nodded, for when they improved the roads at Allenwood the +settlers were called upon to supply labor or money according to the size +of their farms.</p> + +<p>"By making an effort we might get the trail cut and the bridge built +before the frost stops us," Kenwyne said. "We couldn't finish the +grading, but the snow would give us a pretty good surface for hauling +our wheat over. The new crossing would save us nearly three miles on the +journey to the railroad, and we ought to get a good load up the easier +incline without doubling the teams."</p> + +<p>Mowbray's suspicions grew.</p> + +<p>"We have not found the longer distance an insurmountable disadvantage so +far. Why should it trouble you so much now?"</p> + +<p>"Some of us have bigger crops this year," Broadwood said.</p> + +<p>"Do you think this justifies your taxing your neighbors?"</p> + +<p>"No," Broadwood answered incautiously. "We expect they'll follow our +example, and have as much grain as we have next season."</p> + +<p>"I see!" Mowbray frowned. "You are working<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> for a change. The system we +have followed so far doesn't satisfy you."</p> + +<p>"But you cannot imagine, sir, that there's any danger to the settlement +in our growing better crops."</p> + +<p>"Of course not. It's the taint of commercialism I object to. However, +let me look at those estimates again."</p> + +<p>They had now nearly reached the top of the hill on the opposite side and +Mowbray, sitting down on a birch log, opened the papers. The others +looked at one another dubiously as they heard a beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels.</p> + +<p>"I notice no allowance for unexpected difficulties, which are bound to +crop up," Mowbray presently remarked. "The work will, as usually +happens, prove harder than it looks. I do not see how you can finish it +before the frost comes."</p> + +<p>"We expect to get it done, sir," Kenwyne replied. "In fact, we ventured +to ask Mr. Harding, who has helped us to work the scheme out, to meet +you here. He will be able to give you any information."</p> + +<p>"Ah!"</p> + +<p>Looking up, Mowbray saw Harding coming down the trail, and the loaded +wagon and the fine Clydesdale horses standing among the trees. The sight +angered him. Harding had not been ruined by his rash experiment, as +Mowbray had honestly believed would happen. On the contrary, he had +prospered, and Mowbray suspected him of a wish to flaunt his success in +the faces of his less fortunate neighbors. It was in a very +uncompromising mood that he waited for him to speak.</p> + +<p>"If I can get the help I want from Allenwood,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> I'll engage to cut this +trail on the terms of the estimates," Harding said. "If extra labor is +required, I'll provide it. You can see the advantages, Colonel Mowbray: +three miles saved on the journey to the elevators, besides doing away +with the need for using an extra team on the grade. You'll save a dollar +or two a load; on a big crop the difference will be striking. The trail +will pay for itself in one season."</p> + +<p>"I notice that you confine yourself to the monetary point of view," said +Mowbray.</p> + +<p>"I think not. There are other advantages, but I won't speak of them now; +I'd be glad to explain anything about the work."</p> + +<p>Mowbray's face hardened. The intruding fellow had insolently declined to +talk over any but the material benefits to be expected. It looked as if +he attached no importance to his opinions; and in one respect Mowbray +was not mistaken. Harding had ideas of progress, mutual help, and good +fellowship with which he did not expect the Colonel to sympathize.</p> + +<p>"I do not propose to ask any questions," Mowbray said, getting up and +giving Kenwyne the plans. "I needn't keep you; this work will not be +undertaken with my sanction."</p> + +<p>"But it can't be undertaken without it!" Broadwood protested.</p> + +<p>"I agree with you. On such matters as a general levy I have power of +veto, and I must warn you that it will be used."</p> + +<p>Harding turned away, somewhat red in face, and went back up the trail. +He recovered his good hu<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>mor, however, when he started his horses and +walked beside them across the withered grass. The prairie was bright +with sunshine, and the wide outlook was cheering. Faint wavy lines of +trees and glistening ponds checkered the great plain; there was not a +house or trail of smoke on it. It was all raw material, ready for him +and others to make good use of.</p> + +<p>Presently a buggy appeared over a rise, and Harding felt a thrill of +pleasure as he recognized the team and the driver. When Beatrice reached +him she checked the horses.</p> + +<p>"You're going to the elevators with your grain?" she said. "How is it +you came by the Long Bluff?"</p> + +<p>"I went round by Willow Gulch in the ravine."</p> + +<p>"Then you went to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood where the new trail is to +cross? I've heard something about the matter."</p> + +<p>"I did. And I'm afraid I offended Colonel Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"So he has stopped the undertaking! I expected it."</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding, with a half-humorous air. "The trail will be made, +though I won't be able to begin this season."</p> + +<p>Beatrice looked thoughtful.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry about this," she said; "it may cause more trouble. Why can't +you leave us alone?"</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid I am meddlesome. But it's hard to leave things alone when +you know they ought to be done."</p> + +<p>"That sounds egotistical. Are you never mistaken?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>"Often, but it's generally when I get to planning what I'd like to do."</p> + +<p>"I don't quite understand."</p> + +<p>"It would certainly be egotistical if I bored you with my crude ideas," +he answered, smiling.</p> + +<p>"Never mind that. I want to know."</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "sometimes you look about to see how you can alter +matters and what plans you can make; but when they're made they won't +always work. It's different when you don't have to look."</p> + +<p>Beatrice had a dim perception of what he meant, but she would let him +explain. His point of view interested her; though she knew that she ran +some risk in leading him into confidential talk.</p> + +<p>"I don't think you have made it very clear yet."</p> + +<p>"I meant that there are times when you see your work ready laid out. +It's there; you didn't plan it—you simply can't mistake it. Then if you +go straight ahead and do the best you can, you can't go wrong."</p> + +<p>"But when you don't feel sure? When you haven't the conviction that it +is your task?"</p> + +<p>"Then," he said quietly, "I think it's better to sit tight and wait. +When the time to act comes, you certainly will know."</p> + +<p>Beatrice pondered this, because it seemed to apply with some force to +herself. He had once urged her to take a daring course, to assert her +freedom at the cost of sacrificing much that she valued. Though she had +courage, she had shrunk from the venture, because she had not the firm +conviction that it was justified. She felt drawn to Harding; indeed, she +had met no other man whom she liked so well; but there was much against +him, and nothing but deep, unquestion<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>ing love would warrant her +marrying him. That she felt such love she would not admit. It was better +to take the advice he had given her and wait. This was the easier for +her to do because she believed that he had no suspicion of her real +feeling for him.</p> + +<p>"After all," she said, smiling, "your responsibility ends with yourself. +I don't see why you should interfere with other people. You can farm +your land as you think fit, without trying to make us copy you."</p> + +<p>"That sounds all right; but when you come to think of it, you'll see +that neither of us can stand alone."</p> + +<p>"We got along pretty well before you came."</p> + +<p>"I don't doubt it. The trouble is that what was best a few years ago +isn't best now. I wish I could make your father realize that."</p> + +<p>"Does it follow that he's mistaken because he doesn't agree with you?"</p> + +<p>Harding laughed.</p> + +<p>"If I were singular in my way of thinking, I'd be more modest, but all +over the country farmers are getting ready for the change. There's a big +expansion in the air, and your people can't stand out against it."</p> + +<p>"Then I suppose we'll be crushed, and we'll deserve our fate." Beatrice +smiled at him as she started the horses. "But at least it will not be +from lack of advice!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A HEAVY BLOW</span></h2> + + +<p>Snow was drifting around the Grange before a bitter wind when Mowbray +sat in his study with a stern, anxious face. The light of the lamp on +his writing table fell upon a black-edged letter that lay beside a +bundle of documents; the big stove in a corner glowed a dull red, and +acrid fumes of burning wood escaped as the icy draughts swept in. +Mowbray's hands and feet were very cold, but he sat motionless, trying +to rally his forces after a crushing blow.</p> + +<p>The sound of music reached him from the hall, where some of his younger +neighbors were spending the evening, and he frowned when an outbreak of +laughter followed the close of a song. He had left his guests half an +hour before, when the mounted mail-carrier had called, and he could not +force himself to rejoin them yet. He must have time to recover from the +shock he had received. Since he left the hall he had been trying to +think; but he had no control of his mind and was conscious of only a +numbing sense of grief and disaster.</p> + +<p>He looked up as his wife came in. Her movements were generally quiet, +and when she sat down her expression was calm.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>"I got away as soon as I could," she said. "I am afraid you have had bad +news."</p> + +<p>"Very bad. Godfrey's dead!"</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray started. Godfrey Barnett was her husband's cousin. He had +been the managing director of an old-established private bank in which +Mowbray's relatives were interested, and the dividend upon some of the +shares formed an important part of the Colonel's income.</p> + +<p>"I'm very sorry," Mrs. Mowbray said softly. "Godfrey was always a +favorite of mine. But it must have been sudden; you did not know that he +was ill."</p> + +<p>Her heart sank as she saw her husband's face turn grim. The blow had +been heavier than she thought.</p> + +<p>"He said something about not being up to his usual form when he last +wrote, and Alan alludes to a cablegram that should have prepared me, but +I never got it. No doubt it was overlooked. He mentions that the strain +was almost unbearable—the crisis at the office—and the inquest."</p> + +<p>"The inquest!"</p> + +<p>The Colonel took up an English newspaper.</p> + +<p>"It's all here; Alan says there's nothing to add. I've been trying to +understand it, but I can't quite realize it yet. The paper and the +letter came together. I suppose he waited a few days, thinking he had +cabled."</p> + +<p>The Colonel paused, and Mrs. Mowbray gave him a sympathetic glance, for +she knew what his forced calm cost. The Mowbrays were stern and quiet +under strain.</p> + +<p>"Well?" she said.</p> + +<p>"They found Godfrey dead, with a bottle of some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> narcotic beside him. +The doctor gave evidence that he had prescribed the drug; it seems +Godfrey couldn't sleep and his nerves had gone to bits. The man was +obviously tactful and saved the situation. The verdict was that Godfrey +had accidentally taken too large a dose."</p> + +<p>"Ah! You don't think——"</p> + +<p>"I dare not think—he was my cousin." Mowbray shivered and pulled +himself together. "Now for the sequel. You haven't heard the worst yet, +if one can call what follows worse."</p> + +<p>"Don't tell me. Give me the paper."</p> + +<p>He handed her the journal published in an English country town and she +read the long account with a feeling of deep pity. It appeared that when +news of Godfrey's death spread there had been a run on the bank. +Barnett's business was for the most part local; and struggling +shopkeepers, farmers, small professional men, and a number of the +country gentry hurried to withdraw their money. The firstcomers were +paid, but the bank soon closed its doors. Then came the inquest, and +Mrs. Mowbray wondered how the merciful verdict had been procured. It was +all very harrowing, and when she looked up her eyes were wet.</p> + +<p>"He must have known!" she said. "It seems heartless to talk about the +financial side of the matter, but——"</p> + +<p>"It must be talked about, and it's easier than the other. I think I know +why the bank came down, and perhaps I'm responsible to some extent. When +one of the big London amalgamations wanted to absorb Barnett's, Godfrey +consulted me. I told him I wasn't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> a business man, but so far as my +opinion went he ought to refuse."</p> + +<p>"Why?"</p> + +<p>"Barnett's was a small, conservative bank. Godfrey knew his customers; +he was their financial adviser and often their personal friend. The bank +would take some risk to carry an honest client over bad times; it was +easy with the farmers after a poor harvest. Godfrey could give and take; +he managed a respected firm like a gentleman. In short, Barnett's was +human, not a mere money-making machine."</p> + +<p>"I can imagine that," Mrs. Mowbray responded. "Would it have been +different if he had joined the amalgamation?"</p> + +<p>"Very different. Barnett's would have become a branch office without +power of discretion. Everything would have had to be done on an +unchangeable system—the last penny exacted; no mercy shown a client who +might fall a day behind; one's knowledge of a customer disregarded in +favor of a rule about the security he could offer. I warned Godfrey that +so far as my influence could command it, every vote that went with the +family shares should be cast against the deal; although the amalgamation +had given him a plain hint that they meant to secure a footing in the +neighborhood, whether they came to terms with Barnett's or not."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray thought his advice to his cousin was characteristic of her +husband, and, in a wide sense, she agreed with him. He was a lover of +fair play and individual liberty; but the course Godfrey had taken was +nevertheless rash. Barnett's was not strong enough to fight a +combination which had prac<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>tically unlimited capital. The struggle had +no doubt been gallant, but the kindly, polished gentleman had been +disastrously beaten. What was worse, Mrs. Mowbray suspected that her +husband was now leading a similar forlorn hope at Allenwood.</p> + +<p>"I suppose it means a serious loss to us," she said.</p> + +<p>"That's certain. Alan has not had time to investigate matters yet, but I +gather that my relatives do not mean to shirk their responsibility. +Barnett's, of course, was limited, but the name must be saved if +possible and the depositors paid. I will tell Alan that I strongly agree +with this."</p> + +<p>It was rash and perhaps quixotic, but it was typical of the man, and +Mrs. Mowbray did not object.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry for you," she said caressingly. "It will hit you very hard."</p> + +<p>Mowbray's face grew gentler.</p> + +<p>"I fear the heaviest burden will fall on your shoulders; we shall have +to cut down expenses, and there's the future—— Well, I'm thankful you +have your small jointure. Things are going hard against me, and I feel +very old."</p> + +<p>"It's unfortunate that my income is only a life interest. The boys——"</p> + +<p>"Gerald must shift for himself; he has had more than his share. I don't +think we need be anxious about Lance. The boy seems to have a singularly +keen scent for money."</p> + +<p>"But Beatrice!"</p> + +<p>"Beatrice," said Mowbray, "must make a good match. It shouldn't be +difficult with her advantages. And now I suppose I'd better go down. I +think the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> effect of this disaster must remain a secret between us."</p> + +<p>He locked up the papers and shortly afterward stood talking to Brand in +a quiet corner of the hall.</p> + +<p>"If it wouldn't be an intrusion, I'd like to offer you my sympathy, +sir," Brand said. "The mail-carrier brought me a letter from my English +steward."</p> + +<p>"Thank you; it has been a shock. Did you deal with Barnett's?"</p> + +<p>"I understand they have handled the estate accounts for many years."</p> + +<p>"Then you will be relieved to hear that it's probable all the depositors +will be paid."</p> + +<p>Brand made a gesture of expostulation; but Mowbray's mind had taken a +sudden turn.</p> + +<p>"So you haven't disposed of your English property!" he commented.</p> + +<p>Brand's glance rested on Beatrice, who was standing near, talking to one +of the younger men. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and there was warm +color in her face. Her pose was light and graceful; she seemed filled +with eager gaiety, and Brand's expression hardened.</p> + +<p>"No," he replied in a meaning tone; "I may want the place some day. +Perhaps I'd better warn you that I haven't given up hope yet, in spite +of my rebuff."</p> + +<p>"I wish she'd taken you," Mowbray said frankly. "It would have been a +relief to me; but I cannot influence her."</p> + +<p>Glancing back at Beatrice, Brand was seized by a fit of passion. He was +a strong, reserved man, who had cared little for women—he had, indeed, +rather<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> despised them. Now he had fallen in love at forty-two, and had +been swept away. Hitherto he had generally lived up to a simple code of +honor; but restraints were breaking down. He would have the girl, +whatever it cost him or her. He knew the strength of his position. It +might be necessary to exercise patience, but the odds were on his side.</p> + +<p>"This is a matter I must fight out for myself," he said in a hard voice. +"And I mean to win."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him in surprise. There was something new and +overbearing in the man's expression which the Colonel resented, but he +supposed he must make allowances.</p> + +<p>"You have my good wishes," he said; "but you must understand that that's +as far as I can go."</p> + +<p>He moved away and soon afterward Brand joined Beatrice.</p> + +<p>"I must congratulate you on your cheerfulness," he smiled. "You seem to +cast a ray of brightness about the place to-night. It drew me. Being of +a cold nature I felt I'd like to bask in the genial warmth."</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed.</p> + +<p>"That sounds stilted; one doesn't expect such compliments from you."</p> + +<p>"No," Brand said with a direct glance. "I'm old and sober; but you don't +know what I'm capable of when I'm stirred."</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure that I'm curious. To tell the truth, it costs me rather an +effort to be gay to-night. Somehow, there's a feeling of trouble in the +air."</p> + +<p>Brand thought she had no knowledge of her father's misfortune—it was +unlikely that Mowbray would tell<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> her; but she was clever enough to see +the other troubles that threatened the Grange in common with most of the +homesteads at Allenwood.</p> + +<p>"So you face it with a laugh!" he said. "It's a gallant spirit; but I +dare say the boys make it easier for you. Trouble doesn't seem to touch +them."</p> + +<p>He looked about the hall, noting the careless bearing of the handsome, +light-hearted young men and the three or four attractive girls. Their +laughter was gay, their voices had a spirited ring, and the room was +filled with warmth and brightness; yet he felt the presence of an +ominous shadow. This afforded him a certain gloomy satisfaction, the +meanness of which he recognized. He knew that he could not win the girl +he desired by his personal merits, but the troubles he thought were +coming might give him his opportunity.</p> + +<p>Beatrice was presently glad of an excuse for dismissing him, and when +the others had gone she went to her father, who was standing moodily by +the hearth.</p> + +<p>"You don't look well to-night," she said.</p> + +<p>"I'm not ill."</p> + +<p>"Then you're anxious."</p> + +<p>"I must confess that I have something to think about."</p> + +<p>"I know," said Beatrice. "Things look black just now. With the wheat +market falling——"</p> + +<p>"What do you know about the market?" Mowbray asked in surprise.</p> + +<p>"I read the newspapers and hear the boys talk. They're brave and take it +carelessly, but one feels——"</p> + +<p>Mowbray gave her a keen glance.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>"Well, what do you feel?"</p> + +<p>"That I'd like to help you in any way I can. So far, I've taken all you +have given me and done nothing in return."</p> + +<p>"You can help," he answered slowly. "It would ease my mind if you +married Brand."</p> + +<p>"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Not that! I'm sorry, but it's impossible."</p> + +<p>He made a gesture of resignation.</p> + +<p>"Well, I can't force you."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was silent a moment.</p> + +<p>"It's hard to refuse the only big thing you have ever asked," she said +hesitatingly. "I really want to help, and I feel humiliated when I see +how little I can do. Mrs. Broadwood and Hester Harding can manage a +farm; Broadwood says he only began to make money after he married." She +paused, seeing Mowbray's frown, and went on with a forced smile: +"However, I can at least cease to be an expense. I have cost you a great +deal one way and another, and now you must give me nothing more."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid I may have to cut down your allowance," he answered +gloomily.</p> + +<p>"That's one thing I can save you." She looked at him with diffident +eagerness. "I've been thinking a good deal lately, and I see that if +wheat keeps getting cheaper it may be serious for us all. Couldn't we +take precautions?"</p> + +<p>"What kind of precautions?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, I can't tell you that—I don't know enough about farming. But +perhaps we could make some changes and economies; break more land, for +example."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>"If we lose on what we have broken already, how shall we economize by +plowing more?"</p> + +<p>"It sounds logical; but can't you save labor and reduce the average +expense by working on a large scale?"</p> + +<p>"Perhaps. But it needs capital."</p> + +<p>"A few new horses and bigger plows wouldn't cost very much. We are +spending a good deal of money on other things that are not directly +useful."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at her with an ironical smile and Beatrice felt confused. +She remembered that she had staunchly defended her father's conservative +attitude to Harding, and now she was persuading him to abandon it.</p> + +<p>"This is a new line for you to take," he said. "I should like to know +what has suggested it. Has Mrs. Broadwood converted you, or have you +been talking to the Americans?"</p> + +<p>"I meet Mr. Harding now and then, and he generally talks about farming."</p> + +<p>"I suppose you can't avoid the fellow altogether, but politeness is all +that is required. He has a habit of exaggerating the importance of +things, and he can only look at them from his point of view."</p> + +<p>Beatrice felt guilty. Her father had not forbidden her speaking to the +man; he trusted her to remember what was due to her station. She could +imagine his anger were he to suspect that she had allowed Harding to +make love to her.</p> + +<p>"Kenwyne and Broadwood seem to agree with him," she urged.</p> + +<p>"They're rank pessimists; you mustn't listen to them. Try to be as +economical as you can; but leave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> these matters alone. You don't +understand them."</p> + +<p>She went to her room, feeling downcast. She had failed to influence him, +but it was partly her fault that she had been unable to do so. She had +wasted her time in idle amusements, and now she must take the +consequences. Nobody except Harding would listen when she wished to talk +about things that mattered. She felt ashamed of her ignorance and of her +utter helplessness. But perhaps she might learn; she would ask Hester +Harding to teach her.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">COVERING HIS TRAIL</span></h2> + + +<p>It was bitterly cold in the log-walled room at the back of the +settlement store where Gerald Mowbray sat by the red-hot stove. His +deerskin jacket and moccasins were much the worse for wear, and his face +was thin and darkened by the glare of the snow. For the past month he +had been traveling with a survey party through the rugged forest-belt of +Northern Ontario, living in the open in Arctic weather, until the +expedition had fallen back on the lonely settlement to get fresh +supplies.</p> + +<p>All round the rude log-shacks, small, ragged pines, battered by the +wind, and blackened here and there by fire, rose from the deep snow that +softened the harsh contour of the rocky wilderness. This is one of the +coldest parts of Canada. The conifers that roll across it are generally +too small for milling, and its penetration is remarkably difficult, but +a silver vein accounted for the presence of a few hard-bitten miners. +Occasionally they ran some risk of starving when fresh snow delayed the +transport of provisions, and it was only at irregular intervals that a +mail reached them. An Indian mail-carrier had, however, arrived shortly +before the survey party, and Gerald had a letter in his hand, and a +Montreal newspaper lay beside him. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> letter troubled him. He was +thankful to be left alone for a few minutes, for he had much to think +about.</p> + +<p>Hardship and fatigue had no attractions for him, but he had grown tired +of the monotony of his life at the Grange, and as qualified surveyors +were not plentiful in the wilds, the authorities had been glad to obtain +the services of an engineer officer. Though he was only an assistant, +the pay was good, and he had thought it wise to place himself out of his +creditors' reach. Unfortunately, some of the more persistent had learned +where he had gone, and the letter contained a curt demand for the +settlement of an account. Gerald could not pay it, but the newspaper +brought a ray of hope. He had speculated with part of the money his +father had once given him to pay his debts, and the mining shares he +bought had turned out worthless. Now, however, they were unexpectedly +going up; it seemed that the company had at last tapped a vein of +promising ore. If he could hold out, he might be able to liquidate his +most pressing debts. But this creditor's demand was peremptory and he +could not see how he was to gain time. He wished the men whose harsh +voices reached him from the store would stop talking. They were rough +choppers, of whose society he had grown very tired; and the taciturn +surveyor was not a much better companion.</p> + +<p>The surveyor came in before Gerald found a solution of his difficulties. +He was a big, gaunt man. Throwing off his ragged furs he sat down in a +broken chair and lighted his pipe.</p> + +<p>"Thermometer's at minus fifty, but we must pull out at sun-up," he +remarked. "Now, as I have to run my corner-line as ordered and the grub +we've been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> able to get won't last long, I can't take all the boys and +hunt for that belt of farming land."</p> + +<p>"Supposititious, isn't it?" Gerald suggested. "We've seen nothing to +indicate there being any soil up here that one could get a plowshare +into. Still, the authorities have rather liberal ideas of what could be +called cultivatable land."</p> + +<p>"That's so," the surveyor agreed. "Where I was raised they used to say +that a bushman can get a crop wherever he can fire the seed among the +rocks with a shotgun. Anyway, the breeds and the Indians talk about a +good strip of alluvial bottom, and we've got to find out something about +it before we go back."</p> + +<p>"It will be difficult to haul the stores and camp truck if you divide +the gang."</p> + +<p>"Sure; but here's my plan." The surveyor opened a rather sketchy map. "I +take the sleds and follow the two sides of the triangle. I'll give you +the base, and two packers. Marching light, by compass, you'll join me +where the base-line meets the side; but you'll do no prospecting survey +unless you strike the alluvial bottom."</p> + +<p>"What about provisions?"</p> + +<p>"You can carry enough to see you through; the cache I made in advance is +within a few marches of where we meet."</p> + +<p>It was not a task that appealed to Gerald. It would be necessary to +cross a trackless wilderness which only a few of the Hudson Bay +half-breeds knew anything about. He must sleep in the snow with an +insufficient camp outfit, and live on cut-down rations, with the risk of +starving if anything delayed him, because the weight he could transport +without a sledge was limited.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>He would have refused to undertake the journey only that a half-formed +plan flashed into his mind.</p> + +<p>"Suppose I miss you?" he suggested.</p> + +<p>"Well," said the surveyor dryly, "that might mean trouble. You should +get there first; but I can't stop long if you're late, because we've got +to make the railroad while the grub holds out. Anyhow, I could leave you +rations for two or three marches in a cache, and by hustling you should +catch up."</p> + +<p>Gerald agreed to this, and soon afterward he went to sleep on the floor. +It was early in the evening, but he knew that the next eight or nine +days' work would try him hard.</p> + +<p>It was dark when the storekeeper wakened him, and after a hasty +breakfast he went out with the surveyor. Dawn was breaking, and there +was an ashy grayness in the east, but the sky was barred with clouds. +The black pines were slowly growing into shape against the faint glimmer +of the snow. The cold was piercing and Gerald shivered while the +surveyor gave him a few last directions; then he slung his heavy pack +upon his shoulders and set off down the unpaved street. There were +lights in the log shacks and once or twice somebody greeted him, but +after a few minutes the settlement faded behind and he and his +companions were alone among the tangled firs. No sound but the crunch of +snow beneath their big shoes broke the heavy silence; the small trees, +slanting drunkenly, were dim and indistinct, and the solitude was +impressive.</p> + +<p>Gerald's lips were firmly set as he pushed ahead. Theoretically, his +task was simple; he had only to keep a fixed course and he must cut the +surveyor's line of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> march, but in practise there were difficulties. It +is not easy to travel straight in a rugged country where one is +continually forced aside by natural obstacles; nor can one correctly +allow for all the divergences. This, however, was not what troubled +Gerald, for the plan he had worked out since the previous night did not +include his meeting the surveyor. It was the smallness of the quantity +of provisions his party could transport that he was anxious about, +because he meant to make a much longer march than his superior had +directed.</p> + +<p>His companions were strong, stolid bushmen, whose business it was to +carry the provisions and camp outfit. They knew nothing about +trigonometry; but they were at home in the wilds, and Gerald was glad +the weather threatened to prove cloudy. He did not want them to check +his course by the sun. Properly, it was northwest; and he marched in +that direction until it was unlikely that anybody from the settlement +would strike his trail; then he headed two points farther west, and, +seeing that the packers made no remark, presently diverged another +point.</p> + +<p>Traveling was comparatively easy all day. Wind and fire had thinned the +bush, cleaning out dead trees and undergrowth, and the snow lay smooth +upon the outcropping rock. Here and there they struck a frozen creek +which offered a level road, and when dark came they had made an +excellent march. Gerald was glad of this, because all the food he could +save now would be badly needed before the journey was finished. For all +that, he felt anxious as he sat beside the camp-fire after his frugal +supper.</p> + +<p>A bank of snow kept off the stinging wind; there was, fortunately, no +lack of fuel, and, sitting close to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> the pile of snapping branches, the +men were fairly warm; but the dark pines were wailing mournfully and +thick gloom encroached upon the narrow ring of light. The eddying smoke +leaped out of it and vanished with startling suddenness. Gerald's +shoulders ached from the weight of his pack, and the back of one leg was +sore. He must be careful of it, because he had a long way to go, and men +were sometimes lamed by snowshoe trouble.</p> + +<p>The two packers sat, for the most part, smoking silently. Gerald now and +then gave them a pleasant word, but he did not wish their relations to +become friendly, as it was not advisable that they should ask him +questions about the march. Indeed, he shrank from thinking of it as he +listened to the savage wind in the pine-tops and glanced at the +surrounding darkness. The wilderness is daunting in winter, even to +those who know it best; but Gerald with his gambler's instincts was +willing to take a risk. If he went home with the surveyor, ruin awaited +him.</p> + +<p>For a time he sat drowsily enjoying the rest and warmth, and then, lying +down on a layer of spruce-twigs, he went to sleep. But the cold wakened +him. One of the packers got up, grumbling, and threw more branches on +the fire, and Gerald went to sleep again.</p> + +<p>Starting shortly before daylight, they were met by blinding snow, but +they struggled on all day across a rocky elevation. The snow clogged +their eyelashes and lashed their tingling cheeks until the pain was +nearly unbearable; still, that was better than feeling them sink into +dangerous insensibility. They must go on while progress was possible. +The loss of a day<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> or two might prove fatal, and there was a chance of +their getting worse weather.</p> + +<p>It overtook them two days later when they sat shivering in camp with the +snow flying past their heads and an icy blizzard snapping rotten +branches from the buffeted trees. Twigs hurtled about their ears; the +woods was filled with a roar like the sea; the smoke was blinding to lee +of the fire, and its heat could hardly reach them a yard to windward. +Gerald drank a quart of nearly boiling black tea, but he could not keep +warm. There was no feeling in his feet, and his hands were too numbed to +button his ragged coat, which had fallen open. When he tried to smoke, +his pipe was frozen, and as he crouched beneath the snow-bank he +wondered dully whether he should change his plans and face the worst his +creditors could do.</p> + +<p>By altering his course northerly when he resumed the march he might +still strike the surveyor's line, but after another day or two it would +be too late. Still, he thought of his father's fury and the shares that +were bound to rise. If he were disowned, he must fall back upon +surveying for a livelihood. It was unthinkable that he should spend the +winter in the icy wilds, and the summer in portaging canoes over rocky +hills and dragging the measuring chain through mosquito haunted bush. He +could not see how he was to avoid exposure when Davies claimed his loan; +but something might turn up, and he was sanguine enough to be content if +he could put off the day of reckoning.</p> + +<p>The blizzard continued the next morning and no one could leave camp; +indeed, Gerald imagined that death would have struck down the strongest +of them in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> an hour. But the wind fell at night, and when dawn broke +they set out again in Arctic frost. One could make good progress in the +calm air, though the glitter was blinding when the sun climbed the +cloudless sky as they followed a winding stream. Then a lake offered a +smooth path, and they had made a good march when dark fell.</p> + +<p>In the night it grew cloudy and the temperature rose, and when they +started at daybreak they were hindered by loose, fresh snow. At noon +they stopped exhausted after covering a few miles; and the next day the +going was not much better, for they were forced to flounder through a +tangle of blown-down trees. It was only here and there that the pines +and spruces could find sufficient moisture among the rocks, and they +died and fell across each other in a dry summer.</p> + +<p>On the seventh day after leaving the settlement the three men plodded +wearily through thin forest as the gloomy evening closed in. Their +shoulders were sore from the pack-straps, the backs of their legs ached +with swinging the big snowshoes, and all were hungry and moody. +Provisions were getting low, and they had been compelled to cut down +rations. Now the cold was Arctic, and a lowering, steel-gray sky showed +between the whitened tops of the trees. The packers had been anxiously +looking for blaze-marks all afternoon; and Gerald, knowing they would +not find them, felt his courage sink. He was numb with cold, and he +dully wondered whether he had taken too great a risk.</p> + +<p>Presently one of the men, who had been searching some distance to the +right, joined his comrade. They spoke together and then turned back to +meet Gerald.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>"Say, boss, isn't it time we struck the boys' tracks?" one asked.</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Gerald, recognizing that much depended on how he handled the +situation. "We should have picked them up this morning."</p> + +<p>The men were silent for a moment.</p> + +<p>"Looks as if we'd got off our line," one of them then said resolutely. +"How were you heading?"</p> + +<p>"Northwest, magnetic."</p> + +<p>"No, sir. You were a piece to the west of that."</p> + +<p>"You think so?"</p> + +<p>The man laughed harshly.</p> + +<p>"Sure! I was raised among the timber; guess I've broken too many trails +not to know where I'm going."</p> + +<p>"Well," said Gerald in a confidential tone, "I didn't mention it before +because I didn't want to make you uneasy, but I'm afraid this compass is +unreliable. It hasn't been swiveling as it ought; oil frozen on the cap, +perhaps, or the card warped against the glass. I tried to adjust it once +or twice, but my fingers were too cold." He held it out awkwardly for +them to examine, and it dropped from his mittens. Clutching at it, he +lost his balance and crushed the compass beneath the wooden bow of his +shoe.</p> + +<p>Then he stepped back with an exclamation, and the packer, dropping on +his knees, groped in the snow until he brought out the compass with its +case badly bent.</p> + +<p>"You've fixed her for good this time; there's an old log where she +fell," he said; and he and his comrade waited in gloomy silence while +Gerald watched them.</p> + +<p>They did not suspect him: the thing had passed for an accident; but +Gerald felt daunted by the deadly cold and silence of the bush. His +companions' faces<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> were indistinct and their figures had lost their +sharpness; they looked shaggy and scarcely human in their ragged +skin-coats.</p> + +<p>One of the packers suddenly threw down his load.</p> + +<p>"We're going to camp right here and talk this thing out," he said, and +taking off his net shoe began to scrape up the snow.</p> + +<p>Half an hour later they sat beside a snapping fire, eating morsels of +salt pork and flinty bannocks out of a frying-pan, with a black pannikin +of tea between them. The smoke went straight up; now and then a mass of +snow fell from the bending needles with a soft thud, though there was +scarcely a breath of wind.</p> + +<p>"I reckon we've been going about west-northwest since we left the +settlement," one of the men said to Gerald. "Where does that put you?"</p> + +<p>"Some way to the south of where I meant to be. Twenty degrees off our +line is a big angle; you can see how it lengthens the base we've been +working along while McCarthy makes his two sides. That means we've lost +most of our advantage in cutting across the corner. Then we were held up +once or twice, and we'll probably be behind instead of ahead of him at +the intersection of the lines. Tell me the distances you think we have +made."</p> + +<p>After some argument, they agreed upon them, and Gerald drew a rude +triangle in the snow, though its base stopped short of joining one side.</p> + +<p>"If you're right about course and distance, our position's somewhere +here," he said, indicating the end of the broken line.</p> + +<p>This placed the responsibility for any mistake upon his companions; but +one of them had a suggestion.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>"If we head a few points north, we'll certainly cut McCarthy's track."</p> + +<p>"Yes; but we'd be behind him and he can't wait."</p> + +<p>"Then if we stick to the line we're on, we'll join."</p> + +<p>"If we run it far enough, but we'll have to go a long way first. It's +difficult to catch a man who's marching as fast as you are when you have +to converge at a small angle upon his track."</p> + +<p>This was obvious as they looked at the diagram.</p> + +<p>"What are you going to do about it?" one of the packers asked.</p> + +<p>Gerald hesitated, because his plan might daunt them; moreover he must be +careful not to rouse their suspicion.</p> + +<p>"We want food first of all, and we'll have to sacrifice a day or two in +finding the cache. To do so, we'll cut McCarthy's line; this won't be +hard if he's blazed it."</p> + +<p>"You'll follow him after you find the grub?"</p> + +<p>"No," said Gerald, "I don't think so. He can't leave us much, and we'd +probably use it all before we caught him up. The best thing we can do is +to strike nearly north for the Hudson Bay post. We might get there +before the food runs out."</p> + +<p>There was silence for a few moments, and he waited for the others to +speak, for he had carefully ascertained the position of the factory +before he left the settlement. If they missed the remote outpost, or did +not get there soon enough, they could not escape starvation.</p> + +<p>"Well," said the first packer, "I guess that's our only plan, but we'll +certainly have to hustle. Better get to sleep now. There'll be a moon in +the early morning, and we'll pull out then."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>Gerald made a sign of agreement. His companions had taken the direction +of affairs into their own hands, and he was glad to leave it to them. It +relieved him of responsibility, and they were not likely to blunder +where error would be fatal. When they reached the factory he must find +an excuse for remaining until McCarthy arrived at the settlements and +reported the party missing. It would be mentioned in the papers, a +relief expedition might be despatched, and Gerald's creditors would wait +until the uncertainty about his fate was dissipated. He meant to delay +his reappearance as long as possible; but he knew there was a +possibility of its never being made. One took many chances in the frozen +North.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE BLIZZARD</span></h2> + + +<p>Six weeks had passed since Gerald broke his compass. With head lowered +against the driving snow, he plodded slowly across the plain behind a +team of exhausted dogs. A Hudson Bay half-breed lashed the animals, for +the sledge was running heavily, and, with the provisions all consumed, +the party must reach shelter before night. There was no wood in the +empty waste, the men were savage with hunger, and a merciless wind drove +the snow into their faces. Though scarcely able to drag himself along, +Gerald pushed the back of the sledge, and the two packers followed, each +carrying a heavy bundle of skins to ease the load upon the dogs. The +white men had tried to persuade their guide to make a cache of his +freight, but he had refused. He had served the Hudson Bay from his youth +in the grim desolation of the North, and he proudly stated that he had +never lost a skin. Gerald, finding argument useless, would have tried a +bribe, only, unfortunately, he had nothing to offer.</p> + +<p>He had reached the factory scarcely able to walk from snowshoe lameness; +and one of the packers had a frozen foot. The Scottish agent, who was +short of stores, had not welcomed them effusively. It was, however, +impossible to turn them away; he promised them shelter, but he declined +to supply them with pro<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>visions to continue their journey. They might +stay, he said, though they must put up with meager fare, and when fresh +stores arrived from the railroad he would see what could be done.</p> + +<p>The delay suited Gerald; he limped contentedly about the rude log-house +for some time; but when he and the packer recovered, they found that +they were expected to take part in the work of the post. When the +weather permitted, Gerald was despatched long distances with a +half-breed to collect skins from the Indian trappers; and when +snow-laden gales screamed about the log-house and it might have been +fatal to venture out of sight of it, he was employed in hauling cordwood +from the clearing.</p> + +<p>At last some dog-teams arrived with stores, and the agent, seizing the +opportunity of sending out a load of furs, gave his guests just food +enough to carry them to the settlements and let them go with a +half-breed. The journey proved arduous, for during most of it they +struggled through tangled forest filled with fallen pines, and when at +length they reached the plains an icy wind met them in the teeth. Now, +however, they were near the end, and Gerald, stumbling along, pinched +with the bitter cold, speculated dully about the news awaiting him.</p> + +<p>His creditors could have done nothing until they learned what had become +of him. That was something gained; and there was a probability of his +being able to pay them off. The shares he owned were going up; there +would be developments when the new shaft tapped the main body of the +ore. The tip he had got from a safe quarter when he made the purchase +was to be trusted after all. Mining companies were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> not run solely for +the benefit of outside investors, and the directors were no doubt +waiting for an opportune moment for taking the public into their +confidence about their long-delayed success. The last newspaper Gerald +had read, however, indicated that some information had leaked out, and +he hoped that an announcement which would send up the price had been +made while he was in the wilds.</p> + +<p>The lashing snow gained in fury. When Gerald looked up, the dogs were +half hidden in the cloud of swirling, tossing flakes. Beyond them lay a +narrow strip of livid white, dead level, unbroken by bush or tuft of +grass. There was, however, no boundary to this contracted space, for it +extended before them as they went on, as it had done without a change +since the march began at dawn. Gerald felt that he was making no +progress and was with pain and difficulty merely holding his ground. The +half-breed struggled forward beside the dogs, white from head to foot, +but Gerald could not see the packers, and felt incapable of looking for +them. Snow filled his eyes and lashed his numbed cheeks, his lips were +bleeding, and his hands and his feet felt wooden with the icy cold. +Lowering his head against the blast, he stumbled on, pushing the back of +the sledge and seeking refuge from bodily suffering in confused thought.</p> + +<p>After all, he had no hope of getting free from debt. The most he could +expect was to pay off the men who pressed him hardest; but that would be +enough for a time. Gerald could not face a crisis boldly; he preferred +to put off the evil day, trusting vaguely in his luck. Looking back, he +saw that he might have escaped had he practised some self-denial and +told the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> truth to his father and his friends. Instead, he had made +light of his embarrassments and borrowed from one man to pay another; to +make things worse, he had gambled and speculated with part of the +borrowed sums in the hope that success would enable him to meet his +obligations. Money had to be found, but Gerald would not realize that +for the man who does not possess it, the only safe plan is to work. +Sometimes he won, but more often he lost; and the Winnipeg mortgage +broker watched his futile struggles, knowing that they would only lead +him into worse difficulties.</p> + +<p>Then Gerald began to wonder whether the half-breed, who had nothing to +guide him, could find the settlement. It seemed impossible that he could +steer a straight course across the trackless waste when he could see +scarcely fifty yards ahead. They might have wandered far off their line, +though, so far as one could judge, the savage wind had blown steadily in +front. It was a question of vital importance; but Gerald was growing +indifferent. His brain got numb, and his body was losing even the sense +of pain. The only thing he realized plainly was that he could not keep +on his feet much longer.</p> + +<p>At last, when it was getting dark, there was a cry from the half-breed, +and one of the packers stumbled past. He shouted exultantly, the dogs +swerved off their course, and Gerald felt the sledge move faster. The +snow got firm beneath his feet and he knew they had struck a trail. It +must lead to the settlement, which could not be far ahead. Half an hour +later, a faint yellow glow appeared, the worn-out dogs broke into a run, +dim squares of houses loomed out of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> snow, and lights blinked here +and there. They were obviously moving up a street, and when they stopped +where a blaze of light fell upon them Gerald leaned drunkenly upon the +sledge. The journey was over, but he was scarcely capable of the effort +that would take him out of the deadly cold.</p> + +<p>He saw the half-breed unharnessing the dogs, and, pulling himself +together, he struggled up a few steps, crossed a veranda with wooden +pillars, and stumbled into a glaring room. It was filled with tobacco +smoke and the smell of hot iron, and its rank atmosphere was almost +unbreathable. Gerald began to choke, and his head swam as he made his +way to the nearest chair. The place, as he vaguely realized, was a +hotel, and the packers had already entered because he heard their voices +though he could not see them. There was a stove in the middle of the +room, and a group of men stood about it asking questions. Some one spoke +to him, but he did not understand what the fellow said. Reeling across +the room, he grasped the chair and fell into it heavily.</p> + +<p>Exhausted as he was, it was some time before he recovered from the shock +caused by the change of temperature. Some one helped him to throw off +his furs, which were getting wet, and to free him of his big snowshoes. +His sensations were acutely painful, but his head was getting clear, +and, after a while, he followed a man into a colder room where food was +set before him. He ate greedily; and feeling better afterward he went +back to the other room and asked for a newspaper.</p> + +<p>He turned to the financial reports; but he could not see the print well, +for he was still somewhat dizzy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> and the light was trying. The figures +danced before him in a blur, and when he found his shares mentioned it +cost him some trouble to make out the price. Then he let the paper drop, +and sat still for some minutes with a sense of confused indignation. The +shares had gone up, but only a few points. The rogues in the ring were +keeping information back until weak holders were forced to sell. It was +a swindle on the public and, what was more, it meant ruin to him. The +shares would be taken from him before they rose, because he could not +hope to hide his return from his creditors.</p> + +<p>The safe arrival of his party would soon be reported in the newspapers; +and to disappear again would result in his being regarded as a defaulter +and a statement of his debts being sent to the Grange. He had borne all +the hardship and danger for nothing! He was no nearer escaping from his +troubles than he had been when he broke his compass in the wilds.</p> + +<p>There was, however, one hope left. He must see Davies in Winnipeg. The +fellow was clever, and might think of something, particularly as it was +to his interest to keep Gerald on his feet. He thought he could count on +Davies' support until the loan on mortgage fell due. His thoughts +carried him no farther. He was dazed by fatigue and the shock of +disappointment.</p> + +<p>After vacantly smoking for a while, Gerald went off to bed. His room was +singularly comfortless, but a hot iron pipe ran through it and it struck +him as luxurious by contrast with the camps in the snowy waste. Ten +minutes after he lay down he was sound asleep.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>The snow had stopped the next morning, and reaching the railroad after a +long and very cold drive, he arrived in Winnipeg the following day and +went straight to Davies' office.</p> + +<p>The broker looked up with a curious expression as Gerald came in.</p> + +<p>"This is a surprise," he said. "We thought you were lost in the timber +belt."</p> + +<p>"It ought to be a relief," Gerald answered, sitting down.</p> + +<p>Davies looked amused.</p> + +<p>"Oh, so far as my business interests go, it doesn't make much +difference. I have good security for what you owe me."</p> + +<p>"But I suspect you're not quite ready to prove your claim to my farm."</p> + +<p>For a few moments Davies studied Gerald's face. He wondered how much he +knew about his plans concerning Allenwood, and, what was more important, +whether he might try to thwart them. Young Mowbray was not a fool, and +these people from the Old Country had a strong sense of caste; they +stood by one another and were capable of making some sacrifice to +protect their common interests against an outsider. If Mowbray had such +feelings, he would need careful handling; but Davies was more inclined +to think him a degenerate who placed his own safety before any other +consideration.</p> + +<p>"I don't want to prove it yet. It will be time enough when the mortgage +falls due. But what has this to do with things?"</p> + +<p>"The trouble is that you may not be able to wait," said Gerald coolly. +"If you will read this letter, you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> will understand, though I'm not sure +it will be a surprise to you."</p> + +<p>He gave Davies the letter demanding payment of his debt, and the broker +saw that he was shrewder than he thought. As a matter of fact, Davies +had been in communication with the other creditors.</p> + +<p>"Well," he remarked, "you certainly seem to be awkwardly fixed."</p> + +<p>"I am; but I suspect the situation's as awkward for you. This leads me +to think you'll see the necessity for helping me out of the hole. If +these fellows come down on me, their first move will be to try to seize +my land, and you'll have to produce your mortgage. This will make +trouble at Allenwood."</p> + +<p>Davies pondered. Though he had long been scheming for a hold on +Allenwood, his position was not very strong yet. He had spent a good +deal of money over his plans and, although he was sure of getting it +back, if he were forced into premature action he would fail in the +object he aimed at. It might accordingly be worth while to spend a +further sum. On the other hand, money was getting scarce with him. Wheat +was falling, trade was slack, and land, in which he had invested his +capital, was difficult to sell. Still, it was undesirable to spoil a +promising scheme for the sake of avoiding a moderate risk.</p> + +<p>"I understand your father's unable to pay the debt for you," he said.</p> + +<p>"Yes; he'd probably disown me if he heard of it. I don't expect this to +interest you, but some of his neighbors have money, and when they saw +the settlement was threatened they'd raise a fund to buy you out. You +might, of course, make them wait, but if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> they were ready to find the +cash, you'd have to give up your mortgages when they fell due."</p> + +<p>"If these men are so rich, why don't you ask them to lend you the +money?"</p> + +<p>"Because I've bled them as much as they will stand, and they'd think the +matter serious enough to hold a council about. This would have the +result I've just indicated. I think you see now that you had better help +me to settle my most pressing claims."</p> + +<p>Davies regarded him with a grim smile.</p> + +<p>"It strikes me that your talents were wasted in the army. You might have +made your mark in my business if you'd gone into it before you took to +betting. That's your weak spot. A gambler never makes good."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps. But what about the loan?"</p> + +<p>"Your name wouldn't be worth five cents on paper," said Davies dryly. +"However, if you could get somebody with means to endorse it, I might be +able to discount it for you. The rate would be high."</p> + +<p>"Men who wouldn't lend me money would be shy of giving me their +signature."</p> + +<p>"That's so; but there's the chance that they might not be called upon to +make good. You'll have to persuade them that things are sure to change +for the better in, say, three months. Can you do so? I must have a solid +man."</p> + +<p>Gerald sat quiet for a while, with knitted brows. He had been frank with +Davies because frankness would serve him best; but he understood that +the fellow wanted the signature of one of the Allenwood farmers because +this would strengthen his grasp on the settlement. Gerald saw ruin and +disgrace ahead, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> by taking a worse risk than any he had yet run, he +might put off the disaster for three months. Procrastination and a +curious belief that things could not come to the very worst were his +besetting weaknesses. He shrank from the consequences that might result; +but he could see no other way of escape, and he looked up with a +strained expression.</p> + +<p>"All right. I will get you a name that you can take. I shall have to go +to Allenwood."</p> + +<p>Davies had been watching him keenly.</p> + +<p>"Very well," he said. "Sign this, and look in again when you have got +your friend's signature."</p> + +<p>Three days later Gerald was back in the broker's office.</p> + +<p>"Can you negotiate it now?" he asked nervously, producing the paper.</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Davies. "The name's good enough. I know Harding."</p> + +<p>After deducting a high rate of interest, he gave Gerald the money, and +then locked the note away with a look of great satisfaction.</p> + +<p>Harding's name was forged, and Davies knew it.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A SEVERE TEST</span></h2> + + +<p>Winter ended suddenly, as it generally does on the plains, and rain and +sunshine melted the snow from the withered grass. Then the northwest +wind awoke, and rioting across the wide levels dried the spongy sod, +while goose and crane and duck, beating their northward way, sailed down +on tired wings to rest a while among the sloos. For a week or two, when +no team could have hauled a load over the boggy trails, Harding was busy +mending harness and getting ready his implements. The machines were +numerous and expensive, but he had been forced to put off their +adjustment because it is risky to handle cold iron in the Canadian +frost. He had been unusually silent and preoccupied of late; but Hester, +knowing his habits, asked no questions. When he was ready, Craig would +tell her what was in his mind, and in the meantime she had matters of +her own to think about. All the work that could be done went forward +with regular precision, and, in spite of Harding's reserve, there was +mutual confidence between the two. Hester was quietly happy, but she was +conscious of some regret.</p> + +<p>In a few more months she must leave her brother's house and transfer to +another the care and thought she had given him. She knew he would miss +her, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> now and then she wondered anxiously whether any other woman +could understand and help him as she had done. Craig had faults and he +needed indulging.</p> + +<p>Then, too, he sometimes gave people a wrong impression. She had heard +him called hard. Although in reality generous and often compassionate, +his clear understanding of practical things made him impatient of +incompetence and stupidity. He needed a wider outlook and more +toleration for people who could not see what was luminously plain to +him. Life was not such a simple matter with clean-cut rules and duties +as Craig supposed. Grasping its main issues firmly, he did not perceive +that they merged into one another through a fine gradation of varying +tones and shades.</p> + +<p>Rather late one night Hester sat sewing while Harding was busy at his +writing table, his pipe, which had gone out, lying upon the papers. He +had left the homestead before it was light that morning to set his +steam-plow to work, though nobody at Allenwood had taken a team from the +stable yet. Devine had told her of the trouble they had encountered: how +the soft soil clogged the moldboards, and the wheels sank, and the +coulters crashed against patches of unthawed ground. This, however, had +not stopped Harding. There was work to be done and he must get about it +in the best way he could. At supper time he came home in very greasy +overalls, looking tired, but as soon as the meal was finished he took +out some papers, and now, at last, he laid down his pen and sat with +knitted brows and clenched hand.</p> + +<p>"Come back, Craig!" Hester called softly.</p> + +<p>He started, threw the papers into a drawer, and looked at his watch.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>"I thought I'd give them half an hour, and I've been all evening," he +said, feeling for his pipe. "Now we'll have a talk. I told Fred to order +all the dressed lumber he wanted, and I'd meet the bill. The house he +thought of putting up wasn't half big enough; in a year or two he'd have +had to build again. Then we want the stuff to season, and there's no +time to lose if it's to be ready for you when the harvest's in."</p> + +<p>Hester blushed prettily.</p> + +<p>"You have given us a good deal already, Craig. We would have been +satisfied with the smaller homestead."</p> + +<p>"Shucks!" returned Harding. "I don't give what I can't afford. You and +Fred have helped to put me where I am, and I'd have felt mean if I +hadn't given you a good start off when I'm going to spend money +recklessly on another plan. Now that all I need for the summer's paid +for, I've been doing some figuring."</p> + +<p>"Ah! You think of buying some of the Allenwood land?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," he said gravely. "It will be a strain, but now's the time, when +the falling markets will scare off buyers. I hate to see things go to +pieces, and they want a man to show them how the settlement should be +run. They have to choose between me and the mortgage broker. It will +cost me a tough fight to beat him, but I think I see my way."</p> + +<p>"But what about Colonel Mowbray?"</p> + +<p>"He's the trouble. I surely don't know what to do with him; but I guess +he'll have to be satisfied with moral authority. I might leave him +that."</p> + +<p>Hester felt sorry for the Colonel. He was autocratic and arbitrary, his +ways were obsolete, and he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> had no place in a land that was beginning to +throb with modern activity. She saw the pathetic side of his position; +and, after all, the man was of a finer type than the feverish money +makers. His ideals were high, though his way of realizing them was out +of date.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she said, "it may be better for Allenwood that you should take +control, but you're running a big risk, and somehow your plan looks +rather pitiless. You're not really hard——"</p> + +<p>She paused and Harding smiled.</p> + +<p>"I'm as I was made, and to watch Allenwood going to ruin is more than I +can stand for. It would be worse to let the moneylender sell it out to +small farmers under a new mortgage and grind them down until they and +the land were starved. Broadwood and one or two more will help me all +they can, but they haven't the money or the grip to run the place +alone."</p> + +<p>"And you feel that you can do it. Well, perhaps you can, but it sounds +rash. You are very sure of yourself, Craig."</p> + +<p>"How can I explain?" he said with a half amused, half puzzled air. "The +feeling's not vanity. I have a conviction that this is my job, and now +that I begin to see my way, I have to put it through. I'm not swaggering +about my abilities—there are smarter men in many ways at Allenwood; my +strong point is this: I can see how things are going, and feel the drift +of forces I didn't set in motion and can't control. All I do is to fall +into line and let them carry me forward, instead of standing against the +stream. The world demands a higher standard of economical efficiency; +in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> using the best tools and the latest methods I'm obeying the call."</p> + +<p>"What was it that first fixed your thoughts on Allenwood?" she asked.</p> + +<p>"Beatrice Mowbray. I'm going to marry her if I make good."</p> + +<p>"You have no doubts about that either?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes; I have plenty. I know what I'm up against; but human nature's +strongest in the end. She likes me as a man."</p> + +<p>Hester understood him. She was to marry a man of her own station, which +would save her many perplexities, but Craig, respecting no standard but +personal merit, would have married above or beneath him with equal +boldness. It was not because he was ambitious, but because he loved her +that he had chosen Beatrice Mowbray. Yet Hester was anxious on his +account.</p> + +<p>"It's a big risk," she said. "The girl is dainty and fastidious. There's +nothing coarse in you, but you have no outward polish. Perhaps the +tastes you have inherited may make things easier."</p> + +<p>"Well, sometimes I have a curious feeling about these Allenwood people. +I seem to understand them; I find myself talking as they do. There was +something Kenwyne said the other night about an English custom, and I +seemed to know all about it, though I'd never heard of the thing +before."</p> + +<p>He got up and knocked out his pipe.</p> + +<p>"All that doesn't matter," he said whimsically. "What's important now is +that it's late, and I must have steam up on the plow by daybreak."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>For the next week Harding was very busy; and then, coming back to the +house one afternoon for some engine-packing, he found Beatrice alone in +their plain living-room. She noticed the quick gleam of pleasure in his +eyes and was conscious of a response to it, but she was very calm as she +explained that Hester had gone to saddle a horse on which she meant to +ride with her to Mrs. Broadwood's.</p> + +<p>"That should give us ten minutes," Harding said. "There's something I +once promised to show you and I may not have a better chance."</p> + +<p>Unlocking a drawer, he took out a small rosewood box, finely inlaid.</p> + +<p>"This was my father's. Hester has never seen it. I found it among his +things."</p> + +<p>"It is beautiful."</p> + +<p>Harding opened the box and handed her a photograph.</p> + +<p>"That is my mother," he said.</p> + +<p>Beatrice studied it with interest. The face was of peasant type, with +irregular features and a worn look. Beatrice thought the woman could not +have been beautiful and must have led a laborious life, but she was +struck by the strength and patience the face expressed.</p> + +<p>Harding next took out a small Prayer-book in a finely tooled binding of +faded leather and gave it to her open. The first leaf bore a date and a +line of writing in delicate slanted letters: <i>To Basil, from his +mother.</i></p> + +<p>"My father's name was Basil," Harding explained, and taking up another +photograph he placed it with its<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> back beside the inscription in the +book. It was autographed: <i>Janet Harding</i>.</p> + +<p>"I imagine it was sent to him with the book, perhaps when he was at +school," Harding resumed. "You will note that the hand is the same."</p> + +<p>This was obvious. The writing had a distinctive character, and Beatrice +examined the faded portrait carefully. It was full length, and showed a +lady in old-fashioned dress with an unmistakable stamp of dignity and +elegance. The face had grown very faint, but on holding it to the light +she thought she could perceive an elusive likeness to Hester Harding.</p> + +<p>"This lady must have been your grandmother," she remarked.</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Harding. "I have another picture which seems to make the +chain complete."</p> + +<p>He took it from the box and beckoned Beatrice to the window before he +gave it to her, for the photograph was very indistinct. Still, the front +of an English country house built in the Georgian style could be made +out, with a few figures on the broad steps to the terrace. In the center +stood the lady whose portrait Beatrice had seen, though she was +recognizable rather by her figure and fine carriage than her features. +She had her hand upon the shoulder of a boy in Eton dress.</p> + +<p>"That," said Harding, "was my father."</p> + +<p>Beatrice signified by a movement of her head that she had heard, for she +was strongly interested in the back-ground of the picture. The wide lawn +with its conventionally cut border of shrubbery stretched beyond the +old-fashioned house until it ended at the edge<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> of a lake, across which +rounded masses of trees rolled up the side of a hill. All this was +familiar; it reminded her of summer afternoons in England two or three +years ago. Surely she had walked along that terrace then! She could +remember the gleaming water, the solid, dark contour of the beechwood on +the hill, and the calm beauty of the sunlit landscape that she glimpsed +between massive scattered oaks. Then she started as she distinguished +the tower of a church in the faded distance, its spires rising among the +tall beech-trees.</p> + +<p>"But this is certainly Ash Garth!" she cried.</p> + +<p>"I never heard its name," Harding answered quietly.</p> + +<p>Beatrice sat down with the photograph in her hand. Her curiosity was +strongly roused, and she had a half disturbing sense of satisfaction.</p> + +<p>"It looks as if your father had lived there," she said.</p> + +<p>"Yes; I think it must have been his home."</p> + +<p>"But the owner of Ash Garth is Basil Morel! It is a beautiful place. You +come down from the bleak moorland into a valley through which a river +winds, and the house stands among the beechwoods at the foot of the +hill."</p> + +<p>"The picture shows something of the kind," agreed Harding, watching her +with a reserved smile.</p> + +<p>Beatrice hesitated.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps I could find out what became of your father's people and where +they are now."</p> + +<p>"I don't want to know. I have shown you these things in confidence; I'd +rather not have them talked about."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>"But you must see what they might mean to you!" Beatrice exclaimed in +surprise.</p> + +<p>He moved from the window and stood facing her with an air of pride.</p> + +<p>"They mean nothing at all to me. My father was obviously an exile, +disowned by his English relatives. If he had done anything to deserve +this, I don't want to learn it, but I can't think that's so. It was more +likely a family quarrel. Anyway, I'm quite content to leave my relatives +alone. Besides, I promised something of the kind."</p> + +<p>He told her about the money he had received, and she listened with keen +interest.</p> + +<p>"But did he never tell you anything about his English life?"</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding. "I'm not sure that my mother knew, though Hester +thinks she meant to tell us something in her last illness. My father was +a reserved man. I think he felt his banishment and it took the heart out +of him. He was not a good farmer, not the stuff the pioneers are made +of, and I believe he only worked his land for my mother's sake, while it +was she who really managed things until I grew up. She was a brave, +determined woman, and kept him on his feet."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was silent for a few moments. The man loved her, and although +she would not admit that she loved him, it was satisfactory to feel that +he really belonged to her own rank. This explained several traits of his +that had puzzled her. It was, however, unfortunate that he held such +decided views, and she felt impelled to combat them.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span>"But you need ask nothing from the people except that they should +acknowledge you," she urged. "Think of the difference this would make to +you and Hester. It would give you standing and position."</p> + +<p>"Hester is going to marry a man who loves her for herself, and the only +position I value I have made. What would I gain by raking up a painful +story? The only relatives I'm proud to claim are my mother's in +Michigan, and they're plain, rugged folks."</p> + +<p>There was something in his attitude that appealed to Beatrice. He had no +false ambitions; he was content to be judged on his own merits—a severe +test. For all that, she set some value upon good birth, and it was +distasteful to see that he denied the advantages of his descent. Then +she grew embarrassed as she recognized that what really troubled her was +his indifference to the opinion of her relatives. He must know that he +had a means of disarming her father's keenest prejudice, but he would +not use it.</p> + +<p>"I understand that Hester knows nothing about these portraits," she +said.</p> + +<p>"No; I've never mentioned them. It could do no good."</p> + +<p>"Then why have you told me?"</p> + +<p>"Well," he answered gravely, "I thought you ought to know."</p> + +<p>"I have no claim upon the secrets you keep from your sister."</p> + +<p>Harding was silent, and Beatrice felt annoyed. After all, she understood +why he had told her and she recognized that he had acted honestly in +doing so. Still, if he really loved her, she felt, he should not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> let +pride stand in the way of removing every obstacle to get her.</p> + +<p>Hester came in and announced that the horses were ready; and soon +afterward she and Beatrice were riding together across the prairie while +Harding went doggedly back to his work.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE DAY OF RECKONING</span></h2> + + +<p>As the spring advanced, business men in Winnipeg and the new western +towns began to feel an increasing financial pressure. Money was tight, +and the price of wheat, upon which the prosperity of the country +depended, steadily fell. It was the beginning of a sharp set-back, a +characteristic feature of the sanguine West, during which all overdrafts +on the natural resources of the prairie must be met. The resources are +large, but their development is slow, depending, as it does, upon the +patient labor of the men who drive the plow, while those who live upon +the farmer are eager to get rich.</p> + +<p>The tide of industrial progress is often irregular. There are pauses of +varying length, and sometimes recoils, when reckless traders find their +ventures stranded and in danger of being wrecked before the next impulse +of the flood can float them on. They borrow and buy too freely; +trafficking produce not yet grown; building stores and offices in excess +of the country's needs. A time comes when this is apparent, speculation +ceases, credit fails, and the new cities must wait until expanding +agriculture overtakes them. In the meanwhile, the fulfilment of +obligations is demanded and, as often happens, cannot be made.</p> + +<p>Davies suffered among the rest. He had foreseen a set-back, but it +proved more severe than he expected.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> He had bought land he could not +sell, had cooperated in erecting buildings which stood empty, and had +made loans to men unable to repay them.</p> + +<p>One morning he sat in his office, gloomily reading a newspaper which +made a bold attempt to deal optimistically with the depressing +situation. Among other news there was a report of a meeting of the +shareholders in a mining company; and this Davies studied with interest. +It was what is termed an extraordinary meeting, called to consider the +course to be adopted in consequence of the engineer's failing to reach +the ore after sinking a costly shaft; and Davies, glancing at another +column, noted that the shares had sharply fallen. Gerald Mowbray had +speculated in this stock, and Davies was then expecting a call from him.</p> + +<p>Instead of Mowbray, Carlyon came in. The boy looked anxious, but he was +calm.</p> + +<p>"I suppose you know what I've come about," he began.</p> + +<p>"Yes; you're behind with your interest."</p> + +<p>Carlyon's ease of manner was perhaps overdone, but he hid his feelings +pluckily.</p> + +<p>"Then, as I can't pay, what are you going to do? I must know now; when +you're farming, you have to look ahead."</p> + +<p>"I'm going to sell you up when the mortgage falls in. You have some time +yet."</p> + +<p>"Can't you renew the loan upon any terms?"</p> + +<p>"No," said Davies truthfully. "I would if I could. I have to meet my +engagements and money's scarce."</p> + +<p>Carlyon got up, turning an unlighted cigar in nervous fingers, but there +was a smile in his eyes that showed he could face ruin with dignity.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>"Then, if that's your last word, I needn't waste your time; and it +wouldn't be fair to blame you for my foolishness. I dare say I can find +a job as teamster; it seems the only thing that's left."</p> + +<p>"You have grit. I'm sorry I can't keep you on your feet," Davies +answered with more feeling than Carlyon had expected.</p> + +<p>"Thanks. Mowbray's waiting outside; I'll send him in."</p> + +<p>Davies looked up when the door opened a few moments later. Gerald's +careless manner had gone; he showed obvious signs of strain. Indeed, +there was something in his face that hinted at desperation. Davies was +not surprised at this. After a curt greeting he took up the newspaper.</p> + +<p>"I expect you have seen the report of the company's meeting."</p> + +<p>"I have," said Gerald. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination. At +last, the directors have treated us with brutal frankness. I've filled +up my proxy in favor of appointing a committee to investigate."</p> + +<p>"It can't do much good. The fellows can investigate until they're tired, +but they can't find ore that does not exist."</p> + +<p>"It would be some comfort if they found out anything that would put the +rogues who deluded us into jail," Gerald answered savagely.</p> + +<p>Davies smiled in a meaning way.</p> + +<p>"Rather too drastic a proceeding." He gave the other a direct glance. +"People who play a crooked game shouldn't appeal to the law."</p> + +<p>The blood crept into Gerald's face and he wondered with dire misgivings +what the man meant and how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> much he knew. He had counted on a report +from the mining engineer that would send up the value of his shares, and +had rested on this his last hope of escaping from a serious danger. +Instead, he had learned that the mine was barren. It was a crushing +blow, for he must find a large sum of money at once. The consequences +would be disastrous if he failed.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "the most important point is that my shares are worth +next to nothing, and I've very little expectation of their ever going +up. I don't suppose you'd take them as security for a loan at a quarter +of their face value?"</p> + +<p>"I would not," Davies answered firmly.</p> + +<p>"Very well. My note falls due in a few days. What are you going to do?"</p> + +<p>"Present it for payment."</p> + +<p>Gerald looked at him keenly, to see if he meant it; but he could read in +the broker's imperturbable face nothing to lead him to doubt this. He +tried to pull himself together, and failed. Gerald had not inherited the +stern, moral courage of the Mowbray stock.</p> + +<p>"You can't afford to let me drop," he pleaded in a hoarse voice. "As +soon as you take away your support the brutes I've borrowed from will +come down on me like wolves, and, to protect your interests, you'll have +to enforce your mortgage rights. I needn't point out that this will +spoil your plans. You're not ready to make your grab at Allenwood yet."</p> + +<p>Davies heard him unmoved. He was comparing his attitude with that of the +ruined lad he had just dismissed. Carlyon was, of course, a fool who +deserved his fate, but his pluck had roused the moneylender's sympathy. +He did not mean to let it make<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> him merciful, but he had some human +feeling, and it inspired him with contempt for Mowbray. The fellow was +clever enough to see that Davies' plans were directed against his +relatives and friends, but this had not prevented his falling in with +them for the sake of a temporary advantage. His pride was a sham; he +forgot it when it threatened to cost him something. Moreover he had not +been straight with Davies in several ways. He had a rogue's heart, but +was without the rogue's usual nerve.</p> + +<p>"I often have to change my plans," Davies said calmly. "Just now I'm +short of money, and must get some in. Anyway, there's no secret about +the mortgage; it had to be registered."</p> + +<p>"Of course; but I don't suppose anybody knows about it, for all that. +People don't spend their time turning up these records."</p> + +<p>"It would be a wise precaution, when they dealt with you," Davies +answered pointedly.</p> + +<p>Gerald did not resent the taunt.</p> + +<p>"But you can't get your money for the note," he urged. "It's impossible +for me to meet it now."</p> + +<p>"Or later, I guess. Well, I'll have to fall back on the endorser; he's a +solid man."</p> + +<p>A look of terror sprang into Gerald's face.</p> + +<p>"You can't do that!"</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"Well," Gerald faltered, "he never expected he'd have to pay the note."</p> + +<p>"That's his affair. He ought to have known you better."</p> + +<p>Gerald roused himself for a last effort.</p> + +<p>"Renew it on any terms you like; I'll agree to what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>ever you demand. I +have some influence at Allenwood, and can get you other customers. +You'll find it worth while to have my help."</p> + +<p>Davies smiled scornfully.</p> + +<p>"You can't be trusted. You'd sell your friends, and that means you'd +sell me if you thought it would pay. I'm willing to take a risk when I +back a sport; but one can't call you that. You have had your run and +lost, and now you must put up the stakes." He took a pen from the rack +and opened a book. "There doesn't seem to be anything more to be said. +Good-morning."</p> + +<p>Gerald left, with despair in his heart; and when he had gone Davies took +the note from his safe and examined the signature on the back with a +thoughtful air. After all, though money was tight, he might retain his +hold on Allenwood if he played his cards cleverly.</p> + +<p>During the afternoon Carlyon and Gerald took the westbound train, and +the next evening Gerald reached the Grange. There had been a hard rain +all day, and he was wet after the long drive, but he went straight to +the study where his father was occupied. It was not dark outside yet, +but the room was shadowy and heavy rain beat against its walls. Mowbray +sat at a table by the window, apparently lost in thought, for although +there were some papers in front of him the light was too dim to read. He +glanced up with a frown when his son came in.</p> + +<p>"If you had thought it worth while to let me know you were going to +Winnipeg, I could have given you an errand," he said, and added dryly: +"One would imagine that these trips are beyond your means."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>Gerald was conscious of some shame and of pity for his father, whom he +must humble; but his fears for his own safety outweighed everything +else.</p> + +<p>"I want you to listen, sir. There's something you must know."</p> + +<p>"Very well," said Mowbray. "It is not good news; your voice tells me +that."</p> + +<p>It was a desperately hard confession, and Mowbray sat strangely still, a +rigid, shadowy figure against the fading window, until the story was +finished. Then he turned to his son, who had drawn back as far as +possible into the gloom.</p> + +<p>"You cur!" There was intense bitterness in his tone. "I can't trust +myself to speak of what I feel. And I know, to my sorrow, how little it +would affect you. But, having done this thing, why do you slink home to +bring disgrace on your mother and sister? Could you not hide your shame +across the frontier?"</p> + +<p>It was a relief to Gerald that he could, at least, answer this.</p> + +<p>"If you will think for a moment, sir, you will see the reason. I don't +want to hide here, but it's plain that, for all our sakes, I must meet +this note. If it's dishonored, the holder will come to you; and, +although I might escape to the boundary, you would be forced to find the +money." Gerald hesitated before he added: "It would be the only way to +save the family honor."</p> + +<p>"Stop!" cried Mowbray. "Our honor is a subject you have lost all right +to speak about!"</p> + +<p>For a moment or two he struggled to preserve his self-control, and then +went on in a stern, cold voice:</p> + +<p>"Still, there is some reason in what you urge. It shows the selfish +cunning that has been your ruin."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>"Let me finish, sir," Gerald begged hoarsely. "The note must be met. If +I take it up on presentation, the matter ends there; but you can see the +consequences if it's dishonored."</p> + +<p>"They include your arrest and imprisonment. It's unthinkable that your +mother and sister should be branded with this taint!" Mowbray clenched +his hand. "The trouble is that I cannot find the money. You have already +brought me to ruin."</p> + +<p>There was silence for the next minute, and the lashing of the rain on +the ship-lap boards sounded harshly distinct.</p> + +<p>Gerald saw a possible way of escape, but, desperate as he was, he +hesitated about taking it. It meant sacrificing his sister; but the way +seemed safe. His father would stick at nothing that might save the +family honor.</p> + +<p>"There's Brand," he suggested, knowing it was the meanest thing he had +ever done. "Of course, one would rather not tell an outsider; but he can +keep a secret and might help."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" Mowbray exclaimed sharply, as if he saw a ray of hope. Then he +paused and asked with harsh abruptness: "Whose name did you use on the +note?"</p> + +<p>"Harding's."</p> + +<p>Mowbray lost his self-control. Half rising in his chair, he glared at +his son.</p> + +<p>"It's the last straw!" he said, striking the table furiously. "How the +low-bred fellow will triumph over us!"</p> + +<p>"He can't," Gerald pointed out cunningly, using his strongest argument +in an appeal to his father's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> prejudice. "He will know nothing about the +note if I can take it up when due."</p> + +<p>Mowbray sank back in his chair, crushed with shame.</p> + +<p>"It must be managed somehow," he said in a faltering voice. "Now—go; +and, for both of our sakes, keep out of my way."</p> + +<p>Gerald left him without a word, and Mowbray sat alone in the darkness, +feeling old and broken as he grappled with the bitterest grief he had +known. There had, of course, been one or two of the Mowbrays who had led +wild and reckless lives, but Gerald was the first to bring actual +disgrace upon the respected name. The Colonel could have borne his +extravagance and forgiven a certain amount of dissipation, but it +humbled him to the dust to realize that his son was a thief and a +coward.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE PRICE OF HONOR</span></h2> + + +<p>It was very quiet in the drawing-room of the Grange, where Mrs. Mowbray +sat with an exhausted look, as if she had made an effort that had cost +her much. She had just finished speaking, and was watching Beatrice, +whose face was white and strained.</p> + +<p>"But what has Gerald done? I think I have a right to know," the girl +broke out.</p> + +<p>"He wrote somebody else's name on the back of a promise to pay some +money, which meant that the other man, who really knew nothing about it, +guaranteed that the payment would be made."</p> + +<p>"But that is forgery!" Beatrice cried, aghast.</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray with a shudder; "I'm afraid it's forgery of a +very serious kind, because it enabled him to obtain a good deal of money +which he could not otherwise have got."</p> + +<p>"Oh, how dreadful!" Beatrice impulsively crossed the floor and, kneeling +down beside her mother, put her arm round her. "I know how you must feel +it. And now I can understand Father's troubled look. He has been very +quiet and stern since Gerald came home."</p> + +<p>"Your father has more trouble than you know. Perhaps I'd better tell you +about it, as you must grasp the situation. You heard that Godfrey +Barnett<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> was dead, but you don't know that he died ruined by the failure +of the bank."</p> + +<p>"Ah! All our money was in Barnett's, wasn't it?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray. "It has all gone."</p> + +<p>She stopped in distress. The task of influencing the girl to take a +course she must shrink from was painful to her; but she had promised her +husband and must go on with it. There was no other way, and it was in +accordance with her traditions that the threatened honor of the family +should come before her daughter's inclinations.</p> + +<p>"Now you can see why it's impossible for your father to save Gerald by +paying the money. It explains why he has been forced to ask help from +Brand."</p> + +<p>Beatrice drew back from her, as if overwhelmed.</p> + +<p>"Blow after blow! How has he borne it all? And yet he is very brave."</p> + +<p>"You are his daughter," said Mrs. Mowbray meaningly, though she felt +that what she was doing was cruel. "You must be brave, too. I think you +see how you can make things easier for him."</p> + +<p>"Oh!" The girl drew a quick breath. Then she rose with a hot face, +burning with fierce rebellion. "The fault is Gerald's, and he must +suffer for it! Why should I! He has always brought us trouble; +everything has been given up for the sake of the boys. Don't I know how +you have had to deny yourself because of their extravagance? It's +unjust! Not even my father has the right to ask this sacrifice from me!"</p> + +<p>"Gerald cannot suffer alone. If he is arrested for forgery, it will +crush your father and be a stain on Lance's name as long as he lives. +Lance has been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> very steady since his accident, and I dare not think of +his being thrown back into his reckless ways. Then the disgrace will +reflect even more seriously on you—a girl is condemned for the sins of +her relatives. I do not speak of myself, because the worst that could +happen to me was to learn that my son had done this thing."</p> + +<p>Beatrice's mood changed suddenly. Her high color faded and she made a +hopeless gesture.</p> + +<p>"It's true! I feel as if I were in a trap and could not get out. It's +horrible!"</p> + +<p>She sank down again by her mother's side and struggled for composure.</p> + +<p>"Let us face the matter quietly," she said. "Brand is our friend; he +cannot be so ungenerous as to ask a price for his help."</p> + +<p>"He is a hard man, and very determined."</p> + +<p>"Yes; I know. I have been afraid of him. He made me feel he was waiting +until his opportunity came. But, for all that, I can't believe——"</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray gave her a glance of compassionate sympathy.</p> + +<p>"Even if Brand does not claim his reward, we know what would persuade +him to do us the great service your father must ask. Can we take this +favor from him, and then deny him what he longs for? There is nobody +else who can help us, and our need is pressing."</p> + +<p>"But I am not asking the favor!" Beatrice urged in desperation. "The +debt is not mine! It would be different if I were in Gerald's place."</p> + +<p>"You must see that you are using a false argument," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently. "A girl can<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>not separate herself in this way from her +father and brother: the family responsibilities are hers. It may sound +very harsh, but you cannot repudiate the liability Gerald has incurred. +When he did wrong, he made us all accountable."</p> + +<p>Beatrice could not deny this. She had been taught that the family was +not a group but a unit and its honor indivisible, and she had always +been made to feel that it was her duty to reflect credit upon her name. +It was a comfortable doctrine when things went well; when things went +wrong, however, it became very cruel. Seeing no hope at all, she fell +into mute despair, and it was some time before she could rouse herself. +At last she got up with a quietly resolute expression.</p> + +<p>"Well," she said slowly, as if it cost her a great effort, "I must try +not to disgrace you by any foolish weakness. Since this is our debt, I +must pay it. One understands that women have often done such things. It +seems as if all the burdens were laid on our shoulders—and men call us +weak!" She paused a moment, and then asked in a dead, indifferent voice: +"Whose name did Gerald forge?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know. Your father didn't tell me. I thought he tried to avoid +it."</p> + +<p>Moving calmly to the door, Beatrice was surprised to find Gerald waiting +in the passage outside. She gave him a steady look. Her face was white +and hard, and there was scorn in her eyes. Gerald drew back, almost as +if she had struck him.</p> + +<p>"You have been talking to Mother?" he asked awkwardly.</p> + +<p>"Yes," she said; "and you know what we talked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> about. So far as anything +I can do may count, you are safe. That, of course, was all you wanted to +know."</p> + +<p>She saw keen relief in his face.</p> + +<p>"After all," he urged, "Brand is a very good fellow and has many +advantages to offer."</p> + +<p>She turned upon him with burning indignation.</p> + +<p>"Don't be a hypocrite! You know it would not have mattered if he had +been the meanest rogue in Canada—so long as you got free."</p> + +<p>She swept past him and left him standing in the passage with a downcast +air.</p> + +<p>Seeking refuge in her room, she locked the door and tried to think. She +must face the situation and not let futile anger and horror overcome +her. Growing calm after a time, she began to wonder why the prospect of +marrying Brand was so repugnant. He belonged to her own station, they +had much in common, and, in a way, she liked him. Then, she had long +known that she would be expected to make a good match, and Brand had +kept his beautiful English house waiting for her; his wife would have +the position and social influence Beatrice had been taught to value. But +these things seemed worthless now.</p> + +<p>She looked out through the open window at the prairie. It had grown +green with the rain, though clumps of bleached grass still checkered it +with silvery gray. Red lilies were opening here and there, and as she +gazed the blue shadow of a cloud swept across the plain and vanished, +leaving it bright with sunshine. Its vastness and the sense of freedom +it conveyed appealed to the girl. There was a charm in the wide horizon; +one never felt cramped upon the plains. She<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> loved the spacious land, +and did not want to live in England.</p> + +<p>But this was a deceptive argument. Brand would stay at Allenwood if she +wished. Indeed, she knew that he would make many a sacrifice to please +her if she married him. She must look for a better reason.</p> + +<p>It was not hard to find, for in this crisis she must be honest with +herself. The blood crept to her face as she realized that she could not +marry Brand because she loved some one else. Now that such love was +hopeless and must be overcome, the disturbing truth was plain. She had +fenced with and tried to deny it, but when it was too late, it had +beaten her.</p> + +<p>By way of relief, she tried to occupy her mind with another thought. Her +father had been reluctant to tell whose name Gerald had forged. Beatrice +knew that her brother would choose a man of wealth, otherwise the name +would have no weight, and she did not think he had fixed on Brand. Her +father's reticence made her feel that it must be Harding. Beatrice +thought her father unjust and foolish. Harding would not take a shabby +advantage of his position; he was generous, but, unfortunately, no help +could come from him. She could not tell her lover that her brother was a +thief; besides, this was a secret that must be carefully hidden from +everybody outside the family. Brand, she reflected with a shudder of +repugnance, would soon belong to it. There was no help anywhere.</p> + +<p>Beatrice leaned against the window-frame, her head buried in her arms. +The soft air from the prairie swept over her caressingly, the hot +sunshine bathed her; but her heart was black with despondency. She<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> was +in a trap—a trap set by her own brother—and no escape was possible.</p> + +<p>She threw her head up with a sudden resolve. At least she would make the +sacrifice bravely, without murmur, as befitted the daughter of the house +of Mowbray.</p> + +<p>Her mood changing again as quickly, she threw herself across the bed and +burst into a fit of passionate sobbing.</p> + +<p>And while she lay there, worn with crying, her father sat in his study +talking to Brand. He related with candor what had happened, making no +attempt to hide the ugliest facts; and Brand grasped at the opportunity +opened for him. He recognized that it would give him a strong claim on +Mowbray's gratitude. It might be mean to take advantage of it; but he +had waited a long time for Beatrice, and might lose her altogether if he +let this chance slip.</p> + +<p>"You have my sympathy, sir," he said suavely. "It must have been a great +shock; but I am glad you have taken me into your confidence, because I +can be of help. You can repay me whenever you find you can do so without +trouble."</p> + +<p>Mowbray gave a sigh of great relief.</p> + +<p>"Thank you, Brand. You cannot understand how you have eased my mind. I +know of no one else who would, or could, have done so much."</p> + +<p>The Colonel sank back in his chair, and Brand noticed how worn he +looked. The younger man was conscious of a slight feeling of pity; but +he could not afford to indulge it: he must strike while the iron was +hot.</p> + +<p>"Now that things are going so hard for you, in a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> financial way, it +would be some satisfaction to feel that your daughter's future was +safe," he said.</p> + +<p>Mowbray was silent a moment. Then he answered slowly.</p> + +<p>"Yes. I wish indeed that she could see her way to marry you."</p> + +<p>"I will speak plainly. I have been waiting patiently, but, so far as I +can judge, I have gained nothing by this. I'm afraid I may lose all if I +wait much longer. Beatrice likes me, we agree on many points, our tastes +are similar, and I think there's every reason to hope she could be happy +with me. I could give her all that a girl brought up as she has been +could desire."</p> + +<p>"Do you suggest that I should urge her to marry you?" Mowbray asked with +some asperity.</p> + +<p>Brand hesitated. He knew that he was doing an unchivalrous thing, but +the passion he hitherto had kept in check mastered him.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "I suppose that is what I really meant."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him in haughty surprise.</p> + +<p>"You know I cannot refuse you; but I hardly expected you to take this +line. It might have been better if you had relied upon my gratitude and +my daughter's recognition of the service you have done us. We are not in +the habit of forgetting our debts."</p> + +<p>"The trouble is that I cannot afford to take a risk; there is some +danger of Beatrice's becoming estranged from me. I would not press you +if I saw any strong reason why she should not be happy as my wife, but I +know of none, and I feel that this is my last chance."</p> + +<p>"Then you mean to insist upon your claim?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>"Very reluctantly, sir."</p> + +<p>Mowbray was silent for a moment or two, and then he looked up with a +strained expression.</p> + +<p>"You place me in a helpless position. You make me and my family your +debtors, and then——" He broke off abruptly. "Did you mean to hint +there was some particular danger of my daughter's becoming estranged +from you?"</p> + +<p>"Since you force me to be candid, I believe she is attracted by another +man; perhaps I ought to say interested in him. I cannot suspect any +attachment yet; but I am afraid."</p> + +<p>"Who is he?"</p> + +<p>Brand hesitated a moment before answering.</p> + +<p>"I cannot give you his name, because I may be mistaken. Still, he is a +man you would strongly disapprove of."</p> + +<p>There was suspicion in Mowbray's eyes and his face hardened.</p> + +<p>"What you hint at surprises me, Brand; but I cannot compliment you upon +your conduct to-night. However, as Beatrice is the most interested +person, it is, I think, only right that she should be allowed to speak."</p> + +<p>He rang, and the servant who promptly answered was sent for Beatrice. +When the door opened a few moments afterward, Mowbray was surprised to +see not his daughter but the maid.</p> + +<p>"Miss Mowbray is ill," she announced, "and begs you to excuse her."</p> + +<p>The maid withdrew, and Mowbray frowned.</p> + +<p>"When must my daughter pay this debt?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"When is the forged note due?"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>"I understand that the Winnipeg fellow will bring it to me here on +Friday night."</p> + +<p>"Then there are two days yet. I will leave Miss Mowbray free until +Friday night. In the meantime I shall expect you to use your influence +with her." He hesitated a moment, feeling that he might not be taking +the right line. "I must urge you again, sir, to consider," he finished, +"that it will be only for your daughter's good, in every way, to marry +me."</p> + +<p>When he left, Mowbray sat motionless in his chair for a long while, +looking out over the prairie but seeing nothing in front of him. Then +with an effort he roused himself. After all, he tried to believe, it +would not be so bad for the girl. She was young; she might yet learn to +love Brand, even though she married him under compulsion. As for +Harding—— Mowbray dismissed the thought. He had no fear that his +daughter would so far forget her station: the pride of caste had been +drilled into her too strongly.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A WOMAN INTERVENES</span></h2> + + +<p>The following afternoon Beatrice rode moodily across the plain. After +another talk with her mother, she had passed a sleepless night and spent +the morning wandering restlessly to and fro. It was horribly degrading +to her to feel that Brand had bought her; but it was true, and it +destroyed the hope that time might reconcile her to her lot. She could +not forgive him that, but after all it was only part of an intolerable +situation.</p> + +<p>On a long gradual rise her horse began to slacken speed, and she pulled +up when she reached the top. Sitting still for a time, she vacantly +looked about. The hill commanded a wide view: she could see the prairie +roll back, changing as it receded from vivid green to faint ethereal +blue on the far horizon. White clouds swept across the sky, streaking +the plain with shadows. There was something exhilarating in the picture, +but Beatrice felt that she hated it for its mocking suggestion of space +and freedom. There was no freedom at Allenwood; she was to be sold into +shameful bondage.</p> + +<p>A gray streak of smoke that moved across the waste caught her eye. It +was Harding, harrowing by steam or perhaps bedding down his seed-wheat +with the land-packer. Beatrice thought of him with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> poignant sense of +regret. He loved her, and she had deceived herself in thinking she could +not love him. She had been bound by foolish traditions and had not had +the courage to break loose. It was too late now and she must pay the +penalty of her cowardice. She longed to call Harding to her help; he was +strong enough to save her. But the family disgrace must be kept secret. +There was no way out; she seemed to be turning round and round in a +narrow cage and beating herself vainly against the bars.</p> + +<p>As she started her horse she saw in the distance the Broadwood homestead +rising, a blur of gray buildings, and she rode toward it. She needed +sympathy, and her mother had nothing but resignation to urge. Effie +Broadwood was kind and fond of her; it would be some comfort to tell her +that she was in trouble—though of course she could not go into +particulars.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Broadwood at once noticed the girl's troubled face, and knew that +something had gone wrong. She led Beatrice into her plain little +sitting-room and made her comfortable on a sofa. Then, sitting down +beside her, she took her hand affectionately.</p> + +<p>"Now, dear," she said, "we can have a quiet talk. I know that something +is troubling you."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was moved by her unaffected sympathy. She had friends at +Allenwood but she could not go to them. They would think her rather to +be envied than pitied; but this warm-hearted, unconventional woman would +understand. She longed to take her into her confidence, and although +this was impossible, the numbing despair in her heart began to melt.</p> + +<p>"I can't tell you much; but—I suppose I shall be married soon."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>Mrs. Broadwood looked keenly interested.</p> + +<p>"Is it an Allenwood man?"</p> + +<p>"Brand. I must tell him definitely to-morrow evening."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" Mrs. Broadwood exclaimed. There was a pathetic note in the girl's +voice that touched her. "But if you don't want the man you have only to +let him know."</p> + +<p>"I wish it were as easy as that!" Beatrice answered hopelessly.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Broadwood was silent for a few moments, but her fingers clasped the +small hand under them with a comforting pressure.</p> + +<p>"I think I understand. Your father and mother are on his side; but if +you'd hate to have him for a husband you must not sacrifice yourself."</p> + +<p>"But I must!" said Beatrice desperately, and her forced calm suddenly +broke down. Her companion's gentleness had destroyed it, and now a +reaction from the strain she had borne had begun. "No," she added in a +broken voice, "there's no way out! I've been trying to find one and I +can't."</p> + +<p>She buried her face in one of the pillows and broke into choking sobs. +It was weak, she felt, and not what was to be expected from a Mowbray, +but there was comfort in the bitter tears. For a while Mrs. Broadwood +let her cry, but when she began to soothe her, Beatrice roused herself. +She could not remember afterward what she said, but her confused excuses +for her emotion and her fragmentary half confidences left a disturbing +impression on Mrs. Broadwood's mind.</p> + +<p>Beatrice rode home feeling slightly comforted,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> though she was no nearer +a solution of her difficulties. She had, of course, been very weak and +perhaps had said more than was wise, but she had not betrayed her +brother; and Effie Broadwood was a true friend. Beatrice was justified +in thinking so, for Mrs. Broadwood was to prove a better friend than she +suspected.</p> + +<p>When the girl had gone, Mrs. Broadwood spent some time in thinking over +what she had heard. Although she had keen intelligence, there were +points that puzzled her; she had been given several clues, but they +broke off before they led her far. Then she decided that something might +be learned by tactfully questioning her husband, and she went about her +work until he came home in the evening. She let him finish his supper +and light his pipe before she began.</p> + +<p>"The Mowbrays are in trouble just now, aren't they, Tom?"</p> + +<p>"I dare say; they certainly have their difficulties. Why?"</p> + +<p>"Beatrice rode over this afternoon and she had something on her mind. +What do you think's the matter?"</p> + +<p>"For one thing, the Colonel must have lost a good deal since wheat began +to go down. Then I heard something about the failure of an English bank; +Lance once told me the family had shares in it. I expect the stoppage +made a difference in their income."</p> + +<p>"That doesn't quite account for it. Do you know of anything else?"</p> + +<p>"Gerald may have been giving them trouble again. I know he has borrowed +a good deal of money which he'd find it difficult to pay, and I'm afraid +he's been mortgaging his land."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span>This confirmed some of Mrs. Broadwood's suspicions; but the matter was +still far from clear.</p> + +<p>"The Colonel would be very mad about the mortgage," she said. "Still, +it's Gerald's land, and he can do what he likes with it."</p> + +<p>"Not altogether. He's bound by the settlement covenant, and, as his +father gave him the land, he ought to respect his opinions. Mowbray's +convinced that to let in strangers would be hurtful to Allenwood."</p> + +<p>While feeling sure that Gerald was the cause of the Mowbrays' troubles, +Mrs. Broadwood did not think that Beatrice would marry a man she did not +care for in order to benefit the settlement. There must be another +reason.</p> + +<p>"Suppose Gerald had already mortgaged his farm and wanted some more +money, how would he borrow it?"</p> + +<p>"He'd find it hard, as he has no security to offer," Broadwood answered +with a smile. "I don't know much about these matters, and don't want to +know anything more, but I believe the usual plan is something like this: +you give the lender a note, an engagement to pay in, we'll say, three +months, and get somebody to endorse it. His putting down his name makes +him liable for the amount, and if the lender was satisfied about him, +he'd give you the money at once and take off as much interest as he +could."</p> + +<p>"But who'd guarantee Gerald in that way?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know. I certainly would not."</p> + +<p>"He would have to be a man who was known to have money," she persisted.</p> + +<p>"I suppose so; it would naturally make the trans<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>action easier. But it's +not our business to pry into the Mowbrays' affairs."</p> + +<p>"Oh, no," said Mrs. Broadwood. "Still, I was sorry for Beatrice and it +made me curious."</p> + +<p>She changed the subject and after a time took up a book as an excuse for +silence. She wanted to think, because she now felt sure that Gerald's +financial difficulties accounted for the pressure that was being put +upon Beatrice. The girl was being forced to marry Brand because he would +supply the money to save her brother from disgrace. Mrs. Broadwood felt +that it must be disgrace and not an ordinary debt. There would, however, +be no great difficulty if he had given some one a note, for the man who +endorsed it must have known that he might be called upon to pay. But +suppose he had not heard about the transaction at all? Mrs. Broadwood +dropped her book, for she saw that she had guessed the riddle. Gerald +had not asked the man to guarantee him; he had forged his name. Taking +this for granted made everything plain.</p> + +<p>Then she began to wonder whose name Gerald had forged. It could not be +his father's, for Mowbray was known to be far from rich. The only man +with much money at Allenwood was Brand, but Mrs. Broadwood thought it +could not be Brand, because she knew Mowbray's pride and believed that +in spite of his anxiety to keep the matter quiet he would not force his +daughter to marry a man his son had robbed. Admitting this, she must +look for some one else. Then it dawned upon her that the man was +Harding.</p> + +<p>"What did you say?" Broadwood asked, looking up from his paper.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span>"I was thinking," his wife replied. "S'pose I must have thought aloud. +Anyway it wouldn't interest you. How's wheat going?"</p> + +<p>"Down," said Broadwood, and there was silence again.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Broadwood saw what she could do. She admitted that she might make a +deplorable mess of things if she were mistaken, but the need was serious +enough to justify some risk. She had courage and she was fond of +Beatrice.</p> + +<p>The next afternoon she drove across the prairie to the spot where she +thought Harding was at work. She found him busy with his engine at the +end of a wide belt of plowing which the land packer had rolled down hard +and smooth.</p> + +<p>"Craig!" she called, pulling up her horse. "I want you a minute."</p> + +<p>He came to the step of the buck-board, dressed in greasy overalls, with +an oil smear on his hand, but she felt that he was to be trusted as she +gave him an approving glance. She liked his level look and his steady +eyes; there was force in his quiet face. He was the type of man she +admired: swift in action, free from what she called meanness, and +determined. Indeed, she felt inclined to hesitate as she thought of his +resolute character. It would be easy to set him in motion, but once that +was done he could not be stopped, and there might be startling +developments. It was rather like firing the train to a mine; and there +was a disturbing possibility that she might, after all, be wrong in her +surmises.</p> + +<p>But she gathered up her courage; and she knew that there was no time to +be wasted.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span>"Craig," she said, "do you want Beatrice Mowbray?"</p> + +<p>He started and his brown face flushed.</p> + +<p>"I want her more than anything else in the world."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Broadwood gave him a quick, approving nod.</p> + +<p>"Do you know how she feels about you?"</p> + +<p>"No. I only know what I hope."</p> + +<p>"Well," said Mrs. Broadwood thoughtfully, "I believe she'd rather take +you than Brand."</p> + +<p>"Brand!"</p> + +<p>"I expect she'll be engaged to him to-night, unless you act." Mrs. +Broadwood checked him as he was about to speak. "This is your chance, +Craig; you'll never get another half as good. Listen quietly for a few +minutes."</p> + +<p>He stood very still, without asking a question, until she had finished.</p> + +<p>"I guess you're right," he said with set jaws; "and I know the man who +holds the note. If Beatrice is to give Brand her answer to-night, it +means that Davies is coming here to squeeze the Colonel, and if his +train's on time, he ought to make the Grange in about three hours."</p> + +<p>"And you'll be there to meet him?"</p> + +<p>Harding smiled.</p> + +<p>"When I'm wanted I like to be on hand, and I guess I'm wanted pretty +badly now."</p> + +<p>"You certainly are. I suppose you see what you must do?"</p> + +<p>"If there's a note out with my name on it, it has got to be taken up. +You can leave the thing to me. I meet my obligations."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Broadwood saw that he had found a more ef<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span>fective way of dealing +with the situation than had yet occurred to her.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she exclaimed with frank admiration, "you're a wonder!"</p> + +<p>He held out his hand with a twinkle of rather grim amusement.</p> + +<p>"Anyway, I have to thank you for putting me on the track, and I'm not +going to forget it. Now I have several matters to fix up before I start +for the Grange."</p> + +<p>She touched the horse with the whip and he stepped back.</p> + +<p>"Good luck!" she called. "You deserve it!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A GREAT TRIUMPH</span></h2> + + +<p>It was getting dark when Brand reached the Grange. He found Beatrice in +the hall, for she had not heard his arrival in time to get away. She met +him calmly, but after a word of greeting she did not speak, and he +hesitated.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said with an effort, "I have come for your answer."</p> + +<p>"Isn't it too soon?" she asked. "You haven't carried out your part of +the bargain yet."</p> + +<p>Brand frowned in embarrassment.</p> + +<p>"You are very bitter; but I dare say it must be hard for you to see my +conduct in a favorable light."</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid it's impossible."</p> + +<p>Beatrice moved toward the broad stairway.</p> + +<p>"My father is waiting for you in the library," she said.</p> + +<p>Taking this for a dismissal, Brand joined Mowbray in his study. He was +sorry that the lamp was lighted, because he felt disturbed, and the +Colonel's constrained manner did not set him at ease. For all that, they +forced themselves to talk about matters of no importance until Davies +was shown in.</p> + +<p>"I came to see your son, but I meant to ask for an interview with you +before I left," the money-lender<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> said to Mowbray, and then glanced at +Brand. "I imagine that our business had better——"</p> + +<p>"Mr. Brand is acquainted with it, and I prefer him to remain. My son has +informed me that you hold a note of his. No doubt, you have brought it +with you?"</p> + +<p>"You propose to pay it for him?"</p> + +<p>"Certainly," said Mowbray with a trace of haughtiness. "Since he was +foolish enough to give you such a document it must be met."</p> + +<p>Davies felt surprised; but he took out the paper. He had not expected it +to be met, and as he stood with it in his hand, hesitating, he was +strangely irritated by Mowbray's smile. Then he put the note on the +table, and, after examining it, Mowbray gave it to Brand, who made a +sign indicating that he was satisfied.</p> + +<p>"Yes," he said, "it seems to be in order." Then he turned to Davies. +"We'll keep this paper; I'll give you a check."</p> + +<p>"Presently." Davies picked up the note. When he spoke, he addressed +Mowbray. "I'll give you the note canceled in return for payment of half +the amount; the rest to stand against a purchase I want to make."</p> + +<p>"You can have it all. I have no wish to defer payment. And I don't +understand what your purchases have to do with me."</p> + +<p>"I'll explain. One of your young neighbors is giving up his farm. He +hasn't broken much land and the buildings are small. The place ought to +go cheap, and I'm open to buy it. Then there's a section of vacant land, +and I'm willing to pay a small<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> sum for an option of taking it up at a +fixed price in a year's time."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him in cold surprise.</p> + +<p>"To begin with, I cannot sell you my neighbor's property; nor can I give +you an option on the vacant lot."</p> + +<p>"In a sense that's true, but you can fix things as I want it if you +like. Your word goes a long way in these matters."</p> + +<p>"I see no reason why I should use my influence in your favor."</p> + +<p>"It's impossible!" Brand interposed bluntly. "We are very careful whom +we let in at Allenwood."</p> + +<p>"In short, you mean to keep me out," Davies suggested with an ugly +smile.</p> + +<p>"Take it for granted that we cannot sell you the land you want."</p> + +<p>"Very well," said Davies. "I must try to convince you that you had +better indulge me." He fingered the note. "I have not parted with this +document yet. It seems to me that there's something unusual about Mr. +Harding's signature."</p> + +<p>As a rule, both Brand and Mowbray were capable of self-control, but the +attack was so unexpected that they showed their alarm. It had not +occurred to them that the moneylender might suspect the forgery. Indeed, +there was terror in the Colonel's face before he recovered himself, and +Brand's grew angrily red.</p> + +<p>"You scoundrel! What do you mean?" he cried.</p> + +<p>"Only that I'm not sure Mr. Harding would know his own writing if I +showed it to him."</p> + +<p>Mowbray motioned Brand to be silent, and for a few moments both sat +still, feeling overwhelmed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> Brand saw that it was now out of his power +to protect his companion; and the Colonel realized that the sacrifice of +his daughter might prove useless. He was in the moneylender's hands, and +to comply with his exactions would not end them. The honor of the +Mowbrays was at the rascal's mercy.</p> + +<p>There was a knock at the door.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Harding!" a servant announced.</p> + +<p>"I can't see him at present," said Mowbray with a start as he heard a +quick, resolute step in the passage.</p> + +<p>Before he finished speaking, Harding entered.</p> + +<p>"This must look like an intrusion, and you'll have to excuse my not +waiting your leave," he said. "The fact is, I was determined to get in."</p> + +<p>"So it seems," Mowbray answered. "Since you have succeeded, may I ask if +you came here by this gentleman's request?"</p> + +<p>"Why, no!" Harding looked at Davies with a twinkle. "I guess my turning +up is a surprise to him."</p> + +<p>Davies' crestfallen air bore this out, but he waited silently, and for a +moment or two neither Brand nor Mowbray spoke. The Colonel, to his +astonishment, was conscious of some relief. After all, he would rather +fall into Harding's hands than the moneylender's.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps you will explain the object of your visit," Mowbray said, when +the silence threatened to become awkward.</p> + +<p>"Certainly; though it ought to be plain. Mr. Davies holds a note with my +name on it, which I understand Mr. Gerald Mowbray cannot meet." He +leaned forward and took the note. "It's due to-day."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span>Baffled rage shone in Davies' eyes.</p> + +<p>"You admit your liability?" he cried indignantly.</p> + +<p>"Of course! My name's here; I don't go back on my obligations."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him with dull astonishment; and Brand, whose wits were +clearer, with reluctant admiration. He thought the farmer was playing +his part well; but Davies would not give in yet.</p> + +<p>"Am I to understand that you acknowledge this as your signature?" he +asked in a calmer tone.</p> + +<p>"Do you mean to tell me that you doubted it?" Harding returned. "You +haven't the reputation of being a fool. Would you have lent money on a +note you suspected was forged?"</p> + +<p>Davies saw the game was up. Brand was Mowbray's friend, and Harding was +an obviously hostile witness. Unless he were very careful he might lay +himself open to a charge of conspiracy; and he was powerless to attack +Mowbray so long as Harding acknowledged his signature.</p> + +<p>"Well," resumed Harding, taking out his wallet, "I guess I'll keep this +paper and give you a check."</p> + +<p>Brand saw his last hope vanishing.</p> + +<p>"Stop a minute!" he interposed. "You're taking too much for granted in +concluding that Gerald cannot pay. The debt is his in the first place, +and with the help of a friend he is able to find the money."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked up with a curious expression in which there was relief +and shame. Though he would have forced his daughter into a marriage she +shrank from, the necessity for doing so had preyed upon his mind and he +seized the chance of freeing himself of his debt to Brand. He did not +stop to reason, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> acted on the vague feeling that Harding, whom he +had distrusted, would prove an easier creditor.</p> + +<p>"Gerald cannot pay this note," he said firmly.</p> + +<p>Brand turned to him in surprise; but he saw that Mowbray was not to be +moved, and he understood what had prompted the Colonel's sudden change. +Brand had not played a straight game, and he had lost. At the last +moment the prairie man had beaten him. All that he could do now was to +bear his defeat with dignity.</p> + +<p>"Very well, sir," he answered, getting up. "Since I cannot be of +service, I will leave you to arrange matters with these gentlemen."</p> + +<p>Mowbray went to the door with him, and closing it behind them laid his +hand on Brand's arm.</p> + +<p>"You pressed me hard, but you were willing to help when I needed it +badly. I shall remember that with gratitude."</p> + +<p>"I wish you could forget the rest, but it's too much to hope," Brand +replied; and when Mowbray went back into the room he walked moodily down +the passage.</p> + +<p>Reaching the hall, he found Beatrice waiting there. She had seen Davies +come in and had heard of Harding's arrival, and she now wondered with +tense anxiety what was going on. She could form no conclusion and could +not ask Gerald, because he had carefully kept out of her way. Looking up +at Brand's step, she felt her heart beat with returning hope, for his +lips were set and his brows knit. He had rather the air of a man who had +received a heavy blow than that of a rejoicing lover. Something +unexpected had happened to humble him and set her free.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span>"Well," he said with an effort, "I have lost you. Still, I want you to +believe that I loved you."</p> + +<p>Beatrice was trembling from the shock of relief, but she knew that it +would be cruel to show what she felt.</p> + +<p>"I never doubted that," she answered quietly; "but you took the wrong +way."</p> + +<p>"There was no other available. Now that I have lost, perhaps you will +forgive me. I'm going to England in a week or two; I haven't the courage +to stay here."</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry," she said. "But to go away may be best."</p> + +<p>Brand left her, and she leaned against the big newel-post and tried to +keep calm. The thing she dreaded most was not to happen. In some +miraculous way she was free! She wondered with keen anxiety what her +father and Harding were talking about. Davies, she knew, had left the +house a few moments after Brand.</p> + +<p>As a matter of fact, the moneylender was promptly dismissed, with a +check for the full amount of the note; and when Mowbray returned after +closing the door behind him, Harding laid the note on the table.</p> + +<p>"This is yours, sir," he said with a smile. "You may destroy it."</p> + +<p>"Mine!" Mowbray showed his surprise. "You mean—you——" He stumbled +over the words. "You admit your responsibility?" he finally ended.</p> + +<p>"Of course!"</p> + +<p>Harding picked up the note, tore it across twice, and threw the pieces +into the open fire.</p> + +<p>"There's an end of that," he smiled. "Since it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> bore my signature I +don't know that I have any claim, but you can pay me when you like. I +won't press you."</p> + +<p>Mowbray did not answer for a moment. He felt overcome and could not +collect his thoughts. His prejudices against Harding were strong, but +they were, in a sense, impersonal. It was not the man he objected to, +but what he stood for. The fellow's generosity humbled him.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid I have done nothing to warrant this great kindness," he said +awkwardly. "Am I to understand that you offer it to me without +conditions, asking nothing in return?"</p> + +<p>"No; not altogether. I guess I might choose a better time, but I feel +that you should know what I want. I'm going to ask a favor. I suppose +you no longer think of compelling Miss Mowbray to marry Brand?"</p> + +<p>"You can take it that I do not. But what is this to you?"</p> + +<p>"Well," Harding said with a slight unsteadiness in his voice, "I want to +ask you if you will give her to me?"</p> + +<p>Mowbray straightened himself in his chair.</p> + +<p>"So you, too, mean to make terms, when you know I cannot refuse!"</p> + +<p>"No," Harding answered shortly, "I make none. If you had insisted on +Miss Mowbray's marrying Brand, I might have had something to say. All I +ask is that you give her a free choice; if she uses it to take somebody +else, I won't complain."</p> + +<p>"That is remarkably generous," Mowbray conceded.</p> + +<p>"We'll let that go. Perhaps my request is some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span>thing of a shock, but I +want you to hear me out. If things go well with me this year, I can give +my wife every comfort you have at Allenwood, and she can lead the life +she likes best—except that I can't leave the prairie. Then there is +nothing that need separate your daughter from you. Many of her friends +are mine; they'll welcome me into the settlement. I did not go to them; +they came to me."</p> + +<p>Mowbray knew this was true. His own younger son firmly believed in +Harding. Kenwyne, who had fastidious tastes, was his friend. There were +others Mowbray could think of, and all were men of character and +standing.</p> + +<p>"May I ask how long you have entertained these views about my daughter?"</p> + +<p>"Since the first time I saw her, and that was very soon after I came to +this neighborhood. I knew as soon as she spoke to me that I would never +marry any one else."</p> + +<p>Mowbray studied him. He had not suspected Harding of romantic +tendencies, but the man was obviously serious.</p> + +<p>"Has she any reason to suspect your feelings?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"The best of reasons; I have told her on more than one occasion. Still, +I can't claim that she approves of me."</p> + +<p>Had Harding made his proposal earlier, it would not have been +entertained for a moment, but Mowbray had suffered during the last few +days. He had found that it cost him more than he had expected to +disregard his daughter's inclinations, and he shrank from doing so +again. Then he owed much to Hard<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span>ing, who had behaved with somewhat +surprising good taste. After all, if Beatrice were fond of him—Mowbray +stopped here, feeling that the matter must be settled at once. He +determined to confront the girl with Harding and learn the truth.</p> + +<p>"I hope to give you an answer in a few minutes," he said, and left the +room.</p> + +<p>Somewhat to his surprise, Mrs. Mowbray agreed to his plan, and when he +went back to his study he and Harding waited until Beatrice entered. She +was highly strung but calm, though a trace of color crept into her face +as she glanced at Harding.</p> + +<p>"Gerald is safe," Mowbray told her. "Mr. Harding, who has acted very +generously, has ensured that. Now he asks that I should allow you to +marry him."</p> + +<p>Beatrice look startled; her face grew dead-white and her expression +strained.</p> + +<p>"After what he has learned about us he is very rash. But this is not +generosity!"</p> + +<p>Mowbray stopped Harding, who would have spoken.</p> + +<p>"I see that I did not make his meaning clear. He merely asks that I +withdraw my objections, and not that I try to influence your decision. I +am willing to do the former, but you must make your choice."</p> + +<p>Beatrice gave Harding a swift, grateful look.</p> + +<p>"I am sorry I misunderstood. I should have known you better," she said +in a very low voice.</p> + +<p>Then she was silent for a moment, with downcast eyes, and the two men +waited tensely. When she looked up her eyes glistened with tears; but +behind the tears there shone a great happiness.</p> + +<p>"It is not hard to decide," she murmured, reaching her hand out timidly +toward Harding.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span>He grasped it eagerly, and Mowbray forced himself to smile. In spite of +the Colonel's prejudices, he felt that his daughter's quiet confidence +in the prairie man was justified.</p> + +<p>"I sincerely wish you well," he said. He laid one hand on Harding's arm, +and there was a tremor in his voice as he continued: "We have not agreed +on many points, but I have learned that you can be trusted. I am glad to +remember it now."</p> + +<p>"Thank you, sir," said Harding. "I know the value of what you have given +me."</p> + +<p>After a few more words Mowbray let them go, and when they sat together +on the large black settle in a corner of the hall, the girl was +conscious of a calm tenderness for her lover that was stronger than +anything she had yet felt.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she said softly, "I wasn't brave enough when you first urged +me, but the hesitation I then felt has gone, and I am ashamed of it. I +know that I am safe with you."</p> + +<p>"Thank you for that," he answered and his face grew compassionate. "But +you look very tired and distressed."</p> + +<p>"I am tired—but I'm happy." A faint flush tinted her cheeks and she +smiled shyly. "The last few days have been very trying, Craig; and when +there seemed to be no way out, then I knew that I wanted you. Now I am +still half dazed; my escape seems so wonderful!"</p> + +<p>"I know," Harding said gently. "I was sorry for you all. It must have +been hard for your father, but one can see his point of view. You must +forget about it, dear. I am starting for Winnipeg to-mor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span>row, and may be +there a week. You will have time to get used to things before I come +back."</p> + +<p>"You are very considerate, and even kinder than I thought."</p> + +<p>He smiled into her eyes.</p> + +<p>"I am going to leave you now, because I feel that I ought to. But you +know I want to stay!"</p> + +<p>He lifted the hand she gave him and kissed it tenderly. Then a swift +flood surged through him.</p> + +<p>"Beatrice!" he breathed. "Oh, Beatrice! You don't know what it means to +me!"</p> + +<p>The little fingers were nearly crushed in his strong grasp; but he +released them quickly and turned away.</p> + +<p>"Good-by, dear!" he said.</p> + +<p>Beatrice let him go, but her look was strangely tender and her heart +beat fast. He had shown a fine unselfishness, and a tact that was +perhaps remarkable. She had no hesitation about him now.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE REBUFF</span></h2> + + +<p>Harding spent a busy week in Winnipeg, carrying out a scheme he had +agreed upon with Broadwood, Kenwyne, and one or two others, though he +feared it would again bring him into conflict with Colonel Mowbray. He +regretted this, but he could not allow it to influence him. Allenwood, +in which he now had a strong interest, must not be allowed to suffer +because of the Colonel's old-fashioned opinions. Harding saw what ought +to be done; and he felt that to leave it undone, in order to save +himself trouble, would be weak and, in a sense, treacherous to those who +now looked to him for a lead. He could not act against his convictions; +he must do what he thought best, and take the consequences.</p> + +<p>The storekeepers and implement dealers in the small settlements had many +bad debts, and their charges were proportionately high, but Harding did +not see why he and his friends should pay for the defaulters. Expensive +machines were needed; and new wheat was being produced which would +resist drought and ripen soon enough to escape the autumn frost; but +local dealers were unable, or perhaps too careless, to obtain the seed. +Then, Harding saw that a time was coming when mixed farming produce, +which he called truck, would be in strong demand; and it was his custom +to anticipate a need. Kenwyne and the others recognized<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> the +desirability of this, and had agreed to open a joint agency in Winnipeg. +Harding was not sure that the expense could be recouped for a time, but +he believed the undertaking would pay in the end.</p> + +<p>After finding a suitable office, he called on a number of business men +and the flour-millers who were then beginning what was to become the +leading industry of the city. He wanted to learn their views about the +kind of wheat best suited to their use, and to enter into direct +relations with them. On the whole, he succeeded better than he had +hoped, and had now only to appoint an agent. Two or three suitable men +had offered their services, and it was difficult to decide.</p> + +<p>He was thinking over the matter in the newly opened office, when Gerald +came in. The Mowbray black sheep seemed to feel no embarrassment in +meeting him, for his manner was inclined to be patronizing. Sitting +down, he lighted a cigarette.</p> + +<p>"This is a new venture. I don't know that it will meet with general +approval at Allenwood," he remarked.</p> + +<p>"One mustn't expect too much," Harding answered. "I guess the people who +object now will come round by and by."</p> + +<p>"I wonder how long you think it will be before my father falls into +line," said Gerald with a careless laugh. "Everything considered, I +rather admire your pluck."</p> + +<p>Harding let this pass. It was not a tactful allusion to his engagement +to Beatrice, and he was annoyed by Gerald's manner. He had not expected +much gratitude, but the fellow did not even seem to realize that Harding +had saved him from jail.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>"I suppose you know I have been turned out of Allenwood," Gerald +resumed.</p> + +<p>Harding admitted that he had been told so.</p> + +<p>"Since then I've heard from the Government people that they're not +likely to want me for the new survey. As a matter of fact, I'm not +sorry. The last man I went into the woods with was a sour, exacting +brute."</p> + +<p>"They've got to be hard. It isn't easy to run a line through a rough +country."</p> + +<p>"Nobody knows that better than I do," Gerald replied with feeling. +"Well, I've been here a week, and can't find any congenial occupation."</p> + +<p>"You don't look worried about it."</p> + +<p>Gerald laughed.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I'm not, as a rule, despondent; and I knew that I could as a last +resort fall back on you. This explains my call. I believe you want an +agent to manage your office."</p> + +<p>Harding's expression indicated ironical amusement.</p> + +<p>"Do you think what you have just told me is a recommendation for the +job?"</p> + +<p>"It seems to prove my need of it."</p> + +<p>"But not your suitability. I'm not looking for a man whom nobody else +will have."</p> + +<p>Gerald looked at him in astonishment. Though he had not given the matter +much thought, he had imagined that Harding would be glad to do him a +favor for his sister's sake. It was something of a shock to be refused. +And the manner of the refusal was mortifying. The fellow was a coarser +brute than he had thought; but Gerald did not mean to let his resentment +run away with him.</p> + +<p>"I have a few useful qualifications," he said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> "Some of the bigger +implement dealers and the heads of the milling firms are men of taste +and education. It's possible they might rather deal with me than with a +drummer fellow, or a raw farmer fresh from the soil."</p> + +<p>"I'm fresh from the soil, but I guess I could run this end of the +business," Harding returned.</p> + +<p>Gerald saw that he had blundered; but he did not feel beaten yet.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps I'd better mention that I spoke to Kenwyne and Broadwood, and +they were willing that I should have the agency."</p> + +<p>"That's so. I have a letter from Kenwyne, who says he'd like to give you +a lift, but leaves me to decide."</p> + +<p>"Then his wishes ought to count. You must see that your position at +Allenwood won't be easy; it will need some tact to make it comfortable, +and your giving me the post would go a long distance in your favor. You +can't afford to disregard our people's feelings until you've made your +footing good."</p> + +<p>"Can I not?" Harding's patience was exhausted. "Have I ever tried to +gain your friends' favor by indulging any of their crank notions? If +necessary, I'll put my plans through in spite of the crowd!" He checked +himself. "But this has nothing to do with the matter. You're not the man +I want."</p> + +<p>"May I inquire what kind of a man you do want?"</p> + +<p>"First of all, one I can trust."</p> + +<p>Gerald colored, but he got up with some dignity and moved toward the +door.</p> + +<p>"You may regret your decision," he said threateningly.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span>Harding sat silent until the door closed, and then he went over to the +window and looked out at the narrow street with a frown. He was angry, +but he did not think he had been too severe. It was plain that he might +have made things easier for himself by falling in with Gerald's +suggestion; the fellow was a favorite at Allenwood, where his last +offense was known only to one or two people. Harding had no doubt that +Mowbray would have appreciated his giving his son another chance; and +Beatrice would have thought it generous. For all that, the business of +the settlement could not be done by wastrels; and Harding felt that he +could not secure a personal advantage by a breach of trust.</p> + +<p>Gerald's feelings about the matter were far from pleasant. Returning to +his second-class hotel he endeavored to solace them with a drink before +he sat down in the untidy lounge to consider. He had been grossly +insulted; but he persuaded himself that this did not trouble him most. +The worst was that Harding was a coarse, low-bred brute, and was, +unfortunately, going to marry Beatrice. Gerald had not hesitated about +sacrificing his sister to save himself, but it was easy for him now to +feel that she was making a grave mistake. It was perhaps curious that he +had preserved a keen sense of family pride, and a belief that people of +his station must keep up their dignity; but he was honest as far as he +went. He knew that he had by no means lived up to his creed; but, while +some allowances must be made for men, this did not apply to women. It +was essential that they should remember what was due to their birth and +rank. On no account should a well-bred girl marry beneath her.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span>He went to the bar for another drink, and afterward became convinced +that Beatrice's marriage to Harding could only end in disaster. It must, +therefore, be prevented. He could not see how this was to be done, but +chance might provide a means.</p> + +<p>In the meanwhile he was confronted by the stern necessity for earning +his living. Taking up a newspaper, he studied the advertisements; but +unfortunately there seemed to be no demand for people with refined +tastes and polite accomplishments in Canada. Farm teamsters were wanted, +and shovel hands for a branch railroad; but these occupations did not +appeal to Gerald. A clerk was required at a new hotel. Well, that was +more in his line, and he set off to interview the proprietor. After a +few curt questions the man dismissed him, and Gerald spent the next day +or two moodily walking about the town, until it occurred to him that he +had better see what Davies could do. The fellow, who knew the worst of +him, owed him something. He felt much less bitter against the +moneylender, who had helped to ruin him, than he did against Harding, +whom he had injured.</p> + +<p>Davies was disengaged when Gerald entered.</p> + +<p>"So you're up against it!" he remarked. "Your friends at Allenwood have +no use for you?"</p> + +<p>"It looks like that. Otherwise I wouldn't have come here."</p> + +<p>"I see they're opening an office in this city."</p> + +<p>"Harding's in charge. I don't get on with him."</p> + +<p>"Well, perhaps that's natural." Davies was keen enough to notice the +rancor in Gerald's tone. He was afraid his plans about Allenwood might +have to be abandoned, but if he were able to go on with them,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> Harding +would prove his most dangerous opponent.</p> + +<p>"I guess Mr. Harding talked pretty straight to you?" he suggested.</p> + +<p>"He took an unfair advantage of my position!"</p> + +<p>"So you thought you'd strike me for a job? I guess you know you're not +worth much."</p> + +<p>Gerald winced at this, but he could not resent it. His father had +disowned him, and, except for a surreptitious gift from his mother, he +had no resources.</p> + +<p>"It's plain that I can't insist upon good terms," he replied. "I quite +expected you to see it."</p> + +<p>Davies considered. He did not suspect Mowbray of any fondness for steady +work, and he thought his services as a clerk would be dear at five +dollars a week; but the fellow was shrewd and plausible, and had what +Davies called tone. Well-brought-up young Englishmen and a few Americans +of the same stamp were coming into Manitoba looking for land, and +Mowbray, who understood these people, might act as a decoy. Then, he +knew all about Allenwood, and this knowledge might be useful later. On +the whole, Davies thought he would take the risk of employing him.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "I'll make you an offer."</p> + +<p>It was not an advantageous one for Gerald, but after some objections he +accepted it, and the next day reluctantly set to work. His occupation, +however, proved less unpleasant than he had feared, and at the end of a +few weeks Davies thought he had acted wisely. Mowbray was intelligent +and unscrupulous, his judgment was good, and Davies began to take him +into his confidence.</p> + +<p>Harding, in the meanwhile, appointed an agent and went home. He hired a +horse at the railroad settle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span>ment, and the first of the Allenwood +farmsteads were rising above the edge of the plain when a mounted figure +appeared near a bluff that the trail skirted. The figure was small and +distant, but it cut sharp against the evening light, and Harding's heart +beat fast as he recognized it. Touching his horse with the quirt, he +rode on at a gallop and pulled up near Beatrice with an exultant gleam +in his eyes.</p> + +<p>"This is very kind!" he cried.</p> + +<p>She looked at him shyly, with some color in her face.</p> + +<p>"Didn't you expect me to meet you? How far have you ridden at that +furious pace?"</p> + +<p>"Since I saw you quite a way back. The horse wouldn't come fast enough!"</p> + +<p>She smiled at him.</p> + +<p>"If you are not in a great hurry to get home, let's walk as far as the +ridge," she suggested.</p> + +<p>Harding, springing down, held out his hand, and when she slipped from +the saddle he caught her in his arms and held her fast while he kissed +her. Beatrice was not demonstrative, but he felt her arms tighten about +his neck, and the soft pressure of her cheek upon his face, and it gave +him a thrill of triumph. Now he realized all that he had won.</p> + +<p>For a long while they did not speak. Then Beatrice freed herself with a +soft laugh, and they walked on across the prairie. But Harding would not +release one little hand, which he clung to as they climbed the trail +together.</p> + +<p>The red sunset burned in front of them with the edge of the plain +cutting against it in a hard, straight line. Above the lurid glow the +wide arch of sky shone a vivid green, and the great sweep of grass ran<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> +forward steeped in deepening shades of blue. There was something +mysteriously impressive in the half light and the riot of color.</p> + +<p>"What a glorious evening!" Beatrice could not help exclaiming. "I am +glad I shall not have to leave the prairie."</p> + +<p>The crimson flush on the skyline merged into rose and magenta and mauve.</p> + +<p>"It is lighted up in your honor," Harding said.</p> + +<p>"You have a pretty imagination; but I fear the gray days are more in +keeping with the life I've led. It was often rather dreary at the +Grange, and I felt that I was objectless—drifting on without a +purpose." She smiled at Harding. "You can't understand the feeling?"</p> + +<p>"No," he said. "All my life I've had too much to do. One gets +self-centered through thinking only of one's work. It may be better to +stop now and then and look about."</p> + +<p>"It depends upon what you see. If your surroundings never change, you +come to know them too well and begin to think that nothing different is +possible. It makes one narrow. We may both need patience, Craig, before +we learn to understand each other's point of view."</p> + +<p>Harding realized the truth of this. They looked at many things +differently, and there were points on which their convictions were +opposed.</p> + +<p>She gave the strong hand that held hers a slight pressure of caress.</p> + +<p>"I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been driven out of my way +by the grass fire that night?" she questioned, woman-like.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span>"Nothing would have been different. I was bound to meet you sooner or +later."</p> + +<p>She laughed contentedly, and they walked on in silence for a while. +Harding felt that he ought to tell her about Gerald, but he hesitated.</p> + +<p>"Tell me what you have been doing in Winnipeg," she said, as if she had +divined his thoughts.</p> + +<p>He explained his business there carefully, and Beatrice was pleased that +he took her interest and comprehension for granted.</p> + +<p>"Gerald wanted me to make him our agent, and I refused," he ended.</p> + +<p>She was conscious of disappointment, though she appreciated his candor.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid he will find things hard. Of course, it's his own fault, but +that won't make his difficulties lighter. Couldn't you have taken the +risk of giving him another chance?"</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding. "I wanted to help him, for your sake, but I couldn't +give him the post. You see, I was acting for others as well as for +myself." He hesitated before he added: "I felt that we must have the +best man we could get."</p> + +<p>"And you could get more reliable men than my brother! Unfortunately, +it's true. But the others were willing; Kenwyne told me so."</p> + +<p>He looked at her in surprise, for there was a faint hardness in her +voice.</p> + +<p>"I don't think they quite understood how important the matter is. +Anyway, they left it to me and I felt forced to do what seemed best for +all."</p> + +<p>"Well," she said, as if puzzled, "Gerald certainly wronged you."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span>"That didn't count; not the wrong you mean. The greatest injury he could +have done me would have been in giving you to Brand. However, it was not +this, but his unfitness for our work that made me refuse him."</p> + +<p>He had blundered, and Beatrice felt hurt. She could have forgiven him +for bitterly resenting Gerald's attempt to separate them, but he seemed +to consider that comparatively unimportant. There was a hard strain in +him; perhaps her father had been right in thinking him too deeply imbued +with the commercial spirit.</p> + +<p>He helped her to the saddle, and the misunderstanding was forgotten as +they rode in confidential talk across the shadowy plain until the lights +of the Grange twinkled out ahead. Harding left her at the forking of the +trail, but he was thoughtful as he trotted home alone. He must exercise +care and tact in future. Beatrice was proud, and he feared that he had +not altogether won her yet.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI<br /> +<span class="smalltext">DROUGHT</span></h2> + + +<p>The wheat was growing tall and changing to a darker shade; when the wind +swept through it, it undulated like the waves of a vast green sea, +rippling silver and white where the light played on the bending blades.</p> + +<p>Harding lay among the dusty grass in a dry sloo, and Hester sat beside +him in the blue shadow of the big hay wagon. Since six o'clock that +morning Harding and Devine had been mowing prairie hay. They had stopped +long enough to eat the lunch Hester had brought them; and now Devine had +returned to his work, and sat jolting in the driving-seat of a big +machine as he guided three powerful horses along the edge of the grass. +It went down in dry rows, ready for gathering, before the glistening +knife, and a haze of dust and a cloud of flies followed the team across +the sloo. Harding's horses stood switching their tails in the sunshine +that flooded the plain with a dazzling glare.</p> + +<p>"It was rough on Fred that you wouldn't let him finish his pipe," +Harding said.</p> + +<p>"He went obediently," Hester answered with a smile. "I wanted to talk to +you."</p> + +<p>"I suspected something of the kind; but I can't see why you must stop me +now."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span>"You are away at daybreak and come home late."</p> + +<p>"Very well," said Harding resignedly. "But I've got to clean up this +sloo by dark."</p> + +<p>"Then you're not going to the Grange? You haven't been since Sunday."</p> + +<p>"Beatrice understands that I'm busy."</p> + +<p>"That's fortunate. It's not nice to feel neglected. Can't you take your +mind off your farming for a little while, Craig?"</p> + +<p>"It's my job. What's more, sticking to it seems the best way of making +things easier for Beatrice. I'm an outsider at Allenwood and have got to +justify my unorthodox notions by success. I haven't much polish and I'm +not a good talker, but I can grow wheat—and luckily that comes into the +scheme."</p> + +<p>"It may, perhaps. When are you to be married, Craig?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know. Beatrice puts it off. I had hoped it might be after +harvest, but nothing's settled yet."</p> + +<p>"Then you ought to be firm and insist upon fixing the wedding soon."</p> + +<p>"I wish I could. But why?"</p> + +<p>"Because it might be better not to leave Beatrice among her friends too +long."</p> + +<p>Harding looked surprised.</p> + +<p>"Since the Colonel's given in, and Gerald's gone, I don't think there is +anybody who would try to turn her against me."</p> + +<p>"No," agreed Hester. "Her parents would be angry if she broke her +engagement. Now that they have accepted you, you can count on their +support, even if they're not quite satisfied with the match. The trouble +is that you and they belong to very different<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> schools. They'll try to +make the best of you, but Beatrice will see how hard they find it."</p> + +<p>"Hurrying on the wedding won't help much."</p> + +<p>"It might. Beatrice will try to accept her husband's views, and she'll +probably find it easier than she thinks; but at present all she sees and +hears will remind her of the changes she will have to make. Things you +do will not seem right; some of your ideas will jar. Then the other +women will let her see that they feel sorry for her and think she's +throwing herself away. She'll deny it, but it will hurt."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps that's true," said Harding. "But talking of the wedding raises +another question. I want a better house, and when I build I may as well +locate at Allenwood."</p> + +<p>"Then you are still determined on getting control there?"</p> + +<p>"I don't want control, but I may have to take it," Harding answered. +"The settlement will fall to bits if it's left alone, and I suspect that +I'm the only man who can hold it up. I'm glad you have talked to me. +What you've said makes it clear that I've not time to lose. Now, +however, this hay must be cut."</p> + +<p>He led his team into the grass when Hester went away, but although he +worked hard until dark fell, his mind was busy with many things beside +the clattering machine.</p> + +<p>A few days later he had occasion to visit Winnipeg, and after some talk +with his agent there, he asked him:</p> + +<p>"Do you know how Davies is fixed just now, Jackson?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know much about him personally, but men in his line of business +are feeling the set-back.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> They've bought options on land there's no +demand for, and can't collect accounts; farmers with money seem to have +stopped coming in; and the small homesteaders are going broke. Doesn't +seem to be any money in the country, and credit's played out."</p> + +<p>"Then it ought to be a good time to pick up land cheap, and I want you +to find a broker who'll ask Davies what he'll take for two or three +mortgages he holds on Allenwood. My name's not to be mentioned; you must +get a man who can handle the matter cautiously."</p> + +<p>"I know one; but, if you don't mind my asking, could you put a deal of +that kind through?"</p> + +<p>"I must," said Harding. "It will be a strain, but the crop's coming on +well and I ought to have a surplus after harvest."</p> + +<p>"Isn't the dry weather hurting you?"</p> + +<p>"Not yet. We can stand for another week or two if the wind's not too +bad. Anyhow, you can find out whether Davies is inclined to trade."</p> + +<p>When Harding went out into the street, he was met by a cloud of swirling +dust. He wiped the grit from his eyes and brushed it off his clothes +with an annoyance that was not accounted for by the slight discomfort it +caused him. The sun was fiercely hot, the glare trying, and the plank +sidewalks and the fronts of the wooden stores had begun to crack. Sand +and cement from half-finished buildings were blowing down the street; +and when Harding stopped to watch a sprinkler at work on a lawn at the +corner of an avenue where frame houses stood among small trees, the +glistening shower vanished as it fell. There were fissures in the hard +soil and the grass looked burnt.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> But it was the curious, hard +brightness of the sky and the way the few white clouds swept across it +that gave Harding food for thought.</p> + +<p>The soil of the Western prairie freezes deep, and, thawing slowly, +retains moisture for the wheat plant for some time; but the June rain +had been unusually light. Moreover, the plains rise in three or four +tablelands as they run toward the Rockies, and the strength of the +northwest wind increases with their elevation. It was blowing fresh in +the low Red River basin, but it would be blowing harder farther west, +where there are broken, sandy belts. After a period of dry weather, the +sand drives across the levels with disastrous consequences to any crops +in the neighborhood. This, however, was a danger that could not be +guarded against.</p> + +<p>The next day Jackson reported about the mortgages.</p> + +<p>"Davies was keen on business and offered my man improved preemptions in +a dozen different townships," he said. "Pressed him to go out and take a +look at them; but when he heard the buyer wanted an Allenwood location +he wouldn't trade."</p> + +<p>"What do you gather from that?"</p> + +<p>"The thing seems pretty plain, and what I've found out since yesterday +agrees with my conclusions. Davies is pressed for money, but he means to +hold on to Allenwood as long as he can. A good harvest would help him +because he'd then be able to get in some money from his customers."</p> + +<p>"A good harvest would help us all; but there's not much hope of it +unless the weather changes. In the meanwhile, we'll let the matter drop, +because I don't want to give the fellow a hint about my plans."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span>Nearing home on the following evening, Harding pulled up his horse on +the edge of the wheat as he saw Devine coming to meet him.</p> + +<p>"What's the weather been like?" he asked, getting down from the rig.</p> + +<p>"Bad," said Devine gloomily. "Hot and blowing hard."</p> + +<p>Harding looked about as they crossed a stretch of grass that had turned +white and dry. The sunset was red and angry, but above the horizon the +sky was a hard, dark blue that threatened wind. Everything was very +still now, but the men knew the breeze would rise again soon after +daybreak. They said nothing for a time after they stopped beside the +wheat.</p> + +<p>The soil was thinly covered with sand, and the tall blades had a yellow, +shriveled look, while the stems were bent and limp. Harding gathered a +few and examined them. They were scored with fine lines as if they had +been cut by a sharp file.</p> + +<p>"Not serious yet, but the grain won't stand for much more of this."</p> + +<p>"That's so," Devine agreed. "The sand hasn't got far in, but I guess it +will work right through unless we have a change. If not, there'll be +trouble for both of us this fall."</p> + +<p>"Sure," said Harding curtly. "Bring the horse, Fred, and we'll drive on +to the rise."</p> + +<p>They presently alighted where the plain merged into a belt of broken +country, dotted with clumps of scrub birch and poplar. It rolled in +ridges and hollows, but the harsh grass which thinly covered its surface +had shriveled and left bare banks of sand, which lay about the slopes in +fantastic shapes as they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> had drifted. Harding stooped and took up a +handful. It was hot and felt gritty. The broken ground ran on as far as +he could see, and the short, stunted trees looked as if they had been +scorched. Glowing red in the dying sunset, the desolate landscape had a +strangely sinister effect.</p> + +<p>"The stuff's as hard and sharp as steel," he said, throwing down the +sand. "There's enough of it to wipe out all the crops between Allenwood +and the frontier if the drought lasts."</p> + +<p>"What we want is a good big thunderstorm. This blamed sand-belt's a +trouble we never reckoned on."</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding. "I took a look at it when I was picking my location, +but there was plenty of grass, and the brush was strong and green. Guess +they'd had more rain the last two or three years. I figured out things +pretty carefully—and now the only set-back I didn't allow for is going +to pull me up! Well, we must hope for a change of weather; there's +nothing else to be done."</p> + +<p>He turned away with a gloomy face, and they walked back to the rig. +Harding had early seen that Beatrice would not be an easy prize. It was +not enough, entrancing as it was, to dream over her beauty, her +fastidious daintiness in manners and thought, her patrician calm, and +the shy tenderness she now and then showed for him. The passionate +thrill her voice and glance brought him—spurred him rather—to action. +First of all, he must work and fight for her, and he had found a keen +pleasure in the struggle. One by one he had pulled down the barriers +between them; but now, when victory seemed secure, an obstacle he could +not overcome had suddenly risen.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> All his strength of mind and body +counted for nothing against the weather. Beatrice could not marry a +ruined man; it was unthinkable that he should drag her down to the +grinding care and drudgery that formed the lot of a broken farmer's +wife. He was helpless, and could only wait and hope for rain.</p> + +<p>When he had finished his work the next evening he drove over to the +Grange, feeling depressed and tired, for he had begun at four o'clock +that morning. It was very hot: a fiery wind still blew across the plain, +although the sun had set, and Beatrice was sitting on the veranda with +her mother and Mowbray. They had a languid air, and the prairie, which +had turned a lifeless gray, looked strangely dreary as it ran back into +the gathering dark.</p> + +<p>"Not much hope of a change!" Mowbray remarked.</p> + +<p>Beatrice gave Harding a sympathetic glance, and unconsciously he set his +lips tight. She looked cool and somehow ethereal in her thin white dress +and her eyes were gentle. It was horrible to think that he might have to +give her up; but he knew it might come to this.</p> + +<p>"You're tired; I'm afraid you have been working too hard," Beatrice said +gently.</p> + +<p>"The weather accounts for it, not the work," he answered. "It's +depressing to feel that all you've done may lead to nothing."</p> + +<p>"Very true," Mowbray assented. "You're fortunate if this is the first +time you have been troubled by the feeling. Many of us have got used to +it; but one must go on."</p> + +<p>"It's hard to fight a losing battle, sir."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span>"It is," said Mowbray grimly. "That it really does not matter in the end +whether you lose or not, so long as you're on the right side, doesn't +seem to give one much consolation. But your crop strikes me as looking +better than ours."</p> + +<p>"I plowed deep; the sub-soil holds the moisture. Of course, with +horse-traction——"</p> + +<p>Harding hesitated, but Mowbray smiled.</p> + +<p>"I can't deny that your machines have their advantages," the Colonel +said. "They'd be useful if you could keep them in their place as +servants; the danger is that they'll become your masters. When you have +bought them you must make them pay, and that puts you under the yoke of +an iron thing that demands to be handled with the sternest economy. The +balance sheet's the only standard it leaves you—and you have to make +some sacrifices if you mean to come out on the credit side. Your finer +feelings and self-respect often have to go."</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure they need go; but, in a way, you're right. You must strike +a balance, or the machines that cost so much will break you. For all +that, it's useful as a test; the result of bad work shows when you come +to the reckoning. I can't see that to avoid waste must be demoralizing."</p> + +<p>"It isn't. The harm begins when you set too high a value on economical +efficiency."</p> + +<p>Harding did not answer, and there was silence for a time. Mrs. Mowbray +had a headache from the heat, and Beatrice felt limp. She noticed the +slackness of Harding's pose and felt sorry for him. He differed from her +father, and she could not think he was always right, but he was honest; +indeed, it was his strong<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> sincerity that had first attracted her. She +liked his strength and boldness; the athletic symmetry of his form had +its effect; but what struck her most was his freedom from what the +Canadians contemptuously called meanness. Beatrice was fastidiously +refined in some respects, and she thought of him as clean. Unconsciously +she forgave him much for this, because he jarred upon her now and then. +Her father's old-fashioned ideals were touched with a grace that her +lover could not even admire, but, watching him as he sat in the fading +light, she felt that he was trustworthy.</p> + +<p>Mosquitos began to invade the veranda, and Mrs. Mowbray was driven into +the house. The Colonel presently followed her, and Beatrice, leaving her +chair, cuddled down beside Harding on the steps.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she said, "you're quiet to-night."</p> + +<p>"This dry weather makes one think; and then there's the difference +between your father and myself. He wants to be just, but there's a +natural antagonism between us that can't be got over."</p> + +<p>"It isn't personal, dear."</p> + +<p>"No," said Harding; "we're antagonistic types. The trouble is that you +must often think as he does—and I wouldn't have you different."</p> + +<p>"That's dear of you, Craig. But, even if we don't agree always, what +does it matter? I like you because you're so candid and honest. You +would never hide anything you thought or did from me."</p> + +<p>They sat there in the gathering gloom. An early owl ventured out and +hooted from his sheltered tree-top; a chorus of frogs down in the lake +sent back an indignant reply; a honeysuckle vine that climbed over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> the +veranda flaunted its perfumed blossoms to the hot, night air, luring +pollen-bearers.</p> + +<p>To Harding, the worries of the day were, for the moment, forgotten: a +great peace filled him. And over the girl, as she felt his strong arm +around her, there rested a deep, satisfying sense of security and +trust.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE ADVENTURESS</span></h2> + + +<p>Before the wheat had suffered serious damage, a few thunder showers +broke upon the plain, and Harding and his neighbors took courage. The +crop was not out of danger; indeed, a week's dry weather would undo the +good the scanty rain had done; but ruin, which had seemed imminent, was, +at least, delayed. Then Harding got news from his agent that +necessitated his return to Winnipeg, and Mrs. Mowbray and Beatrice, who +wished to visit the millinery stores, arranged to accompany him.</p> + +<p>It was hot and dry when they reached the city, but Harding was of +sanguine temperament and, being relieved from fear of immediate +disaster, proceeded with his plans for the consolidation of Allenwood. +He could not carry them far, because even if he secured an abundant +harvest, which was at present doubtful, he would have some difficulty in +raising capital enough to outbid his rival. Acting cautiously with +Jackson's help, however, he found two men who had lent Davies money and +were now frankly alarmed by the general fall in values. One, indeed, was +willing to transfer his interest to Harding on certain terms which the +latter could not accept.</p> + +<p>He was thinking over these matters one morning when, to his surprise, he +saw Brand crossing the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> street toward him. They had not met since the +evening of their encounter with Davies at the Grange, and Harding was +sensible of some constraint. Brand was a reserved man whom he had +neither understood nor liked, but he had thought him honorable until he +learned the price he had demanded for helping Mowbray.</p> + +<p>There was no embarrassment in Brand's manner. He looked as cool and +inscrutable as usual.</p> + +<p>"I'm rather glad we have met," he said.</p> + +<p>"I thought you had gone back to the Old Country," Harding replied.</p> + +<p>"No; I find it harder to sell my farm than I imagined. The settlement +covenant's the trouble, and I don't feel inclined to give the land away. +I want a talk with you. Will you come to my hotel?"</p> + +<p>Harding agreed, and a few minutes later they sat down in a quiet corner +of the hotel lounge.</p> + +<p>"How's your campaign against the moneylender progressing?" Brand began +abruptly.</p> + +<p>"Then you know something about it?"</p> + +<p>"I'm not a fool. I've been watching the game with interest for some +time. I have a reason for asking; you can be frank with me."</p> + +<p>Harding knew when to trust a man and, in spite of what had happened, he +trusted Brand. When he had given him a short explanation, Brand seemed +satisfied.</p> + +<p>"Very well; now I have something to say. My prejudices are against you; +they're on Mowbray's side, but I'm beginning to see that his position is +untenable. It seems I can't get a fair price for my farm, and after +spending some happy years on it, I have a sentimental affection for the +place. Don't know that I'd care to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> see it fall into the hands of some +raw English lad whose inexperience would be a danger to Allenwood. The +drift of all this is—will you work the land for me if we can make a +satisfactory arrangement?"</p> + +<p>Harding hesitated.</p> + +<p>"I don't know that I could take a favor——"</p> + +<p>"From me? Don't make a mistake. I'm not acting out of any personal +regard for you. On the whole, I'd rather see you in control of Allenwood +than a mortgage broker; that's all."</p> + +<p>"Thanks! On that understanding we might come to terms."</p> + +<p>"Then there's another matter. Managing my farm won't help you much, and +I feel that I owe something to the settlement. If it looks as if the +moneylender would be too strong for you, and you're short of funds, you +can write to me. I can afford to spend something on Allenwood's +defense."</p> + +<p>They talked it over, and when Harding left the hotel he had promised, in +case of necessity, to ask Brand's help. Moreover, although he had not +expected this, he felt some sympathy and a half reluctant liking for his +beaten rival.</p> + +<p>During the same day Davies had a confidential talk with Gerald.</p> + +<p>"Do you know that your mother and sister are in town with Harding?" he +asked.</p> + +<p>"Yes; but I haven't seen them yet."</p> + +<p>"Rather not meet Harding? Are you pleased that the man's going to marry +your sister?"</p> + +<p>"I'm not!" Gerald answered curtly.</p> + +<p>He stopped writing and frowned at the book in which he was making an +entry. He felt very bitter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> against Harding, who had insulted him, but +he was moved by a deeper and less selfish feeling. It jarred upon his +sense of fitness that his sister should marry a low-bred fellow with +whom he was convinced she could not live happily. Beatrice had lost her +head, but she was a Mowbray and would recover her senses; then she would +rue the mistake she had made. She might resent Gerald's interference and +would, no doubt, suffer for a time if he succeeded in separating her +from her lover; but men, as he knew, got over an irregular passion, and +he had no reason to believe that women were different.</p> + +<p>"She will marry him unless something is done," Davies resumed cunningly.</p> + +<p>"What is that to you?"</p> + +<p>"Well, I think you can guess my hand. His marrying your sister would +give Harding some standing at Allenwood, and he's already got more +influence there than suits me. The fellow's dangerous; I hear he's been +getting at one or two of the men who backed me. But we'll quit fencing. +Do you want to stop this match?"</p> + +<p>Although he had fallen very low, Gerald felt the humiliation of allowing +Davies to meddle with the Mowbray affairs; but he overcame his +repugnance, because the man might be of help.</p> + +<p>"Yes," he answered shortly; "but I don't see how it can be stopped."</p> + +<p>"You knew Coral Stanton in your more prosperous days, didn't you?"</p> + +<p>Gerald admitted it. Miss Stanton described herself as a clairvoyante, +but although there were then in the Western cities ladies of her +profession who confined<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> themselves to forecasting the changes of the +markets and fortune-telling, the term had to some extent become +conventionalized and conveyed another meaning. Coral had arrived in +Winnipeg with a third-rate opera company, which she left after a quarrel +with the manager's wife; and although it was known that gambling for +high stakes went on in her consulting rooms, she had for a time avoided +trouble with the civic authorities. The girl was of adventurous turn of +mind and was marked by an elfish love of mischief.</p> + +<p>"I can't see what my knowing Coral has to do with the matter," Gerald +replied.</p> + +<p>"Then I'll have to explain. Things have been going wrong with her since +the Ontario lumber man was doped in her rooms. The police have given her +warning, and I guess she wouldn't stick at much if she saw a chance of +earning a hundred dollars easily."</p> + +<p>"What d'you suggest that she should do?"</p> + +<p>"If you'll listen for a few minutes, I'll tell you."</p> + +<p>Davies chuckled as he unfolded a plan that appealed to his broad sense +of humor; but Gerald frowned. Although likely to result to her ultimate +benefit, the plot was, in the first place, directed against his sister. +It was repugnant in several ways, but he thought it would work, for +Beatrice, like his mother, had Puritanical views. Besides, he could +think of nothing else.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said, "will you talk to Coral?"</p> + +<p>"Certainly not," Davies answered cautiously; "that's your part of the +business. I'll put up the money."</p> + +<p>The following day Harding was lunching with Beatrice and her mother at +their hotel, when the wait<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span>ress brought him a note. Beatrice, sitting +next to him, noticed that it was addressed in a woman's hand and was +heavily scented. Indeed, there was something she disliked in the +insidious perfume. She watched Harding as he opened the envelope and saw +that what he read disturbed him. This struck her as curious, but she did +not see the note. He thrust it into his pocket and began to talk about +something of no importance.</p> + +<p>Beatrice thought over the incident during the afternoon, but by evening +she had banished it from her mind. After dinner they sat in the big +rotunda of the hotel. Harding was unusually quiet, but Beatrice scarcely +noticed it, for she was interested in watching the people who sauntered +in and out through the revolving glass door. They were of many different +types: wiry, brown-faced plainsmen; silent, grave-eyed fellows from the +forest belt; smart bank clerks and traders; mechanics; and a few women. +One or two seemed to be needy adventurers, but they came and went among +the rest, though it was obvious that they could not be staying at the +hotel.</p> + +<p>Beatrice's attention was suddenly attracted by a girl who came in. She +was handsome, dressed in the extreme of fashion, and marked by a certain +rakish boldness that was not unbecoming. Beatrice was struck by the +darkness of her hair and the brilliance of her color, until she saw that +something was due to art; then she noticed a man smile at another as he +indicated the girl, and two more turn and look after her when she +passed. Thereupon Beatrice grew pitiful, ashamed and angry, for she +could not tell which of the feelings predominated; and she wondered why +the hotel people<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> had not prevented the girl's entrance. She was pleased +to see that Harding was talking to a man who had joined him and had +noticed nothing.</p> + +<p>Her life at the Grange had been somewhat austere, and her relatives were +old-fashioned people of high character who condemned what they called +modern laxity. For all that, the adventuress roused her curiosity, and +she watched her as she moved about the room. She drew near them, and +Beatrice thought her eyes rested strangely on Harding for a moment. A +strong scent floated about her—the same that had perfumed the note. +Beatrice was startled, but she tried to persuade herself that she was +mistaken. The adventuress passed on; but when Harding's companion left +him she came up at once and gave him an inviting smile. He looked at her +in surprise, but there was some color in his face. It was unthinkable +that he should know the girl, but she stopped beside him.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she cooed, "you don't pretend that you've forgotten me?"</p> + +<p>Harding looked at her coldly.</p> + +<p>"I have never seen you before in my life!" he said emphatically.</p> + +<p>Coral laughed, and Beatrice noticed the music in her voice.</p> + +<p>"Aw, come off!" she exclaimed. "What you giving us? Guess you've been +getting rich and turned respectable."</p> + +<p>Harding cast a quick glance round. Beatrice and Mrs. Mowbray sat near, +and it would be difficult to defend himself to either. The girl had made +an unfortunate mistake, or perhaps expected to find him an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> easy victim; +now he began to understand the note. The blood filled his face and he +looked guilty in his embarrassment and anger, for he saw that he was +helpless. The hotel people would not interfere; and to repulse the woman +rudely or run away from her was likely to attract the attention he +wished to avoid.</p> + +<p>"You have mistaken me for somebody else," he replied uneasily.</p> + +<p>She gave him a coquettish smile.</p> + +<p>"Well, I guess you're Craig Harding unless you've changed your name as +well as your character. I reckoned you'd come back to me when I heard +you were in town. You ought to feel proud I came to look for you, when +you didn't answer my note."</p> + +<p>There was something seductive and graceful in her mocking courtesy, but +Harding lost his temper.</p> + +<p>"I've had enough! You don't know me, and if you try to play this fool +game I'll have you fired out!"</p> + +<p>"That to an old friend—and a lady!" she exclaimed. "You've surely lost +the pretty manners that made me love you."</p> + +<p>Harding turned in desperation, and started to the door; but she +followed, putting her hand on his shoulder, and some of the bystanders +laughed. Beatrice, quivering with the shock, hated them for their +amusement. Even if he were innocent, Harding had placed himself in a +horribly humiliating position. But she could not think him innocent. All +she had seen and heard condemned him.</p> + +<p>Harding shook off the girl's hand and, perhaps alarmed by the look he +gave her, she left him and soon afterward disappeared, but when he +returned to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> table Beatrice and her mother had gone. He was getting +cool again, but he felt crushed, for no defense seemed possible. He +could only offer a blunt denial which, in the face of appearances, could +hardly be believed.</p> + +<p>He left the hotel and spent an hour walking about the city, trying to +think what he must do. When he returned a bell-boy brought him word that +Mrs. Mowbray wished to see him in the drawing-room. Harding went up and +found the room unoccupied except by Beatrice and her mother. The girl's +face was white, but it was stern and she had her father's immovable +look. Rising as he came in, she stood very straight, holding out a +little box.</p> + +<p>"This is yours," she said. "I must give it back to you. You will +understand what that means."</p> + +<p>Harding took the box, containing the ring he had given her, and steadily +met her accusing eyes, though he could see no hope for him in them.</p> + +<p>"I suppose there's no use in my saying that it's all a mistake or a +wicked plot?"</p> + +<p>"No; I'm afraid the evidence against you is too strong." She hesitated a +moment, and he thought he saw some sign of relenting. "Craig," she +begged, in a broken voice, "do go. I—I believed in you."</p> + +<p>"You have no reason to doubt me now."</p> + +<p>He turned to Mrs. Mowbray.</p> + +<p>"Can't you be persuaded? I give you my solemn word——"</p> + +<p>"Don't!" Beatrice interrupted. "Don't make it worse!"</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry I must agree with my daughter's decision<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> until I see more +reason to change it than I can hope for at present," Mrs. Mowbray +replied. "It would be better if you left us. We return to-morrow."</p> + +<p>Her tone was final; and, with a last glance at Beatrice, Harding went +out dejectedly.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII<br /> +<span class="smalltext">FIRE AND HAIL</span></h2> + + +<p>On the morning after her return from Winnipeg, Beatrice sat in her +father's study, with Mowbray facing her across the table. He looked +thoughtful, but not so shocked and indignant as she had expected.</p> + +<p>"So you are determined to throw Harding over!"</p> + +<p>"Yes," Beatrice said in a strained voice. "It seems impossible to do +anything else."</p> + +<p>"A broken engagement's a serious matter; we Mowbrays keep our word. I +hope you're quite sure of your ground."</p> + +<p>"What I heard left no room for doubt."</p> + +<p>"Did you hear the man's defense?"</p> + +<p>"I refused to listen," said Beatrice coldly. "That he should try to +excuse himself only made it worse."</p> + +<p>"I'm not sure that's very logical. I'll confess that Harding and I +seldom agree, but one must be fair."</p> + +<p>"Does that mean that one ought to be lenient?" Beatrice asked with an +angry sparkle in her eyes.</p> + +<p>Mowbray was conscious of some embarrassment. His ideas upon the subject +were not sharply defined, but if it had not been his daughter who +questioned him he could have expressed them better. Beatrice ought to +have left her parents to deal with a delicate matter like this, but +instead she had boldly taken it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> into her own hands. He had tried to +bring up his children well, but the becoming modesty which characterized +young women in his youth had gone.</p> + +<p>"No," he answered; "not exactly lenient. But the thing may not be so bad +as you think—and one must make allowances. Then, a broken engagement +reflects upon both parties. Even if one of them has an unquestionable +grievance, it proves that that person acted very rashly in making a +promise in the first instance."</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Beatrice; "that is my misfortune. I was rash and easily +deceived. I made the bargain in confiding ignorance, without reserve, +while the man kept a good deal back."</p> + +<p>"But your mother tells me that he declared he had never seen the woman; +and Harding is not a liar."</p> + +<p>"I used to think so, but it looks as if I were mistaken," Beatrice +answered bitterly as she turned away.</p> + +<p>Leaving him, she found a quiet spot in the shadow of a bluff, and sat +down to grapple with her pain. It had hurt more than she had thought +possible to cast off Harding, and she could bear her trouble only by +calling pride to her aid. There was, she told herself, much about the +man that had from the first offended her, but she had made light of it, +believing him steadfast and honorable. Now she knew she had been +deceived. She had been ready to throw away all the privileges of her +station; she had disregarded her friends' opinion—and this was her +reward! The man for whom she would have made the sacrifice was gross and +corrupt; but nobody should guess that she found it strangely hard to +forget him.</p> + +<p>Lance came upon her, there at the edge of the woods; but her head was +buried in her arms and she did not see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> him. The boy turned at once and +went to have a talk with his father. His expression was very resolute +when he entered Mowbray's study.</p> + +<p>"What are you going to do about Bee's trouble, sir?" he asked abruptly.</p> + +<p>His father gave him an amused smile.</p> + +<p>"I haven't decided," he said. "Have you anything useful to suggest?"</p> + +<p>"I feel that you ought to put it right."</p> + +<p>"Can you tell me how?"</p> + +<p>"No. Of course, it's a delicate matter; but you have a wider knowledge +and experience."</p> + +<p>"Umh!" the Colonel grunted. "Why do you conclude that your sister's +wrong?"</p> + +<p>"I know the man. He's not the kind she thinks."</p> + +<p>"Your mother saw the woman, and heard what she said."</p> + +<p>"There's been a mistake," Lance persisted. "I've a suspicion that +somebody may have put her up to it."</p> + +<p>"Made a plot to blacken Harding, you mean? Rather far-fetched, isn't it? +Whom do you suspect?"</p> + +<p>Lance turned red, for his father's tone was sarcastic, and he thought of +Gerald; but he could not drop a hint against his brother.</p> + +<p>"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out."</p> + +<p>"When you have found out, you can tell me," Mowbray answered, and gave +the boy an approving smile. "You're quite right in standing by your +friend, and you certainly owe Harding something. If you can prove him +better than we think, nobody will be more pleased than I."</p> + +<p>Lance had to be satisfied with this. He did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> know how to set about +his investigations, but he determined to visit Winnipeg as soon as he +could.</p> + +<p>For the next week or two there was quietness at the Grange. The dry +weather held, and boisterous winds swept the sunburned plain. The sod +cracked, the wheat was shriveling, and although in public men and women +made a brave pretense of cheerfulness, in private they brooded over the +ruin that threatened them. To make things worse, three or four days a +week, heavy clouds that raced across the sky all morning gathered in +solid banks at noon, and then, as if in mockery, broke up and drove +away. Few of the settlers had much reserve capital, and the low prices +obtained for the last crop had strained their finances; but Harding was, +perhaps, threatened most.</p> + +<p>He had, as had been his custom, boldly trusted to the earth all he had +won by previous effort, and this year it looked as if the soil would +refuse its due return. Still, his taking such a risk was only partly due +to the prompting of his sanguine temperament. While he had hope of +winning Beatrice he must stake his all on the chance of gaining +influence and wealth. He had lost her; but after a few black days during +which he had thought of abandoning the struggle and letting things +drift, he quietly resumed his work. What he had begun must be finished, +even if it brought no advantage to himself. The disaster that seemed +unavoidable braced him to sterner effort; but when dusk settled down he +stood in the dim light and brooded over his withering wheat. Being what +he was, a man of constructive genius, it cut deep that he must watch the +grain that had cost so much thought and toil go to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> waste; but the red +band on the prairie's edge and the luminous green above it held only a +menace.</p> + +<p>One day Harding drove with Devine to a distant farm, and they set out on +the return journey late in the afternoon. It was very hot, for the wind +had died away, and deep stillness brooded over the lifeless plain. The +gophers that made their burrows in the trail had lost their usual +briskness, and sat up on their haunches until the wheels were almost +upon them. The prairie-chickens the horses disturbed would not rise, but +ran a few yards and sank down in the parched grass. The sky was leaden, +and the prairie glimmered a curious, livid white. Harding's skin +prickled, and he was conscious of a black depression and a headache.</p> + +<p>"If this only meant rain!" he exclaimed dejectedly. "But I've given up +hope."</p> + +<p>"Something's surely coming," Devine replied, glancing at a great bank of +cloud that had changed its color to an oily black. "If this weather +holds for another week, the crop will be wiped out, but somehow I can't +believe we'll all go broke."</p> + +<p>Harding had once thought as his comrade did, but now his optimistic +courage had deserted him. The future was very dark. He meant to fight +on, but defeat seemed certain. It would be easier to bear because he had +already lost what he valued most.</p> + +<p>Presently the wagon wheels sank in yielding sand, and that roused him.</p> + +<p>"Our hauling costs us high with these loose trails. I'd counted on +cutting more straw with the crop this year and using it to bind the +road. But now we may not have any grain to send out."</p> + +<p>The plan was characteristic of him, though his de<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span>jection was not. As a +rule, straw has no value in a newly opened country, and not much is cut +with the grain, the tall stubble being burned off; but Harding had seen +a use for the waste material in improving the means of transport.</p> + +<p>"Well," said Devine, "we'd better hustle. The team won't stand for a +storm."</p> + +<p>Harding urged the horses, and as the wheels ran out on firm ground the +pace grew faster, and a distant bluff began to rise from the waste. When +they were a mile or two from the woods there was a rumble of thunder and +the light grew dim. The dark sky seemed descending to meet the earth, +the bluff grew indistinct, but the burned grass still retained its +ghostly whiteness. Then the temperature suddenly fell, and when a puff +of cold wind touched his face Harding used the whip. He knew what was +going to happen.</p> + +<p>Throwing up their heads in alarm as a pale flash glimmered across the +trail, the team broke into a gallop, while the light wagon rocked and +swung as the wheels jolted over hummocks and smashed through scrubby +brush. Harding did not think he could hold the horses in the open when +the storm broke, and he did not wish to be hurled across the rugged +prairie behind a bolting team. Springing down when they reached the +trees, he and Devine locked the wheels and then stood waiting at the +horses' heads. All was now very still again, but a gray haze was closing +in. Now and then leaves stirred and rustled, and once or twice a dry +twig came down. The faint crackle it made jarred on the men's tingling +nerves.</p> + +<p>Harding found it difficult to keep still. He slowly filled his pipe for +the sake of occupation. The match<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> he struck burned steadily, but its +pale flame was suddenly lost in a dazzling glare as the lightning fell +in an unbroken fork from overhead to a corner of the bluff. Then the +pipe dropped and was trodden on, as the men swayed to and fro, using all +their strength to hold the plunging team. It was only for a moment they +heard the battering hoofs, for a deafening crash that rolled across the +heavens drowned all other sound, and as it died away the trees began to +moan. A few large drops of rain fell, and then, as the men watched it, +gathering a faint hope, the rain turned to hail. A savage wind struck +the bluff, the air got icy cold, and the hail changed from fine grains +to ragged lumps. Harding could hear it roar among the trees between the +peals of thunder, until the scream of wind and the groan of bending +branches joined in and formed a wild tumult of sound.</p> + +<p>Though the men stood to lee of the woods, the hail found them out, +bruising their faces and cutting their wet hands; even their bodies +afterward felt as if they had been beaten. It raked the bluff like +rifle-fire, cutting twigs and shredding leaves, and the wild wind swept +the wreckage far to leeward. Light branches were flying, and Harding was +struck, but his grapple with the maddened horses demanded all his +thought. The lightning leaped about them and blazed through the woods, +silhouetting bending trees and the horses' tense, wet bodies, before it +vanished and left what seemed to be black darkness behind.</p> + +<p>Then, when the men were getting exhausted, the thunder grew fainter and +the bitter wind died away. There was a strange, perplexing stillness in +the heavy gloom, until the cloud-ranks parted and a ray of silver<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> light +broke through. The grass steamed as the beam moved across it, and +suddenly the bluff was warm and bright, and they could see the havoc +that had been made.</p> + +<p>Torn branches hung from the poplars, slender birch-twigs lay in heaps, +and banks of hail, now changing fast to water, stretched out into the +wet, sparkling plain.</p> + +<p>Harding's face was very stern as he picked up a handful of the icy +pieces.</p> + +<p>"With a strong wind behind it, this stuff would cut like a knife," he +said. "Well, it has saved our putting the binders into the grain."</p> + +<p>Devine made a sign of gloomy agreement. There was no hope left; the crop +they had expected much from was destroyed.</p> + +<p>They clambered into the wagon and drove for some time before the first +farmstead began to lift above the edge of the plain. In the meanwhile +the hail that glistened in the grass tussocks melted away, and only a +few dark clouds drifting to the east marred the tranquillity of the +summer evening. The men were silent, but Devine understood why his +comrade drove so hard, holding straight across dry sloos where the tall +grass crackled about the wheels, and over billowy rises where the +horses' feet sank deep in sand. He was anxious to learn the worst, and +Devine feared that it would prove very bad.</p> + +<p>At last they crossed a higher ridge and Harding, looking down, saw his +homestead lying warm in the evening light. He had often watched it rise +out of the prairie, with a stirring of his blood. It was his; much of it +had been built by his own labor; and he had won<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> from the desolate waste +the broad stretch of fertile soil that rolled away behind it. But he now +gazed at it with a frown. As the buildings grew into shape, dark patches +of summer fallow broke the gray sweep of grass, and then the neutral +green of alfalfa and clover, running in regular oblongs, appeared. +Behind, extending right across the background, lay the wheat, a smear of +indefinite color darker than the plain. That was all they could see of +it at that distance. They were going fast, but Harding lashed the horses +in his impatience.</p> + +<p>Devine, however, looked more closely about, and it struck him that the +ground had dried with remarkable rapidity; indeed, if he had not felt +the hail, he could hardly have believed the plain had been wet. For all +that, not venturing to hope for fear of meeting a heavier shock, he said +nothing to his comrade, and presently they dipped into a hollow. They +could not see across the ridge in front, and Harding urged his horses +savagely when they came to the ascent. The animals' coats were foul, +spume dripped from the bits, and their sides were white where the traces +slapped, but they breasted the hill pluckily. The men were grim and +highly strung, braced to meet the worst. To Harding it meant ruin and +the downfall of all his plans; to Devine his wedding put off. It might +be some years before he made good, and he feared that he could no longer +count on his comrade's help. If Harding were forced to give up his farm, +he might leave the prairie.</p> + +<p>At last, when the suspense was telling upon both, they reached the +summit and Harding stood up to see better.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span>"Why, the ground has not been wet!" he exclaimed, unbelieving. "The hail +has not touched us!"</p> + +<p>It was true; the fire and the ragged ice had passed over that belt of +prairie and left its wake of ruin farther on. Still, though the wheat +was none the worse, it was none the better. It stood as when they had +seen it last, limp from drought and cut by blowing sand. Disaster was +only suspended, not removed. But there was hope.</p> + +<p>"Things don't look half so bad as they might!" said Harding cheerfully. +"I don't deserve it. I got savage and bitter; and bitterness is a bad +substitute for grit. Now I'll brace up, and face the future the way a +man ought!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX<br /> +<span class="smalltext">A BRAVE HEART</span></h2> + + +<p>Three days passed, and still no rain fell to save the withering grain. +On the evening of the fourth day, Beatrice was walking home alone from +one of the neighboring farms. She was lost in painful thought and +scarcely noticed where she was until she passed a clump of prominent +trees which she knew was at the edge of Harding's place. Then she +stopped and looked about her.</p> + +<p>The sun had dipped, but an angry orange glow flushed the wide horizon +and the sky overhead was a cold dark blue. The great sweep of grain +caught the fading light, and Beatrice knew enough about farming to see +how it had suffered. She could not look at it unmoved; the sight was +pitiful. The wheat had cost long and patient labor, and she knew with +what hope and ambition the man who had sown it had worked. It was only +after years of strenuous toil, careful thought, and stern economy, that +he had been able to break the broad belt of prairie, and in doing so he +had boldly staked his all. Now it looked as if he had lost, and she was +grieved to see so much effort thrown away.</p> + +<p>Harding had transgressed, but the work he did was good, and Beatrice +began to wonder how far that might atone for his lack of principle. +Human character was mixed; men might be true in many ways, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> yet fall +victims to a besetting sin. But it was a sin Beatrice could not forgive. +Harding had sought the other woman while he professed his love for her. +In Beatrice, pride, fastidiousness, and Puritanical convictions +converged.</p> + +<p>Letting her eyes travel farther along the grain, she started as she saw +him. He had not noticed her, for he stood looking at his crop. His +figure was outlined against the last of the light, and his pose was +slack and stamped with dejection. It was obvious that he thought himself +alone, for Harding was not the man to betray his troubles.</p> + +<p>Beatrice's heart suddenly filled with pity. He must be very hard hit; +and she believed that it was not the loss of fortune he felt most. +Everything had gone against him. One could not refuse a man compassion +because his sin had found him out.</p> + +<p>To her surprise, she felt that she must speak to him. She did not know +what she meant to say, but, half hesitating, she moved forward. Harding +looked round at her step, and the fading glow struck upon his face.</p> + +<p>It was brown and thin, and marked by a great physical weariness. The +toil he had borne since the thaw came and the suspense he had suffered +had set their stamp on him; he looked fined down, his face had an +ascetic cast.</p> + +<p>Beatrice caught her breath. By some strange inward power she grasped the +truth. This man had done no wrong; there was no deceit in him. What she +had believed of him was impossible! All that she had seen and heard +condemned him; there was no weak point in the evidence of his guilt; but +she trusted the prompting of her heart. Calm judgment and logical +reasoning<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> had no place in this matter. She had wronged him. And how she +must have hurt him!</p> + +<p>She held out both her hands, and there were tears in her eyes.</p> + +<p>"Craig," she said, "I've come back. I couldn't stay away."</p> + +<p>Harding could not speak. He took her into his arms—and suddenly the +earth seemed to be giving way under his feet; his brain reeled and a +great blackness settled down over him.</p> + +<p>"Why, you're ill!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Oh, I have brought you to this!"</p> + +<p>The anguish in her cry cut through him as he was losing consciousness, +and he pulled himself together.</p> + +<p>"No," he smiled, "I'm not ill; but you must give me a moment to realize +that I really have you again."</p> + +<p>They walked back the few paces to the trail. An old log lay beside it, +half buried in grass and wild flowers, and here they sat together, in +the cool stillness of the dusk, until the darkness came down and hovered +round them. Out of the early night sky, one star shone down on them, +like a blessing.</p> + +<p>For the time being, it was nothing to them that the prairie sod was +cracked and parched, and that the destroying wind would rise again at +dawn.</p> + +<hr class="thin" /> + +<p>On the way back to the Grange, Beatrice brought up the subject which she +felt must be talked of and then dropped for good.</p> + +<p>"How dreadfully mistaken I was about—the girl!" she said, hesitatingly.</p> + +<p>"How did you find it out?"</p> + +<p>"I haven't really found out anything; I'm afraid I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> can't explain. I +suddenly saw the truth, and wondered why I had been blind."</p> + +<p>"Do you mean——"</p> + +<p>"I mean that I should never have left you, Craig dear. I know that you +never saw that girl before in your life—but I did not know it until I +saw you standing there, in the wheat, this evening."</p> + +<p>Harding dropped the hand he was holding, and caught her to him.</p> + +<p>"Dear!" was all he said.</p> + +<p>"Can you explain what happened in Winnipeg?" she asked as they walked on +again.</p> + +<p>"No; I'm puzzled. But, for your sake, I shall not rest until I've +cleared myself." Then, with a sudden shock, he remembered the wheat they +had left. "But I was forgetting—I may be a ruined man."</p> + +<p>"And I the daughter of another," Beatrice answered with a smile. "That +could make no difference, Craig; and we're not ruined yet. Still, +because I was hard and unjust at first, I should like you to remember +that I came to you when you were in trouble, and didn't ask whether you +were innocent or not."</p> + +<p>"I'll remember it," said Harding, "as long as I live."</p> + +<p>When they reached the house, Mowbray and his wife were sitting on the +veranda, and Lance came down the steps to meet them with his hand held +out. Neither spoke, but Harding was touched by the sincerity of his +welcome.</p> + +<p>Beatrice ran up the steps to her mother, and Harding, after a word of +greeting turned away. He felt that, until he had cleared himself, it +would be more becoming in him to keep away from the Colonel and Mrs. +Mowbray.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span>The next morning Mowbray called Beatrice into his study.</p> + +<p>"I am glad that your confidence in Harding has returned," he said. "You +must, however, understand that the situation is still awkward."</p> + +<p>"Yes; Craig and I talked it over last night."</p> + +<p>"You talked this matter over!" Mowbray exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"Of course," said Beatrice calmly. "It's of some importance to me. Are +you surprised?"</p> + +<p>"I must admit that I am. When I was young, a well-brought-up girl would +hardly have ventured to mention such subjects to her mother, much less +discuss them with her lover."</p> + +<p>Beatrice smiled at him.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid your feelings must get many a rude jar in these degenerate +times. Still, you know things are changing."</p> + +<p>"That's true," said Mowbray. "I've had cause to realize it of late. For +example, your brother Lance goes off to Winnipeg on some mysterious +business without consulting me, and only tells me in a casual manner +that he may have to go again. Respect for parents is not a +characteristic of your generation. But I want to speak about Harding."</p> + +<p>He talked very kindly and shrewdly, and when Beatrice left him she +sought her favorite place in the shadow of a nearby bluff to think over +what he had said.</p> + +<p>There was less wind for the next two days, and driving sand no longer +raked the grain. From early morning dingy clouds rolled up slowly from +the west, and though not a drop of rain fell the distance grew blurred. +The horses on the range were restless and galloped furi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span>ously now and +then; the gophers scurried up and down the trails; men at work grew +impatient over trifling obstacles, and often stopped to watch the +clouds. These rolled on and vanished in the east, while many an anxious +farmer wondered when the last would rise from the horizon and leave the +pitiless sky uncovered again. Thirsty wild creatures stirred in the +shadow of the bluffs and rustled through the withered grass beside the +dried-up creeks. Leaves fluttered and hung still again with a strange +limpness, their under sides exposed. It was as if the sun-scorched waste +and all that lived on it were panting for the rain. And still the clouds +that never broke rolled slowly on.</p> + +<p>At dusk on the second evening, Beatrice and Harding walked across the +prairie, speaking in low voices, anxious and yet serene.</p> + +<p>"What are you thinking of, Craig?" Beatrice asked presently.</p> + +<p>"Of the weather," Harding answered. "Wondering if these clouds will +break or clear away again. It looks as if our future hung upon the +chance of a storm. If it doesn't come, there's a long uphill fight +before us; and I hate to think of what you may have to bear."</p> + +<p>"I'm not afraid," said Beatrice. "If I stayed at Allenwood, I should not +escape. Perhaps I have missed something by getting through life too +easily. I really don't think I'm much weaker, or less capable, than +Effie Broadwood, and she's not cast down."</p> + +<p>Harding kissed the hand he held.</p> + +<p>"A brave heart like yours carries one a long way, but training and +experience are needed. Grit alone is not much use when you're up against +a thing you don't know how to do."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span>"It helps you to learn. Am I so very stupid? Don't you see, dear, that I +want to prove that I can be useful?"</p> + +<p>"To carry heavy pails, bake, and mend old overalls? That would be an +unthinkable waste of fine material. It's your business to be your +beautiful and gracious self, a refining influence, a light in the home!"</p> + +<p>Beatrice laughed.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid when you think about me you lose your usual sense. I should +be as useful if I were made of painted wax, and you'd get tired of your +goddess some day and want to break me up. I'm alive, you know. I want to +be in the midst of the strife. I hear the bugles call."</p> + +<p>Harding kissed her tenderly.</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid we'll have to fall in with the firing line, but it will be +my business to shield you from harm," he said.</p> + +<p>"It's a good fight," she answered with sparkling eyes; "you have taught +me that. The flag goes steadily forward with the pioneers in the van. +There are great alkali barrens, rocks, and muskegs to be overcome, arid +plains to be watered, forests cleared, the waste places to be made +fruitful. That's why we have painted the Beaver of Industry in the +field. But we have our camp-followers—and I might have been +one—useless idlers, grafters, and dishonest contractors who rob the +fighting men."</p> + +<p>"When we've broken the wilderness, we'll have time to deal with them; +but I'm afraid many a pioneer will go down before we march much +farther."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" said Beatrice softly. "But whether the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> fight is hard or not, you +must teach me to do my part."</p> + +<p>She stopped, holding out her hands with an excited cry:</p> + +<p>"The rain, Craig; the rain!"</p> + +<p>Her hands felt wet, something drummed upon her broad straw hat, and the +dust leaped up from the grass; then the quick patter ceased, and there +was stillness again. It lasted for several minutes while both stood +tense and still, scarcely venturing to hope. Then there was a roar in +the distance and a puff of cool wind, and Harding, touching the girl's +arm, hurried her forward.</p> + +<p>"It's coming!" he said hoarsely. "Coming in earnest!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, let's stay!" cried Beatrice. "I want to feel it's true!"</p> + +<p>Harding laughed, but led her on, and presently they met the advancing +rain. It beat, wonderfully refreshing, on their hot faces, and soon +Beatrice's thin dress was soaked. Steam rose from the parched earth; +there was a hothouse smell, a dull roar, and a rustle among the beaten +grass, and the fading light was shut off by a curtain of falling water. +Alternating between happy laughter and silence, during which their +thankfulness became too deep for speech, they hurried toward Harding's +farm, and Beatrice threw her arms round Hester's neck when she met her +at the door.</p> + +<p>"Oh!" she cried. "Our troubles are over! The rain! The rain!"</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span></p> + +<h2 class="newchapter"><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX<br /> +<span class="smalltext">THE INHERITANCE</span></h2> + + +<p>The rain lasted several days and saved the crops: the wheat, although +somewhat damaged, was ripening fast.</p> + +<p>As Lance drove home from one of his mysterious absences from the Grange, +he looked out over the rippling fields with a sense of thankfulness in +his boyish heart. Harding was not to be ruined after all! The rain had +saved his fortune; and in Lance's pocket there was a paper that would +clear his name.</p> + +<p>Beatrice met him on the steps, but he brushed past her with a smile and +hurried to his father's study, where he knew he would find the Colonel.</p> + +<p>"I've been away several times, and now I must tell you why, sir," he +said. "You will remember that I've declared my belief in Harding all +along."</p> + +<p>"I've no doubt he feels properly grateful," Mowbray remarked.</p> + +<p>"I'm grateful to him. And now I have some satisfaction in being able to +prove his innocence. Read this."</p> + +<p>He gave his father a note, and Mowbray read it aloud:</p> + +<p>"'<i>I hereby declare that Craig Harding of Allenwood is a stranger to me. +I met him for the first and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> only time at the Rideau Hotel, Winnipeg, +and I regret that I then claimed his acquaintance.</i>'"</p> + +<p>"It sounds conclusive. I see it's signed 'Coral Stanton, clairvoyante.' +May I ask how you came to meet this lady and get the document?"</p> + +<p>"Both things needed some tact, sir," Lance answered with a grin.</p> + +<p>"So I should imagine. Rather a delicate business for one so young. You +must have seen that your motives were liable to be misunderstood."</p> + +<p>Lance colored.</p> + +<p>"I had to take the risk. As a matter of fact, things threatened to +become embarrassing at first. However, I got the statement."</p> + +<p>"What did you give for it?"</p> + +<p>"A hundred dollars; what Miss Stanton was promised."</p> + +<p>"Then she was hired to act a part? But what made her willing to betray +her employers?"</p> + +<p>"They deserved it," Lance answered in a curious tone. "It seems she got +into difficulties with the police and had to leave the town; the +clairvoyante business was only a blind, and somebody was robbed after +gambling at her rooms. The men who made the plot took a shabby advantage +of the situation."</p> + +<p>"Do you know their names?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," said Lance, hesitatingly. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather not +mention them."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then made a sign of stern agreement.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps that's best." He was silent for a few moments, grappling with +this new pain that seared him to the heart. So Gerald had sunk to this! +"Leave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> the paper here, and send Beatrice to me," he said slowly.</p> + +<p>Lance was glad to escape. He found Beatrice with her mother, and she and +Mrs. Mowbray went at once to the Colonel's study.</p> + +<p>"Your brother took some trouble to get this for you," Mowbray said, +handing her the statement, which she read in silence.</p> + +<p>"I will thank Lance; but this note really makes no difference," she +declared.</p> + +<p>"That's hard to understand."</p> + +<p>"I had Craig's word. If I had doubted him, would I have believed this +woman? But there's another matter I want to speak of. Craig didn't want +me to, but he gave me permission."</p> + +<p>Taking out the photographs Harding had shown her, she handed them to +Mowbray. Mrs. Mowbray, looking over his shoulder, uttered an +exclamation. The Colonel, too, was startled.</p> + +<p>"That's Ash Garth, with Janet Harding on the steps! Where did you get +them? What does it mean?"</p> + +<p>Instead of answering, the girl glanced at her mother.</p> + +<p>"I think it's quite plain," Mrs. Mowbray said. "Beatrice is engaged to +Basil Harding's son."</p> + +<p>"Why was I not told before?" Mowbray asked excitedly. "He's as well born +as you are! Can't you see how it alters things?"</p> + +<p>"Craig declares it makes no difference—and I'm beginning to agree with +him."</p> + +<p>"That's absurd!" Mowbray exclaimed. "False pride; mistaken sentiment! We +know the advantage of springing from a good stock. Now I understand<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> why +I sometimes felt a curious sympathy with Harding, even when I hated his +opinions."</p> + +<p>"You gave us no reason to suspect it," Beatrice answered with a smile. +"Do you know his father's history?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; but I don't know that I ought to tell it without his son's +permission."</p> + +<p>"Then we'll wait," said Beatrice. "Craig will be here soon."</p> + +<p>Harding came in a few minutes afterward, and Mowbray, giving him a +friendly greeting, handed him the letter Lance had brought, and the +photographs.</p> + +<p>"Your father was a comrade of mine," the Colonel said. "We were both +stationed at an outpost in Northern India."</p> + +<p>"Then you may be able to tell me something about his early life," +replied Harding quietly. "It's a subject he never spoke of."</p> + +<p>"I can do so. Are you willing that Beatrice and her mother should hear?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; I don't wish to hide anything from them."</p> + +<p>"Very well. Your father was an infantry captain and well thought of in +his regiment. His worst faults were a quick temper and a rash +impulsiveness, but he suffered for them. Before coming to India, he +married beneath him, a girl of some beauty but no education. His +relatives strongly opposed the match, and there was a quarrel with them.</p> + +<p>"After a time Basil was ordered to a station where there was some +European society and his wife was out of her element there. The other +women of the post objected to her, and openly insulted her. Basil had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> +one quarrel after another on her behalf, and finally, after an unusually +stormy scene with the artillery major, Basil sent in his papers.</p> + +<p>"His relatives refused to receive him, they cut off his allowance; but +he clung to his wife until she died a couple years later. Then he came +to Canada and vanished.</p> + +<p>"His mother died; and one by one the others followed—all except Basil +Morel, his mother's brother."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" Beatrice interrupted.</p> + +<p>The Colonel glanced at her a moment, and then went on:</p> + +<p>"Morel had a very strong affection for Basil—he was his namesake and +only nephew. Feeling that they had been too hard on him, Morel traced +Basil in Canada, wrote him a long letter, and enclosed a draft for a +thousand pounds, as part of back allowances. Basil wrote a brief and +bitter note in answer, then deposited the money in a Winnipeg bank, to +be given to his son after his death, on condition that the son never +question where it came from. This son was by the second wife; there were +no children by the first.</p> + +<p>"Well, Basil died; the bank reported to Morel that the money had been +paid to the son; and then—the old man, living alone at Ash Garth, was +getting very lonely; he had time to brood over the injustice done Basil, +and, before he died, he wanted to make it up to Basil's son. But the son +had completely disappeared. He had left Dakota and gone to Manitoba; +from there all trace of him had vanished. Morel is now a broken old man; +but, because Basil and I were comrades, he confides many things to me, +and I know that deep down<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> in his heart there is still a hope that he +will live long enough to find Basil's son."</p> + +<p>The Colonel's voice was husky, and he paused a moment before he said:</p> + +<p>"With your permission, Mr. Harding, I should like to send him a cable."</p> + +<p>Harding nodded assent.</p> + +<p>Beatrice was crying softly.</p> + +<p>"Now I understand why Mr. Morel always looked so sad when I talked of +the prairie," she said brokenly. "Mother, you must have known!" she +added as an afterthought.</p> + +<p>"Yes, but I didn't feel that it was my secret, dear," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently.</p> + +<p>At the Colonel's request, Harding told them of his early life; and then +he and Beatrice drove across the prairie to tell the story to Hester. +Beatrice felt that it was the girl's right to know.</p> + +<p>Harvest came, and although the crop was lighter than he had hoped, +Harding saw that he would have a satisfactory margin. It was not so with +most of his neighbors, and when the strain of forced effort slackened, +and the smoke of the thrasher no longer streaked the stubble, there were +anxious hearts at Allenwood. Even the buoyant courage of the younger men +began to sink; hitherto they had carelessly borne their private +troubles, but now they felt that the settlement was in danger. Those who +had never taken thought before asked what must be done, and nobody could +tell them. Harding and his friends had a surprise to spring on their +neighbors, and on Davies as well, but they waited until the time was +ripe.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span>Then one evening Mowbray rode over to Kenwyne's homestead.</p> + +<p>"You and Broadwood have opposed me, but I have never doubted your +sincerity," he said. "In fact, since Brand has gone, I feel I'd rather +trust you and Harding than the boys who have given me their thoughtless +support. We are threatened with grave trouble."</p> + +<p>"We must try to justify your belief in us, sir," said Kenwyne. "What is +the trouble?"</p> + +<p>"Carlyon, Webster, and Shepstone came to me, and confessed that they +have mortgaged their farms. To make things worse, I have a letter from +the man in Winnipeg they borrowed from, informing me that he would seize +Gerald's land unless a large sum is paid. You must see that this means +disaster to Allenwood."</p> + +<p>Mowbray looked harassed and worn, and Kenwyne felt sorry for him.</p> + +<p>"I suggest that you let the fellow produce his mortgages and receive him +at a council meeting. The matter's of interest to everybody."</p> + +<p>"Then you have some scheme?" Mowbray asked eagerly.</p> + +<p>"As it's far-reaching, we'd rather put it before the council. I'm half +afraid we can't expect your approval until you know everything; but you +should be able to command a majority if we don't convince you."</p> + +<p>"I can do nothing to save the settlement," Mowbray said with dignity; +"and I dare not refuse to let others try, even if their ways are not +mine. We'll leave it at that. I'll call the meeting."</p> + +<p>It was a calm, clear evening when all the Allenwood settlers assembled +in the hall at the Grange. The days were getting shorter, and a lamp or +two was lighted;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span> but, outside, the last of the sunset glowed in a red +band along the prairie's rim. Mowbray sat at the head of the table; +Harding, Broadwood, Kenwyne, and Lance were close together; the rest +scattered about the spacious room, some half hidden in the shadow, some +where the partial illumination touched them. All were silent and +expectant; they felt it would prove a memorable night for Allenwood.</p> + +<p>There was a rattle of wheels outside, and soon afterward Davies was +shown in. He was smartly dressed in well-cut city clothes, and his +aggressive, self-conscious air contrasted with the easy grace of the +brown-faced men in shooting jackets and fringed deerskin.</p> + +<p>"I came here expecting a private interview," he said to Mowbray. "I do +not understand why I'm asked to meet these gentlemen, most of whom I +have not the pleasure of knowing."</p> + +<p>"I cannot tell what you expected," Mowbray answered haughtily. "Your +business is, however, of interest to us all, and to state it now will +save some time, because nothing can be done until our council is +informed of it."</p> + +<p>Davies' glance wandered round the room, as if in search of somebody, but +he did not notice Harding, who was in the shadow.</p> + +<p>"Very well," he said, undoing a bundle of documents. "I hold mortgages +on land and property belonging to Gerald Mowbray, Carlyon, Webster, and +Shepstone." He read out particulars of the sums lent and interest due, +and then put the papers on the table. "You are at liberty to examine +them."</p> + +<p>Carlyon turned to Mowbray, with a flushed face.</p> + +<p>"They can't be contested, sir. Speaking for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span> others, as well as +myself, I must say that we feel our position, and are very sorry that we +have brought this trouble upon you and our friends."</p> + +<p>Harding moved forward and picked up the mortgages, and Davies showed his +surprise. After examining the documents carefully, Harding passed them +to Broadwood, who looked over them in a silence that was accentuated by +the rattle of a loose blind as puffs of wind swept into the room.</p> + +<p>"All right," Broadwood said, and handed a sheet of paper to each of the +debtors.</p> + +<p>"Will you agree to these terms? Yes or no?" he asked.</p> + +<p>One of the young men laughed hoarsely, as if from unexpected relief; +another made a glad sign of assent; and Carlyon's eyes were bright as he +turned to Broadwood.</p> + +<p>"Agree?" he exclaimed. "We never hoped for such a chance as this!"</p> + +<p>Broadwood put one of the papers in front of Mowbray.</p> + +<p>"They consent, sir. We'd like your sanction."</p> + +<p>"I cannot give it unreservedly. But as I cannot suggest anything better, +I must not refuse." Mowbray addressed Davies. "As the farms were +mortgaged against the provisions of our settlement covenant, I believe +your claim might be disputed, but I won't urge that point. The money was +borrowed and must be paid."</p> + +<p>"With your permission, sir!" Harding took the big inkstand and placed it +before Davies. "Write a formal discharge for these debts, and I'll give +you a check."</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span>Davies' face was hot with baffled fury, but he asked in a sneering tone:</p> + +<p>"Will the bank make it good?"</p> + +<p>"Here's their letter," said Harding dryly.</p> + +<p>Davies glanced at the letter, and threw it down. Then he pulled himself +together.</p> + +<p>"It seems," he said to Mowbray, "that you have made some arrangement to +finance these gentlemen, and they have agreed; but Mr. Gerald Mowbray +owes a much larger sum, and I have his word that he is unable to pay. He +left the matter in my hands, and before going any further I should like +to suggest that we might arrive at some understanding——"</p> + +<p>Mowbray cut him short.</p> + +<p>"We can make no terms with you, if that is what is meant. My son owes +you money; you must take what you are entitled to."</p> + +<p>"But the debt is his. He must decide."</p> + +<p>"He has decided," Harding said quietly. "Here's a telegram from him, +answering a letter of mine which he probably got after you left. He +agrees to transfer the mortgaged property to his father and another, on +terms that don't concern you. Read it."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" cried Davies, hoarse with anger. "Mowbray has gone back on me. I +was a fool to trust him!"</p> + +<p>Colonel Mowbray flushed, but did not answer, and Harding turned to +Davies.</p> + +<p>"This has nothing to do with our business. Write your receipts, +including Gerald Mowbray's debt, and take your money."</p> + +<p>Davies did so, and carefully examined the check Harding gave him. Then +he got up and made Mow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span>bray an ironical bow. One of the men opened the +door, and he went out surlily.</p> + +<p>There was a general movement and a murmur throughout the room, +expressing relief and a slackening of tension.</p> + +<p>"It's a satisfaction to see the last of the fellow," one man said, +voicing the feelings of all. "The settlement has escaped a danger; but +we must be careful not to let it fall into another. May I inquire about +the agreement which Mr. Harding has made with our friends?"</p> + +<p>Harding explained that they were to farm their land under his +instructions, paying a moderate rate of interest. A fixed sum was to be +set aside every year to redeem the loan, so that in time the debtors +would again acquire possession, and any surplus would belong to them.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Harding's position is now very strong," the man contended. "He can, +if he wishes, dictate to the rest of us, and I think we ought to know +his plans and how he expects to profit."</p> + +<p>There was deep silence when Harding got upon his feet and glanced round +the room. A few of the men were obviously suspicious, and one or two +hostile, but some looked willing to give him fair play and some quietly +confident in him.</p> + +<p>"To begin with, I expect no direct profit from Allenwood," he said. "The +advantage I shall gain will be the keeping down of my working expenses +by your cooperation. With better trails we'll need fewer teams to bring +out supplies and haul in our grain; and we can avoid using two +half-empty wagons when one will take both loads. We can buy and sell on +joint<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> lines, saving all round, and can use the latest and biggest +machines. Singly, we cannot afford them; combined, we can buy and, what +is more, keep the implements employed. But we can work out details +later. You have reached a turning-point to-night. Those of you with +private means, if there are any such, may continue to farm as a pastime, +but for the man who must live by his farming, it is serious work. There +is a time of low prices before us that will weed out the slack; but with +care and effort we can hold out until the flood of prosperity which is +coming sweeps our difficulties away. We must perfect our methods, fall +in with modern practise, and study economy. That I have now some power +here is true; I ask your help, and value it, but if needful I can do +without it. I and several more are going on, working together on the +best plan we can find, as we have begun."</p> + +<p>A murmur of applause greeted the close of the speech, for Harding's +blunt candor had gained him the respect of his antagonists and +strengthened the loyalty of his friends.</p> + +<p>Then Mowbray leaned forward, holding up his hand.</p> + +<p>"We have heard Mr. Harding's intentions declared with the +straightforwardness one expects from him; and it must be clear to all +that he has freed Allenwood from a peril." He paused, and his voice was +strained as he resumed: "For a while we prospered here, and I like to +think I led you well; but the times began to change without our +recognizing it. I cannot change, but you must, for you are young; the +future lies before you. I am old, and I feel my age to-night. The +bur<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span>den of rule gets heavy; I want to lay it down. You must choose +another leader who understands these times, and I think you see where a +wise choice lies."</p> + +<p>For a moment nobody spoke, and then a unanimous cry of protest broke +out. It rang with feeling, and when it died away man after man urged +Mowbray to keep control.</p> + +<p>He listened with a faint smile.</p> + +<p>"I am honored by this mark of confidence," he said quietly. "But if I +consent, you must give me the helper I need, and you must follow him +with the loyalty you have always shown me. To some extent we shall +counterbalance extremes in each other, which may be for the good of all, +because I have much to learn from the present, and my helper something +from the past. I could not ask you to obey an outsider, but the man I +choose will soon become a member of my family. I nominate Mr. Harding, +who has saved the settlement."</p> + +<p>There were cries of agreement that swelled into a storm of satisfaction, +and Harding said a few words in a voice that shook. This was a turn of +affairs he had not expected, and he was moved by Mowbray's confidence +and the number of friends he had made.</p> + +<p>Then the council broke up, and when the last had gone Mowbray joined his +wife on the veranda, where he sat looking with tired eyes toward the +pale red glow on the skyline left by the setting sun. The prairie was +formless and shadowy, but darkness had not quite closed in.</p> + +<p>"I feel that all this is symbolical, my dear," he said. "My day is over, +but the night has not yet come.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> Though it will not be by the way I +would have chosen, I may still see Allenwood safe and prosperous."</p> + +<p>Mrs. Mowbray took his hand caressingly.</p> + +<p>"You have led the boys well, and taught them much; they will not forget +it. You never shrank from a sacrifice that was for their good—and I +know the cost of the one you have made to-night."</p> + +<p>"I knew I could trust to your sympathy; you haven't failed me yet," he +said gently. "I wonder why Gerald broke away from the rascal at last. I +may be wrong, but I'd like to believe that when the time came he found +he could not betray his friends; that his heart spoke, and a trace of +the honor we tried to teach him awoke to life."</p> + +<p>"I think you're right," Mrs. Mowbray answered. "I am sure there is hope +for him."</p> + +<p>Then she turned and her eyes rested on the dark figures of Beatrice and +Harding, who had left the house and were walking slowly across the +plain. Moving side by side, with love and confidence in their hearts, +they looked toward the east, where the dawn would rise.</p> + + +<p class="theend">THE END</p> + +<hr class="wide" /> + +<p class="center"><span class="bold bigtext">JOHN FOX, JR'S.</span><br /> +STORIES OF THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS</p> + +<p class="center bold smalltext">May be had wherever books are <span class="extraspace">sold. Ask</span> for Grosset and Dunlap's list.</p> + +<p class="advert1"><span class="u">THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE.</span><br /> +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn.</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 163px;"> +<img src="images/pine.png" width="163" height="225" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>The "lonesome pine" from which the story takes its name was a tall tree +that stood in solitary splendor on a mountain top. The fame of the pine +lured a young engineer through Kentucky to catch the trail, and when he +finally climbed to its shelter he found not only the pine but the +<i>foot-prints of a girl</i>. And the girl proved to be lovely, piquant, and +the trail of these girlish foot-prints led the young engineer a madder +chase than "the trail of the lonesome pine."</p> +</div> + +<p class="advert1" style="clear: left;"><span class="u">THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME.</span><br /> +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>This is a story of Kentucky, in a settlement known as "Kingdom Come." It +is a life rude, semi-barbarous; but natural and honest, from which often +springs the flower of civilization.</p> + +<p>"Chad." the "little shepherd" did not know who he was nor whence he +came—he had just wandered from door to door since early childhood, +seeking shelter with kindly mountaineers who gladly fathered and +mothered this waif about whom there was such a mystery—a charming waif, +by the way, who could play the banjo better that anyone else in the +mountains.</p> +</div> + + +<p class="advert1"><span class="u">A KNIGHT OF THE CUMBERLAND.</span><br /> +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>The scenes are laid along the waters of the Cumberland, the lair of +moonshiner and feudsman. The knight is a moonshiner's son, and the +heroine a beautiful girl perversely christened "The Blight." 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The scenes are laid +in New York, and deal with conditions among both the rich and poor.</p> + +<p>The interest of the story turns on the day-by-day developments which +show the young wife the price she has paid.</p> +</div> + +<p class="center smalltext"><i>Ask for complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction</i></p> + +<p class="center smcap">Grosset & Dunlap, 526 West 26<span class="nocap">th</span> St., New York</p> + +<hr class="wide" /> + +<p class="center bold"><span class="lessbigtext">GROSSET & DUNLAP'S</span><br /> +<span class="bigtext">DRAMATIZED NOVELS</span></p> + +<p class="center">Original, sincere and courageous—often amusing—the<br /> +kind that are making theatrical history.</p> + +<p class="advert2">MADAME X. By Alexandre Bisson and J. W. McConaughy. +Illustrated with scenes from the play.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>A beautiful Parisienne became an outcast because her husband would not +forgive an error of her youth. 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By Grace Miller White. +Illust. by Howard Chandler Christy.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>A girl from the dregs of society, loves a young Cornell University +student, and it works startling changes in her life and the lives of +those about her. The dramatic version is one of the sensations of the +season.</p> +</div> + +<p class="advert2">YOUNG WALLINGFORD. By George Randolph +Chester. Illust. by F. R. Gruger and Henry Raleigh.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>A series of clever swindles conducted by a cheerful young man, each of +which is just on the safe side of a State's prison offence. As +"Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford," it is probably the most amusing expose of +money manipulation ever seen on the stage.</p> +</div> + +<p class="advert2">THE INTRUSION OF JIMMY. By P. G. Wodehouse. +Illustrations by Will Grefe.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>Social and club life in London and New York, an amateur burglary +adventure and a love story. Dramatized under the title of "A Gentleman +of Leisure," it furnishes hours of laughter to the play-goers.</p> +</div> + +<p> +<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>, 526 <span class="smcap">West</span> 26th <span class="smcap">St</span>., <span class="smcap">New York</span><br /> +</p> + +<hr class="wide" /> + +<p class="center lessbigtext">FOUR TIMELY BOOKS OF<br /> +INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE</p> + + +<p class="advert2">I ACCUSE (<i>J'ACCUSE!</i>) By a German. A Scathing +Arraignment of the German War Policy.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>At this vital time in the nation's history every patriotic American +should read and reread this wonderful book and learn the absurdity of +the German excuse that they wanted a "Place in the Sun."</p> + +<p>Learn how the German masses were deluded with the idea that they were +making a defensive war to protect the Fatherland.</p> + +<p>Let the author of this illuminating book again show the sacrilege of +claiming a Christian God as a Teutonic ally and riddle once more the +divine right of kings.</p> +</div> + +<p class="advert2">PAN-GERMANISM. By Roland G. Usher.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>The clear, graphic style gives it a popular appeal that sets it miles +apart from the ordinary treatise, and for the reader who wishes to get a +rapid focus on the world events of the present, perhaps no book written +will be more interesting.</p> + +<p>It is the only existing forecast of exactly the present development of +events in Europe. It is, besides, a brisk, clear, almost primer-like +reduction of the complex history of Europe during the last forty years +to a simple, connected story clear enough to the most casual reader.</p> +</div> + +<p class="advert2">THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE. By Roland G. Usher.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>A glance into America's future by the man who, in his book +<span class="smcap" style="text-transform: lowercase;">PAN-GERMANISM</span>, foretold with such amazing accuracy the coming of the +present European events. An exceedingly live and timely book that is +bound to be read and discussed widely because it strikes to the heart of +American problems, and more especially because it hits right and left at +ideas that have become deep-seated convictions in many American minds.</p> +</div> + + +<p class="advert2">THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE. By James M. +Beck, <span style="white-space: nowrap;">LL. D.,</span> Formerly Assistant Attorney-General +of the United States, Author of the "War and Humanity." +With an Introduction by the Hon. Joseph +H. Choate; Late U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>No work on the War has made a deeper impression throughout the world +than "The Evidence in the Case," a calm, dispassionate, but forceful +discussion of the moral responsibility for the present war as disclosed +by the diplomatic papers. Arnold Bennett says that it "is certainly by +far <i>the most convincing indictment of Germany</i> in existence."</p> +</div> + +<p class="center">GROSSET & DUNLAP, <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>, NEW YORK</p> + +<hr class="wide" /> + +<div class="blockquote"> +<p>Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in the +original edition have been corrected.</p> + +<p>In Chapter II, "might become an anachorism" was changed to "might become +an anachronism".</p> + +<p>In Chapter X, a comma was changed to a period after "a council meeting +at the Grange", and a period was changed to a comma after "If all the +rest stand out".</p> + +<p>In Chapter XVIII, a comma was changed to a period after "He was a big, +gaunt man".</p> + +<p>In Chapter XX, a missing quotation mark was added after "I'm obeying the +call."</p> + +<p>In Chapter XXV, a missing period was added after "in keeping with the +life I've led".</p> + +<p>In Chapter XXVI, "brought him spurred him rather to action" was changed +to "brought him—spurred him rather—to action".</p> + +<p>In addition, numerous spelling and punctuation errors were corrected in +the advertisements at the back of the book.</p> +</div> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Harding of Allenwood, by Harold Bindloss + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + +***** This file should be named 38343-h.htm or 38343-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/3/4/38343/ + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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: Harding of Allenwood + +Author: Harold Bindloss + +Release Date: December 19, 2011 [EBook #38343] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + + + + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +HARDING OF ALLENWOOD + + + + +[Illustration: "'PICK UP YOUR SKIRT,' HE SAID BLUNTLY; 'IT GETS +STEEPER.'"--Page 32] + + + + +HARDING OF ALLENWOOD + +BY HAROLD BINDLOSS + +AUTHOR OF PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN, +WINSTON OF THE PRAIRIE, ETC + +WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR + +[Illustration] + +GROSSET & DUNLAP +PUBLISHERS NEW YORK + +Copyright, 1915, by +FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY + +All rights reserved + + + + +CONTENTS + + CHAPTER PAGE + I THE PIONEERS 1 + II PORTENTS OF CHANGE 14 + III AT THE FORD 26 + IV THE OPENING OF THE RIFT 36 + V THE SPENDTHRIFT 48 + VI THE MORTGAGE BROKER 56 + VII AN ACCIDENT 67 + VIII AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE 79 + IX A MAN OF AFFAIRS 92 + X THE CASTING VOTE 103 + XI THE STEAM PLOW 118 + XII THE ENEMY WITHIN 132 + XIII THE TRAITOR 145 + XIV A BOLD SCHEME 156 + XV HARVEST HOME 169 + XVI THE BRIDGE 182 + XVII A HEAVY BLOW 192 + XVIII COVERING HIS TRAIL 203 + XIX THE BLIZZARD 215 + XX A SEVERE TEST 225 + XXI THE DAY OF RECKONING 236 + XXII THE PRICE OF HONOR 245 + XXIII A WOMAN INTERVENES 255 + XXIV A GREAT TRIUMPH 264 + XXV THE REBUFF 276 + XXVI DROUGHT 287 + XXVII THE ADVENTURESS 298 + XXVIII FIRE AND HAIL 308 + XXIX A BRAVE HEART 318 + XXX THE INHERITANCE 326 + + + + + +HARDING, OF ALLENWOOD + + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE PIONEERS + + +It was a clear day in September. The boisterous winds which had swept +the wide Canadian plain all summer had fallen and only a faint breeze +stirred the yellowing leaves of the poplars. Against the glaring blue of +the northern sky the edge of the prairie cut in a long, straight line; +above the southern horizon rounded cloud-masses hung, soft and white as +wool. Far off, the prairie was washed with tints of delicate gray, but +as it swept in to the foreground the color changed, growing in strength, +to brown and ocher with streaks of silvery brightness where the withered +grass caught the light. To the east the view was broken, for the banks +of a creek that wound across the broad level were lined with +timber--birches and poplars growing tall in the shelter of the ravine +and straggling along its crest. Their pale-colored branches glowed among +the early autumn leaves. + +In a gap between the trees two men stood resting on their axes, and rows +of logs and branches and piles of chips were scattered about the +clearing. The men were dressed much alike, in shirts that had once been +blue but were now faded to an indefinite color, old brown overalls, and +soft felt hats that had fallen out of shape. Their arms were bare to the +elbows, the low shirt-collars left their necks exposed, showing skin +that had weathered, like their clothing, to the color of the soil. +Standing still, they were scarcely distinguishable from their +surroundings. + +Harding was thirty years old, and tall and strongly built. He looked +virile and athletic, but his figure was marked by signs of strength +rather than grace. His forehead was broad, his eyes between blue and +gray, and his gaze gravely steady. He had a straight nose and a firm +mouth; and although there was more than a hint of determination in his +expression, it indicated, on the whole, a pleasant, even a magnetic, +disposition. + +Devine was five years younger and of lighter build. He was the handsomer +of the two, but he lacked that indefinite something about his companion +which attracted more attention. + +"Let's quit a few minutes for a smoke," suggested Devine, dropping his +ax. "We've worked pretty hard since noon." + +He sat down on a log and took out an old corncob pipe. When it was +filled and lighted he leaned back contentedly against a friendly stump. + +Harding remained standing, his hand on the long ax-haft, his chin +slightly lifted, and his eyes fixed on the empty plain. Between him and +the horizon there was no sign of life except that a flock of migrating +birds were moving south across the sky in a drawn-out wedge. The wide +expanse formed part of what was then the territory of Assiniboia, and is +now the province of Saskatchewan. As far as one could see, the soil was +thin alluvial loam, interspersed with the stiff "gumbo" that grows the +finest wheat; but the plow had not yet broken its surface. Small towns +were springing up along the railroad track, but the great plain between +the Saskatchewan and the Assiniboine was, for the most part, still a +waste, waiting for the tide of population that had begun to flow. + +Harding was a born pioneer, and his expression grew intent as he gazed +across the wilderness. + +"What will this prairie be like, Fred, when those poplars are tall +enough to cut?" he said gravely, indicating some saplings beside him. +"There's going to be a big change here." + +"That's true; and it's just what I'm counting on. That's what made me +leave old Dakota. I want to be in on the ground-floor!" + +Harding knit his brows, and his face had a concentrated look. He was not +given to talking at large, but he had a gift of half-instinctive +prevision as well as practical, constructive ability, and just then he +felt strangely moved. It seemed to him that he heard in the distance the +march of a great army of new home-builders, moving forward slowly and +cautiously as yet. He was one of the advance skirmishers, though the +first scouts had already pushed on and vanished across the skyline into +the virgin West. + +"Well," he said, "think what's happening! Ontario's settled and busy +with manufactures; Manitoba and the Dakotas, except for the sand-belts, +are filling up. The older States are crowded, and somebody owns all the +soil that's worth working in the Middle West. England and Germany are +overflowing, and we have roughly seven hundred miles of country here +that needs people. They must come. The pressure behind will force them." + +"But think what that will mean to the price of wheat! It's bringing only +a dollar and a half now. We can't raise it at a dollar." + +"It will break the careless," Harding said, "but dollar wheat will come. +The branch railroads will follow the homesteads; you'll see the +elevators dotting the prairie, and when we've opened up this great +tableland between the American border and the frozen line, the wheat +will pour into every settlement faster than the cars can haul it out. +Prices will fall until every slack farmer has mortgaged all he owns." + +"Then what good will it do? If the result is to be only mortgages?" + +"Oh, but I said every _slack_ farmer. It will clear out the incompetent, +improve our methods. The ox-team and the grass trail will have to go. +We'll have steam gang-plows and graded roads. We'll have better machines +all round." + +"And afterward?" + +Harding's eyes sparkled. + +"Afterward? Then the men with brains and grit who have held on--the +fittest, who have survived--will come into such prosperity as few +farmers have ever had. America, with her population leaping up, will +have less and less wheat to ship; England will steadily call for more; +we'll have wheat at a price that will pay us well before we're through. +Then there'll be no more dug-outs and log-shacks, but fine brick +homesteads, with all the farms fenced and mechanical transport on the +roads. It's coming, Fred! Those who live through the struggle will +certainly see it." + +Harding laughed and lifted his ax. + +"But enough of that! If we're to get our homesteads up before the frost +comes, we'll have to hustle." + +The big ax flashed in the sunshine and bit deep into a poplar trunk; but +when a few more logs had been laid beside the rest the men stopped +again, for they heard a beat of hoofs coming toward them across the +prairie. The trees cut off their view of the rider, but when he rounded +a corner of the bluff and pulled up his horse, they saw a young lad, +picturesquely dressed in a deerskin jacket of Indian make, decorated +with fringed hide and embroidery, cord riding-breeches, and polished +leggings. His slouch hat was pushed back on his head, showing a handsome +face that had in it a touch of imperiousness. + +"Hello!" he said, with a look of somewhat indignant surprise. "What are +you fellows doing here?" + +Harding felt amused at the tone of superiority in the youngster's voice; +yet he had a curious, half-conscious feeling that there was something he +recognized about the boy. It was not that he had met him before, but +that well-bred air and the clean English intonation were somehow +familiar. + +"If you look around you," Harding smiled, "you might be able to guess +that we're cutting down trees." + +The boy gave an imperious toss of his head. + +"What I meant was that you have no right on this property." + +"No?" + +"It belongs to us. And logs large enough for building are scarce enough +already. As a matter of fact, we're not allowed to cut these ourselves +without the Colonel's permission." + +"Haven't met him yet," said Devine dryly. "Who's he?" + +"Colonel Mowbray, of Allenwood Grange." + +"And who's Colonel Mowbray? And where's Allenwood Grange?" + +The boy seemed nettled by the twinkle in Devine's eyes, but Harding +noticed that pride compelled him to hide his feelings. + +"You can't cut this lumber without asking leave! Besides, you're +spoiling one of our best coyote covers." + +"Kyotes!" exclaimed Devine. "What do you do with 'em?" + +The youngster stared at him a moment in disdain. + +"We have a pack of hounds at the Grange," he then condescended to +answer. + +"Hunt them! Well, now, that's mighty strange. I'd have thought you'd +find arsenic cheaper. Then if you were to lie out round the +chicken-house with a gun----" + +The boy cut him short. + +"If you want these logs, you must ask for them. Shall I tell the Colonel +you are coming to do so?" + +"Well, sonny," drawled Devine, "you just run along home and send +somebody grown-up. We might talk to him." + +"As it happens," the boy said with great dignity, "Kenwyne is in the +bluff. I must warn you not to touch a tree until you see him." + +Without another word he turned and rode off. + +During the conversation Harding had been studying him closely. The +well-bred reserve in his manner, which, while peremptory, was somehow +free from arrogance, compelled the man's admiration. + +"From the Old Country," he said with a laugh, "and a bit high-handed, +but there's sand in him. Do you know anything about Allenwood?" + +"Not much, but I heard the boys talking about it at the railroad store. +It's a settlement of high-toned Britishers with more money than sense. +They play at farming and ride round the country on pedigree horses." + +"The horse the boy rode was certainly a looker!" Harding commented, +swinging his ax once more. + +As it sliced out a chip with a ringing thud, and another, and yet +another, the boy returned, accompanied by a well-mounted older man with +a sallow face and very dark eyes and a languidly graceful air. The man +was plainly dressed but he wore the stamp Harding had noticed on the +youngster; and again there flashed through Harding's mind the +half-indistinct thought that these people were familiar to him. + +"I understand that you insist upon cutting this timber," Kenwyne began. + +"Yes," Harding replied. "And I was surprised when your friend here said +it belonged to Colonel Mowbray." + +"He went too far, but it does belong to him in a sense. The Colonel +founded the settlement when very few other people thought of leaving +Manitoba, and he had the usual option of cutting all the wood he wanted +on unoccupied land. We have always got it here, and as we have done all +the road-making and general improvements in the neighborhood, we have +come to look upon it as our own." + +"Is that your bridge across the creek?" + +"Yes; and it's not a bad job, I think. We had a good deal of trouble +digging out the grade in the ravine." + +"Well, interfering with bridges is not a habit of mine; so we'll let +your trail stand. But I could make you divert it to the proper road +reserve." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Kenwyne. "That sounds significant." + +"Precisely. This bluff and the section it stands on belong to me; the +transfer was registered at the land office a week ago." + +"Then I think there's nothing more to be said." + +"Oh," Harding responded with a smile, "you might tell your Colonel that +when he wants any lumber he may cut it if he'll let me know!" + +Kenwyne laughed. + +"Thanks!" he said. "It's a generous offer, but I can't promise that +Colonel Mowbray will avail himself of your permission. I wish you good +afternoon." + +He rode away with his companion, and an hour later Harding and Devine +threw their axes on their shoulders and struck out across the prairie. +The sun had dipped, the air was getting cool, and on the clean-cut +western horizon a soft red flush faded beneath a band of vivid green. + +At the foot of a low rise the men stopped. + +"I'll be around the first thing in the morning," Devine said. + +"Then you're not coming to supper?" + +"No," Devine answered reluctantly; "I guess not. I've been over twice +this week, and Hester has enough to do without extra cooking for me." + +"As you wish," said Harding, and they separated in a friendly manner. + +When he was alone Harding went on briskly, walking with an elastic step +and looking far ahead across the shadowy plain. It was a rich land that +stretched away before him, and a compact block of it belonged to him. It +was virgin soil, his to do with as he liked. He thought that he could +make good use of it; but he had no illusions; he knew all about prairie +farming, and was prepared for a hard struggle. + +Crossing the rise, he headed for a glow of light that flickered in the +gloom of a small birch bluff, and presently stopped at a tent pitched +among the trees. Two big red oxen were grazing by the edge of the bluff, +a row of birch logs lay among the grass beside a pile of ship-lap +boards, and some more of the boards had been roughly built into a +pointed shack. In front of this a young girl bent over a fire that +burned between two logs. All round, except where the wood broke the +view, the wilderness rolled away, dim and silent. + +Hester Harding looked up with a smile when her brother stopped. She +resembled him, for she had his direct, thoughtful glance and fine +proportions. Her face and hands were browned by sun and wind, but, +although she had worked hard from childhood, she wore no coarsening +stamp of toil. Her features were good, and the plain print dress she had +made in her scanty spare time became her. + +"Tired, Craig?" she asked in a pleasant voice. + +"Not quite as fresh as I was at sun-up," Harding smiled. "We got +through a good deal of work to-day and I'll soon be able to make a start +with the house. We'll have to rush the framing to get finished before +the frost." + +While they ate their simple supper they talked about his building plans, +and he answered her questions carefully; for Hester had keen +intelligence, and had shared his work and ambitions for the past few +years. For the most part, their life had been hard and frugal. Until +Craig reached the age of eighteen, he had helped his father to cultivate +his patch of wheat-soil in an arid belt of North Dakota. Then the father +had died, leaving about a thousand dollars besides his land and teams, +and the lad had courageously taken up the task of supporting his mother +and sister. Two years afterward, Mrs. Harding died, and Craig, at the +age of twenty, set himself to consider the future. + +During his management of the farm he had made more money than his father +had ever made, but the land was poor and incapable of much improvement. +On the other hand, Dakota was getting settled and homesteads were +becoming valuable, and Craig determined to sell out and invest the money +in a larger holding in a thinly populated part of Manitoba. Hester went +with him to Canada; and when the advancing tide of settlement reached +their new home, Craig sold out again, getting much more than he had paid +for his land, and moved west ahead of the army of prairie-breakers which +he knew would presently follow him. It was a simple plan, but it needed +courage and resourcefulness. He spoke of it to Hester when he lighted +his pipe after the meal. + +"It was a notion of Father's that one should try to anticipate a big +general movement," he remarked. "'Keep a little in front; the pioneers +get the pickings,' he once told me. 'If you follow the main body, you'll +find the land swept bare.' He had a way of saying things like that; I +learned a good deal from him." + +"He knew a good deal," said Hester thoughtfully. "He was more clever +than you are, Craig, but he hadn't your habit of putting his ideas into +practise. I've sometimes thought he must have lost heart after some big +trouble long ago, and only made an effort now and then for Mother's +sake. It's strange that we know nothing about him except that he came +from the Old Country." + +Craig had often wondered about his father, for the man had been somewhat +of an enigma to him. Basil Harding had lived like his neighbors, who +were plain tillers of the soil, and he never spoke of his English +origin, but now and then he showed a breadth of thought and refinement +of manner that were not in keeping with his environment. Mrs. Harding +was the daughter of a Michigan farmer, a shrewd but gentle woman of +practical turn of mind. + +"I wonder," Craig said, "how much Mother knew?" + +"She must have known something. Once or twice, near the end, I think she +meant to tell us, for there was something troubling her, but the last +stroke came so suddenly, and she never spoke." Hester paused, as if lost +in painful memories, and then went on: "It was very strange about that +money you got." + +Craig nodded. When he was twenty-one a Winnipeg lawyer had turned over +to him five thousand dollars on condition that he remain in Canada, and +make no attempt to communicate with his father's relatives. + +"Yes," he said. "And something happened this afternoon that puzzled me." + +He told Hester about his meeting with the men from Allenwood. + +"The curious thing about it," he added, "is that as I watched the boy +sitting on his fine blooded horse and heard him speak, I felt as if I'd +once lived among high-toned English people and could somehow understand +what he was thinking. But of course I never had a horse like his, and we +were born in a rough shack on a poor Dakota farm. Can one inherit one's +ancestors' feelings and memories?" + +"It's very strange," mused Hester. + +Harding laughed. + +"Well, anyway, I'm a farmer," he said. "I stand upon my own +feet--regardless of ancestors. What I am is what I make of myself!" + +He moved off toward the tent. + +"It's getting late," he called back to her. + +But for a long time Hester sat beside the sinking fire. Her brother, +whom she loved and admired, differed slightly, but noticeably in one or +two respects, from any of the prairie farmers she had known. Though it +was hard to procure books, he had read widely and about other subjects +than agriculture. Odd tricks of thought and speech also suggested the +difference; but she knew that nobody else except her mother had noticed +it, for, to all intents, Craig was merely a shrewd, hard-working grower +of wheat. + +Then the girl's face grew gentle as she thought of Fred Devine. He had +proved very constant and had several times made what was then a long and +adventurous journey to see her. Now, when his father had given him a +few hundred dollars, he had followed Craig, and she was ready to marry +him as soon as he could make a home for her. At present he was living in +a dug-out in a bank, and must harvest his first crop before he could +think about a house. + +When the fire had died down to a few smoldering coals, Hester got up and +looked about her. The moon hung, large and red, above the prairie's rim; +the air was sharp and wonderfully exhilarating. Behind the tent the +birch leaves rustled softly in the bluff, and in the distance a coyote +howled. There was no other sound; it was all very still and strangely +lonely; but the girl felt no shrinking. On her mother's side she sprang +from a race of pioneers, and her true work was to help in the breaking +of the wilderness. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +PORTENTS OF CHANGE + + +The moon was above the horizon when Kenwyne pulled up his horse to a +walk opposite Allenwood Grange. The view from this point always appealed +to the artist in Kenwyne. The level plain was broken here by steep, +sandy rises crowned with jack-pines and clumps of poplar, and a shallow +lake reached out into the open from their feet. A short distance back +from its shore, the Grange stood on a gentle slope, with a grove of +birches that hid the stables and outbuildings straggling up the hill +behind. + +As Kenwyne saw it in the moonlight across the glittering water, the +house was picturesque. In the center rose a square, unpretentious +building of notched logs; but from this ship-lap additions, showing +architectural taste, stretched out in many wings, so that, from a +distance, the homestead with its wooded back-ground had something of the +look of an old English manor house. It was this which made the colonists +of Allenwood regard it with affection. Now it was well lighted, and the +yellow glow from its windows shone cheerfully across the lake. + +The foundations of the place had been laid in unsettled times, after the +Hudson Bay fur-traders had relinquished their control of the trackless +West, but before the Dominion Government had established its authority. +The farmers were then spreading cautiously across the Manitoban plain, +in some fear of the Metis half-breeds, and it was considered a bold +adventure when the builder of the Grange pushed far out into the +prairies of the Assiniboine. He had his troubles, but he made his +holding good, and sold it to Colonel Mowbray, who founded the Allenwood +settlement. + +On the whole, the colony had succeeded, but Kenwyne saw that it might +become an anachronism in changing times. He had noted the advance of the +hard-bitten homesteaders who were settling wherever the soil was good, +and who were marked by sternly utilitarian methods and democratic ideas. +Before long Allenwood must cast off its aristocratic traditions and +compete with these newcomers; but Kenwyne feared that its founder was +not the man to change. + +As he rode slowly past the lake, a man came toward him with a gun and a +brace of prairie-chickens. + +"Hello, Ralph!" he said. "Have you forgotten that it's council night?" + +"I'm not likely to forget after the rebuke I got for missing the last +meeting," Kenwyne replied. "Do you happen to know what kind of temper +the Colonel is in, Broadwood?" + +"My opinion is that it might be better. Gerald Mowbray has turned up +again, and I've noticed that the old man is less serene than usual when +his son's about. In fact, as we have to bear the consequences, I wish +the fellow would stay away." + +While Broadwood and Kenwyne were discussing him on the hillside, Colonel +Mowbray sat in his study at the Grange, talking to the elder of his two +sons. The room was small and plainly furnished, with a map of the +territory on the matchboarded wall, a plain table on which lay a few +bundles of neatly docketed papers, and a stove in one corner. +Account-books filled a shelf, and beneath there was a row of +pigeonholes. The room had an air of austere simplicity with which +Colonel Mowbray's appearance harmonized. + +He was tall, but spare of flesh, with an erect carriage and an +autocratic expression. His hair was gray, his eyes were dark and keen, +and his mouth was unusually firm; but the hollowness of his face and the +lines on his forehead showed advancing age. He was a man of some +ability, with simple tastes, certain unchangeable convictions, and a +fiery temper. Leaving the army with a grievance which he never spoke +about, and being of too restless a character to stay at home, he had +founded Allenwood for the purpose of settling young Englishmen upon the +land. He demanded that they be well born, have means enough to make a +fair start, and that their character should bear strict investigation. +Though the two latter conditions were not invariably complied with, his +scheme had prospered. Mowbray was generous, and had taken the sons of +several old friends who did not possess the capital required; while the +discipline he enforced had curbed the wayward. For the most part, the +settlers regarded him with affection as well as respect; but he had +failed most signally with his own son, who now stood rather awkwardly +before him. + +After serving for a year or two in India as an engineer lieutenant, +Gerald Mowbray met with an accident which forced him to leave the army. +He made an unsuccessful start on another career, and had of late been +engaged upon a Government survey of the rugged forest-belt which runs +west to the confines of the Manitoban plain. He was a handsome, +dark-complexioned man, but looked slacker and less capable than his +father. + +"I think five hundred pounds would clear me," he said in an apologetic +tone. "If I could pay off these fellows, it would be a great relief, and +I'd faithfully promise to keep clear of debt in future." + +"It seems to me I've heard something of the kind on previous occasions," +Mowbray returned dryly. "There's a weak strain in you, Gerald, though I +don't know where you got it. I suppose a thousand pounds would be +better?" + +Gerald's eyes grew eager; but the next moment his face fell, for he knew +his father's methods, and saw his ironical smile. + +"Well," he said cautiously, "I could straighten things out if I had five +hundred." + +"With what you got from your mother!" + +Gerald winced. His mother never refused him, even though he knew that it +often meant sacrifice on her part. + +"To save our name," Mowbray said sternly, "and for that reason only, I +am going to let you have three hundred pounds. But I warn you, it's the +last you'll get. You may as well know that it is hard to spare this." + +Gerald looked his surprise. + +"I thought----" + +Mowbray interrupted him. + +"My affairs are not so prosperous as they seem; but I rely on you not to +mention the fact. Now you may go. But, remember--there's to be no more +money thrown away!" + +When Gerald closed the door, Mowbray took down one of his account-books, +and sat still for a long time studying it. He had never been rich, but +he had had enough, and as the settlement grew up he had felt justified +in selling to newcomers, at moderate prices, land which he had got as a +free grant. Now, however, the land was nearly all taken up. For a time +he bred cattle, but this had scarcely paid; then the development of the +milling industry and the building of elevators rendered wheat-growing +possible, and though the grain had to be hauled a long way, Mowbray made +a small profit. Prices, however, were falling, and land nearer the +railroad was coming into cultivation. + +With a gloomy air, Mowbray closed the book and went down to preside over +the council which was held periodically and, as a rule, ended in an +evening of social amusement. + +The hall was large and square, with matchboarded walls and a pointed +roof. In an open hearth a log fire burned cheerily, although two large +windows were opened wide to let in the September air. Bunches of wheat +and oats of unusual growth hung upon the walls, suggesting the settlers' +occupation; but it was significant that the grain was surmounted by a +row of the heads of prairie antelope, as well as moose and caribou from +the North. They were farmers at Allenwood, but they were sportsmen +first. + +About a dozen men were sitting round a table when Mowbray entered, but +they rose and waited until he took his place. They varied in age from +twenty to forty, and in their easy manners and natural grace one +recognized the stamp of birth. Evening dress was not the rule at +Allenwood, and while some wore white shirts and city clothes, others +were attired picturesquely in red-laced blue vests and fringed deerskin. +Their brown faces and athletic figures indicated a healthy life in the +open, but they had too gallant and careless an air for toilers. + +A few suggestions for the improvement of the trails were made and +discussed; and then Mowbray turned to Kenwyne, who had spent the +afternoon looking for suitable logs for the bridge-stringers. + +"Did you and Lance find anything?" Mowbray asked. + +Kenwyne was waiting for this opening to make what he felt was an +important announcement. + +"We went to the bluff," he said. "What we found was two homesteaders +cutting down all the best trees." + +"Homesteaders!" + +Mowbray frowned and the others looked interested. + +"You warned them off, of course!" + +"Lance did. But one of the fellows retorted that the timber was his." + +"Impossible!" Mowbray said sharply. "The nearest preemption is six miles +off--and that's too close!" + +"It appears that the man has just bought the section on our western +range-line. He referred me to the land register, if I had any doubt. I'm +afraid you must take it for granted, sir, that we are going to have +neighbors." + +"Never!" Mowbray brought his fist down on the table with a resounding +blow. "We may not be able to turn out these intruders, but I decline to +consider them neighbors of ours." He turned to the others. "You must +see that this is disturbing news. We came here to live in accordance +with the best English traditions, and although we had to put up with +some hardships, there were compensations--abundant sport, space, and +freedom. In a sense, the country was ours, with its wood and water, as +far as we cared to ride. Now every homestead that is built restricts +what we have regarded, with some justice, as our rights. We took heavy +risks in settling here when people believed it was economically +impossible to farm at Allenwood." + +There was a murmur of approval. + +"These fellows will put an end to our running range horses and cattle," +one man said. "If many of them come into the district, we may have to +put down the coyote hounds, and ask permission before we course a +jack-rabbit. Then they could make us divert our trails to the road +reserves." + +"Something of that kind may happen," Kenwyne interposed. "But the fellow +I met seemed inclined to be friendly. Said he'd let our trail stand and +we might cut what wood we wanted, provided we get his permission." + +Mowbray drew himself up haughtily. + +"Although you recognize the lesser drawbacks," he said, "I'm afraid you +miss the most important point. I must remind you that this settlement +was founded to enable a certain stamp of Englishmen to enjoy a life that +was becoming more difficult without large means at home. A man with +simple tastes could find healthy occupation out of doors, keep a good +horse, and get as much shooting as he wanted. So long as his farming +covered, or nearly covered, his expenses, that was all that was +required. We have not discouraged the making of money, but I must +frankly say that this was not our object. Now I see threats of change. +We may be brought into contact, and perhaps into opposition, with men +whose motives are different. Their coming here has to me a sinister +meaning." + +"Allenwood has been a success," said Broadwood; "one can't deny it--but +I think we owe a good deal to our having settled in a new and +undeveloped country. The experiment turned out well because we got the +land cheap and wheat was dear. Now I foresee a sharp fall in prices, and +it seems to me that we may have to revise our methods to suit the times. +In future, we may find it difficult to live upon our farms unless we +work them properly. I'm afraid we can't stand still while Canada moves +on--and I'm not sure that it's a great misfortune." + +"Do you admire modern methods?" somebody asked. "If you do, you'd better +study what things are coming to in America and England. There is not a +hired man at Allenwood who is not on first-rate terms with his master; +do you want to under-pay and over-drive them or, on the other hand, to +have them making impossible demands, and playing the mischief by a +harvest strike? I agree with our respected leader that we don't want to +change." + +"But tell us about these intruders," Mowbray said to Kenwyne. "What sort +of men are they?" + +"Well, first of all, they're workers; there's no mistaking that. And I'd +judge that they came from the States--Dakota, perhaps." + +"That is to say, they're hustlers!" a lad broke in. "Couldn't we buy +them out before they get started, sir?" + +"It would cost us something to buy a section, and we would have to work +part of it to pay the new taxes. Then the fellows would probably find +out that it was an easy way of getting a good price; and we couldn't +keep on buying them out. We have all the land we want, and must be +careful whom we allow to join us." + +"I think we should try to keep an open mind," Kenwyne suggested. "It +might pay us to watch the men and see what they can teach us. Sooner or +later we shall have to improve our farming, and we may as well begin it +gradually. After all, it's something to gather two bushels of wheat +where only one grew." + +Mowbray looked at him sternly. + +"I'm sorry to see you and Broadwood taking this line, Ralph; but I've +long suspected that your views were not quite sound. Frankly, I'm afraid +of the thin end of the wedge." He turned to the others. "You will +understand that there can be no compromise. We shall continue to live as +English gentlemen and have nothing to do with the grasping commercialism +that is getting a dangerous hold on the older countries. I will do my +best to keep Allenwood free from it while I have the power." + +"Whatever my private opinions are, I think you know you can rely on my +loyal support in all you do for the good of the settlement, sir," +Kenwyne replied. "Now that we have the matter before us, it might be +well if you told us how we are to treat these Americans. We're bound to +meet them." + +"I cannot suggest discourtesy, since it would be foreign to your +character and against our traditions; but I do not wish you to become +intimate with them." + +When the meeting broke up an hour later, Broadwood walked home with +Kenwyne. It was a small and unpretentious house that perched on the +hillside beyond the lake, but the room the men entered was comfortably +furnished. A few photographs of officers in uniform, the football team +of a famous public school, and the crew of an Oxford racing boat, hung +on the pine-board walls. + +"We must have a talk," said Kenwyne. "I feel that these fellows' +settling here is important; it's bound to make a difference. I know the +type; one can't ignore them. They'll have to be reckoned with, as +friends or enemies." + +"In spite of the Colonel's opinion, I believe their influence will be +for good. What Allenwood needs most is waking up." Broadwood laughed. +"It's curious that we should agree on this. Of course, my marriage is +supposed to account for my perversion; but one can understand Mowbray's +painful surprise at you. Your views ought to be sound." + +"What is a sound view?" + +"At Allenwood, it's a view that agrees with Mowbray's." + +"Let's be serious," Kenwyne replied. "There's something to be said for +his contention, after all. We have got along pretty well so far." + +"Yes; but the settlement has never been self-supporting. Mowbray got the +land for nothing and sold it in parcels, as he was entitled to do, +spending part of the price on improvements from which we all benefit. +Then a number of the boys got drafts from home when they lost a crop. +We have been living on capital instead of on revenue; but the time is +coming when this must stop. Our people at home can't keep on financing +us, and the land is nearly all taken up." + +"Well, what follows?" + +"Allenwood will shortly have to earn its living," Broadwood answered, +laughing. "This will be a shock to some of our friends, but even with +wheat going down the thing shouldn't prove insuperably difficult." + +"We may have wheat at less than a dollar. Look at the quantity of good +land that's available, and the character of the men who're coming in. +They'll live on revenue, in dug-outs and fifty-dollar shacks, and all +they don't spend on food will go into new teams and implements. They +don't expect an easy time, and won't get it, but we'll have to meet +their competition. Personally, I don't think that's impossible. I +believe we're their equals in brain and muscle." + +"We used to think we were superior," Broadwood smiled. "Our conservative +sentiments will be our greatest difficulty." + +"I'm afraid we'll have to get rid of them." + +"Mowbray will never throw his traditions overboard." + +"No. I see trouble ahead," said Kenwyne. + +"It's an awkward situation, I'll admit. Instead of Mowbray's leading us, +we'll have to carry him along, so to speak, without his knowing it. As +he's not a fool, the thing may need more tact than we're capable of. For +all that, he must remain leader." + +"Of course," said Kenwyne simply. "He made Allenwood. We must stick to +him." + +Long after Broadwood had gone, Kenwyne stood at the door of his house, +looking out over the lake. There was no wind, and the prairie was very +silent. Stretching back in the moonlight to the horizon, its loneliness +was impressive; but Kenwyne was not deceived. He knew that the tide of +population and progress had already passed its boundaries and was +flowing fast up every channel, following the railroad, the rivers, and +the fur-traders' trails. It would wash away the old landmarks and +undermine every barrier that Mowbray could raise. Kenwyne wondered what +would happen when Allenwood was surrounded by the flood. After all, it +depended upon the settlers whether the inundation proved destructive or +fertilizing. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +AT THE FORD + + +A few days after the council, Beatrice, Colonel Mowbray's only daughter, +sat talking with her mother in the drawing-room at the Grange. Beatrice +had returned on the previous evening from a visit to England, and it +struck her, perhaps by contrast with the homes of her mother's friends, +that the room had a dingy, cheerless look. The few pieces of good +furniture which Mowbray had brought with him had suffered during +transport and showed signs of age; the others, sent out from Toronto, +were crudely new. Rugs and curtains were faded, and there were places +that had been carefully mended. The matchboarded walls looked very bare. +More than all, it struck the girl that her mother seemed listless and +worn. + +Mrs. Mowbray was a gentle, reserved woman. She was still beautiful, but +the years she had spent upon the prairie had left their mark on her. She +had lost her former vivacity and something of her independence of +thought; and, except to those who knew her well, her character seemed +colorless. Mowbray was considerate of his wife, but there was no room +under his roof for two directing wills or more than one set of opinions. +For all that, Mrs. Mowbray wore an air of quiet dignity. + +Beatrice had a trace of her father's imperious temper. She looked very +fresh, for a life spent largely out of doors had given her a vigorous, +graceful carriage as well as a fine, warm color, and had set a sparkle +in her deep-blue eyes. There was a hint of determination about her +mouth, and her glance was often proud. She was just twenty-two, and the +fashionable English dress set off her gracefully outlined and rather +slender figure. + +As she looked at her mother her face grew thoughtful. + +"You are not looking well, Mother dear," she said. + +"I am not ill," Mrs. Mowbray answered in a tired voice. "It has been a +very hot and trying summer, and the crop was poor. That had its effect +upon your father. Then you have heard that Gerald----" + +There was a quick, indignant flash in Beatrice's eyes. + +"Yes, I know! Of course, I stand up for him to outsiders, but I'm +getting ashamed of Gerald. His debts must have been a heavy tax on +Father. I think that too much has been done for the boys. I have nothing +to complain of; but we're not rich, and I'm afraid you have had to +suffer." + +"My dear, you mustn't question your father's judgment." + +Beatrice smiled. + +"I suppose not, and my criticism would certainly be wasted; still, you +can't expect me to have your patience." + +She went to one of the long windows in the drawing-room and threw it +open wide. + +"How I love the prairie!" she exclaimed, looking out over the vast plain +that stretched away to a sky all rose and purple and gold. + +A tired smile crept into her mother's face. + +"It has its charm," she said; "but, after all, you have been away at +school, and have not seen much of it. One has to do without so much +here, and when you have gone through an unvarying round of duties day +after day for years, seeing only the same few people and hearing the +same opinions, you find it dreary. One longs to meet clever strangers +and feel the stir and bustle of life now and then; but instead there +comes another care or a fresh responsibility. You don't realize yet what +a bad harvest or a fall in the wheat market means; for, while the men +have their troubles, in a settlement like Allenwood, the heaviest burden +falls upon the women." + +"You must have had to give up a good deal to come here," Beatrice said. + +"I loved your father, and I knew that he could not be happy in England," +was the simple answer. + +Beatrice was silent for a few moments. It was the first time she had +understood the sacrifice her mother had made, and she was moved to +sympathy. Then, in the flighty manner of youth, she changed the subject. + +"Oh, I must tell you about dear Mr. Morel!" Catching an alert look in +her mother's eyes, Beatrice laughed. Then, with a quick, impulsive +movement, she crossed the floor, took her mother's face between both her +hands, and kissed it. "No," she answered the question that had not been +spoken; "Mr. Morel is a lovely old man who lives all alone, with just +his servants, at Ash Garth, in a fine old house full of art treasures +that seem to have been collected from all over the world. And there's a +rose garden between the lawn and the river, and a big woods all round. +Mr. Morel is charming, and he was particularly kind to me, because he +and Uncle Gordon are such great friends." + +"Did you see much of him?" + +"Oh, yes; and I like him. But, Mother," Beatrice lowered her voice +dramatically, "there's a mystery in his life. I'm sure of it! I asked +Uncle Gordon; but if he knew he wouldn't tell. Then I tried to question +Mr. Morel----" + +"Why, Beatrice!" + +The girl laughed at her mother's shocked tone. + +"Don't worry, Mother dear. He didn't know I was questioning him. And I +do love a mystery! All I learned was that it has something to do with +Canada. Whenever I talked about the prairie he looked so sad, and once I +even thought I saw tears in his eyes." + +Beatrice's brows came together in a perplexed frown; then she laughed +gently. + +"Mysteries have a fascination for me," she said; "I like to puzzle them +out. But I must leave you now; for I promised to go see Evelyn this +afternoon. I may not get home until late." + +Half an hour later Beatrice was in the saddle riding across the bare +sweep of prairie to one of the distant homesteads. When she reached the +river, the stream was turbid and running fast, but a narrow trail +through the poplars on its bank led to the ford, and she urged her horse +into it fearlessly. On the other side the trail was very faint, and a +stake upon a rise indicated where the crossing was safe. A large grass +fire was burning some miles away, for a tawny cloud of smoke trailed +across the plain. + +Beatrice spent a pleasant hour with her friend and started home alone as +dusk was falling. The sky was clear, and the moon hung some distance +above the horizon. A cold breeze had sprung up, and the grass fire had +grown fiercer. Beatrice could see it stretching toward the river in a +long red line; and after a while she rode into the smoke. It grew +thicker and more acrid; she could not see her way; and her horse was +getting frightened. When an orange glare leaped up not far away, the +animal broke into a gallop, pulling hard, and after some trouble in +stopping it Beatrice changed her direction. She was not afraid of +prairie fires, which, as a rule, can be avoided easily, but this one +would necessitate her making a round. + +She found it difficult to get out of the smoke, and when she reached the +river it was at some distance above the stake. She could not ride back, +because the fire was moving up from that direction, cutting her off. She +glanced dubiously at the water. It ran fast between steep, +timber-covered banks. She did not think she could get down to it, and +she knew there was only one safe ford. Still, she could not spend the +night upon the wrong bank, and the fire was drawing closer all the time. +Worse still, her horse was becoming unmanageable. She rode upstream for +a mile; but the river looked deep, and the eddies swirled in a +forbidding way; the bank was abrupt and rotten, and Beatrice dared not +attempt it. In front, the moon, which was getting higher, threw a clear +light upon the water; behind, the smoke rolled up thickly to meet her. +The fire was closing in upon the stream. With his nostrils filled with +the sting of the smoke, the horse reared and threatened to dash over the +crumbling bank. Beatrice, realizing her danger, turned him back +downstream and gave him the rein. + +She did not hope to reach the ford--there was a wall of impenetrable +fire and smoke between her and the stake; she could not attempt the +river where the bank was so steep and the current so swift. + +With her own eyes smarting, and her breathing difficult, Beatrice +suddenly leaned forward and patted the trembling horse. He had not been +able to run far with his lungs full of smoke, and he had now stopped in +a moment of indecision. + +"Good boy!" she coaxed, in a voice that was not quite steady. "Go a +little farther, and then we'll try the river." + +"_Hello!_" came out of the darkness; and through the acrid haze she saw +a man running toward her. + +She hailed him eagerly; but when he reached her she was somewhat +disconcerted to notice that he was not, as she had expected, one of the +Allenwood settlers. + +She saw that he was waiting for her to speak. + +"I want to get across, and the fire has driven me from the ford," she +said. + +"Where are you going?" + +"To the Grange." + +"By your leave!" + +He took the bridle and moved along the bank, though he had some trouble +with the frightened horse. When they had gone a few yards he turned +toward an awkward slope. + +"Is this crossing safe?" Beatrice asked in alarm. + +"It's not good," he answered quietly. "I can take you through." + +Beatrice did not know what gave her confidence, because the ford looked +dangerous, but she let him lead the stumbling horse down to the water. +The next moment the man was wading knee-deep, and the stream frothed +about the horse's legs. The current was swift and the smoke was thick +and biting, but the man went steadily on, and they were some distance +from the bank when he turned to her. + +"Pick up your skirt," he said bluntly; "it gets steeper." + +Beatrice laughed in spite of her danger. The man certainly did not waste +words. + +When they were nearly across, the moon was suddenly hidden behind a dark +cloud, and at that moment the horse lost its footing and made a frantic +plunge. Beatrice gasped. But her fright was needless, for her companion +had firm control of the animal, and in another few moments they were +struggling up the bank. + +As they left the timber and came out of the smoke, into the broad +moonlight, she told him to stop, for the saddle had slipped in climbing +the bank. Then, for the first time, they saw each other clearly. + +He was a big man, with a quiet brown face, and Beatrice noticed his +start of swift, half-conscious admiration as he looked up at her. It +caused her no embarrassment, because she had seen that look on the faces +of other men, and knew that she was pretty; but she failed to estimate +the effect of her beauty on a man unaccustomed to her type. Sitting with +easy grace upon the splendid horse, she had a curiously patrician air. +He noticed her fine calm, the steadiness of her deep-blue eyes, and the +delicate chiseling of her features; indeed, he never forgot the picture +she made, with the poplars for a background and the moonlight on her +face. + +"Thank you; I'm afraid you got very wet," she said. "I know my way now." + +"You can't ride on," he answered. "The cinch buckle's drawn." + +"Oh!" + +"You'd better come on to my place. My sister will look after you while I +fix it." He smiled as he added: "Miss Mowbray, I presume? You may have +heard of me--Craig Harding, from the section just outside your line." + +"Oh!" Beatrice repeated. "I didn't know we had neighbors; I have been +away. Have you met any of the Allenwood people?" + +"A sallow-faced man with dark eyes." + +"Kenwyne," said Beatrice. "He's worth knowing. Anybody else?" + +"There was a lad with him; about eighteen, riding a gray horse." + +"Yes; my brother Lance." + +Harding laughed softly. + +"That's all," he said; "and our acquaintance didn't go very far." + +Beatrice wondered at his amusement, and she gave him a curious glance. +He was dressed in old brown overalls, and she thought he had something +of the look of the struggling farmers she had seen in Manitoba, +hard-bitten men who had come from the bush of Ontario, but there was a +difference, though she could not tell exactly where it lay. Harding's +clothes were old and plain, and she could see that he worked with his +hands, yet there was something about him which suggested a broader mind +and more culture than she associated with the rude preemptors. Then, +though he was curt, his intonation was unusually clean. + +She asked him a few questions about his farm, which he answered +pleasantly. They were walking side by side along one of the prairie +trails, and he was leading the horse. The breeze had fallen and the +night was unusually still, broken only by a coyote calling insistently +to his mate; the wide, bare prairie ahead of them lay bathed in +moonlight. + +Presently a light twinkled across the plain; and Beatrice welcomed it, +because, in spite of the precautions she had taken, her long skirt was +wet and uncomfortable. + +When they reached the camp they found Hester busy cooking at a fire. +Behind her stood a rude board shelter and a tent, and farther off the +skeleton of a house rose from the grass. + +Beatrice studied Hester Harding with interest. Though she found her +simply dressed, with sleeves rolled back and hands smeared with flour, +the prairie girl made a favorable impression on her. She liked the +sensitive, grave face, and the candid, thoughtful look. + +While the girth was being mended, the girls talked beside the fire. Then +Harding saddled his own horse, and he and Beatrice rode off across the +prairie. When the lights of the Grange were visible he turned back; and +soon afterward Beatrice was laughingly relating her adventure to her +mother and Lance. + +"So it was Harding who helped you!" Lance exclaimed. "I made a rather +bad blunder in talking to him the other day--told him he mustn't cut +some timber which it seems was his. But, I must say, he was rather +decent about it." + +He looked at his sister curiously, and then laughed. + +"On the whole," he added, as she started up the stairs, "it might be +better not to say anything about your little experience to the Colonel. +I'm inclined to think it might not please him." + +Beatrice saw that her mother agreed with Lance, and she was somewhat +curious; but she went on up to her room without asking any questions. + +She began to feel interested in Harding. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE OPENING OF THE RIFT + + +A week after his meeting with Beatrice Mowbray, Harding went out one +morning to plow. He was in a thoughtful mood, but it was characteristic +that he did not allow his reflections to interfere with his work. His +house was unfinished, and the nights were getting cold; but neither +Hester nor he placed personal comfort first, and there was a strip of +land that must be broken before the frost set in. + +It was a calm morning and bright sunshine poured down upon the grass +that ran back, growing faintly blue in the distance, until it faded into +the mellow haze that shut in the wide circle of prairie. Here and there +the smooth expanse was broken by small, gleaming ponds and wavy lines of +timber picked out in delicate shades of indigo and gray, but the +foreground was steeped in strong color. Where the light struck it, the +withered grass shone like silver; elsewhere it was streaked with yellow +and cinnamon. The long furrows traced across it were a rich +chocolate-brown, and the turned-back clods had patches of oily +brightness on their faces. The leaves in a neighboring bluff formed +spots of cadmium; and even the big breaker plow, painted crude green and +vermilion, did not seem out of place. It was a new implement, the best +that Harding could buy, and two brawny red oxen hauled it along. Oxen +are economical to feed and have some advantages in the first stages of +breaking land, but Harding meant to change them for Clydesdale horses +and experiment with mechanical traction. He used the old methods where +they paid, but he believed in progress. + +As he guided the slowly moving beasts and watched the clods roll back, +his brown face was grave; for he had been troubled during the past seven +days. When he looked up at Beatrice Mowbray on the river bank something +strange and disturbing had happened to him. He was not given to +indulgence in romantic sentiment and, absorbed as he had been, first by +the necessity of providing for his sister and himself, and afterward by +practical ambitions, he had seldom spared a thought to women. Marriage +did not attract him. He felt no longing for close companionship or +domestic comfort; indeed, he rather liked a certain amount of hardship. +True, his heart had once or twice been mildly stirred by girls he had +met. They were pretty and likable--otherwise he would not have been +attracted, for his taste was good. + +In some respects, Harding was primitive; but this, perhaps, tended to +give him a clearer understanding of essential things, and he had a vague +belief that he would some day meet the woman who was destined to be his +true mate. What was more, he would recognize her when he saw her. + +And when he had looked up at Beatrice in the moonlight, standing out, +clear cut, against the somber background of poplars, the knowledge that +she was the one woman had rushed over him, surging through him as strong +as the swift-running river through which he had brought her. But, now +that the thing had happened, he must grapple with a difficult situation. +He knew his own value, and believed that he had abilities which would +carry him far toward material success; but he also knew his limitations +and the strength of the prejudices that would be arrayed against him. +That he should hope to win this girl of patrician stock was, in a sense, +ludicrous. Yet he had read courage in her, and steadfastness; if she +loved him, she would not count too great any sacrifice she made for his +sake. But this was only one side of the matter. Brought up as she had +been, she might not stand the strain of such a life as his must be for a +time. A deep tenderness awoke within him; he felt that she must be +sheltered from all trouble and gently cared for. + +Harding suddenly broke into a grim laugh. He was going much too +fast--there was no reason to believe that the girl had given him a +passing thought. + +With a call to the oxen he went on with his plowing, and the work +brought him encouragement. It was directly productive: next fall the +prairie he ripped apart would be covered with ripening grain. He had +found that no well-guided effort was lost: it bore fruit always--in his +case, at the rate of twenty bushels of wheat, or fifty bushels of oats, +to the acre. When the seed was wisely sown the harvest followed; and +Harding had steadily enlarged his crop. Now he had made his boldest +venture; and he looked forward to the time when his labor should change +the empty plain into a fertile field. + +A jolt of the plow disturbed him, and as he looked up the oxen stopped. +The share had struck hard ground. On one side, a sinuous line of trail, +rutted by wheels and beaten firm by hoofs, seamed the prairie; on the +other, the furrows ran across and blotted it out. It was a road the +Allenwood settlers used, and Harding knew well what he was doing when he +plowed into it. Still, the land was his and must produce its proper +yield of grain, while to clear the trail with his implements would +entail much useless labor. He had no wish to be aggressive, but if these +people took his action as a challenge, the fault would be theirs. It was +with a quiet, determined smile that he called to the oxen and held down +the share. + +At noon he turned the animals loose, and going back to camp, felt his +heart throb as he saw Beatrice Mowbray talking to Hester. A team stood +near by, and the boy he had met in the bluff was stooping down beside a +light four-wheeled vehicle. Beatrice gave Harding a smile of recognition +and went on talking, but her brother came up to him. + +"The pole came loose," he explained; "and I thought you might lend me +something to fasten it with." + +"Certainly," Harding said, stooping to examine the damaged pole. "It +won't fasten," he added. "It's broken between the iron straps, and +there's not wood enough to bolt them on again." + +Lance frowned. + +"That's a nuisance!" + +"I will give you a pole," Harding said. "There is some lumber here that +will do." + +He picked up a small birch log as he spoke, and, throwing it upon two +trestles, set to work with an ax. When he had it about the right size, +Lance interrupted him. + +"That's good enough. I'll get it smoothed off when the carpenter comes +out from the settlement." + +"That is not my plan," Harding smiled. "I like to finish a job." + +He adjusted a plane, and Beatrice watched him as he ran it along the +pole. It had not struck her hitherto that one could admire the simple +mechanical crafts, but she thought there was something fine in the +prairie farmer's command of the tool. She noticed his easy poise as he +swung to and fro, the rhythmic precision of his movements, and the +accurate judgment he showed. As the thin shavings streamed across his +wrist the rough log began to change its form, growing through gently +tapered lines into symmetry. Though he had only his eye to guide him, +Beatrice saw that he was skilfully striking the balance between strength +and lightness, and it was a surprise to find elements of beauty in such +a common object as a wagon-pole. She felt that Harding had taught her +something when he turned to Lance, saying: + +"There! I guess we can put that in." + +The irons were soon refitted, and while Lance harnessed the team, +Beatrice came to Harding with a smile. + +"Thank you!" she said. "It's curious that you should help me out of a +difficulty twice within a week." + +Harding flushed. + +"If you should happen to meet with another, I hope I'll be near," he +returned. + +"You like helping people?" + +He pondered this longer than she thought it deserved. + +"I believe I like straightening things out. It jars me to see any one in +trouble when there's a way of getting over it; and I hate to see effort +wasted and tools unfit for work." + +"Efficiency is your ideal, then?" + +"Yes. I don't know that it ever struck me before, but you have hit it. +All the same, efficiency is hard to attain." + +Beatrice looked at him curiously. + +"I don't believe you are really a carpenter," she said. + +"Unless you have plenty of money when you start breaking prairie, you +have to be a number of things," he answered, smiling. "Difficulties keep +cropping up, and they must be attacked." + +"Without previous knowledge or technical training?" + +He gave her a quick, appreciative glance. + +"You have a knack of getting at the heart of things!" he said in his +blunt way. "It's not common." + +Beatrice laughed, but she felt mildly flattered. She liked men to treat +her seriously; and so few of them did. Somehow she felt that Harding was +an unusual man: his toil-roughened hands and his blunt manner of speech +were at variance with the indefinite air of culture and good-breeding +that hovered round him. There was strength, shown plainly; and she felt +that he had ability--when confronted with a difficult problem he would +find the best solution. It was interesting to lead him on; but she was +to find him ready to go much farther than she desired. + +"I hope making the new pole for us wasn't too much trouble," she said +lightly. + +"It gives me keen pleasure to be of any use to you," he said. + +The color swept into Beatrice's face, for he was looking at her with an +intent expression that made it impossible to take his remark lightly. +She was angry with herself for feeling confused while he looked so cool. + +"That sounds rather cheap," she replied with a touch of scorn. + +"My excuse is that it's exactly what I felt." + +Composure in difficult circumstances was one of the characteristics of +her family, yet Beatrice felt at a loss. Harding, she thought, was not +the man to yield to a passing impulse or transgress from unmeaning +effrontery; but this made the shock worse. + +Lance saved the situation by announcing that the team was ready. + +As the buggy jolted away across the plain, Beatrice sat silent. She felt +indignant, humiliated, in a sense; but thrilled in spite of this. The +man's tone had been earnest and his gaze steadfast. He meant what he +said. But he had taken an unwarrantable liberty. Nobody knew anything +about him except that he was a working farmer. Her cheeks burned as she +realized that she had, perhaps, been to blame in treating him too +familiarly. Then her anger began to pass. After all, it was easy to +forgive sincere admiration, and he was certainly a fine type--strong and +handsome, clever with his hands, and, she thought, endowed with unusual +mental power. There was something flattering in the thought that he had +appreciated her. For all that, he must be given no opportunity for +repeating the offense; he must be shown that there was a wide gulf +between them. + +Lance broke in upon her thoughts. + +"I like that fellow," he said. "It's a pity he isn't more of our kind." + +Beatrice pondered. Harding was not of their kind; but she did not feel +sure that the difference was wholly in favor of the Allenwood settlers. +This struck her as strange; as it was contrary to the opinions she had +hitherto held. + +"Why?" she asked carelessly. + +"We might have seen something of him then." + +"Can't you do so now, if you wish?" + +"I'm not sure. It might not please the Colonel--you know his opinions." + +Beatrice smiled, for she had often heard them dogmatically expressed. + +"After all, what is there he could object to about Harding?" she asked. + +"Not much in one sense; a good deal in another. You can't deny that the +way one is brought up makes a difference. Perhaps the worst is that he's +frankly out for money--farming for dollars." + +"Aren't we?" + +"Not now. We're farming for pleasure. But Kenwyne and one or two others +think there'll have to be a change in that respect before long." + +"Then we'll be in the same position as Harding, won't we?" + +"I suppose so," Lance admitted. "But the Colonel won't see it; and I +can't say that he's wrong." + +"It seems rather complicated," Beatrice said dryly. + +She was surprised to find herself ready to contend for Harding, and +rather than inquire into the cause of this, she talked about Allenwood +affairs until they reached home. + +Harding, back at his plowing, was thinking of Beatrice. He knew that he +had spoken rashly, but he did not regret it. She now knew what he +thought of her, and could decide what course to take. He smiled as he +imagined her determining that he must be dropped, for he believed the +mood would soon pass. He did not mean to persecute the girl with +unwelcome attentions, but it would not be easy to shake him off. He was +tenacious and knew how to wait. Then, the difference between them was, +after all, less wide than she probably imagined. Harding had kept +strictly to his compact not to try to learn anything of his father's +people in England; but, for all that, he believed himself to be the +girl's equal by birth. That, however, was a point that could not be +urged; and he had no wish to urge it. He was content to stand or fall by +his own merits as a man; and if Beatrice was the girl he thought her, +she would not let his being a working farmer stand in the way. This, of +course, was taking it for granted that he could win her love. He was +ready to fight against her relatives' opposition; but, even if he had +the power, he would put no pressure on the girl. If he was the man she +ought to marry, she would know. + +A breeze got up, rounded clouds with silver edges gathered in the west, +streaking the prairie with patches of indigo shadow, and the air grew +cooler as the sun sank. The big oxen steadily plodded on, the dry grass +crackled beneath the share as the clods rolled back, and by degrees +Harding's mind grew tranquil--as generally happened when he was at work. +He was doing something worth while in breaking virgin ground, in +clearing a way for the advancing host that would people the wilderness, +in roughing out a career for himself. Whatever his father's people +were, his mother sprang from a stern, colonizing stock, and he heard and +thrilled to the call for pioneers. + +As the sun sank low, a man pulled up his horse at the end of the trail +and beckoned Harding. There was something imperious in his attitude, as +he sat with his hand on his hip, watching the farmer haughtily; and +Harding easily guessed that it was Colonel Mowbray. He went on with his +furrow, and only after he had driven the plow across the grass road did +he stop. + +"Are you Mr. Harding, the owner of this section?" demanded the head of +Allenwood. + +"Yes." + +"Then I must express my surprise that you have broken up our trail." + +"It was necessary. I dislike blocking a trail, but you can go round by +the road." + +"You can see that it's soft and boggy in wet weather." + +"Five minutes' extra ride will take you over gravel soil inside the +Allenwood range." + +"Do you expect us to waste five minutes whenever we come this way?" + +"My time is valuable, and if I let your trail stand it would cost me a +good deal of extra labor. I must have a straight unbroken run for my +machines." + +"So, sooner than throw an implement out of gear while you cross the +trail, you take this course! Do you consider it neighborly?" + +Harding smiled. He remembered that in Manitoba any help the nearest +farmer could supply had been willingly given. At Allenwood, he had been +left alone. That did not trouble him; but he thought of Hester, +enduring many discomforts in her rude, board shack while women +surrounded by luxury lived so near. + +"I can't see any reason why I should be neighborly," he replied. + +Mowbray glanced at him with a hint of embarrassment. + +"Have you any complaint against us?" + +"None," said Harding coolly. "I only mentioned the matter because you +did so." + +He imagined that Mowbray was surprised by his reserve. + +"You may be able to understand," the Colonel said, "that it's rash for +an intruding stranger to set himself against local customs, not to speak +of the discourtesy of the thing. When a new trail is made at Allenwood, +every holder is glad to give all the land that's needed." + +"Land doesn't seem to be worth as much to you as it is to me, judging +from the way you work it. Every rod of mine must grow something. I don't +play at farming." + +Mowbray grew red in the face, but kept himself in hand. + +"Do you wish to criticize our methods?" he demanded. + +"I've nothing to do with your methods. It's my business to farm this +section as well as it can be done. I've no wish to annoy your people; +but you do not use the trail for hauling on, and I can't change my plans +because they may interfere with your amusements." + +"Very well," Mowbray answered coldly. "There is nothing more to be +said." + +He rode away and Harding started his oxen. It might have been more +prudent to make a few concessions and conciliate the Colonel, but +Harding could not bring himself to do so. It seemed a shabby course. It +was better that the Allenwood settlers should know at the beginning how +matters stood and of what type their new neighbor was. + +From all that Harding had learned of Colonel Mowbray, he felt that this +stretch of grassland would not be turned into a glowing sea of wheat +without more than one conflict between himself and the head of +Allenwood. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE SPENDTHRIFT + + +Kenwyne felt pleasantly languid as he lounged in a basket-chair after +his evening meal. He had been back-setting land since daybreak. Holding +the plow was an occupation almost unknown to the Allenwood settlers, who +left all the rougher work to their hired men. Kenwyne, however, was of a +practical turn of mind; and, having invested all his money in his farm, +he meant to get some return. He occasionally enjoyed a run with the +coyote hounds, or a day's shooting when the migrating geese and ducks +rested among the sloos; but for the most part he stuck steadily to his +work and, as he bought the latest implements, he was considered richer +than he really was. Though thirty, he was unmarried; an elderly Scottish +housekeeper looked after him. + +One of the obstacles to Allenwood's progress was that the bachelors +outnumbered the married men; and the difficulty seemed insuperable. The +settlers belonged to an exclusive caste, and few young Englishwomen of +education and refinement had shown themselves willing to face the +hardships of the prairie life; though these were softened at Allenwood +by many of the amenities of civilization. Moreover, it was known to the +rasher youths, who occasionally felt tempted by the good looks of the +daughters of the soil, that Colonel Mowbray sternly discountenanced +anything of the nature of a _mesalliance_, and that the married women +would deal even more strictly with the offenders. Broadwood, for +example, had broken the settlement's traditions, and he and his Canadian +wife had suffered. + +While Kenwyne was reading an old newspaper, Gerald Mowbray sauntered in. +He had a careless, genial manner that made him a favorite, but there was +a hint of weakness in his face, and Kenwyne had never trusted him. It +was known that he had been wild and extravagant; but at Allenwood that +was not generally regarded as a grave drawback. They were charitable +there; several of the younger men, who now made good settlers, had left +England at their relatives' urgent request, after gaining undesirable +notoriety. + +Gerald selected a comfortable chair and passed his cigar-case to +Kenwyne. + +"They're good," he said. "I had them sent from Montreal." + +"No, thanks," replied Kenwyne. "I've given up such extravagances, and +stick to the labeled plug. I don't want to be officious, but it might be +better if you did the same." + +Gerald smiled. + +"You're rather a sordid beggar, Ralph; but as that's often a sign of +prosperity, it makes me hopeful. I want you to lend me two hundred +pounds." + +"Impossible!" said Kenwyne firmly. + +"One hundred and fifty, then?" + +"Equally out of the question. All I have is sunk in stock, and earmarked +for next year's operations." Kenwyne paused and considered. He knew the +chances were slight that the money would ever be returned; yet he +respected Colonel Mowbray, and his loyalty extended to the family of the +head of Allenwood. "Why do you want the money?" he asked. + +"I suppose I'll have to tell you. It goes back to India--what you might +call a 'debt of honor.' I borrowed the money in London to square it; and +thought when I came to Canada I'd be too far away for the London fellow +to put undue pressure on me. Oh, I meant to pay sometime, when I was +ready; but the fellow transferred the debt to a man at Winnipeg, who has +sent me a curt demand with an extortionate bill of expenses. Now I have +to pay." + +"I suppose you have been round the settlement?" + +"Yes; but I haven't collected much. In fact, I'm afraid I'll have to +pledge my farm." + +"You can't do that. Our foundation covenant forbids a settler to +alienate his land without the consent of a majority in the council, +subject to the president's veto. Your father would certainly use his +veto." + +"Very true," Gerald agreed. "However, I don't propose to alienate my +land--only to pawn it for a time." + +"It's against the spirit of the deed." + +"I've nothing to do with its spirit. The covenant should say what it +means, and it merely states that a settler shall not sell to any person +who's not a member of the colony. I'm not going to sell." + +"You're going to do a dangerous thing," Kenwyne warned him. + +"Then the remedy is for you to let me have a thousand dollars," Gerald +said quickly. + +"It is impossible; but I will try to raise five hundred. I suppose the +Colonel does not know you have come to me?" + +"I rely upon your not letting him know." Gerald smiled in that +ingratiating way that won him many friends. "I'm deeply grateful, and +you're a good sort, Ralph, though in some ways you differ from the rest +of us. I don't know where you got your tradesman's spirit." + +"It won't be so singular before long," Kenwyne answered with dry +amusement. "Even now, Broadwood and one or two others----" + +"Broadwood doesn't count. He married a girl of the soil." + +"He loves her, and she makes him a good wife." + +"Yes, but it was a mistake. You know our traditions." + +Kenwyne laughed, and nodded toward the open window, through which they +heard the sound of cheerful whistling approaching them along the trail. + +"I suspect that's Broadwood now," he said. + +"Well, I must be going. I will call for the check to-morrow." + +Gerald left as Broadwood entered. + +"I can guess what he wanted. He was at my place," Broadwood said, as he +took the seat Gerald had vacated. + +"Ah! I'll wager he didn't go away empty-handed," Kenwyne smiled. + +"Perhaps I'm betraying a confidence in admitting it. Anyway, I felt that +one ought to help him for the family's sake, lest he get into worse +trouble; and I could afford the loan. Since I married I've been making +some money. But I want to ask you about this Harding. What kind of +fellow is he?" + +"I like what I've seen of him. Why?" + +"Effie has been talking about his sister. Seemed to think it was unkind +to leave the girl alone--in want, perhaps, of odds and ends a woman +could supply. I think she has made up her mind to go see her." + +"I'm not sure that would meet with general approval. What did you say?" + +"I seldom give my opinion on these matters," Broadwood answered with a +laugh. "On the whole, I think Effie's right; and I suspect that knowing +the thing won't please the others gives it a charm. After all, she +hasn't much reason for respecting their prejudices. At first, they +nearly drove us out of Allenwood." + +"I'm glad you didn't go. Your wife is steadily gaining ground, and the +others will be glad to copy her after a while." + +"That's my idea; we'll have to work our land. Have you ever thought what +the Colonel could do with his big block, if he had the capital?" + +"_And_ the wish!" said Kenwyne. "The obstacle is his point of view. +Besides, all of it isn't really his: Mrs. Mowbray, Beatrice, and the +boys have a share. Of course, his taking the lots as one gives him a +solid vote in the council, and with the veto he has on certain points +makes him an absolute ruler." + +"So long as his family support him!" + +"Can you imagine their doing the contrary?" + +"I've thought the Colonel's position was least secure from an attack +within," Broadwood answered thoughtfully. "It doesn't follow that a +man's family is bound to agree with him. Gerald's a dark horse, and one +can't predict what he'll do, except that it will be what suits himself. +Lance is young and headstrong; and Beatrice has a mind of her own.... +But I really came to ask your opinion about this sketch of a new stable. +I must buy another team." + +They discussed the plan for the new building until it grew late and +Broadwood went home. + +The following day Gerald Mowbray left Allenwood for Winnipeg. It was a +dismal, wet evening when he arrived; and Winnipeg was not an attractive +city at that time. There were a few fine stores and offices on Main +Street; Portage Avenue was laid out, and handsome buildings were rising +here and there; but, for the most part, the frame houses had a +dilapidated, squalid look. Rows of pedlers' shacks stretched back from +the wooden station, the streets were unpaved, and the churned-up prairie +soil lay in sticky clods upon the rude plank sidewalks. Dripping teams +floundered heavily through the mire. Although the city was beginning to +feel the stir of commercial activity, the dark corners were devoted to +questionable amusements. + +Gerald had supper at his hotel, and afterward found the time hang upon +his hands. The general lounge was badly lighted, and its uncovered floor +was smeared with gumbo mud from the boots of the wet men who slouched in +to the bar. The door kept swinging open, letting in cold draughts; and +Gerald could find nobody to talk to. He had not enough money to pay off +his debt, but thought he had sufficient to enable him to make some +compromise with his creditor, and so had determined to see what could be +done. It was, however, impossible to spend the dismal evening at the +hotel, and he knew where excitement might be found at a moderate +cost--that is, if one were cautious and lucky. + +Going out, he made his way toward a side street running down to the +river, and noticed the keen glance an armed Northwest policeman gave him +as he turned the corner. Gerald thought it a desirable spot to station +the constable. + +A ramshackle frame house down the street was glaringly illuminated, and +Gerald, entering, found a number of men and one or two women in two +gaudily furnished rooms. There was another room at the back where +refreshments were dispensed without a license. For the most part, the +men were young, brown-faced fellows who had spent the summer on the +lonely plains; but a few had a hard and sinister look. The girls were +pretty and stylishly dressed, but they had a predatory air. + +In one corner of the room an exciting poker game seemed to be in +progress. At the other end a roulette table was surrounded by a crowd of +eager players. Gerald was fond of games of chance, and he saw ahead of +him a pleasant evening. Leaning against the bar, he was merely an +onlooker for a while. The glare of light and the air of excitement, the +eager faces of the players and the click of the balls fascinated him. + +He had not been drinking heavily; yet to his annoyance he felt a trifle +unsteady when at last he strolled over to the roulette table. His first +mistake was to take a five-dollar bill from the wallet which contained +the money to pay his debt. More than one pair of greedy eyes saw the +thick wad of paper currency; and from that moment Gerald was a marked +man in the room. + + * * * * * + +In the gray hour preceding daybreak, when, sick and dizzy, Gerald +stumbled back to his hotel, he found that he had only ten dollars +remaining of the amount that had been entrusted to him to settle his +debt. Ten dollars would not pay his hotel bill, even. + +He woke about noon, his head aching severely. He could form no definite +idea as to what was best to be done. One thing, however, was certain: No +one at Allenwood must know how he had spent the preceding evening. His +relatives had no reason for believing his conduct irreproachable, but so +long as he did not thrust his failings upon their notice they ignored +them. Then, the revelation of how he had lost the money given him would +no doubt lead to his banishment from Allenwood; and except for a small +allowance from his mother's English property, he had no resources. The +survey he had been engaged upon was abandoned for a time, and he could +find no other employment. He must hold on at Allenwood, trusting that +something would turn up, and augmenting his income by the small sums he +might win from the younger men at cards. First of all, however, he must +call upon his creditor; it was a disagreeable task, but one that could +not be shirked. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE MORTGAGE BROKER + + +Davies sat at his desk sorting a bundle of papers. His office, a large +room in a smart, new building, was elaborately furnished; but the +furnishings spelled expense rather than taste. The walls were hung with +maps of the Canadian territories, plans of new town sites, and +photographs of buildings. Davies was one of a class that was, for a +time, to exercise a far-reaching influence on the Western prairie. His +business was to sell the new settlers land--which was seldom paid for on +the spot; the agent being willing to take what he could get and leave +the balance on mortgage. He also lent money to farmers who had suffered +from bad seasons, or who rashly determined to extend their operations +with borrowed capital. + +Interest was then very high, and the scratch-farming generally practised +was not productive. Crops on the half-worked soil suffered from drought +and blight, and often ripened too late to escape the autumn frost; yet, +in spite of these disadvantages, the influx of new settlers forced up +the price of land. As a rule, the unfortunate farmer soon became +indebted to local storekeepers as well as to the man from whom he had +bought his holding. When he harvested a good crop, he paid off some +arrears of interest, and perhaps kept a few dollars to go on with; but +he seldom got out of debt, and so toiled on, living with stern +frugality, while the money-lender pocketed his earnings. Shylock ran no +risk, since the security was good and he could sell up the defaulter. +For a time, many of the small homesteaders struggled with dire poverty, +in spite of legislation intended to protect them; and it was not until a +succession of good harvests and the gradual development of the country +enabled them to break the yoke of the usurer that a tide of prosperity +flowed across the plains. + +Davies was an unfavorable specimen of his class. There were some land +and mortgage agents who dealt fairly with their clients and even ran +some risk in keeping them on their feet; but Davies was cunning, +grasping, and pitiless. + +When Gerald entered he gave him a curt nod, snapped a rubber band around +the papers, placed them carefully in a pigeonhole in his desk, and then +turned to his caller. + +"Mr. Mowbray! I expected to see you sooner. Guess you have come to +settle your account." + +Gerald found it hard to keep his temper. He had an aristocratic contempt +for all traders, and had, even in Canada, generally been treated with +some deference. + +"In the first place, I don't see what you have to do with this debt," he +began. "I borrowed from parties in London, and I'm responsible to them." + +"Here's my authority," Davies said, handing him a letter. "Whether the +lender instructed me to collect the money for him, or made other +arrangements doesn't matter to you. I can give you a receipt that will +stand good as soon as you put up the money." + +"Unfortunately, that is more than I can do." + +Davies did not look surprised. + +"What's your proposition?" he asked. + +"I'll think over yours," Gerald answered as coolly as he could. + +Davies studied him for a moment or two. Gerald's expression was +supercilious, but his face did not indicate much strength of character. +Besides, the only justification for arrogance that Davies recognized was +the possession of money. + +"You're the son of Colonel Mowbray of Allenwood, aren't you? Your people +hold a good piece of land there." + +"You seem to know all about me. I'd better warn you, however, that you +won't find my relatives willing to pay my debts." + +Davies smiled. + +"I could try them. They might do something if I stated my claim." + +This was what Gerald had feared, and he could not hide his alarm. + +"It will save you trouble if you realize that you wouldn't get a +dollar," he said hastily. + +Davies was silent for a few moments. As a matter of fact, he was by no +means anxious to be paid. Allenwood was isolated as yet, and the land +accordingly not worth much, but the homesteads were unusually good and +the advance of cultivation and settlement would largely increase their +value. Davies wanted a hold on Allenwood which might be turned to +advantage later, and he now saw an opportunity for getting it. Young +Mowbray obviously objected to having his friends learn how he was +situated, and this would make him easier to manage. + +"Well," Davies said, "you have some land there, haven't you? What's the +acreage, township, and range?" + +Gerald named them, and Davies made some calculations on a piece of paper +before he looked up. + +"If I find this all right in the land register, I'll cancel your London +debt, and take a mortgage on your holding," he said, handing Gerald the +paper he had been writing on. "Here's an outline of the terms." + +"The interest's extortionate!" + +"If you think so, go round the town and see if you can find anybody +who'll be more liberal. If not, you can come back to-morrow and we'll +fix up the deal." + +Davies felt safe in making the suggestion. He did not think Gerald had +much business ability, and trusted to his reluctance to make his +embarrassments known. Besides, the mortgage brokers had their hands full +and were not all so confident of the rapid advance of settlement as +Davies was. Indeed, there were men who declared that the country was +being opened up too rapidly, and predicted a bad set-back. + +Gerald left Davies' office with a faint hope of being able to find a +safer way out of the difficulty. To give his land in pledge would be a +violation of the covenant that bound the Allenwood settlers. It was an +offense that his father and his neighbors could not forgive. He shrank +from the dangerous course; but the day went by without his finding any +escape, and the next morning he called on Davies and the mortgage was +signed. + +While Gerald was at Winnipeg, Mrs. Broadwood startled the settlement at +Allenwood by calling on Harding's sister. The visit was prompted by +sympathy for the lonely prairie girl; but, coupled with that, Mrs. +Broadwood delighted in the feeling that all the Allenwood women would +disapprove of her course. She was small and pretty, with plenty of +determination and an exuberant cheerfulness which contact with her +husband's friends had somewhat toned down; and there was about her an +air of homely Western frankness that was charming. + +When she reached Harding's camp, Hester sat sewing in the sun. The girl +made a remarkably pretty picture, she thought, seated beside a pile of +prairie hay, with a few purple asters springing up at her feet and, +behind her, a ragged pine-tree drooping its branches to the ground. And +over all the gold of sunshine. + +"You look like a priestess of the sun!" Mrs. Broadwood greeted her, +laughing. + +Hester smiled in response. + +"I'm sitting outside because it's rather damp and cold in the shack," +she said. "As you see, our house isn't finished yet." + +She rose as she spoke, and came forward, and Mrs. Broadwood looked at +her admiringly. Hester was tall and naturally dignified, and her +characteristic expression was grave composure. Besides, her visitor +remarked the excellent taste and fit of her simple dress. + +"I'm sure we're going to be friends," said Mrs. Broadwood. + +"I hope so," Hester answered simply. + +The visitor found a seat in the prairie hay, and sinking down in the +soft grass, she breathed the smell of wild peppermint with delight. She +noticed the hearth of parallel logs, with a big kerosene can, used as a +washing boiler, hanging from a tripod at one end; the camp oven; the +sawing frame; and the scented cedar shingles strewn about beside the +framework of the house. All these things were familiar, for she was one +of the pioneers. + +"My!" she exclaimed. "This _is_ nice! Makes me feel homesick." + +"It must be a change from Allenwood," Hester answered with a smile. + +"That's why I like it! I'm quite happy there; but this is the kind of +place where I belong. Twice before I met my husband I helped make a new +home on the plains, and this spot reminds me of the last time. We fixed +camp by Stony Creek in early summer, when the grass was green and all +the flowers were out. There were rows of the red prairie lilies. I never +saw so many!--and I remember how the new birch leaves used to rustle in +the bluff at night. Thinking of it somehow hurts me." She laughed +prettily. "I'm what Tom calls a sentimentalist." + +"So am I," said Hester; "so you needn't stop." + +"Well, I remember everything about the night we put in our stakes--Sally +baking bannocks, with the smoke going straight up; the loaded wagons in +a row; the tired horses rolling in the grass; and the chunk of the boys' +axes, chopping in the bluff. Though we'd been on the trail since sun-up, +there was work for hours, bread to bake and clothes to wash; and when we +went to sleep, a horse got his foot in a line and brought the tent down +on us. It was all hard in those days, a hustle from dawn to dark; but +now, when things are different, I sometimes want them back. But I +needn't tell you--I guess you know!" + +"Yes; I know," said Hester. "Perhaps it's the work we were born for." + +She was silent for a few moments, looking far out over the prairie; then +she asked abruptly: + +"What are the Allenwood people like?" + +"They're much the same as you and I, but they wear more frills, and when +you rub against those who use the most starch you find them prickly. +Then, they've some quaint notions that Walter Raleigh or Jacques Cartier +must have brought over; but, taking them all round, they're a straight, +clean crowd." She looked intently at Hester. "Somehow you make me feel +that you belong to them." + +Hester smiled. Mrs. Broadwood was impulsive and perhaps not always +discreet, but Hester thought her true. + +"I don't understand that," she replied. "Though I think my mother was a +woman of unusual character, she came from the Michigan bush. My father +was English, but he had only a small farm and didn't bring us up +differently from our neighbors. Still, he had different ideas and bought +a good many books. Craig and I read them all, and he would talk to us +about them." + +"Craig's your brother? I've seen him once or twice. Tell me about him." + +Hester nodded toward the trail that wormed its way across the prairie. A +girl was riding toward them. + +"Beatrice Mowbray," Mrs. Broadwood said; "the best of them all at +Allenwood, though sometimes she's not easy to get on with." + +When Beatrice joined them, Mrs. Broadwood repeated her suggestion. She +was frankly curious, and Hester was not unwilling to talk about her +brother. Indeed, she made the story an interesting character sketch, and +Beatrice listened quietly while she told how the lad was left with a +patch of arid soil, and his mother and sister to provide for. Hester +related how he braved his neighbors' disapproval of the innovations +which they predicted would lead him to ruin, and by tenacity and +boldness turned threatened failure into brilliant success. Then losing +herself in her theme, she sketched the birth of greater ambitions, and +the man's realization of his powers. Beatrice's eyes brightened with +keen approval. She admired strength and daring, and Hester had drawn a +striking picture of her brother. + +When the visitors rose to go, Harding appeared. He had come, he +explained, for an ox-chain clevis. + +"I have another visit to make," Beatrice said, when he had helped her to +mount. "The shortest way is across the ravine and there used to be a +trail, unless you have plowed it up." + +"No," he laughed; "I mean to improve that one. However, as it's not very +good, and there's an awkward place, I'll show you the way down." + +They left the camp together, and Harding was not pleased to notice no +difference in the girl's attitude to him. He had not expected her to +show embarrassment, but he would not have minded a dignified aloofness. +It looked as if she had not thought it worth while to resent his +boldness when they last met. For all that, it made his heart beat fast +to be near her. + +Beatrice glanced toward the dark-brown line of the fall plowing. + +"Do you know what our people are saying about you? You haven't shown +much regard for your neighbors' feelings." + +"I'd try to respect their needs." + +"Well, that is something. Still, the trail was at least convenient, and +it had stood for a number of years." + +"I'm afraid some more of the old landmarks will have to go. These are +changing times." + +"And I suppose there's satisfaction in feeling that you are leading the +way?" + +"I can't claim that," Harding answered with a smile. "As a matter of +fact, we're following a plain trail; the fur-traders blazed it for us +before the railroad came; and I dare say your father had broken ground +at Allenwood when I was learning to harness a team." + +"It doesn't seem to make you diffident. Now, I agree with my friends +that there's a good deal to admire in the old order." + +"That's so. All that's best in it will stay; you can't destroy it. In a +way, it's a comforting thought because we can't stand still, and +progress means a fight." + +"And yet some people believe in throwing away the weapons our fathers +have used and proved." + +Harding laughed. + +"When they're fine steel, that's foolish; but we might be allowed to rub +off the rust and regrind them." + +Beatrice liked his half-humorous manner, which she suspected covered a +strong sincerity. Besides, she had asked for his opinions; he had not +obtruded them. She gave him a quick glance of scrutiny as he led her +horse down the steep, brush-encumbered trail into the ravine; and she +admitted to herself that he improved on acquaintance. One got used to +his rough clothes and his line of thought which differed so widely from +the views held at Allenwood. + +Yellow birch leaves shone about them, the pale-tinted stems were +streaked with silver by the sinking sun, and the ravine was filled with +heavy blue shadow. There was something strangely exhilarating in the +light, glowing color and the sharp wind; and Beatrice felt her senses +stirred. Then she noticed Harding's set lips and the concentrated look +in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking earnestly and perhaps exercising +some self-restraint. She suddenly recalled his presumption the last time +they were together. She had not carried out her plan of avoiding him, +but she thought it might be better to run no risk. + +"I mustn't take you any farther," she said. "The trail is good up the +other side." + +"All right," he acquiesced. "Turn out at the big poplar." + +He stood there in the sunset, his rough felt hat in his hand, the +slanting rays playing through his fair hair, watching her until she and +her horse coalesced with the blue shadows of the hillside. + +It would not be easy to win her, he knew. First, there was the life she +had led, in what a different environment from the rough, pioneer one +that he had known! Then there were the prejudices of her relatives to +consider. She must come to him happily, without one regret. + +Harding sighed; but his jaws set determinedly. He had been taught, as a +child, that the sweetest apples hang on the highest branches: they are +not easy to reach, but, once secured, they are worth the having. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +AN ACCIDENT + + +With the help of men from the railroad settlement Harding finished his +house and made it weather-proof before the frost struck deep into the +soil. Plowing was now impossible, but there was much to be done. The +inside of the dwelling had to be fitted up, and logs were needed for the +stables he must build in the spring. Trees large enough for the purpose +were scarce; and where coal is unobtainable, cutting wood for fuel keeps +the settler busy during the rigorous winter. Harding might have +simplified his task by buying sawed lumber, but the long railroad +haulage made it expensive, and he never shrank from labor which led to +economy. He was not a niggard, but he had ambitions and he saw that his +money must be made productive if those ambitions were to be gratified. + +He was coming home one evening with Devine, bringing a load of wood on +his jumper-sled. It had been a bitter day, and the cold got keener as a +leaden haze crept up across the plain. There was still a curious gray +light, and objects in the immediate foreground stood out with harsh +distinctness. The naked branches of the poplars on the edge of the +ravine they skirted cut sharply against the sky, and the trail, which +ran straight across the thin snow, was marked by a streak of dingy blue. +The wind was fitful, but when it gathered strength the men bent their +heads and shivered in their old deerskin jackets. + +As the oxen plodded on, Devine looked round at the sled rather +anxiously. + +"Hadn't you better throw some of these logs off, Craig?" he suggested. +"It's a heavy load, and I'm afraid there's a blizzard working up. We +want to get home before it breaks." + +"The oxen can haul them," Harding replied. "We'll get nothing done for +the next few days, and we have our hands plumb full this winter." + +"I used to think I was a bit of a hustler," Devine said, "but you sure +have me beat." + +"If I'm not mistaken, we'll get a lie-off to-morrow." Harding struck one +of the oxen with his mittened hand. "Pull out, Bright, before you +freeze!" + +The big animals moved faster, and the tired men plodded on silently. +There is no easy road to wealth on the wheatlands of the West; indeed, +it is only by patient labor and stoic endurance that a competence can be +attained. Devine and his comrade knew this by stern experience, and, +half frozen as they were, they braced themselves for the effort of +reaching home. They must adapt their pace to the oxen's, and it was not +quick enough to keep them warm. + +As they approached a bluff, Harding looked up. + +"Somebody riding pretty fast!" he said. + +A beat of hoofs, partly muffled by the snow, came down the bitter wind, +and a few moments later a horseman appeared from behind the trees. He +was indistinct in the gathering gloom, but seemed to be riding +furiously, and Harding drew the oxen out of the trail. + +"One of the Allenwood boys. Young Mowbray, isn't it?" said Devine. + +The next moment Lance Mowbray dashed past them, scattering the snow. The +horse was going at a frantic gallop, the rider's fur coat had blown +open, his arms were tense, and his hands clenched on the bridle. His +face was set, and he gazed fixedly ahead as if he did not see the men +and the sledge. + +"It's that wild brute of a range horse," Harding remarked. "Nearly +bucked the boy off the last time he passed my place. Something in the +bluff must have scared him; he has the bit in his teeth." + +"Looks like it," Devine agreed. "Young Mowbray can ride, but I'm +expecting trouble when he makes the timber." + +They turned and stopped to watch, for the Allenwood trail ran down the +side of the ravine among the trees not far away. Horse and rider rapidly +grew indistinct and vanished over the edge of the hollow. Then there was +a dull thud and the beat of hoofs suddenly broke off. The deep silence +that followed was ominous. + +"Throw the load off, and bring the oxen!" cried Harding as he started to +run along the trail. + +He was breathless when he reached the edge of the declivity; but he saw +nothing when he looked down. A blurred network of trunks and branches +rose from the shadowy depths with a pale glimmer of snow beneath; that +was all, and there was no sound except the wail of the rising wind. +Plunging straight down through the timber, Harding made for a bend of +the trail where there was a precipitous bank, and on reaching it he saw +a big, dark object lying in the snow some distance beneath him. This +was the horse; its rider could not be far away. When he scrambled down +he found the boy lying limp and still, his fur cap fallen off and his +coat torn away from his body. His face looked very white, his eyes were +closed, and he did not answer when Harding spoke. Kneeling down, he saw +that the lad was alive but unconscious. Nothing could be done until +Devine arrived. + +It was a relief when he heard the oxen stumbling through the brush. +Presently Devine came running up, and after a glance at the boy turned +and felt the horse. + +"Stone dead! What's the matter with Mowbray?" + +"Some ribs broken, I suspect," said Harding. "Bring the sled close up. +We've got to take him home." + +They laid Lance on the jumper, and Harding stripped off his own skin +coat and wrapped it round the boy. + +"The shock's perhaps the worst thing, and he feels cold." + +Both had had some experience of accidents in a country where surgical +assistance could seldom be obtained, and Devine nodded agreement. + +"Guess we'll have trouble in hauling up the grade and getting to +Allenwood before the blizzard, but we've got to make it." + +The opposite slope was rough and steep, and the jumper too wide to pass +easily between the trees. They had to lift it, and help the oxen here +and there; but they struggled up and then found that their difficulties +were not over when they reached the open plain. The wind had risen while +they were in the hollow and was now blowing the dry snow about. It had +grown dark and the trail was faint. + +"Might be wiser to take him to your homestead," Devine suggested; "but +they'll be able to look after him better at the Grange. Get a move on +the beasts, Craig; we've no time to lose." + +Harding urged the oxen, which stepped out briskly with their lighter +load, but he had some difficulty in guiding them, though Devine went +ahead to keep the trail. It was impossible to see any distance, and +there was no landmark on the bare white level; the savage wind buffeted +their smarting faces and filled their eyes with snow. The cold struck +through Harding's unprotected body like a knife, but he went on +stubbornly, keeping his eyes on Devine's half-distinguishable figure. He +was sorry for the unconscious youngster, but he did not glance at him. +This was a time when pity was best expressed in action. + +They had gone about two miles when the blizzard broke upon them in a +blinding cloud of snow and the cold suddenly increased. Though he wore a +thick jacket, Harding felt as if his flesh had changed to ice; his hands +were numb, and his feet seemed dead. He knew the risk he ran of being +crippled by frostbite; but to take his coat back might cost Lance his +life. + +They had been struggling forward for a long time when Devine stopped and +came back. + +"We've been off the trail for the last ten minutes," he said. "Guess +it's got snowed up." + +It was a bald statement of an alarming situation. Their only guide had +failed them, and unless they could soon find shelter all must perish. It +might, perhaps, be possible to keep moving for another hour or two, and +then they would sink down, exhausted, to freeze. Yet, having faced +similar perils and escaped, they were not utterly dismayed. + +"The long rise can't be very far off," Harding said hopefully. "If we +could make it, there's a little coulee running down the other side. Then +we ought to see the Grange lights when we strike the lake." + +His voice was scarcely audible through the roar of the icy gale, but +Devine caught a word or two and understood. + +"Then," he shouted back, "you want to keep the wind on your left cheek!" + +It was the only guide to the direction of the blast, for the snow +whirled about them every way at once, and sight was useless amid the +blinding haze. Feeling, however, to some extent remained, and although +their faces were freezing into dangerous insensibility, so long as they +kept their course one side was still a little more painful than the +other. They struggled on, urging the jaded oxen, and dragging them by +their heads where the drifts were deep. The snow seemed to thicken as +they went. They could not see each other a yard or two apart, and the +power that kept them on their feet was dying out of them. Both had been +working hard since sunrise, and weary flesh and blood cannot long endure +a furious wind when the thermometer falls to forty or fifty below. +Nothing broke the surface of the plain except the blowing waves of snow +that swirled across their course and beat into their faces. It seemed +impossible that they could keep on. Hope had almost left them when +Devine suddenly called out: + +"It's surely rising ground!" + +Harding imagined by the oxen's slower pace, and his own labored +breathing, that his comrade was right, but the rise was gradual and +extensive. They might wander across it without coming near the lake; but +they could take no precautions and much must be left to chance. + +"Get on!" he said curtly. + +By the force of the wind which presently met them he thought they had +reached the summit. Somewhere near them a watercourse started and ran +down to the lake; but the men could not tell which way to turn, although +they knew that the decision would be momentous. One way led to shelter, +the other to death in the snowy wilds. + +"Left and down!" Harding cried at a venture. + +They trudged on, Devine a few paces in front picking out the trail, and +Harding urging forward the snow-blinded oxen. They had not gone more +than a few yards when Devine suddenly disappeared. There was a rush of +loosened snow apparently falling into a hollow, and then his voice rose, +hoarse but exultant. + +"We've struck the coulee!" + +He scrambled out and it was comparatively easy to follow the ravine +downhill; and soon after they left it the surface grew unusually level, +and no tufts of withered grass broke the snow. + +"Looks like the lake," said Devine. "We'll be safe once we hit the other +side." + +Harding was nearly frozen, and he began to despair of ever reaching the +Grange; but he roused himself from the lethargy into which he was +sinking when a faint yellow glimmer shone through the swirling snow. It +grew brighter, more lights appeared, and they toiled up to the front of +a building. With some trouble Devine found the door and knocked. + +It was opened in a few moments by Gerald Mowbray, who stood looking out +in surprise. + +Devine briefly explained. + +"If it's likely to scare his mother, get her out of the way," he added. +"We have to bring him in at once. Send somebody for the oxen, and show +us where to go!" + +"Wait a moment and I'll meet you," said Gerald, hastening into the +house. + +When he disappeared, Devine turned to Harding. + +"Get hold! You don't want to shake him, but the coats will keep him +pretty safe." + +With some trouble they carried him in, passed through a vestibule, and +came with shuffling steps into a large hall. It was well lighted, and so +warm that Harding felt limp and dizzy from the sudden change of +temperature. His skin burned, the blood rushed to his head, and he +stopped for fear he should drop his burden. Gerald, it seemed, had not +had time to warn the people in the hall, and Beatrice rose with a +startled cry. One or two women sat with white faces, as if stupefied by +alarm, and two or three men got up hurriedly. Harding indistinctly +recognized Colonel Mowbray among them. + +"Be quick! Get hold of him!" he called to the nearest. + +He was replaced by two willing helpers, and, half dazed and not knowing +what to do, he slackly followed the others up the middle of the floor. +All who were not needed stood watching them, for they made a striking +group as they moved slowly forward, carrying what seemed to be a +shapeless bundle of snowy furs. Devine was white from head to foot, a +bulky figure in his shaggy coat and cap, though the bent forms of the +other men partly concealed him; Harding came alone, walking unsteadily, +with the snow falling off him in glistening powder, his face haggard, +and his frost-split lips covered with congealed blood. + +As the little group passed on, following Gerald, Harding suddenly +reeled, and, clutching at the back of a chair, fell into it with a +crash. After that he was not sure of anything until some one brought him +a glass of wine, and soon afterward Devine came back with Gerald. + +"My mother begs you will excuse her, but she'll thank you before you +go," he said. "The Colonel hopes to see you shortly, but he's busy with +Lance, and we're fortunate in having a man who should have been a +doctor. Now if you'll come with me, I'll give you a change of clothes. +Your oxen are in the stable." + +"We can't stay," remonstrated Harding. + +"It's impossible for you to go home." + +"That's true," said Devine, touching Harding's arm. "Better get up, +Craig, before the snow melts on you." + +Gerald gave them clothes, and then, saying that he was needed, left them +alone. After they had changed, Devine found his way to the stable to see +if the oxen were any the worse, and Harding went back to the hall. A +group of men and women were talking in low voices, but no one spoke to +him, and he sat down in a corner, feeling awkward and uncomfortable in +his borrowed garments. Evidently the Mowbrays had been entertaining some +of their neighbors who, to judge by scraps of conversation he overheard, +thought they would better take their leave but doubted if they could +reach home. Harding knew that he could not do so, but he felt averse to +accepting Mowbray's hospitality, and he feared that Hester would be +anxious about his safety. + +He was still sitting in the corner when Beatrice came up to him. + +"I'm afraid you have been neglected, but you can understand that we are +rather upset," she said. + +"How is your brother?" Harding asked. + +"Better than we thought at first. One of our friends has bandaged him. +There are two ribs broken, but he declares he now feels fairly +comfortable." + +"I'm afraid he's exaggerating, but it's a good sign. Anyway, I'm glad to +hear he's conscious." + +"He was conscious before you brought him home. He says he tried to speak +to you, but you didn't hear him." + +"That's possible," Harding replied. "The trail wasn't very good--and we +were busy." + +Beatrice gave him a strange look. + +"So one would imagine! There was probably no trail at all. Two of our +friends who live half a mile off don't think they can get back. It's +fortunate for us that you and your partner had the strength and +courage----" + +"What could we do?" Harding asked. "You wouldn't have expected us to +leave him in the bluff?" + +Beatrice's eyes sparkled, and a flush of color crept into her face. +Harding thought she was wonderfully beautiful, and feared it was unwise +to look at her lest he should make a fool of himself. + +"I can't say that I wouldn't have expected you to give him your coat; +but that was very fine of you," she said. "You must have known the risk +you took. When you came in you looked worse than he did." + +It struck Harding as significant that she should have noticed his +appearance in the midst of her alarm; but it might not mean much, after +all. Women were often more observant than men. + +"Then I ought to have been ashamed. It was the shock we were afraid of. +You see, after a bad accident there's often a collapse, and when one's +in that state even moderate cold is dangerous." + +"How do you know these things?" Beatrice asked. + +"When you live as we do, you learn something about accidents," he +answered. + +Beatrice gave him a look that thrilled him. + +"I promised Lance that I would not stay but a minute," she said; "but I +will send Mr. Kenwyne to look after you." She added in a lower voice: "I +have not attempted to thank you, but you must believe that we're very, +very grateful." + +Harding's eyes followed her across the room and lingered on her when she +stopped a moment to speak with one of the neighbors. Kenwyne's voice at +his elbow roused him. + +"Colonel Mowbray expects you to remain here, but on the whole I think +you'd better come with me," Kenwyne was saying. "They're naturally in +some confusion, and my farm isn't very far. I think my team can make +it." + +Harding was glad to get away quietly, but he left a message that he +hoped to call in the morning for his oxen and for news of Lance. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE + + +On the morning after the accident Colonel Mowbray sat at breakfast with +his wife and daughter. The gale had fallen in the night, and although +the snow lay deep about the house, Gerald had already gone out with a +hired man to see how the range horses, which were left loose in the +winter, had fared during the storm. Lance was feverish, but there was +nothing in his condition to cause anxiety, and he was in charge of a man +whom some youthful escapade had prevented from obtaining a medical +diploma. There were one or two others of his kind at Allenwood whose +careers had been blighted by boyish folly. Breakfast had been well +served, for everything went smoothly at the Grange; in spite of the low +temperature outside, the room was comfortably warm, and the china and +the table appointments showed artistic taste. + +Colonel Mowbray looked thoughtfully stern. + +"Perhaps it was as well Kenwyne took the Americans home last night," he +remarked. + +"You asked them to stay," Beatrice said, with more indignation than she +cared to show; "and after what they did----" + +Mowbray cut her short. + +"I cannot deny that we are heavily in their debt, and I shall take the +first opportunity for thanking them. In fact, if I can make any return +in the shape of practical help, I shall be glad. All the same, to have +had them here would have meant our putting them on a more intimate +footing than might be wise." + +Beatrice smiled, but said nothing. She respected her father, but the +thought of his helping such a man as Harding was amusing. + +"From what I've heard about Mr. Harding, I don't think he would have +presumed upon it," Mrs. Mowbray replied. "Besides, it looks as if we +owed Lance's life to him and his companion and I really don't see why +you object to the man. Of course, it was tactless of him to plow up our +trail, but he was within his rights." + +Mowbray looked at her sharply. His wife was generally docile and seldom +questioned his decisions, but she now and then showed an unexpected +firmness. + +"I don't object to him, personally. For that matter, I know very little +about him, good or bad," he said; and his tone implied that he was not +anxious to learn anything more. "It is rather what he stands for that I +disapprove of." + +"What does he stand for?" + +"What foolish people sometimes call Progress--the taint of +commercialism, purely utilitarian ideas; in short, all I've tried to +keep Allenwood free from. Look at England! You know how the old friendly +relations between landlord and tenant have been overthrown." + +"I wonder whether they were always friendly?" Beatrice interposed. + +"They ought to have been friendly, and in most of the instances I can +think of they were. But what can one expect when a rich tradesman buys +up a fine estate, and manages it on what he calls 'business lines'? This +must mean putting the screw of a merciless competition upon the farmer. +On the other hand, you see men with honored names living in extravagant +luxury without a thought of their duty to their land, gambling on the +Stock Exchange--even singing in music halls. The country's in a bad way +when you read of its old aristocracy opening hat shops." + +"But what are the poor people to do if they have no money?" Beatrice +asked. + +"The point is that they're being ruined by their own folly and the +chaotic way things have been allowed to drift; but the other side of the +picture's worse. When one thinks of wealth and poverty jostling each +other in the towns; oppressive avarice and sullen discontent instead of +helpful cooperation! The community plundered by trusts! Industries +wrecked by strikes! This is what comes of free competition and contempt +for authority; and the false principle that a man must turn all his +talents to the making of money is at the root of it all." + +It was a favorite hobby of the Colonel's, and Mrs. Mowbray made no +remark; but Beatrice was pleased to see that he had forgotten Harding. + +"You would have made a good feudal baron," she said with a smile. "Your +retainers wouldn't have had many real grievances, but you would always +have been on the king's side." + +"The first principle of all firm and successful government is that the +king can do no wrong." + +"We don't challenge it at Allenwood, and it really seems to work well," +Beatrice answered lightly; and then, because Mowbray insisted on formal +manners, she turned to her mother. "And now, with your permission, I had +better go to Lance." + +When she left them Mowbray frowned. + +"There's another matter I want to talk about," he said. "I'm inclined to +think we'll have to do away with the card tables when the younger people +spend the evening with us." + +"But you're fond of a game!" + +"Yes. I'll confess that a close game of whist is one of my keenest +pleasures, and if I finish two or three dollars to the good it adds to +the zest. For all that, one must be consistent, and I've grounds for +believing there has been too much high play of late. The offenders will +have to be dealt with if I can find them out." + +Mrs. Mowbray knew that her husband's first object was the good of the +settlement, and that he would make any personal sacrifice to secure it. + +"We can have music, or get up a dance instead," she suggested; and added +anxiously: "You don't think that Gerald----" + +"I'd have grave suspicions, only that he knows what to expect," Mowbray +answered grimly. "Something might be learned from Lance, but it would +not be fair to ask." + +"He wouldn't tell," Mrs. Mowbray said stoutly, knowing her husband's +sense of honor. "Do you think it's serious enough to be disturbed +about?" + +"I'm afraid so, although at the moment I can hardly judge. A game of +cards in public, for strictly moderate points, or a small wager on a +race, can do the boys no harm; but as soon as the stake gets large +enough to be worth winning for itself, it leads to trouble; and +systematic, secret gambling is a dangerous thing. As a matter of fact, I +won't have it at Allenwood. At present I can do nothing but keep a +careful watch." + +An hour later Mrs. Mowbray was sitting with Lance, when word was brought +her that Harding had called. + +"Let him come up here, if only for a minute," Lance begged. + +"Well, but it must not be longer," his mother consented. + +Harding bowed to her respectfully when he entered the room; then he +turned to Lance with a smile. + +"Glad to see you looking much better than I expected." + +Lance gave him his hand, though he winced as he held it out, and his +mother noticed Harding's quick movement to save him a painful effort. +There was a gentleness that pleased her in the prairie man's face. + +"I don't want to embarrass you, but you'll understand how I feel about +what you did for me," said Lance. "I won't forget it." + +"Pshaw!" returned Harding. "We all get into scrapes. I wouldn't be here +now if other people hadn't dragged me clear of a mower-knife, and once +out of the way of a locomotive when my team balked in the middle of the +track." + +"I don't suppose any of the fellows gave you his clothes with the +thermometer at minus forty. But I won't say any more on that point. Was +my horse killed?" + +"On the spot!" + +Lance looked troubled. + +"Well, it was my own fault," he said slowly. "I was trying a new +headstall, and I wasn't very careful in linking up the bit." + +He began to talk about the latest types of harness, and listened with +obvious interest to Harding's views on the subject, but after a while +his voice grew feeble, and his mother interrupted. + +"You'll come back and see me when I'm better, won't you?" he asked +eagerly. + +Harding made a vague sign of assent, and left the room with Mrs. +Mowbray. When they reached the hall, she stopped him. + +"You did us a great service last night--I can find no adequate way of +expressing my gratitude," she said. + +Harding saw that she had not spoken out of mere conventional politeness. + +"I think you make too much of it. Certainly, it was fortunate we +happened to come along; the rest followed. But I can understand how you +feel--I had a good mother." + +She was pleased by his reply, and she had watched him closely while he +talked to Lance. The man was modest and yet quietly sure of himself. He +had shown no awkwardness, and his rather formal deference to herself was +flattering. She somehow felt that he would not have offered it solely on +account of her station. + +"I'm glad to see your son looking pretty bright," Harding went on. + +"You roused him. He was very listless and heavy until you came." + +"I'm afraid I talked too much; it's a way I sometimes have." Harding +smiled. Then he looked at her directly. "He asked me to come back." + +Mrs. Mowbray knew he was shrewd enough to take a hint, and that she +could without discourtesy prevent his coming; still, she did not wish to +do so. She had heard her husband's views, to which she generally +deferred; but she liked Harding, and he had saved her son's life. +Moreover, she had a suspicion that his influence would be good for the +boy. + +"I hope you will come whenever it pleases you," she said with quiet +sincerity. + +"It will please me very much. I'll make use of the privilege as long as +he finds that I amuse him." + +Harding went home with a feeling of half-exultant satisfaction. Lance, +for whom he had a rather curious liking, had been unmistakably glad to +see him and, what was more important, Mrs. Mowbray was now his friend. +For all that, he knew that tact was needed: the Colonel, while no doubt +grateful, did not approve of him, and he must carefully avoid doing +anything that might imply a readiness to take advantage of the slight +favor he had been granted. Harding was not an adventurer, and the +situation was galling to his pride, but he was shrewd and was willing to +make some sacrifice if it gave him an opportunity for seeing Beatrice. + +When Harding returned a week later he met the girl for a few moments, +and had to be content with this. Lance brightened up noticeably when he +talked to him, and as he was leaving pressed him to come again; but the +unqualified doctor, whom he met in the hall, did not seem satisfied with +the patient's progress. + +Harding waited for a while before he went back. He found Mrs. Mowbray +alone on his arrival, and thought she looked anxious when he asked how +Lance was getting on. + +"He doesn't seem to improve as quickly as he ought, and Mr. Carson's +puzzled," she said. "He tells me the injury is not serious enough to +account for my boy's low condition, but he keeps restless and feverish, +and doesn't sleep." Then, after a moment, she added confidentially: "One +could imagine that he has something on his mind." + +"Have you any suspicion what it is?" + +"No--" She hesitated. "That is, nothing definite; and as he has given me +no hint, it's possible that I'm mistaken in thinking that he is +disturbed. But you may go in; you seem to cheer him." + +Harding pondered this. He had been used to people who expressed their +thoughts with frank directness, but he saw that Mrs. Mowbray was of a +different stamp. She was most fastidious, yet she had taken him into her +confidence as far as her reserve permitted. After all, there were things +which a boy would confess to a man outside his family sooner than to his +mother. + +"Well," he said as meaningly as he thought advisable, "I'll do what I +can." + +On entering the sick room he thought her anxiety was justified. Lance +did not look well, although he smiled at his visitor. + +"I'm glad you came," he said. "It's a change to see somebody fresh. The +boys mean well but they worry me." + +"You'd get tired of me if I came oftener," Harding answered with a +laugh. + +They talked for a few minutes about a sheep dog that had been given to +Lance; and then, during a slight pause, the boy closed his eyes with a +sigh. Harding looked at him keenly. + +"I'm told you're not sleeping well," he said; "and you don't look as fit +as you ought. I guess lying on your back gets monotonous." + +"Yes," Lance answered listlessly. "Then I'm worried about losing my +horse." + +"One feels that kind of thing, of course; but it wasn't an animal I'd +get attached to. Hard in the mouth, I guess, a bad buck-jumper, and a +wicked eye. On the whole, you're better off without him." + +"Perhaps you're right, and I meant to sell him. I'd had offers, and the +Warrior blood brings a long price." + +"Ah! That means you wanted the money?" + +Lance was silent for a few moments, and then he answered half +resentfully: + +"I did." + +It was obvious to Harding that delicacy was required here. Mrs. Mowbray +was right in her suspicions, but if he made a mistake Lance would take +alarm. Harding feared, however, that tact was not much in his line. + +"I am an outsider here," he said with blunt directness; "but perhaps +that's a reason why you can talk to me candidly. It's sometimes +embarrassing to tell one's intimate friends about one's troubles. Why +did you want the money?" + +Lance flushed and hesitated, but he gathered confidence from Harding's +grave expression. + +"To tell the truth, I'd got myself into an awkward mess." + +"One does now and then. I've been fixed that way myself. Perhaps I can +help." + +"No; you can't," Lance said firmly. "All the same, it's a relief to take +somebody into my confidence. Well, I owed a good deal of money; I'd been +playing cards." + +"Do you pay debts of that kind at once?" + +"Of course. It's a matter of principle; though the boys wouldn't have +pressed me." + +"I'd have let them wait," said Harding. "But I don't play cards. I +suppose you borrowed the money from somebody else, and he wants it back. +Now the proper person for you to go to is your father." + +Lance colored and hesitated again. + +"I can't!" he blurted out with evident effort. "It's not because I'm +afraid. He'd certainly be furious--I'm not thinking of that. There's a +reason why it would hit him particularly hard. Besides, you know, we're +far from rich." + +Having learned something about Gerald Mowbray, Harding understood the +lad's reticence. Indeed, he respected his loyalty to his brother. + +"Very well. If you'll tell me what you owe, and where you got the money, +I may suggest something." + +He had expected Lance to refuse; but, worn by pain and anxious as he +was, the boy was willing to seize upon any hope of escape. He explained +his affairs very fully, and Harding made a note of the amount and of a +name that was not unfamiliar to him. + +When Lance finished his story and dropped back among his pillows with a +flushed face, there was a short silence in the room. + +Harding was not, as a rule, rashly generous; but he liked the boy, and +Lance was Beatrice's brother--that in itself was a strong claim on him. +Then, Mrs. Mowbray had been gracious to him; though he was a stranger +and in a sense an intruder, she had taken him into her confidence, and +he felt a deep respect for her. There was in his mind, however, no +thought of profiting by the situation; indeed, he was frankly reluctant +to part with money which could be better employed than in paying +gambling debts. + +"So you went to Davies, of Winnipeg--a mortgage broker?" he remarked. +"Who told you about him? These fellows don't lend to people they know +nothing about." + +"A man introduced me," Lance said awkwardly; and Harding again suspected +Gerald. + +"When you signed his note for the sum you wanted, how much did you +really get?" + +Lance smiled ruefully as he told him. + +"You seem to know their tricks," he added. + +"Some of them," Harding replied dryly. "Now, if you'll give me your word +that you won't stake a dollar on a horse or card again, I'll take up +this debt; but I don't want your promise unless you mean to keep it." + +Lance's eyes were eager, though his face was red. + +"I've had my lesson. It was the first time I'd really played high, and I +was a bit excited; the room was hot and full of smoke, and they'd +brought in a good deal of whisky." Then he pulled himself up. "But I +can't let you do this; and I don't see----" + +"Why I'm willing to help?" Harding finished for him. "Well, one's +motives aren't always very plain, even to oneself. Still--you can take +it that I've a pretty strong grievance against all mortgage brokers. +They've ruined one or two friends of mine, and they're going to make +trouble in this country. I'll give you a few instances." + +He meant to frighten the lad, but there was no need to overstate the +truth, and his face grew stern as he related how struggling farmers had +been squeezed dry, and broken in spirit and fortune by the +money-lender's remorseless grasp. Lance was duly impressed, and realized +how narrow an escape he had had. + +"Are you willing to leave the thing entirely to me?" Harding concluded. +"You must understand that you're only changing your creditor." + +"I can trust you," Lance said with feeling. "I can't tell you what a +relief it is to get out of that fellow's hands! But I ought to warn you +that he's tricky; you may have some trouble." + +Harding laughed as he stood up. + +"Oh, I can deal with him. Now you go to sleep and don't worry any more." + +After he left, Lance lay for a while thinking over the conversation. He +was puzzled to know what had prompted Harding to come to his rescue. The +Allenwood settlers had certainly been none too friendly to the prairie +man, who was considered an outsider because he believed in work and in +progress. Lance thought that there was no selfish motive in Harding's +offer. What, then? + +He suddenly shook off the thoughts and, reaching out to a table by his +bedside, rang a small handbell there. Beatrice answered it. + +"I want something to eat," he said petulantly. "Not slops this time; I'm +tired of them." + +His sister looked at him in surprise. + +"Why, you wouldn't touch your lunch!" + +"All the more reason I should want something now. You ought to be glad +I'm getting better!" + +Beatrice laughed. + +"It's a very sudden improvement," she said. "Mr. Harding must be a +magician. What has he done to you?" + +"Harding knows a lot," Lance answered somewhat awkwardly; then added +impulsively: "In fact, I think he's a remarkably fine fellow all round." + +Beatrice opened her eyes wide. Such an opinion from the son of Colonel +Mowbray was pure heresy; but she made no comment. She kissed Lance +lightly on the forehead and tripped off downstairs to order some food +for him. + +Somehow, she was inclined to agree with her brother in his opinion of +the prairie man. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +A MAN OF AFFAIRS + + +The warmth of the big stove, which glowed a dull red in places, had +melted holes in the frost that obscured the double windows of Davies' +office, but icy draughts flowed round the room, and the temperature of +the passage outside was down to zero. From where the stove-pipe pierced +the wall, drops of a black distillate trickled down, and the office was +filled with the smell of tar and hot iron. Rents gaped in the pine +paneling, and the door had shrunk to a remarkably easy fit. The building +was new, pretentious, and supposed to be centrally heated, but Winnipeg +was then passing through the transition stage which occurs in the +history of most Western towns: emerging from rude disorder with bold but +badly guided striving toward beauty and symmetry. Civic ambition was +poorly seconded by builder's skill, and the plans of aspiring architects +were crudely materialized. + +From where Davies sat he could look into the snowy street; the view was +far from pleasing. The blackened wreck of a burnt-out store confronted +the office block, and behind it straggled a row of squalid shacks. +Farther on rose a wall of concrete with rusty iron framing sticking out +of it; and a mound of cut stone and sawed lumber, left as it lay when +the frost stopped work, encroached upon the plank sidewalk. Davies, +however, was not engrossed in the view, though he had lent money upon +some adjacent building lots. A survey map of the Allenwood district lay +on his table, and he alternately studied it and gazed out of the window +with a thoughtful air. + +The Allenwood soil was good, consisting, as it did for the most part, of +stiff black gumbo; it was well watered and fairly well wooded; and it +occupied the center of a fertile belt. Its position had other natural +advantages, and the configuration of the country made it probable that +with the first railroad extension a line would run past the settlement +to the American frontier. Davies had reason to believe that his view was +shared by far-seeing railroad directors; but, whether the line were run +or not, the Allenwood farms would rise in value. Davies wanted a hold on +the settlement; and he had, to some extent, succeeded in getting it. He +held a mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's homestead; it seemed possible to get +the younger brother into his power; and he was negotiating with another +embarrassed settler. On the other hand, money was tight just then, and +Davies' schemes were hampered by a lack of capital. He had written to +Lance Mowbray, pressing for some interest that was overdue, and when the +lad begged for time had curtly summoned him to Winnipeg. Now he was +expecting him, for the east-bound train had arrived. + +He heard steps in the passage and looked up with some surprise as two +men entered his office. Their bronzed faces and their cheap skin coats +suggested that they worked upon the land, but there was something in the +expression and bearing of the taller man that contradicted this. Davies +was a judge of character, and he read that something as a sense of +power. + +"Good-morning, gentlemen," he said, with a suave smile. "I don't believe +I have an appointment with you, but I'm always open for business." + +"My name is Harding," said the taller man; "and this is my partner, Mr. +Devine. You were expecting Lance Mowbray, of Allenwood; I've come +instead." + +Davies would have preferred dealing with young Mowbray himself; this +substitute made him feel somewhat uneasy. After careful inquiries into +Mowbray's affairs, Davies did not expect to get the overdue interest. +What he wanted was to renew the loan at a higher rate as the price of +waiting. + +Harding got down to business at once. + +"Mowbray owes you some interest; I've come to pay it." + +Davies' eyes narrowed. + +"Rather a long and expensive journey, if that was all that brought you," +he said with a sneer. "A check would have done." + +"You seemed to think an interview needful; and I don't propose to bear +the cost," Harding answered quietly. "Anyway, now that I'm here I'll pay +up the principal, if we can come to terms." + +"There are no terms to be arranged. I'll settle the account on receipt +of the sum Mowbray borrowed and the interest." + +"I'll give you what he got," said Harding coolly. + +Davies pondered a moment. The offer had been a shock to him, for it +suggested that Mowbray had found a way of escape. That meant that his +hold on Allenwood would be weakened. Harding looked shrewd and +businesslike; there was little possibility of hoodwinking such a man. + +"Do you expect me to abandon my rights?" he asked. + +"I'm here to look after Mowbray's. You charged him what you call +expenses, which you didn't incur. Guess you'll have to prove them if you +take the case to court." + +"One has to make inquiries about the security when lending money." + +"As a matter of fact, you knew the security was bad. Mowbray told you +that his land was held in trust until he was twenty-one. What you traded +on was his fear of the deal coming to his people's knowledge. I guess +his brother gave you all the information you required." + +Davies' start indicated that the shot, made at a venture, had reached +its mark. He grew angry, but he quickly saw that this was no time to +lose his temper. + +"It's a pretty cool proposition you make," he said. + +"It's fair, and I don't press you to agree. Stick to your full claim, if +you like, and you'll get your interest on what you actually lent, but on +nothing more until payment of the principal is due. Then we'll give you +all the trouble we can. But your hold on the boy is gone now that you +know the money's ready." + +Davies was forced to recognize that his debtor had escaped him; and, as +it happened, he was pressed for money. + +"Well," he conceded, "it's a small matter, after all. I'll give you a +receipt if you'll put down the amount." + +"I'd rather my bank paid this; it keeps a record. Then I want Mowbray's +note as well as the receipt." + +Harding handed him a check, and Davies looked at it in surprise. + +"You have made another deduction!" + +"Certainly. You demanded an interview, and I've knocked off my fare to +Winnipeg. Now where's the note?" + +Davies produced it, and then looked at him with an ironical grin. + +"It's all straight, and I hope you're satisfied. A farmer, aren't you? +May I suggest that you have mistaken your profession?" + +Harding laughed good-naturedly as he pocketed the papers. + +"I don't know. My belief is that a farmer doesn't lose anything by +studying business methods." + +When they reached the street, Harding turned to Devine. + +"I've learned something I wanted to know," he said. "That fellow has a +mortgage on Gerald Mowbray's land. He's playing a deep game." + +"I don't see what he's getting after." + +"Allenwood. It's worth plotting for." + +"I guess he'd find the Colonel a pretty big obstacle. Anyway, it's not +our business." + +"No," Harding replied with a thoughtful air. "As far as I can see at +present, it's not my business.... Now we'll look up the steam-plow man." + +They found the implement dealer disengaged, and spent the afternoon in +his store before Harding, who insisted upon several variations in the +standard design, finally ordered a steam gang-plow. The agent was struck +by the aptness of many of Harding's suggestions about improvements, and +he invited the men to his hotel for the evening. When they parted he +frankly admitted that he had picked up some useful hints. He also +surmised that Harding had learned all that was worth knowing about new +machines. + +The two men left Winnipeg the next day, and Devine went to report to +Hester while Harding stopped at the Grange to see Lance. + +The boy greeted him eagerly, and his eyes glistened with relief when +Harding handed him the papers. + +"I'll square it off, every dollar, as soon as I can," he said. "In fact, +I feel so much about it that I can't express myself--if you'd been in my +place, you would understand. I see he didn't claim all my note called +for. How did you beat him down?" + +"I knew the man I had to deal with," Harding smiled. "What you have to +do is to keep clear of debt in future." + +"I've given you my word; but I can't get out of debt to you." Lance +looked at him with frank admiration. "You beat the fellow at his own +game!" he exclaimed. + +Harding held out his hand. + +"I must go now," he said; "I promised to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood. +We'll settle how you're to pay me the next time I come." + +Mrs. Mowbray was waiting for him in the hall below. + +"I want to thank you," she said to him. "I don't know what you have done +to my boy, but he is so very much better." + +Harding met the gaze she quietly fixed on him. He saw that she knew +there was some secret between him and her son, but had confidence enough +to ask no questions. + +"For one thing," he answered lightly, "I've given him some good advice, +which I think he'll act on." + +"He seems to have a respect for your judgment--and I feel he's not +mistaken." + +"That's very kind," said Harding. "I hope I shall be able to keep your +good opinion; though you may find it shaken by and by." + +Mrs. Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then laid her hand gently on his +arm. + +"You have helped my boy to get better and, whatever may happen, that +goes a long way," she said. + +When Harding left her he felt that in Mrs. Mowbray he would have a +staunch ally in his fight for Beatrice. + +He returned to the Grange one afternoon about a week later, and found +Beatrice alone. Lance, after his long confinement, had gone for his +first drive, and his mother had accompanied him to see that he kept the +robes properly wrapped about him. The Colonel and Gerald were at a +neighbor's. + +Beatrice gave him her hand cordially. + +"I am glad of this opportunity for seeing you alone, because there's +something I want to ask of you," she said. + +"I shall do anything I can to please you." + +"It's really something I want you not to do." + +"Ah!" Harding smiled. "That's often harder." + +They had entered a room which Beatrice and her mother used. It was not +large, and it was scantily furnished, but most of the articles it +contained, though worn and battered, were good. Curtains, rugs, and +chairs were of artistic design, and their faded coloring was harmonious. +By contrast with the rude prairie homesteads he had lived in, all that +Harding saw struck a note of luxurious refinement. What was more, the +room seemed somehow stamped with its occupants' character. Colonel +Mowbray, he knew, seldom entered it; it was the retreat of the two +delicate, high-bred women he admired. He felt it was a privilege to be +there. The unusual surroundings reacted upon him, and emphasized in a +curious way his companion's grace and charm. + +For a few moments after they were seated, Beatrice was silent, gazing +thoughtfully before her. Her hair shone where the light touched it, and +reminded Harding of the glitter of a prairie lake on a breezy, sunny +day; her face was in profile, its fine chiseling forced up by a faded +purple curtain behind her, which harmonized agreeably with the +straw-colored dress that fell about her figure in graceful lines. As it +happened, Beatrice was feeling somewhat embarrassed. She had a favor to +ask, and she shrank with unusual timidity from placing herself in the +man's debt. She believed that he had saved her brother's life and +afterward rendered him some valuable service; but he had done this of +his own accord, and it would be different were he to comply with her +request. + +"You have been urging some plans on Kenwyne and Broadwood," she began. + +"You have heard about that! However, they didn't need urging; they +agreed with me about the necessity for the thing." + +"It's possible." There was a touch of haughtiness in Beatrice's tone. +"Ralph Kenwyne has always been something of a revolutionary; and we know +where Broadwood gets his ideas." + +"From his wife? You can't expect me to condemn them. She was brought up +as I was and thinks as I do." + +Beatrice saw she was not beginning well and changed her ground. + +"After all, that's not an important point. I suppose you know my father +is bitterly opposed to your plans?" + +"I was afraid so. It's unfortunate." + +"Then can't you see that it would be better to give them up?" + +Harding felt disturbed but determined. He was keenly anxious to please +the girl, but to yield in this matter would be to act against his +principles. She did not know what she was asking. + +"No," he said; "I can't see that." + +"Do you consider it good taste to encourage our friends to thwart their +acknowledged leader?" + +"It looks bad, as you put it," Harding replied. "For all that, a +leader's business is to lead. He can't keep his followers standing still +when they want to move on. Their wishes must be respected. Despotic +authority's out of date." + +"What is the use of choosing a ruler if he isn't to be obeyed?" she said +haughtily. + +"It sounds logical," Harding replied; "but it doesn't always work." + +Beatrice was struggling hard with her wounded pride. Although on the +whole broadminded, she had inherited some of the convictions of her +caste; and, being the only daughter of the head of the settlement, she +had been treated with more deference by the men at Allenwood than was +perhaps good for her. It had cost her an effort to ask a favor from +Harding, but she had not doubted the result, and his refusal was a +shock. That the man who now proved obdurate had boldly shown his +admiration for her, made it worse. Yet, because she believed her cause +was good, she determined to disregard her injured feelings. + +"If you persist in your plans, it will hurt Colonel Mowbray, and lead to +dissention here," she argued. "Why must you try to bring in these +changes? We have done very well as we are." + +He rose and stood with his hand on a chair-back, looking steadily at +her; and she noticed with half-grudging approval the strength of his +figure and the resolution in his quiet, brown face. + +"The trouble is that you can't continue as you are. Allenwood's +threatened from outside, and I'm not sure it's safe within." + +"Is that your business?" + +The cold pride in her tone hurt, for it implied that she regarded him as +an intruding stranger. + +"In a way, yes; but we'll let that drop. If I could have pleased you by +giving up a personal advantage, I'd have gladly done so; but this is a +bigger thing. It isn't a matter of being content with a smaller crop; +it's letting land that was meant to be worked lie idle, wasting useful +effort, and trying to hold up a state of things that can't last. If I +give way, I'll be going back on all I believe in and betraying a trust." + +Beatrice laughed scornfully; and saw him wince. + +"I want you to understand what's behind this movement," he continued +gravely. "Your people can't keep Allenwood for a place of amusement much +longer, and some of those who see this have asked my help. I've +promised and I can't draw back. Besides, to break new soil and raise +good wheat where only the wild grasses grow is the work I was meant for; +the one thing worth while I'm able to do. I'd feel mean and ashamed if I +held off and let the waste go on." + +"Of course, it would be too great a sacrifice to make for a prejudiced +old man, who has nevertheless always placed the good of Allenwood first, +and an inexperienced, sentimental girl!" + +Harding flushed at the taunt. It was very hard to displease her, but he +would not be justified in giving way, and he thought that later, when +she understood better, she would not blame him for being firm. Moreover, +his temper was getting short. + +"That's neither kind nor fair," he said. "Separate or together, your +people and I must move on. We can't stand still, blocking the way, and +defying Nature and the ordered procession of things. This land was made +for the use of man, and he must pay with hard work for all it gives +him." + +"I am sorry you take that view; but there seems nothing further to be +said." She rose as she spoke. "I'm afraid it's impossible that we should +agree." + +He left at once, and drove home in a downcast mood. No doubt, he had +disappointed her badly. He had not even had the tact to make his refusal +graceful; she must think him an iconoclastic boor, driven by a rude +hatred of all that she respected. Still, he had tried to be honest; he +could not shirk the task he was clearly meant to do. The struggle, +however, had tried him hard, and he drove with set lips and knitted +brows across the great white waste, oblivious of the biting cold. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE CASTING VOTE + + +It was a bitter evening. The snow on the crests of the rises glittered +like steel; the hollows were sharply picked out in blue. The frost was +pitiless, and a strong breeze whipped up clouds of dry snow and drove +them in swirls across the plain. A half moon, harshly bright, hung low +above the western horizon, and the vast stretch of sky that domed in the +prairie was sprinkled with stars. + +Harding and Devine were on their way to attend a council meeting at the +Grange. Wrapped, as they were, in the thick driving-robe, with their fur +caps pulled well down, they could not keep warm. The cold of the icy +haze seemed to sear the skin. Harding's woolen-mittened hand was numbed +on the reins, and he feared that it was getting frostbitten. + +"It's fierce to-night," Devine remarked. "Do you think there'll be a +good turn-out of the Allenwood boys?" + +"The cold won't stop them. I expect the Colonel has sent round to whip +them up." + +"I guess you're right. Do you know, now that I've met one or two of them +I see something in you and Hester that's in them. Can't tell you what it +is, but it's there, and it was plainer in your father. What are they +like when you get to know them?" + +"Much the same as the rest of us." + +"The rest of us! Then you don't claim to be different from the general +prairie crowd?" + +Harding frowned. + +"I suppose I wouldn't mind being thought the best farmer in the +district," he said; "but that's all the distinction I care about." + +"You'll get that easy enough. You've gone ahead fast, Craig, and you're +going farther; but you may have some trouble on the way. When a man +breaks a new trail for himself and leaves other men behind, it doesn't +make them fond of him." + +"Oh, I have no delusions on that point. To attain success, one cannot +hope to travel a balmy road." + +"Why do you want to rope in the Allenwood boys?" Devine asked curiously. + +"The reason's plain. You and I might make the steam-plow pay, but the +price is high, and we can't do much more alone. If you want the best +economy in farming, you must have cooperation. It's easier to buy +expensive tools if you divide the cost." + +"I see that. But have you no other reason? You don't feel that you'd +like to make friends with these people and, so to speak, have them +acknowledge you?" + +"No," said Harding firmly. Since his talk with Beatrice he had felt a +curious antagonism to the whole Allenwood settlement. + +It was too cold to talk much, and the men drove on in silence until the +lights of the Grange twinkled out across the plain. Ten minutes later +they entered the big hall, and Harding cast a quick glance about. He +noticed the clusters of wheat-ears and the big moose-heads on the wall, +the curious Eastern weapons and the English sporting guns that +glistened beneath them, and the fine timbering of the pointed roof. He +did not think there was another homestead to compare with this between +Winnipeg and the valleys of British Columbia; but it was the company +that seized his attention. It looked as if every man in the settlement +were present; and they were worth the glance he gave them. Dressed with +picturesque freedom, they were, for the most part, handsome men, with +powerful frames and pleasant, brown faces. Harding knew they had +courage and intelligence, yet he felt that there was something +lacking--something hard to define. He thought of them as without the +striving spirit; as too content. + +One or two gave him a welcoming smile, and there was a slight general +movement when he sat down. Mowbray, however, looked up with some +surprise from the head of the long table. + +"After certain favors Mr. Harding has done me, it would be singularly +inappropriate if I questioned his coming here as my guest. On the other +hand, the presence of any outside person at our council is irregular." + +"May I explain?" Kenwyne said. "Mr. Harding and his partner came by my +invitation to give us some information about matters of which he knows +more than any one else. They will, of course, take no other part in the +proceedings." + +Mowbray bowed. "I am satisfied. Mr. Harding will understand that a +president must show due regard to form." + +His manner was courteous, yet Harding was conscious of a subtle +antagonism between them. To some extent, it was personal, but its roots +struck deeper; it was the inevitable hostility between the old school +and the new. Mowbray was a worthy representative of the former. +Fastidiously neat in his dress, though his clothes were by no means of +the latest cut, and sitting very upright, he had an air of dignity and +command. He might be prejudiced, but it was obvious that he was neither +dull nor weak. + +"We have," he said, taking up a paper, "a motion of some importance +before us. It is proposed that we consider the advisability of +cooperating with Messrs. Harding and Devine: first, in the purchase and +use of a steam-plow; second, in the organization of a joint creamery; +and, third, in opening a sales office in Winnipeg or other convenient +center for the disposal of stock and general produce." + +Putting down the paper he looked round with an ironical smile. + +"You will observe that the scheme is by no means modest; indeed, it +strikes me as the most revolutionary project that has ever been +suggested in this place. It is nevertheless my duty to ask those +responsible for it to say what they can in its favor." + +Kenwyne rose with a composed expression. + +"Briefly, the advantages are these. With mechanical power we can plow +more land than at present and at a reduced cost." + +"That is far from certain," Mowbray declared. "We cannot take it for +granted. These machines go wrong." + +"With your permission, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures +later. We are missing opportunities by being content with rearing only a +limited number of beef cattle. Winnipeg and Brandon are growing fast; +new towns are springing up along the railroad, and there will soon be a +demand for dairy produce that will counterbalance the rather frequent +loss of a wheat crop." + +"It will mean more paid hands and working all the land," some one +objected. + +"Exactly. I may add that this is our aim. The land must be developed." + +There was a murmur of disapproval, but Kenwyne went on. + +"Then there is reason to believe that we seldom obtain the prices we +ought to get. Stockbuyers' profits and salesmen's charges are high, and +we can't expect these gentry to look after _our_ interests. We could +best secure these by setting up an agency of our own, and hiring trained +assistance. I'm afraid we cannot claim to be successful business men." + +"If that claim is ever justified, you will have to choose another +leader," Mowbray remarked. "This settlement was not founded with the +object of making money. Now, Broadwood!" + +Broadwood rose with a smile. + +"We must all agree, sir, that there's not much danger of the object you +mention being realized. No doubt, there are some to whom this doesn't +matter, but the rest are confronted with the necessity for making a +living, and I suspect that one or two have the trouble I've experienced +in paying my storekeepers' bills." + +"Don't be personal!" some one called out. + +"That strikes me as foolish," Broadwood retorted. "One can't help being +personal. We all know one another; we use one another's horses and +borrow one another's cash; and it's the necessity for doing the latter +that I wish to obviate. We all know our neighbors' needs, and I want to +show you how they can be supplied." + +He had struck the right note with his easy humor; but Harding saw that +Mowbray was not pleased. + +"_You_ don't need much," one cried amid laughter. "You got a bumper +harvest, and cut down your subscription to the hounds." + +Broadwood smiled. + +"I came out of the rut and worked. A rash experiment, perhaps, but it +didn't prove so harrowing as I feared; and there's some satisfaction in +having no debts. But my point is that you can't do much without proper +implements, and I feel that we'll have to get them. The proposal I've +the pleasure of seconding, shows you how." + +He sat down, and Mowbray looked up with a sarcastic smile. + +"Broadwood's remarks don't take us much farther; he seems careful to +avoid practical details. Now the first thing I notice about this scheme +is that it is founded on combination. Its proposers are right in +assuming the necessity for this, if their purpose is to secure +economical success; but such success can be bought at too high a price. +Carry the cooperative idea out to its logical conclusion, and a man +becomes a machine. He must subordinate his private judgment, he cannot +choose his course, all his movements must be regulated by central +control. Then you may get efficiency, but you destroy character, +independence, personal responsibility, all the finest attributes of +human nature. You may object that I am exaggerating; that nobody wants +this. The danger is that if you decide to go some distance, you may be +driven farther than you think. Then, Allenwood was founded to encourage +individual liberty--that settlers here might live a healthy life, free +from economic pressure; on their own land, farming it like gentlemen, +and not with bitter greed; enjoying the wind and sunshine, finding +healthy sport. We demand a high standard of conduct, but that is all. We +are bound to one another by community of ideals and traditions, and not +by the hope of dividends." + +There was an outbreak of applause; then Kenwyne rose. + +"The difficulty is that to lead our own lives, regardless of changing +times and in defiance of commercial principles, needs larger means than +most of us possess. The plain truth is that Allenwood has been living +upon its capital, drawing upon resources that cannot be renewed, and we +must presently face the reckoning. Some of us see this clearly, and I +think the rest are beginning to understand. If you have no objections, +sir, I will ask Mr. Harding to give us some figures." + +Harding got up and stood silent for a moment or two, conscious that all +present were watching him. He felt that they were keeping the ring, and +that the affair had developed into a fight between himself and Mowbray. +Harding regretted this, because the Colonel's hostility would make the +secret hope he cherished very difficult to realize; but he could not act +against his convictions. He stood for progress--blundering progress, +perhaps--and Mowbray for the preservation of obsolete ways and means; +the conflict was inevitable. Harding might lose the first round, but he +knew that the result was certain. Vast, insuperable forces were arrayed +against his antagonist. + +"To begin with, what do you expect to gain by persuading us to join +you?" Mowbray asked. + +"A saving of expense and the help of the only neighbors I have at +present," Harding answered. "My partner and I are ready to go on alone, +but we can't hope to do much unassisted." + +Opening the papers he had brought, he read out particulars of the cost +of plowing by horses and by steam; then statistics of American and +Canadian grain production and the fluctuations of prices. + +"Where did you get the figures about the mechanical plowing?" Mowbray +asked in an ironical tone. "From the makers?" + +"In the first place. I afterward checked them by information from +farmers who have used the machines." + +"Very wise! These implements are expensive. Can you guarantee that they +will work satisfactorily?" + +"That would be rash. I expect a certain amount of trouble." + +"Skilled mechanics' wages are high. Do you recommend our keeping a man +here in case things go wrong?" + +"Certainly not! If you buy a steam-plow, you must learn to keep it in +order." + +Broadwood, picturing the Colonel sprawled under an oily engine, battling +with obstinate bolts, laughed aloud. + +Mowbray frowned. + +"Granting the accuracy of your statistics," he said, "you seem to have +proved the economy of mechanical power, when used on a large scale. But +we are not agreed upon the necessity for such a thing." + +This was the opening Harding had waited for and he seized it quickly. + +"At present wheat is your mainstay. How many of you will find it +profitable to grow at the current price?" + +"Not many, perhaps," Mowbray admitted; and the disturbed expression of +others bore out the statement. "But is there adequate ground for +concluding it will remain at an abnormally low price?" + +"It will not remain there. For the next few years it will go down +steadily." + +There was a murmur of disagreement; and Mowbray smiled. + +"I presume you are willing to justify this gloomy forecast?" he said. + +"I'll try," answered Harding. "You have seen what one railroad has done +for Western Canada. It has opened up the country, brought wide tracts of +land into cultivation, and largely increased the wheat crop. That +increase will go on, and you will presently see rival lines tapping new +belts of fertile soil." + +"But do you imply that the grain output of Western Canada can force down +prices?" a man asked with a scornful laugh. "We have all Europe for a +market. I imagine they'll use what we can send them in a few big English +towns." + +It was obvious that the question met with approval, and Harding quietly +searched the faces turned toward him. He belonged by right of birth to +these men's caste, but he did not want them to own him. He asked their +help, but he could do without it, though they could not dispense with +his. Their supineness irritated him; they would not see the truth that +was luminously clear. He felt a strange compulsion to rouse and dominate +them. + +"The Canadian output will soon have to be reckoned with," he said. "In +the meantime, it's the effect of a general expansion throughout the +world that I'm counting on. What has been done in Canada is being done +everywhere. Look abroad and see! The American middle West linked up with +new railroads, grain pouring out to New York and Baltimore; Californian +wheat shipments doubling, and the Walla country in Oregon all one grain +belt. They're tapping new soil in Argentina; Australia and Chile are +being exploited wherever they get rain; and British irrigation works in +Egypt and India will have their effect." + +Gerald Mowbray spoke for the first time. + +"One feels tempted to inquire where Mr. Harding secured this mass of +information?" he said, with a slight curl of his lips. + +"You can get a good deal for a few dollars' subscription to New York +papers," Harding answered dryly. "When the snow's deep, men with no +amusements have time to read. But that's beside the question. I must now +ask you to consider the improvement in transport. Locomotives are +doubling their size and power; you have seen the new grain cars. The +triple-expansion engine is cutting down ocean freight, making distance +of no account. All countries must compete in the world's markets with +the cheapest grower. To survive in the struggle that's coming, one must +use efficient tools." + +"And what will happen after the markets have been flooded?" a man asked +derisively. + +"Then," said Harding gravely, "when the slack and careless have been +killed off there will be a startling change. The farming expansion can't +last; there's not enough accessible virgin land to draw upon. American +shipments will fall off; the demands of the world's growing population +will overtake the supply. Those who live through the fight will find +riches thrust upon them." + +"We are losing sight of the general produce and dairy scheme," Mowbray +remarked. "Have you anything to tell us on this point?" + +"Not much. Winnipeg is growing, so is Brandon, and they'll provide good +markets for farming truck; but the country that will ask for most is +British Columbia." + +"Rather a long way off!" somebody commented. + +"Wait and see," said Harding. "They're opening new mines and sawmills +all over the province; Columbia's aim is industrial, not agricultural, +and most of the land there is rock and forest. They're cut off from the +Pacific States by the tariff, and naturally they'll turn to us across +the Rockies. I foresee our sending general produce west instead of east. +Now, although I've taken up too much time, will you give me a minute to +read some figures?" + +He paused, and with an almost involuntary burst of applause they bade +him go on. The statistics he gave were telling, clinching his arguments, +and when he sat down there was a deep murmur of approval from opponents +as well as friends. The breadth of his views and his far-reaching +knowledge appealed to them. It was the first time they had heard +anything like this at Allenwood. + +After waiting a few moments for silence, Mowbray turned to Devine. + +"Have you anything of interest to tell us?" + +"Well," Devine said with simple earnestness, "I was raised at a prairie +homestead. I began to drive horses soon after I could walk, and ever +since I've been living on the soil. That's how I know that in the long +run scratch-farming will never pay. With Nature up against us, we can +take no chances when we break new land, for she's mighty hard to beat, +with her dry seasons, harvest frost, blight, and blowing sand. We've got +to use the best of everything man can invent and, if we're to stand for +a run of bad times, get the last cent's value for every dollar. Any +machine that won't give you the top output must be scrapped: you must +get your full return for your labor. Slouching and inefficiency lead you +straight into the hands of the mortgage man." + +When he sat down, Mowbray smiled. + +"Our visitors have certainly given us food for thought," the Colonel +said. "I offer them our thanks, and should now be glad to hear any fresh +opinions." + +Several men spoke; some with warmth and some with careless humor. + +"As we don't get much further, we will take a vote," Mowbray suggested. +"I will move the resolution as it stands. Though this has not been our +usual custom, you are entitled to a ballot." + +There was silence for a moment. Mowbray's views were known, and the men +shrank from wounding him, for he did not bear opposition well. For all +that, with a fastidious sense of honor, they disdained the shield of +the secret vote. + +"I think we will stick to the show of hands," Kenwyne replied. + +"Very well," said Mowbray. "For the motion!" + +Harding, glancing round the room, was surprised and somewhat moved to +notice that Lance's hand went up among the rest. The boy had voted +against his father. So far as Harding could judge, half the men were in +favor of the scheme. + +"Against the motion!" + +The hands were raised, and Mowbray counted them with care. + +"Equal, for and against," he announced. "I have a casting vote, and I +think the importance of the matter justifies my using it. I declare the +motion lost." + +There was an impressive silence for a few moments; then Broadwood spoke. + +"Although we have decided against going on with the scheme, as a body, I +take it there is nothing to prevent any individuals who wish to do so +joining in Mr. Harding's venture?" + +"I must leave you to decide how far such action is in good taste, or +likely to promote the harmony which has been the rule at Allenwood. Now +I think we can close the meeting." + +When the company dispersed, Harding, Devine, and Broadwood drove home +with Kenwyne. The Scotch housekeeper opened the door for them, and +handed Kenwyne the mail which had been brought in his absence. He tore +open a newspaper and turned to the quotations. + +"Wheat down sixpence a quarter at Liverpool," he said. "It will have +its effect in Chicago and Winnipeg." He dropped the paper and took off +his fur coat. "I suppose you're going on with the plan, Harding?" + +"The plow's ordered." + +"You're a hustler," Broadwood laughed; "but you mustn't make the pace +too hot. We've been used to going steady. What did you think of the +meeting?" + +"It went better than I expected." + +"We'd have had a majority only that they were afraid of the Colonel; and +I don't blame them. In a way, he made a rather pathetic figure, trying +to sweep back the tide. The old man has courage; it's a pity he won't +see that his is a lost cause." + +"He can't," said Kenwyne gravely; "and we must realize that." + +"Then are you going to let him ruin you?" Devine asked. + +"I hope not; but we all feel that we can't disown our leader," Broadwood +answered. "I dare say you can understand that we have a hard row to +hoe." + +"Well, the creamery scheme will have to be dropped," Kenwyne said; "but +there'll be plenty of work for the new plow." + +"Yes," Harding replied. "If all the rest stand out, Devine and I can +keep it busy." + +"How much land do you intend to break?" + +Harding told him, and Kenwyne looked astonished. + +"You're a bold man. If it's not an impertinence, can you finance the +thing?" + +"It will take every dollar I have." + +"And if you lose? The spring rains are sometimes hard enough to uproot +the young blades; or a summer hailstorm or drought may come and ruin the +crop." + +Harding shrugged his shoulder. + +"Those things must be considered, of course. But one never gets very far +by standing still and waiting for a disaster that may never occur. +'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,'" he quoted with a smile. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE STEAM PLOW + + +The winter passed quickly. Harding was kept fully occupied; for there +was cordwood to be cut, there were building logs to be got ready, and +the fitting up of the new house kept him busy at his carpenter's bench. +He was used to the prairie climate, and he set off cheerfully at dawn to +work in the snow all day, returning at dark, half-frozen and stiff from +swinging the heavy ax. Now and then he drove Hester to Mrs. Broadwood's, +or spent an evening with one or two others of the Allenwood settlers. He +went partly for his sister's sake, but also because he sometimes met +Beatrice at his new friends' houses, and since Lance had recovered he no +longer had an excuse for visiting the Grange. Mrs. Mowbray had always +been gracious, but he knew that the Colonel now regarded him as a +dangerous person. + +Beatrice's manner puzzled him. As a rule, she was friendly, yet he could +not flatter himself that he was making much progress, and sometimes she +was distinctly aloof. He might have placed a favorable interpretation +upon her reserve, but unfortunately it was tinged with what looked very +much like hostility. Harding imagined that she was influenced by her +father; and he was troubled. + +There were, however, days when his homestead rocked beneath the icy +blast, while the snow lashed the ship-lap walls, and to venture out +involved serious risk. The blizzards were often followed by bitter +evenings when the prairie lay white and silent in the Arctic frost, and +no furs would protect one against the cold. At such times, Harding sat +quietly by the red-hot stove, sometimes with a notebook in his hand, and +sometimes merely thinking hard. Many barriers stood between him and the +girl he loved, and, being essentially practical, he considered how he +could remove the worst. Beatrice had been luxuriously brought up, and he +must have material advantages to offer her; although if she were what he +believed, she would not attach undue importance to them. He was +ambitious and generally ready to take a risk, but now he was staking his +all on an abundant crop. It could not be done rashly. Adverse +contingencies must be foreseen and guarded against; all the precautions +that experience dictated must be taken. He would be ruined if he lost. + +The days were lengthening, though the frost still held, when his +steam-plow arrived at the railroad settlement. No one seemed willing to +undertake its transport to Allenwood; and when a thing was extremely +difficult Harding believed in doing it himself. The machine had been +dismantled, but some of the engine-castings were massive, and the +boiler, with its large, wood-burning firebox was of considerable weight. +It must, however, be moved at once, because the frost might break, and +the prairie is impassable by loaded vehicles for a few weeks after the +thaw. As a rule, the snowfall is light on the Western plains, and +jumper-sleds are not in general use. In this instance Harding found the +long, high-wheeled wagon suit his purpose best, and he carefully +strengthened one before he set off to bring home the plow. + +It was not an easy task. The high plain sloped to the railroad in +wave-like undulations, with sandy crests and timber in the hollows. In +summer, it would hardly have been possible to haul the plow across this +belt of broken country, but the few inches of beaten snow on the trail +simplified the task. For all that, Harding spent several days on the +road, moving the machine in detachments, until he came to the boiler, +which must be handled in one piece. When, with the help of several +train-men, he got it into his wagon, he knew his troubles had begun. + +Leaving the settlement at dawn with Devine, they camped at sunset by a +frozen creek and got a few hours' sleep beside a fire until the cold +awakened them. After this, Harding lay thinking over the next day's work +until the sky began to whiten in the east, and it was time to get +breakfast. + +They set off in the stinging cold while the crimson sunrise glared +across the snow, but it was afternoon and the teams were worn out when +they approached the ravine a few miles from home. This, they knew, +presented their greatest obstacle. The frost held, sky and air were +clear, and a nipping wind had risen. As they drew near the wavy line of +trees that marked the edge of the dip, Harding was not pleased to notice +a group of people. He had arranged for two of the Allenwood men to meet +him with some tackle, but he saw that Hester, Beatrice, Mrs. Broadwood, +and several more had accompanied them. He was not often self-conscious, +but when he had anything difficult to do he did not like onlookers. They +embarrassed him. + +For all that, he felt a keen thrill of pleasure when Beatrice, with Mrs. +Broadwood, came toward him when he stopped his team on the edge of the +hollow. The sides of the ravine were clothed with leafless poplars, and +the snow shone a soft gray-blue in their shadow. In places, the slope +was very steep, and the trail, with several awkward bends, ran down +diagonally to the bridge at the bottom, shut in by rows of slender +trunks except where the ground fell away on its outer edge. A thin cloud +of steam hung over the jaded horses. Except for the sparkle in his eyes, +Harding had a very tired look when Beatrice stopped beside him. + +"It will not be easy getting down," she said. + +Harding smiled. + +"I suppose I deserve some trouble?" + +"I really think you do," Beatrice answered with a laugh. "I would have +stopped you if I could; but now the plow's here, it's too late to be +disagreeable about it--so I don't wish you any difficulty in getting +down!" + +"It's a sensible attitude. Fight against a thing you don't like, but +make the best of it when it's an accomplished fact." + +"I don't like steam-plows at Allenwood," said Beatrice with a flush of +color. + +"Allenwood is hifalutin," Mrs. Broadwood put in. "They're trying to run +it on ideals." + +"Is it necessary to separate ideals from practical efficiency?" Harding +asked. + +"They don't often go together," Beatrice answered scornfully. + +"There's some truth in that. But it's the fault of human nature; you +can't blame the machines." + +"The machines are to be admired," the girl returned. "One blames the men +who use them with the wrong object." + +Harding smiled; but before he could answer, Broadwood came up with +Kenwyne to announce that everything was ready. + +"You'll have to be careful," he warned Harding. "We'll lock the back +wheels before we hook on the tackles. Will you let the front team +loose?" + +"No; I may want them to swing me round the bends. First of all, I'll +take a look at what you've done." + +He walked down the trail with them and examined the fastenings of a big +iron block through which ran a wire rope with a tackle at one end. + +"The clevis is rather small, but it's the strongest I could find," +Kenwyne said. + +A little farther on they stopped where the bank fell nearly +perpendicularly for some distance below the outer edge of the road. + +"We banked the snow up here and beat it firm," he pointed out. "For all +that, it would be wise to keep well to the inside." + +"We'll shift the tackle when I get to the bend above," Harding replied, +and went down to the bridge. It was rudely built of logs and had no +parapet. + +"I found the turn awkward the last time, but I see you have made it a +bit easier," he said. "Well, we'd better make a start." + +Lance and one or two others joined them when they reached the top. +Harding examined the wagon and harness, and Beatrice watched him with +interest. He certainly lived up to his belief in efficiency, because she +did not think he omitted any precaution he could have taken. There was +something to admire in him as he quietly moved about beside the horses +and the ponderous mass of iron. It would not be an easy matter to +transport the load to the bottom of the gorge, but Beatrice felt that he +was at his best when confronting a difficulty. + +"The locked wheels won't hold her if anything goes wrong," he said. +"Keep all the strain you can upon the rope." + +They hooked it to the back axle, and Harding cautiously led the team +down the incline while Devine went to the leading horses' heads, and the +others checked the wagon with the tackle. The teams were obviously +nervous, and the pole-horses now and then lifted their haunches to hold +back the load, although they did not feel much of its weight. After some +trouble Harding got the wagon round the first turning, taking the +leaders up the side of the ravine in order to do so; but the trail ahead +was steeper, and the big drop not far below. They chocked the wheels +with logs while they moved the tackle, and Harding stood for a few +moments, breathing heavily, as he looked down into the gorge. He could +see the snowy trail wind for a short distance among the trees, and then +it dipped out of sight beyond a turn. It was beaten hard, and here and +there its surface caught a ray of light and flashed with an icy gleam. +They were half-way down; but the worst was to come. + +"It's an ugly bit," he cautioned Devine. "Hold the leaders in to the +side of the hill." + +They started, and as the weight came upon them the blocks screamed, and +the men began to strain against the drag of the rope. Foot by foot they +let it slip round the smooth trunk of a tree, while the women stood +watching the tall figure at the pole-horses' heads. The powerful animals +braced themselves back, slipping a yard or two now and then, while +Harding broke into a run. The cloud of steam that hung over them grew +thicker as the trees closed in; the tackle was running out and those who +held it were panting hard, but they had rope enough to reach the next +bend. + +Then there was a crash and Kenwyne, reeling backward with those behind +him, fell heavily into the snow while the broken wire struck the trees. +A shout from Devine came up the hollow, and Hester clenched her hand as +she saw him flung off by a plunging horse and roll down the trail. He +dropped over the edge, but the wagon, lurching violently, went on, and +for a few moments Harding, running fast, clung to the near horse's head. +Then he let go; but instead of jumping clear, as the watchers had +expected, he grasped the side of the wagon as it passed and swung +himself up. They saw him seize the reins, standing upright behind the +driving-seat; and then the wagon plunged out of sight among the trees. + +Devine, scrambling to his feet, ran madly after it and vanished; and the +men who had held the tackle picked themselves up and looked down in +dismay. There was nothing they could do. The disaster must happen before +they could possibly reach the scene. It seemed impossible that Harding +could get round the next turn. + +Beatrice cast a quick glance at Hester, and felt braced by her attitude. +They were not emotional at Allenwood; but the prairie girl bore herself +with a stoic calm which Beatrice had never seen equaled there. Her +fiance had narrowly escaped with his life, her brother was in imminent +peril, yet her eyes were steady and her pose was firm. His danger could +not be made light of, but the girl evidently had confidence in him. +Beatrice imagined that Hester had her brother's swiftness of action, +nevertheless she could wait and suffer calmly when there was nothing +else to be done. After all, stern courage was part of the girl's +birthright, for she was a daughter of the pioneers. + +Beatrice did not know that her own face was tense and white. The +accident had been unexpected and unnerving. She was shaken by its +suddenness and by a dread she could not explain: it was no time for +analysis of feelings. She was watching the trail with desperate +concentration, wondering whether the wagon and its reckless driver would +break out from the trees. In a moment they did appear--the team going +downhill at a mad gallop, Harding lashing them with a loop of the reins. +There is not often a brake on a prairie wagon, and as the chain that +locked the wheels had obviously broken, Harding's intention was plain. +He meant to keep the horses ahead of the iron load that would overturn +the wagon and mangle the animals if it overtook them. This warranted his +furious speed. But the trail was narrow and tortuous, and with the heavy +weight spread over a long wheel-base, the wagon was hard to steer. +Beatrice realized this, but in spite of her horror she felt a thrill of +fierce approval. + +The man was standing upright now; he looked strangely unmoved. Beatrice +supposed this was a delusion; but she could see the nerve and judgment +with which he guided the team. They were passing the spot where the bank +fell away. The wheels on one side were on its edge. Beatrice turned +dizzy. She felt that they must go over, and man and horses and wagon be +crushed to pulp beneath the heavy load. They passed; but there was a +turn not far off, and room was needed to take the curve. As they rushed +on, half hidden by the trees, she felt her breath come hard and a +contraction in her throat as she wondered whether he could get round. If +not, the load of iron would rush headlong over the fallen horses, +leaving in its path a mass of mangled flesh and pools of blood. To her +excited imagination, the boiler was no longer a senseless thing. It +seemed filled with malevolent, destructive power; she felt she hated it. + +There was a tense moment; then the leading horses plunged from the trees +with the pole-team behind them, all still on their feet. Harding had +somehow steered them round. But the danger was not yet over, for the +trail shelved to one side and there was an awkward curve near the +bridge. The wagon seemed to Beatrice to be going like the toboggans she +had seen on the long slide at Montreal. It was more difficult to see as +it got farther off and the trees were thicker. Her eyes filled with +water from the intensity of her gaze, and she feared to waste a moment +in wiping them. Something terrible might happen before she could see +again. She wanted to shriek; and she might have done so only that, even +in such a moment, she remembered what was expected of the Mowbray +strain. Horses and wagon were still rushing on. Then there was a thud +and a harsh rattle: Harding was on the bridge. Another moment and the +mad beat of hoofs slackened and stopped. + +Lance, waving his fur cap, broke into a harsh, triumphant yell, and the +rest of the Allenwood men set up a cheer. In the midst of it Devine +appeared, scrambling up the hill through the brush. + +"He's done it! He's done it!" he cried excitedly, running up to Hester. +"It's great! She was going like an express freight on a downgrade when +he jumped up." + +Hester smiled at him proudly, and he turned and started off at top speed +down the trail. They all followed, and, crossing the bridge, found +Harding standing by his blowing team. The horses' coats were foul with +sweat, and Harding's face was badly scratched, but he did not seem to +know it, and except that he was breathless he looked much as usual. + +"This is quite ridiculous!" Mrs. Broadwood panted, with a keen glance at +Beatrice. "There's some excuse for Hester, but I can't see why you and I +should go running after a man who doesn't belong to either of us and +seems to feel a good deal cooler than we do!" + +Beatrice flushed, but she did not answer. + +"You were lucky in getting down," Kenwyne said to Harding. "We thought +you were going over the bank." + +"So did I, at first," Harding answered. + +Broadwood and Lance made some remarks about the accident, and Hester +watched them with a smile. There was a hint of strain in their voices, +but their manner was very matter-of-fact. She surmised that they wished +to forget their relapse into emotional excitement. She contented herself +with giving her brother a quick, expressive look. + +Harding unhooked the broken wire from the back of the wagon. + +"Well," he said, "we must set about getting up." + +The ascending trail had a gentler slope, and there was not much risk in +climbing it; though it cost them heavy labor. With the help of a yoke of +oxen, they got the wagon up, and when the top was reached Kenwyne came +up to Harding. + +"You and Devine have done enough," he said. "There should be no trouble +now. We'll lead the teams home while you take it easy." + +Harding was glad to comply. He followed with Hester and Mrs. Broadwood, +because Beatrice seemed so evidently trying to avoid him. + +The girl felt disturbed. When she thought that Harding could not escape, +a curious sense of personal loss had intensified her alarm. Terror, of +course, was natural; the other feeling was not to be explained so +readily. Although she disliked some of his opinions, she knew that he +attracted her. His was a magnetic nature: he exerted a strong influence +over every one; but she would not admit that she was in love with him. +That would be absurd. And yet she had been deeply stirred by his danger. + +Lance and Devine had lingered in the rear, and the little group stopped +in the middle of the trail and waited for them. Then, when they moved +forward again, Beatrice and Harding were somehow thrown together, and +she checked the impulse to overtake the others when she saw that she and +the prairie man were falling behind. To avoid being alone with him would +exaggerate his importance. + +"You must have known you were doing a dangerous thing when you got up on +the wagon," she said. + +"I suppose I did," he replied. "But I saw that I might lose the boiler +if it went down the bank. The thing cost a good deal of money." + +"You were able to remember that?" + +"Certainly! Then there were the teams. It would have been a pity to let +them be killed." + +Beatrice thought he might have offered a better explanation. He had +implied that anxiety about the boiler had influenced him more than +regard for his horses. She felt that she must give him an opportunity +for defending himself. + +"I wonder which consideration counted most?" + +He looked at her with amusement; and she flushed as she suddenly +recalled that he was sometimes very shrewd. + +"Well," he said, "the main thing was to get hold of the reins--and I +don't know that it matters now." + +"I suppose not," Beatrice agreed, vexed that he did not seem anxious to +make the best impression. "After all, breaking land on a large scale +must be expensive, and I understand that your plans are ambitious." + +Harding glanced across the prairie: it ran back to the blue smear of +trees on the horizon, covered with thin snow, and struck a note of utter +desolation. + +"Yes," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "All this looks lifeless and +useless now, but I can see it belted with wheat and oats and flax in the +fall. There will be a difference when the binders move through the grain +in rows." + +"In rows!" + +"We'll want a number, if all goes well. Devine's land follows my +boundary, and we must drive our plows in one straight line. We begin at +the rise yonder and run east to the creek." + +The boldness of the undertaking appealed to the girl as she glanced +across the wide stretch of snow. + +"It's a big thing," she said. + +"A beginning. Two men can't do much, but more are coming. In a year or +two the wheat will run as far as you can see, and there'll be homesteads +all along the skyline." + +They walked on in silence for a moment; then he gave her an amused +glance. + +"I guess Colonel Mowbray doesn't like what I'm doing?" + +"He doesn't go so far. It's to what you are persuading our friends to do +that he objects." + +"That's a pity. They'll have to follow--not because I lead, but because +necessity drives." + +"You're taking it for granted that it does drive; and you must see my +father's point of view." + +"That I'm encouraging your people to rebel? That's not my wish, but he +can't hold them much longer--the drift of things is against him." + +Beatrice's eyes sparkled. He thought she looked very charming with her +proud air and the color in her face; but he must keep his head. He was +readjusting his opinions about sudden, mutual love, and he saw that +precipitation might cost him too much. If he could not have the girl on +his own terms, he must take her on hers. + +"Colonel Mowbray founded the settlement," Beatrice said, "and it has +prospered. Can't you understand his feelings when he sees his control +threatened?" + +"The time when one man could hold full command has gone. He can be a +moral influence and keep the right spirit in his people, but he must +leave them freedom of action." + +"That is just the trouble! It's the modern spirit which you are bringing +into the settlement that disturbs us. We managed to get along very well +before we ever heard of Mr. Harding and his steam-plow and his +wheat-binders and his creameries." + +She could not keep the slight scorn out of her voice; indeed, she did +not wish to do so. But he took it good-naturedly. + +"Do you know what I see?" he questioned with a smile. "A time when +Colonel Mowbray--and Colonel Mowbray's daughter," he added +teasingly--"will look with pride upon the vast acres of Allenwood turned +from waste grassland into productive fields of wheat and oats and flax; +when the obsolete horse-plow will be scrapped as old iron and the now +despised steam-plow will be a highly treasured possession of every +settler; when----" + +"Never!" Beatrice interrupted emphatically. "You must understand that my +father's views and yours are as widely different as the poles--and my +father is the head of Allenwood!" + +Harding looked down at the haughty face turned up to him; and a great +longing suddenly surged through him. He had never desired her more than +at that instant. His admiration showed so strongly in his eyes that the +blood swept into Beatrice's face. + +"Bee!" Lance called back to them. "Mrs. Broadwood wants you to verify +what I'm telling her about the collie pup." + +Beatrice loved her brother for the interruption. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE ENEMY WITHIN + + +It was getting late, but the Allenwood Sports Club prolonged its sitting +at the Carlyon homestead. The institution had done useful work in +promoting good fellowship by means of healthful amusements, but recently +its management had fallen into the hands of the younger men, and the +founders contented themselves with an occasional visit to see that all +was going well. Some, however, were not quite satisfied, and Mowbray +entertained suspicions about the Club. He was an autocrat, but he shrank +from spying, or attempting to coerce a member into betraying his +comrades. Some allowance must be made for young blood; and, after all, +nothing that really needed his interference could go on, he felt, +without his learning about it. Nevertheless, he had a disturbing feeling +that an undesirable influence was at work. + +Carlyon's room was unusually well furnished, and several fine London +guns occupied a rack on the matchboarded wall. The cost of one would +have purchased a dozen of the Massachusetts-made weapons which the +prairie farmers used. The photograph of a horseman in English hunting +dress with M.F.H. appended to the autograph was equally suggestive, and +it was known that Carlyon's people had sent him to Canada with money +enough to make a fair start. Unfortunately, he had not realized that +success in farming demands care and strenuous work. + +He sat with a flushed, excited face at a rosewood table, upon which the +cigar ends, bottles, and glasses scarcely left room for the cards he was +eagerly scanning. Gerald Mowbray leaned back in his chair, watching him +with a smile. Emslie, the third man, wore a disturbed frown; opposite +him, Markham sat with a heavy, vacant air. + +"Your luck's changing, Carlyon," Gerald said; "but we must stop at this +round. Markham's half asleep--and I'm not surprised, considering what +he's drunk; and the Colonel will wonder where I've been, if I stay much +longer." + +Carlyon drained his glass. + +"Very well," he consented, with a harsh laugh and a glitter in his eyes. +"As I've a good deal to get back, I'll double and throw my Percheron +team in. Does that take you?" + +Markham immediately became alert. + +"I think not. Go on, Gerald!" + +Gerald put down a card, Emslie followed with a deepening frown, but +Markham chuckled as he played. Carlyon started, and then with an obvious +effort pulled himself together. For the next few moments all were quiet, +and the stillness was emphasized by the patter of the falling cards. +Then Carlyon pushed his chair back noisily and looked at the others, his +face pale and set. + +"I thought it was a certainty; there was only one thing I forgot," he +said in a strained voice. + +Markham leaned forward heavily. + +"Fellows who play like you can't afford to forget, my boy. Know better +next time; let it be a lesson." + +Carlyon glanced at a notebook and took out a wad of bills which he tried +to count. + +"Sorry, but I seem to be five dollars short; don't know when you'll get +it, but I'll send the horses to the next Brandon sales. I dare say +somebody will help me with my plowing." + +"Don't be an ass!" said Gerald. "Throwing in the team was a piece of +silly bluff. We're not going to take advantage of it." + +Emslie nodded agreement; and Markham drawled: + +"Don't want his splay-footed beasts, and won't lend him my good +Clydesdales to spoil. Count out the bills, Gerald; his hand is shaking." + +Carlyon protested that he was a sportsman and paid his debts, but they +overruled him. + +"Silly thing to do, unless you're made," Markham declared. Then he +turned to Gerald. "What's become of the younger brother? Never see him +now." + +"Oh, he's reformed. On the whole, it's just as well, for there's not +room for two gamblers in the family. Besides, the Americans seem to have +got hold of him: they live like Methodists." + +"You mean the girl has? Devilish handsome; has a grand way of looking at +you. Ask Carlyon; he knows." + +Carlyon colored under Markham's broadly humorous gaze. + +"Miss Harding won't trouble herself about Lance," he said. "I may add +that she doesn't appreciate a graceful compliment." + +"Smacked your face?" suggested Markham with a chuckle. "Must be going. +Give me my coat." + +A newspaper and some letters fell out of a pocket as he put it on, and +he picked them up. + +"Quite forgot. Met the mail-carrier as I was driving in. Better look +what wheat is doing." + +Carlyon eagerly opened the paper. + +"Down again two cents at Chicago! Winnipeg will follow." + +"There's a certain cure," said Markham thickly. "All stop plowing. If +you do nothing long enough, 'must send the market up. Call it a +brilliant idea; wonder nobody else thought of it. You look sober, +Emslie. Come and help me into my rig." + +They went out, and a few minutes afterward a furious beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels rang out across the prairie. + +"I hope he will get home without breaking his neck," Carlyon said to +Gerald. + +"Oh, Markham can take care of himself. But we have something else to +think about now." + +"That's true," Carlyon agreed with a depressed air. "I took your advice +and told that fellow in the Pit to buy wheat; but I wish I'd heard +Harding's speech at the council before I made the deal. Now it's clear +that I'm dipped pretty deep." He picked up the letters that were +scattered among the cards and started as he saw the embossed stamp on +one of them. "It's from my broker; I'll soon know the worst." + +Gerald, lighting a cigarette, watched the tense expression of the boy's +face as he read the letter, and for a few moments nothing was said. +Carlyon looked crushed, but Gerald's position was too serious to allow +of his sympathizing much. Taking advantage of his friends' love of +excitement, he had won a number of small sums at cards, but this was of +no account against what he owed. After a moment Carlyon laid a statement +of account before him. + +"You can see how much I'm out." + +"Can't you carry it over?" + +"Impossible," Carlyon answered dejectedly. "I didn't actually buy the +grain; I've got to find the difference. Besides, what would be the use +of holding on, if wheat's still going to drop?" + +"It's awkward," Gerald agreed. "You might get some exemption under the +Homesteads Act, but this broker could sell you up. Would your people do +anything?" + +"They won't be asked. Things were not going well with them when I left, +and I guess they find it hard enough to keep Dick at college and provide +for the girls. They gave me a good start, but it was understood that I'd +get nothing more." + +"Then the only remedy is to borrow the money here." + +Carlyon laughed. + +"Who'd lend it to me? Besides, if the Colonel knew how I was fixed, he'd +turn me out of the settlement." + +"I know a man in Winnipeg who does this kind of business, but he'd +charge you high and want a bond. That means he'd seize your land in a +year or two if you couldn't pay." + +"The other fellow would seize it now," Carlyon said with eagerness. "If +I could get the money, I'd have time to see what could be done, and +something might turn up. Will you introduce me?" + +The matter was arranged before Gerald left; and two days later they were +in Winnipeg. They found Davies willing to do business. Indeed, after +making a few difficulties as an excuse for raising the interest, he +supplied Carlyon with the money he needed, and when the men left his +office he lighted a cigar with a satisfied smile. He now held two +mortgages on land at Allenwood, and he thought that he could make good +use of them if, as he expected, the loans were not repaid. Then it was +possible that Mowbray might bring him another customer. He saw a big +profit for himself, and trouble for the Allenwood settlers, when the +reckoning came. + +Shortly after Gerald's visit to Winnipeg, one of his neighbors returned +from England, where he had gone to look into matters connected with some +property he had recently inherited. His absence had been a relief to +Beatrice, and she was especially disturbed to learn that on his arrival +he had spent an hour in private talk with her father. Brand had +continually shown strong admiration for her, which she by no means +reciprocated. She did not actually dislike the man; but his attentions +annoyed her. She knew, however, that he enjoyed Colonel Mowbray's full +approval. He came of good family and his character was irreproachable; +moreover, being past forty, he had outgrown all youthful rashnesses. Of +rather handsome person and polished manners, Brand was generally +characterized by staid gravity, and Mowbray considered his views +exceptionally sound. + +Beatrice was keenly curious about what he had said to her father. She +imagined that her mother knew, but no hint was given to her, and when +she met Brand it was always in the company of others and there was +nothing to be gathered from his manner. It was, however, not often that +he displayed his sentiments. + +The thaw had begun when she walked home from the Broadwood farm one +afternoon. The snow had vanished as if by magic, and shallow lagoons +glittered among the bleached grass. The sky was a brilliant blue, and +rounded clouds with silver edges rolled across it before the fresh +northwest breeze which would blow persistently until summer was done. +Their swift shadows streaked the plain and passed, leaving it suffused +with light. There was a genial softness in the air. + +Beatrice picked her way cautiously toward a straggling bluff, for the +ponds along its edge had overflowed and the ground was marish. On +reaching the woods she stopped in a sheltered nook to enjoy the +sunshine. The birches and poplars were bare, but their stems were +changing color and the twigs had lost their dry and brittle look. The +willows in a hollow were stained with vivid hues by the rising sap, and +there was a flush of green among the grass. Small purple flowers like +crocuses were pushing through the sod. From high overhead there fell a +harsh, clanging cry, and the girl, looking up, saw a flock of brent +geese picked out in a wedge against the sky. Behind came a wedge of +mallard, and farther off, gleaming snowily, a flight of sandhill cranes. +Spring was in the air; the birds had heard its call, and were pressing +on toward the polar marshes, following the sun. Beatrice felt a curious +stirring of her blood. It was half pleasant, half painful, for while she +responded to the gladness that pervaded everything the sunshine kissed, +she was conscious of a disturbing longing, a mysterious discontent. She +would not try to analyze her feelings, but she felt that her life was +narrow and somehow incomplete. + +She was startled presently by a drumming of hoofs; and she frowned as +Brand rode out of the bluff. He had seen her, and she decided not to try +to avoid him by walking on. If she must face a crisis, it was better to +get it over. Brand got down and turned to her with a smile. He looked +well in his wide, gray hat and his riding dress, for the picturesqueness +of the fringed deerskin jacket, which was then the vogue at Allenwood, +did not detract from his air of dignity. His features were regular, but +his expression was somewhat cold. + +"I'm glad we have met, and I'll confess that I expected to find you +here. In fact, I came to look for you," he said with a smile. + +Beatrice knew what was coming. While she felt that it would be better to +meet the situation frankly, she nevertheless shrank from doing so. + +"I have seen so little of you since you came home," she said, partly to +defer his declaration, "that I haven't had an opportunity for expressing +my sympathy." + +"It was a shock," he answered. "I hadn't seen either of my cousins since +they were boys, but we were good friends then, and I never expected to +succeed them. Their yacht was run down at night, and when the steamer +got her boat out only the paid hand was left." + +"Will you go back to England now to live?" + +"I think I'll stay at Allenwood. One gets used to Western +ways--although there's a good deal to be said for either course, and it +doesn't altogether depend on me." + +Beatrice hesitated a moment, then: + +"There is some one else to please?" she asked with charming innocence. + +Brand drew a quick breath as he gazed at the young face so near him. She +was leaning against a poplar trunk, the sun fretting her with gold +between the bare branches, the wind caressing a few loose strands of +hair that were blown across her cheek. + +"I will please the girl I hope to marry," he said in a strained voice. +"She loves the prairie, and she shall have her choice. I think you know, +Beatrice, that I have long been waiting for you." + +Beatrice was annoyed to find herself blushing. + +"I'm sorry," she faltered. "You know I tried to show you--you must see +it was difficult." + +"It is not your fault that I wouldn't take a hint," he answered quietly. +"But you are very young; and I knew that I would never change." + +"You thought I might?" + +"I hoped so. I was afraid that after the romantic admiration you have +had from the boys, you might find me too matter-of-fact and staid. But +there was a chance that you might get used to that, and I made up my +mind to be patient." + +"I'm sorry, for your sake, that you waited." + +Her glance was gently regretful, and he read decision in it, but he was +a determined man. + +"It seems I haven't waited long enough," he returned with a faint smile. +"But while you will grow more attractive for a long time yet, I have +reached my prime, and inheriting the English property rather forced my +hand. After all, our life here is bare and monotonous--you would have a +wider circle and more scope in the Old Country." + +Beatrice liked his terseness and in some ways she liked and respected +him. Moreover she was offered a beautiful English country house, a +position of some influence, and friends of taste and rank. + +"You were very considerate," she said. "But I'm afraid what you wish is +impossible." + +"Wait!" he begged. "I haven't said much about myself, but I believe I +appreciate you better than any of the boys is capable of doing; I could +carry your wishes further and take more care of you." He paused with a +grave smile. "I'm not a romantic person, but I think I'm trustworthy. +Then, it would please your father." + +"Ah! You have told him?" + +"Yes; and he was good enough to express his full approval." + +Beatrice's face was disturbed, but she answered frankly: + +"Though I know you won't take an unfair advantage of his consent, I wish +you hadn't gone to him. It may make things more difficult for me. And +now, please understand that I cannot marry you." + +Brand's lips came together in a straight line. He did not have a +pleasant look; but his voice was unusually suave when he answered: + +"It looks as if I must face my disappointment. I'll do nothing that +might embarrass you. All the same, I warn you that I shall not despair." + +"You must not think of me," Beatrice said firmly. "I'm very sorry, but +I want to save you trouble." + +He quietly picked up his horse's bridle. + +"You are going home? May I walk with you as far as the trail-forks?" + +Beatrice could not refuse this, and he talked pleasantly about Allenwood +matters until he left her. She went on alone in a thoughtful mood. She +wished that Brand had not made his offer, because she knew that her +refusal had been a blow, and she did not like to think that she had +wounded him. Moreover, his quiet persistence might still prove +troublesome. Perhaps it was unfortunate that she could not return his +affection; for Brand had many good qualities, and her father approved of +him. Then, with a thrill of perplexing emotion, she thought of Harding. +In some respects, he was too practical and matter-of-fact; but she knew +that his character had another side. While he worked and planned, he had +dreams of a splendid future which she thought would be realized. He was +a visionary as well as a man of affairs; virile, daring, and beneath the +surface generous and tender. It was curious how she knew so much about +him, yet she felt that she was right. + +Harding was, however, barred out, so to speak; divided from her by +conventions and traditions that could not be broken, unless, indeed, +love warranted the sacrifice. But she would not admit that she loved +him. He loved her, she knew; but that was not enough. It was all +complicated; nothing seemed right. She no longer noticed the sunshine or +the bracing freshness of the wind as she moved on across the plain with +downcast eyes. + +Nerving herself for the encounter, she told her father that evening, +and he sat silent for a few moments, looking hard at her while she stood +by his writing table with an embarrassed air. + +"It seems to me you are very hard to please," he said. + +"Perhaps I am," she answered. "But I don't like him enough." + +"I suppose that's an adequate reason, but I regret it keenly. It would +have been a relief to know your future was secure, as it would have been +with Brand." + +Beatrice was touched. He had not taken the line she expected, and she +saw that he was anxious. + +"Perhaps it's better that you should learn the truth," he went on. "For +the last few years my affairs have not gone well. Gerald's extravagance +has been a heavy drain; Lance is young and rash; and I feel now that the +prosperity of Allenwood is threatened. The American made me realize +that. In fact, the fellow has brought us trouble ever since he came." + +"Perhaps it might be wise to take a few of the precautions he +recommended," Beatrice suggested, eager to lead him away from the +subject of Brand. + +Mowbray's eyes flashed with anger. + +"No! If we are to be ruined, I hope we'll meet our fate like +gentlemen--and it may not come to that. We have struggled through +critical periods before, and can make a good fight yet without using +detestable means." + +Beatrice was troubled. She admired her father's pride and courage, but +she had an uncomfortable suspicion that he was leading a forlorn hope. +Unflinching bravery was not the only thing needful: one could not face +long odds with obsolete weapons. + +"But they are not all detestable," she urged. "You could choose the +best--or, if you like, the least offensive." + +"Compromise is dangerously easy; when you begin, you are apt to go all +the way. I didn't expect this from you. I believed my own family +staunch, and I must say it's a shock to find the tradesman's spirit in +my children. Even Lance shows the taint. He actually is planning to sell +his riding horses and buy some machine that will save a hired man's +wages!" + +Beatrice smiled. + +"Perhaps that is better than following Gerald's example. But you mustn't +be unjust. You know that none of us would think of thwarting you." + +She crossed over to the back of his chair and put her arms around him. + +"I'm sorry you are disappointed about Mr. Brand," she said softly; "but +I know you'll forgive me." + +Before he could answer, she had slipped out of the room. She went at +once to find her mother. + +"Your father would never force you to marry a man you do not care for," +Mrs. Mowbray assured her. "So far as that goes, you have nothing to +fear." + +"What do you mean?" Beatrice asked in alarm. + +Her mother's eyes were anxious, and there was a warning in the look she +gave the girl. + +"My dear, you would not find him compliant if you wished to marry a man +he did not approve of." + +Beatrice stooped to flick an imaginary piece of lint off of her skirt. +She did not want her mother to see her face just then. + +"After all," she answered, far more confidently than she felt, "that may +never happen." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THE TRAITOR + + +The prairie was bright with sunshine, and the boisterous west wind was +cut off by a bluff where Harding sat amid a litter of dismantled +machinery. Behind him the newly opened birch leaves showed specks of +glowing green, and a jack-rabbit, which had put off its winter coat and +was now dappled white and gray, fed quietly, with a watchful eye turned +toward the unconscious man; in front, the vast sweep of grass that +flashed with a silvery gleam as it bowed to the wind was broken by the +warm chocolate hue of a broad strip of plowing. The rows of clods, with +their polished faces, stretched across the foreground; and on their +outer edge Devine, dressed in overalls the color of the soil, drove a +team of big, red oxen. + +Harding, however, was absorbed in the study of several brass rings and +coils of packing that had formed the gland of a pump. Near by stood a +giant plow with a row of shares, looking out of place among the earth +and grass with its glaring paint, its ugly boiler, and its sooty stack, +though the work that it had done was obvious. Something had gone wrong, +and Harding was trying to locate the trouble. The delay was +embarrassing, for he had a wide stretch of land to break, and the loss +of even an hour was serious. There was not a trained mechanic in the +neighborhood; and if the plow were likely to give him trouble, the +sooner he learned to master it the better. Every part of the machine +seemed to be perfect; yet the steam had gone down on the previous +evening, and he must find out the reason. It was exasperating work. + +While Harding was struggling with the pump, Beatrice came along the +trail through the bluff. Her companion, Banff, one of Lance's many dogs, +had trailed off through the bushes, his nose to the ground, and she was, +for the moment, alone. When she caught sight of Harding she stopped +irresolutely. She felt that it might be wiser to pass on without +disturbing him; yet something compelled her to wait. + +She stood watching him. He attracted her--that much she admitted; but +she persuaded herself that it was only because he was interesting to +talk to and, unlike the other men she knew, he said things that made one +think. + +Harding was so deep in his machinery problem that he did not see her. He +was once more fitting the different parts together, when Banff came +bounding out of the bushes with a glad bark and the little gray rabbit +scuttled off through the briars. + +Harding turned quickly; and Beatrice saw his eyes light up. + +"I'm glad you've come," he said, emptying a box of tools and turning it +upside down. "That isn't a bad seat--and the sun's pleasant here." + +Beatrice noticed that he took it for granted that she would remain; but, +after all, he had some reason for this, for they seldom passed without +stopping to speak when they met. + +"Has the machine gone wrong?" she asked, sitting down where the sunlight +fell upon her. + +"Yes, pretty badly. I can't find out what's the matter. I suppose you +think it's a just punishment for bringing such things to Allenwood?" + +She laughed. + +"Well, you gave our friends some offense when you brought your plow over +and broke Kenwyne's land." + +"I expected that. There'll no doubt be more remarks when I break the +piece of stiff gumbo on Lance's holding." + +Beatrice looked up sharply. + +"You mean to do that? You must know it will cause trouble," she said +with a frown. + +"I'm sorry to displease you; but this is something that must be done." + +"Why must it? Do you wish Lance to offend his father?" + +"No; but Colonel Mowbray has no cause for complaint. He gave the land to +Lance on the understanding that he worked it; there's no reason why he +should object to his using the best implements. Then, Lance is your +brother and I don't want to see him ruined." + +Beatrice blushed under his frank gaze; and because she was annoyed at +doing so, she flung out a taunt: + +"Do you think the only way of escaping ruin is to copy you?" + +Harding laughed. He loved her in that mood. She looked so alluring with +a little frown between her brows and just the suspicion of a pout on her +lips. + +"You see," he explained, in a voice that he might have used to an +offended child, "your Allenwood friends will have to make a change +soon, or they'll suffer. And their attitude is not logical. Your father +doesn't ask them to cultivate with the spade; they've dropped the +ox-teams and bought Clydesdales; they've given up the single furrow and +use the gang-plow. Why not go on to steam? After all, you're not +standing still: you're moving forward a little behind the times. Why not +keep abreast of them, or push on ahead?" + +"It sounds plausible," she admitted. "In a way, perhaps, you're right; +but----" + +"I know. There's much that's fine and graceful in the customs of the +past. But you can't preserve them without some adaptation. We're a new +nation working in the melting pot. All the scum and dross comes to the +top and makes an ugly mess, but the frothing up clarifies the rest. By +and by the product will be run out, hard, true metal." + +"You're an optimist." + +Harding laughed. + +"I'm talking at random; it's a weakness of mine." + +Beatrice sat silent a moment, looking out over the stretch of brown +furrows. + +"Do you intend to continue the breaking to where your partner is at +work?" she asked, putting her thoughts into words. + +"I'm going farther back. You can see our guide-poles on the top of the +last ridge." + +"But isn't it rash to sow so much, unless you have a reserve to carry +you over a bad harvest? Suppose the summer's dry or we get autumn +frost?" + +"Then," said Harding grimly, "there'll be a disastrous smash. I've no +reserve: I'm plowing under every cent I have--staking all upon the +chances of the weather." + +"But why do you take such a risk? Doesn't it daunt you?" + +He saw a gleam of sympathetic approval in her eyes. She had courage: it +was in the blood of those who stood for lost causes. Suddenly swept off +his feet, he determined to follow the lead she unconsciously had given +him. + +"Well," he said, leaning forward on the big plow, "I'll tell you." + +He paused with a smile, for he saw that the position he accidentally had +taken was unfortunate. He had associated himself with the machine which, +in a sense, materialized the difference between her people and him. He +did not change his position; instead, one hand moved caressingly over +the clumsy plow while he spoke. + +"One gets easily nothing that's worth having; it must be worked and +schemed and fought for. I took the risk for you!" + +Beatrice started and an indignant flush suffused her face. She was +alarmed and angry, and yet the shock she felt was not surprise. He had +once given her a plain warning, and she had continued to see him. Her +traditions took arms against him, old prejudices revived, and her pride +was wounded, but something in her turned traitor, and she felt a strange +responsive thrill. + +"You do not know what you are saying," she said haughtily, rising from +the tool-box and turning toward a spot of bare ground where the dog was +digging energetically. "Here, Banff!" Then, obeying some impulse which +she did not understand, she added to Harding: "You scarcely know +anything about me!" + +"When I met you that night at the river and saw your face in the +moonlight, I knew all that was needful." + +The answer moved the girl. She wondered whether one could fall in love +that way. But she must end the interview and escape from an embarrassing +position. + +"I am sorry our acquaintance has led to this; I would have prevented it +if I could," she said. "And now, good-afternoon!" + +Harding straightened up, and one hand clenched. + +"Stop! We're going to thrash this matter out." + +His manner was commanding and Beatrice waited, although she was not used +to obeying. + +"You were angry at first," he said. "You are rather angry now; but I did +you no wrong." + +"I admit that. But I wish this hadn't happened. It has spoiled +everything." + +"Then you liked me as a friend?" + +"Yes," Beatrice answered hesitatingly; "I'll be frank. You are different +from the men I know." + +"Then what have you against me as a lover? Character, person, manners, +or opinions?" + +She was silent a moment, feeling that she ought to go away. In staying +she was trifling with danger; but after all he had a right to be heard. + +"Oh, I know your people's point of view," he went on; "but I think it is +not altogether yours. In one respect, they're wrong. My mother was the +daughter of a bush pioneer, and in all that's most important I'm her +son; but my father belonged to your own rank. He was brought up as an +English gentleman. I'll show you the evidence I have of this some day, +though it makes no difference." + +"It must make a difference," Beatrice insisted with a surprised look. + +"It can make none. For some reason his relatives cast him off, and +declined to claim me. I don't know why, and I shall never trouble to +find out. I tell you this because I think you ought to know. It is as +Craig Harding, the prairie farmer, that I stand or fall; my own faults +and merits are the only things that count." + +"It's a bold claim you make." + +"Well," he said, "so far, I've been clearing the ground. The sure +foundation is the bed-rock of human nature, and we must settle this as +man and woman. I know what you are; I knew when I first saw you; and I +want you. I need you, Beatrice. My love is great enough to master any +doubt you may have, and to hold you safe from all harm. Then, if all +goes well, I can give you what you wish, and put you where you want to +be. The woman I marry will have a wider influence than the wife of any +man at Allenwood; a small matter in the real scale of things, but with +so much against me I must urge all I can." He paused and stretched out +his hands. "You are not afraid, Beatrice. It is not too great a venture +for you?" + +She stood still, with a tense expression, struggling against something +that drew her toward him. Prudence, training, and prejudice, urged her +to resist, and yet she was on the point of yielding. + +"I _am_ afraid," she said. "Only one thing could justify such a risk." + +"That's true; it's what encourages me. You couldn't have made me love +you as I do, unless you were able to give love in return." + +She was silent, knowing that what he said was true. + +He took a step nearer her, and his own face was tense. + +"If you can declare you care nothing at all for me, that it would cause +you no regret if you never saw me again, I'll make the best fight I can +with my trouble and leave you alone for good. You will answer honestly?" + +The color swept into her face, for she felt compelled to speak the naked +truth. + +"I can't go so far as that," she said in a low voice. "I should feel +regret." + +"Then the rest will follow! Why do you hesitate?" + +She smiled, for the matter was too serious for trivial embarrassment, +and she knew the man would force her to deal frankly with plain issues. + +"You seem so sure?" + +"I am, of myself." + +"The difficulty is that I'm not an isolated individual, but a member of +a family, and belong to a race that has its code of rules. I must think +of the shock to my parents and my friends; all the pain that any rash +act of mine might give to others. They may be wrong, but what they think +I feel, in a half-instinctive way, that reasoning can't change. I should +have to stand upon defense against my subconscious self." + +"I know," he said gently. "But the choice is one that many have to make. +One must often stand alone. It's true that I have all to gain and you +all to risk; but, Beatrice----" + +He broke off, and held out both hands appealingly to her. + +"Beatrice!" + +The girl was deeply stirred. She had not expected him to plead like +this. In her world one took things for granted and implied instead of +asserting them. At Allenwood he was spoken of as a rude, materialistic +iconoclast, but she had found him a reckless idealist; although he made +her feel that instead of being impractical he was dealing with stern +realities. She would have made the great adventure only that she was not +sure of her own heart yet. The consequences were too serious for one to +risk a mistake. + +She stood motionless, her eyes veiled by her dark lashes, and he knew +the struggle that was going on within her. In his own eyes there was a +great yearning; but a birthright of the pioneer is patience. + +"I'm afraid you ask too much," she said at last. "If you like, you may +think I am not brave enough." She raised her eyes to his; and winced at +the pain she saw there. But she went on bravely: "Had things been +different, I might perhaps have married you, but I think our ways are +separate. And now you must let me go, and not speak of this again." + +He bowed, and it struck Beatrice that there was a great dignity in his +bearing. + +"Very well," he answered gravely. "I will not trouble you again unless, +in one way or another, you give me permission." + +She turned away, and he stood still until long after she and the dog +had disappeared in the bluff. Then he roused himself with a laugh. + +"I won't get her this way!" he said half aloud, and picked up some of +the fittings of the pump. + +Beatrice went straight to her mother, for there was strong confidence +between the two. + +"So you refused him!" Mrs. Mowbray said, after listening silently while +Beatrice was telling her of the interview. "Did you find it hard?" + +"Yes," she answered slowly; "harder than I thought. But it was the only +way." + +"If you felt that, dear, it certainly was so." + +Beatrice looked up in surprise, but her mother's face was quietly +thoughtful. + +"You can't mean that I did not do right?" + +"No; there's a heavy penalty for leaving the circle you were born in and +breaking caste. It would have hurt me to see you suffer as you must have +done. Only the very brave can take that risk." + +The girl was puzzled. Her mother agreed with her, and yet she had +faintly reflected Harding's ideas. + +"Well," Beatrice said, "I shrink from telling Father." + +"I'm not sure that he need know. It would disturb him, and he might do +something that we should regret. On the whole, I think you had better +visit our friends in Toronto as you were asked. They would be glad to +have you for the summer." + +"Do you wish me to run away?" Beatrice asked in surprise. + +"It might be better for both. Harding is not one of us, but I think he +feels things deeply, and his is a stubborn nature. In a sense, it is +your duty to make it as easy as you can for him." + +Beatrice looked at her mother curiously. + +"You seem more concerned about Mr. Harding than I expected." + +"He gave your brother his coat in the blizzard and saved his life," Mrs. +Mowbray answered. "That counts for something." + +The girl hesitated a moment. + +"Well, I'll go to Toronto," she promised. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +A BOLD SCHEME + + +One morning a week or two after his meeting with Beatrice, Harding drove +his rattling engine across the plowed land. His face was sooty, his +overalls were stained with grease, and now and then a shower of cinders +fell about his head. Behind him Devine stood in the midst of a +dust-cloud, regulating the bite of the harrows that tossed about the +hard, dry clods. It was good weather for preparing the seedbed, and the +men had been busy since sunrise, making the most of it. Spring comes +suddenly in the Northwest, the summer is hot but short, and the grain +must be sown early if it is to escape the autumn frost. + +When they reached the edge of the breaking, Harding stopped the engine, +and, taking a spanner from a box, turned to look about. The blue sky was +flecked with fleecy clouds driving fast before the western breeze. The +grass had turned a vivid green, and was checkered by clusters of crimson +lilies. The ducks and geese had gone, but small birds of glossy black +plumage with yellow bars on their wings fluttered round the harrows. + +"Looks promising," Harding said. "The season has begun well. That's +fortunate, for we have lots to do. I'd go on all night if there was a +moon." + +"Then I'm glad there isn't," Devine replied; "I want some sleep. But +this jolting's surely rough on the machine. I wasn't sure that new +locomotive type would work. She's too heavy to bang across the furrows +with her boiler on board." + +"She'll last until I get my money back, which is all I want. The +rope-haulage pattern has its drawbacks, but the machine we're using +won't be on the market long. They'll do away with furnace and boiler, +and drive by gasoline or oil. I'd thought of trying that, but they +haven't got the engine quite right yet." + +"You look ahead," Devine commented. + +"I have to; I must make this farm pay. Now if you'll clear the harrows, +I'll tighten these brasses up." + +He set to work, but while he adjusted the loose bearing Devine announced +in a whisper: + +"Here's the Colonel!" + +Harding saw Mowbray riding toward them, and went on with his task. +Beatrice had no doubt told her mother about his proposal, and he could +imagine the Colonel's anger if he had heard of it. Pulling up his horse +near the harrows, Mowbray sat silent, watching Harding. Fastidiously +neat in dress, with long riding gloves and a spotless gray hat, he +formed a marked contrast to the big, greasy man sprinkled with soot from +the engine. + +"I regret, Mr. Harding, that after the service you did my son, I should +come with a complaint when I visit you." + +"We'll let the service go; I'll answer the complaint as far as I can." + +"Very well. I was disagreeably surprised to learn that you have +persuaded my friends to take a course which the majority of our council +decided against, and to which it is well known that I object." + +Harding felt relieved. Mowbray did not seem to know of what he had said +to Beatrice, and his grievance did not require very delicate handling. +Harding was too proud to conciliate him, and as he could expect nothing +but uncompromising opposition, he saw no necessity for forbearance. + +"The majority was one, a casting vote," he said. "If you are referring +to my plowing for some of your people, I did not persuade them. They saw +the advantage of mechanical traction and asked me to bring the engine +over." + +"The explanation doesn't take us far. It's obvious that they couldn't +have experimented without your help." + +"I hardly think that's so. There are dealers in Winnipeg and Toronto who +would be glad to sell them the machines. If three or four combined, they +could keep an engine busy and the cost wouldn't be prohibitive." + +"Our people are not mechanics," Mowbray said haughtily. + +"I'm not sure that's a matter for congratulation," Harding answered with +a smile. "But I never drove a steam-plow until a few weeks ago, and +there seems to be no reason why your friends shouldn't learn. You don't +claim that they're less intelligent than I am." + +"Your talents run in this direction," Mowbray retorted with a polished +sneer. + +"In a way, that's fortunate. When you're farming for a profit, you want +to be able to do a little of everything. Some of the Allenwood boys are +pretty good horse-breakers, and you approve; why managing an engine +should be objectionable isn't very plain." + +"It is not my intention to argue these matters with you." + +"Then what is it you want me to do?" + +"To be content with using these machines on your own land. I must ask +you to leave Allenwood alone." + +"I'm afraid you ask too much," Harding replied. "I can't break off the +arrangements now without a loss to your friends and myself, and I see no +reason why I should do so." + +"Do you consider it gentlemanly conduct to prompt men who acknowledge me +as their leader to thwart my wishes?" + +"Hardly so. Where you have a clear right to forbid anything that might +be hurtful to the settlement, I'd be sorry to interfere." + +Mowbray's eyes glinted. + +"Do you presume to judge between my people and me?" + +"Oh, no," Harding answered with good humor. "That's not my business; but +I reserve the right to do what's likely to pay me, and to make friends +with whom I please, whether they belong to Allenwood or not." + +Mowbray was silent a moment, looking down at him with a frown. + +"Then there's nothing more to be said. Your only standard seems to be +what is profitable." + +Mowbray rode away, and Devine laughed. + +"Guess the Colonel isn't used to back talk, Craig. If he wasn't quite so +high-toned, he'd go home and throw things about. What he wants is +somebody to stand right up to him. You'll have him plumb up against you +right along; where you look at a thing one way, he looks at it another. +It's clean impossible that you should agree." + +"I'm afraid that's so," said Harding. "And now we'll make a start +again." + +The ribbed wheels bit the clods, and the engine lurched clumsily across +the furrows, with the harrows clattering as they tore through the +tangled grass roots and scattered the dry soil. Harding was violently +shaken, and Devine half smothered by the dust that followed them across +the breaking. It was not a dainty task, and the machine was far from +picturesque, but they were doing better work than the finest horses at +Allenwood were capable of. The sun grew steadily hotter, the lower half +of Harding's body was scorched by the furnace, and the perspiration +dripped from his forehead upon his greasy overalls, but he held on until +noon, with the steam gradually going down. The boiler was of the +water-tube type and the water about Allenwood was alkaline. + +"She must hold up until supper, and I'll try to wash her out afterward," +he said. + +"You were at it half last night," Devine objected. + +"That's the penalty for using new tools. They have their tricks, and +you've got to learn them. I don't find you get much without taking +trouble." + +"I believe you're fond of trouble," Devine answered, laughing. + +They went home together, for Devine often dined with the Hardings. They +had just finished the meal of salt pork and fried potatoes when there +was a rattle of wheels. Hester was putting the dessert--hot cakes +soaked in molasses--and coffee on the table, but she went to the door. + +"A stranger in a buggy!" she announced. + +Harding was surprised to see the Winnipeg land-agent getting down, but +he greeted him hospitably. + +"Come in and have some dinner," he invited. + +Davies entered and bowed to Hester. + +"No, thanks. As I didn't know where I'd be at noon, I brought some lunch +along. But if it won't trouble Miss Harding, I'll take some coffee." + +He sat down and the men lighted their pipes; and Hester studied the +newcomer as she removed the plates. He was smartly dressed and had an +alert look, but while there was nothing particular in his appearance +that she could object to, she was not prepossessed in his favor. Davies +had already noticed that the room was of a type common to the prairie +homesteads. Its uncovered floor was, perhaps, cleaner than usual when +plowing was going on, and the square stove was brightly polished, but +the room contained no furniture that was not strictly needed. There was +nothing that suggested luxury; and comfort did not seem to be much +studied. On the other hand, he had noticed outside signs of bold +enterprise and a prosperity he had not expected to find. Davies was a +judge of such matters, and he saw that his host was a man of practical +ability. + +"What brought you into our neighborhood?" Harding asked. + +Davies smiled. + +"I'm always looking for business, and I find it pays to keep an eye on +my customers. Some of them have a trick of lighting out when things go +wrong, and leaving a few rusty implements to settle their debts. +Financing small farmers isn't always profitable." + +"They can't take their land away," Devine said. "I guess you don't often +lose much in the end." + +"Land!" exclaimed Davies. "I've money locked up in holdings I can't +sell, and have to pay big taxes on." + +"You'll sell them all right by and by, but of course you know that," +Harding replied. He gave the land-agent a shrewd look. "You have a call +or two to make at Allenwood, and would rather get there in the +afternoon?" + +"True! The boys might find it embarrassing if I showed up just now. +They're willing to do business with me, and when they're in Winnipeg +they'll take a cigar or play a game of pool; but asking me to lunch is a +different matter." He continued smiling, but Hester, who was watching +him closely, thought there was something sinister in his amusement as he +added: "They stick to the notions they brought from the Old Country, and +I don't know that they'll find them pay." + +"I shouldn't imagine all the business you'd get at Allenwood would have +made a trip from Winnipeg worth while," Harding said. + +"That's so," Davies agreed, as if eager to explain. "I'd a call in +Brandon, and wanted to look up some customers in the outlying +settlements. When I got so far, I thought I'd come on and see how this +country's opening up. I notice the boys are doing pretty well." + +"You don't mean at Allenwood? You haven't been there yet." + +"No; this is my first trip, and I expect it will be my last. Is there +much doing yonder?" + +"The land's all right. They hauled out some fine wheat last fall. +Stock's better than the usual run, and they've the finest light horses +I've seen." + +"That's more in their line than farming," Davies replied. "You wouldn't +call raising horses a business proposition just now?" + +Hester thought the men were fencing, trying to learn something about +each other's real opinions. Craig looked careless, but Hester was not +deceived. She knew him well, and saw that he was thinking. + +"Prices are certainly low; but it strikes me you had better keep out of +Colonel Mowbray's way," Harding said. "If he suspected that any of the +boys had dealings with you, he'd make trouble, and probably insist upon +paying you off." + +Davies looked hard at him. He was not prepared to admit that he had lent +money at Allenwood, but he could not tell how much Harding knew. + +"One seldom objects to being paid a debt. Has the Colonel much money to +spare?" + +"I don't know; I can't claim to be a friend of his." + +"Well, it doesn't matter, as I've nothing to do with him. Now that I'm +here, I'll say that I'd be glad to accommodate you and your partner if +you want to extend your operations or hold on for better prices at any +time. You're putting in a big crop." + +"Thanks; I don't think we'll make a deal," Devine drawled. "We don't +farm for the benefit of another man. When I haul my wheat to the +elevators I want the money myself, and not to turn it over to somebody +else, who'll leave me a few pennies to go on with." + +Davies took his leave soon afterward, and Devine and Harding went back +to the plow. They had some trouble in keeping steam, and after a little +the heavy engine sank into the soft soil as they crossed a hollow where +the melting snow had run. The ribbed wheels went in deeper as they +crushed down the boggy mold, and ground up the fence posts the men +thrust under them. Before long they were embedded to the axle, and +Harding turned off the steam. + +"Bring the wagon and drop me off a spade as you pass," he said. "I'll +dig her out while you drive to the bluff and cut the biggest poplar logs +you can find." + +When Devine hurried away he sat down and lighted his pipe. Until he got +the spade there was nothing to be done and much to think about. To begin +with, Davies' visit had turned his attention upon a matter that had +already occupied his thoughts, and proved it worth consideration. The +Allenwood homesteads were the best in the country, the settlement was +fortunately located, and its inhabitants were people of intelligence. +Their progress had been retarded by customs and opinions out of place on +the prairie, but they might go a long way if these were abandoned. They +were farming on the wrong lines, and wasting effort, but Harding did not +think this would continue. Already some among them were pressing for a +change. Harding was ready to work his big farm alone, but he looked to +Allenwood for help that would benefit all. + +The matter, however, had a more important side. Although Beatrice had +refused him he did not despair; she had shown that she did not regard +him with complete indifference. It was not his personal character, but +his position and her father's hostility that stood in the way, and these +were obstacles that might be overcome. He could expect nothing but the +Colonel's stern opposition, and he must carefully arm himself for the +fight; he did not undervalue the power of his antagonist. + +Devine returned and threw him down a spade, and for the next hour +Harding worked steadily, digging a trench to the buried wheels and +beating its bottom flat. When his comrade came back they lined it with +the logs he brought, and Harding started the engine. The machine shook +and rattled, straining and panting under a full head of steam, but the +wheels churned furiously in the soil and smashed the ends of the logs +they bit upon. One big piece shot out of the trench and narrowly missed +Devine, who fell among the harrows when he jumped. Harding stopped the +engine as his friend got up. + +"This won't do," he said. "We'll cut a log into short billets." + +They packed some, split into sections, under the wheels, and Harding +restarted the engine. + +"Now," he said, "you can shove the rest in as she grinds them down." + +The wheels spun, splintering the timber, rising a few inches and sinking +again, while the big machine shook and tilted in danger of falling over. +Harding, standing on the slippery plates, opened the throttle wide, and +after a while the front rose to a threatening height while the logs +groaned and cracked. + +"Stand clear!" he cried. "She's climbing out!" + +The engine straightened itself with a dangerous lurch, rolled forward, +gathering speed, and ran out on to firmer ground. They had no further +trouble, and when dusk settled down and the air grew sharp, Harding drew +the fire and blew the water out of the boiler. + +"After all, we have done pretty good work to-day," he said. "I'll come +back and tend to those tubes as soon as she cools." + +They went home together, and after supper was finished, they sat smoking +and talking in the kitchen. It was now sharply cold outside, but the +small room was warm and cheerful with the nickeled lamp lighted and a +fire in the polished stove. + +"The mortgage man was trying to play you," Devine remarked. "He +certainly didn't learn much. Do you reckon he has been lending money to +the Allenwood boys?" + +"I think it's very likely." + +"Then, with their way of farming and wheat going down, they won't be +able to pay him off." + +"No; and he doesn't want them to pay him off," Harding answered. + +"You mean he wants their farms?" + +"Yes; he'll probably get them, unless somebody interferes." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Devine. "Who's going to interfere? ... Now _you_ have +been thinking of something all afternoon." + +Harding smiled. + +"It's possible I may see what I can do," he admitted. + +"You're a daisy!" Devine exclaimed. "It wouldn't surprise me if you +thought of buying up the Canadian Pacific. All the same, I don't see +where you're going to get the money. What do you think, Hester?" + +Hester laid down her sewing. + +"Isn't it too big a thing, Craig? You have a great deal of land now, +and even if you get a good harvest, you'd hardly have money enough to +sow another crop and leave enough to carry you over a bad season." + +Harding quietly lighted his pipe, and there was silence for a few +minutes. His sister and her fiance knew him well and had confidence in +his ability; he had so far made good, but the boldness of this last +scheme daunted them. + +"Farming has two sides," he said presently. "You want to raise the best +and biggest crop you can; and then you want to handle your money well. +That's where many good farmers fail. Bank your surplus and you get +market interest, but nothing for your knowledge and experience. The +money ought to be put into new teams and the latest machines, and after +that into breaking new land. If you make a profit on two hundred acres, +you'll increase it by a third when you break a hundred acres more, not +to mention what you save by working on a larger scale. Well, I see what +could be done with a united Allenwood where every man worked jointly +with the rest, but the settlement needs a head." + +"It has one. Colonel Mowbray is not likely to give up his place," Hester +answered. + +"He may not be able to keep it. There's another claimant--this fellow +Davies, and he's not a fool. I can't tell you yet whether I'll make a +third. It wants thinking over." + +The others did not reply. They agreed that the matter demanded careful +thought. After a short silence, Hester changed the subject. + +"I saw Mrs. Broadwood to-day, and she told me that Miss Mowbray had +gone East for the summer. As she had spoken about staying at Allenwood +all the year, Mrs. Broadwood was surprised." + +Harding betrayed his interest by an abrupt movement, yet he made no +answer. On the whole the news was encouraging. He would miss Beatrice, +but, on the other hand, it looked as if she had gone away to avoid him, +and she would not have done so had she been unmoved by what he said to +her. He regretted that he had driven her away; of course he might be +mistaken, but there was hope in the suspicion he entertained. + +"Well," he said, after a minute or two, "I'll go along and fix that +boiler." + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +HARVEST HOME + + +It was a good summer at Allenwood, for the June rains were prolonged. +The mornings broke cool and breezy, but, as a rule, at noon the clouds +which had sailed eastward singly began to gather in compact banks. Then +would come a roll of thunder and a deluge that might last an hour, after +which the prairie lay bright in the sunshine until evening fell. The +grass rippled across the waste in waves of vivid green, with flowers +tossing beneath the gusts like wreaths of colored foam. Wild barley +raised its spiky heads along the trails, and in the hollows the natural +hay grew rank and tall. No sand blew from the bare ridges to cut the +tender grain, which shot up apace and belted the prairie with its darker +verdure. + +Harding found full scope for his energies. He worked late and early in +the fierce July heat. He had bought heavy horses because he could not +reap by steam, and he had to build barns and stables of ship-lap lumber. +Then there was prairie hay to cut, and after stripping the nearer +hollows he must drive far across the plain to seek grass long enough in +the sloos where the melted snow had run in the spring. This brought him +into collision with Mowbray, who came upon him one morning driving a +mower through dusty grass which the Colonel had marked down for his own. +Perhaps what annoyed the old man most was to see the American using an +extra horse and a knife that would cut a wider swath than any at +Allenwood. He thought this a sign of the grasping spirit of the times. + +Mowbray contended that the grass was his, because it had long been cut +for use at the Grange; and Harding replied that, as the land was +unoccupied, neither had any prescriptive right and the hay could be +harvested by the firstcomer. When the Colonel grew angry, Harding +yielded the point and suggested that the sloos be mown turn about. To +this Mowbray agreed reluctantly, because he saw he could not keep in +front of a rival who had with perverse unfairness provided himself with +better implements. + +After the hay was gathered Harding's new buildings had to be roofed, and +when the house grew insufferably hot Hester baked and cooked and washed +in a lean-to shed. + +In the meanwhile, the grain was ripening fast, and when the riotous +Northwest wind began to die away the oats turned lemon and silver, and +the wheat burnished gold. The mornings were now sharply cold, and as the +green sunset faded the air grew wonderfully bracing. + +Harding and Devine had been working steadily for fourteen hours a day, +but they must nerve themselves for a last tense effort. After the great +crop had been hauled to the elevators there would be time to rest, but +until this was done the strain both were feeling must be borne. The new +binders were got out when the Ontario harvesters, who had been engaged +by Harding's agents, began to arrive, bringing with them a Chinese cook. +Western harvesters are generously fed, and Harding would not have his +sister overtaxed. + +Soon after he started his harvest, Beatrice returned from Toronto. It +was late afternoon when she drew near Allenwood. She was tired with the +long journey, but she did not object when Lance made a round which would +take them past Harding's farm. He said the longer trail was smoother. + +The sun hung large and red on the horizon; the air was clear; and the +crimson light raked the great field of grain. In the foreground the +stooked sheaves, standing in long ranks, cast blue shadows across the +yellow stubble; farther back the tall wheat ran, it seemed, right across +the plain, shining in the sunset like burnished copper. Above the +crimson on the prairie's edge the sky was coldly green. + +At first it was the magnitude of the field and its glow of color that +struck the girl. Harvest scenes were not new to her, and, indeed, she +seldom gazed on one without feeling stirred; but she had never seen a +harvest like this. It filled her with a sense of Nature's bounty and the +fruitfulness of the soil, but as her eyes grew accustomed to the glaring +light she noticed signs of human activity. The splendid crop had not +sprung up of itself. It was the reward of anxious thought and sturdy +labor, and she began to appreciate the bold confidence of the man who +had planted it. + +Along the wall of wheat moved a row of machines, marshaled in regular +order and drawn by dusty teams. She could see by the raw paint that most +of them were new; and, leaning back in her seat, she listened to their +rhythmic clink. Noting their even distance, and the precision with which +the sheaves they flung aside rose in stooks behind them, she saw that +there was nothing haphazard here. The measured beat of this activity +showed the firm control of a master mind. No effort was wasted: action +had its destined result; and behind this thought she had a +half-conscious recognition of man's working in harmony with Nature's +exact but beneficent laws. Duly complied with, they had covered the +waste with grain. Glancing across it, the girl felt a curious thrill. +The primeval curse had proved a blessing; seed-time and harvest had not +failed; and here, paid for by the sweat of earnest effort, was an +abundance of bread. + +Moved as she was, she had a practical as well as an imaginative mind, +and she noted the difference between Harding's and the Allenwood +methods. What he had told her was true: her friends could not stand +against such forces as he directed. + +"It's worth looking at," Lance remarked. "I wanted you to see it because +Harding's being talked about just now. I can't explain how he has broken +so much ground with the means at his command, but it's a triumph of +organization and ability." + +"I suppose Father isn't pleased?" + +Lance laughed as he flicked up his horses. + +"That hardly expresses it. I rather think he regards our friend's +industry as a dangerous example; but he's most of all surprised. He +fully expected to see Harding ruined." + +Just then one of the binders stopped, and its driver raised his hand. +The machines behind swung round him as they came up and fell into line +again while he busied himself with his team. A few moments later he +mounted a big, barebacked Clydesdale that came at a clumsy gallop +through the stubble and passed on down the trail. + +"It's Harding," said Beatrice. "He must have run out of twine." + +"I don't think so," Lance answered. "Harding's not the man to run out of +anything. It's more likely a bolt has broken, and he's going for +another; he'll have duplicates on hand." + +Beatrice did not wish to appear curious about their neighbor, but she +asked one or two cautious questions as they drove on. + +"Well," said Lance, "though our experiments are not exactly popular, +several of us are trying to copy him in a modest way, and I'm glad I let +him do some breaking for me by steam. The Colonel was disagreeable about +it, but he admitted my right to do as I liked; and the result is that I +have a crop partly stooked up that will make it easy to pay Harding off, +and leave me some money in hand." + +"What do you mean by paying Harding off?" Beatrice asked sharply. + +Lance looked confused. + +"I didn't intend to mention it--you'll keep it to yourself. I'd got into +a bit of a mess shortly before I was hurt at the ravine, and Harding +paid up the money-lender I'd gone to in Winnipeg. What's more, he beat +the fellow down, so that I only had to account for what I actually got." + +"Ah!" said Beatrice. "Now I understand your restlessness when you were +ill. But on what terms did Harding lend you the money?" + +"He made only one condition: that I wouldn't take another bet until I +was free again. Of course, I shall insist on paying him interest. +Harding's a remarkably fine fellow, and I mean to stick to him." + +Beatrice felt troubled by the keenness of her gratitude. She was fond of +Lance, but she knew his weaknesses, and she saw that Harding had +rendered him a great service. Moreover, she thought Lance's admiration +for the man was justified. He had turned the lad out of a path that led +through quagmires and set him on firm ground; his influence would be for +good. + +Lance gave her the news of the settlement; and when the lights of the +Grange shone out through the creeping dark, everything else was +forgotten in the pleasure of reaching home. + +Three weeks later, when the thrasher had gone and the stooked sheaves +had vanished, leaving only the huge straw wheat bins towering above the +stubble, Harding drove to the Grange one evening with Hester and Devine. +He had not entered the house for several months, and felt diffident +about the visit, but Lance had urged him to come. The Allenwood Harvest +Home was, he said, a function which everybody in the neighborhood was +expected to attend. Besides, they had been fortunate in getting a +clergyman from a distant settlement to take the service, and he was +worth hearing. + +The days were shortening rapidly, and when the party reached the Grange +a row of lamps were burning in the hall. The moose heads had gone, and +in their place sheaves of grain adorned the walls. Between the sheaves +were festoons of stiff wheat ears and feathery heads of oats, warm +bronze interspersed with cadmium and silver, and garlands of dry, blue +flax. All had been arranged with taste, and the new flag that draped the +reading desk made a blotch of vivid crimson among the harmonies of +softer color. A tall, silver lamp behind the desk threw its light on +the ruddy folds, and Harding, glancing at it, felt a certain admiring +thrill. That symbol was honored at Allenwood, standing as it did for +great traditions, and peace and order and justice had followed it to the +West, but it was not for nothing that the new country had quartered the +Beaver of Industry on its crimson field. + +He was shown a place with his companions, and Mowbray gave him a nod of +recognition. Harding felt that the Colonel had proclaimed a truce while +they met for thanksgiving. Lance and several others smiled at him as he +quietly looked about in search of Beatrice, whom he could not see. The +hall was filled with handsome, brown-skinned men, and there was +something fine, but in a sense exotic, in their bearing and in the faces +of the women. + +All rose respectfully when a young man in white surplice and colored +hood came in. He had a strong, clean-cut face, and carried himself well, +but his manner was quietly reverent. Harding felt that these people from +the Old Country knew how things should be done, and he had a curious +sense of kinship with them. It was as if he were taking part in +something familiar; though this was the first Anglican service he had +attended. + +A man at the rather battered grand piano struck a few chords, and +Harding saw Beatrice when the opening hymn began. She stood a few yards +away, but her voice reached him plainly. It was, he recognized, +singularly sweet and clear, though he knew nothing of the training and +study that had developed it. He could pick it out from the others, and +as he listened his lips quivered and a mistiness gathered in his eyes. +Harding was not, as a rule, particularly imaginative or sensitive, but +he was capable at times of a strange emotional stirring. + + "The sower went forth sowing, + The seed in secret slept." + +He had heard it sung before, and it had meant little to him, but now he +saw how true it was in a stern, practical sense. + + "Through weeks of faith and patience!" + +Well, there was need of both, when glaring skies withheld all moisture +and withering winds swept the dead, gray waste. This year, however, the +prairie had blossomed under the genial warmth and rain. Bounty was the +note that the tall green wheat had struck. But the voice he loved sang +on: + + "Within an hallowed acre, + He sows yet other grain." + +The emotion he felt grew keener; memories awoke, and a line from +Longfellow ran through his mind, "Her mother's voice, singing in +Paradise." He heard the hymn, grasping its impressive analogy while he +thought of the strong, brave, patient woman who had upheld his +easy-going father at his uncongenial task. Harding knew now what he owed +his mother. He had, indeed, known it long, but love had quickened all +his senses and given him a clearer vision. + +When the music stopped, he set himself to listen, with Beatrice's face +seen now and then in delicate profile. He saw that Psalm and Lesson and +Collect were chosen well, and that the order of these people's prayers, +with all its aids of taste and music, was not a mere artistic formula. +It was the embroidered sheath that held the shining sword. + +Harding, however, was not the only one to feel an emotional quickening, +for there were those at Allenwood whose harvest thanksgiving was +poignant with regret. It reminded them too keenly of the quiet English +countryside where autumn mists crept among the stubble; of an ancient +church with stained glass windows and memorial brasses to those who bore +their name; of some well-loved, now sleeping beneath the sod. After all, +they were exiles, and though they had found a good country, the old one +called to them. + +Mrs. Mowbray's face was sad, and her husband, who sat beside her, looked +unusually stern. + +Beatrice, with all the rich imagery of harvest before her eyes and in +her ears, was thinking of one great wheatfield, and of the man who had +reclaimed it from the wilderness. She had seen him come in, and had +noticed that he looked worn. His figure was somewhat fined down and his +face was thin. It was a strong face and an attractive one; the character +it reflected was wholesome. There was nothing about the prairie man to +suggest the ascetic, yet Beatrice vaguely realized that strenuous toil +and clean ambition had driven the grosser passions out of him. + +The clergyman walked to the flag-draped pulpit, and Beatrice tried to +collect her wandering thoughts. As he read out the text she started, for +it seemed strangely apposite. + + "He that soweth little shall reap little; but he that + soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously." + +She suspected him of no desire to attack the customs of his +congregation, for he must be ignorant of the line they took at +Allenwood, but his words were edged with biting truth. At first he spoke +of the great lonely land they had entered: a land that was destined to +become one of the world's granaries and, better still, a home for the +outcast and the poor. They, the pioneers, had a special duty and a +privilege--to break the way for the host that should come after them; +and of them was demanded honest service. To sow plenteously; to be +faithful in the minor things--choosing the wheat that ripened early and +escaped the frost, filling the seeder with an open hand, sparing no +effort, and practising good husbandry; and withal blazing the trail by +marks of high endeavor, so that all who followed it could see. + +Then he spoke of the fruitful season and the yield of splendid grain. +The soil had returned them in full measure what they had sown, and he +pleaded that of this bounty they should give what they could spare. In +the Old Country which they loved there were many poor, and now in time +of stagnant trade the cities heard the cry of hungry children. There was +one institution which, sowing with generous recklessness, sent none away +unfed, and he begged that they would give something of their surplus. + +He stopped, and Hester looked at Harding as the closing hymn began, +showing him the edge of a dollar in her glove. + +"Craig," she whispered, "have you any money?" + +He pressed three bits of paper into her hand, and, noticing the figures +on the margin of one, she gave him a surprised glance. His face was +unusually gentle, and there was a smile on it. She made a sign of +approval and softly doubled up the bills as she joined in the singing. + +Five minutes later the congregation went out into the open air, and +Harding heard Mowbray press the clergyman to remain. + +"I'm sorry, but as I'm to preach at Poplar on Sunday, I must make +Sandhill Lake to-night," he answered. "In fact, I must get away at once; +there's no moon and the trail is bad." + +He climbed into his rig, and Harding, knowing there was a twenty-mile +journey before him with a dangerous ford on the way, watched him drive +off into the dark with a feeling of admiration. When he next heard about +the man it was that he had been found in winter, returning from a +distant Indian reservation, snow-blind and starving, with hands and feet +frozen. + +While Harding was looking for Hester, Mrs. Mowbray came up to him. + +"You must stay with the others for our supper and dance," she said. "I +have made your sister promise. I think we can sink all differences +to-night." + +Harding smiled. + +"I can't refuse. Somehow I feel that the differences aren't so great as +I once supposed." + +"Perhaps that's true," Mrs. Mowbray answered thoughtfully. "Though I +dare say you and my husband must disagree about the means you use, you +have, after all, a good deal in common. One's object is the most +important thing." + +She left him as Kenwyne came up, and went to speak to one of her +neighbors. + +Mowbray had called Beatrice into his study. + +"Count this for me," he said, giving her a brass tray filled with paper +currency and silver coin. "I promised I'd send it to the bank, and I may +as well make out the form before I lock the money up." + +He went away to get a pen, and on coming back he looked surprised when +Beatrice told him the amount. + +"There must be a mistake," he said. "We have never collected so much +before." + +"I've counted it twice." Beatrice indicated three bills. "Though I think +everybody was generous, these perhaps explain the difference." + +"Consecutive numbers and all fresh; from the same person obviously," +Mowbray said and put down the bills. "Bad taste on my part and, in a +way, a breach of confidence, but you had seen them and I was surprised." +Then he counted and sealed up the money. + +The supper was served in a big, wooden barn, which was afterward cleared +for dancing, and it was some time before Harding had an opportunity for +speaking to Beatrice. She could not avoid him all the evening, and she +did not wish to do so, but she was glad that he met her without +embarrassment. + +"I've learned that you got Lance out of trouble," she said after they +had talked a while. "One way and another, he's deeply in your debt." + +"Did he tell you?" Harding asked with a slight frown. + +"No; that is, it slipped out, and I took advantage of the indiscretion." +Beatrice looked at him steadily. "It has made a difference to the boy; I +imagine he was at a dangerous turning, and you set him straight." + +"You must tell nobody else." + +"Do you always try to hide your good deeds?" + +"I can't claim that they're numerous," Harding answered with a smile. +"Anyway, I had a selfish motive on this occasion; you see, I enjoy +beating a mortgage man." + +Beatrice knew the explanation was inadequate, but she was grateful for +his reserve. He was very generous, as she had another proof, for she +knew who had given the three large bills which had surprised her father. +There was, however, nothing more to be said, and she chatted about +indifferent matters until she was called away. + +Before the gathering broke up, Harding found himself seated in a corner +of the big hall talking quietly to Mrs. Mowbray. She was interested in +his farming plans and the changes he wanted made, and she listened +carefully, noting how his schemes revealed his character. Now and then +she asked a question, and he was surprised at her quick understanding. +Moreover, he felt that he had her sympathy, so far as she could loyally +give it. When, at length, he went away Mrs. Mowbray sat alone for some +minutes quietly thinking. She could find no opening for hostile +criticism. The honesty of the man's motives and his obvious ability +appealed to her. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +THE BRIDGE + + +There had been rain since harvest, and the ground was soft when Harding +and his comrade stood beside their smoking teams on the slope of the +ravine. Pale sunshine streamed down between the leafless trees, +glistening upon the pools and wet wheel-ruts that marked the winding +trail. The grade was steep and the torn-up surface was badly adapted for +heavy loads. Harding frowned as he glanced at the double span of +foul-coated horses harnessed to a wagon filled with bags of grain. They +were powerful, willing animals, and it jarred on him to overdrive them, +as he had been forced to do. Besides, except for the steep ascent, he +could have taken his load to the elevators with a single team. + +"I hate to abuse good horses, but we must get up," he said when he had +recovered breath. "Watch out the wagon doesn't run back when we make a +start." + +Devine drove a birch log behind the wheels and then ran to the leaders' +heads and cracked his whip, while Harding called to the pole-team. For a +few moments the battering hoofs churned up the sloppy trail and the +wagon groaned and shook, the horses floundering and slipping without +moving it. Then with a harsh creak the high wheels began to turn and +they slowly struggled up the hill. Harness rattled, chain and clevis +rang, the steam from the toiling animals rose in a thin cloud, and white +smears streaked their coats as they strained at the collar. The men were +red in face and panting hard, but as they fought the grade they broke +into breathless shouts. Harding was sparing of the whip; but this was +not a time to be weakly merciful, when the load might overpower his +teams and, running back, drag them over the edge. Nor dare he stop again +and subject the animals to the cruel effort of restarting. They must get +up somehow before their strength gave out. + +Running with hand upon the bridle, and splashing in the pools, he rushed +the horses at the last ascent; and then threw himself down with labored +breath in the grass. + +"This won't do," he panted after a few moments. "We'll have to put up +five or six bags less, and you can figure how many extra loads that will +make before we empty the bins. Then, I hate to keep a man and team +standing by here when they could be hauling another load." + +"It's one of the things a prairie farmer runs up against," Devine +remarked. + +"Just so. When they can't be put right, you have got to make the best of +them; but this grade can be altered." + +"It might," Devine agreed with a doubtful air. "Do you think you can +persuade the Colonel to join you?" + +"No; but it's my duty to try. When you have helped Frank up, you can +take the extra team and haul in the cordwood. I'll be back from the +railroad about dark to-morrow." + +In the meanwhile, Kenwyne, Broadwood, and Lance Mowbray stood among the +trees about three miles farther down the ravine, looking at the trail to +Allenwood, which led along its edge. Near it the ground fell sharply to +the creek, but the slope was regular, and small trees, blazed with the +ax at intervals, marked a smooth descending line. On the opposite side, +a gully offered an approach to the prairie at an easy gradient. + +"We must have the bridge here; but it isn't a job we can manage without +assistance," said Kenwyne. "I don't want to be disrespectful, Lance, but +I hope your father enjoyed his lunch." + +Lance grinned. + +"As a matter of fact, he did; but unfortunately he read the paper +afterwards and the market report seemed to upset him. To make things +worse, I rashly mentioned that it bore out Harding's prognostications. +In consequence, I expect you'll need all the tact you've got." + +"I wish Harding had a little more," Broadwood remarked. "I can be meek, +when it's for the good of the settlement, but our friend's too blunt." + +"If he's blunt to-day, there'll be trouble," Lance replied with a +chuckle. "I imagine the Colonel's in fighting form. Here he comes!" + +It was in an unusually thoughtful mood that Mowbray rode toward them. +The steady fall in the price of wheat was sufficient to cause him +anxiety, but he had further grounds for feeling disturbed. There was an +unsettling influence at work at Allenwood; plans were being mooted which +he thought originated with Harding; and, worse than all, he suspected +that his household was not altogether with him. Gerald certainly showed +unexpected sense in denouncing the innovations; but Mowbray had doubts +about Beatrice, who seemed to be cultivating Miss Harding's +acquaintance; and even his wife now and then took the part of the +offender. Besides, there were, so to speak, portents of change in the +air, and Mowbray felt that he was being driven where he did not mean to +go. He blamed Harding for this, and thought it was time he put a stop to +the fellow's encroachments. For all that, he greeted the waiting men +pleasantly when he dismounted. + +"The days are getting colder, but it's a bracing afternoon," he said. +"Now, perhaps we'd better walk over the line of the proposed trail." + +They took him along the side of the ravine, and Kenwyne, stopping now +and then, drew his attention to a plan he carried. + +"We'll need about forty feet of log underpinning at this point, and +you'll see that it's provided for," he said. "On the next section +there's a good deal of soil to move; I have an estimate of the number of +wagon loads." Farther on he stopped again. "From here to the bridge it +will come to only a ton for every three or four yards." + +Mowbray studied the plan and some sheets of figures. + +"You seem to have thought the matter out very carefully," he commented. + +"It needed close attention," said Broadwood. + +Mowbray looked at the men keenly. + +"There's a comprehensiveness about these plans and calculations that I +did not expect from you," he said dryly. "To tell the truth, I'm +somewhat surprised by them." + +They did not answer this, and Kenwyne frowned in warning as he saw +Lance's amused expression. + +"The trail would be useful, sir," Broadwood urged. + +"I think so. Do you feel competent to make it? The scheme is bolder than +anything of the kind we have undertaken." + +"We couldn't attempt it alone. Our idea is to ask for a general levy." + +Mowbray nodded, for when they improved the roads at Allenwood the +settlers were called upon to supply labor or money according to the size +of their farms. + +"By making an effort we might get the trail cut and the bridge built +before the frost stops us," Kenwyne said. "We couldn't finish the +grading, but the snow would give us a pretty good surface for hauling +our wheat over. The new crossing would save us nearly three miles on the +journey to the railroad, and we ought to get a good load up the easier +incline without doubling the teams." + +Mowbray's suspicions grew. + +"We have not found the longer distance an insurmountable disadvantage so +far. Why should it trouble you so much now?" + +"Some of us have bigger crops this year," Broadwood said. + +"Do you think this justifies your taxing your neighbors?" + +"No," Broadwood answered incautiously. "We expect they'll follow our +example, and have as much grain as we have next season." + +"I see!" Mowbray frowned. "You are working for a change. The system we +have followed so far doesn't satisfy you." + +"But you cannot imagine, sir, that there's any danger to the settlement +in our growing better crops." + +"Of course not. It's the taint of commercialism I object to. However, +let me look at those estimates again." + +They had now nearly reached the top of the hill on the opposite side and +Mowbray, sitting down on a birch log, opened the papers. The others +looked at one another dubiously as they heard a beat of hoofs and a +rattle of wheels. + +"I notice no allowance for unexpected difficulties, which are bound to +crop up," Mowbray presently remarked. "The work will, as usually +happens, prove harder than it looks. I do not see how you can finish it +before the frost comes." + +"We expect to get it done, sir," Kenwyne replied. "In fact, we ventured +to ask Mr. Harding, who has helped us to work the scheme out, to meet +you here. He will be able to give you any information." + +"Ah!" + +Looking up, Mowbray saw Harding coming down the trail, and the loaded +wagon and the fine Clydesdale horses standing among the trees. The sight +angered him. Harding had not been ruined by his rash experiment, as +Mowbray had honestly believed would happen. On the contrary, he had +prospered, and Mowbray suspected him of a wish to flaunt his success in +the faces of his less fortunate neighbors. It was in a very +uncompromising mood that he waited for him to speak. + +"If I can get the help I want from Allenwood, I'll engage to cut this +trail on the terms of the estimates," Harding said. "If extra labor is +required, I'll provide it. You can see the advantages, Colonel Mowbray: +three miles saved on the journey to the elevators, besides doing away +with the need for using an extra team on the grade. You'll save a dollar +or two a load; on a big crop the difference will be striking. The trail +will pay for itself in one season." + +"I notice that you confine yourself to the monetary point of view," said +Mowbray. + +"I think not. There are other advantages, but I won't speak of them now; +I'd be glad to explain anything about the work." + +Mowbray's face hardened. The intruding fellow had insolently declined to +talk over any but the material benefits to be expected. It looked as if +he attached no importance to his opinions; and in one respect Mowbray +was not mistaken. Harding had ideas of progress, mutual help, and good +fellowship with which he did not expect the Colonel to sympathize. + +"I do not propose to ask any questions," Mowbray said, getting up and +giving Kenwyne the plans. "I needn't keep you; this work will not be +undertaken with my sanction." + +"But it can't be undertaken without it!" Broadwood protested. + +"I agree with you. On such matters as a general levy I have power of +veto, and I must warn you that it will be used." + +Harding turned away, somewhat red in face, and went back up the trail. +He recovered his good humor, however, when he started his horses and +walked beside them across the withered grass. The prairie was bright +with sunshine, and the wide outlook was cheering. Faint wavy lines of +trees and glistening ponds checkered the great plain; there was not a +house or trail of smoke on it. It was all raw material, ready for him +and others to make good use of. + +Presently a buggy appeared over a rise, and Harding felt a thrill of +pleasure as he recognized the team and the driver. When Beatrice reached +him she checked the horses. + +"You're going to the elevators with your grain?" she said. "How is it +you came by the Long Bluff?" + +"I went round by Willow Gulch in the ravine." + +"Then you went to meet Kenwyne and Broadwood where the new trail is to +cross? I've heard something about the matter." + +"I did. And I'm afraid I offended Colonel Mowbray." + +"So he has stopped the undertaking! I expected it." + +"No," said Harding, with a half-humorous air. "The trail will be made, +though I won't be able to begin this season." + +Beatrice looked thoughtful. + +"I'm sorry about this," she said; "it may cause more trouble. Why can't +you leave us alone?" + +"I'm afraid I am meddlesome. But it's hard to leave things alone when +you know they ought to be done." + +"That sounds egotistical. Are you never mistaken?" + +"Often, but it's generally when I get to planning what I'd like to do." + +"I don't quite understand." + +"It would certainly be egotistical if I bored you with my crude ideas," +he answered, smiling. + +"Never mind that. I want to know." + +"Well," he said, "sometimes you look about to see how you can alter +matters and what plans you can make; but when they're made they won't +always work. It's different when you don't have to look." + +Beatrice had a dim perception of what he meant, but she would let him +explain. His point of view interested her; though she knew that she ran +some risk in leading him into confidential talk. + +"I don't think you have made it very clear yet." + +"I meant that there are times when you see your work ready laid out. +It's there; you didn't plan it--you simply can't mistake it. Then if you +go straight ahead and do the best you can, you can't go wrong." + +"But when you don't feel sure? When you haven't the conviction that it +is your task?" + +"Then," he said quietly, "I think it's better to sit tight and wait. +When the time to act comes, you certainly will know." + +Beatrice pondered this, because it seemed to apply with some force to +herself. He had once urged her to take a daring course, to assert her +freedom at the cost of sacrificing much that she valued. Though she had +courage, she had shrunk from the venture, because she had not the firm +conviction that it was justified. She felt drawn to Harding; indeed, she +had met no other man whom she liked so well; but there was much against +him, and nothing but deep, unquestioning love would warrant her +marrying him. That she felt such love she would not admit. It was better +to take the advice he had given her and wait. This was the easier for +her to do because she believed that he had no suspicion of her real +feeling for him. + +"After all," she said, smiling, "your responsibility ends with yourself. +I don't see why you should interfere with other people. You can farm +your land as you think fit, without trying to make us copy you." + +"That sounds all right; but when you come to think of it, you'll see +that neither of us can stand alone." + +"We got along pretty well before you came." + +"I don't doubt it. The trouble is that what was best a few years ago +isn't best now. I wish I could make your father realize that." + +"Does it follow that he's mistaken because he doesn't agree with you?" + +Harding laughed. + +"If I were singular in my way of thinking, I'd be more modest, but all +over the country farmers are getting ready for the change. There's a big +expansion in the air, and your people can't stand out against it." + +"Then I suppose we'll be crushed, and we'll deserve our fate." Beatrice +smiled at him as she started the horses. "But at least it will not be +from lack of advice!" + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +A HEAVY BLOW + + +Snow was drifting around the Grange before a bitter wind when Mowbray +sat in his study with a stern, anxious face. The light of the lamp on +his writing table fell upon a black-edged letter that lay beside a +bundle of documents; the big stove in a corner glowed a dull red, and +acrid fumes of burning wood escaped as the icy draughts swept in. +Mowbray's hands and feet were very cold, but he sat motionless, trying +to rally his forces after a crushing blow. + +The sound of music reached him from the hall, where some of his younger +neighbors were spending the evening, and he frowned when an outbreak of +laughter followed the close of a song. He had left his guests half an +hour before, when the mounted mail-carrier had called, and he could not +force himself to rejoin them yet. He must have time to recover from the +shock he had received. Since he left the hall he had been trying to +think; but he had no control of his mind and was conscious of only a +numbing sense of grief and disaster. + +He looked up as his wife came in. Her movements were generally quiet, +and when she sat down her expression was calm. + +"I got away as soon as I could," she said. "I am afraid you have had bad +news." + +"Very bad. Godfrey's dead!" + +Mrs. Mowbray started. Godfrey Barnett was her husband's cousin. He had +been the managing director of an old-established private bank in which +Mowbray's relatives were interested, and the dividend upon some of the +shares formed an important part of the Colonel's income. + +"I'm very sorry," Mrs. Mowbray said softly. "Godfrey was always a +favorite of mine. But it must have been sudden; you did not know that he +was ill." + +Her heart sank as she saw her husband's face turn grim. The blow had +been heavier than she thought. + +"He said something about not being up to his usual form when he last +wrote, and Alan alludes to a cablegram that should have prepared me, but +I never got it. No doubt it was overlooked. He mentions that the strain +was almost unbearable--the crisis at the office--and the inquest." + +"The inquest!" + +The Colonel took up an English newspaper. + +"It's all here; Alan says there's nothing to add. I've been trying to +understand it, but I can't quite realize it yet. The paper and the +letter came together. I suppose he waited a few days, thinking he had +cabled." + +The Colonel paused, and Mrs. Mowbray gave him a sympathetic glance, for +she knew what his forced calm cost. The Mowbrays were stern and quiet +under strain. + +"Well?" she said. + +"They found Godfrey dead, with a bottle of some narcotic beside him. +The doctor gave evidence that he had prescribed the drug; it seems +Godfrey couldn't sleep and his nerves had gone to bits. The man was +obviously tactful and saved the situation. The verdict was that Godfrey +had accidentally taken too large a dose." + +"Ah! You don't think----" + +"I dare not think--he was my cousin." Mowbray shivered and pulled +himself together. "Now for the sequel. You haven't heard the worst yet, +if one can call what follows worse." + +"Don't tell me. Give me the paper." + +He handed her the journal published in an English country town and she +read the long account with a feeling of deep pity. It appeared that when +news of Godfrey's death spread there had been a run on the bank. +Barnett's business was for the most part local; and struggling +shopkeepers, farmers, small professional men, and a number of the +country gentry hurried to withdraw their money. The firstcomers were +paid, but the bank soon closed its doors. Then came the inquest, and +Mrs. Mowbray wondered how the merciful verdict had been procured. It was +all very harrowing, and when she looked up her eyes were wet. + +"He must have known!" she said. "It seems heartless to talk about the +financial side of the matter, but----" + +"It must be talked about, and it's easier than the other. I think I know +why the bank came down, and perhaps I'm responsible to some extent. When +one of the big London amalgamations wanted to absorb Barnett's, Godfrey +consulted me. I told him I wasn't a business man, but so far as my +opinion went he ought to refuse." + +"Why?" + +"Barnett's was a small, conservative bank. Godfrey knew his customers; +he was their financial adviser and often their personal friend. The bank +would take some risk to carry an honest client over bad times; it was +easy with the farmers after a poor harvest. Godfrey could give and take; +he managed a respected firm like a gentleman. In short, Barnett's was +human, not a mere money-making machine." + +"I can imagine that," Mrs. Mowbray responded. "Would it have been +different if he had joined the amalgamation?" + +"Very different. Barnett's would have become a branch office without +power of discretion. Everything would have had to be done on an +unchangeable system--the last penny exacted; no mercy shown a client who +might fall a day behind; one's knowledge of a customer disregarded in +favor of a rule about the security he could offer. I warned Godfrey that +so far as my influence could command it, every vote that went with the +family shares should be cast against the deal; although the amalgamation +had given him a plain hint that they meant to secure a footing in the +neighborhood, whether they came to terms with Barnett's or not." + +Mrs. Mowbray thought his advice to his cousin was characteristic of her +husband, and, in a wide sense, she agreed with him. He was a lover of +fair play and individual liberty; but the course Godfrey had taken was +nevertheless rash. Barnett's was not strong enough to fight a +combination which had practically unlimited capital. The struggle had +no doubt been gallant, but the kindly, polished gentleman had been +disastrously beaten. What was worse, Mrs. Mowbray suspected that her +husband was now leading a similar forlorn hope at Allenwood. + +"I suppose it means a serious loss to us," she said. + +"That's certain. Alan has not had time to investigate matters yet, but I +gather that my relatives do not mean to shirk their responsibility. +Barnett's, of course, was limited, but the name must be saved if +possible and the depositors paid. I will tell Alan that I strongly agree +with this." + +It was rash and perhaps quixotic, but it was typical of the man, and +Mrs. Mowbray did not object. + +"I'm sorry for you," she said caressingly. "It will hit you very hard." + +Mowbray's face grew gentler. + +"I fear the heaviest burden will fall on your shoulders; we shall have +to cut down expenses, and there's the future---- Well, I'm thankful you +have your small jointure. Things are going hard against me, and I feel +very old." + +"It's unfortunate that my income is only a life interest. The boys----" + +"Gerald must shift for himself; he has had more than his share. I don't +think we need be anxious about Lance. The boy seems to have a singularly +keen scent for money." + +"But Beatrice!" + +"Beatrice," said Mowbray, "must make a good match. It shouldn't be +difficult with her advantages. And now I suppose I'd better go down. I +think the effect of this disaster must remain a secret between us." + +He locked up the papers and shortly afterward stood talking to Brand in +a quiet corner of the hall. + +"If it wouldn't be an intrusion, I'd like to offer you my sympathy, +sir," Brand said. "The mail-carrier brought me a letter from my English +steward." + +"Thank you; it has been a shock. Did you deal with Barnett's?" + +"I understand they have handled the estate accounts for many years." + +"Then you will be relieved to hear that it's probable all the depositors +will be paid." + +Brand made a gesture of expostulation; but Mowbray's mind had taken a +sudden turn. + +"So you haven't disposed of your English property!" he commented. + +Brand's glance rested on Beatrice, who was standing near, talking to one +of the younger men. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and there was warm +color in her face. Her pose was light and graceful; she seemed filled +with eager gaiety, and Brand's expression hardened. + +"No," he replied in a meaning tone; "I may want the place some day. +Perhaps I'd better warn you that I haven't given up hope yet, in spite +of my rebuff." + +"I wish she'd taken you," Mowbray said frankly. "It would have been a +relief to me; but I cannot influence her." + +Glancing back at Beatrice, Brand was seized by a fit of passion. He was +a strong, reserved man, who had cared little for women--he had, indeed, +rather despised them. Now he had fallen in love at forty-two, and had +been swept away. Hitherto he had generally lived up to a simple code of +honor; but restraints were breaking down. He would have the girl, +whatever it cost him or her. He knew the strength of his position. It +might be necessary to exercise patience, but the odds were on his side. + +"This is a matter I must fight out for myself," he said in a hard voice. +"And I mean to win." + +Mowbray looked at him in surprise. There was something new and +overbearing in the man's expression which the Colonel resented, but he +supposed he must make allowances. + +"You have my good wishes," he said; "but you must understand that that's +as far as I can go." + +He moved away and soon afterward Brand joined Beatrice. + +"I must congratulate you on your cheerfulness," he smiled. "You seem to +cast a ray of brightness about the place to-night. It drew me. Being of +a cold nature I felt I'd like to bask in the genial warmth." + +Beatrice laughed. + +"That sounds stilted; one doesn't expect such compliments from you." + +"No," Brand said with a direct glance. "I'm old and sober; but you don't +know what I'm capable of when I'm stirred." + +"I'm not sure that I'm curious. To tell the truth, it costs me rather an +effort to be gay to-night. Somehow, there's a feeling of trouble in the +air." + +Brand thought she had no knowledge of her father's misfortune--it was +unlikely that Mowbray would tell her; but she was clever enough to see +the other troubles that threatened the Grange in common with most of the +homesteads at Allenwood. + +"So you face it with a laugh!" he said. "It's a gallant spirit; but I +dare say the boys make it easier for you. Trouble doesn't seem to touch +them." + +He looked about the hall, noting the careless bearing of the handsome, +light-hearted young men and the three or four attractive girls. Their +laughter was gay, their voices had a spirited ring, and the room was +filled with warmth and brightness; yet he felt the presence of an +ominous shadow. This afforded him a certain gloomy satisfaction, the +meanness of which he recognized. He knew that he could not win the girl +he desired by his personal merits, but the troubles he thought were +coming might give him his opportunity. + +Beatrice was presently glad of an excuse for dismissing him, and when +the others had gone she went to her father, who was standing moodily by +the hearth. + +"You don't look well to-night," she said. + +"I'm not ill." + +"Then you're anxious." + +"I must confess that I have something to think about." + +"I know," said Beatrice. "Things look black just now. With the wheat +market falling----" + +"What do you know about the market?" Mowbray asked in surprise. + +"I read the newspapers and hear the boys talk. They're brave and take it +carelessly, but one feels----" + +Mowbray gave her a keen glance. + +"Well, what do you feel?" + +"That I'd like to help you in any way I can. So far, I've taken all you +have given me and done nothing in return." + +"You can help," he answered slowly. "It would ease my mind if you +married Brand." + +"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Not that! I'm sorry, but it's impossible." + +He made a gesture of resignation. + +"Well, I can't force you." + +Beatrice was silent a moment. + +"It's hard to refuse the only big thing you have ever asked," she said +hesitatingly. "I really want to help, and I feel humiliated when I see +how little I can do. Mrs. Broadwood and Hester Harding can manage a +farm; Broadwood says he only began to make money after he married." She +paused, seeing Mowbray's frown, and went on with a forced smile: +"However, I can at least cease to be an expense. I have cost you a great +deal one way and another, and now you must give me nothing more." + +"I'm afraid I may have to cut down your allowance," he answered +gloomily. + +"That's one thing I can save you." She looked at him with diffident +eagerness. "I've been thinking a good deal lately, and I see that if +wheat keeps getting cheaper it may be serious for us all. Couldn't we +take precautions?" + +"What kind of precautions?" + +"Oh, I can't tell you that--I don't know enough about farming. But +perhaps we could make some changes and economies; break more land, for +example." + +"If we lose on what we have broken already, how shall we economize by +plowing more?" + +"It sounds logical; but can't you save labor and reduce the average +expense by working on a large scale?" + +"Perhaps. But it needs capital." + +"A few new horses and bigger plows wouldn't cost very much. We are +spending a good deal of money on other things that are not directly +useful." + +Mowbray looked at her with an ironical smile and Beatrice felt confused. +She remembered that she had staunchly defended her father's conservative +attitude to Harding, and now she was persuading him to abandon it. + +"This is a new line for you to take," he said. "I should like to know +what has suggested it. Has Mrs. Broadwood converted you, or have you +been talking to the Americans?" + +"I meet Mr. Harding now and then, and he generally talks about farming." + +"I suppose you can't avoid the fellow altogether, but politeness is all +that is required. He has a habit of exaggerating the importance of +things, and he can only look at them from his point of view." + +Beatrice felt guilty. Her father had not forbidden her speaking to the +man; he trusted her to remember what was due to her station. She could +imagine his anger were he to suspect that she had allowed Harding to +make love to her. + +"Kenwyne and Broadwood seem to agree with him," she urged. + +"They're rank pessimists; you mustn't listen to them. Try to be as +economical as you can; but leave these matters alone. You don't +understand them." + +She went to her room, feeling downcast. She had failed to influence him, +but it was partly her fault that she had been unable to do so. She had +wasted her time in idle amusements, and now she must take the +consequences. Nobody except Harding would listen when she wished to talk +about things that mattered. She felt ashamed of her ignorance and of her +utter helplessness. But perhaps she might learn; she would ask Hester +Harding to teach her. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +COVERING HIS TRAIL + + +It was bitterly cold in the log-walled room at the back of the +settlement store where Gerald Mowbray sat by the red-hot stove. His +deerskin jacket and moccasins were much the worse for wear, and his face +was thin and darkened by the glare of the snow. For the past month he +had been traveling with a survey party through the rugged forest-belt of +Northern Ontario, living in the open in Arctic weather, until the +expedition had fallen back on the lonely settlement to get fresh +supplies. + +All round the rude log-shacks, small, ragged pines, battered by the +wind, and blackened here and there by fire, rose from the deep snow that +softened the harsh contour of the rocky wilderness. This is one of the +coldest parts of Canada. The conifers that roll across it are generally +too small for milling, and its penetration is remarkably difficult, but +a silver vein accounted for the presence of a few hard-bitten miners. +Occasionally they ran some risk of starving when fresh snow delayed the +transport of provisions, and it was only at irregular intervals that a +mail reached them. An Indian mail-carrier had, however, arrived shortly +before the survey party, and Gerald had a letter in his hand, and a +Montreal newspaper lay beside him. The letter troubled him. He was +thankful to be left alone for a few minutes, for he had much to think +about. + +Hardship and fatigue had no attractions for him, but he had grown tired +of the monotony of his life at the Grange, and as qualified surveyors +were not plentiful in the wilds, the authorities had been glad to obtain +the services of an engineer officer. Though he was only an assistant, +the pay was good, and he had thought it wise to place himself out of his +creditors' reach. Unfortunately, some of the more persistent had learned +where he had gone, and the letter contained a curt demand for the +settlement of an account. Gerald could not pay it, but the newspaper +brought a ray of hope. He had speculated with part of the money his +father had once given him to pay his debts, and the mining shares he +bought had turned out worthless. Now, however, they were unexpectedly +going up; it seemed that the company had at last tapped a vein of +promising ore. If he could hold out, he might be able to liquidate his +most pressing debts. But this creditor's demand was peremptory and he +could not see how he was to gain time. He wished the men whose harsh +voices reached him from the store would stop talking. They were rough +choppers, of whose society he had grown very tired; and the taciturn +surveyor was not a much better companion. + +The surveyor came in before Gerald found a solution of his difficulties. +He was a big, gaunt man. Throwing off his ragged furs he sat down in a +broken chair and lighted his pipe. + +"Thermometer's at minus fifty, but we must pull out at sun-up," he +remarked. "Now, as I have to run my corner-line as ordered and the grub +we've been able to get won't last long, I can't take all the boys and +hunt for that belt of farming land." + +"Supposititious, isn't it?" Gerald suggested. "We've seen nothing to +indicate there being any soil up here that one could get a plowshare +into. Still, the authorities have rather liberal ideas of what could be +called cultivatable land." + +"That's so," the surveyor agreed. "Where I was raised they used to say +that a bushman can get a crop wherever he can fire the seed among the +rocks with a shotgun. Anyway, the breeds and the Indians talk about a +good strip of alluvial bottom, and we've got to find out something about +it before we go back." + +"It will be difficult to haul the stores and camp truck if you divide +the gang." + +"Sure; but here's my plan." The surveyor opened a rather sketchy map. "I +take the sleds and follow the two sides of the triangle. I'll give you +the base, and two packers. Marching light, by compass, you'll join me +where the base-line meets the side; but you'll do no prospecting survey +unless you strike the alluvial bottom." + +"What about provisions?" + +"You can carry enough to see you through; the cache I made in advance is +within a few marches of where we meet." + +It was not a task that appealed to Gerald. It would be necessary to +cross a trackless wilderness which only a few of the Hudson Bay +half-breeds knew anything about. He must sleep in the snow with an +insufficient camp outfit, and live on cut-down rations, with the risk of +starving if anything delayed him, because the weight he could transport +without a sledge was limited. + +He would have refused to undertake the journey only that a half-formed +plan flashed into his mind. + +"Suppose I miss you?" he suggested. + +"Well," said the surveyor dryly, "that might mean trouble. You should +get there first; but I can't stop long if you're late, because we've got +to make the railroad while the grub holds out. Anyhow, I could leave you +rations for two or three marches in a cache, and by hustling you should +catch up." + +Gerald agreed to this, and soon afterward he went to sleep on the floor. +It was early in the evening, but he knew that the next eight or nine +days' work would try him hard. + +It was dark when the storekeeper wakened him, and after a hasty +breakfast he went out with the surveyor. Dawn was breaking, and there +was an ashy grayness in the east, but the sky was barred with clouds. +The black pines were slowly growing into shape against the faint glimmer +of the snow. The cold was piercing and Gerald shivered while the +surveyor gave him a few last directions; then he slung his heavy pack +upon his shoulders and set off down the unpaved street. There were +lights in the log shacks and once or twice somebody greeted him, but +after a few minutes the settlement faded behind and he and his +companions were alone among the tangled firs. No sound but the crunch of +snow beneath their big shoes broke the heavy silence; the small trees, +slanting drunkenly, were dim and indistinct, and the solitude was +impressive. + +Gerald's lips were firmly set as he pushed ahead. Theoretically, his +task was simple; he had only to keep a fixed course and he must cut the +surveyor's line of march, but in practise there were difficulties. It +is not easy to travel straight in a rugged country where one is +continually forced aside by natural obstacles; nor can one correctly +allow for all the divergences. This, however, was not what troubled +Gerald, for the plan he had worked out since the previous night did not +include his meeting the surveyor. It was the smallness of the quantity +of provisions his party could transport that he was anxious about, +because he meant to make a much longer march than his superior had +directed. + +His companions were strong, stolid bushmen, whose business it was to +carry the provisions and camp outfit. They knew nothing about +trigonometry; but they were at home in the wilds, and Gerald was glad +the weather threatened to prove cloudy. He did not want them to check +his course by the sun. Properly, it was northwest; and he marched in +that direction until it was unlikely that anybody from the settlement +would strike his trail; then he headed two points farther west, and, +seeing that the packers made no remark, presently diverged another +point. + +Traveling was comparatively easy all day. Wind and fire had thinned the +bush, cleaning out dead trees and undergrowth, and the snow lay smooth +upon the outcropping rock. Here and there they struck a frozen creek +which offered a level road, and when dark came they had made an +excellent march. Gerald was glad of this, because all the food he could +save now would be badly needed before the journey was finished. For all +that, he felt anxious as he sat beside the camp-fire after his frugal +supper. + +A bank of snow kept off the stinging wind; there was, fortunately, no +lack of fuel, and, sitting close to the pile of snapping branches, the +men were fairly warm; but the dark pines were wailing mournfully and +thick gloom encroached upon the narrow ring of light. The eddying smoke +leaped out of it and vanished with startling suddenness. Gerald's +shoulders ached from the weight of his pack, and the back of one leg was +sore. He must be careful of it, because he had a long way to go, and men +were sometimes lamed by snowshoe trouble. + +The two packers sat, for the most part, smoking silently. Gerald now and +then gave them a pleasant word, but he did not wish their relations to +become friendly, as it was not advisable that they should ask him +questions about the march. Indeed, he shrank from thinking of it as he +listened to the savage wind in the pine-tops and glanced at the +surrounding darkness. The wilderness is daunting in winter, even to +those who know it best; but Gerald with his gambler's instincts was +willing to take a risk. If he went home with the surveyor, ruin awaited +him. + +For a time he sat drowsily enjoying the rest and warmth, and then, lying +down on a layer of spruce-twigs, he went to sleep. But the cold wakened +him. One of the packers got up, grumbling, and threw more branches on +the fire, and Gerald went to sleep again. + +Starting shortly before daylight, they were met by blinding snow, but +they struggled on all day across a rocky elevation. The snow clogged +their eyelashes and lashed their tingling cheeks until the pain was +nearly unbearable; still, that was better than feeling them sink into +dangerous insensibility. They must go on while progress was possible. +The loss of a day or two might prove fatal, and there was a chance of +their getting worse weather. + +It overtook them two days later when they sat shivering in camp with the +snow flying past their heads and an icy blizzard snapping rotten +branches from the buffeted trees. Twigs hurtled about their ears; the +woods was filled with a roar like the sea; the smoke was blinding to lee +of the fire, and its heat could hardly reach them a yard to windward. +Gerald drank a quart of nearly boiling black tea, but he could not keep +warm. There was no feeling in his feet, and his hands were too numbed to +button his ragged coat, which had fallen open. When he tried to smoke, +his pipe was frozen, and as he crouched beneath the snow-bank he +wondered dully whether he should change his plans and face the worst his +creditors could do. + +By altering his course northerly when he resumed the march he might +still strike the surveyor's line, but after another day or two it would +be too late. Still, he thought of his father's fury and the shares that +were bound to rise. If he were disowned, he must fall back upon +surveying for a livelihood. It was unthinkable that he should spend the +winter in the icy wilds, and the summer in portaging canoes over rocky +hills and dragging the measuring chain through mosquito haunted bush. He +could not see how he was to avoid exposure when Davies claimed his loan; +but something might turn up, and he was sanguine enough to be content if +he could put off the day of reckoning. + +The blizzard continued the next morning and no one could leave camp; +indeed, Gerald imagined that death would have struck down the strongest +of them in an hour. But the wind fell at night, and when dawn broke +they set out again in Arctic frost. One could make good progress in the +calm air, though the glitter was blinding when the sun climbed the +cloudless sky as they followed a winding stream. Then a lake offered a +smooth path, and they had made a good march when dark fell. + +In the night it grew cloudy and the temperature rose, and when they +started at daybreak they were hindered by loose, fresh snow. At noon +they stopped exhausted after covering a few miles; and the next day the +going was not much better, for they were forced to flounder through a +tangle of blown-down trees. It was only here and there that the pines +and spruces could find sufficient moisture among the rocks, and they +died and fell across each other in a dry summer. + +On the seventh day after leaving the settlement the three men plodded +wearily through thin forest as the gloomy evening closed in. Their +shoulders were sore from the pack-straps, the backs of their legs ached +with swinging the big snowshoes, and all were hungry and moody. +Provisions were getting low, and they had been compelled to cut down +rations. Now the cold was Arctic, and a lowering, steel-gray sky showed +between the whitened tops of the trees. The packers had been anxiously +looking for blaze-marks all afternoon; and Gerald, knowing they would +not find them, felt his courage sink. He was numb with cold, and he +dully wondered whether he had taken too great a risk. + +Presently one of the men, who had been searching some distance to the +right, joined his comrade. They spoke together and then turned back to +meet Gerald. + +"Say, boss, isn't it time we struck the boys' tracks?" one asked. + +"Yes," said Gerald, recognizing that much depended on how he handled the +situation. "We should have picked them up this morning." + +The men were silent for a moment. + +"Looks as if we'd got off our line," one of them then said resolutely. +"How were you heading?" + +"Northwest, magnetic." + +"No, sir. You were a piece to the west of that." + +"You think so?" + +The man laughed harshly. + +"Sure! I was raised among the timber; guess I've broken too many trails +not to know where I'm going." + +"Well," said Gerald in a confidential tone, "I didn't mention it before +because I didn't want to make you uneasy, but I'm afraid this compass is +unreliable. It hasn't been swiveling as it ought; oil frozen on the cap, +perhaps, or the card warped against the glass. I tried to adjust it once +or twice, but my fingers were too cold." He held it out awkwardly for +them to examine, and it dropped from his mittens. Clutching at it, he +lost his balance and crushed the compass beneath the wooden bow of his +shoe. + +Then he stepped back with an exclamation, and the packer, dropping on +his knees, groped in the snow until he brought out the compass with its +case badly bent. + +"You've fixed her for good this time; there's an old log where she +fell," he said; and he and his comrade waited in gloomy silence while +Gerald watched them. + +They did not suspect him: the thing had passed for an accident; but +Gerald felt daunted by the deadly cold and silence of the bush. His +companions' faces were indistinct and their figures had lost their +sharpness; they looked shaggy and scarcely human in their ragged +skin-coats. + +One of the packers suddenly threw down his load. + +"We're going to camp right here and talk this thing out," he said, and +taking off his net shoe began to scrape up the snow. + +Half an hour later they sat beside a snapping fire, eating morsels of +salt pork and flinty bannocks out of a frying-pan, with a black pannikin +of tea between them. The smoke went straight up; now and then a mass of +snow fell from the bending needles with a soft thud, though there was +scarcely a breath of wind. + +"I reckon we've been going about west-northwest since we left the +settlement," one of the men said to Gerald. "Where does that put you?" + +"Some way to the south of where I meant to be. Twenty degrees off our +line is a big angle; you can see how it lengthens the base we've been +working along while McCarthy makes his two sides. That means we've lost +most of our advantage in cutting across the corner. Then we were held up +once or twice, and we'll probably be behind instead of ahead of him at +the intersection of the lines. Tell me the distances you think we have +made." + +After some argument, they agreed upon them, and Gerald drew a rude +triangle in the snow, though its base stopped short of joining one side. + +"If you're right about course and distance, our position's somewhere +here," he said, indicating the end of the broken line. + +This placed the responsibility for any mistake upon his companions; but +one of them had a suggestion. + +"If we head a few points north, we'll certainly cut McCarthy's track." + +"Yes; but we'd be behind him and he can't wait." + +"Then if we stick to the line we're on, we'll join." + +"If we run it far enough, but we'll have to go a long way first. It's +difficult to catch a man who's marching as fast as you are when you have +to converge at a small angle upon his track." + +This was obvious as they looked at the diagram. + +"What are you going to do about it?" one of the packers asked. + +Gerald hesitated, because his plan might daunt them; moreover he must be +careful not to rouse their suspicion. + +"We want food first of all, and we'll have to sacrifice a day or two in +finding the cache. To do so, we'll cut McCarthy's line; this won't be +hard if he's blazed it." + +"You'll follow him after you find the grub?" + +"No," said Gerald, "I don't think so. He can't leave us much, and we'd +probably use it all before we caught him up. The best thing we can do is +to strike nearly north for the Hudson Bay post. We might get there +before the food runs out." + +There was silence for a few moments, and he waited for the others to +speak, for he had carefully ascertained the position of the factory +before he left the settlement. If they missed the remote outpost, or did +not get there soon enough, they could not escape starvation. + +"Well," said the first packer, "I guess that's our only plan, but we'll +certainly have to hustle. Better get to sleep now. There'll be a moon in +the early morning, and we'll pull out then." + +Gerald made a sign of agreement. His companions had taken the direction +of affairs into their own hands, and he was glad to leave it to them. It +relieved him of responsibility, and they were not likely to blunder +where error would be fatal. When they reached the factory he must find +an excuse for remaining until McCarthy arrived at the settlements and +reported the party missing. It would be mentioned in the papers, a +relief expedition might be despatched, and Gerald's creditors would wait +until the uncertainty about his fate was dissipated. He meant to delay +his reappearance as long as possible; but he knew there was a +possibility of its never being made. One took many chances in the frozen +North. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +THE BLIZZARD + + +Six weeks had passed since Gerald broke his compass. With head lowered +against the driving snow, he plodded slowly across the plain behind a +team of exhausted dogs. A Hudson Bay half-breed lashed the animals, for +the sledge was running heavily, and, with the provisions all consumed, +the party must reach shelter before night. There was no wood in the +empty waste, the men were savage with hunger, and a merciless wind drove +the snow into their faces. Though scarcely able to drag himself along, +Gerald pushed the back of the sledge, and the two packers followed, each +carrying a heavy bundle of skins to ease the load upon the dogs. The +white men had tried to persuade their guide to make a cache of his +freight, but he had refused. He had served the Hudson Bay from his youth +in the grim desolation of the North, and he proudly stated that he had +never lost a skin. Gerald, finding argument useless, would have tried a +bribe, only, unfortunately, he had nothing to offer. + +He had reached the factory scarcely able to walk from snowshoe lameness; +and one of the packers had a frozen foot. The Scottish agent, who was +short of stores, had not welcomed them effusively. It was, however, +impossible to turn them away; he promised them shelter, but he declined +to supply them with provisions to continue their journey. They might +stay, he said, though they must put up with meager fare, and when fresh +stores arrived from the railroad he would see what could be done. + +The delay suited Gerald; he limped contentedly about the rude log-house +for some time; but when he and the packer recovered, they found that +they were expected to take part in the work of the post. When the +weather permitted, Gerald was despatched long distances with a +half-breed to collect skins from the Indian trappers; and when +snow-laden gales screamed about the log-house and it might have been +fatal to venture out of sight of it, he was employed in hauling cordwood +from the clearing. + +At last some dog-teams arrived with stores, and the agent, seizing the +opportunity of sending out a load of furs, gave his guests just food +enough to carry them to the settlements and let them go with a +half-breed. The journey proved arduous, for during most of it they +struggled through tangled forest filled with fallen pines, and when at +length they reached the plains an icy wind met them in the teeth. Now, +however, they were near the end, and Gerald, stumbling along, pinched +with the bitter cold, speculated dully about the news awaiting him. + +His creditors could have done nothing until they learned what had become +of him. That was something gained; and there was a probability of his +being able to pay them off. The shares he owned were going up; there +would be developments when the new shaft tapped the main body of the +ore. The tip he had got from a safe quarter when he made the purchase +was to be trusted after all. Mining companies were not run solely for +the benefit of outside investors, and the directors were no doubt +waiting for an opportune moment for taking the public into their +confidence about their long-delayed success. The last newspaper Gerald +had read, however, indicated that some information had leaked out, and +he hoped that an announcement which would send up the price had been +made while he was in the wilds. + +The lashing snow gained in fury. When Gerald looked up, the dogs were +half hidden in the cloud of swirling, tossing flakes. Beyond them lay a +narrow strip of livid white, dead level, unbroken by bush or tuft of +grass. There was, however, no boundary to this contracted space, for it +extended before them as they went on, as it had done without a change +since the march began at dawn. Gerald felt that he was making no +progress and was with pain and difficulty merely holding his ground. The +half-breed struggled forward beside the dogs, white from head to foot, +but Gerald could not see the packers, and felt incapable of looking for +them. Snow filled his eyes and lashed his numbed cheeks, his lips were +bleeding, and his hands and his feet felt wooden with the icy cold. +Lowering his head against the blast, he stumbled on, pushing the back of +the sledge and seeking refuge from bodily suffering in confused thought. + +After all, he had no hope of getting free from debt. The most he could +expect was to pay off the men who pressed him hardest; but that would be +enough for a time. Gerald could not face a crisis boldly; he preferred +to put off the evil day, trusting vaguely in his luck. Looking back, he +saw that he might have escaped had he practised some self-denial and +told the truth to his father and his friends. Instead, he had made +light of his embarrassments and borrowed from one man to pay another; to +make things worse, he had gambled and speculated with part of the +borrowed sums in the hope that success would enable him to meet his +obligations. Money had to be found, but Gerald would not realize that +for the man who does not possess it, the only safe plan is to work. +Sometimes he won, but more often he lost; and the Winnipeg mortgage +broker watched his futile struggles, knowing that they would only lead +him into worse difficulties. + +Then Gerald began to wonder whether the half-breed, who had nothing to +guide him, could find the settlement. It seemed impossible that he could +steer a straight course across the trackless waste when he could see +scarcely fifty yards ahead. They might have wandered far off their line, +though, so far as one could judge, the savage wind had blown steadily in +front. It was a question of vital importance; but Gerald was growing +indifferent. His brain got numb, and his body was losing even the sense +of pain. The only thing he realized plainly was that he could not keep +on his feet much longer. + +At last, when it was getting dark, there was a cry from the half-breed, +and one of the packers stumbled past. He shouted exultantly, the dogs +swerved off their course, and Gerald felt the sledge move faster. The +snow got firm beneath his feet and he knew they had struck a trail. It +must lead to the settlement, which could not be far ahead. Half an hour +later, a faint yellow glow appeared, the worn-out dogs broke into a run, +dim squares of houses loomed out of the snow, and lights blinked here +and there. They were obviously moving up a street, and when they stopped +where a blaze of light fell upon them Gerald leaned drunkenly upon the +sledge. The journey was over, but he was scarcely capable of the effort +that would take him out of the deadly cold. + +He saw the half-breed unharnessing the dogs, and, pulling himself +together, he struggled up a few steps, crossed a veranda with wooden +pillars, and stumbled into a glaring room. It was filled with tobacco +smoke and the smell of hot iron, and its rank atmosphere was almost +unbreathable. Gerald began to choke, and his head swam as he made his +way to the nearest chair. The place, as he vaguely realized, was a +hotel, and the packers had already entered because he heard their voices +though he could not see them. There was a stove in the middle of the +room, and a group of men stood about it asking questions. Some one spoke +to him, but he did not understand what the fellow said. Reeling across +the room, he grasped the chair and fell into it heavily. + +Exhausted as he was, it was some time before he recovered from the shock +caused by the change of temperature. Some one helped him to throw off +his furs, which were getting wet, and to free him of his big snowshoes. +His sensations were acutely painful, but his head was getting clear, +and, after a while, he followed a man into a colder room where food was +set before him. He ate greedily; and feeling better afterward he went +back to the other room and asked for a newspaper. + +He turned to the financial reports; but he could not see the print well, +for he was still somewhat dizzy and the light was trying. The figures +danced before him in a blur, and when he found his shares mentioned it +cost him some trouble to make out the price. Then he let the paper drop, +and sat still for some minutes with a sense of confused indignation. The +shares had gone up, but only a few points. The rogues in the ring were +keeping information back until weak holders were forced to sell. It was +a swindle on the public and, what was more, it meant ruin to him. The +shares would be taken from him before they rose, because he could not +hope to hide his return from his creditors. + +The safe arrival of his party would soon be reported in the newspapers; +and to disappear again would result in his being regarded as a defaulter +and a statement of his debts being sent to the Grange. He had borne all +the hardship and danger for nothing! He was no nearer escaping from his +troubles than he had been when he broke his compass in the wilds. + +There was, however, one hope left. He must see Davies in Winnipeg. The +fellow was clever, and might think of something, particularly as it was +to his interest to keep Gerald on his feet. He thought he could count on +Davies' support until the loan on mortgage fell due. His thoughts +carried him no farther. He was dazed by fatigue and the shock of +disappointment. + +After vacantly smoking for a while, Gerald went off to bed. His room was +singularly comfortless, but a hot iron pipe ran through it and it struck +him as luxurious by contrast with the camps in the snowy waste. Ten +minutes after he lay down he was sound asleep. + +The snow had stopped the next morning, and reaching the railroad after a +long and very cold drive, he arrived in Winnipeg the following day and +went straight to Davies' office. + +The broker looked up with a curious expression as Gerald came in. + +"This is a surprise," he said. "We thought you were lost in the timber +belt." + +"It ought to be a relief," Gerald answered, sitting down. + +Davies looked amused. + +"Oh, so far as my business interests go, it doesn't make much +difference. I have good security for what you owe me." + +"But I suspect you're not quite ready to prove your claim to my farm." + +For a few moments Davies studied Gerald's face. He wondered how much he +knew about his plans concerning Allenwood, and, what was more important, +whether he might try to thwart them. Young Mowbray was not a fool, and +these people from the Old Country had a strong sense of caste; they +stood by one another and were capable of making some sacrifice to +protect their common interests against an outsider. If Mowbray had such +feelings, he would need careful handling; but Davies was more inclined +to think him a degenerate who placed his own safety before any other +consideration. + +"I don't want to prove it yet. It will be time enough when the mortgage +falls due. But what has this to do with things?" + +"The trouble is that you may not be able to wait," said Gerald coolly. +"If you will read this letter, you will understand, though I'm not sure +it will be a surprise to you." + +He gave Davies the letter demanding payment of his debt, and the broker +saw that he was shrewder than he thought. As a matter of fact, Davies +had been in communication with the other creditors. + +"Well," he remarked, "you certainly seem to be awkwardly fixed." + +"I am; but I suspect the situation's as awkward for you. This leads me +to think you'll see the necessity for helping me out of the hole. If +these fellows come down on me, their first move will be to try to seize +my land, and you'll have to produce your mortgage. This will make +trouble at Allenwood." + +Davies pondered. Though he had long been scheming for a hold on +Allenwood, his position was not very strong yet. He had spent a good +deal of money over his plans and, although he was sure of getting it +back, if he were forced into premature action he would fail in the +object he aimed at. It might accordingly be worth while to spend a +further sum. On the other hand, money was getting scarce with him. Wheat +was falling, trade was slack, and land, in which he had invested his +capital, was difficult to sell. Still, it was undesirable to spoil a +promising scheme for the sake of avoiding a moderate risk. + +"I understand your father's unable to pay the debt for you," he said. + +"Yes; he'd probably disown me if he heard of it. I don't expect this to +interest you, but some of his neighbors have money, and when they saw +the settlement was threatened they'd raise a fund to buy you out. You +might, of course, make them wait, but if they were ready to find the +cash, you'd have to give up your mortgages when they fell due." + +"If these men are so rich, why don't you ask them to lend you the +money?" + +"Because I've bled them as much as they will stand, and they'd think the +matter serious enough to hold a council about. This would have the +result I've just indicated. I think you see now that you had better help +me to settle my most pressing claims." + +Davies regarded him with a grim smile. + +"It strikes me that your talents were wasted in the army. You might have +made your mark in my business if you'd gone into it before you took to +betting. That's your weak spot. A gambler never makes good." + +"Perhaps. But what about the loan?" + +"Your name wouldn't be worth five cents on paper," said Davies dryly. +"However, if you could get somebody with means to endorse it, I might be +able to discount it for you. The rate would be high." + +"Men who wouldn't lend me money would be shy of giving me their +signature." + +"That's so; but there's the chance that they might not be called upon to +make good. You'll have to persuade them that things are sure to change +for the better in, say, three months. Can you do so? I must have a solid +man." + +Gerald sat quiet for a while, with knitted brows. He had been frank with +Davies because frankness would serve him best; but he understood that +the fellow wanted the signature of one of the Allenwood farmers because +this would strengthen his grasp on the settlement. Gerald saw ruin and +disgrace ahead, but by taking a worse risk than any he had yet run, he +might put off the disaster for three months. Procrastination and a +curious belief that things could not come to the very worst were his +besetting weaknesses. He shrank from the consequences that might result; +but he could see no other way of escape, and he looked up with a +strained expression. + +"All right. I will get you a name that you can take. I shall have to go +to Allenwood." + +Davies had been watching him keenly. + +"Very well," he said. "Sign this, and look in again when you have got +your friend's signature." + +Three days later Gerald was back in the broker's office. + +"Can you negotiate it now?" he asked nervously, producing the paper. + +"Yes," said Davies. "The name's good enough. I know Harding." + +After deducting a high rate of interest, he gave Gerald the money, and +then locked the note away with a look of great satisfaction. + +Harding's name was forged, and Davies knew it. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +A SEVERE TEST + + +Winter ended suddenly, as it generally does on the plains, and rain and +sunshine melted the snow from the withered grass. Then the northwest +wind awoke, and rioting across the wide levels dried the spongy sod, +while goose and crane and duck, beating their northward way, sailed down +on tired wings to rest a while among the sloos. For a week or two, when +no team could have hauled a load over the boggy trails, Harding was busy +mending harness and getting ready his implements. The machines were +numerous and expensive, but he had been forced to put off their +adjustment because it is risky to handle cold iron in the Canadian +frost. He had been unusually silent and preoccupied of late; but Hester, +knowing his habits, asked no questions. When he was ready, Craig would +tell her what was in his mind, and in the meantime she had matters of +her own to think about. All the work that could be done went forward +with regular precision, and, in spite of Harding's reserve, there was +mutual confidence between the two. Hester was quietly happy, but she was +conscious of some regret. + +In a few more months she must leave her brother's house and transfer to +another the care and thought she had given him. She knew he would miss +her, and now and then she wondered anxiously whether any other woman +could understand and help him as she had done. Craig had faults and he +needed indulging. + +Then, too, he sometimes gave people a wrong impression. She had heard +him called hard. Although in reality generous and often compassionate, +his clear understanding of practical things made him impatient of +incompetence and stupidity. He needed a wider outlook and more +toleration for people who could not see what was luminously plain to +him. Life was not such a simple matter with clean-cut rules and duties +as Craig supposed. Grasping its main issues firmly, he did not perceive +that they merged into one another through a fine gradation of varying +tones and shades. + +Rather late one night Hester sat sewing while Harding was busy at his +writing table, his pipe, which had gone out, lying upon the papers. He +had left the homestead before it was light that morning to set his +steam-plow to work, though nobody at Allenwood had taken a team from the +stable yet. Devine had told her of the trouble they had encountered: how +the soft soil clogged the moldboards, and the wheels sank, and the +coulters crashed against patches of unthawed ground. This, however, had +not stopped Harding. There was work to be done and he must get about it +in the best way he could. At supper time he came home in very greasy +overalls, looking tired, but as soon as the meal was finished he took +out some papers, and now, at last, he laid down his pen and sat with +knitted brows and clenched hand. + +"Come back, Craig!" Hester called softly. + +He started, threw the papers into a drawer, and looked at his watch. + +"I thought I'd give them half an hour, and I've been all evening," he +said, feeling for his pipe. "Now we'll have a talk. I told Fred to order +all the dressed lumber he wanted, and I'd meet the bill. The house he +thought of putting up wasn't half big enough; in a year or two he'd have +had to build again. Then we want the stuff to season, and there's no +time to lose if it's to be ready for you when the harvest's in." + +Hester blushed prettily. + +"You have given us a good deal already, Craig. We would have been +satisfied with the smaller homestead." + +"Shucks!" returned Harding. "I don't give what I can't afford. You and +Fred have helped to put me where I am, and I'd have felt mean if I +hadn't given you a good start off when I'm going to spend money +recklessly on another plan. Now that all I need for the summer's paid +for, I've been doing some figuring." + +"Ah! You think of buying some of the Allenwood land?" + +"Yes," he said gravely. "It will be a strain, but now's the time, when +the falling markets will scare off buyers. I hate to see things go to +pieces, and they want a man to show them how the settlement should be +run. They have to choose between me and the mortgage broker. It will +cost me a tough fight to beat him, but I think I see my way." + +"But what about Colonel Mowbray?" + +"He's the trouble. I surely don't know what to do with him; but I guess +he'll have to be satisfied with moral authority. I might leave him +that." + +Hester felt sorry for the Colonel. He was autocratic and arbitrary, his +ways were obsolete, and he had no place in a land that was beginning to +throb with modern activity. She saw the pathetic side of his position; +and, after all, the man was of a finer type than the feverish money +makers. His ideals were high, though his way of realizing them was out +of date. + +"Craig," she said, "it may be better for Allenwood that you should take +control, but you're running a big risk, and somehow your plan looks +rather pitiless. You're not really hard----" + +She paused and Harding smiled. + +"I'm as I was made, and to watch Allenwood going to ruin is more than I +can stand for. It would be worse to let the moneylender sell it out to +small farmers under a new mortgage and grind them down until they and +the land were starved. Broadwood and one or two more will help me all +they can, but they haven't the money or the grip to run the place +alone." + +"And you feel that you can do it. Well, perhaps you can, but it sounds +rash. You are very sure of yourself, Craig." + +"How can I explain?" he said with a half amused, half puzzled air. "The +feeling's not vanity. I have a conviction that this is my job, and now +that I begin to see my way, I have to put it through. I'm not swaggering +about my abilities--there are smarter men in many ways at Allenwood; my +strong point is this: I can see how things are going, and feel the drift +of forces I didn't set in motion and can't control. All I do is to fall +into line and let them carry me forward, instead of standing against the +stream. The world demands a higher standard of economical efficiency; +in using the best tools and the latest methods I'm obeying the call." + +"What was it that first fixed your thoughts on Allenwood?" she asked. + +"Beatrice Mowbray. I'm going to marry her if I make good." + +"You have no doubts about that either?" + +"Oh, yes; I have plenty. I know what I'm up against; but human nature's +strongest in the end. She likes me as a man." + +Hester understood him. She was to marry a man of her own station, which +would save her many perplexities, but Craig, respecting no standard but +personal merit, would have married above or beneath him with equal +boldness. It was not because he was ambitious, but because he loved her +that he had chosen Beatrice Mowbray. Yet Hester was anxious on his +account. + +"It's a big risk," she said. "The girl is dainty and fastidious. There's +nothing coarse in you, but you have no outward polish. Perhaps the +tastes you have inherited may make things easier." + +"Well, sometimes I have a curious feeling about these Allenwood people. +I seem to understand them; I find myself talking as they do. There was +something Kenwyne said the other night about an English custom, and I +seemed to know all about it, though I'd never heard of the thing +before." + +He got up and knocked out his pipe. + +"All that doesn't matter," he said whimsically. "What's important now is +that it's late, and I must have steam up on the plow by daybreak." + +For the next week Harding was very busy; and then, coming back to the +house one afternoon for some engine-packing, he found Beatrice alone in +their plain living-room. She noticed the quick gleam of pleasure in his +eyes and was conscious of a response to it, but she was very calm as she +explained that Hester had gone to saddle a horse on which she meant to +ride with her to Mrs. Broadwood's. + +"That should give us ten minutes," Harding said. "There's something I +once promised to show you and I may not have a better chance." + +Unlocking a drawer, he took out a small rosewood box, finely inlaid. + +"This was my father's. Hester has never seen it. I found it among his +things." + +"It is beautiful." + +Harding opened the box and handed her a photograph. + +"That is my mother," he said. + +Beatrice studied it with interest. The face was of peasant type, with +irregular features and a worn look. Beatrice thought the woman could not +have been beautiful and must have led a laborious life, but she was +struck by the strength and patience the face expressed. + +Harding next took out a small Prayer-book in a finely tooled binding of +faded leather and gave it to her open. The first leaf bore a date and a +line of writing in delicate slanted letters: _To Basil, from his +mother._ + +"My father's name was Basil," Harding explained, and taking up another +photograph he placed it with its back beside the inscription in the +book. It was autographed: _Janet Harding_. + +"I imagine it was sent to him with the book, perhaps when he was at +school," Harding resumed. "You will note that the hand is the same." + +This was obvious. The writing had a distinctive character, and Beatrice +examined the faded portrait carefully. It was full length, and showed a +lady in old-fashioned dress with an unmistakable stamp of dignity and +elegance. The face had grown very faint, but on holding it to the light +she thought she could perceive an elusive likeness to Hester Harding. + +"This lady must have been your grandmother," she remarked. + +"Yes," said Harding. "I have another picture which seems to make the +chain complete." + +He took it from the box and beckoned Beatrice to the window before he +gave it to her, for the photograph was very indistinct. Still, the front +of an English country house built in the Georgian style could be made +out, with a few figures on the broad steps to the terrace. In the center +stood the lady whose portrait Beatrice had seen, though she was +recognizable rather by her figure and fine carriage than her features. +She had her hand upon the shoulder of a boy in Eton dress. + +"That," said Harding, "was my father." + +Beatrice signified by a movement of her head that she had heard, for she +was strongly interested in the back-ground of the picture. The wide lawn +with its conventionally cut border of shrubbery stretched beyond the +old-fashioned house until it ended at the edge of a lake, across which +rounded masses of trees rolled up the side of a hill. All this was +familiar; it reminded her of summer afternoons in England two or three +years ago. Surely she had walked along that terrace then! She could +remember the gleaming water, the solid, dark contour of the beechwood on +the hill, and the calm beauty of the sunlit landscape that she glimpsed +between massive scattered oaks. Then she started as she distinguished +the tower of a church in the faded distance, its spires rising among the +tall beech-trees. + +"But this is certainly Ash Garth!" she cried. + +"I never heard its name," Harding answered quietly. + +Beatrice sat down with the photograph in her hand. Her curiosity was +strongly roused, and she had a half disturbing sense of satisfaction. + +"It looks as if your father had lived there," she said. + +"Yes; I think it must have been his home." + +"But the owner of Ash Garth is Basil Morel! It is a beautiful place. You +come down from the bleak moorland into a valley through which a river +winds, and the house stands among the beechwoods at the foot of the +hill." + +"The picture shows something of the kind," agreed Harding, watching her +with a reserved smile. + +Beatrice hesitated. + +"Perhaps I could find out what became of your father's people and where +they are now." + +"I don't want to know. I have shown you these things in confidence; I'd +rather not have them talked about." + +"But you must see what they might mean to you!" Beatrice exclaimed in +surprise. + +He moved from the window and stood facing her with an air of pride. + +"They mean nothing at all to me. My father was obviously an exile, +disowned by his English relatives. If he had done anything to deserve +this, I don't want to learn it, but I can't think that's so. It was more +likely a family quarrel. Anyway, I'm quite content to leave my relatives +alone. Besides, I promised something of the kind." + +He told her about the money he had received, and she listened with keen +interest. + +"But did he never tell you anything about his English life?" + +"No," said Harding. "I'm not sure that my mother knew, though Hester +thinks she meant to tell us something in her last illness. My father was +a reserved man. I think he felt his banishment and it took the heart out +of him. He was not a good farmer, not the stuff the pioneers are made +of, and I believe he only worked his land for my mother's sake, while it +was she who really managed things until I grew up. She was a brave, +determined woman, and kept him on his feet." + +Beatrice was silent for a few moments. The man loved her, and although +she would not admit that she loved him, it was satisfactory to feel that +he really belonged to her own rank. This explained several traits of his +that had puzzled her. It was, however, unfortunate that he held such +decided views, and she felt impelled to combat them. + +"But you need ask nothing from the people except that they should +acknowledge you," she urged. "Think of the difference this would make to +you and Hester. It would give you standing and position." + +"Hester is going to marry a man who loves her for herself, and the only +position I value I have made. What would I gain by raking up a painful +story? The only relatives I'm proud to claim are my mother's in +Michigan, and they're plain, rugged folks." + +There was something in his attitude that appealed to Beatrice. He had no +false ambitions; he was content to be judged on his own merits--a severe +test. For all that, she set some value upon good birth, and it was +distasteful to see that he denied the advantages of his descent. Then +she grew embarrassed as she recognized that what really troubled her was +his indifference to the opinion of her relatives. He must know that he +had a means of disarming her father's keenest prejudice, but he would +not use it. + +"I understand that Hester knows nothing about these portraits," she +said. + +"No; I've never mentioned them. It could do no good." + +"Then why have you told me?" + +"Well," he answered gravely, "I thought you ought to know." + +"I have no claim upon the secrets you keep from your sister." + +Harding was silent, and Beatrice felt annoyed. After all, she understood +why he had told her and she recognized that he had acted honestly in +doing so. Still, if he really loved her, she felt, he should not let +pride stand in the way of removing every obstacle to get her. + +Hester came in and announced that the horses were ready; and soon +afterward she and Beatrice were riding together across the prairie while +Harding went doggedly back to his work. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +THE DAY OF RECKONING + + +As the spring advanced, business men in Winnipeg and the new western +towns began to feel an increasing financial pressure. Money was tight, +and the price of wheat, upon which the prosperity of the country +depended, steadily fell. It was the beginning of a sharp set-back, a +characteristic feature of the sanguine West, during which all overdrafts +on the natural resources of the prairie must be met. The resources are +large, but their development is slow, depending, as it does, upon the +patient labor of the men who drive the plow, while those who live upon +the farmer are eager to get rich. + +The tide of industrial progress is often irregular. There are pauses of +varying length, and sometimes recoils, when reckless traders find their +ventures stranded and in danger of being wrecked before the next impulse +of the flood can float them on. They borrow and buy too freely; +trafficking produce not yet grown; building stores and offices in excess +of the country's needs. A time comes when this is apparent, speculation +ceases, credit fails, and the new cities must wait until expanding +agriculture overtakes them. In the meanwhile, the fulfilment of +obligations is demanded and, as often happens, cannot be made. + +Davies suffered among the rest. He had foreseen a set-back, but it +proved more severe than he expected. He had bought land he could not +sell, had cooperated in erecting buildings which stood empty, and had +made loans to men unable to repay them. + +One morning he sat in his office, gloomily reading a newspaper which +made a bold attempt to deal optimistically with the depressing +situation. Among other news there was a report of a meeting of the +shareholders in a mining company; and this Davies studied with interest. +It was what is termed an extraordinary meeting, called to consider the +course to be adopted in consequence of the engineer's failing to reach +the ore after sinking a costly shaft; and Davies, glancing at another +column, noted that the shares had sharply fallen. Gerald Mowbray had +speculated in this stock, and Davies was then expecting a call from him. + +Instead of Mowbray, Carlyon came in. The boy looked anxious, but he was +calm. + +"I suppose you know what I've come about," he began. + +"Yes; you're behind with your interest." + +Carlyon's ease of manner was perhaps overdone, but he hid his feelings +pluckily. + +"Then, as I can't pay, what are you going to do? I must know now; when +you're farming, you have to look ahead." + +"I'm going to sell you up when the mortgage falls in. You have some time +yet." + +"Can't you renew the loan upon any terms?" + +"No," said Davies truthfully. "I would if I could. I have to meet my +engagements and money's scarce." + +Carlyon got up, turning an unlighted cigar in nervous fingers, but there +was a smile in his eyes that showed he could face ruin with dignity. + +"Then, if that's your last word, I needn't waste your time; and it +wouldn't be fair to blame you for my foolishness. I dare say I can find +a job as teamster; it seems the only thing that's left." + +"You have grit. I'm sorry I can't keep you on your feet," Davies +answered with more feeling than Carlyon had expected. + +"Thanks. Mowbray's waiting outside; I'll send him in." + +Davies looked up when the door opened a few moments later. Gerald's +careless manner had gone; he showed obvious signs of strain. Indeed, +there was something in his face that hinted at desperation. Davies was +not surprised at this. After a curt greeting he took up the newspaper. + +"I expect you have seen the report of the company's meeting." + +"I have," said Gerald. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination. At +last, the directors have treated us with brutal frankness. I've filled +up my proxy in favor of appointing a committee to investigate." + +"It can't do much good. The fellows can investigate until they're tired, +but they can't find ore that does not exist." + +"It would be some comfort if they found out anything that would put the +rogues who deluded us into jail," Gerald answered savagely. + +Davies smiled in a meaning way. + +"Rather too drastic a proceeding." He gave the other a direct glance. +"People who play a crooked game shouldn't appeal to the law." + +The blood crept into Gerald's face and he wondered with dire misgivings +what the man meant and how much he knew. He had counted on a report +from the mining engineer that would send up the value of his shares, and +had rested on this his last hope of escaping from a serious danger. +Instead, he had learned that the mine was barren. It was a crushing +blow, for he must find a large sum of money at once. The consequences +would be disastrous if he failed. + +"Well," he said, "the most important point is that my shares are worth +next to nothing, and I've very little expectation of their ever going +up. I don't suppose you'd take them as security for a loan at a quarter +of their face value?" + +"I would not," Davies answered firmly. + +"Very well. My note falls due in a few days. What are you going to do?" + +"Present it for payment." + +Gerald looked at him keenly, to see if he meant it; but he could read in +the broker's imperturbable face nothing to lead him to doubt this. He +tried to pull himself together, and failed. Gerald had not inherited the +stern, moral courage of the Mowbray stock. + +"You can't afford to let me drop," he pleaded in a hoarse voice. "As +soon as you take away your support the brutes I've borrowed from will +come down on me like wolves, and, to protect your interests, you'll have +to enforce your mortgage rights. I needn't point out that this will +spoil your plans. You're not ready to make your grab at Allenwood yet." + +Davies heard him unmoved. He was comparing his attitude with that of the +ruined lad he had just dismissed. Carlyon was, of course, a fool who +deserved his fate, but his pluck had roused the moneylender's sympathy. +He did not mean to let it make him merciful, but he had some human +feeling, and it inspired him with contempt for Mowbray. The fellow was +clever enough to see that Davies' plans were directed against his +relatives and friends, but this had not prevented his falling in with +them for the sake of a temporary advantage. His pride was a sham; he +forgot it when it threatened to cost him something. Moreover he had not +been straight with Davies in several ways. He had a rogue's heart, but +was without the rogue's usual nerve. + +"I often have to change my plans," Davies said calmly. "Just now I'm +short of money, and must get some in. Anyway, there's no secret about +the mortgage; it had to be registered." + +"Of course; but I don't suppose anybody knows about it, for all that. +People don't spend their time turning up these records." + +"It would be a wise precaution, when they dealt with you," Davies +answered pointedly. + +Gerald did not resent the taunt. + +"But you can't get your money for the note," he urged. "It's impossible +for me to meet it now." + +"Or later, I guess. Well, I'll have to fall back on the endorser; he's a +solid man." + +A look of terror sprang into Gerald's face. + +"You can't do that!" + +"Why not?" + +"Well," Gerald faltered, "he never expected he'd have to pay the note." + +"That's his affair. He ought to have known you better." + +Gerald roused himself for a last effort. + +"Renew it on any terms you like; I'll agree to whatever you demand. I +have some influence at Allenwood, and can get you other customers. +You'll find it worth while to have my help." + +Davies smiled scornfully. + +"You can't be trusted. You'd sell your friends, and that means you'd +sell me if you thought it would pay. I'm willing to take a risk when I +back a sport; but one can't call you that. You have had your run and +lost, and now you must put up the stakes." He took a pen from the rack +and opened a book. "There doesn't seem to be anything more to be said. +Good-morning." + +Gerald left, with despair in his heart; and when he had gone Davies took +the note from his safe and examined the signature on the back with a +thoughtful air. After all, though money was tight, he might retain his +hold on Allenwood if he played his cards cleverly. + +During the afternoon Carlyon and Gerald took the westbound train, and +the next evening Gerald reached the Grange. There had been a hard rain +all day, and he was wet after the long drive, but he went straight to +the study where his father was occupied. It was not dark outside yet, +but the room was shadowy and heavy rain beat against its walls. Mowbray +sat at a table by the window, apparently lost in thought, for although +there were some papers in front of him the light was too dim to read. He +glanced up with a frown when his son came in. + +"If you had thought it worth while to let me know you were going to +Winnipeg, I could have given you an errand," he said, and added dryly: +"One would imagine that these trips are beyond your means." + +Gerald was conscious of some shame and of pity for his father, whom he +must humble; but his fears for his own safety outweighed everything +else. + +"I want you to listen, sir. There's something you must know." + +"Very well," said Mowbray. "It is not good news; your voice tells me +that." + +It was a desperately hard confession, and Mowbray sat strangely still, a +rigid, shadowy figure against the fading window, until the story was +finished. Then he turned to his son, who had drawn back as far as +possible into the gloom. + +"You cur!" There was intense bitterness in his tone. "I can't trust +myself to speak of what I feel. And I know, to my sorrow, how little it +would affect you. But, having done this thing, why do you slink home to +bring disgrace on your mother and sister? Could you not hide your shame +across the frontier?" + +It was a relief to Gerald that he could, at least, answer this. + +"If you will think for a moment, sir, you will see the reason. I don't +want to hide here, but it's plain that, for all our sakes, I must meet +this note. If it's dishonored, the holder will come to you; and, +although I might escape to the boundary, you would be forced to find the +money." Gerald hesitated before he added: "It would be the only way to +save the family honor." + +"Stop!" cried Mowbray. "Our honor is a subject you have lost all right +to speak about!" + +For a moment or two he struggled to preserve his self-control, and then +went on in a stern, cold voice: + +"Still, there is some reason in what you urge. It shows the selfish +cunning that has been your ruin." + +"Let me finish, sir," Gerald begged hoarsely. "The note must be met. If +I take it up on presentation, the matter ends there; but you can see the +consequences if it's dishonored." + +"They include your arrest and imprisonment. It's unthinkable that your +mother and sister should be branded with this taint!" Mowbray clenched +his hand. "The trouble is that I cannot find the money. You have already +brought me to ruin." + +There was silence for the next minute, and the lashing of the rain on +the ship-lap boards sounded harshly distinct. + +Gerald saw a possible way of escape, but, desperate as he was, he +hesitated about taking it. It meant sacrificing his sister; but the way +seemed safe. His father would stick at nothing that might save the +family honor. + +"There's Brand," he suggested, knowing it was the meanest thing he had +ever done. "Of course, one would rather not tell an outsider; but he can +keep a secret and might help." + +"Ah!" Mowbray exclaimed sharply, as if he saw a ray of hope. Then he +paused and asked with harsh abruptness: "Whose name did you use on the +note?" + +"Harding's." + +Mowbray lost his self-control. Half rising in his chair, he glared at +his son. + +"It's the last straw!" he said, striking the table furiously. "How the +low-bred fellow will triumph over us!" + +"He can't," Gerald pointed out cunningly, using his strongest argument +in an appeal to his father's prejudice. "He will know nothing about the +note if I can take it up when due." + +Mowbray sank back in his chair, crushed with shame. + +"It must be managed somehow," he said in a faltering voice. "Now--go; +and, for both of our sakes, keep out of my way." + +Gerald left him without a word, and Mowbray sat alone in the darkness, +feeling old and broken as he grappled with the bitterest grief he had +known. There had, of course, been one or two of the Mowbrays who had led +wild and reckless lives, but Gerald was the first to bring actual +disgrace upon the respected name. The Colonel could have borne his +extravagance and forgiven a certain amount of dissipation, but it +humbled him to the dust to realize that his son was a thief and a +coward. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +THE PRICE OF HONOR + + +It was very quiet in the drawing-room of the Grange, where Mrs. Mowbray +sat with an exhausted look, as if she had made an effort that had cost +her much. She had just finished speaking, and was watching Beatrice, +whose face was white and strained. + +"But what has Gerald done? I think I have a right to know," the girl +broke out. + +"He wrote somebody else's name on the back of a promise to pay some +money, which meant that the other man, who really knew nothing about it, +guaranteed that the payment would be made." + +"But that is forgery!" Beatrice cried, aghast. + +"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray with a shudder; "I'm afraid it's forgery of a +very serious kind, because it enabled him to obtain a good deal of money +which he could not otherwise have got." + +"Oh, how dreadful!" Beatrice impulsively crossed the floor and, kneeling +down beside her mother, put her arm round her. "I know how you must feel +it. And now I can understand Father's troubled look. He has been very +quiet and stern since Gerald came home." + +"Your father has more trouble than you know. Perhaps I'd better tell you +about it, as you must grasp the situation. You heard that Godfrey +Barnett was dead, but you don't know that he died ruined by the failure +of the bank." + +"Ah! All our money was in Barnett's, wasn't it?" + +"Yes," said Mrs. Mowbray. "It has all gone." + +She stopped in distress. The task of influencing the girl to take a +course she must shrink from was painful to her; but she had promised her +husband and must go on with it. There was no other way, and it was in +accordance with her traditions that the threatened honor of the family +should come before her daughter's inclinations. + +"Now you can see why it's impossible for your father to save Gerald by +paying the money. It explains why he has been forced to ask help from +Brand." + +Beatrice drew back from her, as if overwhelmed. + +"Blow after blow! How has he borne it all? And yet he is very brave." + +"You are his daughter," said Mrs. Mowbray meaningly, though she felt +that what she was doing was cruel. "You must be brave, too. I think you +see how you can make things easier for him." + +"Oh!" The girl drew a quick breath. Then she rose with a hot face, +burning with fierce rebellion. "The fault is Gerald's, and he must +suffer for it! Why should I! He has always brought us trouble; +everything has been given up for the sake of the boys. Don't I know how +you have had to deny yourself because of their extravagance? It's +unjust! Not even my father has the right to ask this sacrifice from me!" + +"Gerald cannot suffer alone. If he is arrested for forgery, it will +crush your father and be a stain on Lance's name as long as he lives. +Lance has been very steady since his accident, and I dare not think of +his being thrown back into his reckless ways. Then the disgrace will +reflect even more seriously on you--a girl is condemned for the sins of +her relatives. I do not speak of myself, because the worst that could +happen to me was to learn that my son had done this thing." + +Beatrice's mood changed suddenly. Her high color faded and she made a +hopeless gesture. + +"It's true! I feel as if I were in a trap and could not get out. It's +horrible!" + +She sank down again by her mother's side and struggled for composure. + +"Let us face the matter quietly," she said. "Brand is our friend; he +cannot be so ungenerous as to ask a price for his help." + +"He is a hard man, and very determined." + +"Yes; I know. I have been afraid of him. He made me feel he was waiting +until his opportunity came. But, for all that, I can't believe----" + +Mrs. Mowbray gave her a glance of compassionate sympathy. + +"Even if Brand does not claim his reward, we know what would persuade +him to do us the great service your father must ask. Can we take this +favor from him, and then deny him what he longs for? There is nobody +else who can help us, and our need is pressing." + +"But I am not asking the favor!" Beatrice urged in desperation. "The +debt is not mine! It would be different if I were in Gerald's place." + +"You must see that you are using a false argument," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently. "A girl cannot separate herself in this way from her +father and brother: the family responsibilities are hers. It may sound +very harsh, but you cannot repudiate the liability Gerald has incurred. +When he did wrong, he made us all accountable." + +Beatrice could not deny this. She had been taught that the family was +not a group but a unit and its honor indivisible, and she had always +been made to feel that it was her duty to reflect credit upon her name. +It was a comfortable doctrine when things went well; when things went +wrong, however, it became very cruel. Seeing no hope at all, she fell +into mute despair, and it was some time before she could rouse herself. +At last she got up with a quietly resolute expression. + +"Well," she said slowly, as if it cost her a great effort, "I must try +not to disgrace you by any foolish weakness. Since this is our debt, I +must pay it. One understands that women have often done such things. It +seems as if all the burdens were laid on our shoulders--and men call us +weak!" She paused a moment, and then asked in a dead, indifferent voice: +"Whose name did Gerald forge?" + +"I don't know. Your father didn't tell me. I thought he tried to avoid +it." + +Moving calmly to the door, Beatrice was surprised to find Gerald waiting +in the passage outside. She gave him a steady look. Her face was white +and hard, and there was scorn in her eyes. Gerald drew back, almost as +if she had struck him. + +"You have been talking to Mother?" he asked awkwardly. + +"Yes," she said; "and you know what we talked about. So far as anything +I can do may count, you are safe. That, of course, was all you wanted to +know." + +She saw keen relief in his face. + +"After all," he urged, "Brand is a very good fellow and has many +advantages to offer." + +She turned upon him with burning indignation. + +"Don't be a hypocrite! You know it would not have mattered if he had +been the meanest rogue in Canada--so long as you got free." + +She swept past him and left him standing in the passage with a downcast +air. + +Seeking refuge in her room, she locked the door and tried to think. She +must face the situation and not let futile anger and horror overcome +her. Growing calm after a time, she began to wonder why the prospect of +marrying Brand was so repugnant. He belonged to her own station, they +had much in common, and, in a way, she liked him. Then, she had long +known that she would be expected to make a good match, and Brand had +kept his beautiful English house waiting for her; his wife would have +the position and social influence Beatrice had been taught to value. But +these things seemed worthless now. + +She looked out through the open window at the prairie. It had grown +green with the rain, though clumps of bleached grass still checkered it +with silvery gray. Red lilies were opening here and there, and as she +gazed the blue shadow of a cloud swept across the plain and vanished, +leaving it bright with sunshine. Its vastness and the sense of freedom +it conveyed appealed to the girl. There was a charm in the wide horizon; +one never felt cramped upon the plains. She loved the spacious land, +and did not want to live in England. + +But this was a deceptive argument. Brand would stay at Allenwood if she +wished. Indeed, she knew that he would make many a sacrifice to please +her if she married him. She must look for a better reason. + +It was not hard to find, for in this crisis she must be honest with +herself. The blood crept to her face as she realized that she could not +marry Brand because she loved some one else. Now that such love was +hopeless and must be overcome, the disturbing truth was plain. She had +fenced with and tried to deny it, but when it was too late, it had +beaten her. + +By way of relief, she tried to occupy her mind with another thought. Her +father had been reluctant to tell whose name Gerald had forged. Beatrice +knew that her brother would choose a man of wealth, otherwise the name +would have no weight, and she did not think he had fixed on Brand. Her +father's reticence made her feel that it must be Harding. Beatrice +thought her father unjust and foolish. Harding would not take a shabby +advantage of his position; he was generous, but, unfortunately, no help +could come from him. She could not tell her lover that her brother was a +thief; besides, this was a secret that must be carefully hidden from +everybody outside the family. Brand, she reflected with a shudder of +repugnance, would soon belong to it. There was no help anywhere. + +Beatrice leaned against the window-frame, her head buried in her arms. +The soft air from the prairie swept over her caressingly, the hot +sunshine bathed her; but her heart was black with despondency. She was +in a trap--a trap set by her own brother--and no escape was possible. + +She threw her head up with a sudden resolve. At least she would make the +sacrifice bravely, without murmur, as befitted the daughter of the house +of Mowbray. + +Her mood changing again as quickly, she threw herself across the bed and +burst into a fit of passionate sobbing. + +And while she lay there, worn with crying, her father sat in his study +talking to Brand. He related with candor what had happened, making no +attempt to hide the ugliest facts; and Brand grasped at the opportunity +opened for him. He recognized that it would give him a strong claim on +Mowbray's gratitude. It might be mean to take advantage of it; but he +had waited a long time for Beatrice, and might lose her altogether if he +let this chance slip. + +"You have my sympathy, sir," he said suavely. "It must have been a great +shock; but I am glad you have taken me into your confidence, because I +can be of help. You can repay me whenever you find you can do so without +trouble." + +Mowbray gave a sigh of great relief. + +"Thank you, Brand. You cannot understand how you have eased my mind. I +know of no one else who would, or could, have done so much." + +The Colonel sank back in his chair, and Brand noticed how worn he +looked. The younger man was conscious of a slight feeling of pity; but +he could not afford to indulge it: he must strike while the iron was +hot. + +"Now that things are going so hard for you, in a financial way, it +would be some satisfaction to feel that your daughter's future was +safe," he said. + +Mowbray was silent a moment. Then he answered slowly. + +"Yes. I wish indeed that she could see her way to marry you." + +"I will speak plainly. I have been waiting patiently, but, so far as I +can judge, I have gained nothing by this. I'm afraid I may lose all if I +wait much longer. Beatrice likes me, we agree on many points, our tastes +are similar, and I think there's every reason to hope she could be happy +with me. I could give her all that a girl brought up as she has been +could desire." + +"Do you suggest that I should urge her to marry you?" Mowbray asked with +some asperity. + +Brand hesitated. He knew that he was doing an unchivalrous thing, but +the passion he hitherto had kept in check mastered him. + +"Well," he said, "I suppose that is what I really meant." + +Mowbray looked at him in haughty surprise. + +"You know I cannot refuse you; but I hardly expected you to take this +line. It might have been better if you had relied upon my gratitude and +my daughter's recognition of the service you have done us. We are not in +the habit of forgetting our debts." + +"The trouble is that I cannot afford to take a risk; there is some +danger of Beatrice's becoming estranged from me. I would not press you +if I saw any strong reason why she should not be happy as my wife, but I +know of none, and I feel that this is my last chance." + +"Then you mean to insist upon your claim?" + +"Very reluctantly, sir." + +Mowbray was silent for a moment or two, and then he looked up with a +strained expression. + +"You place me in a helpless position. You make me and my family your +debtors, and then----" He broke off abruptly. "Did you mean to hint +there was some particular danger of my daughter's becoming estranged +from you?" + +"Since you force me to be candid, I believe she is attracted by another +man; perhaps I ought to say interested in him. I cannot suspect any +attachment yet; but I am afraid." + +"Who is he?" + +Brand hesitated a moment before answering. + +"I cannot give you his name, because I may be mistaken. Still, he is a +man you would strongly disapprove of." + +There was suspicion in Mowbray's eyes and his face hardened. + +"What you hint at surprises me, Brand; but I cannot compliment you upon +your conduct to-night. However, as Beatrice is the most interested +person, it is, I think, only right that she should be allowed to speak." + +He rang, and the servant who promptly answered was sent for Beatrice. +When the door opened a few moments afterward, Mowbray was surprised to +see not his daughter but the maid. + +"Miss Mowbray is ill," she announced, "and begs you to excuse her." + +The maid withdrew, and Mowbray frowned. + +"When must my daughter pay this debt?" he asked. + +"When is the forged note due?" + +"I understand that the Winnipeg fellow will bring it to me here on +Friday night." + +"Then there are two days yet. I will leave Miss Mowbray free until +Friday night. In the meantime I shall expect you to use your influence +with her." He hesitated a moment, feeling that he might not be taking +the right line. "I must urge you again, sir, to consider," he finished, +"that it will be only for your daughter's good, in every way, to marry +me." + +When he left, Mowbray sat motionless in his chair for a long while, +looking out over the prairie but seeing nothing in front of him. Then +with an effort he roused himself. After all, he tried to believe, it +would not be so bad for the girl. She was young; she might yet learn to +love Brand, even though she married him under compulsion. As for +Harding---- Mowbray dismissed the thought. He had no fear that his +daughter would so far forget her station: the pride of caste had been +drilled into her too strongly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +A WOMAN INTERVENES + + +The following afternoon Beatrice rode moodily across the plain. After +another talk with her mother, she had passed a sleepless night and spent +the morning wandering restlessly to and fro. It was horribly degrading +to her to feel that Brand had bought her; but it was true, and it +destroyed the hope that time might reconcile her to her lot. She could +not forgive him that, but after all it was only part of an intolerable +situation. + +On a long gradual rise her horse began to slacken speed, and she pulled +up when she reached the top. Sitting still for a time, she vacantly +looked about. The hill commanded a wide view: she could see the prairie +roll back, changing as it receded from vivid green to faint ethereal +blue on the far horizon. White clouds swept across the sky, streaking +the plain with shadows. There was something exhilarating in the picture, +but Beatrice felt that she hated it for its mocking suggestion of space +and freedom. There was no freedom at Allenwood; she was to be sold into +shameful bondage. + +A gray streak of smoke that moved across the waste caught her eye. It +was Harding, harrowing by steam or perhaps bedding down his seed-wheat +with the land-packer. Beatrice thought of him with a poignant sense of +regret. He loved her, and she had deceived herself in thinking she could +not love him. She had been bound by foolish traditions and had not had +the courage to break loose. It was too late now and she must pay the +penalty of her cowardice. She longed to call Harding to her help; he was +strong enough to save her. But the family disgrace must be kept secret. +There was no way out; she seemed to be turning round and round in a +narrow cage and beating herself vainly against the bars. + +As she started her horse she saw in the distance the Broadwood homestead +rising, a blur of gray buildings, and she rode toward it. She needed +sympathy, and her mother had nothing but resignation to urge. Effie +Broadwood was kind and fond of her; it would be some comfort to tell her +that she was in trouble--though of course she could not go into +particulars. + +Mrs. Broadwood at once noticed the girl's troubled face, and knew that +something had gone wrong. She led Beatrice into her plain little +sitting-room and made her comfortable on a sofa. Then, sitting down +beside her, she took her hand affectionately. + +"Now, dear," she said, "we can have a quiet talk. I know that something +is troubling you." + +Beatrice was moved by her unaffected sympathy. She had friends at +Allenwood but she could not go to them. They would think her rather to +be envied than pitied; but this warm-hearted, unconventional woman would +understand. She longed to take her into her confidence, and although +this was impossible, the numbing despair in her heart began to melt. + +"I can't tell you much; but--I suppose I shall be married soon." + +Mrs. Broadwood looked keenly interested. + +"Is it an Allenwood man?" + +"Brand. I must tell him definitely to-morrow evening." + +"Ah!" Mrs. Broadwood exclaimed. There was a pathetic note in the girl's +voice that touched her. "But if you don't want the man you have only to +let him know." + +"I wish it were as easy as that!" Beatrice answered hopelessly. + +Mrs. Broadwood was silent for a few moments, but her fingers clasped the +small hand under them with a comforting pressure. + +"I think I understand. Your father and mother are on his side; but if +you'd hate to have him for a husband you must not sacrifice yourself." + +"But I must!" said Beatrice desperately, and her forced calm suddenly +broke down. Her companion's gentleness had destroyed it, and now a +reaction from the strain she had borne had begun. "No," she added in a +broken voice, "there's no way out! I've been trying to find one and I +can't." + +She buried her face in one of the pillows and broke into choking sobs. +It was weak, she felt, and not what was to be expected from a Mowbray, +but there was comfort in the bitter tears. For a while Mrs. Broadwood +let her cry, but when she began to soothe her, Beatrice roused herself. +She could not remember afterward what she said, but her confused excuses +for her emotion and her fragmentary half confidences left a disturbing +impression on Mrs. Broadwood's mind. + +Beatrice rode home feeling slightly comforted, though she was no nearer +a solution of her difficulties. She had, of course, been very weak and +perhaps had said more than was wise, but she had not betrayed her +brother; and Effie Broadwood was a true friend. Beatrice was justified +in thinking so, for Mrs. Broadwood was to prove a better friend than she +suspected. + +When the girl had gone, Mrs. Broadwood spent some time in thinking over +what she had heard. Although she had keen intelligence, there were +points that puzzled her; she had been given several clues, but they +broke off before they led her far. Then she decided that something might +be learned by tactfully questioning her husband, and she went about her +work until he came home in the evening. She let him finish his supper +and light his pipe before she began. + +"The Mowbrays are in trouble just now, aren't they, Tom?" + +"I dare say; they certainly have their difficulties. Why?" + +"Beatrice rode over this afternoon and she had something on her mind. +What do you think's the matter?" + +"For one thing, the Colonel must have lost a good deal since wheat began +to go down. Then I heard something about the failure of an English bank; +Lance once told me the family had shares in it. I expect the stoppage +made a difference in their income." + +"That doesn't quite account for it. Do you know of anything else?" + +"Gerald may have been giving them trouble again. I know he has borrowed +a good deal of money which he'd find it difficult to pay, and I'm afraid +he's been mortgaging his land." + +This confirmed some of Mrs. Broadwood's suspicions; but the matter was +still far from clear. + +"The Colonel would be very mad about the mortgage," she said. "Still, +it's Gerald's land, and he can do what he likes with it." + +"Not altogether. He's bound by the settlement covenant, and, as his +father gave him the land, he ought to respect his opinions. Mowbray's +convinced that to let in strangers would be hurtful to Allenwood." + +While feeling sure that Gerald was the cause of the Mowbrays' troubles, +Mrs. Broadwood did not think that Beatrice would marry a man she did not +care for in order to benefit the settlement. There must be another +reason. + +"Suppose Gerald had already mortgaged his farm and wanted some more +money, how would he borrow it?" + +"He'd find it hard, as he has no security to offer," Broadwood answered +with a smile. "I don't know much about these matters, and don't want to +know anything more, but I believe the usual plan is something like this: +you give the lender a note, an engagement to pay in, we'll say, three +months, and get somebody to endorse it. His putting down his name makes +him liable for the amount, and if the lender was satisfied about him, +he'd give you the money at once and take off as much interest as he +could." + +"But who'd guarantee Gerald in that way?" + +"I don't know. I certainly would not." + +"He would have to be a man who was known to have money," she persisted. + +"I suppose so; it would naturally make the transaction easier. But it's +not our business to pry into the Mowbrays' affairs." + +"Oh, no," said Mrs. Broadwood. "Still, I was sorry for Beatrice and it +made me curious." + +She changed the subject and after a time took up a book as an excuse for +silence. She wanted to think, because she now felt sure that Gerald's +financial difficulties accounted for the pressure that was being put +upon Beatrice. The girl was being forced to marry Brand because he would +supply the money to save her brother from disgrace. Mrs. Broadwood felt +that it must be disgrace and not an ordinary debt. There would, however, +be no great difficulty if he had given some one a note, for the man who +endorsed it must have known that he might be called upon to pay. But +suppose he had not heard about the transaction at all? Mrs. Broadwood +dropped her book, for she saw that she had guessed the riddle. Gerald +had not asked the man to guarantee him; he had forged his name. Taking +this for granted made everything plain. + +Then she began to wonder whose name Gerald had forged. It could not be +his father's, for Mowbray was known to be far from rich. The only man +with much money at Allenwood was Brand, but Mrs. Broadwood thought it +could not be Brand, because she knew Mowbray's pride and believed that +in spite of his anxiety to keep the matter quiet he would not force his +daughter to marry a man his son had robbed. Admitting this, she must +look for some one else. Then it dawned upon her that the man was +Harding. + +"What did you say?" Broadwood asked, looking up from his paper. + +"I was thinking," his wife replied. "S'pose I must have thought aloud. +Anyway it wouldn't interest you. How's wheat going?" + +"Down," said Broadwood, and there was silence again. + +Mrs. Broadwood saw what she could do. She admitted that she might make a +deplorable mess of things if she were mistaken, but the need was serious +enough to justify some risk. She had courage and she was fond of +Beatrice. + +The next afternoon she drove across the prairie to the spot where she +thought Harding was at work. She found him busy with his engine at the +end of a wide belt of plowing which the land packer had rolled down hard +and smooth. + +"Craig!" she called, pulling up her horse. "I want you a minute." + +He came to the step of the buck-board, dressed in greasy overalls, with +an oil smear on his hand, but she felt that he was to be trusted as she +gave him an approving glance. She liked his level look and his steady +eyes; there was force in his quiet face. He was the type of man she +admired: swift in action, free from what she called meanness, and +determined. Indeed, she felt inclined to hesitate as she thought of his +resolute character. It would be easy to set him in motion, but once that +was done he could not be stopped, and there might be startling +developments. It was rather like firing the train to a mine; and there +was a disturbing possibility that she might, after all, be wrong in her +surmises. + +But she gathered up her courage; and she knew that there was no time to +be wasted. + +"Craig," she said, "do you want Beatrice Mowbray?" + +He started and his brown face flushed. + +"I want her more than anything else in the world." + +Mrs. Broadwood gave him a quick, approving nod. + +"Do you know how she feels about you?" + +"No. I only know what I hope." + +"Well," said Mrs. Broadwood thoughtfully, "I believe she'd rather take +you than Brand." + +"Brand!" + +"I expect she'll be engaged to him to-night, unless you act." Mrs. +Broadwood checked him as he was about to speak. "This is your chance, +Craig; you'll never get another half as good. Listen quietly for a few +minutes." + +He stood very still, without asking a question, until she had finished. + +"I guess you're right," he said with set jaws; "and I know the man who +holds the note. If Beatrice is to give Brand her answer to-night, it +means that Davies is coming here to squeeze the Colonel, and if his +train's on time, he ought to make the Grange in about three hours." + +"And you'll be there to meet him?" + +Harding smiled. + +"When I'm wanted I like to be on hand, and I guess I'm wanted pretty +badly now." + +"You certainly are. I suppose you see what you must do?" + +"If there's a note out with my name on it, it has got to be taken up. +You can leave the thing to me. I meet my obligations." + +Mrs. Broadwood saw that he had found a more effective way of dealing +with the situation than had yet occurred to her. + +"Craig," she exclaimed with frank admiration, "you're a wonder!" + +He held out his hand with a twinkle of rather grim amusement. + +"Anyway, I have to thank you for putting me on the track, and I'm not +going to forget it. Now I have several matters to fix up before I start +for the Grange." + +She touched the horse with the whip and he stepped back. + +"Good luck!" she called. "You deserve it!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +A GREAT TRIUMPH + + +It was getting dark when Brand reached the Grange. He found Beatrice in +the hall, for she had not heard his arrival in time to get away. She met +him calmly, but after a word of greeting she did not speak, and he +hesitated. + +"Well," he said with an effort, "I have come for your answer." + +"Isn't it too soon?" she asked. "You haven't carried out your part of +the bargain yet." + +Brand frowned in embarrassment. + +"You are very bitter; but I dare say it must be hard for you to see my +conduct in a favorable light." + +"I'm afraid it's impossible." + +Beatrice moved toward the broad stairway. + +"My father is waiting for you in the library," she said. + +Taking this for a dismissal, Brand joined Mowbray in his study. He was +sorry that the lamp was lighted, because he felt disturbed, and the +Colonel's constrained manner did not set him at ease. For all that, they +forced themselves to talk about matters of no importance until Davies +was shown in. + +"I came to see your son, but I meant to ask for an interview with you +before I left," the money-lender said to Mowbray, and then glanced at +Brand. "I imagine that our business had better----" + +"Mr. Brand is acquainted with it, and I prefer him to remain. My son has +informed me that you hold a note of his. No doubt, you have brought it +with you?" + +"You propose to pay it for him?" + +"Certainly," said Mowbray with a trace of haughtiness. "Since he was +foolish enough to give you such a document it must be met." + +Davies felt surprised; but he took out the paper. He had not expected it +to be met, and as he stood with it in his hand, hesitating, he was +strangely irritated by Mowbray's smile. Then he put the note on the +table, and, after examining it, Mowbray gave it to Brand, who made a +sign indicating that he was satisfied. + +"Yes," he said, "it seems to be in order." Then he turned to Davies. +"We'll keep this paper; I'll give you a check." + +"Presently." Davies picked up the note. When he spoke, he addressed +Mowbray. "I'll give you the note canceled in return for payment of half +the amount; the rest to stand against a purchase I want to make." + +"You can have it all. I have no wish to defer payment. And I don't +understand what your purchases have to do with me." + +"I'll explain. One of your young neighbors is giving up his farm. He +hasn't broken much land and the buildings are small. The place ought to +go cheap, and I'm open to buy it. Then there's a section of vacant land, +and I'm willing to pay a small sum for an option of taking it up at a +fixed price in a year's time." + +Mowbray looked at him in cold surprise. + +"To begin with, I cannot sell you my neighbor's property; nor can I give +you an option on the vacant lot." + +"In a sense that's true, but you can fix things as I want it if you +like. Your word goes a long way in these matters." + +"I see no reason why I should use my influence in your favor." + +"It's impossible!" Brand interposed bluntly. "We are very careful whom +we let in at Allenwood." + +"In short, you mean to keep me out," Davies suggested with an ugly +smile. + +"Take it for granted that we cannot sell you the land you want." + +"Very well," said Davies. "I must try to convince you that you had +better indulge me." He fingered the note. "I have not parted with this +document yet. It seems to me that there's something unusual about Mr. +Harding's signature." + +As a rule, both Brand and Mowbray were capable of self-control, but the +attack was so unexpected that they showed their alarm. It had not +occurred to them that the moneylender might suspect the forgery. Indeed, +there was terror in the Colonel's face before he recovered himself, and +Brand's grew angrily red. + +"You scoundrel! What do you mean?" he cried. + +"Only that I'm not sure Mr. Harding would know his own writing if I +showed it to him." + +Mowbray motioned Brand to be silent, and for a few moments both sat +still, feeling overwhelmed. Brand saw that it was now out of his power +to protect his companion; and the Colonel realized that the sacrifice of +his daughter might prove useless. He was in the moneylender's hands, and +to comply with his exactions would not end them. The honor of the +Mowbrays was at the rascal's mercy. + +There was a knock at the door. + +"Mr. Harding!" a servant announced. + +"I can't see him at present," said Mowbray with a start as he heard a +quick, resolute step in the passage. + +Before he finished speaking, Harding entered. + +"This must look like an intrusion, and you'll have to excuse my not +waiting your leave," he said. "The fact is, I was determined to get in." + +"So it seems," Mowbray answered. "Since you have succeeded, may I ask if +you came here by this gentleman's request?" + +"Why, no!" Harding looked at Davies with a twinkle. "I guess my turning +up is a surprise to him." + +Davies' crestfallen air bore this out, but he waited silently, and for a +moment or two neither Brand nor Mowbray spoke. The Colonel, to his +astonishment, was conscious of some relief. After all, he would rather +fall into Harding's hands than the moneylender's. + +"Perhaps you will explain the object of your visit," Mowbray said, when +the silence threatened to become awkward. + +"Certainly; though it ought to be plain. Mr. Davies holds a note with my +name on it, which I understand Mr. Gerald Mowbray cannot meet." He +leaned forward and took the note. "It's due to-day." + +Baffled rage shone in Davies' eyes. + +"You admit your liability?" he cried indignantly. + +"Of course! My name's here; I don't go back on my obligations." + +Mowbray looked at him with dull astonishment; and Brand, whose wits were +clearer, with reluctant admiration. He thought the farmer was playing +his part well; but Davies would not give in yet. + +"Am I to understand that you acknowledge this as your signature?" he +asked in a calmer tone. + +"Do you mean to tell me that you doubted it?" Harding returned. "You +haven't the reputation of being a fool. Would you have lent money on a +note you suspected was forged?" + +Davies saw the game was up. Brand was Mowbray's friend, and Harding was +an obviously hostile witness. Unless he were very careful he might lay +himself open to a charge of conspiracy; and he was powerless to attack +Mowbray so long as Harding acknowledged his signature. + +"Well," resumed Harding, taking out his wallet, "I guess I'll keep this +paper and give you a check." + +Brand saw his last hope vanishing. + +"Stop a minute!" he interposed. "You're taking too much for granted in +concluding that Gerald cannot pay. The debt is his in the first place, +and with the help of a friend he is able to find the money." + +Mowbray looked up with a curious expression in which there was relief +and shame. Though he would have forced his daughter into a marriage she +shrank from, the necessity for doing so had preyed upon his mind and he +seized the chance of freeing himself of his debt to Brand. He did not +stop to reason, but acted on the vague feeling that Harding, whom he +had distrusted, would prove an easier creditor. + +"Gerald cannot pay this note," he said firmly. + +Brand turned to him in surprise; but he saw that Mowbray was not to be +moved, and he understood what had prompted the Colonel's sudden change. +Brand had not played a straight game, and he had lost. At the last +moment the prairie man had beaten him. All that he could do now was to +bear his defeat with dignity. + +"Very well, sir," he answered, getting up. "Since I cannot be of +service, I will leave you to arrange matters with these gentlemen." + +Mowbray went to the door with him, and closing it behind them laid his +hand on Brand's arm. + +"You pressed me hard, but you were willing to help when I needed it +badly. I shall remember that with gratitude." + +"I wish you could forget the rest, but it's too much to hope," Brand +replied; and when Mowbray went back into the room he walked moodily down +the passage. + +Reaching the hall, he found Beatrice waiting there. She had seen Davies +come in and had heard of Harding's arrival, and she now wondered with +tense anxiety what was going on. She could form no conclusion and could +not ask Gerald, because he had carefully kept out of her way. Looking up +at Brand's step, she felt her heart beat with returning hope, for his +lips were set and his brows knit. He had rather the air of a man who had +received a heavy blow than that of a rejoicing lover. Something +unexpected had happened to humble him and set her free. + +"Well," he said with an effort, "I have lost you. Still, I want you to +believe that I loved you." + +Beatrice was trembling from the shock of relief, but she knew that it +would be cruel to show what she felt. + +"I never doubted that," she answered quietly; "but you took the wrong +way." + +"There was no other available. Now that I have lost, perhaps you will +forgive me. I'm going to England in a week or two; I haven't the courage +to stay here." + +"I'm sorry," she said. "But to go away may be best." + +Brand left her, and she leaned against the big newel-post and tried to +keep calm. The thing she dreaded most was not to happen. In some +miraculous way she was free! She wondered with keen anxiety what her +father and Harding were talking about. Davies, she knew, had left the +house a few moments after Brand. + +As a matter of fact, the moneylender was promptly dismissed, with a +check for the full amount of the note; and when Mowbray returned after +closing the door behind him, Harding laid the note on the table. + +"This is yours, sir," he said with a smile. "You may destroy it." + +"Mine!" Mowbray showed his surprise. "You mean--you----" He stumbled +over the words. "You admit your responsibility?" he finally ended. + +"Of course!" + +Harding picked up the note, tore it across twice, and threw the pieces +into the open fire. + +"There's an end of that," he smiled. "Since it bore my signature I +don't know that I have any claim, but you can pay me when you like. I +won't press you." + +Mowbray did not answer for a moment. He felt overcome and could not +collect his thoughts. His prejudices against Harding were strong, but +they were, in a sense, impersonal. It was not the man he objected to, +but what he stood for. The fellow's generosity humbled him. + +"I'm afraid I have done nothing to warrant this great kindness," he said +awkwardly. "Am I to understand that you offer it to me without +conditions, asking nothing in return?" + +"No; not altogether. I guess I might choose a better time, but I feel +that you should know what I want. I'm going to ask a favor. I suppose +you no longer think of compelling Miss Mowbray to marry Brand?" + +"You can take it that I do not. But what is this to you?" + +"Well," Harding said with a slight unsteadiness in his voice, "I want to +ask you if you will give her to me?" + +Mowbray straightened himself in his chair. + +"So you, too, mean to make terms, when you know I cannot refuse!" + +"No," Harding answered shortly, "I make none. If you had insisted on +Miss Mowbray's marrying Brand, I might have had something to say. All I +ask is that you give her a free choice; if she uses it to take somebody +else, I won't complain." + +"That is remarkably generous," Mowbray conceded. + +"We'll let that go. Perhaps my request is something of a shock, but I +want you to hear me out. If things go well with me this year, I can give +my wife every comfort you have at Allenwood, and she can lead the life +she likes best--except that I can't leave the prairie. Then there is +nothing that need separate your daughter from you. Many of her friends +are mine; they'll welcome me into the settlement. I did not go to them; +they came to me." + +Mowbray knew this was true. His own younger son firmly believed in +Harding. Kenwyne, who had fastidious tastes, was his friend. There were +others Mowbray could think of, and all were men of character and +standing. + +"May I ask how long you have entertained these views about my daughter?" + +"Since the first time I saw her, and that was very soon after I came to +this neighborhood. I knew as soon as she spoke to me that I would never +marry any one else." + +Mowbray studied him. He had not suspected Harding of romantic +tendencies, but the man was obviously serious. + +"Has she any reason to suspect your feelings?" he asked. + +"The best of reasons; I have told her on more than one occasion. Still, +I can't claim that she approves of me." + +Had Harding made his proposal earlier, it would not have been +entertained for a moment, but Mowbray had suffered during the last few +days. He had found that it cost him more than he had expected to +disregard his daughter's inclinations, and he shrank from doing so +again. Then he owed much to Harding, who had behaved with somewhat +surprising good taste. After all, if Beatrice were fond of him--Mowbray +stopped here, feeling that the matter must be settled at once. He +determined to confront the girl with Harding and learn the truth. + +"I hope to give you an answer in a few minutes," he said, and left the +room. + +Somewhat to his surprise, Mrs. Mowbray agreed to his plan, and when he +went back to his study he and Harding waited until Beatrice entered. She +was highly strung but calm, though a trace of color crept into her face +as she glanced at Harding. + +"Gerald is safe," Mowbray told her. "Mr. Harding, who has acted very +generously, has ensured that. Now he asks that I should allow you to +marry him." + +Beatrice look startled; her face grew dead-white and her expression +strained. + +"After what he has learned about us he is very rash. But this is not +generosity!" + +Mowbray stopped Harding, who would have spoken. + +"I see that I did not make his meaning clear. He merely asks that I +withdraw my objections, and not that I try to influence your decision. I +am willing to do the former, but you must make your choice." + +Beatrice gave Harding a swift, grateful look. + +"I am sorry I misunderstood. I should have known you better," she said +in a very low voice. + +Then she was silent for a moment, with downcast eyes, and the two men +waited tensely. When she looked up her eyes glistened with tears; but +behind the tears there shone a great happiness. + +"It is not hard to decide," she murmured, reaching her hand out timidly +toward Harding. + +He grasped it eagerly, and Mowbray forced himself to smile. In spite of +the Colonel's prejudices, he felt that his daughter's quiet confidence +in the prairie man was justified. + +"I sincerely wish you well," he said. He laid one hand on Harding's arm, +and there was a tremor in his voice as he continued: "We have not agreed +on many points, but I have learned that you can be trusted. I am glad to +remember it now." + +"Thank you, sir," said Harding. "I know the value of what you have given +me." + +After a few more words Mowbray let them go, and when they sat together +on the large black settle in a corner of the hall, the girl was +conscious of a calm tenderness for her lover that was stronger than +anything she had yet felt. + +"Craig," she said softly, "I wasn't brave enough when you first urged +me, but the hesitation I then felt has gone, and I am ashamed of it. I +know that I am safe with you." + +"Thank you for that," he answered and his face grew compassionate. "But +you look very tired and distressed." + +"I am tired--but I'm happy." A faint flush tinted her cheeks and she +smiled shyly. "The last few days have been very trying, Craig; and when +there seemed to be no way out, then I knew that I wanted you. Now I am +still half dazed; my escape seems so wonderful!" + +"I know," Harding said gently. "I was sorry for you all. It must have +been hard for your father, but one can see his point of view. You must +forget about it, dear. I am starting for Winnipeg to-morrow, and may be +there a week. You will have time to get used to things before I come +back." + +"You are very considerate, and even kinder than I thought." + +He smiled into her eyes. + +"I am going to leave you now, because I feel that I ought to. But you +know I want to stay!" + +He lifted the hand she gave him and kissed it tenderly. Then a swift +flood surged through him. + +"Beatrice!" he breathed. "Oh, Beatrice! You don't know what it means to +me!" + +The little fingers were nearly crushed in his strong grasp; but he +released them quickly and turned away. + +"Good-by, dear!" he said. + +Beatrice let him go, but her look was strangely tender and her heart +beat fast. He had shown a fine unselfishness, and a tact that was +perhaps remarkable. She had no hesitation about him now. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +THE REBUFF + + +Harding spent a busy week in Winnipeg, carrying out a scheme he had +agreed upon with Broadwood, Kenwyne, and one or two others, though he +feared it would again bring him into conflict with Colonel Mowbray. He +regretted this, but he could not allow it to influence him. Allenwood, +in which he now had a strong interest, must not be allowed to suffer +because of the Colonel's old-fashioned opinions. Harding saw what ought +to be done; and he felt that to leave it undone, in order to save +himself trouble, would be weak and, in a sense, treacherous to those who +now looked to him for a lead. He could not act against his convictions; +he must do what he thought best, and take the consequences. + +The storekeepers and implement dealers in the small settlements had many +bad debts, and their charges were proportionately high, but Harding did +not see why he and his friends should pay for the defaulters. Expensive +machines were needed; and new wheat was being produced which would +resist drought and ripen soon enough to escape the autumn frost; but +local dealers were unable, or perhaps too careless, to obtain the seed. +Then, Harding saw that a time was coming when mixed farming produce, +which he called truck, would be in strong demand; and it was his custom +to anticipate a need. Kenwyne and the others recognized the +desirability of this, and had agreed to open a joint agency in Winnipeg. +Harding was not sure that the expense could be recouped for a time, but +he believed the undertaking would pay in the end. + +After finding a suitable office, he called on a number of business men +and the flour-millers who were then beginning what was to become the +leading industry of the city. He wanted to learn their views about the +kind of wheat best suited to their use, and to enter into direct +relations with them. On the whole, he succeeded better than he had +hoped, and had now only to appoint an agent. Two or three suitable men +had offered their services, and it was difficult to decide. + +He was thinking over the matter in the newly opened office, when Gerald +came in. The Mowbray black sheep seemed to feel no embarrassment in +meeting him, for his manner was inclined to be patronizing. Sitting +down, he lighted a cigarette. + +"This is a new venture. I don't know that it will meet with general +approval at Allenwood," he remarked. + +"One mustn't expect too much," Harding answered. "I guess the people who +object now will come round by and by." + +"I wonder how long you think it will be before my father falls into +line," said Gerald with a careless laugh. "Everything considered, I +rather admire your pluck." + +Harding let this pass. It was not a tactful allusion to his engagement +to Beatrice, and he was annoyed by Gerald's manner. He had not expected +much gratitude, but the fellow did not even seem to realize that Harding +had saved him from jail. + +"I suppose you know I have been turned out of Allenwood," Gerald +resumed. + +Harding admitted that he had been told so. + +"Since then I've heard from the Government people that they're not +likely to want me for the new survey. As a matter of fact, I'm not +sorry. The last man I went into the woods with was a sour, exacting +brute." + +"They've got to be hard. It isn't easy to run a line through a rough +country." + +"Nobody knows that better than I do," Gerald replied with feeling. +"Well, I've been here a week, and can't find any congenial occupation." + +"You don't look worried about it." + +Gerald laughed. + +"Oh, I'm not, as a rule, despondent; and I knew that I could as a last +resort fall back on you. This explains my call. I believe you want an +agent to manage your office." + +Harding's expression indicated ironical amusement. + +"Do you think what you have just told me is a recommendation for the +job?" + +"It seems to prove my need of it." + +"But not your suitability. I'm not looking for a man whom nobody else +will have." + +Gerald looked at him in astonishment. Though he had not given the matter +much thought, he had imagined that Harding would be glad to do him a +favor for his sister's sake. It was something of a shock to be refused. +And the manner of the refusal was mortifying. The fellow was a coarser +brute than he had thought; but Gerald did not mean to let his resentment +run away with him. + +"I have a few useful qualifications," he said. "Some of the bigger +implement dealers and the heads of the milling firms are men of taste +and education. It's possible they might rather deal with me than with a +drummer fellow, or a raw farmer fresh from the soil." + +"I'm fresh from the soil, but I guess I could run this end of the +business," Harding returned. + +Gerald saw that he had blundered; but he did not feel beaten yet. + +"Perhaps I'd better mention that I spoke to Kenwyne and Broadwood, and +they were willing that I should have the agency." + +"That's so. I have a letter from Kenwyne, who says he'd like to give you +a lift, but leaves me to decide." + +"Then his wishes ought to count. You must see that your position at +Allenwood won't be easy; it will need some tact to make it comfortable, +and your giving me the post would go a long distance in your favor. You +can't afford to disregard our people's feelings until you've made your +footing good." + +"Can I not?" Harding's patience was exhausted. "Have I ever tried to +gain your friends' favor by indulging any of their crank notions? If +necessary, I'll put my plans through in spite of the crowd!" He checked +himself. "But this has nothing to do with the matter. You're not the man +I want." + +"May I inquire what kind of a man you do want?" + +"First of all, one I can trust." + +Gerald colored, but he got up with some dignity and moved toward the +door. + +"You may regret your decision," he said threateningly. + +Harding sat silent until the door closed, and then he went over to the +window and looked out at the narrow street with a frown. He was angry, +but he did not think he had been too severe. It was plain that he might +have made things easier for himself by falling in with Gerald's +suggestion; the fellow was a favorite at Allenwood, where his last +offense was known only to one or two people. Harding had no doubt that +Mowbray would have appreciated his giving his son another chance; and +Beatrice would have thought it generous. For all that, the business of +the settlement could not be done by wastrels; and Harding felt that he +could not secure a personal advantage by a breach of trust. + +Gerald's feelings about the matter were far from pleasant. Returning to +his second-class hotel he endeavored to solace them with a drink before +he sat down in the untidy lounge to consider. He had been grossly +insulted; but he persuaded himself that this did not trouble him most. +The worst was that Harding was a coarse, low-bred brute, and was, +unfortunately, going to marry Beatrice. Gerald had not hesitated about +sacrificing his sister to save himself, but it was easy for him now to +feel that she was making a grave mistake. It was perhaps curious that he +had preserved a keen sense of family pride, and a belief that people of +his station must keep up their dignity; but he was honest as far as he +went. He knew that he had by no means lived up to his creed; but, while +some allowances must be made for men, this did not apply to women. It +was essential that they should remember what was due to their birth and +rank. On no account should a well-bred girl marry beneath her. + +He went to the bar for another drink, and afterward became convinced +that Beatrice's marriage to Harding could only end in disaster. It must, +therefore, be prevented. He could not see how this was to be done, but +chance might provide a means. + +In the meanwhile he was confronted by the stern necessity for earning +his living. Taking up a newspaper, he studied the advertisements; but +unfortunately there seemed to be no demand for people with refined +tastes and polite accomplishments in Canada. Farm teamsters were wanted, +and shovel hands for a branch railroad; but these occupations did not +appeal to Gerald. A clerk was required at a new hotel. Well, that was +more in his line, and he set off to interview the proprietor. After a +few curt questions the man dismissed him, and Gerald spent the next day +or two moodily walking about the town, until it occurred to him that he +had better see what Davies could do. The fellow, who knew the worst of +him, owed him something. He felt much less bitter against the +moneylender, who had helped to ruin him, than he did against Harding, +whom he had injured. + +Davies was disengaged when Gerald entered. + +"So you're up against it!" he remarked. "Your friends at Allenwood have +no use for you?" + +"It looks like that. Otherwise I wouldn't have come here." + +"I see they're opening an office in this city." + +"Harding's in charge. I don't get on with him." + +"Well, perhaps that's natural." Davies was keen enough to notice the +rancor in Gerald's tone. He was afraid his plans about Allenwood might +have to be abandoned, but if he were able to go on with them, Harding +would prove his most dangerous opponent. + +"I guess Mr. Harding talked pretty straight to you?" he suggested. + +"He took an unfair advantage of my position!" + +"So you thought you'd strike me for a job? I guess you know you're not +worth much." + +Gerald winced at this, but he could not resent it. His father had +disowned him, and, except for a surreptitious gift from his mother, he +had no resources. + +"It's plain that I can't insist upon good terms," he replied. "I quite +expected you to see it." + +Davies considered. He did not suspect Mowbray of any fondness for steady +work, and he thought his services as a clerk would be dear at five +dollars a week; but the fellow was shrewd and plausible, and had what +Davies called tone. Well-brought-up young Englishmen and a few Americans +of the same stamp were coming into Manitoba looking for land, and +Mowbray, who understood these people, might act as a decoy. Then, he +knew all about Allenwood, and this knowledge might be useful later. On +the whole, Davies thought he would take the risk of employing him. + +"Well," he said, "I'll make you an offer." + +It was not an advantageous one for Gerald, but after some objections he +accepted it, and the next day reluctantly set to work. His occupation, +however, proved less unpleasant than he had feared, and at the end of a +few weeks Davies thought he had acted wisely. Mowbray was intelligent +and unscrupulous, his judgment was good, and Davies began to take him +into his confidence. + +Harding, in the meanwhile, appointed an agent and went home. He hired a +horse at the railroad settlement, and the first of the Allenwood +farmsteads were rising above the edge of the plain when a mounted figure +appeared near a bluff that the trail skirted. The figure was small and +distant, but it cut sharp against the evening light, and Harding's heart +beat fast as he recognized it. Touching his horse with the quirt, he +rode on at a gallop and pulled up near Beatrice with an exultant gleam +in his eyes. + +"This is very kind!" he cried. + +She looked at him shyly, with some color in her face. + +"Didn't you expect me to meet you? How far have you ridden at that +furious pace?" + +"Since I saw you quite a way back. The horse wouldn't come fast enough!" + +She smiled at him. + +"If you are not in a great hurry to get home, let's walk as far as the +ridge," she suggested. + +Harding, springing down, held out his hand, and when she slipped from +the saddle he caught her in his arms and held her fast while he kissed +her. Beatrice was not demonstrative, but he felt her arms tighten about +his neck, and the soft pressure of her cheek upon his face, and it gave +him a thrill of triumph. Now he realized all that he had won. + +For a long while they did not speak. Then Beatrice freed herself with a +soft laugh, and they walked on across the prairie. But Harding would not +release one little hand, which he clung to as they climbed the trail +together. + +The red sunset burned in front of them with the edge of the plain +cutting against it in a hard, straight line. Above the lurid glow the +wide arch of sky shone a vivid green, and the great sweep of grass ran +forward steeped in deepening shades of blue. There was something +mysteriously impressive in the half light and the riot of color. + +"What a glorious evening!" Beatrice could not help exclaiming. "I am +glad I shall not have to leave the prairie." + +The crimson flush on the skyline merged into rose and magenta and mauve. + +"It is lighted up in your honor," Harding said. + +"You have a pretty imagination; but I fear the gray days are more in +keeping with the life I've led. It was often rather dreary at the +Grange, and I felt that I was objectless--drifting on without a +purpose." She smiled at Harding. "You can't understand the feeling?" + +"No," he said. "All my life I've had too much to do. One gets +self-centered through thinking only of one's work. It may be better to +stop now and then and look about." + +"It depends upon what you see. If your surroundings never change, you +come to know them too well and begin to think that nothing different is +possible. It makes one narrow. We may both need patience, Craig, before +we learn to understand each other's point of view." + +Harding realized the truth of this. They looked at many things +differently, and there were points on which their convictions were +opposed. + +She gave the strong hand that held hers a slight pressure of caress. + +"I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been driven out of my way +by the grass fire that night?" she questioned, woman-like. + +"Nothing would have been different. I was bound to meet you sooner or +later." + +She laughed contentedly, and they walked on in silence for a while. +Harding felt that he ought to tell her about Gerald, but he hesitated. + +"Tell me what you have been doing in Winnipeg," she said, as if she had +divined his thoughts. + +He explained his business there carefully, and Beatrice was pleased that +he took her interest and comprehension for granted. + +"Gerald wanted me to make him our agent, and I refused," he ended. + +She was conscious of disappointment, though she appreciated his candor. + +"I'm afraid he will find things hard. Of course, it's his own fault, but +that won't make his difficulties lighter. Couldn't you have taken the +risk of giving him another chance?" + +"No," said Harding. "I wanted to help him, for your sake, but I couldn't +give him the post. You see, I was acting for others as well as for +myself." He hesitated before he added: "I felt that we must have the +best man we could get." + +"And you could get more reliable men than my brother! Unfortunately, +it's true. But the others were willing; Kenwyne told me so." + +He looked at her in surprise, for there was a faint hardness in her +voice. + +"I don't think they quite understood how important the matter is. +Anyway, they left it to me and I felt forced to do what seemed best for +all." + +"Well," she said, as if puzzled, "Gerald certainly wronged you." + +"That didn't count; not the wrong you mean. The greatest injury he could +have done me would have been in giving you to Brand. However, it was not +this, but his unfitness for our work that made me refuse him." + +He had blundered, and Beatrice felt hurt. She could have forgiven him +for bitterly resenting Gerald's attempt to separate them, but he seemed +to consider that comparatively unimportant. There was a hard strain in +him; perhaps her father had been right in thinking him too deeply imbued +with the commercial spirit. + +He helped her to the saddle, and the misunderstanding was forgotten as +they rode in confidential talk across the shadowy plain until the lights +of the Grange twinkled out ahead. Harding left her at the forking of the +trail, but he was thoughtful as he trotted home alone. He must exercise +care and tact in future. Beatrice was proud, and he feared that he had +not altogether won her yet. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +DROUGHT + + +The wheat was growing tall and changing to a darker shade; when the wind +swept through it, it undulated like the waves of a vast green sea, +rippling silver and white where the light played on the bending blades. + +Harding lay among the dusty grass in a dry sloo, and Hester sat beside +him in the blue shadow of the big hay wagon. Since six o'clock that +morning Harding and Devine had been mowing prairie hay. They had stopped +long enough to eat the lunch Hester had brought them; and now Devine had +returned to his work, and sat jolting in the driving-seat of a big +machine as he guided three powerful horses along the edge of the grass. +It went down in dry rows, ready for gathering, before the glistening +knife, and a haze of dust and a cloud of flies followed the team across +the sloo. Harding's horses stood switching their tails in the sunshine +that flooded the plain with a dazzling glare. + +"It was rough on Fred that you wouldn't let him finish his pipe," +Harding said. + +"He went obediently," Hester answered with a smile. "I wanted to talk to +you." + +"I suspected something of the kind; but I can't see why you must stop me +now." + +"You are away at daybreak and come home late." + +"Very well," said Harding resignedly. "But I've got to clean up this +sloo by dark." + +"Then you're not going to the Grange? You haven't been since Sunday." + +"Beatrice understands that I'm busy." + +"That's fortunate. It's not nice to feel neglected. Can't you take your +mind off your farming for a little while, Craig?" + +"It's my job. What's more, sticking to it seems the best way of making +things easier for Beatrice. I'm an outsider at Allenwood and have got to +justify my unorthodox notions by success. I haven't much polish and I'm +not a good talker, but I can grow wheat--and luckily that comes into the +scheme." + +"It may, perhaps. When are you to be married, Craig?" + +"I don't know. Beatrice puts it off. I had hoped it might be after +harvest, but nothing's settled yet." + +"Then you ought to be firm and insist upon fixing the wedding soon." + +"I wish I could. But why?" + +"Because it might be better not to leave Beatrice among her friends too +long." + +Harding looked surprised. + +"Since the Colonel's given in, and Gerald's gone, I don't think there is +anybody who would try to turn her against me." + +"No," agreed Hester. "Her parents would be angry if she broke her +engagement. Now that they have accepted you, you can count on their +support, even if they're not quite satisfied with the match. The trouble +is that you and they belong to very different schools. They'll try to +make the best of you, but Beatrice will see how hard they find it." + +"Hurrying on the wedding won't help much." + +"It might. Beatrice will try to accept her husband's views, and she'll +probably find it easier than she thinks; but at present all she sees and +hears will remind her of the changes she will have to make. Things you +do will not seem right; some of your ideas will jar. Then the other +women will let her see that they feel sorry for her and think she's +throwing herself away. She'll deny it, but it will hurt." + +"Perhaps that's true," said Harding. "But talking of the wedding raises +another question. I want a better house, and when I build I may as well +locate at Allenwood." + +"Then you are still determined on getting control there?" + +"I don't want control, but I may have to take it," Harding answered. +"The settlement will fall to bits if it's left alone, and I suspect that +I'm the only man who can hold it up. I'm glad you have talked to me. +What you've said makes it clear that I've not time to lose. Now, +however, this hay must be cut." + +He led his team into the grass when Hester went away, but although he +worked hard until dark fell, his mind was busy with many things beside +the clattering machine. + +A few days later he had occasion to visit Winnipeg, and after some talk +with his agent there, he asked him: + +"Do you know how Davies is fixed just now, Jackson?" + +"I don't know much about him personally, but men in his line of business +are feeling the set-back. They've bought options on land there's no +demand for, and can't collect accounts; farmers with money seem to have +stopped coming in; and the small homesteaders are going broke. Doesn't +seem to be any money in the country, and credit's played out." + +"Then it ought to be a good time to pick up land cheap, and I want you +to find a broker who'll ask Davies what he'll take for two or three +mortgages he holds on Allenwood. My name's not to be mentioned; you must +get a man who can handle the matter cautiously." + +"I know one; but, if you don't mind my asking, could you put a deal of +that kind through?" + +"I must," said Harding. "It will be a strain, but the crop's coming on +well and I ought to have a surplus after harvest." + +"Isn't the dry weather hurting you?" + +"Not yet. We can stand for another week or two if the wind's not too +bad. Anyhow, you can find out whether Davies is inclined to trade." + +When Harding went out into the street, he was met by a cloud of swirling +dust. He wiped the grit from his eyes and brushed it off his clothes +with an annoyance that was not accounted for by the slight discomfort it +caused him. The sun was fiercely hot, the glare trying, and the plank +sidewalks and the fronts of the wooden stores had begun to crack. Sand +and cement from half-finished buildings were blowing down the street; +and when Harding stopped to watch a sprinkler at work on a lawn at the +corner of an avenue where frame houses stood among small trees, the +glistening shower vanished as it fell. There were fissures in the hard +soil and the grass looked burnt. But it was the curious, hard +brightness of the sky and the way the few white clouds swept across it +that gave Harding food for thought. + +The soil of the Western prairie freezes deep, and, thawing slowly, +retains moisture for the wheat plant for some time; but the June rain +had been unusually light. Moreover, the plains rise in three or four +tablelands as they run toward the Rockies, and the strength of the +northwest wind increases with their elevation. It was blowing fresh in +the low Red River basin, but it would be blowing harder farther west, +where there are broken, sandy belts. After a period of dry weather, the +sand drives across the levels with disastrous consequences to any crops +in the neighborhood. This, however, was a danger that could not be +guarded against. + +The next day Jackson reported about the mortgages. + +"Davies was keen on business and offered my man improved preemptions in +a dozen different townships," he said. "Pressed him to go out and take a +look at them; but when he heard the buyer wanted an Allenwood location +he wouldn't trade." + +"What do you gather from that?" + +"The thing seems pretty plain, and what I've found out since yesterday +agrees with my conclusions. Davies is pressed for money, but he means to +hold on to Allenwood as long as he can. A good harvest would help him +because he'd then be able to get in some money from his customers." + +"A good harvest would help us all; but there's not much hope of it +unless the weather changes. In the meanwhile, we'll let the matter drop, +because I don't want to give the fellow a hint about my plans." + +Nearing home on the following evening, Harding pulled up his horse on +the edge of the wheat as he saw Devine coming to meet him. + +"What's the weather been like?" he asked, getting down from the rig. + +"Bad," said Devine gloomily. "Hot and blowing hard." + +Harding looked about as they crossed a stretch of grass that had turned +white and dry. The sunset was red and angry, but above the horizon the +sky was a hard, dark blue that threatened wind. Everything was very +still now, but the men knew the breeze would rise again soon after +daybreak. They said nothing for a time after they stopped beside the +wheat. + +The soil was thinly covered with sand, and the tall blades had a yellow, +shriveled look, while the stems were bent and limp. Harding gathered a +few and examined them. They were scored with fine lines as if they had +been cut by a sharp file. + +"Not serious yet, but the grain won't stand for much more of this." + +"That's so," Devine agreed. "The sand hasn't got far in, but I guess it +will work right through unless we have a change. If not, there'll be +trouble for both of us this fall." + +"Sure," said Harding curtly. "Bring the horse, Fred, and we'll drive on +to the rise." + +They presently alighted where the plain merged into a belt of broken +country, dotted with clumps of scrub birch and poplar. It rolled in +ridges and hollows, but the harsh grass which thinly covered its surface +had shriveled and left bare banks of sand, which lay about the slopes in +fantastic shapes as they had drifted. Harding stooped and took up a +handful. It was hot and felt gritty. The broken ground ran on as far as +he could see, and the short, stunted trees looked as if they had been +scorched. Glowing red in the dying sunset, the desolate landscape had a +strangely sinister effect. + +"The stuff's as hard and sharp as steel," he said, throwing down the +sand. "There's enough of it to wipe out all the crops between Allenwood +and the frontier if the drought lasts." + +"What we want is a good big thunderstorm. This blamed sand-belt's a +trouble we never reckoned on." + +"No," said Harding. "I took a look at it when I was picking my location, +but there was plenty of grass, and the brush was strong and green. Guess +they'd had more rain the last two or three years. I figured out things +pretty carefully--and now the only set-back I didn't allow for is going +to pull me up! Well, we must hope for a change of weather; there's +nothing else to be done." + +He turned away with a gloomy face, and they walked back to the rig. +Harding had early seen that Beatrice would not be an easy prize. It was +not enough, entrancing as it was, to dream over her beauty, her +fastidious daintiness in manners and thought, her patrician calm, and +the shy tenderness she now and then showed for him. The passionate +thrill her voice and glance brought him--spurred him rather--to action. +First of all, he must work and fight for her, and he had found a keen +pleasure in the struggle. One by one he had pulled down the barriers +between them; but now, when victory seemed secure, an obstacle he could +not overcome had suddenly risen. All his strength of mind and body +counted for nothing against the weather. Beatrice could not marry a +ruined man; it was unthinkable that he should drag her down to the +grinding care and drudgery that formed the lot of a broken farmer's +wife. He was helpless, and could only wait and hope for rain. + +When he had finished his work the next evening he drove over to the +Grange, feeling depressed and tired, for he had begun at four o'clock +that morning. It was very hot: a fiery wind still blew across the plain, +although the sun had set, and Beatrice was sitting on the veranda with +her mother and Mowbray. They had a languid air, and the prairie, which +had turned a lifeless gray, looked strangely dreary as it ran back into +the gathering dark. + +"Not much hope of a change!" Mowbray remarked. + +Beatrice gave Harding a sympathetic glance, and unconsciously he set his +lips tight. She looked cool and somehow ethereal in her thin white dress +and her eyes were gentle. It was horrible to think that he might have to +give her up; but he knew it might come to this. + +"You're tired; I'm afraid you have been working too hard," Beatrice said +gently. + +"The weather accounts for it, not the work," he answered. "It's +depressing to feel that all you've done may lead to nothing." + +"Very true," Mowbray assented. "You're fortunate if this is the first +time you have been troubled by the feeling. Many of us have got used to +it; but one must go on." + +"It's hard to fight a losing battle, sir." + +"It is," said Mowbray grimly. "That it really does not matter in the end +whether you lose or not, so long as you're on the right side, doesn't +seem to give one much consolation. But your crop strikes me as looking +better than ours." + +"I plowed deep; the sub-soil holds the moisture. Of course, with +horse-traction----" + +Harding hesitated, but Mowbray smiled. + +"I can't deny that your machines have their advantages," the Colonel +said. "They'd be useful if you could keep them in their place as +servants; the danger is that they'll become your masters. When you have +bought them you must make them pay, and that puts you under the yoke of +an iron thing that demands to be handled with the sternest economy. The +balance sheet's the only standard it leaves you--and you have to make +some sacrifices if you mean to come out on the credit side. Your finer +feelings and self-respect often have to go." + +"I'm not sure they need go; but, in a way, you're right. You must strike +a balance, or the machines that cost so much will break you. For all +that, it's useful as a test; the result of bad work shows when you come +to the reckoning. I can't see that to avoid waste must be demoralizing." + +"It isn't. The harm begins when you set too high a value on economical +efficiency." + +Harding did not answer, and there was silence for a time. Mrs. Mowbray +had a headache from the heat, and Beatrice felt limp. She noticed the +slackness of Harding's pose and felt sorry for him. He differed from her +father, and she could not think he was always right, but he was honest; +indeed, it was his strong sincerity that had first attracted her. She +liked his strength and boldness; the athletic symmetry of his form had +its effect; but what struck her most was his freedom from what the +Canadians contemptuously called meanness. Beatrice was fastidiously +refined in some respects, and she thought of him as clean. Unconsciously +she forgave him much for this, because he jarred upon her now and then. +Her father's old-fashioned ideals were touched with a grace that her +lover could not even admire, but, watching him as he sat in the fading +light, she felt that he was trustworthy. + +Mosquitos began to invade the veranda, and Mrs. Mowbray was driven into +the house. The Colonel presently followed her, and Beatrice, leaving her +chair, cuddled down beside Harding on the steps. + +"Craig," she said, "you're quiet to-night." + +"This dry weather makes one think; and then there's the difference +between your father and myself. He wants to be just, but there's a +natural antagonism between us that can't be got over." + +"It isn't personal, dear." + +"No," said Harding; "we're antagonistic types. The trouble is that you +must often think as he does--and I wouldn't have you different." + +"That's dear of you, Craig. But, even if we don't agree always, what +does it matter? I like you because you're so candid and honest. You +would never hide anything you thought or did from me." + +They sat there in the gathering gloom. An early owl ventured out and +hooted from his sheltered tree-top; a chorus of frogs down in the lake +sent back an indignant reply; a honeysuckle vine that climbed over the +veranda flaunted its perfumed blossoms to the hot, night air, luring +pollen-bearers. + +To Harding, the worries of the day were, for the moment, forgotten: a +great peace filled him. And over the girl, as she felt his strong arm +around her, there rested a deep, satisfying sense of security and +trust. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +THE ADVENTURESS + + +Before the wheat had suffered serious damage, a few thunder showers +broke upon the plain, and Harding and his neighbors took courage. The +crop was not out of danger; indeed, a week's dry weather would undo the +good the scanty rain had done; but ruin, which had seemed imminent, was, +at least, delayed. Then Harding got news from his agent that +necessitated his return to Winnipeg, and Mrs. Mowbray and Beatrice, who +wished to visit the millinery stores, arranged to accompany him. + +It was hot and dry when they reached the city, but Harding was of +sanguine temperament and, being relieved from fear of immediate +disaster, proceeded with his plans for the consolidation of Allenwood. +He could not carry them far, because even if he secured an abundant +harvest, which was at present doubtful, he would have some difficulty in +raising capital enough to outbid his rival. Acting cautiously with +Jackson's help, however, he found two men who had lent Davies money and +were now frankly alarmed by the general fall in values. One, indeed, was +willing to transfer his interest to Harding on certain terms which the +latter could not accept. + +He was thinking over these matters one morning when, to his surprise, he +saw Brand crossing the street toward him. They had not met since the +evening of their encounter with Davies at the Grange, and Harding was +sensible of some constraint. Brand was a reserved man whom he had +neither understood nor liked, but he had thought him honorable until he +learned the price he had demanded for helping Mowbray. + +There was no embarrassment in Brand's manner. He looked as cool and +inscrutable as usual. + +"I'm rather glad we have met," he said. + +"I thought you had gone back to the Old Country," Harding replied. + +"No; I find it harder to sell my farm than I imagined. The settlement +covenant's the trouble, and I don't feel inclined to give the land away. +I want a talk with you. Will you come to my hotel?" + +Harding agreed, and a few minutes later they sat down in a quiet corner +of the hotel lounge. + +"How's your campaign against the moneylender progressing?" Brand began +abruptly. + +"Then you know something about it?" + +"I'm not a fool. I've been watching the game with interest for some +time. I have a reason for asking; you can be frank with me." + +Harding knew when to trust a man and, in spite of what had happened, he +trusted Brand. When he had given him a short explanation, Brand seemed +satisfied. + +"Very well; now I have something to say. My prejudices are against you; +they're on Mowbray's side, but I'm beginning to see that his position is +untenable. It seems I can't get a fair price for my farm, and after +spending some happy years on it, I have a sentimental affection for the +place. Don't know that I'd care to see it fall into the hands of some +raw English lad whose inexperience would be a danger to Allenwood. The +drift of all this is--will you work the land for me if we can make a +satisfactory arrangement?" + +Harding hesitated. + +"I don't know that I could take a favor----" + +"From me? Don't make a mistake. I'm not acting out of any personal +regard for you. On the whole, I'd rather see you in control of Allenwood +than a mortgage broker; that's all." + +"Thanks! On that understanding we might come to terms." + +"Then there's another matter. Managing my farm won't help you much, and +I feel that I owe something to the settlement. If it looks as if the +moneylender would be too strong for you, and you're short of funds, you +can write to me. I can afford to spend something on Allenwood's +defense." + +They talked it over, and when Harding left the hotel he had promised, in +case of necessity, to ask Brand's help. Moreover, although he had not +expected this, he felt some sympathy and a half reluctant liking for his +beaten rival. + +During the same day Davies had a confidential talk with Gerald. + +"Do you know that your mother and sister are in town with Harding?" he +asked. + +"Yes; but I haven't seen them yet." + +"Rather not meet Harding? Are you pleased that the man's going to marry +your sister?" + +"I'm not!" Gerald answered curtly. + +He stopped writing and frowned at the book in which he was making an +entry. He felt very bitter against Harding, who had insulted him, but +he was moved by a deeper and less selfish feeling. It jarred upon his +sense of fitness that his sister should marry a low-bred fellow with +whom he was convinced she could not live happily. Beatrice had lost her +head, but she was a Mowbray and would recover her senses; then she would +rue the mistake she had made. She might resent Gerald's interference and +would, no doubt, suffer for a time if he succeeded in separating her +from her lover; but men, as he knew, got over an irregular passion, and +he had no reason to believe that women were different. + +"She will marry him unless something is done," Davies resumed cunningly. + +"What is that to you?" + +"Well, I think you can guess my hand. His marrying your sister would +give Harding some standing at Allenwood, and he's already got more +influence there than suits me. The fellow's dangerous; I hear he's been +getting at one or two of the men who backed me. But we'll quit fencing. +Do you want to stop this match?" + +Although he had fallen very low, Gerald felt the humiliation of allowing +Davies to meddle with the Mowbray affairs; but he overcame his +repugnance, because the man might be of help. + +"Yes," he answered shortly; "but I don't see how it can be stopped." + +"You knew Coral Stanton in your more prosperous days, didn't you?" + +Gerald admitted it. Miss Stanton described herself as a clairvoyante, +but although there were then in the Western cities ladies of her +profession who confined themselves to forecasting the changes of the +markets and fortune-telling, the term had to some extent become +conventionalized and conveyed another meaning. Coral had arrived in +Winnipeg with a third-rate opera company, which she left after a quarrel +with the manager's wife; and although it was known that gambling for +high stakes went on in her consulting rooms, she had for a time avoided +trouble with the civic authorities. The girl was of adventurous turn of +mind and was marked by an elfish love of mischief. + +"I can't see what my knowing Coral has to do with the matter," Gerald +replied. + +"Then I'll have to explain. Things have been going wrong with her since +the Ontario lumber man was doped in her rooms. The police have given her +warning, and I guess she wouldn't stick at much if she saw a chance of +earning a hundred dollars easily." + +"What d'you suggest that she should do?" + +"If you'll listen for a few minutes, I'll tell you." + +Davies chuckled as he unfolded a plan that appealed to his broad sense +of humor; but Gerald frowned. Although likely to result to her ultimate +benefit, the plot was, in the first place, directed against his sister. +It was repugnant in several ways, but he thought it would work, for +Beatrice, like his mother, had Puritanical views. Besides, he could +think of nothing else. + +"Well," he said, "will you talk to Coral?" + +"Certainly not," Davies answered cautiously; "that's your part of the +business. I'll put up the money." + +The following day Harding was lunching with Beatrice and her mother at +their hotel, when the waitress brought him a note. Beatrice, sitting +next to him, noticed that it was addressed in a woman's hand and was +heavily scented. Indeed, there was something she disliked in the +insidious perfume. She watched Harding as he opened the envelope and saw +that what he read disturbed him. This struck her as curious, but she did +not see the note. He thrust it into his pocket and began to talk about +something of no importance. + +Beatrice thought over the incident during the afternoon, but by evening +she had banished it from her mind. After dinner they sat in the big +rotunda of the hotel. Harding was unusually quiet, but Beatrice scarcely +noticed it, for she was interested in watching the people who sauntered +in and out through the revolving glass door. They were of many different +types: wiry, brown-faced plainsmen; silent, grave-eyed fellows from the +forest belt; smart bank clerks and traders; mechanics; and a few women. +One or two seemed to be needy adventurers, but they came and went among +the rest, though it was obvious that they could not be staying at the +hotel. + +Beatrice's attention was suddenly attracted by a girl who came in. She +was handsome, dressed in the extreme of fashion, and marked by a certain +rakish boldness that was not unbecoming. Beatrice was struck by the +darkness of her hair and the brilliance of her color, until she saw that +something was due to art; then she noticed a man smile at another as he +indicated the girl, and two more turn and look after her when she +passed. Thereupon Beatrice grew pitiful, ashamed and angry, for she +could not tell which of the feelings predominated; and she wondered why +the hotel people had not prevented the girl's entrance. She was pleased +to see that Harding was talking to a man who had joined him and had +noticed nothing. + +Her life at the Grange had been somewhat austere, and her relatives were +old-fashioned people of high character who condemned what they called +modern laxity. For all that, the adventuress roused her curiosity, and +she watched her as she moved about the room. She drew near them, and +Beatrice thought her eyes rested strangely on Harding for a moment. A +strong scent floated about her--the same that had perfumed the note. +Beatrice was startled, but she tried to persuade herself that she was +mistaken. The adventuress passed on; but when Harding's companion left +him she came up at once and gave him an inviting smile. He looked at her +in surprise, but there was some color in his face. It was unthinkable +that he should know the girl, but she stopped beside him. + +"Craig," she cooed, "you don't pretend that you've forgotten me?" + +Harding looked at her coldly. + +"I have never seen you before in my life!" he said emphatically. + +Coral laughed, and Beatrice noticed the music in her voice. + +"Aw, come off!" she exclaimed. "What you giving us? Guess you've been +getting rich and turned respectable." + +Harding cast a quick glance round. Beatrice and Mrs. Mowbray sat near, +and it would be difficult to defend himself to either. The girl had made +an unfortunate mistake, or perhaps expected to find him an easy victim; +now he began to understand the note. The blood filled his face and he +looked guilty in his embarrassment and anger, for he saw that he was +helpless. The hotel people would not interfere; and to repulse the woman +rudely or run away from her was likely to attract the attention he +wished to avoid. + +"You have mistaken me for somebody else," he replied uneasily. + +She gave him a coquettish smile. + +"Well, I guess you're Craig Harding unless you've changed your name as +well as your character. I reckoned you'd come back to me when I heard +you were in town. You ought to feel proud I came to look for you, when +you didn't answer my note." + +There was something seductive and graceful in her mocking courtesy, but +Harding lost his temper. + +"I've had enough! You don't know me, and if you try to play this fool +game I'll have you fired out!" + +"That to an old friend--and a lady!" she exclaimed. "You've surely lost +the pretty manners that made me love you." + +Harding turned in desperation, and started to the door; but she +followed, putting her hand on his shoulder, and some of the bystanders +laughed. Beatrice, quivering with the shock, hated them for their +amusement. Even if he were innocent, Harding had placed himself in a +horribly humiliating position. But she could not think him innocent. All +she had seen and heard condemned him. + +Harding shook off the girl's hand and, perhaps alarmed by the look he +gave her, she left him and soon afterward disappeared, but when he +returned to the table Beatrice and her mother had gone. He was getting +cool again, but he felt crushed, for no defense seemed possible. He +could only offer a blunt denial which, in the face of appearances, could +hardly be believed. + +He left the hotel and spent an hour walking about the city, trying to +think what he must do. When he returned a bell-boy brought him word that +Mrs. Mowbray wished to see him in the drawing-room. Harding went up and +found the room unoccupied except by Beatrice and her mother. The girl's +face was white, but it was stern and she had her father's immovable +look. Rising as he came in, she stood very straight, holding out a +little box. + +"This is yours," she said. "I must give it back to you. You will +understand what that means." + +Harding took the box, containing the ring he had given her, and steadily +met her accusing eyes, though he could see no hope for him in them. + +"I suppose there's no use in my saying that it's all a mistake or a +wicked plot?" + +"No; I'm afraid the evidence against you is too strong." She hesitated a +moment, and he thought he saw some sign of relenting. "Craig," she +begged, in a broken voice, "do go. I--I believed in you." + +"You have no reason to doubt me now." + +He turned to Mrs. Mowbray. + +"Can't you be persuaded? I give you my solemn word----" + +"Don't!" Beatrice interrupted. "Don't make it worse!" + +"I'm sorry I must agree with my daughter's decision until I see more +reason to change it than I can hope for at present," Mrs. Mowbray +replied. "It would be better if you left us. We return to-morrow." + +Her tone was final; and, with a last glance at Beatrice, Harding went +out dejectedly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +FIRE AND HAIL + + +On the morning after her return from Winnipeg, Beatrice sat in her +father's study, with Mowbray facing her across the table. He looked +thoughtful, but not so shocked and indignant as she had expected. + +"So you are determined to throw Harding over!" + +"Yes," Beatrice said in a strained voice. "It seems impossible to do +anything else." + +"A broken engagement's a serious matter; we Mowbrays keep our word. I +hope you're quite sure of your ground." + +"What I heard left no room for doubt." + +"Did you hear the man's defense?" + +"I refused to listen," said Beatrice coldly. "That he should try to +excuse himself only made it worse." + +"I'm not sure that's very logical. I'll confess that Harding and I +seldom agree, but one must be fair." + +"Does that mean that one ought to be lenient?" Beatrice asked with an +angry sparkle in her eyes. + +Mowbray was conscious of some embarrassment. His ideas upon the subject +were not sharply defined, but if it had not been his daughter who +questioned him he could have expressed them better. Beatrice ought to +have left her parents to deal with a delicate matter like this, but +instead she had boldly taken it into her own hands. He had tried to +bring up his children well, but the becoming modesty which characterized +young women in his youth had gone. + +"No," he answered; "not exactly lenient. But the thing may not be so bad +as you think--and one must make allowances. Then, a broken engagement +reflects upon both parties. Even if one of them has an unquestionable +grievance, it proves that that person acted very rashly in making a +promise in the first instance." + +"Yes," said Beatrice; "that is my misfortune. I was rash and easily +deceived. I made the bargain in confiding ignorance, without reserve, +while the man kept a good deal back." + +"But your mother tells me that he declared he had never seen the woman; +and Harding is not a liar." + +"I used to think so, but it looks as if I were mistaken," Beatrice +answered bitterly as she turned away. + +Leaving him, she found a quiet spot in the shadow of a bluff, and sat +down to grapple with her pain. It had hurt more than she had thought +possible to cast off Harding, and she could bear her trouble only by +calling pride to her aid. There was, she told herself, much about the +man that had from the first offended her, but she had made light of it, +believing him steadfast and honorable. Now she knew she had been +deceived. She had been ready to throw away all the privileges of her +station; she had disregarded her friends' opinion--and this was her +reward! The man for whom she would have made the sacrifice was gross and +corrupt; but nobody should guess that she found it strangely hard to +forget him. + +Lance came upon her, there at the edge of the woods; but her head was +buried in her arms and she did not see him. The boy turned at once and +went to have a talk with his father. His expression was very resolute +when he entered Mowbray's study. + +"What are you going to do about Bee's trouble, sir?" he asked abruptly. + +His father gave him an amused smile. + +"I haven't decided," he said. "Have you anything useful to suggest?" + +"I feel that you ought to put it right." + +"Can you tell me how?" + +"No. Of course, it's a delicate matter; but you have a wider knowledge +and experience." + +"Umh!" the Colonel grunted. "Why do you conclude that your sister's +wrong?" + +"I know the man. He's not the kind she thinks." + +"Your mother saw the woman, and heard what she said." + +"There's been a mistake," Lance persisted. "I've a suspicion that +somebody may have put her up to it." + +"Made a plot to blacken Harding, you mean? Rather far-fetched, isn't it? +Whom do you suspect?" + +Lance turned red, for his father's tone was sarcastic, and he thought of +Gerald; but he could not drop a hint against his brother. + +"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out." + +"When you have found out, you can tell me," Mowbray answered, and gave +the boy an approving smile. "You're quite right in standing by your +friend, and you certainly owe Harding something. If you can prove him +better than we think, nobody will be more pleased than I." + +Lance had to be satisfied with this. He did not know how to set about +his investigations, but he determined to visit Winnipeg as soon as he +could. + +For the next week or two there was quietness at the Grange. The dry +weather held, and boisterous winds swept the sunburned plain. The sod +cracked, the wheat was shriveling, and although in public men and women +made a brave pretense of cheerfulness, in private they brooded over the +ruin that threatened them. To make things worse, three or four days a +week, heavy clouds that raced across the sky all morning gathered in +solid banks at noon, and then, as if in mockery, broke up and drove +away. Few of the settlers had much reserve capital, and the low prices +obtained for the last crop had strained their finances; but Harding was, +perhaps, threatened most. + +He had, as had been his custom, boldly trusted to the earth all he had +won by previous effort, and this year it looked as if the soil would +refuse its due return. Still, his taking such a risk was only partly due +to the prompting of his sanguine temperament. While he had hope of +winning Beatrice he must stake his all on the chance of gaining +influence and wealth. He had lost her; but after a few black days during +which he had thought of abandoning the struggle and letting things +drift, he quietly resumed his work. What he had begun must be finished, +even if it brought no advantage to himself. The disaster that seemed +unavoidable braced him to sterner effort; but when dusk settled down he +stood in the dim light and brooded over his withering wheat. Being what +he was, a man of constructive genius, it cut deep that he must watch the +grain that had cost so much thought and toil go to waste; but the red +band on the prairie's edge and the luminous green above it held only a +menace. + +One day Harding drove with Devine to a distant farm, and they set out on +the return journey late in the afternoon. It was very hot, for the wind +had died away, and deep stillness brooded over the lifeless plain. The +gophers that made their burrows in the trail had lost their usual +briskness, and sat up on their haunches until the wheels were almost +upon them. The prairie-chickens the horses disturbed would not rise, but +ran a few yards and sank down in the parched grass. The sky was leaden, +and the prairie glimmered a curious, livid white. Harding's skin +prickled, and he was conscious of a black depression and a headache. + +"If this only meant rain!" he exclaimed dejectedly. "But I've given up +hope." + +"Something's surely coming," Devine replied, glancing at a great bank of +cloud that had changed its color to an oily black. "If this weather +holds for another week, the crop will be wiped out, but somehow I can't +believe we'll all go broke." + +Harding had once thought as his comrade did, but now his optimistic +courage had deserted him. The future was very dark. He meant to fight +on, but defeat seemed certain. It would be easier to bear because he had +already lost what he valued most. + +Presently the wagon wheels sank in yielding sand, and that roused him. + +"Our hauling costs us high with these loose trails. I'd counted on +cutting more straw with the crop this year and using it to bind the +road. But now we may not have any grain to send out." + +The plan was characteristic of him, though his dejection was not. As a +rule, straw has no value in a newly opened country, and not much is cut +with the grain, the tall stubble being burned off; but Harding had seen +a use for the waste material in improving the means of transport. + +"Well," said Devine, "we'd better hustle. The team won't stand for a +storm." + +Harding urged the horses, and as the wheels ran out on firm ground the +pace grew faster, and a distant bluff began to rise from the waste. When +they were a mile or two from the woods there was a rumble of thunder and +the light grew dim. The dark sky seemed descending to meet the earth, +the bluff grew indistinct, but the burned grass still retained its +ghostly whiteness. Then the temperature suddenly fell, and when a puff +of cold wind touched his face Harding used the whip. He knew what was +going to happen. + +Throwing up their heads in alarm as a pale flash glimmered across the +trail, the team broke into a gallop, while the light wagon rocked and +swung as the wheels jolted over hummocks and smashed through scrubby +brush. Harding did not think he could hold the horses in the open when +the storm broke, and he did not wish to be hurled across the rugged +prairie behind a bolting team. Springing down when they reached the +trees, he and Devine locked the wheels and then stood waiting at the +horses' heads. All was now very still again, but a gray haze was closing +in. Now and then leaves stirred and rustled, and once or twice a dry +twig came down. The faint crackle it made jarred on the men's tingling +nerves. + +Harding found it difficult to keep still. He slowly filled his pipe for +the sake of occupation. The match he struck burned steadily, but its +pale flame was suddenly lost in a dazzling glare as the lightning fell +in an unbroken fork from overhead to a corner of the bluff. Then the +pipe dropped and was trodden on, as the men swayed to and fro, using all +their strength to hold the plunging team. It was only for a moment they +heard the battering hoofs, for a deafening crash that rolled across the +heavens drowned all other sound, and as it died away the trees began to +moan. A few large drops of rain fell, and then, as the men watched it, +gathering a faint hope, the rain turned to hail. A savage wind struck +the bluff, the air got icy cold, and the hail changed from fine grains +to ragged lumps. Harding could hear it roar among the trees between the +peals of thunder, until the scream of wind and the groan of bending +branches joined in and formed a wild tumult of sound. + +Though the men stood to lee of the woods, the hail found them out, +bruising their faces and cutting their wet hands; even their bodies +afterward felt as if they had been beaten. It raked the bluff like +rifle-fire, cutting twigs and shredding leaves, and the wild wind swept +the wreckage far to leeward. Light branches were flying, and Harding was +struck, but his grapple with the maddened horses demanded all his +thought. The lightning leaped about them and blazed through the woods, +silhouetting bending trees and the horses' tense, wet bodies, before it +vanished and left what seemed to be black darkness behind. + +Then, when the men were getting exhausted, the thunder grew fainter and +the bitter wind died away. There was a strange, perplexing stillness in +the heavy gloom, until the cloud-ranks parted and a ray of silver light +broke through. The grass steamed as the beam moved across it, and +suddenly the bluff was warm and bright, and they could see the havoc +that had been made. + +Torn branches hung from the poplars, slender birch-twigs lay in heaps, +and banks of hail, now changing fast to water, stretched out into the +wet, sparkling plain. + +Harding's face was very stern as he picked up a handful of the icy +pieces. + +"With a strong wind behind it, this stuff would cut like a knife," he +said. "Well, it has saved our putting the binders into the grain." + +Devine made a sign of gloomy agreement. There was no hope left; the crop +they had expected much from was destroyed. + +They clambered into the wagon and drove for some time before the first +farmstead began to lift above the edge of the plain. In the meanwhile +the hail that glistened in the grass tussocks melted away, and only a +few dark clouds drifting to the east marred the tranquillity of the +summer evening. The men were silent, but Devine understood why his +comrade drove so hard, holding straight across dry sloos where the tall +grass crackled about the wheels, and over billowy rises where the +horses' feet sank deep in sand. He was anxious to learn the worst, and +Devine feared that it would prove very bad. + +At last they crossed a higher ridge and Harding, looking down, saw his +homestead lying warm in the evening light. He had often watched it rise +out of the prairie, with a stirring of his blood. It was his; much of it +had been built by his own labor; and he had won from the desolate waste +the broad stretch of fertile soil that rolled away behind it. But he now +gazed at it with a frown. As the buildings grew into shape, dark patches +of summer fallow broke the gray sweep of grass, and then the neutral +green of alfalfa and clover, running in regular oblongs, appeared. +Behind, extending right across the background, lay the wheat, a smear of +indefinite color darker than the plain. That was all they could see of +it at that distance. They were going fast, but Harding lashed the horses +in his impatience. + +Devine, however, looked more closely about, and it struck him that the +ground had dried with remarkable rapidity; indeed, if he had not felt +the hail, he could hardly have believed the plain had been wet. For all +that, not venturing to hope for fear of meeting a heavier shock, he said +nothing to his comrade, and presently they dipped into a hollow. They +could not see across the ridge in front, and Harding urged his horses +savagely when they came to the ascent. The animals' coats were foul, +spume dripped from the bits, and their sides were white where the traces +slapped, but they breasted the hill pluckily. The men were grim and +highly strung, braced to meet the worst. To Harding it meant ruin and +the downfall of all his plans; to Devine his wedding put off. It might +be some years before he made good, and he feared that he could no longer +count on his comrade's help. If Harding were forced to give up his farm, +he might leave the prairie. + +At last, when the suspense was telling upon both, they reached the +summit and Harding stood up to see better. + +"Why, the ground has not been wet!" he exclaimed, unbelieving. "The hail +has not touched us!" + +It was true; the fire and the ragged ice had passed over that belt of +prairie and left its wake of ruin farther on. Still, though the wheat +was none the worse, it was none the better. It stood as when they had +seen it last, limp from drought and cut by blowing sand. Disaster was +only suspended, not removed. But there was hope. + +"Things don't look half so bad as they might!" said Harding cheerfully. +"I don't deserve it. I got savage and bitter; and bitterness is a bad +substitute for grit. Now I'll brace up, and face the future the way a +man ought!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +A BRAVE HEART + + +Three days passed, and still no rain fell to save the withering grain. +On the evening of the fourth day, Beatrice was walking home alone from +one of the neighboring farms. She was lost in painful thought and +scarcely noticed where she was until she passed a clump of prominent +trees which she knew was at the edge of Harding's place. Then she +stopped and looked about her. + +The sun had dipped, but an angry orange glow flushed the wide horizon +and the sky overhead was a cold dark blue. The great sweep of grain +caught the fading light, and Beatrice knew enough about farming to see +how it had suffered. She could not look at it unmoved; the sight was +pitiful. The wheat had cost long and patient labor, and she knew with +what hope and ambition the man who had sown it had worked. It was only +after years of strenuous toil, careful thought, and stern economy, that +he had been able to break the broad belt of prairie, and in doing so he +had boldly staked his all. Now it looked as if he had lost, and she was +grieved to see so much effort thrown away. + +Harding had transgressed, but the work he did was good, and Beatrice +began to wonder how far that might atone for his lack of principle. +Human character was mixed; men might be true in many ways, and yet fall +victims to a besetting sin. But it was a sin Beatrice could not forgive. +Harding had sought the other woman while he professed his love for her. +In Beatrice, pride, fastidiousness, and Puritanical convictions +converged. + +Letting her eyes travel farther along the grain, she started as she saw +him. He had not noticed her, for he stood looking at his crop. His +figure was outlined against the last of the light, and his pose was +slack and stamped with dejection. It was obvious that he thought himself +alone, for Harding was not the man to betray his troubles. + +Beatrice's heart suddenly filled with pity. He must be very hard hit; +and she believed that it was not the loss of fortune he felt most. +Everything had gone against him. One could not refuse a man compassion +because his sin had found him out. + +To her surprise, she felt that she must speak to him. She did not know +what she meant to say, but, half hesitating, she moved forward. Harding +looked round at her step, and the fading glow struck upon his face. + +It was brown and thin, and marked by a great physical weariness. The +toil he had borne since the thaw came and the suspense he had suffered +had set their stamp on him; he looked fined down, his face had an +ascetic cast. + +Beatrice caught her breath. By some strange inward power she grasped the +truth. This man had done no wrong; there was no deceit in him. What she +had believed of him was impossible! All that she had seen and heard +condemned him; there was no weak point in the evidence of his guilt; but +she trusted the prompting of her heart. Calm judgment and logical +reasoning had no place in this matter. She had wronged him. And how she +must have hurt him! + +She held out both her hands, and there were tears in her eyes. + +"Craig," she said, "I've come back. I couldn't stay away." + +Harding could not speak. He took her into his arms--and suddenly the +earth seemed to be giving way under his feet; his brain reeled and a +great blackness settled down over him. + +"Why, you're ill!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Oh, I have brought you to this!" + +The anguish in her cry cut through him as he was losing consciousness, +and he pulled himself together. + +"No," he smiled, "I'm not ill; but you must give me a moment to realize +that I really have you again." + +They walked back the few paces to the trail. An old log lay beside it, +half buried in grass and wild flowers, and here they sat together, in +the cool stillness of the dusk, until the darkness came down and hovered +round them. Out of the early night sky, one star shone down on them, +like a blessing. + +For the time being, it was nothing to them that the prairie sod was +cracked and parched, and that the destroying wind would rise again at +dawn. + + * * * * * + +On the way back to the Grange, Beatrice brought up the subject which she +felt must be talked of and then dropped for good. + +"How dreadfully mistaken I was about--the girl!" she said, hesitatingly. + +"How did you find it out?" + +"I haven't really found out anything; I'm afraid I can't explain. I +suddenly saw the truth, and wondered why I had been blind." + +"Do you mean----" + +"I mean that I should never have left you, Craig dear. I know that you +never saw that girl before in your life--but I did not know it until I +saw you standing there, in the wheat, this evening." + +Harding dropped the hand he was holding, and caught her to him. + +"Dear!" was all he said. + +"Can you explain what happened in Winnipeg?" she asked as they walked on +again. + +"No; I'm puzzled. But, for your sake, I shall not rest until I've +cleared myself." Then, with a sudden shock, he remembered the wheat they +had left. "But I was forgetting--I may be a ruined man." + +"And I the daughter of another," Beatrice answered with a smile. "That +could make no difference, Craig; and we're not ruined yet. Still, +because I was hard and unjust at first, I should like you to remember +that I came to you when you were in trouble, and didn't ask whether you +were innocent or not." + +"I'll remember it," said Harding, "as long as I live." + +When they reached the house, Mowbray and his wife were sitting on the +veranda, and Lance came down the steps to meet them with his hand held +out. Neither spoke, but Harding was touched by the sincerity of his +welcome. + +Beatrice ran up the steps to her mother, and Harding, after a word of +greeting turned away. He felt that, until he had cleared himself, it +would be more becoming in him to keep away from the Colonel and Mrs. +Mowbray. + +The next morning Mowbray called Beatrice into his study. + +"I am glad that your confidence in Harding has returned," he said. "You +must, however, understand that the situation is still awkward." + +"Yes; Craig and I talked it over last night." + +"You talked this matter over!" Mowbray exclaimed. + +"Of course," said Beatrice calmly. "It's of some importance to me. Are +you surprised?" + +"I must admit that I am. When I was young, a well-brought-up girl would +hardly have ventured to mention such subjects to her mother, much less +discuss them with her lover." + +Beatrice smiled at him. + +"I'm afraid your feelings must get many a rude jar in these degenerate +times. Still, you know things are changing." + +"That's true," said Mowbray. "I've had cause to realize it of late. For +example, your brother Lance goes off to Winnipeg on some mysterious +business without consulting me, and only tells me in a casual manner +that he may have to go again. Respect for parents is not a +characteristic of your generation. But I want to speak about Harding." + +He talked very kindly and shrewdly, and when Beatrice left him she +sought her favorite place in the shadow of a nearby bluff to think over +what he had said. + +There was less wind for the next two days, and driving sand no longer +raked the grain. From early morning dingy clouds rolled up slowly from +the west, and though not a drop of rain fell the distance grew blurred. +The horses on the range were restless and galloped furiously now and +then; the gophers scurried up and down the trails; men at work grew +impatient over trifling obstacles, and often stopped to watch the +clouds. These rolled on and vanished in the east, while many an anxious +farmer wondered when the last would rise from the horizon and leave the +pitiless sky uncovered again. Thirsty wild creatures stirred in the +shadow of the bluffs and rustled through the withered grass beside the +dried-up creeks. Leaves fluttered and hung still again with a strange +limpness, their under sides exposed. It was as if the sun-scorched waste +and all that lived on it were panting for the rain. And still the clouds +that never broke rolled slowly on. + +At dusk on the second evening, Beatrice and Harding walked across the +prairie, speaking in low voices, anxious and yet serene. + +"What are you thinking of, Craig?" Beatrice asked presently. + +"Of the weather," Harding answered. "Wondering if these clouds will +break or clear away again. It looks as if our future hung upon the +chance of a storm. If it doesn't come, there's a long uphill fight +before us; and I hate to think of what you may have to bear." + +"I'm not afraid," said Beatrice. "If I stayed at Allenwood, I should not +escape. Perhaps I have missed something by getting through life too +easily. I really don't think I'm much weaker, or less capable, than +Effie Broadwood, and she's not cast down." + +Harding kissed the hand he held. + +"A brave heart like yours carries one a long way, but training and +experience are needed. Grit alone is not much use when you're up against +a thing you don't know how to do." + +"It helps you to learn. Am I so very stupid? Don't you see, dear, that I +want to prove that I can be useful?" + +"To carry heavy pails, bake, and mend old overalls? That would be an +unthinkable waste of fine material. It's your business to be your +beautiful and gracious self, a refining influence, a light in the home!" + +Beatrice laughed. + +"I'm afraid when you think about me you lose your usual sense. I should +be as useful if I were made of painted wax, and you'd get tired of your +goddess some day and want to break me up. I'm alive, you know. I want to +be in the midst of the strife. I hear the bugles call." + +Harding kissed her tenderly. + +"I'm afraid we'll have to fall in with the firing line, but it will be +my business to shield you from harm," he said. + +"It's a good fight," she answered with sparkling eyes; "you have taught +me that. The flag goes steadily forward with the pioneers in the van. +There are great alkali barrens, rocks, and muskegs to be overcome, arid +plains to be watered, forests cleared, the waste places to be made +fruitful. That's why we have painted the Beaver of Industry in the +field. But we have our camp-followers--and I might have been +one--useless idlers, grafters, and dishonest contractors who rob the +fighting men." + +"When we've broken the wilderness, we'll have time to deal with them; +but I'm afraid many a pioneer will go down before we march much +farther." + +"Ah!" said Beatrice softly. "But whether the fight is hard or not, you +must teach me to do my part." + +She stopped, holding out her hands with an excited cry: + +"The rain, Craig; the rain!" + +Her hands felt wet, something drummed upon her broad straw hat, and the +dust leaped up from the grass; then the quick patter ceased, and there +was stillness again. It lasted for several minutes while both stood +tense and still, scarcely venturing to hope. Then there was a roar in +the distance and a puff of cool wind, and Harding, touching the girl's +arm, hurried her forward. + +"It's coming!" he said hoarsely. "Coming in earnest!" + +"Oh, let's stay!" cried Beatrice. "I want to feel it's true!" + +Harding laughed, but led her on, and presently they met the advancing +rain. It beat, wonderfully refreshing, on their hot faces, and soon +Beatrice's thin dress was soaked. Steam rose from the parched earth; +there was a hothouse smell, a dull roar, and a rustle among the beaten +grass, and the fading light was shut off by a curtain of falling water. +Alternating between happy laughter and silence, during which their +thankfulness became too deep for speech, they hurried toward Harding's +farm, and Beatrice threw her arms round Hester's neck when she met her +at the door. + +"Oh!" she cried. "Our troubles are over! The rain! The rain!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +THE INHERITANCE + + +The rain lasted several days and saved the crops: the wheat, although +somewhat damaged, was ripening fast. + +As Lance drove home from one of his mysterious absences from the Grange, +he looked out over the rippling fields with a sense of thankfulness in +his boyish heart. Harding was not to be ruined after all! The rain had +saved his fortune; and in Lance's pocket there was a paper that would +clear his name. + +Beatrice met him on the steps, but he brushed past her with a smile and +hurried to his father's study, where he knew he would find the Colonel. + +"I've been away several times, and now I must tell you why, sir," he +said. "You will remember that I've declared my belief in Harding all +along." + +"I've no doubt he feels properly grateful," Mowbray remarked. + +"I'm grateful to him. And now I have some satisfaction in being able to +prove his innocence. Read this." + +He gave his father a note, and Mowbray read it aloud: + +"'_I hereby declare that Craig Harding of Allenwood is a stranger to me. +I met him for the first and only time at the Rideau Hotel, Winnipeg, +and I regret that I then claimed his acquaintance._'" + +"It sounds conclusive. I see it's signed 'Coral Stanton, clairvoyante.' +May I ask how you came to meet this lady and get the document?" + +"Both things needed some tact, sir," Lance answered with a grin. + +"So I should imagine. Rather a delicate business for one so young. You +must have seen that your motives were liable to be misunderstood." + +Lance colored. + +"I had to take the risk. As a matter of fact, things threatened to +become embarrassing at first. However, I got the statement." + +"What did you give for it?" + +"A hundred dollars; what Miss Stanton was promised." + +"Then she was hired to act a part? But what made her willing to betray +her employers?" + +"They deserved it," Lance answered in a curious tone. "It seems she got +into difficulties with the police and had to leave the town; the +clairvoyante business was only a blind, and somebody was robbed after +gambling at her rooms. The men who made the plot took a shabby advantage +of the situation." + +"Do you know their names?" + +"Yes," said Lance, hesitatingly. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather not +mention them." + +Mowbray looked at him keenly, and then made a sign of stern agreement. + +"Perhaps that's best." He was silent for a few moments, grappling with +this new pain that seared him to the heart. So Gerald had sunk to this! +"Leave the paper here, and send Beatrice to me," he said slowly. + +Lance was glad to escape. He found Beatrice with her mother, and she and +Mrs. Mowbray went at once to the Colonel's study. + +"Your brother took some trouble to get this for you," Mowbray said, +handing her the statement, which she read in silence. + +"I will thank Lance; but this note really makes no difference," she +declared. + +"That's hard to understand." + +"I had Craig's word. If I had doubted him, would I have believed this +woman? But there's another matter I want to speak of. Craig didn't want +me to, but he gave me permission." + +Taking out the photographs Harding had shown her, she handed them to +Mowbray. Mrs. Mowbray, looking over his shoulder, uttered an +exclamation. The Colonel, too, was startled. + +"That's Ash Garth, with Janet Harding on the steps! Where did you get +them? What does it mean?" + +Instead of answering, the girl glanced at her mother. + +"I think it's quite plain," Mrs. Mowbray said. "Beatrice is engaged to +Basil Harding's son." + +"Why was I not told before?" Mowbray asked excitedly. "He's as well born +as you are! Can't you see how it alters things?" + +"Craig declares it makes no difference--and I'm beginning to agree with +him." + +"That's absurd!" Mowbray exclaimed. "False pride; mistaken sentiment! We +know the advantage of springing from a good stock. Now I understand why +I sometimes felt a curious sympathy with Harding, even when I hated his +opinions." + +"You gave us no reason to suspect it," Beatrice answered with a smile. +"Do you know his father's history?" + +"Yes; but I don't know that I ought to tell it without his son's +permission." + +"Then we'll wait," said Beatrice. "Craig will be here soon." + +Harding came in a few minutes afterward, and Mowbray, giving him a +friendly greeting, handed him the letter Lance had brought, and the +photographs. + +"Your father was a comrade of mine," the Colonel said. "We were both +stationed at an outpost in Northern India." + +"Then you may be able to tell me something about his early life," +replied Harding quietly. "It's a subject he never spoke of." + +"I can do so. Are you willing that Beatrice and her mother should hear?" + +"Yes; I don't wish to hide anything from them." + +"Very well. Your father was an infantry captain and well thought of in +his regiment. His worst faults were a quick temper and a rash +impulsiveness, but he suffered for them. Before coming to India, he +married beneath him, a girl of some beauty but no education. His +relatives strongly opposed the match, and there was a quarrel with them. + +"After a time Basil was ordered to a station where there was some +European society and his wife was out of her element there. The other +women of the post objected to her, and openly insulted her. Basil had +one quarrel after another on her behalf, and finally, after an unusually +stormy scene with the artillery major, Basil sent in his papers. + +"His relatives refused to receive him, they cut off his allowance; but +he clung to his wife until she died a couple years later. Then he came +to Canada and vanished. + +"His mother died; and one by one the others followed--all except Basil +Morel, his mother's brother." + +"Ah!" Beatrice interrupted. + +The Colonel glanced at her a moment, and then went on: + +"Morel had a very strong affection for Basil--he was his namesake and +only nephew. Feeling that they had been too hard on him, Morel traced +Basil in Canada, wrote him a long letter, and enclosed a draft for a +thousand pounds, as part of back allowances. Basil wrote a brief and +bitter note in answer, then deposited the money in a Winnipeg bank, to +be given to his son after his death, on condition that the son never +question where it came from. This son was by the second wife; there were +no children by the first. + +"Well, Basil died; the bank reported to Morel that the money had been +paid to the son; and then--the old man, living alone at Ash Garth, was +getting very lonely; he had time to brood over the injustice done Basil, +and, before he died, he wanted to make it up to Basil's son. But the son +had completely disappeared. He had left Dakota and gone to Manitoba; +from there all trace of him had vanished. Morel is now a broken old man; +but, because Basil and I were comrades, he confides many things to me, +and I know that deep down in his heart there is still a hope that he +will live long enough to find Basil's son." + +The Colonel's voice was husky, and he paused a moment before he said: + +"With your permission, Mr. Harding, I should like to send him a cable." + +Harding nodded assent. + +Beatrice was crying softly. + +"Now I understand why Mr. Morel always looked so sad when I talked of +the prairie," she said brokenly. "Mother, you must have known!" she +added as an afterthought. + +"Yes, but I didn't feel that it was my secret, dear," Mrs. Mowbray +answered gently. + +At the Colonel's request, Harding told them of his early life; and then +he and Beatrice drove across the prairie to tell the story to Hester. +Beatrice felt that it was the girl's right to know. + +Harvest came, and although the crop was lighter than he had hoped, +Harding saw that he would have a satisfactory margin. It was not so with +most of his neighbors, and when the strain of forced effort slackened, +and the smoke of the thrasher no longer streaked the stubble, there were +anxious hearts at Allenwood. Even the buoyant courage of the younger men +began to sink; hitherto they had carelessly borne their private +troubles, but now they felt that the settlement was in danger. Those who +had never taken thought before asked what must be done, and nobody could +tell them. Harding and his friends had a surprise to spring on their +neighbors, and on Davies as well, but they waited until the time was +ripe. + +Then one evening Mowbray rode over to Kenwyne's homestead. + +"You and Broadwood have opposed me, but I have never doubted your +sincerity," he said. "In fact, since Brand has gone, I feel I'd rather +trust you and Harding than the boys who have given me their thoughtless +support. We are threatened with grave trouble." + +"We must try to justify your belief in us, sir," said Kenwyne. "What is +the trouble?" + +"Carlyon, Webster, and Shepstone came to me, and confessed that they +have mortgaged their farms. To make things worse, I have a letter from +the man in Winnipeg they borrowed from, informing me that he would seize +Gerald's land unless a large sum is paid. You must see that this means +disaster to Allenwood." + +Mowbray looked harassed and worn, and Kenwyne felt sorry for him. + +"I suggest that you let the fellow produce his mortgages and receive him +at a council meeting. The matter's of interest to everybody." + +"Then you have some scheme?" Mowbray asked eagerly. + +"As it's far-reaching, we'd rather put it before the council. I'm half +afraid we can't expect your approval until you know everything; but you +should be able to command a majority if we don't convince you." + +"I can do nothing to save the settlement," Mowbray said with dignity; +"and I dare not refuse to let others try, even if their ways are not +mine. We'll leave it at that. I'll call the meeting." + +It was a calm, clear evening when all the Allenwood settlers assembled +in the hall at the Grange. The days were getting shorter, and a lamp or +two was lighted; but, outside, the last of the sunset glowed in a red +band along the prairie's rim. Mowbray sat at the head of the table; +Harding, Broadwood, Kenwyne, and Lance were close together; the rest +scattered about the spacious room, some half hidden in the shadow, some +where the partial illumination touched them. All were silent and +expectant; they felt it would prove a memorable night for Allenwood. + +There was a rattle of wheels outside, and soon afterward Davies was +shown in. He was smartly dressed in well-cut city clothes, and his +aggressive, self-conscious air contrasted with the easy grace of the +brown-faced men in shooting jackets and fringed deerskin. + +"I came here expecting a private interview," he said to Mowbray. "I do +not understand why I'm asked to meet these gentlemen, most of whom I +have not the pleasure of knowing." + +"I cannot tell what you expected," Mowbray answered haughtily. "Your +business is, however, of interest to us all, and to state it now will +save some time, because nothing can be done until our council is +informed of it." + +Davies' glance wandered round the room, as if in search of somebody, but +he did not notice Harding, who was in the shadow. + +"Very well," he said, undoing a bundle of documents. "I hold mortgages +on land and property belonging to Gerald Mowbray, Carlyon, Webster, and +Shepstone." He read out particulars of the sums lent and interest due, +and then put the papers on the table. "You are at liberty to examine +them." + +Carlyon turned to Mowbray, with a flushed face. + +"They can't be contested, sir. Speaking for the others, as well as +myself, I must say that we feel our position, and are very sorry that we +have brought this trouble upon you and our friends." + +Harding moved forward and picked up the mortgages, and Davies showed his +surprise. After examining the documents carefully, Harding passed them +to Broadwood, who looked over them in a silence that was accentuated by +the rattle of a loose blind as puffs of wind swept into the room. + +"All right," Broadwood said, and handed a sheet of paper to each of the +debtors. + +"Will you agree to these terms? Yes or no?" he asked. + +One of the young men laughed hoarsely, as if from unexpected relief; +another made a glad sign of assent; and Carlyon's eyes were bright as he +turned to Broadwood. + +"Agree?" he exclaimed. "We never hoped for such a chance as this!" + +Broadwood put one of the papers in front of Mowbray. + +"They consent, sir. We'd like your sanction." + +"I cannot give it unreservedly. But as I cannot suggest anything better, +I must not refuse." Mowbray addressed Davies. "As the farms were +mortgaged against the provisions of our settlement covenant, I believe +your claim might be disputed, but I won't urge that point. The money was +borrowed and must be paid." + +"With your permission, sir!" Harding took the big inkstand and placed it +before Davies. "Write a formal discharge for these debts, and I'll give +you a check." + +Davies' face was hot with baffled fury, but he asked in a sneering tone: + +"Will the bank make it good?" + +"Here's their letter," said Harding dryly. + +Davies glanced at the letter, and threw it down. Then he pulled himself +together. + +"It seems," he said to Mowbray, "that you have made some arrangement to +finance these gentlemen, and they have agreed; but Mr. Gerald Mowbray +owes a much larger sum, and I have his word that he is unable to pay. He +left the matter in my hands, and before going any further I should like +to suggest that we might arrive at some understanding----" + +Mowbray cut him short. + +"We can make no terms with you, if that is what is meant. My son owes +you money; you must take what you are entitled to." + +"But the debt is his. He must decide." + +"He has decided," Harding said quietly. "Here's a telegram from him, +answering a letter of mine which he probably got after you left. He +agrees to transfer the mortgaged property to his father and another, on +terms that don't concern you. Read it." + +"Ah!" cried Davies, hoarse with anger. "Mowbray has gone back on me. I +was a fool to trust him!" + +Colonel Mowbray flushed, but did not answer, and Harding turned to +Davies. + +"This has nothing to do with our business. Write your receipts, +including Gerald Mowbray's debt, and take your money." + +Davies did so, and carefully examined the check Harding gave him. Then +he got up and made Mowbray an ironical bow. One of the men opened the +door, and he went out surlily. + +There was a general movement and a murmur throughout the room, +expressing relief and a slackening of tension. + +"It's a satisfaction to see the last of the fellow," one man said, +voicing the feelings of all. "The settlement has escaped a danger; but +we must be careful not to let it fall into another. May I inquire about +the agreement which Mr. Harding has made with our friends?" + +Harding explained that they were to farm their land under his +instructions, paying a moderate rate of interest. A fixed sum was to be +set aside every year to redeem the loan, so that in time the debtors +would again acquire possession, and any surplus would belong to them. + +"Mr. Harding's position is now very strong," the man contended. "He can, +if he wishes, dictate to the rest of us, and I think we ought to know +his plans and how he expects to profit." + +There was deep silence when Harding got upon his feet and glanced round +the room. A few of the men were obviously suspicious, and one or two +hostile, but some looked willing to give him fair play and some quietly +confident in him. + +"To begin with, I expect no direct profit from Allenwood," he said. "The +advantage I shall gain will be the keeping down of my working expenses +by your cooperation. With better trails we'll need fewer teams to bring +out supplies and haul in our grain; and we can avoid using two +half-empty wagons when one will take both loads. We can buy and sell on +joint lines, saving all round, and can use the latest and biggest +machines. Singly, we cannot afford them; combined, we can buy and, what +is more, keep the implements employed. But we can work out details +later. You have reached a turning-point to-night. Those of you with +private means, if there are any such, may continue to farm as a pastime, +but for the man who must live by his farming, it is serious work. There +is a time of low prices before us that will weed out the slack; but with +care and effort we can hold out until the flood of prosperity which is +coming sweeps our difficulties away. We must perfect our methods, fall +in with modern practise, and study economy. That I have now some power +here is true; I ask your help, and value it, but if needful I can do +without it. I and several more are going on, working together on the +best plan we can find, as we have begun." + +A murmur of applause greeted the close of the speech, for Harding's +blunt candor had gained him the respect of his antagonists and +strengthened the loyalty of his friends. + +Then Mowbray leaned forward, holding up his hand. + +"We have heard Mr. Harding's intentions declared with the +straightforwardness one expects from him; and it must be clear to all +that he has freed Allenwood from a peril." He paused, and his voice was +strained as he resumed: "For a while we prospered here, and I like to +think I led you well; but the times began to change without our +recognizing it. I cannot change, but you must, for you are young; the +future lies before you. I am old, and I feel my age to-night. The +burden of rule gets heavy; I want to lay it down. You must choose +another leader who understands these times, and I think you see where a +wise choice lies." + +For a moment nobody spoke, and then a unanimous cry of protest broke +out. It rang with feeling, and when it died away man after man urged +Mowbray to keep control. + +He listened with a faint smile. + +"I am honored by this mark of confidence," he said quietly. "But if I +consent, you must give me the helper I need, and you must follow him +with the loyalty you have always shown me. To some extent we shall +counterbalance extremes in each other, which may be for the good of all, +because I have much to learn from the present, and my helper something +from the past. I could not ask you to obey an outsider, but the man I +choose will soon become a member of my family. I nominate Mr. Harding, +who has saved the settlement." + +There were cries of agreement that swelled into a storm of satisfaction, +and Harding said a few words in a voice that shook. This was a turn of +affairs he had not expected, and he was moved by Mowbray's confidence +and the number of friends he had made. + +Then the council broke up, and when the last had gone Mowbray joined his +wife on the veranda, where he sat looking with tired eyes toward the +pale red glow on the skyline left by the setting sun. The prairie was +formless and shadowy, but darkness had not quite closed in. + +"I feel that all this is symbolical, my dear," he said. "My day is over, +but the night has not yet come. Though it will not be by the way I +would have chosen, I may still see Allenwood safe and prosperous." + +Mrs. Mowbray took his hand caressingly. + +"You have led the boys well, and taught them much; they will not forget +it. You never shrank from a sacrifice that was for their good--and I +know the cost of the one you have made to-night." + +"I knew I could trust to your sympathy; you haven't failed me yet," he +said gently. "I wonder why Gerald broke away from the rascal at last. I +may be wrong, but I'd like to believe that when the time came he found +he could not betray his friends; that his heart spoke, and a trace of +the honor we tried to teach him awoke to life." + +"I think you're right," Mrs. Mowbray answered. "I am sure there is hope +for him." + +Then she turned and her eyes rested on the dark figures of Beatrice and +Harding, who had left the house and were walking slowly across the +plain. Moving side by side, with love and confidence in their hearts, +they looked toward the east, where the dawn would rise. + + +THE END + + + + +JOHN FOX, JR'S. +STORIES OF THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS + +=May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap's list.= + + +=THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +[Illustration] + +The "lonesome pine" from which the story takes its name was a tall tree +that stood in solitary splendor on a mountain top. The fame of the pine +lured a young engineer through Kentucky to catch the trail, and when he +finally climbed to its shelter he found not only the pine but the +_foot-prints of a girl_. And the girl proved to be lovely, piquant, and +the trail of these girlish foot-prints led the young engineer a madder +chase than "the trail of the lonesome pine." + + +=THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +This is a story of Kentucky, in a settlement known as "Kingdom Come." It +is a life rude, semi-barbarous; but natural and honest, from which often +springs the flower of civilization. + +"Chad." the "little shepherd" did not know who he was nor whence he +came--he had just wandered from door to door since early childhood, +seeking shelter with kindly mountaineers who gladly fathered and +mothered this waif about whom there was such a mystery--a charming waif, +by the way, who could play the banjo better that anyone else in the +mountains. + + +=A KNIGHT OF THE CUMBERLAND.= +Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. + +The scenes are laid along the waters of the Cumberland, the lair of +moonshiner and feudsman. The knight is a moonshiner's son, and the +heroine a beautiful girl perversely christened "The Blight." Two +impetuous young Southerners fall under the spell of "The Blight's" +charms and she learns what a large part jealousy and pistols have in the +love making of the mountaineers. + +Included in this volume is "Hell fer-Sartain" and other stories, some of +Mr. Fox's most entertaining Cumberland valley narratives. + + +_Ask for complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction_ + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP'S DRAMATIZED NOVELS + +THE KIND THAT ARE MAKING THEATRICAL HISTORY + +=May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.= + + +=WITHIN THE LAW.= By Bayard Veiller & Marvin Dana. +Illustrated by Wm. Charles Cooke. + +This is a novelization of the immensely successful play which ran for +two years in New York and Chicago. + +The plot of this powerful novel is of a young woman's revenge directed +against her employer who allowed her to be sent to prison for three +years on a charge of theft, of which she was innocent. + + +=WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY.= By Robert Carlton Brown. +Illustrated with scenes from the play. + +This is a narrative of a young and innocent country girl who is suddenly +thrown into the very heart of New York, "the land of her dreams," where +she is exposed to all sorts of temptations and dangers. + +The story of Mary is being told in moving pictures and played in +theatres all over the world. + + +=THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM.= By David Belasco. +Illustrated by John Rae. + +This is a novelization of the popular play in which David Warfield, as +Old Peter Grimm, scored such a remarkable success. + +The story is spectacular and extremely pathetic but withal, powerful, +both as a book and as a play. + + +=THE GARDEN OF ALLAH.= By Robert Hichens. + +This novel is an intense, glowing epic of the great desert, sunlit, +barbaric, with its marvelous atmosphere of vastness and loneliness. + +It is a book of rapturous beauty, vivid in word painting. The play has +been staged with magnificent cast and gorgeous properties. + + +=BEN HUR.= A Tale of the Christ. By General Lew Wallace. + +The whole world has placed this famous Religious-Historical Romance on a +height of pre-eminence which no other novel of its time has reached. The +clashing of rivalry and the deepest human passions, the perfect +reproduction of brilliant Roman life, and the tense, fierce atmosphere +of the arena have kept their deep fascination. A tremendous dramatic +success. + + +=BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.= By George Broadhurst and Arthur +Hornblow. Illustrated with scenes from the play. + +A stupendous arraignment of modern marriage which has created an +interest on the stage that is almost unparalleled. The scenes are laid +in New York, and deal with conditions among both the rich and poor. + +The interest of the story turns on the day-by-day developments which +show the young wife the price she has paid. + + +_Ask for complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction_ + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP'S DRAMATIZED NOVELS + +Original, sincere and courageous--often amusing--the +kind that are making theatrical history. + + +MADAME X. By Alexandre Bisson and J. W. McConaughy. +Illustrated with scenes from the play. + +A beautiful Parisienne became an outcast because her husband would not +forgive an error of her youth. Her love for her son is the great final +influence in her career. A tremendous dramatic success. + + +THE GARDEN OF ALLAH. By Robert Hichens. + +An unconventional English woman and an inscrutable stranger meet and +love in an oasis of the Sahara. Staged this season with magnificent cast +and gorgeous properties. + + +THE PRINCE OF INDIA. By Lew. Wallace. + +A glowing romance of the Byzantine Empire, presenting with extraordinary +power the siege of Constantinople, and lighting its tragedy with the +warm underglow of an Oriental romance. As a play it is a great dramatic +spectacle. + + +TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY. By Grace +Miller White. Illust. by Howard Chandler Christy. + +A girl from the dregs of society, loves a young Cornell University +student, and it works startling changes in her life and the lives of +those about her. The dramatic version is one of the sensations of the +season. + + +YOUNG WALLINGFORD. By George Randolph +Chester. Illust. by F. R. Gruger and Henry Raleigh. + +A series of clever swindles conducted by a cheerful young man, each of +which is just on the safe side of a State's prison offence. As +"Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford," it is probably the most amusing expose of +money manipulation ever seen on the stage. + + +THE INTRUSION OF JIMMY. By P. G. Wodehouse. +Illustrations by Will Grefe. + +Social and club life in London and New York, an amateur burglary +adventure and a love story. Dramatized under the title of "A Gentleman +of Leisure," it furnishes hours of laughter to the play-goers. + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK + + + +FOUR TIMELY BOOKS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE + + +I ACCUSE (_J'ACCUSE!_) By a German. A Scathing +Arraignment of the German War Policy. + +At this vital time in the nation's history every patriotic American +should read and reread this wonderful book and learn the absurdity of +the German excuse that they wanted a "Place in the Sun." + +Learn how the German masses were deluded with the idea that they were +making a defensive war to protect the Fatherland. + +Let the author of this illuminating book again show the sacrilege of +claiming a Christian God as a Teutonic ally and riddle once more the +divine right of kings. + + +PAN-GERMANISM. By Roland G. Usher. + +The clear, graphic style gives it a popular appeal that sets it miles +apart from the ordinary treatise, and for the reader who wishes to get a +rapid focus on the world events of the present, perhaps no book written +will be more interesting. + +It is the only existing forecast of exactly the present development of +events in Europe. It is, besides, a brisk, clear, almost primer-like +reduction of the complex history of Europe during the last forty years +to a simple, connected story clear enough to the most casual reader. + + +THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE. By Roland G. Usher. + +A glance into America's future by the man who, in his book +PAN-GERMANISM, foretold with such amazing accuracy the coming of the +present European events. An exceedingly live and timely book that is +bound to be read and discussed widely because it strikes to the heart of +American problems, and more especially because it hits right and left at +ideas that have become deep-seated convictions in many American minds. + + +THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE. By James M. +Beck, LL.D., Formerly Assistant Attorney-General +of the United States, Author of the "War and Humanity." +With an Introduction by the Hon. Joseph +H. Choate; Late U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain. + +No work on the War has made a deeper impression throughout the world +than "The Evidence in the Case," a calm, dispassionate, but forceful +discussion of the moral responsibility for the present war as disclosed +by the diplomatic papers. Arnold Bennett says that it "is certainly by +far _the most convincing indictment of Germany_ in existence." + + +GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK + + + + +Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in the +original edition have been corrected. + +In Chapter II, "might become an anachorism" was changed to "might become +an anachronism". + +In Chapter X, a comma was changed to a period after "a council meeting +at the Grange", and a period was changed to a comma after "If all the +rest stand out". + +In Chapter XVIII, a comma was changed to a period after "He was a big, +gaunt man". + +In Chapter XX, a missing quotation mark was added after "I'm obeying the +call." + +In Chapter XXV, a missing period was added after "in keeping with the +life I've led". + +In Chapter XXVI, "brought him spurred him rather to action" was changed +to "brought him--spurred him rather--to action". + +In addition, numerous spelling and punctuation errors were corrected in +the advertisements at the back of the book. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Harding of Allenwood, by Harold Bindloss + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDING OF ALLENWOOD *** + +***** This file should be named 38343.txt or 38343.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/3/4/38343/ + +Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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