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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of My "Pardner" and I, by Willis George
+Emerson
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll
+have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using
+this ebook.
+
+
+
+Title: My "Pardner" and I Gray Rocks, A Story Of The Middle-West,
+Illustrated
+
+Author: Willis George Emerson
+
+Release Date: June 30, 2016 [EBook #52458] Last Updated: August 2, 2016
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY "PARDNER" AND I ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the
+Internet Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+MY “PARDNER” AND I
+
+(Gray Rocks)
+
+A Story Of The Middle-West
+
+Illustrated
+
+By Willis George Emerson
+
+Chicago: Laird & Lee, Publishers
+
+1894
+
+
+
+“Beneath yon rocky peak that hides
+
+In fleecy clouds its snow-flecked crest;
+
+Beneath those crimson crags abides
+
+The fairest queen of all the West.”
+
+
+
+0009
+
+
+
+0010
+
+
+
+0011
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+PREFACE.
+
+PARTIAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+CHAPTER I.—VANCE GILDER.
+
+CHAPTER II.—THE OLD MINER.
+
+CHAPTER III.—THE BANNER FORCE.
+
+CHAPTER IV—A SUPPER PARTY.
+
+CHAPTER V.—AN ODD CHARACTER.
+
+CHAPTER VI—THE TOWN BOOMER.
+
+CHAPTER VII.—A VISIT TO WATERVILLE
+
+CHAPTER VIII.—AT THE MINE
+
+CHAPTER IX.—THE STAGE DRIVER.
+
+CHAPTER X.—PROPERTY HAS GONE UP.
+
+CHAPTER XI.—OWNER OF THE PEACOCK MINE.
+
+CHAPTER XII—TROUT FISHING.
+
+CHAPTER XIII.—THE STAGE RIDE.
+
+CHAPTER XIV.—THE TOWN COMPANY’. MEETING.
+
+CHAPTER XV.—MISS VIRGINIA BONIFIELD.
+
+CHAPTER XVI.—THE OLD COLONEL’. DISAPPOINTMENT.
+
+CHAPTER XVII.—An AWAKENING.
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.—VANCE RETURNS TO WATERVILLE.
+
+CHAPTER XIX.—THE INDIGNATION MEETING
+
+CHAPTER XX.—THE STAGE IS ROBBED.
+
+CHAPTER XXI.—REACHING THE 400 FOOT LEVEL.
+
+CHAPTER XXII.—STARTING THE BOOM.
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.—RUFUS GRIM S AMBITION.
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.—THE GOLDEN MAUSOLEUM.
+
+CHAPTER XXV.—CROSS-CUTTING IN THE MINE.
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.—A STARTLING EDITORIAL.
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.—AT LAST!
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+The breaking of a twig in some vast forest, or the dull echo of a
+miner’s pick in a rugged mountain canyon, alike suggest the solitude
+of Nature. The unwritten history of mining prospectors who search for
+yellow gold, or the advance guards of our civilization in the rich
+valleys of the West, are replete-with interest and dramatic incident.
+The “boom” town builder also plays a most conspicuous part in this
+unwritten drama.
+
+There are no frayed-out remnants of a former greatness to be found on
+the frontier. A man sells for his intrinsic worth—no more, no less.
+Conditions that made men great in former generations are here active.
+and develop manhood in its highest form.
+
+There is hardly a cross-road hamlet without its hotel, and usually a
+“Dick Ballard” presides. “Brainy men.” such as composed the
+Waterville Town Company, may be found wherever a new town is building,
+while a “Rufus Grim” is usually the autocrat of the mining camp.
+
+The old “Colonel” represents a class of sturdy miners whose untiring
+labor occasionally gives to the world the golden keys of some fabulously
+rich discovery; while the greater number dedicate their lives to a
+fruitless search for hidden treasures, and finally die of disappointment
+and a broken heart.
+
+“Louise,” in her unswerving devotion to her father, is a specimen of
+superior womanhood whose duplicate may be found in many a ranchman’s
+home throughout the nestling valleys of our y re at West.
+
+Sometimes I imagine I was with “J. Arthur Boast” in his hiding place
+when he wrote that last letter and saw the spectral ghost that ever kept
+him company. The retribution perhaps was just, yet my sympathy lingers
+around the old prospect shaft.
+
+Many of my readers will doubtless desire to express their criticism of
+GRAY ROCKS. Nothing will afford me more pleasure than to receive just
+criticisms, for it will at least enable me to escape similar errors in
+other stories that I am now engaged in writing.
+
+Sincerely, WILLIS GEORGE EMERSON.
+
+ELM REST, August 20, 1894.
+
+No. 1363 Central Park Boulevard, Chicago.
+
+
+
+
+PARTIAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+
+I. The Mr. Gilder for Whom I am Looking is a Much Older Gentleman..14
+
+II. He Clasped Vance’s Hand Warmly.................................21
+
+III. A Letter Was Handed to Him....................................30
+
+IV. My Salary Has Been Raised,.....................................37
+
+V. Hello, Pardner! How D’.e Do.....................................41
+
+VI. He Offered Vance Some Havanas,.................................50
+
+VII. This ‘ere Town is Comin’ Out of the Kinks in Fine
+Shape.......60
+
+VIII. He Forgot Time,..............................................68
+
+IX. I Am Going to Give Him a Piece of My Mind......................76
+
+X. Vance Turned and Saw J. Arthur Boast............................82
+
+XI. “You’re the Young Man, I Reckon,” Said Grim, “From New
+York,”..87
+
+XII. Don’t You Think I Am Horrid to Go on Talking this Way to You?.96
+
+XIII. The Stage Ride..............................................108
+
+XIV. Gentlemen, We Deliberate Upon the Destiny of Waterville......114
+
+XV. Vance Was Presented to Miss Virginia Bonifield,...............124
+
+XVI. We Have Cross-cut Into Whar’ the Vein Ought to Be............135
+
+XVII. “Lost Your Position?” Said Louise, with Unmistakable
+Concern143
+
+XVIII. Vance Handed Marcus Donald a Copy..........................151
+
+XIX. They Are the Brainiest Lot of Men This Country Has Produced..162
+
+XX. They Started Pell-mell Down the Mountain Load.................171
+
+XXI. You Will Not Be Angry With Father, Will You?.................179
+
+XXII. There Are Times, When It’s Necessary to Put My Foot Down....189
+
+XXIII. “Yes,” Whispered Bertha, “I Love You So
+Much,”.............207
+
+XXIV. A Dark Form Crouched Near,..................................215
+
+XXV. Where Is the Powder?.........................................228
+
+XXVI. A Guilty Conscience Needs No Accuser........................236
+
+XXVII. Such Tender Things of Earth Are Sanctified in Heaven.......256
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.—VANCE GILDER.
+
+9019
+
+ANCE GILDER [11] had an ambition. It was to be a great journalist.
+
+The sunshine that gleamed in at his western windows disclosed
+most luxurious apartments—indicating refinement and culture. The
+bric-a-brac; the leathern walls stamped with gilt; the frieze of
+palm-leaves; the chandelier; the richly carved book-case, filled with
+tawny-covered volumes; the upright piano, and a guitar which stood
+sentinel-like in a retired corner; together with India rugs and tiger
+skins on the floor before an open grate, half hidden by a large Japanese
+fan—bespoke wealth as well as refined taste.
+
+Seated at an open escritoire with writing materials before him, on the
+evening of a June day, was Vance Gilder.
+
+He was not more than twenty-five, of medium height, dark brown hair,
+soft and wavy as the silk of Indian corn, large brown eyes, a clear
+complexion, an aquiline nose, [12] and a rather heavy, dark moustache,
+which in part hid a well-formed mouth.
+
+Before him lay numerous packages of papers, but they were not claiming
+his attention. He was perusing a billet-doux written in a lady’s hand.
+
+There was a refinement and gentleness in his face, while his dress and
+surroundings indicated a serious elegance, rich but unaffected.
+
+“Who can she be?” was the exclamation that escaped him as he again
+read the letter which he held in his hand.
+
+Tossing it down, he walked back and forth across the room with measured
+strides.
+
+Stopping before the mantel, he lighted a cigar. “Louise Bonifield,”
+he ejaculated, between puffs of smoke, which he blew away in rings
+toward the ceiling, “where have I met her?
+
+9020
+
+Where have I seen that name?”
+
+Walking back to the escritoire, he took up the letter and read aloud:
+
+Murray Hill Hotel, June 18.
+
+Kind Sir:
+
+Father and I arrived in the city last night. He wishes me to call on
+you at three o’clock this afternoon; business of special importance to
+himself.
+
+Respectfully,
+
+LOUISE BONIFIELD.
+
+To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+
+“No,” he said aloud, “I do not remember Miss Louise Bonifield. It
+is doubtless very stupid of me, and all that, but if ever I even heard
+the name before, it certainly has [13] passed from my memory. She says
+three o’clock,” and glancing at the French time-piece which helped
+to make up the furniture of his room, he saw it was preparing to strike
+the hour of three.
+
+Scarcely had the sound of the mellow cathedral bell died away, when the
+door-bell clanged out like a harsh echo of the clock’s last stroke.
+
+9021
+
+The servant brought in a card bearing the name of “Louise
+Bonifield,” and received instructions to admit the visitor at once.
+
+The rustling of skirts was soon heard in the hallway.
+
+With the deportment of a queen, she accepted the proffered chair and
+raised to Vance’s face a pair of laughing blue eyes that might be
+dangerous. The parting of her rosy lips displayed her ivory teeth
+to advantage, while her evident embarrassment tinged with pink her
+beautiful cheeks.
+
+“I called,” she stammered, “to see Mr. Vance Gilder.”
+
+“At your service,” he replied, bowing low.
+
+“But really, sir, are you Mr. Gilder?”
+
+“I believe,” he replied, “that I enjoy the doubtful honor of that
+appellation.”
+
+The half-hesitation of the visitor as she stood in the open door might
+have suggested momentary confusion, but reassurance seemed to assert
+itself as she complied with the melodious invitation of Vance Gilder to
+enter and be seated.
+
+This vision of loveliness that entered the bachelor apartments of Vance
+Gilder might have been eighteen years old, but certainly no more. In
+stature she was of medium height, rather slender, and sustained herself
+[14] “It must be,” she faltered, with increasing embarrassment, “all
+a mistake.”
+
+0022
+
+Vance Gilder, with all his boasted matter-of-fact principles, was
+wonderfully interested in his fair visitor. She evidently was a stranger
+in the city, or a skilled actress. In referring to her afterwards, he
+spoke of her as a “dream of loveliness.”
+
+He was too chivalrous to permit his visitor’s embarrassment to
+increase if he could help it and quickly [15] assured her that it was
+not a very serious mistake, and asked in what way he could serve her, at
+the same time saying he regretted exceedingly that he did not answer the
+description of the Vance Gilder for whom she was seeking.
+
+“The Mr. Gilder for whom I am looking,” said his fair visitor, “is
+a much older gentleman than you. He visited father some three years ago,
+at Gold Bluff, Idaho, and owns an interest in Gray Rocks, my father’s
+mine. My father is very anxious to meet Mr. Gilder; in fact, we have
+come all the way from Idaho expressly for that purpose. He would have
+called in person, but was taken ill last evening—so ill, indeed, that
+we found it necessary to summon a physician. We are stopping at the
+Murray Hill Hotel. I fear my father will be greatly disappointed.”
+
+A shade of sadness stole over the usually buoyant face of Vance Gilder.
+
+“I think I understand,” said he. “I bear the name of my father,
+who, after spending several months in the mining districts of Idaho,
+went to California, where he remained over a year, endeavoring to regain
+his health. He returned home a little less than two years ago and died
+within two months after his arrival.
+
+“As his living representative, and in honor of his memory,” said he,
+with feeling, “if there is any way in which he could have served you
+or your father, had he lived, I will volunteer, to the extent of my
+ability, to act in his stead.”
+
+“It certainly is very kind of you,” she replied, “but I am
+distressed at this intelligence, and know my father will be also.
+We learned to think a great deal of Mr. Gilder [16] during his few
+months’ stay at Gold Bluff. You can certainly do my father a great
+service by calling on him.”
+
+“I shall take great pleasure,” said Vance, in his earnest way, “in
+doing so. I am employed on the Banner, and my duties will prevent me
+calling before tomorrow at ten o’clock, but at that hour, tell your
+father he may expect me.”
+
+She had risen while he was speaking, and with a face full of sympathy
+and kindness, thanked him for his promise; and before he realized what
+was transpiring, the hall door closed and she was gone.
+
+The house from which she had taken her leave was one of the best
+overlooking Central Park, in New York City. Vance Gilder, the elder, was
+a man of great determination of character, and had accumulated a fortune
+while yet in the prime of life. He built for himself this house. It was
+surrounded by elegantly kept gardens and velvet lawns.
+
+He retired from business late in the ‘60’., intending to devote
+himself to his wife and only son, then a mere child, and his library.
+Scarcely a year of such enjoyment was allowed him before his wife
+sickened and died, leaving him his son and his fortune. It was hardly
+more than natural that he should lavish a great deal of attention and
+wealth upon his child.
+
+As his son grew to manhood, his father discovered a recklessness and
+extravagance which was sadly at variance with those economic principles
+which he himself had so studiously practiced. Vance stood fairly well
+in his classes, and after graduating at Princeton, went abroad, visiting
+the principal cities of Europe, and spending money in such a lavish way
+that at the expiration of a [17] year his father summoned him home and
+remonstrated with him severely on his manner of living and his expensive
+habits.
+
+Piqued at the rebuke, he quarreled with his father, and started out to
+make his way in the world alone. The estrangement was of short duration,
+however, and soon after the reconciliation he secured a position on the
+__Banner_ _, and assiduously devoted himself to the study of journalism.
+He gave up his follies and fast living, and found more enjoyment in his
+work on the Banner than he had ever found in swell dinners and midnight
+carousals at his club.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.—THE OLD MINER.
+
+9026
+
+ROOM [18] in which we have introduced Vance Gilder to the reader, in
+the home overlooking Central Park, had been his from childhood, and
+furnished by his father in its present luxurious style, as a reward for
+his devotion to the profession of journalism.
+
+His father had invested his income in real estate, and in the lapse of
+years found himself possessed of a fortune many times greater than he
+had ever anticipated. He traveled a great deal over the west, and at
+Gold Bluff, Idaho, he found in Ben Bonifield, the owner of Gray Rocks, a
+playmate of his youth.
+
+Ben Bonifield had staked out a claim which he called “Gray Rocks,”
+and had worked away for several years with pick and shovel, believing
+that some day he would “strike it rich”—and from the output
+of other mining properties in that vicinity, it seemed as if his
+expectations might be realized some day.
+
+He deeded a half interest in his mine to the elder Gilder, in
+consideration of certain moneys advanced him to develop the property.
+This one investment was the only one that Mr. Gilder ever made outside
+of New York [19] City, and it is quite probable that in making this one
+it was not so much an investment as a desire to assist his boyhood’s
+friend. The deed which Ben Bonifield gave had been duly recorded, but in
+his travels on the Pacific coast he had in some way mislaid it, and on
+his return to New York City he had died without ever having mentioned
+the matter to his son. When his father died, Vance was bowed down with
+grief, while the old Scotch house-keeper and her husband could not have
+mourned more sincerely had the elder Gilder been related by the nearest
+ties of blood.
+
+Vance found his father had not only left a fortune, but also a will. The
+date of this instrument showed that it was executed during the months
+of their estrangement, and had never been changed. The important part of
+the will, for this narrative, was a clause limiting Vance to an annuity
+of $5,000, provided he remained at the old homestead and gave employment
+and a home to the Scotch house-keeper and her husband; but the title to
+the vast property which he owned was not to pass into his custody until
+he was forty years of age.
+
+To the credit of the son, it can be said that he entertained no enmity
+towards his father because of this provision, but regarded it as simple
+justice. In the meantime, he devoted himself with more energy than ever
+to his profession, was economical in his habits, and had the consolation
+of knowing that he was being advanced from time to time on the Banner,
+until he was now regarded as one of the most trusted men on that great
+journal.
+
+To be a member of the Banner staff of newsgatherers was a position to
+be envied by those similarly employed on less imposing journals. His
+associates—the city [20] editor, the religious editor, the
+dramatic critic, the police reporter, and the heads of several other
+departments—were in the habit of discussing the topics of the times
+from a strictly democratic standpoint, with the regularity with which
+day follows night.
+
+The “old man,” or managing editor, could not take a deeper
+interest in the columns of the Banner than did his faithful coterie
+of assistants. The managing editor prided himself on his ability to
+recognize and command intellectual forces.
+
+With the breaking of the dawn anew paper, filled with news deftly
+gathered from the four corners of the earth, was ushered into life,
+teeming with the world’s history of a day, to be discussed by the
+banker, the politician, and the professional and non-professional
+classes over the breakfast-table. Each issue was a daily history
+possessing a soul and character distinctly its own, which collectively
+made up the policy of one of the greatest journals of New York City.
+Before high noon of each day a newspaper has generally served its
+purpose—dies; is a thing of the past, and the record of events found
+in its columns becomes ancient history.
+
+The following morning at ten o’clock, agreeable to his promise,
+Vance Gilder was at the Murray Hill Hotel, and sent up his card to Ben
+Bonifield. Instead of receiving in his room, the old gentleman joined
+Vance in the lobby. He was a typical character—once seen, never
+forgotten. An old Virginian by birth and education, he still retained
+the courtly polish of one of the southern aristocracy, which many years
+of mining life had not been able to wholly destroy. In stature he was
+fully six feet, and rather portly; his oval face was smooth-shaven, save
+an [21] iron-gray moustache. He wore his hair rather long, and the rim
+of his black felt hat was broad as a sombrero. His Prince Albert coat
+of broad-cloth was of old-time date, and suggested a revival of ancient
+gentility.
+
+“Glad to see yo’, suh; am delighted to meet a son of my old friend,
+Colonel Gilder.”
+
+0029
+
+He clasped Vance’s hand warmly, and his face was full of sympathy as
+he referred to the recent information he had received concerning Mr.
+Gilder’s death. They [22] soon found seats in a retired corner of the
+lobby, and after assuring Vance that he had entirely recovered from his
+recent illness, the old gentleman plunged into business.
+
+“Yo’ know, of cou’se, that yo’r father owned a one-half interest
+in Gray Rocks?”
+
+“No, I was not aware of the fact until your daughter named it to me
+yesterday,” replied Vance.
+
+“Yo’ su’prise me, suh, yo’ really do,” said the old miner,
+“but it is true, nevertheless, and the deed is on record; and what is
+mo’, suh, Gray Rocks is destined to be the richest gold mine in
+Idaho. Yo’ see, I have been workin’ away on Gray Rocks for seven
+years—kep’ right at it, winter an’ summer, and while I have not
+‘struck it’ yet, I am positive, suh, that if I had a little mo’
+money to push the work, my most sanguine expectations would be mo’
+than re’lized. We are now on the 200 foot level, but it seems, suh, it
+is not deep enough. A most wonderful showin’, in my opinion, suh, will
+be made when the 300 foot level is reached, and we have cross-cut into
+the vein.”
+
+“I am not very well versed in regard to mining, in fact know next to
+nothing about it, but of course, as I am a half owner in a gold mine, I
+am naturally interested in having it developed.”
+
+“Well, suh,” said the old gentleman, “yo’ see I am. I know all
+about mines. Yes, suh, I assure yo, on my honor, that I can tell ‘pay
+dirt’ as far as I can see it, suh, if I am sixty-five years old, Yo’
+see, suh,” continued the old miner, “let us suppose this table is
+the top of the mountain. Now, where I place this ink-stand, is Gray
+Rocks; just beyond, here where I lay this pen-stalk, is the Peacock
+mine. It joins us directly on the nawth. The [23] Excelsior is at this
+point, where I lay my eye-glasses, directly south of Gray Rocks. Both
+of them, suh, are payin’ immense dividends, and befo’ a year, with
+proper management, Gray Rocks will be doin’ the same. When he learned,
+suh, that I only had a half interest, he refused to talk with me any
+mo’ about it. He said he wanted all or none. Confidentially, Mr.
+Gilder, I consider old Grim the most ill-mannered man in the Fish River
+minin’ district, and us miners, suh, usually form a pretty correct
+idea of mankind in gene’l. I have been minin’ it now fo’ over
+thirty years, and while I have never ‘struck it’ yet, I assure yo’
+on my word, suh, that I have mo’ confidence in Gray Rocks to-day than
+ever befo’.”
+
+“Of course, Col. Bonifield,” said Vance, “I know nothing about
+your technical expressions of ‘sinking-shafts,’ ‘cross-cutting,’
+and all that sort of thing, but I remember now of my father speaking of
+you on several occasions, and I doubt not, if he were living, he would
+gladly assist you in any way in his power. Personally, my means are
+limited, but if your wants are not too great, I will gladly give you my
+assistance.”
+
+“Give me yo’re hand, suh! Why, Mr. Gilder, yo’re a gentleman that
+I’m proud to meet, suh.
+
+“What we must do, suh, is to sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to a 300
+foot level, and we will cross-cut into a vein of wealth, suh, that
+will make yo’ rich as a Vanterbilt. Yes, suh; take my word fo’ it.
+Now,” he continued, “there is old Grim; he owns a majority of the
+stock in the Peacock, and he wanted to buy out Gray Rocks, but [24] of
+the old school, belonging to one of the oldest and proudest families of
+Virginia—yes, suh. Now, you have a half interest in Gray Rocks, and
+if yo’ can furnish the money, Mr. Gilder, to sink the shaft to the 300
+foot level, I will go back to Gold Bluff and immediately commence the
+work—and mind, Mr. Gilder, I give yo’ my word that yo’ will
+never lose a dollar; no, suh, Gray Rocks is a sure winner. The claim is
+patented and our title is perfect; but we must do mo’, suh; we must
+sink our shaft, and it costs money to sink shafts, and a pow’ful sight
+of hard work into the bargain, suh. I came to New York especially to see
+yo’re father and have him help me by advancin’ a little mo’ money.
+He paid me $1,000, suh, fo’ a half interest in Gray Rocks. I told him,
+and I tell yo’ now, it will bring yo’ a million. Yes, suh, I pledge
+yo’ my word it will.”
+
+The old gentleman’s words, his enthusiasm, his southern courtliness,
+and his unmistakable belief in Gray Rocks, carried Vance quite away, in
+anticipation of his half-ownership in a gold mine. He mentally computed
+the amount of money he had in the bank, and felt that he would willingly
+check out his last half-dollar to sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to a 300
+foot level.
+
+He had to his credit in the Chemical National Bank some fifteen thousand
+dollars, and finally ventured to ask about how much it would take to do
+the work.
+
+“Why, yo’ see, suh,” replied the old miner, “the mo’ a fellow
+has, the quicker he can sink a shaft. Now, I could get along at present
+with, say $1,500, but $2,000 would be betteh, and $2,500 would be a
+great plenty.”
+
+“Very well,” replied Vance, “I’ll advance you $2,500, and can
+bring it to you within a couple of hours.”
+
+[25] The old gentleman was highly delighted with Vance’s ready
+acquiescence in the matter, and shook his hand warmly, assuring him that
+he was a very true Virginian. Taking his leave, he quitted the hotel,
+and in less than two hours paid to Col. Bonifield $2,500.
+
+The old gentleman was very urgent for Vance to remain and lunch with
+him.
+
+“My Louise, suh,” he said, “will be delighted to see yo’.
+
+8033
+
+Now, suh, there’s one girl in a thousand. I call her a diamond in the
+rough, suh. She stays by the old man, and has just as much faith in the
+ultimate outcome of Gray Rocks as I have, I sometimes think, suh, that
+I ought not to keep her away so far from civil’zation, so to speak,
+among the mountains; but she says, ‘We will wait until we strike
+it.’ I assure yo’, suh, she is a wonderful comfort to me.”
+
+Vance endeavored to persuade the old gentleman to bring his daughter and
+stop at his house for a few days, but the old miner explained that his
+stay could not be prolonged; that he was impatient to begin work on
+the mine, sinking the shaft to the 300 foot level, and then commence
+cross-cutting. He insisted that he must start for Gold Bluff by the
+evening train.
+
+Ascending to the ladies’ parlor, Vance waited until the old miner
+brought his daughter to bid him good-bye. As she came into the room on
+the arm of her stately father, Vance had hard work to convince himself
+that such a queenly girl as stood before him could have grown to such
+loveliness among the mountains of the northwest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.—THE BANNER FORCE.
+
+9034
+
+GREAT [26] metropolitan journal like the Banner, has a tendency to
+swallow up individual characteristics in its own self-importance. A man
+may be ever so clever with his pen, and contribute the most readable
+articles day after day and year after year, and yet not one reader in
+ten thousand has any idea whose composition he is perusing.
+
+Vance Gilder was only one of the force, and yet he was a favorite with
+his associates. He sometimes dreamed of promotion, and the time when
+he would be a correspondent of note, or possibly at the head of some
+important department on that great paper. Visions of special work which
+would call him not only to different parts of his own country, but to
+foreign parts as well, charmed him into contentment and renewed energy.
+
+Only once during his connection with the Banner had he made anything
+like a “hit.” He had on one solitary occasion succeeded in
+“scooping” the other New York journals in a most masterly manner.
+Indeed, to Vance belonged the credit of having completely humiliated the
+other dailies with an article under flaming headlines and double-leaded.
+As a compensation, he was sent for by [27] the chief, and received that
+august person’s special thanks. This was a mark of distinction, for it
+was seldom that he paid compliments. On the other hand, if the work was
+not up to the standard, the staff generally heard from him in a
+volley of profanity that caused them to doubt the permanency of their
+positions.
+
+On the night after Ben Bonfield started for Gold Bluff, Vance found
+himself thinking a great deal about Gray Rocks. To a young man of
+twenty-five, fifteen years seems a long time to wait for the possession
+of one’s property. There is a certain fascination about the idea of
+owning a gold mine, and this charm had taken possession of Vance to a
+degree far beyond that which he was willing to admit, and between the
+lines of copy, he speculated on the future and built many castles in the
+air.
+
+The half interest which his father owned in Gray Rocks had not been
+named in the will, and as Vance was his only heir, it naturally occurred
+to him that in case the old miner should “strike it rich,” he
+would find himself with a handsome competency long before his fortieth
+birthday.
+
+For the first time during the years of his connection with the Banner,
+a feeling of dissatisfaction stole over him, and he was glad Colonel
+Bonfield had been so prompt in returning to Gold Bluff, for he felt
+the work of sinking the shaft on Gray Rocks should be commenced at the
+earliest possible moment. There was also a feeling of regret deep down
+in his heart that he had not had an opportunity to know more of the fair
+Louise, the remembrance of whose laughing blue eyes and perfect freedom
+from affectation hovered near him with a distinctness that he had never
+before experienced with any of his young lady friends. [28] He was in
+this state of mind when the police reporter came in and declared that he
+was disgusted with the scarcity of crime.
+
+“I say, Vance,” saidhe, “it’s getting to be a pretty pass when
+a fellow has to rummage all over the city for a few crumbs of accidental
+deaths, street brawls and shooting affairs.”
+
+9036
+
+Before Vance had time to reply, the religious editor commenced swearing
+about the uninteresting sermons he was compelled to write of late.
+
+The dramatic critic observed that lie presumed writing sermons was a
+rather stupid business, but if the reading public could endure them, the
+religious editor ought to be able to, at $60 a week.
+
+The religious editor said, “by Gad! old boy, you’re about right,”
+and begged a cigarette of the dramatic critic, declaring that he did
+not know with whom he would rather smoke than a representative of the
+footlights. He then slapped Vance on the shoulder in a jocular way, and
+asked him what made him so quiet.
+
+“Scoops are scarce,” replied Vance, without lifting his eyes from
+the copy he was revising.
+
+“Scarce!” chimed in the city editor, “I should say so. We have not
+had such a thing as a ‘scoop’ about the office for six months.”
+
+“Journalism,” observed the dramatic critic, “is, without question,
+the king of professions. Here we see life in its every phase.”
+
+“I am [29] beginning to think,” said Vance, “that journalism is a
+drudgery without hope or reward.”
+
+“You astonish me,” replied the religious editor. “Why, Vance,”
+he continued, knocking the ashes from his cigarette, “a fellow with as
+bright a future in the profession as you have, making such a remark
+as that, causes me to think you are growing cynical. Think of the
+opportunities which journalism affords.”
+
+“What opportunities,” replied Vance, “have I, or you, or any other
+members of the staff, excepting those we have no right to take advantage
+of? I freely admit that there is a fascination about the profession of
+journalism; an influence, if you please, that holds us in the rut, much
+the same as the current of a mighty river—always drawing everything
+into the center where the current is swiftest—but the individuality of
+the most talented among us is completely lost in the great octopus that
+we are daily and nightly striving with our best efforts of brawn and
+brain to keep supplied with news.”
+
+“Bravo!” shouted the police reporter. “There is not an ordinary
+prize-fighter in the land but has more individual reputation than any of
+us. Vance is about right in his position.”
+
+At this juncture of their conversation, a note was handed to Vance.
+It was a polite request to report at the chief’s private room at ten
+o’clock the next morning. After hastily glancing over it, Vance read
+it aloud.
+
+“I say, Vance, [30] old boy, that’s a little rough; and still,”
+continued the religious editor, between vigorous puffs of his cigarette,
+“it may be a step up.”
+
+It was an open question with members of the force whether a formal
+summons into the presence of the chief, without any intimation of the
+nature of the interview, was a good omen or otherwise.
+
+“Possibly,” responded Vance, “but I rather surmise it is a step
+out.”
+
+0038
+
+“The evil is sufficient unto the day thereof,” observed the dramatic
+critic. “It is twelve o’clock, boys; let us adjourn to the ‘realm
+of pie,’ and there we will discuss the unlooked-for summons.”
+
+A half dozen as jolly young fellows as could be found anywhere, were
+soon seated in a private room at Thompson’s cafe, partaking of the
+reporter’s stereotyped lunch. [31] As a result of their deliberations,
+there were many hopeful expressions made for the benefit of Vance. There
+was an under-current, however, of unmistakable belief, which Vance was
+not slow to perceive and share, that his interview with the chief would
+not result satisfactorily.
+
+The dramatic critic soon drifted to the leeward of the question, and
+with almost forced vivaciousness recounted the latest hit of a jolly
+little soubrette dancer at Madison Square Gardens. His description was
+not only interesting, but a welcome diversion from the somber subject
+that might mean a separation of Vance from the staff. The religious
+editor took up the cue where the dramatic critic let go, and commenced
+swearing in newspaper parlance about the unsatisfactory work he was
+doing in his department.
+
+8039
+
+The police reporter came in for a description of a “knock-out” he
+had witnessed in the Bowery, and for the edification of his associates,
+explained the difference between a “shoulder-strike” and an
+“undercut.”
+
+On returning to their respective posts of duty, there was but little
+said, but it was noticeable that Vance was bid good night with more
+consideration than usual.
+
+As Vance hurried along toward the elevated road, his thoughts were again
+filled with that demure little Louise, a product of the great mountains
+of the west. With her had come a hope—perhaps only a visionary
+one—stimulated by the enthusiasm of the old miner. He did not pause to
+analyze [32] the sustaining hope which he experienced; he only knew that
+it took off the keen edge of anxiety which otherwise he would have felt
+concerning his coming interview with the chief.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV—A SUPPER PARTY.
+
+9041
+
+T TEN [33] O’.LOCK the following morning, Vance sent in his card
+to the chief, and was immediately admitted to his presence. “Good
+morning, Mr. Gilder.”
+
+“Good morning, sir,” was Vance’s prompt reply.
+
+“I sent for you,” said the chief, as he industriously looked over a
+bundle of papers on his desk, “To discuss a matter I have had in mind
+for some time.”
+
+“Yes, sir,” was Vance’s laconic reply.
+
+The chief having found the paper he evidently had been searching for,
+motioned Vance to be seated, and turning to him, asked:
+
+“Have you ever traveled much in the west?”
+
+“Have never been west of Buffalo.”
+
+“Your work,” observed the chief, “has been very satisfactory—I
+may say, especially so—and it is the policy of the Banner not only to
+reward those who have talent, but also to keep pace with the times, and
+give its readers reliable information upon all questions of moment and
+importance. The great Northwest has been opening up for the last half
+century. There have been booms and counter-booms out in that country,
+spasmodically, for [34] many years, and a great many fortunes have been
+lost by ill advised investors, but I am not personally familiar with
+anyone who has bettered his condition in western speculations. Just
+at the present time the northwest is attracting, as you are doubtless
+aware, considerable attention, and the effort to popularize it by the
+western press, seems unabating. Our eastern people, even some of the
+oldest families of New York, are becoming poisoned with the virus of
+western investments. My private opinion is that instead of receiving
+dividends on these holdings, they will lose principal and all.
+
+“We want,” said he, “a level-headed correspondent in that western
+country. Mark, I say level-headed, for the reason that not infrequently
+an eastern man, especially if he is unacquainted with the wonderland of
+the west, loses his head, figuratively speaking, and becomes won over
+by the fairy tales of prospective wealth, as told by the average real
+estate boomer.
+
+“You, Mr. Gilder,” said the chief, eying Vance with great
+directness, “have been selected for this important position of trust.
+I might,” he continued, as if it were an afterthought, “modify my
+remarks by saying there are some places in the west worthy of credence,
+possessing real merit; but in nine cases out of ten, the new towns that
+are ringing up throughout the north western portion of the United
+States are, in my judgment, intangible as moonshine. In short, there
+is entirely too much capital flowing from the east into those wildcat
+western speculations, and we desire to give a series of letters
+descriptive of that country to the readers of the Banner, containing the
+facts stripped of all allurement, and dissuade them from such unstable
+investments as are daily being made.
+
+[35] “I deem,” continued the chief, “these few suggestions necessary
+for your good in governing the character of your correspondence from
+that western country to the columns of the Banner. I shall expect you to
+be ready tomorrow evening, and start on the six o’clock train. As you
+will probably be away for some time, it would be well for you to arrange
+your private affairs accordingly.
+
+8043
+
+Call tomorrow at eleven o’clock, and I will have ready the necessary
+credentials, transports and instructions.”
+
+Vance bowed his acquiescence and turned to go, when the chief said,
+“By the way, instead of $40 a week, your present salary, you will
+receive $60 and expenses, which doubtless will be satisfactory.”
+
+Vance attempted to express his appreciation of the confidence that had
+been reposed in him, of so important an undertaking; but the chief waved
+him to silence and muttered something about “time being money,” and
+at once turned to other affairs that were awaiting his attention.
+
+That afternoon Vance was not found among the staff, and a new man
+occupied his chair. He called on Thomas Patten, Esq., the attorney
+who had represented the Gilder family for many years, and named in his
+father’s will as trustee, and explained to him his promotion, telling
+him he would start for the west the next evening.
+
+His old associates at the Banner were asking questions of one another as
+to what had transpired between Vance and the chief, but no one seemed
+to know anything about it, except that a new man was on duty and Vance
+absent.
+
+[36] At half past eleven o’clock that night the dramatic critic
+hurried in from the street and passed word around among the coterie that
+a surprise was waiting for them over at Thompson’s cafe. Thompson’s
+is, and has been for many years, a favorite resort for newspaper men.
+Vance Gilder was well known to the manager as a member of the Banner
+staff, and when that afternoon he requested that a lunch something
+better than the ordinary be prepared, he was assured that everything
+would be in readiness.
+
+The dramatic critic ushered his associates into a private room precisely
+at twelve o’clock. Vance was in waiting, and a warm greeting was
+exchanged. The religious editor declared that he believed a conspiracy
+of gigantic proportions had been laid to entrap the meek and lowly, but,
+nevertheless, he took his place with alacrity at the table to enjoy the
+modest but excellent feast prepared for the occasion.
+
+A few bottles of rare old wine added interest to the surprise which
+Vance had so cleverly arranged. After the glasses had been tilled and
+drained, the political editor moved that an explanation was in order.
+
+“My friends,” said Vance, “the most important disclosure I have to
+make is that my salary has been raised to $60 a week.”
+
+The religious editor said, “By Gad,” and fell from his chair,
+declaring that his nerves were so unstrung that it would require another
+glass of wine to restore them. After Vance had carefully narrated his
+interview with the chief, he received the hearty congratulations of his
+associates. Each vied with the others in wishing him unbounded success
+as a western correspondent for the Banner. [37] “I understand,” said
+the political editor, after clearing his throat with a glass of wine,
+“that the west is teeming with opportunities in a political way; and
+I would not be surprised,” he added, “if the Honorable Vance Gilder
+would be the next thing we hear of, as mayor of some municipality in
+the Rocky Mountain region, or possibly as a member of Congress from the
+Third District.”
+
+0045
+
+“Or still better,” observed the religious editor, “president of
+one of those bonanza gold mines that advertise [38] themselves as being
+the greatest dividend paying properties in the world.”
+
+“What’s the matter,” said the police reporter, “of being
+moderate in your expectations? Suppose Vance secures the position of
+judge of the police court in one of those western towns, where from a
+dozen to twenty drunks and brawls occur every twenty-four hours—ye
+gods! what a country for rich morsels of crime!”
+
+It was conceded by all that Vance would have abundant opportunity
+for making investments here and there in the growing west that would
+materially increase his financial prospects.
+
+8046
+
+“Sixty dollars,” said the dramatic critic, as he finished his third
+glass of wine, “is quite a step up, but evidently a mere bagatelle to
+the ‘pick-ups’ on the side, in a new country that is just developing
+like the west is at the present time.”
+
+That Vance was one of the luckiest fellows living was the verdict of all
+his associates. After the lunch had been disposed of and a good-night
+glass of wine drunk to Vance’s success, he bade his companions
+good-night, and was soon being driven rapidly up Eighth Avenue to
+Central Park, west.
+
+On reaching his room he began to feel more than ever that he had
+awakened to find himself famous, and that a great honor had been thrust
+upon him.
+
+His gratitude to his chief was unbounded, but like the young and
+ambitious everywhere, his own personal advancement in a financial sense
+was a consideration not to be overlooked. [39] While he knew personally
+very little about the Western country, the many allusions of his
+companions to the rare opportunities which awaited him in the new world
+he was about to visit filled him with a vague, indescribable sense of
+importance.
+
+As he retired for the night, he assured himself that Gold Bluff, Idaho,
+would be one of his objective points, and hoped he would be there when
+the shaft reached the 300 foot level. He was beginning to share the old
+miner’s enthusiasm and confidence in Gray Rocks.
+
+He drifted away into a restful sleep, while visions of a lovely girl in
+early womanhood, with beautiful blue eyes, “gentle grace and sovereign
+sweetness,” rose in a mist before him, and he dreamed he was at Gold
+Bluff.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.—AN ODD CHARACTER.
+
+9048
+
+TRIP [40] from New York to the inter-mountain country of the west, with
+the present railroad facilities of palatial Pullmans and dining cars,
+is now an every-day affair. The traveler is surrounded by every comfort.
+Vance Gilder was more than ever in love with the change, as the cars
+rumbled on through dell and forest, across broad stretches of beautiful
+valley country, and ever and anon rushing over an iron bridge that
+spanned some beautiful stream of water, some of them calm and peaceful,
+and others rushing madly along, breaking into white spray over rocky
+ripples, and then hurrying on again as if they were running a race with
+time.
+
+As he approached the Rocky Mountain country, and for the first time in
+his life gazed upon that mighty range of Nature’s towering masonry, he
+was almost intoxicated with the new sights to be seen on the “crown of
+the continent.”
+
+Notwithstanding his enjoyment of the new and varied scenery, he was glad
+enough to abandon the cars at Butte City, after four days and nights of
+continuous riding.
+
+Butte City is said to be, not only the greatest mining [41] camp in
+Montana, but the greatest in the world. They boast of the many millions
+that are brought to the light of day by the magic wand of the miner’s
+pick. Vance found lodging at the Mercury Hotel, and early the next
+morning, after breakfasting heartily, started for a walk.
+
+0049
+
+The town is built on a side-hill, gently rising from the depot grounds
+westward to a very considerable elevation. He paused now and then to
+inspect the architecture of some of the buildings, and then looked away
+toward the smelter districts, at the black clouds of smoke which the
+[42] chimneys were belching forth, and falling over the city like a veil
+of mourning.
+
+Presently he was accosted by an individual of grizzly beard and
+good-matured countenance, who said: “Hello, pard; how d’ye do?
+Sizin’ up these diggins’ be ye?”
+
+As Vance eyed his questioner rather critically and acknowledged the
+salutation, the fellow reached him a card which bore the name “Hank
+Casey.” While Vance was glancing at the card, his new acquaintance
+said:
+
+“I reckon you be from down east? I come from thar a long time ago.
+You’ll notice from my card that I’m in the real estate business;
+also have some fine minin’ propositions.”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance, “I am from the east, but do not know as I
+care to make any investments.”
+
+“Well, now, look’ee? here, stranger. I ‘spect I might give you a
+pinter or two that may not come amiss. This ‘ere town is chuck up full
+of dead beats and black legs, who make it their business to run
+every new feller in that comes from down east. Now Hank Casey do a
+straight-for’ard, legitimate business—that’s me,” said he, as he
+tucked his thumbs into the armholes of his vest and straightened himself
+to his fullest height.
+
+Vance was amused by this odd character, and determined to learn from
+him what he could concerning Butte City and the claims made for it.
+He therefore asked, “What population have you and what are your
+resources?”
+
+“Over fifty thousand people, above an’ below. You see, thar’s
+several thousand of us in this town below ground, workin’ away with
+shovel an’ pick. I reckon as how you’ll see a fair sample of our
+miners if you’re on the [43] streets tonight. As for resources—why,
+pardner, thar’s no end to ‘em. We took out mighty near forty million
+dollars from our mines last year, an’ thar’s ore enough in sight
+to keep on minin’ at the same rate for a hundred years to come. What
+d’ye think o’ that?”
+
+Vance replied that it certainly was a most extraordinary statement.
+
+8051
+
+“What other towns have you in this state,” asked Vance.
+
+“None to speak of,” was the prompt reply. “Butte City is the
+pertest town in any o’ these western diggings. Thar’s not another
+town in Montana as can tech one side of us, for money, marbles, or
+chalk. To be sure,” he went on, in a condescending tone, “we
+have lots o’ towns in this ‘ere state, sech as they be; lots
+o’ minin’ camps, but they are merely
+blacksmith-shops-on-the-crossroads,’ compared with Butte City. D’ye
+see that Corner lot over thar’. Five years ago I owned the ground
+whar’ that buildin’ stands. I bought it for $300, held it just
+thirteen months, and sold it for $4,000 spot cash.”
+
+“Why that was an immense profit,” said Vance, with more interest
+than he had yet manifested in Hank Casey’s description of Butte
+City. Hank Casey smiled contentedly and expectorated an accumulation
+of tobacco juice with a resounding “pit-tew” on the side walk, and
+said: “You call that a good profit? Why, pardner, I bought stock in
+the Blackbird mine at twelve cents a share when the company was fust
+organized, and now its worth $300 a share and payin’ an immense
+dividend monthly. That’s what I call a good investment; but as fer
+that speck,” [44] said he, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the
+corner lot, “that don’t amount to nothin’.”
+
+“Do you know where Gold Bluff, Idaho, is?” asked Vance.
+
+“I reckon I ought to know,” replied the boomer; “me an’ Steve
+Gibbons were the fust prospectors in that ‘neck o’ the woods.’
+Steve an’ I claim to own the Peacock, but old Rufus Grim, the biggest
+scoundrel in Idaho yes, the biggest in this whole minin’ country
+claims to own it, and has got possession, and I’ve learned, in this
+western country ‘specially, that possession is not only nine points of
+the law, but mighty near ten. Of course, a gold mine like the Peacock
+is a mighty handy thing to have in the family, but as a general rule,
+they’re mighty unsartin. Give me a silver or copper mine every
+time.”
+
+Vance assured his new-found acquaintance that he was under many
+obligations for the information received, and said he hoped to meet him
+again. Hank Casey, however, was not to be disposed of in this way,
+and walked along with Vance. Presently he called his attention to some
+vacant lots across the street.
+
+“D’ye see them lots over thar? I can sell you one o’ them
+fifty-foot lots at $3,500. an I’ll bet diamonds against peanuts
+it’ll be a rich buy at $10,000 before two years. By the way, stranger,
+what’s the matter with you takin a leetle ‘flyer’ in Butte City
+dirt? Buy a few lots, stop here with us for six months, sell ‘em out
+agin for 100 per cent, profit, an’ that’ll pay all the expenses of
+your western trip. See? said he, touching Vance gently in the ribs with
+his elbow.
+
+“Yes; I see,” said Vance, “I see very clearly, or would, [45] were
+it not for the smoke. It smells like sulphur. Does it come from some of
+your mills or smelters?”
+
+“Now, look’ee here, pard, you’re just like every other
+down-easter. They’re always kickin’ ‘bout this smoke.
+
+9053
+
+Now, let me tell you; if we didn’t have that ‘ar smoke we wouldn’t
+have any Butte City, and besides, it kills the bacteria, molecules,
+an’ all that sort o thing. It’s mighty healthy here, I can tell you,
+an’ a mighty pert town into the bargain.”
+
+Vance coughed immoderately, but Hank Casey who was acclimated, assured
+him that he was at that moment breathing the healthiest air that ever
+his lungs were filled with.
+
+In the course of their walk, the boomer kept up a constant conversation,
+explaining different points of interest, pointing out the different
+mining properties in sight and telling their names, until Vance felt
+that he had been very fortunate in falling in with one so conversant
+with Butte City. At parting, Vance bade his new-found friend good day,
+and promised to call at his office before leaving the city.
+
+When he returned to the hotel, he commenced his first letter to the
+Banner, but it was not finished until late that night. When it appeared
+in the great New York journal it surprised, in point of brilliancy and
+interest, even his warmest friends. His descriptions were so vivid
+and lifelike, and his characters so droll, and withal teeming with
+information, that a score of letters came to the managing editor,
+assuring him of the great pleasure and profit they had experienced in
+its perusal. Of course, Vance knew [46] nothing of this at the time,
+but devoted himself with unceasing diligence in searching out reliable
+information, and then training it into weekly letters.
+
+Butte City began to impress him as a place of more importance than he
+had at first thought. He learned that almost one million of dollars was
+paid out monthly to the miners alone, and they, as a class, are “hail
+fellows well met,” who believe in the doctrine of keeping money in
+constant circulation.
+
+He noticed in many of the mercantile houses that when the day clerks
+went off duty at six o’clock in the evening, another set of clerks
+came on, and the shops and stores, by the aid of brilliant electric
+lights, continued business twenty-four hours out of the day the year
+around.
+
+Vance frequently thought of his conversation with the managing editor,
+and what he had said about western towns and the over-enthusiastic town
+boomer. In Hank Casey he felt he had found a typical character
+that fully came up to all the managing editor had inferred, and had
+frequently used him as an inspiration, but was becoming more and more
+convinced that Butte City was one of those solid, substantial places
+which the managing editor had classed as exceptions to the rule.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI—THE TOWN BOOMER.
+
+9055
+
+BOUT TWO WEEKS [47] after Vance Gilder arrived in Butte City, he noticed
+one morning that everybody was talking about a new town, and each was
+asking the others what they thought about it. Glancing at the hotel
+register, he saw the name, Homer Winthrop, of Waterville, Idaho.
+
+In looking over the Butte City Miner and the Inter-Mountain Blade, both
+healthy dailies and well edited, he was somewhat astonished to find a
+full-page advertisement in each of the papers, setting forth in blazing
+splendor the great Thief River Valley, and signed by Homer Winthrop
+as agent, announcing that he would be at the Mercury Hotel for a short
+time, and inviting those who were interested in investing a little money
+in a purely agricultural city, to come early and “get in on the ground
+floor.”
+
+The advertisement represented Waterville as being in the midst of the
+great Thief River Valley, with the largest water power in the country,
+surrounded by an agricultural district of two million acres of the
+richest land the sun ever shone down upon. He termed the new town of
+[48] Waterville the “City of Destiny,” and said the price of town
+lots would quadruple in a few years’ time.
+
+Vance was at once interested. “Here,” said he to himself, “is a
+genuine town boomer, and as the fellow is stopping at this hotel, it
+will be an easy matter to learn just how this boom business is operated.
+It will make an excellent article for the Banner.”
+
+Accordingly, about eleven o’clock that forenoon he called to see the
+irrepressible town boomer and hear what sort of a marvelous story he had
+to tell about Waterville.
+
+8056
+
+He was quickly admitted into a reception room by a young gentleman who
+assured him that Mr. Winthrop would soon be at leisure, and begged him
+to be seated, calling his attention to the numerous maps on the walls,
+one of which covered nearly the entire side of the room.
+
+Winthrop’s young assistant seemed to know his business, and at once
+commenced the preliminary skirmish of interesting Vance in the great
+Thief River Valley, and especially town lots in Waterville; but as Vance
+did not evince any inclination to purchase, the young fellow endeavored
+to so impress him by calling his attention to the advertisements in the
+morning papers. Every once in a while he would tip-toe over to the
+door where the great town-boomer, Homer Winthrop, was holding a private
+conversation with a would-be purchaser. He would put his ear to the
+keyhole and listen for a moment, and then come tip-toeing back and
+assure Vance Mr. Winthrop would soon be at leisure.
+
+Presently the door opened and a gentleman in miner’s garb came out,
+and Vance was immediately shown in. As he entered the private room of
+Homer Winthrop, he involuntarily paused to study, if but for a moment,
+the face of the man who had arrived in Butte City late the night before,
+and now had everyone in the place agog over the prospects of a new town
+that had just been laid out on paper in the Thief River Valley.
+
+Homer Winthrop, with all the easy grace of a Chesterfield, motioned his
+visitor to a seat, pushing a box of very superior Havanas toward him,
+and invited him to join him in burning a weed. He was a man above the
+average height, inclined to be rather slender, and possessed a rather
+good looking face, beaming with good nature and apparent frankness;
+a pair of intelligent dark eyes that laughed and smiled with as much
+expression as the face, changeable, however, into intenseness and
+earnestness seldom met with; a broad, intellectual forehead; a rather
+square chin, indicating great determination of character. To this add
+a luxuriant head of dark hair, and moustache, otherwise a clean-shaven
+face, and the reader will have a fair idea of his appearance.
+
+He was [49] evidently an adept in reading human nature, and knew his man
+on sight; had seen much of western life—and yet it required no second
+interview to discover in him the polished manners and easy grace of one
+who has seen much of refinement and culture. He could have entered into
+the gaieties of a reception in a Fifth Avenue mansion with as little
+effort as he had [50] stirred up a city of 50,000 people in a few hours
+over the magnificent prospects of a new town that was just budding into
+existence.
+
+0058
+
+Vance accepted the proffered cigar, and they easily engaged in
+conversation. They discussed the great out put of ore from the mines of
+Butte City, and the wonderful development of the western country during
+recent years; the magnificent mining properties that had been opened up;
+and, in fact, nearly everything except Waterville and the great Thief
+River Valley. Homer Winthrop with the skill of a tactician, narrated
+incidents and legends of different miners who had devoted a lifetime
+in searching for the precious metal and finally “struck it rich” in
+some out-of-the-way, unexpected place.
+
+Vance finally inquired in regard to the new town of [51] Waterville, and
+was not a little surprised at the conservative reply he received, wholly
+devoid of any enthusiasm.
+
+“Oh,” said Winthrop, “we have a very excellent agricultural
+country in the valley. We are building our new town of Waterville on the
+rapids of the Thief River. It has, perhaps, the greatest water power
+of any inland city in the United States. Many believe a great citv will
+eventually be built at that point. We also have a great deal of capital
+invested in the construction of irrigating canals, reclaiming the
+valley lands from their present arid condition and converting them into
+productive farms.” He also went on, in a voice full of rhythm that was
+almost musical in its intonation, explaining in a modest way why many
+people believed in the future of the place, touching on the numerous
+natural resources that were apparent to everyone sufficiently interested
+to visit the valley and see for himself.
+
+Vance was deeply interested in Homer Winthrop’s appearance, and later
+found himself charmed with his new acquaintance more than he cared to
+admit, even to himself. On taking his leave, he promised to call again
+the next day. As Vance stepped into the reception room, he found
+it almost filled with miners and tradesmen who were waiting for an
+interview’ with Mr. Winthrop, and he rightly guessed that a profitable
+business was being done.
+
+In thinking over his interview with the town boomer of Waterville,
+Vance was compelled to admit that he was one of the most attractive
+individuals with whom he had ever come in contact. That afternoon
+he finished a letter to the Banner, but it contained no reference to
+Waterville.
+
+The result of his second interview was that he accepted an invitation
+to visit the new town, which was some two [52] hundred miles distant.
+Agreeable to this arrangement, they left Butte City early one morning,
+and that evening reached Waterville.
+
+Vance was not particularly attracted by the general appearance and
+“lay” of the new town site. It appeared crude and unfinished, and
+abounded with sage brush and sand. The waters of the rapids, however,
+in their mad rushing as they went foaming down the narrows like race
+horses, impressed him with a belief that nothing had been overdrawn in
+regard to this great natural power, which had been idling its time away
+for centuries.
+
+9060
+
+Homer stood by his side on the rocky bank, but said nothing.
+
+Presently Vance looked up and said: “What a wonderful power is going
+to waste in these rapids!”
+
+“It will soon be harnessed,” replied Winthrop, “and this vast
+power utilized in many manufacturing enterprises. I do not feel,” he
+continued, “that I am over-estimating facts, Mr. Gilder, when I say
+there is power enough here to turn every spindle in every woolen mill
+and factory in the United States.”
+
+“My only surprise,” replied Vance, “is that these waters have not
+been put to use long before this.”
+
+That night at the hotel Vance felt he was indeed “roughing it.” He
+rose in the morning feeling but little refreshed, and sat down to a very
+unpalatable breakfast, and immediately afterwards started with Homer
+Winthrop on a drive through the valley.
+
+The farmers were busy harvesting their grain, and on [53] inquiry they
+learned the yield of wheat was from forty to seventy bushels to the
+acre, and that oats yielded from sixty to one hundred bushels to the
+acre. Vance was greatly astonished, and became almost enthusiastic over
+the agricultural possibilities of the valley.
+
+“Why,” said he, “Mr. Winthrop, there is no question but this is
+destined to be one of the richest agricultural valleys in the world. In
+my work on the Banner I have had occasion to look up statistics on grain
+products, and if these farmers are telling the truth in regard to the
+yield of their crops, there is no other place like it in the United
+States.”
+
+A moment after, he was chagrined to think he had given way to such
+a burst of enthusiasm. It would have been better for him to remain
+a listener, and allow Winthrop to grow enthusiastic in praise of the
+country. Winthrop, however, took no advantage of Vance’s earnestness.
+
+The day was a perfect one; the sun was shining, and yet there was a
+cool, invigorating breeze sweeping gently down from the snow-capped
+Tetons. Driving rapidly and pleasantly along, they at last found
+themselves near the foot-hills on a slight elevation overlooking
+the valley to the west. Alighting from the carriage, Vance followed
+Winthrop’s lead, and soon they found themselves on a table rock, at a
+sufficient elevation to see for many miles to the north, south and west.
+For a few minutes Vance contemplated the sight in silence, and then
+said: “This is indeed a grand sight.” Turning to Winthrop, he
+continued:
+
+“I have seen many beautiful sights—the Green and White Mountains
+of New England, the Cumberland of [54] Virginia, and the mighty Rocky
+Mountains through Colorado but standing here on the foot hills, with the
+mountains rising behind us to the sky, with their hoary crests even
+on this July day capped with snow, and these mountain streams, foaming
+cataracts, all shimmering in the sunshine, making sweet and restful
+harmony in their ceaseless flow, surpasses anything I have ever seen.
+The valley itself looks like a vast green sward stretching before us
+like a map. The yellow shocks of golden grain in the farming districts
+are suggestive of what may be in years to come. No man can look
+upon such a promising picture and not be convinced of the commercial
+importance which will attend the development of this valley.”
+
+During Vance’s outburst of ecstacy, Homer Winthrop said nothing,
+merely acquiescing, in a modest way, to all Vance expressed.
+
+Returning to Waterville, they partook of a sumptuous repast, which
+Winthrop had ordered especially prepared, Consisting principally of
+mountain trout, caught that morning in the Thief River.
+
+After lunch Vance accepted an invitation to smoke and walk out over the
+town site.
+
+“This,” said Winthrop, “is block fourteen of Eagle’s addition.
+You see it is less than three blocks from the center of the town. It
+is one of the choicest blocks we have. If you want me to give you some
+advice, Mr. Gilder, I will do so, and say, buy a few of these lots. The
+price is only $100 each, and, in my judgment, they will be worth $500
+before five years from to-day.”
+
+Vance looked [55] away into the distance at the farm lands, and the
+music of the sickle was borne lazily to him by a gentle breeze; then he
+turned his gaze toward the river, where the roaring waters were crowding
+down the rapids, proclaiming in thundering tones that Waterville was an
+exception to the rule. After a little he turned to Homer Winthrop and
+said: “I have been advised to keep clear of these new towns. The
+person who gave me this advice told me there were a few honorable
+exceptions to the rule. I must believe, from what I have seen, that
+Waterville is an exception. I will take twenty-five of these lots, and
+you may fix up the deed for them as soon as possible.”
+
+The deed and abstract were delivered to Vance that afternoon, and his
+check for $2,500 was duly deposited in Homer Winthrop’s pocket.
+
+“I may have been foolish,” said Vance, “to act so hastily in this
+matter.”
+
+Winthrop turned to him, and placing a hand on either shoulder, looked
+squarely into his companion’s eyes, and said:
+
+“My belief, Mr. Gilder, is that you have acted wisely, and if you
+will keep these lots five years, you will thank me for suggesting
+the advisability of making the purchase. I have but one request to
+make—that you will wait five years before passing judgment on my
+advice.”
+
+“Your request is cheerfully granted,” replied Vance with great
+earnestness, and the two men clasped hands, and a bond of friendship was
+thereby woven.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.—A VISIT TO WATERVILLE
+
+9064
+
+NEW WESTERN TOWN is [56] usually provided with a public square, and the
+business houses and shops are arranged along the four sides of it in
+sentinel-like position, the corner lots going at a premium, and where
+the most substantial buildings are erected. Waterville, however could
+not boast of a public square, but it had two iron bridges spanning the
+Thief River.
+
+A large stone grist mill had been built on the side of the river
+opposite the town, and on the elevated ground beyond, it was said the
+State Agricultural College was to be built.
+
+It was a favorite pastime with the real estate agents to sit on the
+depot platform, and while waiting for the incoming trains, to whittle
+pine sticks into shavings, telling of the different manufactories, state
+institutions, colleges and asylums, etc., that would be located in the
+near future at Waterville.
+
+That evening after Vance had made his purchase of town lots he strolled
+away by himself across the great iron bridge, and gave himself up to
+meditation. Had he acted wisely? Would Waterville after all prove a
+“boom town” and his investment a losing one? Was Homer Winthrop,
+[57] with his suave manners and great earnestness, which at times seemed
+to carry conviction to the hearts of all who heard him express
+himself, the noble specimen of manhood he appeared to be, or were his
+fascinations merely the arts of the ordinary skilled western boomer?
+Would the managing editor approve his action in purchasing lots in such
+a new and undeveloped place as Waterville?
+
+It is a common experience with mankind, that after a doubtful
+transaction has been consummated, we can deliberate with far more
+intentness of thought than before the trade was made.
+
+A peculiarity of a western town is its plentifulness of real estate
+agents, who seem to travel in swarms, and find an abiding place in the
+town that promises the greatest activity.
+
+9065
+
+After a reaction sets in and hard times overtake them, this peculiar
+class usually pick up their “ink-horns” and fly, as from a
+pestilence.
+
+Another peculiarity is, that if a trade is made with a “tender-foot”
+everyone in the village usually knows of it in a very few hours.
+
+As Vance was returning from his walk he was met on the outskirts of the
+village by a number of this class of hangers-on, who make their living
+by selling town lots on commission. Each one was desirous of saying
+“just a word” to Vance in private.
+
+The story of one was practically the story of all. They advised him
+to stop and think what he was losing by not buying more property in
+Waterville. One particularly long, lank individual, who wore a sombrero
+and high- [58] topped boots, assured him that “the opportunity of a
+lifetime was at that very minute knocking at his door; it might never
+come again.”
+
+“You might go away from Waterville,” said he, “and come back here
+in a few mouths’ time, and you’ll find the town lots I can sell you
+to-day for a mere song, going at ten times the price that you can buy
+them for now. My name is Steve Gibbons, and I presume I am doing the
+biggest real estate business in Waterville. I sell more lots than any
+other half dozen agents in town. You’ve made a great mistake, Mr.
+Gilder,” said he, “in buying of the Town Company. Of course, this is
+confidential, but if you had come to me instead of buying of Winthrop, I
+could have saved you big money.”
+
+“What do you mean by ‘the company’.” asked Vance.
+
+“Why, you see, the Waterville Town Company own mighty near all the
+property in town.
+
+9066
+
+That man Winthrop is a member of the company. Now, while I have not
+as many lots for sale as the Town Company, my prices beat them all
+holler.”
+
+“Do you think,” asked Vance, “that Mr. Winthrop charged me too
+much for my lots?”
+
+“Think!” said Steve Gibbons, “think? why, pardner, all the agents
+in town are laughin’ about it; he took you in.”
+
+Vance bit his lips, and mentally concluded to investigate very
+thoroughly before he quit Waterville.
+
+“You see,” Gibbons [59] went on, “all us fellers are down on the
+Town Company. We don’t like corporations, nohow; they don’t give
+us honorable-intentioned fellers a fair chance. We are the men that’s
+buildin’ up this here town—givin’ it the bone, and the sinew, and
+the standin’, so to speak. Don’t you see?”
+
+“Yes,” said Vance, “I understand,” and begging to be excused,
+he turned and walked away from the “honorable-intentioned” Steve
+Gibbons, and soon after sought the privacy of his own room in the
+Ballard House.
+
+Dick Ballard was a Grand Army man, and kept the only hotel of any
+importance in Waterville. The only thing first-class about it was the
+price for lodging. Immediately after the average traveler settled his
+bill at the Ballard, there was generally a half-distinct impression
+in his mind that he had been stopping at a first-class hotel, but the
+remembrance of three kinds of meat cooked in the same kettle was not
+easily forgotten.
+
+As Vance sat in his room, in anything but a pleasant frame of mind,
+there came a gentle knock on his door. He quickly admitted his visitor,
+and found it was Dick Ballard, the proprietor.
+
+“I reckon,” said he, as soon as he stepped in, “you’ll be one
+of us by and by. Bought property already, and a mighty good buy you’ve
+made of it, too. Oh, you know a good thing when you see it; you bet yer
+life you do.”
+
+“Do you think,” said Vance, “the lots I purchased were reasonable
+at the price?”
+
+“I should say so; yes, sir, mighty cheap. This here town is comin
+out of the kinks in fine shape. We’ll have a drum corps in our State
+militia before another year; you bet we will. I presume you know we have
+the finest drilled company at Waterville, outside the regular army, in
+the state?”
+
+“I have been told,” said Vance, “that I paid too much [60] for the
+property. I am more interested in learning the truth or untruth of the
+statement than I am about your militia company.”
+
+0068
+
+“Who told you that:” asked Ballard, with indignation. As Vance did
+not answer, the hotel proprietor went on to say: “I’ll bet it was
+J. Arthur Boast. Now, look’ee here, Mr. Gilder, you can’t believe
+everything these fellers tell you.”
+
+The truth of this remark pressed itself on Vance so [61] forcibly, and
+his indignation getting the better of him, he turned upon Dick Ballard
+and said bitterly:
+
+“Who in thunderation can I believe?”
+
+“You can believe me, sir, and I’ll produce prima facie evidence of
+everything I say. This town is all right; your investment is a good one,
+and the man who says it is not is surely trying to stick his nose into
+other people’s business—but, say, hold on a minute,” said Ballard,
+as if he had forgotten something, “will you take a drink?” and he
+produced a bottle from his pocket.
+
+“No, thank you,” said Vance.
+
+“Well, if you don’t mind, I will,” said the landlord, as he
+proceeded to treat himself to a liberal portion of the contents of his
+bottle.
+
+“Now,” said he, as he sat down smacking his lips, “everything I
+tell you is prima facie. I know how it is; some of these fellows have
+been trying to make you dissatisfied with your purchase. I am not
+selling town lots. My business is to run this hotel and see that
+everybody has a fair deal.”
+
+“Who is the Town Company?” asked Vance.
+
+“The Town Company, sir, consists of some of the most remarkable men
+in this country. They are strong men, brainy men; they are hustlers; and
+I,” said Ballard, rising to his feet, “I am their friend. This man,
+Homer Winthrop,” he went on, “carries more gray matter about on his
+brain than all the shark real estate agents in Waterville put together.
+He is one of the company, but you’ll see them all before long; and
+when you do, I know you’ll agree with me in saying they are the
+cleanest cut lot of men on the continent. Winthrop is a great man, but
+there are others in the company that are a mighty [62] sight stronger
+than he is. They are all men of honor, and their integrity is prima
+facie.”
+
+“Prima facie” seemed to be a favorite expression of Dick
+Ballard’s. After he had delivered himself in the strongest language at
+his command, he treated himself to another drink and retired.
+
+Vance sat far into the night, looking out at his window into the mellow
+moonlight, listening to the ceaseless roar of the waters and the yelping
+coyotes in the distance, which were answered by half a dozen dogs in
+different parts of the town. At times he regretted his purchase, and
+again he felt it must, in the very nature of things, increase many times
+in value in a few years.
+
+The moon came up the eastern sky, and seemed to hang in space like
+a ball of fire, beckoning him to return to his eastern home before
+disaster overtook him. The three great Tetons of the mountain range
+bearing their name stood out in bold relief, throwing long, menacing
+shadows directly towards him. The shimmering of the soft moonbeams
+glistened on the restless waters of the musical river, whose alluring
+song of promise and power was wafted to him on the night wind.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.—AT THE MINE
+
+9071
+
+HE [63] next morning Vance was rather late in rising. Soon after he had
+taken his seat at the breakfast table, he was joined by an individual
+small in stature but tastily dressed. His eyes were restless, and he
+seemed on the point of making an observation several times before he
+finally did so.
+
+“Very pleasant morning,” said he, looking up at
+
+Vance and then hastily glancing at the sunshine that streamed in at the
+window.
+
+“Yes, delightful,” was Vance’s reply.
+
+Presently the stranger observed: “Sunny days are the rule, cloudy days
+the exception, at Waterville. At least that’s my experience during a
+year’s sojourn among the good people of this village.” There was
+a quaking sound in the fellow’s voice that attracted Vance’s
+attention, because it was different from others more than because there
+was anything charming about it. Vance wondered if this individual was
+not also in the real estate business. It seemed as if every one with
+whom you come in contact was a real estate agent. He was on the point
+of asking him what line of business he [64] was engaged in, when the
+fellow, looking up from his plate, said, “Real estate is my line.
+My office is just across the street; you can see my sign from the
+window.” Looking out at the window, Vance saw a large real estate
+sign, with gold letters on a black back-ground, bearing the name of
+“J. Arthur Boast.”
+
+“You are Mr. Boast, I presume,” said Vance, turning from the window.
+
+“J. Arthur Boast, at your service.”
+
+Half an hour later Vance Gilder was seated in the real estate office of
+J. Arthur Boast, looking over his special bargain list; not with a view
+of buying, but rather to gain information.
+
+9072
+
+Boast talked a great deal, and in his fawning, insinuating manner,
+advised Vance, without saying so in so many words, to keep his eyes open
+when dealing with the Town Company. After Vance had carefully scanned
+his list of town lots, he was better satisfied than ever with his
+purchases.
+
+Taking a bottle from his desk, Boast held it up toward the sunlight, and
+asked Vance if he would have some “red liquor.” Vance declined with
+thanks. Boast walked back and forth with the bottle in his hand, and in
+a quaking voice, meant to be confidential, told Vance that he had got
+to quit drinking; that red liquor was getting an awful hold on him.
+He seemed to be desirous of giving the impression that he was a hard
+drinker. Finally he poured out some of the contents of the bottle into
+a glass, and drank it down at one swallow. Afterwards he seemed quite
+wretched and his eyes were filled [65] with tears. Vance concluded,
+notwithstanding all he had said against himself, that J. Arthur Boast
+was not a drinking man.
+
+“That liquor is all right,” said Boast; “a very superior article,
+but it is a little early in the day for me to commence. It always half
+strangles me in the morning.”
+
+As Vance was seeking information from which he could draw his own
+conclusions, he gave Boast all the opportunities possible to express
+himself in regard to Waterville and its people.
+
+8073
+
+The fellow said nothing positive, yet there was an evil vein of
+insinuation in all that he did say not only in regard to the Waterville
+Town Company and every other real estate agent, but also against
+everybody in the town generally. Vance very much disliked the fellow,
+and afterwards learned that he was universally disliked and shunned by
+everyone in Waterville.
+
+Instead of returning to Butte City with Winthrop that afternoon, Vance
+remained in Waterville, and arranged to take the early stage next
+morning for Gold Bluff, which was located some sixty miles northwest of
+Waterville, in the Fish River Mining District. He arrived in that Idaho
+mining town late the following night, registered at the Bluff House, and
+after a late supper retired to his room for a much needed rest.
+
+The next morning he found, on inquiry, that Ben Bonifield’s mine was
+located about half a mile from town upon the mountain side, and he at
+once started out in [66] that direction, to see how the work on the
+shaft, bound for the 300 foot level, was progressing.
+
+The town of Gold Bluff was cozily nestled in a little valley, with
+abrupt mountains lowering away to the sky on either side of it. The
+mountains were covered with spruce and pine and mountain poplars up to
+the snow line, above which the barren rocks rose majestically towards
+the heavens. A refreshing stream meandered its course through the town,
+on one side of which were stores and shops, and on the other residences.
+Vance noticed that some of them were of modern architecture and neatly
+painted, while others were primitive in the extreme—relics of early
+mining; days. The town was rather quaint and picturesque, and made more
+so by a profusion of shade trees.
+
+“Good morning,” [67] said Vance, as he came up to Ben Bonifield,
+who, in miner’s costume, was working vigorously away at the frame-work
+of the shaft over Gray Rocks. The old man looked up with an astonished
+air, and said:
+
+8074
+
+“Good mawnin’, suh.” Then, recognizing his visitor, he threw down
+his hammer and gave Vance’s hand such a squeeze in his powerful grasp
+that it almost made him cry out with pain.
+
+“Why, suh,” cried the old miner, “I am almost pa’alyzed to see
+yo’. I am indeed, suh. Mr. Gilder, I welcome yo’ suh, to Gold Bluff
+and to Gray Rocks. Here, suh, are our possessions,” waving his hand
+toward the shaft. “Immediately upon my return from the city, Mr.
+Gilder, we commenced work in earnest, suh, and befo’ many weeks, I
+am proud to say, suh, we will reach the 300 foot level and be ready to
+cross-cut into the vein, suh. Yo’ don’t know,” said the old miner,
+again taking Vance’s hand, “how proud I am—yes, proud, suh, proud
+to be honored with a visit from yo’, I very much desire that yo’
+pu’son’lly inspect the mine; and there is no better time than the
+present.”
+
+Vance entered heartily into the tour of inspection, and at the old
+miner’s invitation, went down in the bucket, where the miners were at
+work. The old gentleman kept him there until he had explained everything
+to the minutest detail, and when Vance at last reached the top of the
+shaft he felt he had a far better idea of sinking shafts on mines than
+ever before.
+
+“Come,” said the old miner, “my Louise will be most delighted
+to see yo’, suh; she will indeed.” Then turning, he gave some
+instruction to his foreman, telling him he would not return that
+afternoon, and together the old gentleman and Vance walked down the
+mountain side to the village of Gold bluff.
+
+The old miner’s residence was a modest one, situated well back from
+the street, near some huge boulders—a natural pyramid of rocks, while
+a beautiful little spring of water flowed from near its base. There was
+a very pretty yard in front, filled with growing evergreens and mountain
+ash.
+
+“I planted these trees myself, suh,” said the old miner, “years
+ago. They remind me of my old Virginia home. I was the fust one to set
+out shade trees in Gold Bluff; yes, still, the fust one.”
+
+As Vance entered the yard, he paused a moment to contemplate the beauty
+and home-like appearance of the [68] yard, and Ben Bonifield’s home,
+with its wide porches in front literally covered with honeysuckles, ivy,
+and vining roses.
+
+0076
+
+Vance found Louise dressed as a mountain maid, instead of the
+fashionable young lady who had called on him in his New York home. She
+was not such a woman as poets rave about, and yet, withal, there was a
+grace—a charm—about her, that commanded admiration. Her hair, in
+the sunlight, was like one beautiful sheen of gold, [69] with little
+ringlets here and there; her complexion was pink and white, and when
+under deep excitement a ruddy glow would mantle her cheeks. Her nose,
+while well formed, neither large nor small, was quite ordinary. Her
+mouth was a perfect Cupid’s bow, with lips like two red cherries. As
+Vance conversed with her that afternoon, he forgot the hair, forgot the
+delicately formed, rosy lips, forgot even the glow of pink which came
+and went over her fair cheeks, in looking into her talking eyes—so
+clear, so blue, and yet to trustful; even forgot the long brown lashes
+that fringed them with gentle protection. Her eyes were the crowning
+feature of her expressive face, which may not have been a beautiful
+one in the parlance of fashion, yet it was one that a student of
+human nature would term a face of intelligence; and after all, to the
+cultured, is there aught more beautiful?
+
+As Vance sat with the old miner and his daughter on the porch of their
+cozy dwelling that afternoon, he forgot time. The sun went down behind
+the western mountains, leaving the beauty of an afterglow reflected on
+the waters of the mountain brooklet. The moon that was climbing up over
+the eastern hills threw its rays aslant through the clinging roses that
+grew in profusion about the porch. A feeling of peace, and possibly
+a dangerous contentment, stole into his heart, and he murmured a
+thanksgiving to the fates. The unseen, potent force that binds us
+all, sooner or later, with a silken cord, was thonging him to a future
+destiny.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.—THE STAGE DRIVER.
+
+9078
+
+ROM [70] Gold Bluff Vance sent to the Banner one of his strongest
+descriptive letters. The inspiration of the new west, with its gorges,
+mountains, beautiful valleys and gurgling streams abounding with trout,
+tinged its every sentence.
+
+His vivacious style, which had won for him the place he occupied on
+the Banner, was reinforced with the new and intoxicating sights of
+the picturesque. For two weeks he did little else than tramp through
+valleys, following up mountain streams on fishing jaunts, and felt that
+he was “roughing it” in a most delightful fashion. One night, coming
+in from a long tramp far up in the mountains, he found a large bundle
+of mail awaiting him that had been forwarded from Butte Citv. Among his
+letters was one from the chief, which read as follows:
+
+Banner Office,
+
+New York City, July
+
+Dear Sir:
+
+Your letters to the Banner, in one sense of the word, are all and even
+more than I expected. They are giving excellent satisfaction. As yet
+you have expressed no decided opinion in regard to the desirability of
+Western investments.
+
+My ideas are to educate our readers against unstable investments. Nine
+out of every ten of the mining shafts in Montana, [71] in my judgment,
+have had more money put into them than ever has or ever will be taken
+out. You will also find many Western towns where they are selling lots
+at from one to two hundred dollars each, which, in reality, would be
+expensive property to own at the government price of $1.25 per acre. Of
+course, there are, perhaps, a few honorable exceptions.
+
+To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+
+Respectfully,
+
+J. R. S., Chief.
+
+When one is seeking an excuse for his convictions, especially if they
+are as strong as Vance’s had become in regard to Butte City and
+Waterville, the one little sentence, “Of course, there are, perhaps,
+a few honorable exceptions,” in the chief’s letter saves him a
+great deal of worry. Vance was too light hearted to be cast down by the
+half-criticism of the class of correspondence he was sending in.
+
+He had an engagement that evening with Louise Bonifield and her father;
+indeed, his was a standing invitation at the Bonifields’, and almost
+every afternoon since his arrival at Gold Bluff found him at their
+mountain home.
+
+9079
+
+As he started from the hotel he was accosted by a familiar voice:
+“Hello, pard; how d’ ye do?” and Steve Gibbons thrust out his
+long arm to shake Vance’s hand in western fashion. He still wore his
+sombrero and high-topped boots.
+
+Vance assured Gibbons that he was delighted to see him.
+
+“I knew you would be,” said Gibbons, “You see, I have given up
+the real estate t [72] business clown at Waterville, and am turned stage
+driver. Of course, every man in this ‘ere country is lookin’ for
+promotion. I don’t reckon I’m any smarter than other people, but
+I’ve had my eye on this job for several months; but you can bet your
+life them other real estate agents didn’t know nothin’ about it.
+I tell you, pardner, it’s a mighty elevatin’ position to drive a
+six-horse team through these deep mountain gorges in all kinds of wind
+and weather. Had to give a mighty stout bond, too, for we handle all the
+express matter, and there’s a good deal of gold dust hauled down from
+this ‘ere camp.”
+
+Vance was glad to meet anyone, however slight the acquaintance had been,
+and in the course of their conversation Steve Gibbons confessed to him
+that he was “givin’ it to him just a leetle” in regard to the town
+lots which Vance had purchased of the Town Company.
+
+“You see,” said he, “the facts are, the Town Company of Waterville
+has made that ‘ere town, and are still makin’ it. It’s a mighty
+pert place, and is growin’ perter all the time.”
+
+Vance mentally wondered if all the “honest intentioned” fellows of
+Waterville would talk in the same way about the Town Company if they
+were occupying positions where their interests were no longer adverse to
+the Company’s.
+
+“Then you don’t think I paid too much for my lots?” asked Vance,
+looking up with a quizzical expression.
+
+“No,” said Steve Gibbons, “them lots are all right, pardner, and
+will make you a barrel if you hold on to ‘em. They sold ‘em to you
+cheap enough. That was just a leetle competition talk I was givin’ you
+that night down at Waterville. Business is business, you know, [73] when
+you are sellin’ town lots, and a man has got to talk for hisself.
+I really did want to sell you some lots, that’s a fact, ‘cause I
+wanted to rake in the commission; but it’s all over with now. I have
+throwed up the whole darned business of sellin’ lots since I was
+promoted. Old Dick Ballard,” said he, “is jest as prima facie as
+ever, and says his company is the finest drilled militia in the state.
+By the way,” he continued, “the Town Company has had a meetin’,
+and the people are feelin’ mighty good jess now’.”
+
+“How’s that?” asked Vance.
+
+“Oh,” replied Gibbons, “about once a month the Town Company have a
+meetin’, and pass resolutions, declar’ dividends and get up a new’
+prospectus of different manufacturin’ enterprises that’s goin’
+to be built thar; also, of colleges and state institutions that will
+be located at Waterville this comin’ year, and that always makes the
+people feel high-spirited for the next week or ten days, anyhow. Most
+of the people go on a spree after one o’ them encouragin’
+meetin’s.”
+
+“I presume,” said Vance, “that Homer Winthrop is one of the
+leading spirits of the Company.”
+
+“He is one of the Company,” said Gibbons, as he filled his pipe
+and lit it, “but he lacks a good deal, I can tell you, of bein’ the
+biggest toad in the puddle. There’s old Colonel Alexander, he’s
+the fellow that lays out the plans on a gigantic scale. Then there’s
+General Ira House. I ‘spect he has the biggest reputation of any town
+boomer on the western half of the continent—I allow as what he has.
+And when you’re talkin’ about smart ones, you don’t want to forget
+B. Webster Legal; he’s the corporation attorney, and you can bet your
+last [74] half dollar the company will never run agin’ any shoals as
+long as he stands at the wheel and writes up contracts. Oh, he’s a
+hummer, and no mistake.”
+
+“It’s reported down thar’ that half a dozen different railroad
+companies are tryin’ mighty hard to get him for their attorney, but
+he saws, ‘Not much; I have cast my fortune with my friends and with
+Waterville, and I’ll stick by the enterprise as long as a town lot can
+be sold.’.rdquo;
+
+“The Town Company is mighty cute,” he went on, “they never have
+any law suits, ‘cause their contracts are drawn up with knots tied
+knee deep all over the fellow they’re dealin’ with.”
+
+It is probable that Steve Gibbons would have gone on indefinitely had
+not Vance begged to be excused, pleading a previous engagement. They
+bade each other good night, Gibbons starting for the stables to
+look after his horses, and Vance walked leisurely along toward the
+Bonifield’s home.
+
+That afternoon Louise had accepted his invitation to go on a fishing
+jaunt some day during the week to a place called Silver Point Lake, some
+two miles away.
+
+8082
+
+Her simplicity of manner and frankness, though possessing, withal, a
+demure humor, which was one of her charming characteristics, had greatly
+fascinated him.
+
+They were standing on the cottage porch in the soft summer twilight,
+while a mountain breeze was tossing the ringlets of Louise’s hair
+about, as if coquetting with them. Vance was studying her face while she
+was looking far away toward the western [75] mountains, where the sun
+had left a reddened glow on the sky, which, he said, was a promise of
+fair weather for the fishing excursion the next day. Presently, a creaky
+voice commenced calling:
+
+“Louise! Louise! where is your par?” and before Vance’s fair
+companion could explain, a woman well advanced in years came out on the
+porch, and seemed surprised at seeing Vance, and eyed him critically.
+
+“Aunt Sally,” said Louise, “this is Mr. Gilder, papa’s friend.
+Mr. Gilder, this is my Aunt Sally, father’s sister.”
+
+Aunt Sally acknowledged the introduction with a stately bow. Her apparel
+was of the fashion of a quarter of a century ago.
+
+“Am very glad to see you, suh,” she said, addressing Vance. “I
+understand you are interested with my brother in his mine. I can give
+you, Mr. Gilder, some very excellent advice; I can, indeed, suh, but
+I will defer it until some other time.” Then turning to Louise, she
+said, “Do you know where your par’s gone?”
+
+“I do not,” replied Louise, sweetly, “I think he will be here in a
+few moments.”
+
+“I just allow he’s grub-stakin’ some of them pesky prospectin’
+miners again,” cried Aunt Sally. “Mr. Gilder,” she continued, “I
+have to watch over my brother very closely, I do, indeed, suh. He’s
+been plantin’ money all over these mountains for many years, but
+there’s no crop ever been harvested. I allow I’ll give him a
+piece of my mind when he comes home.” Saying this, she turned and
+disappeared into the house. Louise was evidently confused, and regretted
+her aunt’s words, while Vance was at a loss to understand the import
+of the spinster s remarks.
+
+[76] “I am very sorry, Mr. Gilder,” said Louise—and he noticed she
+was trembling like a frightened bird—“sorry that Aunt Sally should
+so far forget herself as to speak so before a stranger.”
+
+0084
+
+Vance declared there was no reason for being disturbed, but Louise was
+not wholly reassured by his words. “I know papa will be very angry
+with Aunt Sally.”
+
+“There surely is no cause for that,” replied Vance.
+
+[77] “You see,” said Louise, “mamma died when Virginia and I were
+little girls, and Aunt Sally has been a mother to us. Ever since papa
+commenced work on Gray Rocks she has continually opposed him. She says
+he will never find a dollar s worth of gold if he sinks his shaft a
+thousand feet. I sometimes think she has influenced sister Virgie.
+Sister is away from home now, teaching school at Waterville. I do not
+know whether papa is wrong or not, but if he is, then I am also, for I
+believe with all my heart that some time papa will find the wealth he
+has so persistently labored for so many years. And I sincerely hope,”
+she continued, laying her hand on Vance’s arm and looking pleadingly
+up into his face, “that you will not be influenced by anything that
+Aunt Sally may have said, will you?”
+
+Vance was only human; he could not withstand such an appeal, If doubts
+had ever come to him, the trembling girl at his side, by her looks and
+words, had put them to flight. “No,” he replied, “my faith is as
+firm as the rocks in your father’s mine.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.—PROPERTY HAS GONE UP.
+
+9086
+
+MMEDIATELY [78] after breakfast the following morning, Vance was waited
+upon by Col. Bonifield. The old miner bore a troubled expression on his
+face. Vance invited him to his room.
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” said the old miner, as he raised himself to his full
+height, and with the dignity of a general addressed Vance: “I assure
+yo’, suh, I am greatly pained at the uncalled fo’ remarks which my
+sister made in yo’r presence last evening; I am indeed, suh.
+
+“I assure you,” replied Vance, “there is no occasion to refer to
+the matter at all. I assured your daughter, and I now assure you, that
+I have every confidence in the mine, and will continue to have until you
+yourself have sufficient reason to shake your faith. I certainly cannot
+say more, and under the circumstances could not say less.”
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” said the old miner, “yo’, suh, are a very
+honorable gentleman, and I am very proud of my partnership with yo’.
+I am indeed, suh. In regard to my sister—in her younger days, I assure
+yo’, she was one of the most rema’kable women of Virginia; yes, suh,
+a vehy rema’kable woman. She certainly has been a true sister to me,
+suh, and a faithful mother to my daughters, but in [79] some way she
+disbelieves in Gray Rocks, and would yo’ believe it, suh, she has gone
+so far at times as to intimate that I am crazy as a March hare in regard
+to ever ‘strikin’ it rich’ on our minin’ property; yes, suh, she
+certainly has said some vehy bitter things against Gray Rocks, but fo’
+all that, she is a vehy rema’kable woman, even to this day. Yes, suh,
+quite rema’kable.”
+
+“I now have a matter, Mr. Gilder,” he continued, “of vehy great
+importance to discuss with yo.” Vance offered the old miner a cigar,
+which he accepted, and soon they were discussing the “important
+matter,” which of course referred to Gray Rocks.
+
+8087
+
+“We are not far away, Mr. Gilder, from the 300 foot level. Our
+machinery and pumps, suh, have been workin’ rema’kably well. Two
+weeks mo’ and our shaft will be finished; yes, suh, finished. Then we
+will cross-cut, and my opinion is, it will be well fo’ yo’ to
+remain in Gold Bluff and be ready to send in yo’r resignation as
+cor’spondent of that New York paper; yes, suh that is my advice. It
+is only proper, suh, that yo’ should enjoy the riches that await
+yo’.”
+
+“But supposing, Col. Bonifield,” said Vance, “supposing that you
+do not find any pay ore when you crosscut into the vein, as you say; in
+that event, I suppose you agree with me that it would be a pretty good
+idea for me to hold my position on the Banner?”
+
+“Of cou’se, suh,” replied the old miner, “but there is but one
+chance in ten thousand that we won’t strike it. I admit of this one
+chance against us, suh, fo’ the sake of [80] argument alone. Mr. Grim
+is now takin’ out of the Peacock some of the richest ore I ever saw
+in my life, he is indeed, suh—and his mine joins ours, as yo’ know,
+directly on the nawth.”
+
+Vance was silent for a few moments, and then said: “In the event, Col.
+Bonifield, we do not strike it; what then? Will you be discouraged?”
+
+“No, suh; if we fail at the 300 foot level, suh, and yo’ can furnish
+the money, we will start the next mornin’ fo’ the 400 foot level;
+but I assure yo’, suh, I have no idea yo ‘ll have to furnish any
+mo’ money. Gray Rocks is a sure winner; it is indeed, suh. The oldest
+miners in the camp say that if we stick to Gray Rocks it will be worth
+mo’ in five years than Rufus Grim’s Peacock mine. When I was yo’r
+age, Mr. Gilder,” he continued, blowing a cloud of smoke away out of
+the window toward Gray Rocks, “I could not have stuck to that property
+year after year as I have been doin’. Why suh, it took a quarter of a
+century’s experience fo’ me to learn that a rollin’ stone gathers
+no moss’. it did indeed, suh. Now I have observed the fellows that
+strike it, in nine cases out of ten, are the ones who follow up and hold
+on after they once strike a trail. Why, suh, if yo’ had seen the float
+rock that I found befo’ stakin’ out Gray Rocks, yo’ would know why
+I believe there is an entire hill full of wealth over yonder.”
+
+While they were talking there came a gentle rap on the door. Vance
+called out for them to “come in. The door opened, and a boy sidled
+into the room with a letter in his hand and asked for Col. Bonifield.
+
+“At yo’r service, suh,” said the old miner’ rising with much
+dignity. “Thank yo’, suh,” said he, taking the [81] letter. The
+boy took himself off, closing the door behind him, while the colonel,
+adjusting his glasses, read aloud the address, “Miss Louise
+Bonifield.”
+
+Dropping his glasses from his eyes, he placed the letter in his pocket
+and said: “Mr. Boast has evidently returned to Gold Bluff.”
+
+“Mr. Boast, did you say?” asked Vance.
+
+“Yes, suh, Mr. Boast—a young man in whom I have only the slightest
+confidence. His full name is J. Arthur Boast. His father, Colonel Boast,
+lives on a ranch about three miles from here.”
+
+Vance could never explain why, but the unfavorable opinion he had formed
+of J. Arthur Boast while at Waterville was in the twinkling of an eye
+changed to hatred. Soon after, Colonel Bonifield took his departure, and
+Vance commenced preparing for his next day’s fishing-jaunt. His door
+had been left ajar, and presently he heard a squeaky, ill-omened voice
+that he well remembered.
+
+“How do you do, Mr. Gilder?”
+
+Vance turned and saw J. Arthur Boast standing at his door. “How do you
+do,” said Vance, rather abruptly.
+
+“I did not expect to find you at Gold Bluff,” said Boast in an
+insinuating tone of voice.
+
+“Why not?” said Vance; without deigning to look up.
+
+“Oh, you eastern fellows, and newspaper men in particular, never stay
+very long in one place. So you’ve met my old mining friend, Colonel
+Bonifield?”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance.
+
+“I presume you’ve met his daughter, Miss Louise?” As he made this
+remark he looked out of the corners of his restless eyes in a manner
+that was intended to be cunning. [82] Vance was full of resentment, and
+dared not trust himself to make and immediate reply. Presently Boast
+continued: “They are old friends, of mine; a most respectable family.
+I used to live in Gold Bluff; may live here again. One can’t say what
+may happen, you know.”
+
+0090
+
+“I thought,” said Vance, “you were in love with Waterville.”
+
+“One’s in love where one’s possessions are, don’t you see?”
+
+Vance did not reply to the question, but busied himself with his fishing
+tackle. Presently Boast took a bottle from his pocket, and said:
+
+“Will you have a drink of red liquor Vance replied in the negative.
+
+“Well, I suppose,” said Boast, “I ought not to drink so much. The
+truth is, I am a pretty devilish hard citizen. I am drinking entirely
+too much of the stuff, but no one takes interest enough in me to tell me
+so; yet I know I’m going to the bad. The habit is formed and what is a
+fellow going to do about it?”
+
+He waited [83] some time for a reply, but as Vance made none, he
+proceeded to pour out a small portion of the contents of the bottle into
+a glass, and then added some water to it and stood looking out of the
+window.
+
+“Won’t you be seated?” asked Vance.
+
+“Thank you, I believe I will,” replied Boast, and sat down with the
+glass of liquor in his hand, and said nothing for several minutes. He
+acted as if he dreaded the ordeal of swallowing the portion, but felt it
+would not do to set it aside after all he had said in regard to being
+a hard drinker. Finally he gulped it down at a single swallow, and then
+drank a great quantity of water immediately afterward. He strangled
+considerably and his eyes became very red, and evidently was glad the
+trial was over. Presently he said:
+
+“Mr. Gilder, there are things going to happen down at Waterville
+in the next ninety days that will surprise everyone. Some very large
+manufacturing enterprises wall soon be located there.”
+
+“That certainly is very welcome news,” replied Vance, “as a
+property owner in the new city, I am naturally interested in its
+development.”
+
+[84] “Property has gone up ten per cent since you were there.”
+
+“Is that so?” said Vance, looking up in some surprise. “Of
+course,” Boast continued, “I am selling my special bargain list at
+the same old prices, but the Company and other real estate agents who
+have desk room here and there over the town, are trying very hard to
+inflate prices. I am holding them level, however, and intend to keep on
+doing so. I don’t propose having Waterville killed by a lot of town
+boomers, who are trying to get prices away above intrinsic values.”
+
+“It is very fortunate,” replied Vance, “that Waterville has such a
+conservative citizen as yourself.”
+
+“It’s very complimentary for you to say so, I am sure,” replied
+Boast. “Of course. Mr. Gilder, I would not say anything detrimental
+about anyone.”
+
+“Certainly not,” replied Vance. The tenor of his conversation was
+decidedly wicked in its insinuations; indeed, one to hear him talk would
+naturally think the destiny of Waterville rested entirely with J. Arthur
+Boast. Presently, in a high, creaking voice, he said:
+
+“How do you like Miss Louise?”
+
+“Miss Louise?” repeated Vance, with a perplexed look on his face.
+
+“Yes, Miss Louise Bonifield. How do you like her? Pretty fair specimen
+for the west, ain’t she?”
+
+“My likes and dislikes,” said Vance, “are hardly to be taken into
+consideration. One seldom forms an opinion until he is acquainted. Of
+course, there are exceptions to the rule. I have known people for a very
+short time, and yet instinctively taken a great dislike to them.
+Miss Bonifield,” continued Vance, without looking up, [85] “has the
+appearance of a lady of refinement and culture, but as my observations
+have been limited, I can hardly say more than that I am well pleased
+with both the young lady and her father.” At this Vance prepared to
+leave the room.
+
+“You’d better drink with me,” said Boast, taking up his bottle
+again.
+
+9093
+
+“I am liable to drink every drop of this liquor before I let up,
+and you’d only be doing me a kindness by dividing it up with me a
+little.”
+
+“No, thank you,” replied Vance. “Very well,” said Boast “I
+shall remain in Gold Bluff several days, and hope to see you often.”
+
+Vance closed the door after Boast had left his room, and the one word,
+“Scoundrel!” hissed through his teeth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.—OWNER OF THE PEACOCK MINE.
+
+9094
+
+HE next [86] morning Vance was up at an early hour for a morning walk.
+He followed the winding road up the hill-side toward Gray Rocks. The
+air was fresh and invigorating; the sun was just rising over the eastern
+mountains. Robins and mountain thrushes were twittering gaily their
+morning songs. He mentally compared the stifled life so prevalent in the
+great cities to the healthful and exhilarating prospect about him.
+
+A shadow flitted across his mind. It was J. Arthur Boast’s inquiry in
+regard to Louise Bonifield. “But why should I be so ready to come
+to her rescue? What right have I to be her champion? They may be old
+acquaintances, but they certainly are not friends. She is too noble a
+character to form an alliance of friendship with such an individual
+as Boast. He is critical, cold, calculating, and, I believe,
+unprincipled.”
+
+Walking on in an aimless way, he followed a path that led by Gray Rocks
+on toward the Peacock. Presently he saw a well-dressed man in middle
+life walking toward him. There was an unmistakable look of good living
+and prosperity—a general air of superiority about him. His round, fat
+face was smooth shaven, except a [87] bristly dark moustache. His nose
+was large and obtrusive. In his shirt front glistened a diamond of great
+value, while its counterpart reflected the morning sun from a massive
+ring on one of his fat, short fingers.
+
+“Good morning,” said he.
+
+0095
+
+Vance returned the salutation, and presently the pompous stranger
+introduced himself as Rufus Grim, owner of the Peacock.
+
+“Yes, I have heard of you,” replied Vance.
+
+[88] “You’re the young man from New York, I reckon,” said Grim.
+
+“New York is my home.”
+
+“Yes, I have heard about you. I rather expected you over to see me.
+I assure you, Mr. Gilder,” he went on, “it would afford me great
+pleasure to show you through the Peacock. She is a fine piece of
+property, I can tell you; none better. If you’ll walk down this way a
+little we can see the old prospect shaft where the precious metal of the
+Peacock was first discovered.”
+
+Vance readily consented, and presently they came to an old, open shaft
+near the brow of the mountain overlooking the village of Gold Bluff and
+the valley below.
+
+“Here,” said Rufus Grim, with a wave of his fat hand, “is where
+I commenced prospecting fifteen years ago. I was one of the pioneers
+in this mining camp. Sometimes I did not know where the next meal was
+coming from, but I worked on, day after day; first for wages, and then
+for an interest in what, at the time, was looked upon as a labor and
+money losing investment. I stuck to it; the other fellows didn’t.
+Finally I bought out the other fellows, and if you have heard very much
+about the history of Gold Bluff and the prosperity of her mines,
+of course you have heard about me. In fact,” he said, with vulgar
+braggadocio, “the history of the Peacock and my own are so interwoven
+that you couldn’t very well hear of one and not know all about the
+other.”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance, “I have heard a great deal of you. Mr. Grim,
+and am delighted to have the pleasure of knowing you personally.”
+
+“Yes, I presume,” [89] said Grim, as he looked away toward the
+valley that nestled beneath their feet, “I presume you’ve heard a
+great deal about Rufus Grim that is not true, and precious little to my
+credit. I have not a doubt but what the busy-bodies of Gold Bluff have
+told you that old, worn-out story about Steve Gibbons and Hank Casey,
+and how unjustly I treated them; but I can tell you,” he continued
+with warmth, “there’s not a word of truth in all that you may have
+heard. No, sir, I have climbed the ladder step by step and built up
+my own fortune, and whatever I am to-day, I have nobody to thank but
+myself.”
+
+“I assure you,” said Vance, “I have heard nothing particularly
+to your discredit. In fact, I have heard next to nothing at all,
+except that you were the owner of the Peacock, and that it is a paying
+property.”
+
+Rufus Grim looked at Vance at first as if he doubted him, and then
+expressed his surprise that no one had told him what a mean man he was.
+“If you get acquainted with that young scoundrel, Boast, he’ll tell
+you quick enough—a miserable story; how I cheated Casey and Gibbons
+out of their share of the mine; but I say it’s false,” he continued,
+as he brought his fat hands down together, “not a word of truth in any
+of their statements. No, sir. You see,” he went on, turning to the
+old prospect shaft, “I have put a wall around this so that it may be
+preserved. It gratifies me to come here occasionally and think over the
+hard times of my prospecting life and the change that has come. It came,
+sir, because I made it come. Yonder is my home,” said he, waving his
+hand toward an elegant residence located in the suburbs of the village,
+with beautiful grounds about it. “If there is any better in the Fish
+River mining district, I don’t know it.”
+
+[90] “You’re home,” said Vance, “is certainly a lovely looking
+place.”
+
+“You are at liberty,” said Grim “to come and see me whenever
+you desire. I can’t promise you more than this, that you will be
+welcome.” Grim made this last remark as if he was bestowing a great
+favor upon a stranger within the gates of Gold Bluff; indeed, one might
+have imagined him Lord Mayor of some municipality granting the freedom
+of the city to some favored guest.
+
+Vance thanked him for the invitation. With a stately bow to Vance, Grim
+turned and walked toward the works on the Peacock, and Vance returned
+to the hotel refreshed from his walk, and interested in the fragments of
+the story he had heard from the owner of the Peacock.
+
+At the appointed hour he called for Louise, and, together, they walked
+briskly toward Silver Point Lake.
+
+Louise was [91] all animation and life, and thought nothing of the two
+miles’ walk which lay before them.
+
+9098
+
+Indeed, she had followed these mountain paths from her early childhood,
+and felt less fatigue after a tramp of a half-dozen miles than many a
+city belle after walking a half-dozen blocks.
+
+It might be well to explain that Louise’s mother was a lady of great
+culture and refinement, and belonged to one of the oldest families of
+Baltimore. She died when Louise was only four years old. A spinster
+sister of Colonel Bonifield tried to persuade her brother to give up his
+daughters while he was leading a life in the mountains, and let than
+be reared to womanhood at the old Bonifield home in Virginia, but Ben
+Bonifield could not do this. The loss of his wife was a severe blow, and
+to part with his daughters, Virginia and Louise, could not be thought
+of. Therefore, Aunt Sully had accepted her brother’s invitation to
+make her home in the mountains, and take upon herself the care and
+training of her brother’s children.
+
+Aunt Sally was a lady in the olden time possessed of uncommon gifts
+and a finished education, not only in classical literature, but also in
+music and painting. Louise had proven a more apt scholar than her elder
+sister, Virginia. Aunt Sally had been a most painstaking instructress,
+and her wards had grown up with minds enriched and cultured, while
+their physical development was in keeping with the wild freedom of a
+health-sustaining mountain country.
+
+In her later years, however, Aunt Sally had become greatly dissatisfied
+with her brother and his attachment for Gray Rocks, and she had
+developed a querulous disposition, which, at times, was very annoying to
+Ben Bonifield. She lost no opportunity to express her opinion that “he
+was fooling his time away” while working on Gray Rocks.
+
+As Vance and Louise walked along that morning toward Silver Point Lake,
+he could not help glancing at the ruddy glow on the fair cheeks of his
+companion. He listened to her childish talk of the many excursions which
+she had made with her father far over some of the tallest mountains that
+lav before them, and of numerous “fish frys” they had enjoyed at
+Silver Point Lake.
+
+While he listened to the sweet music of her voice, he [92] mentally
+speculated as to what sort of a friendship, if any, could possibly exist
+between such a fair creature and J. Arthur Boast. Presently, looking up
+at Vance with her large blue eyes, she said:
+
+“We may have company at the lake.”
+
+“Why, how is that?” inquired Vance in some surprise.
+
+“I received a note,” replied Louise, “from Bertha Allen, inviting
+me to go horseback riding to-day. In my reply I explained my previous
+engagement with you. Just before starting this morning I received a note
+from her saying that she and her cousin, Arthur Boast, would try to join
+our fishing party. Of course,” she said, with a sweet little laugh,
+“you do not know who Bertha Allen is. Bertha Allen,” she went on,
+“is Mr. Rufus Grim’s step-daughter. Mr. Grim married Mrs. Allen when
+Bertha was a girl in her early teens. Mrs. Allen is Colonel Boast’s
+sister, and Bertha and Arthur are, therefore, cousins.”
+
+Vance did not fancy the prospect of meeting Boast, and felt that his
+happiness for the day would certainly be very incomplete if Boast was to
+be one of the fishing party.
+
+“I have met Mr. Boast,” said Vance, with just a tinge of resentment
+in his voice.
+
+“I hope you like him,” said Louise, as she turned her lovely face
+toward him with a pleading look in her eyes.
+
+“May I ask you why you hope so?” asked Vance, in almost a defiant
+tone.
+
+There was no maidenly blush on Louise’s cheeks as she replied with the
+simplicity of a child:
+
+“Why, Mr. Gilder, there is hardly anybody that likes Arthur, and I
+sometimes feel sorry for him. Mr. Grim [93] says very hard things about
+him, and no one seems to be his friend.”
+
+“Perhaps he is unworthy,” replied Vance.
+
+For a moment Louise was silent, and then said:
+
+“The judgment of the world, Mr. Gilder, is often at fault. We may
+judge with a degree of accuracy art, music, fame, or power, but it is
+hardly wise to apply the same rule to a human being.”
+
+0101
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII—TROUT FISHING.
+
+9102
+
+RRIVING at [94] the lake by a circuitous path, they found themselves
+on the banks of a lovely sheet of water, several hundred feet wide and
+perhaps a mile in length. The distinct reflection of the foliage, trees
+and mountains, which rose several hundred feet on the opposite side,
+made a double picture of enchanting loveliness.
+
+“We have been waiting for you,” said Bertha Allen, in a flute-like
+voice. She was a cooing sort of a young lady, with a dainty lisp, which
+she evidently regarded as becoming. She embraced Louise and gave her
+one of her sweetest kisses, and in a half sotto voice lisped, “how
+beautiful you look to-day!”
+
+Vance was presented, and Bertha honored him with one of her stateliest
+bows. There was no alternative, as Boast extended his hand and observed
+that he had met Mr. Gilder before, but to accept the situation and make
+the best of it.
+
+Vance saw in Bertha Allen a young lady of about five and twenty, rather
+tall and slender, with a wasp-like waist. She had a small head and face,
+with heavy braids of dark brown hair, which corresponded with her long
+eyelashes of a dark hue. Her eyes never looked straight at anyone,
+but she continually practiced a bewitching habit of shy observation,
+evidently considering it fasci [95] nating. Her mouth was small, and a
+noticeable dimple was in her chin. There was a delicate pink upon her
+cheeks, which Vance noticed as the day wore on, did not come and go,
+but remained as one of her permanent features. There was a poetry in
+her movements, however, which admirably fitted her slow, soft tone of
+lisping-speech. Her slender form was robed in a pretty costume of pink,
+with black lace and ribbons. It was a costume of frills and laces,
+coquetishly arranged, making her graceful figure more symmetrical
+in arrangement. There were puffings here and there, which concealed
+defects, if any existed, and revealed her womanly charms to the best
+advantage. She talked a good deal, and called Louise her own “dear
+darling.” Here every sentence was a lisp, and she told Cousin Arthur
+he was “simply horrid to kill the poor worms in baiting the hooks.”
+
+Vance noticed that Roast was ready at any time to neglect his stylish
+cousin to engage in conversation with Louise. He found himself
+interpreting Bertha Allen’s attempts to entertain and interest him,
+as the act of an accomplice, to enable Boast to have a tete-a-tete with
+Louise. There was consolation, however, in the fact that he did not
+believe Louise favored Arthur Boast’s attentions.
+
+“How Arthur and Louise are enjoying themselves!” lisped Bertha
+Allen, in a sweet, confiding way, to Vance.
+
+“Do you think their enjoyment is superior to ours?” asked Vance.
+
+“No more than mine,” she replied demurely, “but possibly more than
+yours.” This was followed by a silvery little laugh.
+
+“I fear I am not very entertaining,” said Vance.
+
+[96] “On the contrary, Mr. Gilder,” replied Bertha, “I think you are
+a very charming companion. Are you from Virginia?” she asked.
+
+“No; my people were from Virginia. I was born and reared in New York
+City.”
+
+0104
+
+“The Bonifields are Virginians. They seem to think,” continued
+Bertha, “that all good people come from Virginia or Baltimore. I
+sometimes wish I had been born in Virginia.”
+
+[97] “I never noticed that peculiarity,” replied Vance, “in either
+Colonel Bonifield or his daughter.”
+
+“Oh, I don’t mean, Mr. Gilder, they are affected. Don’t you think
+I am horrid to go on talking this way to you? But really, is not Louise
+one of the sweetest little darlings in the world?”
+
+Vance was bored, but turning toward Bertha Allen and smiling at her
+pretty up-turned face, replied:
+
+“You ask me so many questions, Miss Allen, that I do not know which to
+answer first.”
+
+She looked archly at Vance, and said: “Do not answer either of them,
+for I know I would be dissatisfied with your reply. Is not that a
+beautiful botanical specimen? Really, Mr. Gilder,” she continued, “I
+sometimes do not know what I am saying. I know you will think me awfully
+stupid.”
+
+The well modulated and lisping voice of Bertha Allen possessed a
+charm of its own, and Vance found himself interested in studying
+the difference between the sweet, simple, unaffected Louise, and the
+affected, calculating Miss Allen.
+
+“Don’t you think, Mr. Gilder, that Louise has great
+individuality?”
+
+“I believe her to be a most exemplary young lady,” replied Vance,
+“and possessed of a good mind.”
+
+“Oh, you think that, do you?” said Bertha, lisping and laughing like
+the silvery tones of a flute. “You are not the only one, Mr.
+Gilder, that thinks that way. I mean Cousin Arthur. Oh, he’s awfully
+smitten.”
+
+“Indeed!” replied Vance.
+
+“What a beautiful picture,” said Bertha presently. “The waters
+mirror the trees and the mountains so [98] distinctly. Let us look over
+the bank at our own reflections.”
+
+“Permit me to hold your hand,” said Vance, “and I will prevent
+your falling. There—can you see yourself?”
+
+“Oh, just splendidly!” lisped Bertha, “it is clear as a French
+plate mirror. Shall I support you, Mr. Gilder, while you look?”
+
+“No, thank you,” replied Vance, “I am not fond of looking at
+homeliness. I would rather look at you.”
+
+“Oh, Mr. Gilder, you men are such flatterers! I thought better things
+of you.”
+
+“And why of me?” asked Vance, teasingly.
+
+“Louise has spoken of you so many’ times,” she replied, “and in
+such flattering terms, that I was very anxious to meet you. Indeed, I
+had quite made up my mind that you were different from other men. Let
+us turn down this way, Mr. Gilder. Let me see—what was I saying? I
+thought you must be different; but I guess men are all about alike.”
+
+“I feel highly honored,” replied Vance, “to think that Miss
+Bonifield should have spoken of me at all.”
+
+Bertha stopped and looked at Vance for a moment in silence, and then
+said:
+
+“Men are so conceited. There is no sentiment, I assure you, in
+Louise.”
+
+“Your frankness is quite charming, Miss Allen.”
+
+“Oh, do you think so?” said Bertha, with a sweet lisp.
+
+“Yes: and as to Miss Bonifield, I beg to differ from you. She
+certainly possesses in a high degree that sentiment peculiar to the
+children of nature. She loves all that is natural, and in the tenderness
+of her heart, pities the assumed.”
+
+[99] “How unfortunate, Mr. Gilder,” said Bertha, “that love is not
+reciprocal.”
+
+Before Vance could reply, Louise called to them and soon after she and
+Boast came up, declaring the day had been a great success. Arthur and
+Vance divided the catch equally, and soon with their baskets swinging
+from their shoulders, they started for home. Bertha was profuse in her
+invitations to Mr. Gilder to call, and he promised to do so. He was
+quite glad, however, when they finally separated and he had Louise all
+to himself.
+
+“I hope you have enjoyed the day as much as you anticipated, Mr.
+Gilder,” said Louise.
+
+“If I am anything,” replied Vance, “I am frank; and therefore
+confess I would have enjoyed it far more without Boast and his pretty
+cousin.”
+
+“I knew you would think her pretty,” said Louise; “everyone
+does.”
+
+“And do you think she is pretty?” asked Vance.
+
+“Yes, indeed,” replied Louise, “I have seen no one, even in your
+great city of New York, half so handsome as Bertha.”
+
+“You are certainly generous in your compliments,” said Vance.
+
+“Bertha has such a sweet way about her, and she always makes one feel
+so at his ease.”
+
+Before Vance had time to reply, Colonel Bonifield waved his pipe
+and blew out a cloud of smoke as an act of welcome to the returning
+fishermen. Vance displayed his long string of speckled beauties, and
+the Colonel assured him they had made a great success. “I have been
+thinkin’ of yo’ all day,” he continued, “and had half a mind,
+upon my honor I did, suh, to come oveh and help yo’ out.” [100] Soon
+after. Vance took leave of the Bonifields, and started for the hotel.
+His respect for generous-hearted Louise was increasing. “Yes,” said
+Vance to himself, “she is a child of nature. She does not know how to
+dissemble, and her heart is too pure to be resentful.” His pleasant
+reverie was broken by encountering Boast at the hotel, who had arrived a
+little before him.
+
+His shoes had been exchanged for polished ones, yet he complained about
+his negligee appearance, and stooped to brush the least speck of dust
+or cigar ashes that might have found lodgment on his trousers or coat
+sleeves, and kept assuring Vance that he knew he “looked rougher than
+a miner.”
+
+9108
+
+As a matter of fact, he was spotlessly at-attired, as was his custom.
+Even in his office at Waterville, he seemed backward about doing any
+business, for fear of soiling his hands in ink, or getting his desk out
+of order. Stepping into the bar-room of the hotel, they found seats near
+an open door, and Vance determined to gain as much information as he
+could from what Boast might have to say. As they seated themselves,
+Vance said:
+
+“I met Mr. Grim this morning.”
+
+“Oh. did you?” replied Boast. “There is a man,” he continued,
+“that ought to be hung. He’s a robber!”
+
+“A robber?” asked Vance.
+
+“Yes. Fifteen years ago,” continued Boast, “my father was the
+richest man in this part of Idaho. He was engaged then as now in the
+cattle and horse ranching business. He owns a very large ranch three
+miles from here down the valley. Grim came to the mining camp [101]
+without a dollar in his pocket and worked by the day. An opportunity
+presented itself for him to steal from his associates. He not only
+stole everything in sight, but by fraud and misrepresentation secured
+possession of the Peacock.
+
+8109
+
+“He is an ignorant old boor.
+
+“Ten years ago he married my aunt, the widow Allen, who is fully
+fifteen years his senior. He wanted a position in society and a home.
+My aunt is a stickler on all that’s polite, but notwithstanding her
+training and all of old Grim’s wealth, she has been unable to gild him
+over with even an appearance of culture, learning or decency. I never
+call at his house. They own perhaps the finest residence in the state
+of Idaho. If you will talk with Rufus Grim half an hour, it will be a
+wonder if he does not tell you that I am the biggest scoundrel outside
+the penitentiary; and it is all because my cousin Bertha is my friend.
+Sometimes I think he is afraid I will marry her. I believe he is in love
+with Bertha himself, and is only waiting for my aunt to die. It may be
+unwise for me to talk so plainly, Mr. Gilder, but when I think of that
+old reprobate, I become desperate.”
+
+There was certainly no half insinuation in this statement, but rather a
+fiendish denunciation of the rich miner.
+
+“I think,” said Boast, “we’d better have something to drink. I
+have a bottle in my pocket, but you are not very sociable, and I don’t
+presume you will drink with me.”
+
+“No,” said Vance, “I am just as much obliged, but I do not feel
+the need of any stimulant this evening.”
+
+[102] “I have abstained all day,” said Boast, “out of respect for
+the ladies.” His voice began to sound piping, and his restless eyes
+no longer looked squarely at Vance, but confined themselves to side-long
+glances, as if he were trying to discover what his feelings were toward
+his cousin and Miss Louise. “They are pretty fair specimens, eh, for
+the mountains? The ladies, I mean; the ladies.”
+
+Vance answered in the affirmative.
+
+“My cousin is terribly taken with you, Mr. Gilder; if she was not my
+cousin I would feel jealous of you.” As Vance made no reply, Boast
+continued: “I know I am going down hill at a pretty rapid rate, all on
+account of this red liquor.” Tipping up the bottle, he took a swallow,
+coughed immoderately afterward, and made wry faces, as if he were
+mentally damning all the “red liquor” to perdition.
+
+“There’s only one thing that will ever save Bertha Allen, and that
+is for old Grim to die. My aunt would inherit the wealth, and of course,
+in that event, Bertha would be an heiress. At present, she is entirely
+dependent upon his generosity. I understand,” continued Boast,
+“Colonel Bonifield has about reached the 300 foot level. If I have one
+hope greater than another, it is that he will strike it ten times
+richer than old Grim ever did. In that event,” he continued, while
+he furtively glanced at Vance, “there will be another heiress in Gold
+Bluff.”
+
+That night, after Vance found the seclusion of his room, he worked far
+into the early hours of morning, finishing a letter to the Banner, a
+letter full of decided opinions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.—THE STAGE RIDE.
+
+9111
+
+HE [103] following morning Vance forwarded to the Banner office a
+two column article, which he considered the finest of all his western
+letters.
+
+The chief was at Buzzard’s Bay enjoying a much needed rest, when
+Vance’s letter was received. The assistant managing editor did little
+more than glance over the manuscript and observe to the dramatic critic,
+as he hung the copy on the hook, that “Young Gilder was sending in
+some excellent articles from the Northwest.” The article was headed
+“Two Honorable Exceptions.” It proceeded, in a most logical manner,
+to give the output of precious metals from the mining town of Butte
+City.
+
+His statistics were carefully revised, showing there was five times
+as much capital per capita in the mining camp of Butte City, with her
+50,000 people, as in the cities of New York, Philadelphia or Boston.
+
+Vance had spent a good deal of time in preparing the article, and every
+statement was supplemented with irrefragable proof. The latter half of
+the article was devoted to Waterville and the agricultural resources of
+the Thief River Valley. The exports of surplus crops had increased [104]
+from 100 carloads per annum to 3,000 carloads in four years’ time,
+and a clever comparison was drawn between the farmers of eastern and New
+England states and the farmers of the great Thief River Valley, showing
+that for a given amount of labor, the farmer in the Thief River Valley
+received at least three dollars where the eastern farmer received only
+one.
+
+The wonderful water power in the rapids of the Thief River, where the
+new town of Waterville was building, was also dwelt upon, as well as
+the centrality of location of the new city—not only from a local
+standpoint, but as to the entire northwestern section of the United
+States. The yield of wheat and other cereals was briefly referred to,
+all showing that Gilder had been most painstaking in preparing the
+article.
+
+The managing editor, at Buzzard’s Bay, was enjoying his morning smoke
+when the Banner was laid on his table. Glancing it over leisurely, his
+eye caught the head-lines, “Two Honorable Exceptions.” In a moment
+he was all animation. His cigar was permitted to go out in his general
+neglect of everything else, in devouring every sentence and word of the
+article. He then paced back and forth across his room and swore like
+a pirate, declaring he would not have had the article appear in the
+columns of the Banner for $10,000.
+
+“Just to think,” said he, “the very thing I sent that young fool
+of a Gilder into the west to accomplish, he has in this one article
+spoiled forever. Half a dozen of my friends have been asking me about
+mining invest [105] ments in Butte City. I have pleaded ignorance, but
+assured them we had sent a trusty man to inspect the merits of such
+investments, and they could expect reliable information in the columns
+of the Banner. Here it is, and a pretty mess he has made of it. He
+has,” continued the managing editor, angrily, “completely lost his
+head; only one thing will bring him to his senses, and that is a prompt
+dismissal from the Banner force.”
+
+Accordingly he wired the assistant managing editor, directing him to
+notify Mr. Gilder by letter that his services were no longer required.
+He also instructed his assistant to send the clearest headed man on the
+force immediately to Butte City, Montana, and Waterville, Idaho,
+and have an article for the coming Sunday issue that would entirely
+counteract the effect of Mr. Gilder’s communication.
+
+While these arrangements were being made at the Banner office, Vance was
+preparing to return to Butte City by way of Waterville, in order to
+make some investigations and secure additional information for his next
+letter to the Banner.
+
+The old miner, Ben Bonifield, had assured him they would reach the 300
+foot level by the following Saturday night, and Vance promised to return
+to Gold Bluff early the following week. Vance waited over one stage in
+order to travel in the one driven by Steve Gibbons.
+
+As a special mark of distinction to Vance, Gibbons invited him to a seat
+on the top of the stage. As they were whirled away from the beautiful
+little village of Gold Bluff, the sun was beginning to gild with gold
+the eastern hills. Vance felt it was a sight never to be forgotten. The
+evening before starting he was at the Bonifields. [106] When Louise said
+good-bye, with the sweet truthfulness of youth, and assured him that she
+would be lonely when he was gone, he felt like declaring then and there,
+he would stay forever if she would but make the request. She gave Vance
+a letter of introduction to her sister Virginia, whom Vance promised to
+call upon as soon as possible after reaching Waterville.
+
+Steve Gibbons was in his element on top of the stage coach.
+
+8114
+
+He chatted away in a vivacious manner, recounting various reminiscences
+of the different mountain gorges, here and there, where fine specimens
+of float rock had been discovered at different times. Again he would
+tell of some thrilling adventure with the Indians, and marvelous
+hair-breadth escapes. Gibbons invariably figured in these narratives as
+one of the principal characters. Presently he said:
+
+“I don’t reckon you met Grim, did you?”
+
+“Rufus Grim?” said Vance; “yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him
+only a few days ago.”
+
+“I ‘spect,” said Gibbons, “that Rufus Grim is the biggest
+scoundrel unhung in these diggins. He thinks he’s mighty pert, but
+Hank Casey and me ‘ll teach him afore long that other people can be a
+mighty sight perter than what he is. The only hearty, overgrown regret
+that I’ve never been able to get rid of is that I didn’t twist his
+neck ten years ago.”
+
+“What grievance have you,” asked Vance, “against Mr. Grim? One
+would naturally suppose the owner of the richest mine in the Fish River
+Mining District would be respected instead of disliked.” [107] Steve
+Gibbons pushed his sombrero back from his forehead, as if to relieve his
+pent up feelings, swung his long whip twice around his head, and made
+the welkin ring as he cracked it over the backs of his dappled leaders.
+
+He then expectorated a vigorous “pit-tew” of tobacco juice, and
+said: “I reckon one can’t always judge by appearances. When Steve
+Gibbons says that Rufus Grim is a scoundrel, he is a pretty good jedge
+of what he is sayin’, and he mighty near means what he says, pardner.
+Somebody’s goin’ to be jerked out of the kinks ‘fore long,
+and—’twixt ourselves—I think that somebody is Rufus Grim. Hank
+Casey an’ me are old pards, and we’ve employed B. Webster Legal.
+He’s the corporation attorney for the Waterville Town Company. You
+won’t be takin’ no chances, pardner, of bettin’ your last dollar
+that old Grim will think somebody’s after him with a sharp stick and
+a diamond drill in the end of it ‘afore B. Webster Legal gets through
+with him. I tell you, Jedge Legal is a cuss in the court room. He can
+whip his weight in wild-cats in a law suit. Of course, I don’t mean
+that he’s goin’ to leave the Town Company; he’ll never do that as
+long as a lot can be sold—he says so his-self. Hank and I hev made
+a bargain with him, and old Grim is goin’ to be ousted. The Peacock
+belongs to Hank Casey and me. What do you think of that?”
+
+“I assure you,” replied Vance, “you interest me very much. I
+supposed Mr. Grim was the owner of the Peacock.”
+
+Again Steve Gibbons’ long whip cracked like a pistol shot over the
+backs of his horses. Presently he said:
+
+“I don’t tell everybody, pardner, but I ‘spect it makes no
+difference with you. You see, when Rufus Grim came [108] to Gold Bluff
+some fifteen years ago, he was so darnation poor he couldn’t buy a
+meal of victuals. Hank and I had staked out the Peacock.
+
+0116
+
+We had found some mighty rich float rock in that part of the mountain,
+and knew the precious stuff was not very far away. We ‘grub-staked’
+Grim and put him to work on wages, and while he was workin’, he struck
+a ‘pocket’ and found free gold—a regular vault full of yellow
+stuff. He commenced his treachery by stealin’ every grain of it, and
+then cleverly walled up that part of the shaft and continued diggin’
+in the opposite direction, endeavorin’ to get as far away from the
+place where he had made the discovery as possible. Well, by and by
+Hank Casey and me got tired of payin’ out money, and we sold out the
+Peacock for a mere song to Grim. Soon after, the name of Rufus Grim was
+known all over the mountain district as a bonanza king. He organized an
+immense company, and owns most of the stock himself. Within six months
+after we were defrauded of our rights in the Peacock, he was a rich man,
+and has been gettin’ richer ever since. Hank Casey and me have a whole
+lot of evidence. B. Webster Legal says if we can prove what we claim,
+that we have got a lead pipe cinch on the Peacock. The papers are
+bein’ drawn up, and things are goin’ to be sizzlin’ hot for Rufus
+Grim before many moons go over his head.”
+
+Vance expressed [109] much surprise and sympathy at the injustice he had
+sustained.
+
+“Say, pardner,” said Steve, “I kind o’ reckon you’re shinin’
+up a little toward old Bonifield’s gal, ain’t you?” and he nudged
+Vance in the ribs with his elbow.
+
+The question was so unexpected that Vance hardly knew how to reply.
+“I hope,” replied Vance, “that I am not in disfavor with the young
+lady, or her father either. I own an interest in Gray Rocks.”
+
+“The dickens you do!” said Steve Gibbons. “Well, if there’s
+any man in these mountains, pardner, who ought to strike it, old Ben
+Bonifield is the one. He’s been stickin to Gray Rocks for a good
+many years, and is one of the squarest men in the Fish River Minin’
+District, while that gal of his—-why, she is the gem of all these
+diggins. I did think J. Arthur Boast had the inside [110] track on the
+Bonifield ranch, but here lately I ‘lowed as maybe Boast was playin’
+second fiddle; but then you can’t tell how a game is goin’ to end
+until the last card is played.”
+
+Vance made no reply, but ground his teeth in silent anger at the mention
+of Boast’s name.
+
+It was late that night when they arrived at Waterville.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.—THE TOWN COMPANY’. MEETING.
+
+9119
+
+ARLY [111] the next morning Dick Ballard rapped on Vance’s door, and
+being admitted, greeted him warmly, and assured him he was mighty glad
+to see him again.
+
+“There’s goin’ to be a meetin’ of the Town Company.”
+
+“Is that so?” said Vance.
+
+“Yes; the hul kit and bilin’ of ‘em are here,” replied Ballard.
+“There’s Colonel Alexander, Homer Winthrop, General Ira House and
+his brother, Jack House, B. Webster Legal and Marcus Donald. Donald is
+the resident director of the Town Company.” Vance said he would be
+glad to meet them.
+
+“Well, you’ll see the keenest lot of men,” said Ballard, “this
+here country has ever pulled together. Every one of ‘em is a strong
+man and a hustler from the word go. What I say about ‘em you’ll find
+is prima facie.” After a little, Dick Ballard winked one eye at Vance
+and said: “I feel a bottle in my pocket, and I wouldn’t wonder
+a mite there was suthin’ in it that wouldn’t taste bad. A little
+spirits is mighty good for a feller when he has had a hard day’s
+ride.”
+
+Vance assured him that he was much obliged, but was [112] thoroughly
+refreshed by his night’s rest, and a light breakfast was all he
+wanted.
+
+“We usually,” replied Ballard, “accommodate fellows that want
+that kind of a breakfast; in fact, some of our breakfasts are too darned
+light. I’ll go down and see what I can skirmish up for you.”
+
+At the door Dick Ballard turned and said, “Oh, yes, have you heard the
+news?”
+
+“No, I do not remember of having heard anything of a startling
+character,” replied Vance.
+
+“Well, by Ned, I supposed you had heard all about it,” said Ballard,
+as he leaned against the door and looked wise.
+
+“Well, what is it?” queried Vance.
+
+“Well, sir, our militia company has got a new snare drum, and, gosh
+all fish hooks! but she is a rat-tat-tat-to-or from away back!” The
+door closed and Old Dick Ballard retreated, merrily whistling “Away
+down in Dixie.”
+
+After breakfast, Vance was escorted to the Town Company’s office,
+where he met the different members of the company. Each vied with the
+other in showing him courtesies.
+
+“I presume,” said Homer Winthrop, as they drew a little aside from
+the others, “that you have never met as remarkable men as you see in
+my associates.” He looked radiant, inserted his thumbs in the armholes
+of his vest, and continued:
+
+“Colonel Alexander is possessed of one of the richest brains of
+any man I ever knew. Our attorney, Mr. Legal is a star of the first
+magnitude in his profession, and can whip a small army in a lawsuit,
+while Gen. Ira [113] House has a reputation superior to any man in the
+Rocky Mountains as a town builder. Now, if he,” continued Winthrop,
+“should go into the midst of a desert and say, ‘Here a great city
+shall be built,’ you would make no mistake in taking a ‘flyer’ on
+some dirt in that vicinity. Then there is Jack House, the General’s
+brother, who is, in his specialty, a most remarkable man. He is
+sometimes called ‘the Conspirator’ of our gang, because of his
+ability to set up jobs on the enemy and down ‘em.”
+
+“By Jove, look,” said Winthrop, pointing out of the window, while
+his face became animated, “do you see that young lady on the other
+side of the street? That’s Miss Virgie Bonifield, and I venture to say
+she’s one of the loveliest girls in the Rocky Mountains.”
+
+“I have a message for her, sent by her sister,” replied Vance. “I
+will be under many obligations if you’ll introduce me to the young
+lady.”
+
+“With pleasure,” replied Winthrop, “as soon as the town meeting
+adjourns we will call upon her.”
+
+The meeting was called to order, with Colonel Alexander in the chair.
+
+The chairman cleared his throat several times with marked vehemence, and
+said:
+
+“Gentlemen, we have again met to deliberate upon the destiny of
+Waterville and the great Thief River Valley. It is no small matter for
+gigantic intellects to thus assemble as a deliberative body, to arrange,
+by resolutions or otherwise, questions of great moment. The leading
+question to-day, gentlemen, is that of mind over matter. We have said
+to one another, ‘Waterville shall become a great city;’ our united
+efforts are concentrated [114] in this work. The story of the bundle of
+sticks is as true to-day as when the fable was first written.
+
+0122
+
+“The wealth, gentlemen, of our united intellects is bearing down in
+concentrated rays against every opposition, and with hammer and tongs we
+are reaching out in every direction, and are making one of the grandest
+campaigns the country has ever witnessed. Gentlemen, what is the
+pleasure of this meeting?”
+
+The Colonel’s earnestness could not be doubted. When [115] he sat down
+he fondled his gold-headed cane with apparent tenderness, as if he
+were ashamed of the way he had abused it in emphasizing his remarks by
+punching it into the floor in a most merciless fashion.
+
+B. Webster Legal, addressing the chairman, said: “I am proud again to
+meet my distinguished associates as a deliberative body. For the benefit
+of our beloved citizens of Waterville, who are crowding into this room
+of deliberation, and standing in front of the windows eagerly listening
+to the important proceedings of this meeting, I will say that only men
+in the broadest term—men with an abundance of gray matter clinging
+to their brains—could possibly have accomplished the feats which
+have characterized the acts of the Waterville Town Company from
+its organization up to the present time. I feel, Mr. President and
+gentlemen, that our untiring efforts are about to be crowned with a
+success little dreamed of by the most hopeful.
+
+“From a legal point of view, I am proud to assure you that the
+Waterville Town Company is in a most safe and healthy condition. I have
+frequently observed, and will again say, I am not a seller of lots,
+but I assure each and every one of you that I am here to stay by
+this company as long as a lot can be sold. So far as legal knots are
+concerned, I will untie them; or, failing to do so, will, with the sharp
+edge of the law, cleave them asunder.”
+
+The attorney’s remarks were greeted with applause as he sat down.
+
+The chairman jarred the frail building by again clearing his throat,
+and requested C. Webster Legal to make a report of the assets of the
+Waterville Town Company.
+
+[116] “Mr. Chairman,” said B. Webster Legal, “I have recently looked
+over the list of property owned by the Waterville Town Company, and find
+that we have assets amounting to some two millions of dollars.”
+
+As the attorney sat down there was a satisfied look upon his face
+suggestive of the millionaire.
+
+The chairman looked over his spectacles and said, “Gentlemen, you
+have heard, and no doubt with pardonable elation, the statement of our
+honored associate, Judge Legal. There are eight of us,” he continued,
+“and two millions means a quarter of a million each. Within two years,
+sirs, these assets will have doubled in value. There are men whose
+statements I would not rely implicitly upon without discounting
+them—say, fifty or seventy-five per cent—but, gentlemen, when it
+comes to downright conservatism, why, my level-headed friend the Judge
+takes the jackpot. Yes, sir, I undertake to say, gentlemen, he is the
+king bee of us all in cutting square into the heart of a proposition,
+and analyzing it with a precision that is truly remarkable; and when
+he says two millions, I have no hesitancy, gentlemen, in staking my
+reputation that it is three millions if it is a cent.”
+
+As the chairman sat down he looked carefully at his gold-headed cane
+again to make sure it had sustained no injury.
+
+Marcus Donald, the resident Town Company’s director, addressed the
+meeting, and said:
+
+“Mr. Chairman, I never felt so rich in my life as I do at the present
+moment. I regret that my ancestors are not alive to rejoice with me in
+the prosperity I am now enjoying. There is a reason in this contemplated
+prosperity. First, the great natural opportunities in this [117]
+wonderful valley, and, second, the unity of action on the part of the
+members of our Town Company.
+
+“I have here a small matter to which I wish to call the directors’
+attention.
+
+9125
+
+It is a livery bill of some eighty dollars that is past due, and,
+perhaps, we had better arrange for it.”
+
+Judge Legal rose to a point of order. He said that such small details
+as paying livery bills had no place in the deliberations of this body
+of men. “It is the duty of the auditing committee to first approve and
+then look after the payments of small items like expense bills.”
+
+Director Donald stated in reply that B. Webster Legal was a member of
+the auditing committee as well as himself, and, doubtless, knew the
+bill had been approved of long ago, but that there were no funds with
+which—
+
+“Order!” shouted the chairman, punching his goldheaded cane
+vigorously into the floor. “I sustain the point of order made by this
+corporation’s attorney. Let us now proceed with the deliberations of
+weighty and progressive questions.”
+
+Gen. Ira House sat propped back in his chair in a retired corner of
+the room, and until now had maintained silence, save the fetching and
+labored puffs of his cigar, which almost completely enveloped him in a
+cloud of smoke. As he straightened himself up, he pushed his chair in
+front of him, elevated one foot to the seat and rested his left elbow
+on his elevated knee. He wore an expression on his face becoming a
+philosopher. [118] “Mr. Chairman,” said he, “it seems to me we’re
+drifting.” He looked wise and waited a moment for his remark to take
+effect. “Drifting,” he continued, “is weakness. If we drift, we
+scatter; if we scatter, we fall. Now, gentlemen,” he continued,
+“we must not drift. There are important business matters awaiting our
+attention. I hold in my hand a letter from a party who wants to know if
+Waterville would not be a good place to start a foundry. Now, gentlemen,
+do we want a foundry at Waterville, or do we not? That is the question
+before this meeting.”
+
+As Gen. House sat down, the crowd cheered him lustily, stamped their
+feet, clapped their hands, and cries of “Good!”
+
+“That’s business!” “That’s the talk!” were heard on all
+sides among the citizens who were listening with bated breath to the
+proceedings of the Town Company’s meeting.
+
+“I move,” said Jack House, “that we want a foundry at Waterville,
+and resolutions to that effect be prepared, inviting the party, whoever
+he is, to locate his foundry here.”
+
+“Order, gentlemen!” shouted the chairman, again clearing his throat.
+“Mr. Secretary, please record in the minutes of this meeting, if
+there are no objections, the unanimous vote in favor of the foundry, and
+prepare a set of elaborate resolutions, which we will sign, inviting the
+party making the inquiry to come at once to Waterville and locate his
+foundry.”
+
+The throng of citizens broke into cheers at this announcement, and the
+word was soon passed through the throng to the outer circle, that a
+foundry was to be located at Waterville. Presently, three cheers and a
+[119] tiger were proposed for the new foundry, and the deliberations of
+the Town Company were necessarily delayed until the cheering had ceased.
+
+Marcus Donald, addressing the chairman, said: “I have received a
+communication from the owners of a sash, blind and door factory,
+who seem quite desirous of casting their lot with us. I suggest the
+importance of taking official notice of their communication.”
+
+The throng of citizens waited almost breathlessly, and with a fair
+degree of patience, to see what was to be done in regard to the sash,
+blind and door factory. Judge Legal moved that the suggestion offered by
+Director Donald be acted upon, and that a resolution favoring the
+sash, blind and door factory be voted upon. As he sat down, three other
+directors seconded the motion.
+
+“You have heard the question,” said the chairman. “Unless there is
+some opposition, we will regard it as carried unanimously.” He looked
+over his spectacles a moment, and as no one offered an objection, he
+brought his gold-headed cane down with a sharp rap upon the floor, and
+said “Carried!”
+
+Again the word was passed from citizen to citizen onto the waiting mob
+without, that Waterville was to have a sash, blind and door factory.
+Again huzzas and cheering rent the air, and impeded, to a certain
+degree, the deliberations of the Town Company’s meeting.
+
+At this juncture, a clerk of the local bank—the only one that
+Waterville could boast of—presented himself and asked permission to
+address the directors.
+
+“What is the nature of your business, young man?” asked Col.
+Alexander, clearing his throat threateningly and looking hard at the
+clerk over his spectacles.
+
+[120] “I have a sight draft for $50, drawn on the Waterville Town
+Company for printing stock certificates.”
+
+The chairman and his seven colleagues came to their they cried, almost
+in unison. Several of the directors shouted, “Mr. Chairman! Mr.
+Chairman!” at the top of their voice, but in his indignation the
+chairman failed to take notice of them.
+
+8128
+
+Presently a silence, caused by sheer consternation, succeeded the first
+burst of surprise. Judge Legal, mounting a chair, said:
+
+“Mr. Chairman! I move you that article 57 of our by-laws be copied
+and certified to under our corporate seal and delivered to this young
+gentleman, that he may return it with the sight draft. Here is the
+wording of article 57: ‘Further, that this corporation, the Waterville
+Town Company refuses to honor or pay sight drafts from any and all
+sources.’.rdquo;
+
+“You have heard the question,” said the excited chairman, bringing
+his cane down with great vehemence. “Do I hear a second?”
+
+“We all second it.”
+
+Silence having been restored, Judge Legal again addressed the chair:
+
+“Mr. Secretary,” said the chairman, “record the question as
+carried unanimously.”
+
+“Mr. Chairman,” said he, “ [121] in the future all printing by
+the Waterville Town Company will be sent to another printing
+establishment.”
+
+“Unless there is opposition, we will consider the question as carried
+unanimously,” said the chairman. At this juncture the chairman took
+the floor, and addressing the directors, said:
+
+“There are times when, notwithstanding the power of our united
+intellects, questions of a very exasperating nature confront us, and,
+momentarily, we are at a loss to know just what to do; but it is only
+momentarily—we meet every crisis. It takes us a very short time to
+decide; and, with us, decision is action.
+
+“In my experience I have observed that, occasionally, storms of
+opposition sweep down upon men like an irresistible avalanche. At such
+times it is well to retreat to some protected place and let the storm
+tire itself out—beat itself into exhaustion, so to speak—until its
+very protest becomes a dead silence. Refreshed with the rest we have
+had, we may then safely sally forth, and, with renewed vigor, arrange a
+flank movement on the enemy, and everlastingly choke opposition into a
+corpse.”
+
+When the chairman sat down he motioned Vance to his side, and said,
+sotto voce: “Was not that a master stroke, Mr. Gilder? Do not we meet
+and dispose of questions that would simply stump any ordinary body of
+men into inaction? Opposition does not faze us; no sir, we know our
+rights, and are here to fight for them.”
+
+The citizens were very much elated over the prospects of a foundry and a
+sash, blind and door factory at Waterville. Their gratitude to the Town
+Company was very marked, and was evidenced by three hearty cheers and
+many huzzas. [122] Presently the meeting of the Town Company adjourned,
+and then there was much clapping of hands and more cheering. Each member
+of the company crowded around Vance and shook him warmly by the hand,
+and assured him they had had one of the most profitable meetings that
+had ever taken place.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.—MISS VIRGINIA BONIFIELD.
+
+9131
+
+|ANCE [123] had become so thoroughly interested during his first visit
+to Waterville, that he was prepared, in a degree, to share in a general
+way the enthusiasm of the citizens and the members of the Waterville
+Town Company which prevailed after the meeting adjourned.
+
+Buoyant with hope of the future, without hardly understanding why,
+and with a blind belief that his investment would yield him a splendid
+return, he began to feel that it was indeed a lucky day when the chief
+of the Banner sent him to the northwest, and still luckier when he fell
+in with the members of the Waterville Town Company.
+
+That afternoon, accompanied by Homer Winthrop, he called on Miss
+Virginia Bonifield.
+
+That young lady received her callers with a cultured grace and dignity
+that would have done honor to even one who had seen much more of the
+world. She was rather tall and a pronounced brunette. Her well poised
+head was in keeping with her graceful figure. One could not say she was
+strikingly beautiful, but there was some [124] thing in her face as
+well as manner that made one forget to desire her different than
+the interesting person she was. Both vivacious and intelligent, she
+possessed the rare charm, in her conversation, of reflecting the mood of
+those about her. Addressing Vance, she said:
+
+“Louise has written me so much about you that I have been quite
+impatient to form your acquaintance. I presume that papa is still
+working away on Gray Rocks?”
+
+0132
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance, “he will soon reach the 300 foot level.”
+
+[125] “And the old story will be told again, I dare say,” said
+Virginia, laughing.
+
+“Miss Virginia is not an enthusiast,” said Winthrop, “in regard to
+untold millions that have not yet been discovered in mining shafts.”
+
+“My observations,” retorted Virginia, “have caused me to be less
+sentimental, if not more practical, than my good sister Louise.”
+
+“I fear,” said Vance, “you do not share in your father’s belief
+in regard to the future of Gray Rocks?”
+
+“I am a Bonifield,” replied Virginia, “and believe implicitly
+in my father; and, in my way, love him as tenderly, I dare say, as any
+daughter ever loved a parent, but sometimes I fear he is mistaken—but,
+to change the subject,” she continued, “how do you like the west?”
+
+“I am very favorably impressed with what I have seen. In the east we
+have many brilliants that are not diamonds; in the west we have many
+rough ashlars that are diamonds unpolished.”
+
+“Thank you,” replied Virginia, “I consider that a compliment.”
+
+“It is our intention,” said Winthrop, “to claim Mr. Gilder as a
+western man before another year; and if Waterville continues to grow, as
+we expect it will, we may persuade him to edit our first daily paper.”
+
+Soon after, they rose to go. “I shall hope,” said Miss Virginia,
+“that I will be honored by a call from you whenever you are in
+Waterville.”
+
+“Thank you,” replied Vance, “it will afford me great pleasure.”
+
+Winthrop remained behind a few moments, while Vance walked up and down
+the sidewalk. The sun was [126] well toward the western horizon. A
+bluish haze lay against the mountains in the distance. It was an Indian
+summer afternoon, full of quiet rest, with a gentle, invigorating
+mountain breeze as a constant tonic.
+
+Presently Winthrop joined him, and they hurried down to the depot, for
+it was nearing train time, and they had arranged to travel together to
+Butte City.
+
+“How are you impressed with Miss Bonifield?” asked Winthrop.
+
+“Quite favorably,” replied Vance. “She is, however, an entirely
+different type from her sister, Miss Louise; indeed, I can discover no
+family resemblance. Miss Louise is quite fair, while Miss Virginia is a
+decided brunette.”
+
+Soon after, the train came in, and they secured comfortable seats in
+a Pullman. As the train started, Vance looked out of the window at the
+turbulent waters in the river, and asked Winthrop where the foundry, and
+sash, blind and door factory would be located.
+
+“We have not decided as yet,” replied Winthrop. “That will be an
+easy matter to arrange when the party or parties are ready to commence
+building.”
+
+“I presume you are selling a good many lots?” said Vance.
+
+“Well, yes,” replied Winthrop, hesitatingly. “We are interesting
+a good many people; and it takes people to build a city. Where a man’s
+possessions are, his heart is generally not far away.”
+
+“I should judge from your complimentary remarks about Miss Virginia
+Bonifield, and the delightful expression of your face when we
+called this afternoon, that your heart abides quite permanently at
+Waterville.” [127] Winthrop seemed confused and looked out of the
+window. Presently lie said:
+
+“Miss Bonifield is one of the most practical young ladies it has ever
+been my good fortune to meet. She is a most exemplary young lady, and
+the good people of Waterville hold her in high esteem. This is her
+second year in the public school at that place.”
+
+“I judge from her remarks,” said Vance, “that her faith is very
+limited in her father’s mine.”
+
+“Yes,” replied ‘Winthrop, “I consider her the most practical
+member of the Bonifield family.”
+
+Vance blushed scarlet and turned resentfully in his seat toward
+Winthrop. “Ho! ho!” said Winthrop, laughing, “I was merely
+expressing my own private opinion. I see, without your saying it, that
+your opinion is quite different. How fortunate it is that all men,
+especially you and I, Mr. Gilder, are not of the same opinion. This very
+difference of opinion,” Winthrop went on, “may, as the months come
+and go, weld our friendship more and more firmly.”
+
+Vance saw that he had betrayed his feelings, and good-naturedly observed
+that he always was quite partial to blondes. “I presume,” he went
+on, “when I become editor of the first daily paper in Waterville, you
+will, doubtless, be president of some great banking house.”
+
+“I hope so,” replied Winthrop, thoughtfully. “If many people are
+interested in our new town it will help us in more ways than one. They
+will ultimately move to Waterville, erect homes, and engage in business;
+but we must not be impatient and expect too much for the first year, or
+the second, for that matter. ‘Rome was not [128] built in a day.’ I
+fully believe,” continued Winthrop, “that parties purchasing lots
+at the present prices will receive most excellent returns on their
+investments. You see,” continued Winthrop in a confidential way,
+“the Waterville Town Company was compelled to go into debt very
+heavily at the time it commenced its operations, but by persistent and
+continued efforts on the part of various members of the company, we have
+greatly reduced the indebtedness, and if the sale of lots continues for
+a week longer we will, probably, not owe a dollar.
+
+9136
+
+We will then divide our property, each member receiving a deed for his
+respective share.”
+
+Winthrop seemed so happy in anticipation of the joyful time when the
+company’ would be out of debt, and was so confidential and frank in
+regard to the matter, that Vance, hardly knowing why, found himself
+deeply interested in the work of selling lots, and suggested to Winthrop
+that he would write to some of the members of the Banner force who were
+particular friends of his, and advise them to send on their surplus
+earnings for investment.
+
+The town boomer was at once on the alert, and, in not an over-anxious
+way, heartily advised the step. Accordingly, that night at the hotel in
+Butte City, Vance wrote a letter to his friends advising an investment
+in Waterville.
+
+The dramatic critic, the religious editor, the police reporter, and
+the heads of the several departments of the Banner at once acted on
+Vance’s advice. They knew nothing of the chief’s action in regard
+to Vance’s dismissal. They wired Vance, authorizing him to sight
+[129] draft them for $2,500, and invest the proceeds in town lots in
+Waterville.
+
+He at once complied with the instructions, turned the money over to
+Winthrop, and instructed him to forward the deeds to his friends in New
+York city.
+
+He was not a little gratified to find his last letter to the Banner
+copied in full by the Intermountain Blade and the Butte City Miner, with
+editorials referring to the article as particularly able, and to the
+writer as having the “courage of his convictions.”
+
+The article had a most salutary effect on Homer Winthrop’s lot selling
+enterprise, and during the next few days he sold more Waterville town
+lots than his most sanguine expectations had caused him to hope for.
+
+Toward the last of the week Vance left Butte City for Gold Bluff, via
+Waterville. He had in his possession additional data and statistics to
+support and corroborate his recent letter to the Banner.
+
+At first the west was distasteful to him, but as he became better
+acquainted with its customs and habits he began to recognize the true
+manhood that is not unfrequently found under the miner’s garb.
+
+There is an uncouth, whole-soul generosity met with on the frontier of
+which the effete easterner knows nothing.
+
+Arriving at Waterville the following morning too late for the Gold Bluff
+stage, he was compelled to put in another day at Waterville. Remembering
+Miss Virginia Bonifield’s invitation, he called on her that evening,
+and was most hospitably received. In the course of their conversation
+she said:
+
+“I understand, Mr. Gilder, that you are interested with my father in
+Gray Rocks I hope you did not mis [130] understand me or my motive when
+I spoke discouragingly of my father’s mining prospects.”
+
+“May I ask,” said Vance, “what reason you have for your
+pessimistic views, if I may term them such?”
+
+“I presume,” she replied, a little nettled, “they are about as
+tangible and equally hard to explain as those of an optimist. I have a
+presentiment that father will never find what he is looking for in the
+Gray Rocks mine. My sister, Louise, encourages faith in what to me seems
+a mad belief.”
+
+“Your sister may be right,” replied Vance.
+
+“My greatest hope,” she replied, “is that I am wrong and that my
+sweet sister is right; but I really fear, Mr. Gilder, you will never see
+your money again that you have been investing with my father.”
+
+“I cannot doubt your sincerity,” replied Vance, “but I am glad to
+have more faith than you have.”
+
+“Why should I have any faith,” she replied. “Have I not seen
+my father clinging to that false hope year after year, and every day
+resulting in a fresh disappointment? Long ago I made up my mind that
+Aunt Sally is about right. She says that father has been planting money
+with different prospectors all over the mountains, and none of it has
+ever found its way back. She also predicts that father will work away on
+Gray Rocks until he dies, and never have his hopes realized. I love
+my father tenderly, and feel very sorry for him. A stranger cannot
+understand his personal charms and grandeur as one of his family. He is
+certainly one of the sweetest characters in the world. His persuasive
+powers, as you evidently have reason to know, are very great, and I feel
+it my duty to thus warn you for your own protection. Papa is [131] so
+sane on everything else excepting Gray Rocks, and is so foolish about
+that, notwithstanding his many years of lost labor.”
+
+“If your father has a ‘wheel in his head’ on the subject of Gray
+Rocks, I must admit that I, too, have one in mine,” replied Vance.
+
+The blush that overspread Virginia’s face suggested that she felt
+keenly the rebuke.
+
+“Pardon me, Mr. Gilder,” said she, “I had forgotten that I am not
+‘my brother’s keeper’. I promise never to refer to the subject
+again.”
+
+That evening, after Vance had taken leave of Miss Virginia Bonifield, he
+experienced a strange unrest and dissatisfaction, and while he did not
+admit it to himself, the glamour of his day-dreams had been broken.
+
+8139
+
+Presently, as he walked along, the face of Louise came before him,
+and, in a moment, he forgot his unsatisfactory evening; forgot hope’s
+broken glamour, and basked again in the alluring belief that the future
+held no clouds for him.
+
+It was late when he reached the hotel.
+
+Looking through the window, he saw old Dick Ballard, who was alone in
+the barroom entertaining himself with an evening drill.
+
+He carried a long, iron poker at “carry arms,” and was marching back
+and forth with military tread. Arriving at the end of the room, he would
+call out “Halt! About face! March!”
+
+Vance was very much amused at old Dick Ballard’s pantomime drill,
+but finally opened the door and walked in. The transformation scene was
+wonderful. Old Dick [132] Ballard was vigorously poking in the stove,
+notwithstanding it was a July night.
+
+“Hello, Mr. Gilder,” said he, looking up, “I saw a mighty big rat
+run in this stove a minute ago, and I am after it.”
+
+“Better charge your entire militia company on the enemy,” said
+Vance, laughing.
+
+“Oh, you saw me, did you,” said Ballard. “I was jes’ drillin’
+up a little for dress parade. Well, pardner, I’ll set ‘em up, and
+you say nothin’ about it.”
+
+Vance declined to be entertained, but Ballard drank copiously from his
+ever ready bottle.
+
+“I tell you, Waterville’s got it and no mistake,” said he, putting
+his bottle carefully away.
+
+“Got what,” asked Vance, as he turned to go to his room.
+
+“Got the crack military company of the state,” replied Ballard.
+“You ought to see ‘em drill once. There is nothin’ in New York
+city or anywhere else can tech one side of ‘em for big money.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.—THE OLD COLONEL’. DISAPPOINTMENT.
+
+9141
+
+HE FOLLOWING [133] morning Vance took the stage for Gold Bluff. As
+he neared that little mining town, he found himself experiencing an
+impatience once more to see Louise Bonifield that was strangely at
+variance with any former sensation of his life. It seemed to him
+the stage coach was traveling at a snail’s pace, and even the good
+natured, “honest intentioned” Steve Gibbons, with all his droll talk
+of frontier adventure, failed to interest him. Arriving at the hotel, he
+found the old miner, Ben Bonifield, waiting for him.
+
+“Am delighted to see yo’, Mr. Gilder; I am indeed, suh. I presume
+yo’r almost famished; pow’ful tiresome ridin’ in a stage coach all
+day, suh. After yo’ have refreshed yo’self, I shall be pleased to
+join yo’ in yo’r room. I have a matteh of vehy great impo’tance to
+discuss with yo’, suh.”
+
+“All right,” said Vance, in his cheeriest tones. “I trust Miss
+Louise is well?”
+
+“Quite well, suh; quite well, thank yo’.”
+
+As Vance ate his supper a satisfied feeling of contentment with the
+whole world intruded itself upon him. His advancement in his profession
+was certainly gratifying. He had received several valuable hints while
+in [134] Butte City in regard to a new silver mining company that was
+about to be organized, in which he was thinking seriously of investing
+a little money. The price was only ten cents a share, which he had been
+assured, on what seemed to him very excellent authority, would be
+worth a dollar a share before twelve months’ time. His investment
+at Waterville was certainly a good one, and he heartily believed Col.
+Bonifield had good news to tell him about Gray Rocks. In addition to
+this, he was once more near Louise, that fair vision of loveliness,
+whose tender blue eyes seemed ever near him. He dropped a coin into the
+hand of the waiter as he rose from the table, and stopped in the hallway
+to caress a lovely little child which he found playing hide-and-seek
+with an older companion, and then made each a present of money with
+which to buy bon-bons. He hummed softly to himself the air of an old
+love song as he went leisurely to his room.
+
+Soon after, he was enjoying a choice Havana with Col. Bonifield sitting
+in a chair opposite him, smoking his briar-root, blowing blue rings
+of smoke leisurely toward the ceiling. Vance was animated, and spoke
+glowingly of the prospects of Waterville. Presently Col. Bonifield said:
+
+“Mr. Gilder, we have reached the 300 foot level, suh,” and then
+lapsed into silence.
+
+“Have you cross-cut into the vein yet?” asked Vance.
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” said the old miner, as he rose from his chair and
+walked back and forth in a stately manner, “we have cross-cut, suh,
+into where the vein ought to have been, but it is not there, suh. I
+must confess to yo’, suh, that I am greatly disappointed, but the
+disappoint [135] ment, I am sure, suh, is only tempoary. Of course it is
+much richer, suh, than it was at the 200 foot level, but it is not rich
+enough, suh, to work, by a pow’ful sight.”
+
+0143
+
+This information was a great disappointment to Vance, for he had fully
+shared the old miner’s belief that they would strike the rich ore at
+the 300 foot level.
+
+“I will admit, Col. Bonifield, that I am somewhat disappointed, and of
+course you are. Under the circumstances, what do you advise?”
+
+[136] “Yo’ honor me, suh, indeed yo’ do, Mr. Gilder, to ask my
+advice, because, suh, I know my advice is good. Whether yo’, Mr.
+Gilder, will so regard it, remains to be seen. If yo’ can furnish
+about four thousand dollars mo’ money, I will start to-morrow
+mornin’ fo’ the 400 foot level, and we will then cross-cut, suh,
+into a vein of pow’ful rich ore. I assure yo’, suh, I never was
+mo’ sincere in my life than I am in makin’ this statement, suh.”
+
+Vance possessed the confidence of youth, and his belief in Gray Rocks
+was not to be shaken at the first disappointment, while before him rose
+up, as from a mist, the pleading face of Louise, and he fancied she was
+asking him to still believe in her father.
+
+9144
+
+He took his check book from his pocket and wrote a check for $4,000, and
+signing it, handed it to the old miner, saying: “How long, with the
+present force of men, will it take to reach the 400 foot level?”
+
+“My dear Mr. Gilder,” said the colonel, accepting his check, and
+clasping his hand, “yo’ quite ovehpow’r me, yo’ do indeed, suh.
+Yo’ may have been bawn in the nawth but yo’ are a Virginian still
+at heart, with the warm blood cou’sin’through yo’r veins I
+think, suh, that within three or fou’ mouths we can reach the fou’
+hund’ed foot level. I told yo’r father that Gray Rocks was a sure
+winner, and I am proud, suh, to repeat the statement to you.”
+
+“I don’t know,” [137] said Vance, “whether you will strike it at
+the four hundred foot level or not, but I assure you, Colonel Bonifield,
+that I have every faith in your sincerity, and I am anxious to develop
+the mine as rapidly as possible. If my investment should prove a total
+loss, I assure you I would never hold you responsible.”
+
+“I am gettin’ along in years, Mr. Gilder,” said the Colonel,
+“and while I have not struck it yet, I have every confidence, suh,
+that we will if we stay by Gray Rocks. My little Louise, of cou’se,
+was disappointed like myself. We both feared, suh, yo’ would be veihy
+much disappointed; and I assure yo’, suh, we cared a great deal mo’
+about yo’r disappointment than we did about our own. To tell yo’ the
+truth, suh, that little girl of mine had mo’ faith in yo’r looking
+at this matteh philosophically than I did; but,” continued the
+Colonel, pressing Vance’s hand, “I misjudged yo’, Mr. Gilder, I
+did indeed, suh, and I apologize fo’ it.”
+
+After Colonel Bonifield had taken his departure, Vance commenced looking
+over his accumulated mail. The first thing that claimed his attention
+was a copy of the Banner containing his article, “Two Honorable
+Exceptions.” He read it carefully through again with evident pride.
+Not a word or a single sentence had been cut out. This was gratifying
+to him, and seemed proof that the managing editor had confidence in his
+ability to select the wheat from the chaff. He laid down the paper and
+began opening his letters. Presently the song he was humming died on his
+lips. He sat upright and stared at a letter which he held in his hand.
+It read as follows:
+
+Banner Office, New York City.
+
+DEAR SIR:—
+
+I am directed by the managing editor to advise you that your services
+are no longer required. Enclosed find check in payment of your salary to
+date.
+
+J Respectfully,
+
+J. M. M.,
+
+Ass’t Managing Editor.
+
+To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+
+[138] He arose from his chair and rapidly paced the room, while great
+beads of perspiration stood on his forehead. What had he done to merit
+such humiliation? The idea that it might be a practical joke for a
+moment found lodgment in his thoughts, but he quickly dismissed the
+hallucination. Again he took up the paper and re-read the article,
+“Two Honorable Exceptions.” He endeavored logically to think out a
+solution of his dismissal.
+
+8146
+
+The more earnestly he thought over the situation, the more distinctly he
+remembered the prejudiced views the chief seemed to entertain in regard
+to western enterprises and investments. “He certainly wants the
+truth,” soliloquized Vance, “and I will stake my life there is not a
+sentence in this article,” and he struck the paper vigorously with his
+hand, “but what is true. The article might almost be regarded as an
+advertisement for the great mining camp of Butte City, yet it was news,
+and not nearly so strong as it might be and still keep within the bounds
+of truth. The same is equally true as to what I have said in regard to
+the agricultural and other resources of Waterville.”
+
+He sat far into the night, discussing with himself this unlooked for
+calamity. Once, and only once, did the idea occur to him that possibly
+the chief had sent him into the northwest to systematically destroy
+confidence concerning western investments. He was too honorable,
+however, to harbor the thought, and quickly dismissed it as too
+contemptible to be entertained. The only consolation he could find—and
+that was certainly a very [139] meager one—was that in all probability
+a letter of explanation would soon come, that would clear away the
+misunderstanding. In the meantime he would patiently wait, keeping his
+own counsel.
+
+He looked over his check book, and found he had, all told, some six
+thousand dollars to his credit, besides the four thousand dollars he
+had that evening given to Colonel Bonifield. He sat by his window
+and considered the advisability of returning at once to New York and
+demanding an explanation. Such a course would take him away from Gold
+Bluff, from Gray Rocks, and from Louise.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.—An AWAKENING.
+
+9148
+
+ANCE GILDER [140] was not of a morose nature. The following morning he
+ate as hearty a breakfast as ever, and while smoking his morning cigar,
+acknowledged to himself that he had fallen in love with the picturesque
+scenery of the mountains, rivers, valleys and everything about him
+was restful, while an alluring contentment stole into his heart. He
+congratulated himself that he was far away from the hot and crowded
+metropolis of the Atlantic seaboard. Here, far removed from “the busy
+marts of men,” and the restless commotion of commerce and traffic, he
+could rest and wait.
+
+The day passed quickly by; the afternoons and evenings usually in the
+society of Louise. They were bewildering days in their completeness. The
+night claimed the day all too soon when in her society.
+
+He was surprised, after the first shock of disappointment had passed
+away, to find how indifferent he was becoming in regard to the loss of
+his position on the Banner.
+
+One morning he awakened to a keen sense of incompleteness where
+completeness had dwelt. Also around Gold Bluff, he [141] covered a vein
+of discontent where contentment had reigned supreme. His love of the
+mountains, the rivers, and the picturesque scenery was but a prelude of
+promise, thumbing sweetly of the great, unselfish love awakened in him
+for Louise.
+
+This unrest dated from a certain evening when Louise first sang for him.
+He was quite entranced by the full, rich volume of her contralto voice.
+
+She began by striking the chords in a hesitating way; but presently the
+genius of her musical nature seized her with its wonderful power, and
+she sang with wild abandon:
+
+
+‘We seemed to those who saw us meet
+
+The casual friends of every day;
+
+His courtesy was frank and sweet,
+
+My smile was unrestrained and gay.
+
+
+But yet, if one the other’s name
+
+In some unguarded moment heard,
+
+The heart you thought so free and tame
+
+Would flutter like a frightened bird.”
+
+
+As she sang Vance gave himself up to the intoxication of the moment. His
+soul broke through the barriers and went out to hers, and as the song
+died on her lips, and the music ceased with a few reluctant farewell
+chords, he knew that a great and tender love had sprung up in his
+heart—a love that was not for a day, but for all time.
+
+“Miss Bonifield,” said Vance, with emotion, “you are, indeed, a
+constant surprise to me. Your playing is [142] certainly superb, while
+your voice; not only soft and musical, but has great range. To hear you
+sing fills me with a longing to be a better man.”
+
+“Thank you,” said Louise, “I seldom play or sing excepting for
+papa. Your compliment, however, is highly appreciated.”
+
+“As long as I remain in Gold Bluff I hope I will be privileged in
+hearing you sing occasionally.”
+
+“We will promise not to ostracize you altogether, Mr. Gilder,” said
+Louise, laughingly, “but may I ask how long you expect to remain
+with us?” There was just enough hesitation in the question to suggest
+interest.
+
+“I do not know,” replied Vance. “I presume you think it is strange
+that I have remained as long as I have. To be frank with you, Miss
+Bonifield, I have lost my position on the Banner.”
+
+“Lost your position!” said Louise, with unmistakable concern.
+
+“I am indeed sorry,” replied Vance, “whether it is a misfortune or
+not. I had an offer to-day to take charge of the Gold Bluff Prospector,
+and am thinking seriously of accepting.”
+
+“You quite [143] astonish me,” said Louise, “but I know papa will
+be delighted if you conclude to remain permanently in Gold Bluff.”
+
+“Of course,” said Vance thoughtfully, “there is quite a difference
+between the New York Banner and the Gold Bluff Prospector—one a
+cosmopolitan daily and the other a country newspaper without any special
+circulation. It would only be profitable to me as I increased its
+circulation and its importance to advertisers. I shall not decide for a
+few days. I may [144] receive some explanation from the Banner that will
+put a different light upon my dismissal.”
+
+0151
+
+“I have almost made up my mind that I should like to remain in
+Gold Bluff,” continued Vance, looking inquiringly at Louise. “My
+confidence in Gray Rocks is growing daily, and I believe it is only a
+question of a short time until your father’s efforts will be crowned
+with success.”
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” replied Louise, feelingly, “I thank you for your
+confidence and faith in my father. It seems that nearly every one
+disbelieves in his final success. I cannot tell why, yet my faith
+is unbounded. Even sister Virgie has lost hope, and at times papa is
+greatly discouraged because sister and Aunt Sally talk as they do; but I
+am sure in time he will be able to fully prove how mistaken they are in
+their judgment.”
+
+As Vance rose to go he took her hand and said “Miss Bonifield, you
+certainly are a noble daughter, and your father is pardonable for
+wishing to keep you with him in this western country. I am beginning to
+understand what a great strength and support you must be to him.”
+
+“Thank you,” replied Louise, “I am sure you overestimate the
+assistance I am to my father, but my greatest pride is in doing
+something that will add to his comfort, and I am sure papa cannot want
+me with him more than I wish to remain.”
+
+Vance had become accustomed to Louise’s frankness of speech, yet he
+received a shock that thrilled him with delight when she said, “I
+shall be very happy, Mr. Gilder, if you conclude to remain in Gold
+Bluff. You have no idea how lonesome I should be if you were to go
+away.”
+
+Vance’s heart beat wildly, and something seemed to rise up in
+his throat as he attempted to thank her. The expression of his face
+evidently betrayed his feelings, for she quickly drew away, and with
+a formality that was new to Vance she bowed stiffly and said “Good
+night.” After leaving the Bonifield’s home, he followed the road
+which led up the mountain side toward Gray Rocks. The moon, large and
+round, was just lifting itself above the eastern horizon. He walked on
+past the shaft, where the [145] night force of men were busy working
+away toward the 400 foot level, and soon found himself near the old
+prospect shaft on the Peacock. The valley where the little city of Gold
+Bluff nestled was far beneath him. He saw a light glimmering from one
+of the windows in the Bonifield home, and interpreted it as a beacon of
+hope.
+
+9153
+
+He repeated over and over again Louise’s words relative to his
+remaining in Gold Bluff.
+
+“Yes,” said he, “I will remain, no matter what the explanation may
+be from the Banner office,” and filled with this decision, he returned
+to his hotel.
+
+One evening, about a week after receiving the letter dismissing him from
+the Banner force, the mail brought a copy of that great New York paper.
+Vance eagerly perused it to see if it contained his last communication.
+No, it had been rejected, but in its stead he found an article entitled
+“Two Western Towns.” It was a three-column article devoted to Butte
+City and Waterville. It referred in the most vindictive manner to the
+members of the Waterville Town Company, and classed them as a lot of
+town site boomers. It warned eastern people not to be caught and misled
+by such wildcat speculations as were offered by them in the great Thief
+River Valley.
+
+It said the valley was one immense lava bed, interspersed with
+sage brush thickets, alkali swamps and basalt plains. The wonderful
+water-power, it claimed, was an absolute myth; and, in fact, the printed
+statements in the circulars of these “town boomers” were deliberate
+lies. [146] Another thing which eastern investors should bear in mind,
+the paper went on to say, was the fact that the property which had been
+platted into town lots was still government land. The town company
+had no title, and, perhaps, never would have. It branded the whole
+enterprise as the most gigantic confidence game that had ever been
+perpetrated on an unsuspecting public.
+
+It further said the swindling operations of these irresponsible and
+restless town boomers of Waterville were only exceeded in point of
+adroitness by the mining operations in and around Butte City, Montana.
+The article said the mountain sides at Butte City were perforated with
+prospect holes, where hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars of
+eastern people’s money had been expended by local managers in riotous
+living and debauchery, and claimed that it was a safe estimate to say
+that for every thousand dollars put into prospect shafts in and about
+Butte City, not more than one dollar had been taken out.
+
+It spoke of the inhabitants of both Butte City and Waterville as
+plebians of the lowest sort and condition of life.
+
+The worst cut of all to Vance, however, was the closing paragraph, where
+it stated that it was the habit of promoters of these western towns to
+bribe indiscriminately correspondents of eastern papers, and that many
+were weak enough to fall, which was not only unfortunate for the journal
+publishing these flattering falsehoods, but a base injustice to the
+eastern investor, who was led captive with his savings into
+western “booms” through [147] the machinations of unprincipled
+correspondents.
+
+If Vance had been nonplussed on receipt of the assistant’s letter,
+he was now stunned. He thought very little about his own investment
+in Waterville, but rather, what would his old associates on the Banner
+think of him? He regarded the article as a direct thrust at himself and
+his integrity.
+
+After waiting a few days and receiving no further communication from
+the Banner office, and feeling too much humiliation to write to his city
+friends until time had dulled the blow, he concluded to go to Waterville
+and see if he could not make arrangements with the Town Company whereby
+he could return at once the money invested by his old associates in
+Waterville town lots.
+
+The more he thought over the refuting article in the Banner the more
+indignant he became. “There is not a manufacturer or other institution
+in the east rich enough,” said he to himself, “to stand such
+wholesale boycotting as this western country is constantly subjected to
+by the eastern press. It is not conservatism; it is downright injustice.
+I have not been long in the west, it is true, but my respect for it and
+its people is growing. Even Chicago, with all her greatness, energy and
+achievements, is belittled by the boycotting press of the east!
+
+“By birth I am a Gothamite, and by education I am an eastern man, but
+my patriotism for America and all that is American has never prevented
+me from turning up my trousers when there is a heavy fog in London?”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.—VANCE RETURNS TO WATERVILLE.
+
+9156
+
+T [148] was on an October morning that Vance started for Waterville. A
+light frost the night before had made the air sharp and crisp. The frost
+disappeared, however, before the genial warmth of the rising sun, while
+the russet leaves grew brownerer and as the wind stirred them, sang
+brokenly of old age.
+
+October is the scenic month in the mountains. You seem to stand in
+Nature’s picture gallery. The box-alder leaves are as changeable in
+color as a blushing maiden. From the low foothills on up the sides of
+the mountains to the timber line, the elms, the box-alders, and poplars
+grow in profusion. The leaves vary in color from the deepest green to
+the brightest scarlet, the most golden yellow, or the somberest brown.
+The colors are intermingled in this gorgeous panoramic scene with a
+charm and beauty that baffles the most skilled artist’s touch to
+reproduce on canvas.
+
+Vance was seated beside Steve Gibbons on the top of the stage coach, as
+they whirled along in meditative silence. The evening before Louise
+had sung for him. It was music fit for the gods—so rich, so deep, so
+plaintively low, so fascinating. He could see her even now, standing
+on the wide old porch as she bade him good-bye. [149] The mild October
+breeze that stirred the ringlets of her golden hair seemed laden with
+worshipers of hope for Vance, the lover, and he interpreted her every
+word and smile as a token reciprocal of his own deep love.
+
+Presently Vance was brought back from his day dreams to the present by
+Steve Gibbons remarking:
+
+“Things ain’t so powerful brisk down at Waterville jes’ now.”
+
+“Why, how is that?’ asked Vance.
+
+“Oh, I dunno,” replied Gibbons, as he waked up his leaders with a
+spirited crack of his whip, “can’t say jes’ what is the matter.
+But I can tell ye one thing, pardner,” he went on, “I’m mighty
+glad I’m not in the real estate business. In my opinion, them real
+estate agents down thar will be jumpin’ sideways for a sandwich before
+the winter’s over.”
+
+Vance was noticeably depressed by Gibbons’ remarks. He was going
+to Waterville for the express purpose of disposing of his New York
+friends’ property, in which they had invested on his recommendation.
+He cared very little about his own investment. He was willing to wait,
+or even to lose it all, if he could only prevent them from sustaining
+loss on their purchase.
+
+It was late that night when they reached Waterville. Vance was delighted
+to find that Homer Winthrop was registered at the hotel. They met the
+following morning at the breakfast table. The conduct of the usually
+polite and entertaining Winthrop was changed to a sternness for which
+Vance was at a loss to account. As they arose from the table, Vance
+went out with Winthrop and asked him how he was progressing in the lot
+selling business.
+
+“How am I progressing?” repeated Winthrop, as he [150] turned and
+looked coldly at Vance. “I am through. I have left Butte City for
+good.”
+
+“Why, how is that?” asked Vance in some surprise. Winthrop was
+silent for a moment, and then replied: “It is rather strange, Mr.
+Gilder, for you to ask such a question after writing the article you
+did for that New York paper. The Inter Mountain Blade and the Butte
+City Miner both copied the letter. It is hardly necessary for me to
+observe,” he went on, “that it rendered it impossible for me to sell
+another lot in Butte City. Those who had purchased became so infuriated
+that I deemed it best for personal safety to leave the town.”
+
+Saying this, Winthrop turned abruptly and left Vance, who was for a
+moment unable to make a reply. Homer Winthrop’s words both astonished
+and chilled him.
+
+A little later he visited the Town Company’s office, where he found
+Marcus Donald, the resident director, and Homer Winthrop in deep
+consultation. Donald was a man of commanding presence. His associates
+often remarked that Marcus Donald’s face was worth $10,000 in
+an important trade of any kind. He was dignified and commanding in
+appearance, and when one talked with him, the most skeptical fell
+into the habit of believing every word that fell from his lips. Vance
+discovered that he was not wanted, but he determined to vindicate
+himself, and said:
+
+“Gentlemen, pardon me for interrupting, but I must ask your indulgence
+for a few moments. I wish you would read this article. I am humiliated
+enough without any further complications or misunderstandings.”
+
+He handed [151] Marcus Donald a copy of the Banner. Donald adjusted his
+gold-rimmed spectacles and read aloud the entire article, “Two Western
+Towns.” When he had concluded, Vance turned toward Winthrop.
+
+“Is that the letter you referred to?”
+
+0159
+
+“Why, yes,” said Winthrop, “but how is this?” said he, picking
+up the paper. “The Butte City papers published only that part of the
+article referring to Waterville; but how came you to write such a letter
+at all, Mr. Gilder? You certainly know there is not a syllable of truth
+in it from beginning to finish.”
+
+Vance looked first at Winthrop and then at Donald, [152] and replied,
+“I did not write it.” He then proceeded to give them a history of
+his dismissal.
+
+“This was written,” tapping the paper with the back of his hand,
+“evidently to counteract the influence and effect of what I had
+written the week before.”
+
+“Of course that puts it in a different light,” said Donald, rising
+and extending his hand to Vance. “I could not believe it possible that
+you, Mr. Gilder, could be guilty of writing such a libelous article as
+this is.”
+
+Winthrop also accepted the explanation as eminently satisfactory, and
+sympathized with Vance in the loss of his position on the great New York
+daily.
+
+“It has completely killed the lot selling business for me in Butte
+City,” said he, “but fortunately for us, we have made some very
+excellent sales during the past few weeks, and the Town Company’ has
+sufficient money in the treasury to pay all its debts, and the last
+obligation will be paid off before twelve o’clock to-day.”
+
+“Yes,” said Marcus Donald, “they will all be paid off, but it will
+leave the treasury in a depleted condition; but the future, I
+believe, is all right. I hope you will not lose faith, Mr. Gilder, in
+Waterville’s prospects.”
+
+“No,” said Vance, “I have unbounded faith in Waterville, but I
+would like very much to have the Town Company, if possible, return the
+$2,500 which I invested for my New York friends. It would save me much
+embarrassment if I could return them their money’. They doubtless know
+I have been dismissed from the force, and have read this last article,
+which puts an entirely’ different coloring on this western country’
+from what I represented.”
+
+[153] “You must know,” said Winthrop, “that what you seek is next to
+impossible. The money has been paid into the treasury, and no difference
+how friendly I personally feel toward you, or how much the resident
+director, Mr. Donald, may wish to return the money, it cannot possibly
+be done without an action of the directors.”
+
+At this juncture, Marcus Donald invited Vance to take a scat by his
+desk, and he would explain to him carefully and fully the situation, and
+believed he could prove to him conclusively why he was acting for his
+New York friends’ best interests in leaving the investment as it was.
+
+8161
+
+Donald produced a great many maps and carefully spread them out on the
+table, adjusted his spectacles carefully, and with his $10,000 face
+looked squarely into Vance’s, and proceeded to go over the old, old
+story of the unlimited natural resources of the valley. He discussed at
+length, and in a very entertaining and convincing manner, the number
+of acres of land already in cultivation, the probable annual increase
+acreage of farm land; figured out results that amounted to millions of
+dollars. He then carried Vance from one side of the map to the other,
+up to the top, then down to the bottom and back again to the point where
+they had first started; indeed, he quite enthused Vance in regard to the
+future prospects and final outcome of Waterville.
+
+He also confirmed Winthrop’s statement in regard to their inability
+to take any money out of the treasury for [154] the purpose suggested
+without first having an action of the directors.
+
+“I advise you to write to your New York friends,” continued Donald,
+“and tell them their investment is all right, if—mark, I say
+if—they have the nerve to stay with it a year or such a matter. Of
+course this article in the Banner hurts us immensely. It is simply
+a highhanded piece of boycotting; but the west has received similar
+injustice at the hands of the great New York dailies times without
+number in years gone by.”
+
+Acting on Marcus Donald’s advice, Vance wrote a letter that day to
+his New York friends, and afterwards felt better for having done so. He
+determined to remain a week or two at Waterville, and see if there was
+any demand for real estate. Before many days, he began to understand the
+wonderful, far-reaching effects of the late article in the Banner. Rival
+surrounding towns copied it, and with double-leaded editorials called
+attention to a town that had over-reached itself. They denounced the
+various members of the Waterville Town Company as villainous sharks, and
+predicted that the boom had been pricked with a needle that would let
+all the wind out of it.
+
+The transient class of real estate agents and hangers-on, who had been
+doing a rather thriving business, said, “Boys, this ends it,” as
+they blew the foam from their glasses of beer, “we might as well go
+somewhere else as wait and see the dog-fennel grow in the streets of
+Waterville.”
+
+One day Vance called on J. Arthur Boast at his office. He found him
+as elegantly dressed as ever, and engaged in tying up bundles of legal
+papers, deeds, contracts, etc. [155] “Are you getting ready to move away
+from Waterville?” asked Vance.
+
+“No, I am not going away; that is, not permanently,” replied Boast,
+as he stooped to brush a speck of dust from his highly polished shoes,
+“but I do not presume we will have any use for deeds or contracts for
+some time to come, and I am therefore putting them away out of the dust
+until the boom opens up again.”
+
+“You talk a little discouragingly,” said Vance.
+
+“Discouragingly!” said Boast, as he seated himself on the table in
+front of Vance. “Discouragingly! Why, didn’t I tell you the Town
+Company would ruin Waterville? I was away only two weeks visiting, as
+you know, at Gold Bluff, but while I was gone they inflated prices of
+property; made promises right and left that were quite impossible for
+them to fulfill. The newspapers all over the country are denouncing
+them, and the result of it is that Waterville is dead! I say dead, and I
+mean dead, and all on account of the Town Company.”
+
+“Do you suppose,” asked Vance, “that you could possibly’ sell my
+twenty-five lots?”
+
+Boast looked absently’ out of the window and said, “I might sell
+them in time by putting them on my special bargain list.”
+
+“At what price?” Vance ventured to ask.
+
+“Let me see,” said Boast, “you paid $2,500 for them, did you
+not?”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance.
+
+“Oh, well,” said Boast, “I might be able to get $500 for them, but
+it would be a pretty green sort of a tenderfoot that I could load them
+on at even that price. But what’s the use,” said he, facing around
+toward Vance [156] and still sitting on the table, “what’s the use
+of losing your nerve? Within one or two years Waterville will be all
+right. She can’t be kept down. She has natural resources; the richest
+farm lands in the world; the greatest water power of any inland city in
+the United States; marvelous veins of coal; inexhaustible quarries
+of rock; unsurpassed forests of timber; and abundance of water for
+irrigating purposes.
+
+8164
+
+Why, dang it, old fellow,” said he, slapping Vance on the shoulder,
+“Waterville s all right. All you’ve got to do is to hold on to your
+nerve and your lots, and you will come out on top.”
+
+“That’s all very well,” replied Vance, “but the ray of hope you
+hold out is too far away to be very satisfactory at the present time.”
+
+“Every tenderfoot,” replied Boast, “needs a certain amount of
+experience in order to acclimate him to this western country. Your
+experience is just now beginning. After a little Colonel Bonifield
+will strike it rich on Gray Rocks, Waterville will also come out of the
+kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel must be
+pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, Waterville will also come
+out of the kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel
+must be pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, is he not:”
+
+“I believe he is making very satisfactory progress,” replied Vance.
+
+“If the old man should strike it rich,” said Boast, “I would not
+mind connecting myself with his family. Of course, I am not so hard to
+please as you New York fellows.” He looked archly at Vance and smiled
+wickedly as he made this remark.
+
+Vance was indignant at the cold-blooded insinuation of Boast, and
+replied: [157] “While you may have no objections, I don’t doubt you
+will meet some pretty knotty ones before you succeed in winning Miss
+Bonifield.”
+
+“Possibly,” replied Boast, coolly. “Nevertheless, if the old
+Colonel strikes it in Gray Rocks, it’s worth a trial, anyway; but
+come, there’s no use in quarreling over something that hasn’t
+happened, or being down-hearted about a busted boom, so long as a fellow
+has a bottle of red liquor.”
+
+Vance did not wait for him to go through the ordeal of condemning
+himself as a drunken profligate, but let him to finish tying up his
+papers and drink the contents of his bottle alone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.—THE INDIGNATION MEETING
+
+9166
+
+ANCE had [158] been in Waterville something over a week, and his
+enthusiasm was noticeably subdued. One evening he discovered that a
+great many citizens were assembling in the Town Hall. He joined the
+crowd, and found it was composed of representative of nearly every
+family in Waterville.
+
+The meeting was called to order with J. Arthur Boast in the chair. It
+was an indignation meeting. Instead of huzzaing for the Waterville
+Town Company, its members were being vigorously denounced. A speaker
+addressed the chair, and among other things said:
+
+“Where is our sash, blind and door factory? Where is our foundry?
+Where is our woolen mill? Where are our canning factories? Where is our
+great smelting plant, and other manufacturing enterprises which have
+been promised us by the Waterville Town Company? When we see anything
+in a newspaper we have a right to believe what it says. Outside of
+Waterville, the newspapers claim the members of the Waterville Town
+Company to be a lot of restless town site boomers. I believe what I see
+in the papers. The dog-fennel is already growing in our streets—our
+town is dead; not one stranger in a week alights from the train at
+Waterville. [159] We have been deceived, and it is now time for an
+indignant community to assert its rights, take the reins of government,
+so to speak, in our own hands, and give the Waterville Town Company to
+understand that no more bonds of any kind will be voted or subsidies
+given.”
+
+A number of other speakers expressed themselves in bitter terms against
+the Waterville Town Company. The chairman, J. Arthur Boast, finally
+addressed the meeting, and with his thin, piping voice advise
+moderation.
+
+He said it was true that, during his absence, prices had been
+unfortunately inflated, and a reaction had set in. He reminded his
+hearers that he was still in the real estate business, and by listing
+their property with him he would try to put it on his “special bargain
+list,” and thought possibly he could, in time, re-establish confidence
+and create a new era of activity in the real estate business.
+
+Boast was very careful not to openly charge the depression in Waterville
+to anyone in particular, but his insinuations left no room to doubt he
+meant the Waterville Town Company.
+
+It seemed to be the sense of the meeting that retrenchment was in order.
+One speaker advised the closing of the public school. The suggestion
+seemed to meet with favor. Old Dick Ballard pushed his way through
+the crowd, and addressing the chairman, begged the crowd to listen to
+reason. “You know,” he continued, “that I’m your school director
+in this township. The office sought me; I didn’t seek the office.
+Retrenchment in any other line exceptin’ the closin’ down of our
+public school is, perhaps, all right; but do not take a step backward.
+Our public school system is our pride, and should appeal to the
+patriotism of every one here.” [160] In conclusion, he offered to give
+an entertainment with his State Militia Company for the benefit of the
+public school of Waterville. Hi is remarks would probably have been
+effective had not a fiery speaker followed him and advanced the idea
+that by discontinuing the public school it would be a direct rebuke to
+the Waterville Town Company.
+
+“Let it be noised abroad,” said he, “that the residents of
+Waterville refuse to pay any school taxes, and then the Waterville town
+Company will begin to understand that we must be consulted, or we will
+thwart their schemes of booming this town. All they care for, anyway, is
+the money there is in selling town lots.”
+
+The speaker then asked Dick Ballard how much money was in the
+teacher’s fund of the school treasury. Ballard said he did not know,
+but he could find out in a day or two. The speaker then addressed the
+chair, and said:
+
+“I move you, sir, that it is the sense of this public demonstration
+that we quit paying taxes to support a public school in Waterville, and
+when the funds now on hand are exhausted that our school be closed.”
+The motion almost unanimously prevailed. There were a few feeble
+protests, but they were not recognized by the presiding officer.
+
+A little later Vance felt some one plucking at his sleeve, and old Dick
+Ballard motioned him to follow.
+
+“Now, sir,” said Ballard, in a deep whisper when they were alone,
+“there is some mighty important work to be done. Be in the parlor
+of my hotel in half an hour from now. Say nothin’.” At this Dick
+Ballard, with a mysterious look on his face, turned and hurried away.
+
+A little later Vance walked over to the hotel and found [161] Dick
+Ballard, Homer Winthrop, and Marcus Donald. They apparently were waiting
+for him. Ballard was very careful to lock the door securely.
+
+9169
+
+He then turned and said: “Now, gentlemen, we have business of
+importance on hand. Yes, sir, the time has come for us to act, and act
+promptly. Hold on—just wait a moment until I read you a letter. This
+is private,” said he, tapping a letter which he unfolded with a great
+flourish. “This is from General Ira House, the greatest town builder
+in the world. Now, here’s what he says:
+
+“‘I will settle my board bill, no, hold on; that isn’t the place.
+Here it is: ‘Tell the people to be patient. The darkest hour is just
+before the dawn. Waterville is all right.’.rdquo;
+
+“What do you think of that, gentlemen?” said he, folding the letter
+and putting it into his pocket. “I tell you, General House can come as
+near breakin’ the shell and gettin’ at the meat of the kernel as
+any man I ever knew’. He’s brainy, and no mistake. Our citizens
+are excited,” Ballard went on, “and in their excitement they are
+foolish. They’re attemptin’ to bite the hand that is feedin’ us
+all. ‘The Town Company has made this town. I address my remarks, Mr.
+Gilder, to you. Modesty forbids, sir, that I should say to my friends,
+Mr. Donald and Mr. Winthrop, that which I unhesitatingly proclaim to an
+outside party. Now let me ask, Mr. Gilder, if I didn’t tell you long
+ago that the members of the Waterville Town Company were the brainiest
+men this country had ever produced?”
+
+[162] “I believe you made that remark,” replied Vance.
+
+0170
+
+“Yes, sir, and I am proud to repeat the statement, and in the letter
+which I have just read to you I have the evidence, the prima facie
+evidence, that Watcrville is only restin’, as it were, preparatory to
+enterin’ the free-for-all hurdle race, and makin’ the fastest time
+on record. Yes, sir, her time will be a record breaker, and she will
+distance all would-be competitors, notwithstandin’ the slanderous
+[163] and libelous articles now goin’ the rounds in the press.’
+
+“We now,” continued Mallard, “are a ways-and-means committee. The
+closing of our public school would indeed be a calamity. They asked me
+over at the town meetin’ how much money was in the school treasury. I
+told them I didn’t know. I beg you gentlemen’s pardon for my reply,
+I do know. There is not a cent. I was forced into the awkward position
+of tellin’ a falsehood for the good of my adopted city, Waterville.
+Now, gentle men, what do you advise?”
+
+“I think,” said Donald, “that our taxpayers proper are not
+objecting to the expense of our public school. The Waterville Town
+Company owns fully three-fourths of all the property in Waterville,
+and we want the school to go on. The citizens who are the loudest in
+denouncing the expense, and calling most vigorously for retrenchment, as
+a matter of fact, do not pay a penny of tax.”
+
+“You’re right,” said Dick Ballard, glowingly, “that’s the
+talk! There’s argument in your remarks, Mr. Donald, and if I had them
+printed on dodgers I would regard it as a personal privilege to deliver
+copies to members of my State Militia Company, and issue a general order
+to have them distributed over the entire town.”
+
+“I wish to call your attention to one thing,” continued Ballard.
+“No member of my State Militia Company voted to discontinue our public
+school; no, sir, not one.”
+
+Winthrop was called on for remarks, and observed that the demonstration
+was a hasty action that would not be approved, probably, by the people
+themselves on mature reflection. [164] “A few weeks ago,” he went on,
+“these same people were hurrahing; for the Waterville Town Company.
+They expect us to perform wonders in a few weeks’ time, that in
+reality require months, and even years. I fully believe the present
+depression will be followed by a healthy activity that will satisfy the
+most pronounced pessimist in Waterville.”
+
+“Gentlemen.” said Dick Ballard, “there are four of us. Miss
+Virginia Bonifield is a most exemplary young lady, while, as a teacher,
+she is without a peer. I stand ready to pledge myself for one-fourth of
+her salary. Her salary for the entire year is $500.
+
+“Put me down for one fourth,” said Vance.
+
+“I will gladly pay one fourth,” said Marcus Donald, “and my check
+is ready at any time.”
+
+“Count me in on the deal,” said Homer Winthrop “Just one thing,
+gentlemen,” said Dick Ballard, “I am pretty well acquainted with
+Miss Virginia Bonifield.
+
+9172
+
+She posseses the spirit of independence to a very large degree. She is,
+indeed, the daughter of her father, Colonel Bonifield. If she knew that
+her salary was comin’ from a private source, why, you could not get
+her to touch a dollar of it, therefore I think it best to consider this
+compact and agreement strictly confidential.”
+
+Dick Ballard’s views met with the approval of his associates, and then
+the conversation became general. Vance inquired when the Town Company
+would probably hold another meeting.
+
+[165] “Not for some time, from present indications,” replied Winthrop.
+
+“No,” replied Marcus Donald, “I have to-day received a letter
+from Colonel Alexander, and he says it will be necessary, on account of
+pressing business in the Wharfage and Dockage Company down on the Gulf
+coast, to defer holding another Town Company meeting for some months.
+The only thing we can do,” continued Donald, “is to keep a good grip
+on our holdings here and wait. The dark days will roll by like so
+many clouds and the sun will shine again. Waterville will be in the
+ascendency. Strangers will be coming in, bringing money for internal
+improvements; this great valley will be settled up, and successful
+activity, in my judgment, will take the place of the present unfortunate
+depression.”
+
+Vance continued his stay in Waterville several days longer than he had
+at intended. His frequent consultations with Horner Winthrop and Marcus
+Donald led him to believe they were two of the most honorable men he had
+ever met. Possibly they were wrong in their judgment about Waterville,
+but they certainly were sincere. They seemed like men who had been
+fighting for a goal against bitter odds. The goal was finally reached
+when the last obligation of the Waterville Town Company had been paid.
+They were left practically penniless, or at best, with very little
+money; yet they were content to wait until time should lift then out of
+the trough of the sea upon the waves of commercial activity again, which
+they fully believed would come.
+
+When Vance started for Gold Bluff, he said he might see them again in
+a couple of weeks, and again, he might [166] not see them for a year or
+longer. He was wholly undecided what to do.
+
+Arriving at Gold Bluff in the evening, Vance made a hasty toilet and
+called upon the woman he secretly loved so devotedly. She welcomed him
+warmly. Soon after, they were seated in the little parlor where Vance
+had spent so many happy evenings.
+
+The Colonel greeted him enthusiastically.
+
+8174
+
+The open grate was crackling and burning cheerily with a bright wood
+fire, and seemed to add warmth to the welcome extended.
+
+“Am delighted to see yo’, Mr. Gilder, I am indeed, still. We have at
+last reached the 400 foot level. Tempo’ary embarrassments will soon be
+relegated into antiquity, yes, suh; a few days longer, a few days mo’
+of waitin’, suh, and the struggle for a livin’ will be oveh with. No
+matteh how much we may fight against it, we are bound to be wealthy. Of
+cou’se it’ll take a few days yet, but only a few.”
+
+It was evident that the Colonel was greatly in earnest. It was a welcome
+hope to Vance. He briefly related to the Colonel and Louise concerning
+the depression at Waterville, but that he still had hopes that
+eventually—he did not pretend to say exactly when, but some time in
+the future—his investment in Waterville town lots would turn out all
+right.
+
+“On gen’al principles,” said Colonel Bonifield, “I am not
+favo’able to real estate spec’lations. I presume, suh, the reason
+is I know so vehy little about them, but when [167] it comes to a mine,
+suh,’.pecially like Gray Rocks, I inva’ably know, suh, what I am
+talkin’ about. Louise,” said the Colonel, looking at his daughter,
+“let us have some music. I see Mr. Gilder is vehy tired, and we will
+talk no mo’ business this evenin’.”
+
+Louise opened the piano and sang for them. There was a plaintive
+sweetness in the girl’s voice that made Vance’s heart pulse with
+delicious contentment. Hope played back and forth among the chords as
+the music swelled and surged in sweet, symphonious strains. While she
+was singing, he felt how easy it would be to declare his love, but when
+she had ceased, and the last vibrations of music had died away, he knew
+he lacked the courage.
+
+Vance would be called a brave man in the daily walks of life, and yet,
+as Louise’s lover, he was the most arrant of cowards.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.—THE STAGE IS ROBBED.
+
+9176
+
+HE [168] next morning Vance met his old acquaintance, Hank Casey.
+
+“Good morning, Mr. Casey,” said Vance, cheerily.
+
+“Hello, pardner,” was the laconic and somewhat dejected reply.
+
+“I haven’t seen you for some time,” said Vance.
+
+“No, I’ve been prospectin’ round these ‘ere diggin’s, but I
+guess I won’t stay much longer. The court decided agin Steve Gibbons
+an’ me. I think I’ll go back to Butte City afore long. She’s the
+pertest minin’ camp in the ‘hull country.”
+
+“You say the court has decided against you?” repeated Vance.
+
+“Yes,” he replied, “Steve Gibbons an’ we had a law suit agin’
+Rufus Grim over the Peacock. B. Webster Legal is a pretty cute lawyer,
+an’ for a time he made it bilin’ hot for old Grim, but somehow on
+the show-down we got done up. It don’t make much difference how cute a
+feller’s lawyer is, when the court’s prejudiced all out o’ shape.
+I sometimes think old Grim has a ‘nuf sight better title to the court
+of this ‘ere district than he has to the Peacock mine.”
+
+“Your friend Gibbons,” said Vance, “told me sonnies [169] thing of
+this law suit, and I rather expected, with the assistance of an attorney
+like B. Webster Legal, you would succeed in establishing your claim. You
+have my sympathy if an injustice has been done you.”
+
+“Oh, it wa’n’. no fault of Lawyer Legal, I can tell you, he’s
+a hummer, and a mighty social chap in the bargain; but this ‘ere game
+isn’t played to a finish yet, pardner, not by several great, big moves
+on the chess board. You see, we’ve appealed it to the higher courts,
+but they’re so dangnation slow that a feller had better get a hustle
+on hisself while he’s waitin’ for a decision or he’ll starve.
+When old Grim has his neck broken, honest people may then get their just
+deserts.” He seemed dejected, and soon after took his leave, saying
+that he was going into the mountains to do a little prospecting.
+
+The Peacock mine was constantly increasing its output of the yellow
+metal. Nearly every stage carried shipments of gold bullion to the
+mints. Rufus Grim was growing richer and more pompous. His satellites
+and admirers noticeably increased after the courts had decided in his
+favor.
+
+In the meantime the pumps in Gray Rocks had broken down and delayed the
+work several weeks. Vance was in a state of feverish anxiety. He longed
+to be relieved from the mental strain and know whether he was a half
+owner in a gold mine that produced in paying quantities, or only a half
+owner in a worthless shaft in the mountain side.
+
+He retired one evening at an early hour, tired out and thoroughly
+disgusted with his achievements in the west. He was awakened about two
+o’clock in the morning by a great commotion going on below. Hastily
+dressing himself, he went down to the bar-room, where he found
+everything was wild with excitement. [170] The stage coach had
+been robbed, and it was reported that Steve Gibbons was dead. Hasty
+preparations were being made to form a posse and start in pursuit of the
+highwaymen.
+
+9178
+
+The express company had some heavy consignments of gold bullion sent
+from the Peacock mine, and it was reported missing. Vance signified his
+willingness to join in the pursuit, and was furnished with a horse, and
+soon after they started pell-mell down the mountain road from Gold Bluff
+in the direction of Waterville, to the point where the robbery had taken
+place.
+
+Rufus Grim offered $1,000 for the capture of the perpetrators, which,
+together with a large sum offered by the express company, stimulated a
+feverish interest in the chase.
+
+The sun was just coming up when they reached the place where the robbers
+had sallied forth from a neighboring mountain gorge the morning before
+and committed their lawless work. About two miles beyond, they found the
+only two passengers of the ill-fated stage coach. A gentleman and his
+wife from the east had been visiting Colonel Boast, the rich rancher
+who lived near Gold Bluff, and were returning to their eastern home. The
+gentleman had been relieved of his wallet, containing some $2,000, also
+his watch, diamond pin, and his wife of her jewelry. They were left in
+a destitute condition, and were waiting to take the next stage back to
+Gold Bluff to secure such aid from Colonel Boast as would enable them to
+continue their homeward journey.
+
+They said there were [171] five of the robbers. When they commanded
+Steve Gibbons to stop, he whipped up his horses, and received a bullet
+through his body for his attempted bravery. He fell from the stage coach
+and sustained serious injuries.
+
+0179
+
+The robbers quickly stopped the horses, relieved the two passengers
+of their possessions, secured the express matter and started for the
+mountain wilds, taking with them the four dapple-gray horses that Steve
+Gibbons had prided himself so much in driving.
+
+Gibbons had been carefully cared for by the mountain rancher and his
+wife, where the two passengers were [172] stopping. A physician had been
+sent for and dressed his wounds. He said Gibbons would get well; the
+bullet had struck a rib and glanced off.
+
+After learning these meager details, the posse pushed on into the
+mountains in hot pursuit. They were under command of the sheriff of the
+county. The trail of the desperadoes was easily followed. Along in the
+afternoon, the sheriff called a halt for refreshments. The horses were
+tethered with lariats to some trees that grew near a mountain stream,
+and permitted to graze while the men refreshed themselves with lunches
+which they had brought along.
+
+“We’re twenty-four hours behind the rascals,” said the sheriff,
+“and I don’t know whether we’ll overtake them or not.” Some of
+the men were eager to go on, and others were ready to give up the chase.
+After a rest of an hour or such a matter, the order was given to again
+mount, and the trail was followed until darkness set in. Sleeping on the
+ground with the starry canopy for a covering was a new experience for
+Vance, but he was determined not to show the white feather. What others
+endured he would endure.
+
+About ten o’clock the next morning, they came to a mountain gorge and
+followed the trail to a point where it seemed quite impossible for a
+horseman to ascend, it was so steep and rugged. The sheriff and a few of
+his men dismounted and went on ahead, looking for the trail. They found
+horses’ tracks, but where could they have gone? The grass was deep and
+heavy in the center of the gulch, and fringed with trees and boulders
+on either side. Finally the sheriff returned and reported the trail as
+lost. [173] “They have evidently come into this ‘pocket’ of a canon
+to throw us off their trail. We will have to return to the mouth of the
+gorge and see in what other direction the trail leads.”
+
+The afternoon was spent in searching for the lost trail. Night overtook
+the party again, and rations were very short. Their meal was a frugal
+one, and far from satisfying the hunger of men who had ridden hard all
+day. The horses were securely fastened and the party lay down to
+sleep. Vance made his bed on some bunch grass that grew under the
+wide-spreading branches of a mountain pine. He could plainly hear the
+rippling of a stream which ran near by, and when deep silence settled
+down over the landscape, save the occasional snort of one of the horses,
+the singing of the stream grew louder and louder. The smell of pine
+added to the deliciousness of his novel and strange surroundings.
+Weariness soon overcame the discomforts of his improvised bed, and he
+sank to sleep. Suddenly he awoke in the middle of the night, but found
+everyone else was deep in slumber, save the two guards that had been
+left on duty a few yards from the camp. The stars were winking at him
+from above; a wolf was howling a dismal cadence, and was answered by
+another far away in a different direction. An owl hooted its discordant
+strain from the dead branch of a tree a short distance away.
+
+He closed his eyes, and thought of the wonderful change that a few
+months had brought into his life; but these thoughts one after another
+vanished; and still other fancies went pell-mell through his imagination
+in the panorama of thought. Presently a face appeared on this mental
+canvas—so sweet, so tender, so trusting, and [174] wreathed in
+that smile he knew so well. He started, opened his eye and murmured,
+“Louise.”
+
+The wolf howled again in the distance, and he thought he detected a
+snappish twang in its concluding barks, and wondered if it foreboded
+danger. Occasionally one of the horses would snort and stamp on the
+ground, and then go on munching, munching, the grass on which they were
+feeding. Finally he dozed again and slept. He thought it was only a
+moment afterward, when someone shook his shoulder and told him to get
+up. He opened his eyes and found it was morning.
+
+He hastily sprang up and found there was considerable excitement among
+his associates. The sheriff was missing. About a half hour later he came
+into camp and said he had been out looking for the trail, but could find
+nothing of it. He said they might as well return home.
+
+Vance was not sorry of this decision, for he was hungry and tired and
+sore. There were mutterings, however, among some of the sheriff’s
+posse, and they whispered among themselves as if they suspected their
+chief of crooked work.
+
+It took them two days to return to Gold Bluff. They found Steve Gibbons
+at the hotel, and able to sit up. The robbers had all worn masks, and
+it was impossible for him to give a description of any of them. The
+representative of the express company was evidently disappointed that
+the sheriff had not been able to find the desperadoes; $10,000 of gold
+bullion had been stolen, as well as other valuable express matter.
+
+A few days later, Steve Gibbons declared that he was able to resume his
+place on the stage coach, but it transpired that two of his bondsmen
+had asked to be relieved [175] This was an insinuation that some one
+regarded him as an accomplice in the unfortunate stage robbery. He
+investigated and found it was Rufus Grim who had advised two of his
+bondsmen to be a little careful. During the day, through Vance’s
+assistance, Gibbons succeeded in giving a satisfactory bond.
+
+That evening, a little the worse for drink, he accosted Rufus Grim at
+the post office, where the Gold bluff villagers were wont to congregate
+on the arrival of the evening coach.
+
+9183
+
+Steve Gibbons was evidently the agressor. “Look’ee here, Mr.
+Grim,” said Steve Gibbons, approaching him, “you’ve been
+interferin’ with me for a good many years, and it’s time you was
+lettin’ up.”
+
+“I don’t know, Mr. Gibbons,” said Grim, “that I have ever
+interfered with you. I have plenty of business of my own to look after,
+without bothering with other people’s.”
+
+“That’s all right, pardner,” said Gibbons, “but there’s
+somebody likely to wish they’d never been born if they don’t quit
+foolin’ with me. You advised some of my bondsmen to take their names
+off from the bond, but I’ve got other friends, and jes’ as many of
+‘em as you have, and don’t you forget it!”
+
+“There must be some mistake, Mr. Gibbons,” said Grim, very coolly.
+
+“I know,” said Gibbons, “jes’ what I’m talkin’ about. You
+have tried to infer that I was mixed up in the robbery of the stage
+coach, and I say you are an unprincipled old scoundrel, and a liar in
+the bargain. If I was as strong as I was before I was shot, I’d maul
+the [176] earth with you. You stole the Peacock mine from Hank Casey
+an’ me, an’ I’ve my suspicions that you bought judge and jury to
+beat us in our law suit.”
+
+One would have thought that Grim would have become very angry, but
+instead, he tried to pacify the irate and angry Steve Gibbons. It seemed
+to anger Gibbons beyond description that he could not disturb the even
+temper of Rufus Grim, and finally, in a burst of anger at Grim,
+Gibbons said: “You’d better have your life insured, old man, for
+somebody’s goin’ to be revenged, and the day of judgment ain’t
+very far ‘way, nuther.”
+
+At this threat, Grim turned quickly and reached for his revolver.
+Gibbons was unarmed. A moment later, Grim seemed to master himself, and
+turning away, walked down the street.
+
+Hank Casey put his arm through Steve Gibbon’s and led him to the
+hotel. Gibbons was hilarious, but Casey felt that in his hilarity he had
+been very indiscreet. The next morning, however, he mounted the stage
+coach on his regular run between Gold Bluff and Waterville.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.—REACHING THE 400 FOOT LEVEL.
+
+9185
+
+N the [177] excitement incident to Col. Bonifield’s cross-cutting into
+the vein, the stage robbery, and the bewildering evenings spent in the
+society of Louise, Vance quite forgot about his hopes and fears relative
+to his investment in Waterville.
+
+One evening he was out for a walk near the Bonifields’. Louise was
+standing on the porch. He lifted his hat, and she waved a dainty little
+handkerchief, and came down the road to meet him. There was a troubled
+expression on her face which Vance had never seen before. It cut him to
+the heart, and he feared some great calamity had befallen her.
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” said she, after the morning salutation, “my father
+is very despondent this morning, and while he desires greatly to see
+you, yet he is so broken down that I do not know whether he will be able
+to see anyone until this afternoon.”
+
+“Why, what has happened?” asked Vance, in alarm. They were walking
+along toward the Bonifield residence as they talked.
+
+“So you have not heard?” said Louise, looking up with her big, blue
+eyes. Vance looked at her in astonishment. [178] “You have not heard,”
+she repeated, “that they have finished cross-cutting?”
+
+“No,” replied Vance.
+
+“Yes, they have finished the work,” repeated Louise, and then almost
+broke down in tears. He led her to a seat on the broad porch where the
+morning sun shone full and warm, and begged her to calm herself, and
+tell him what had happened to her father.
+
+“Is it not quite enough?” said she, looking up at Vance through her
+tears, “another disappointment is father’s only reward.”
+
+Vance was shocked, for this disappointment meant a great deal to him.
+
+“Is it possible,” he ejaculated, “and your father was so confident
+only the other night!”
+
+“You will not be angry with father?” said Louise, laving her hand on
+Vance’s arm.
+
+“Angry,” replied Vance, “no; why should I be? He and I are jointly
+interested in results. If they are unfavorable, why, he cannot be more
+disappointed than I am. Had he been successful, we would have been equal
+partners as well.”
+
+“Thank you,” said Louise, “I pity my poor father so much.” She
+dried her eyes a little and then went on: “Aunt Sally was so querulous
+with papa last evening when she heard the result, and it made papa very
+unhappy; indeed, he did not sleep any during the night, though I have
+comforted him as well as I could.”
+
+“And have not slept a wink?” said Vance, looking at her keenly.
+
+“How could I, when papa was so troubled?”
+
+Vance was silent. [179] Presently he spoke: “I will confess I never
+was more disappointed in my life. I was so hopeful your father would
+be successful. Mind,” he continued, hastily, glancing at Louise, “I
+attach no blame to him.”
+
+0187
+
+“Thank you,” she murmured, and Vance went on, “No, I do not blame
+him, neither do I blame myself. Hundreds, yes, thousands have pursued
+the same course. Some of them have been successful, and others,
+ourselves included, have not. I regret that your father should [180]
+have spent so many years of his life in that useless prospect shaft.”
+
+“There is hope yet, Mr. Gilder.”
+
+“Hope,” said Vance quickly, “where?”
+
+“The ore,” she continued, “is richer than at the 300 foot
+level.”
+
+“And do you believe—?” commenced Vance.
+
+“Do not ask me, please, Mr. Gilder, what I believe at this time. Mr.
+Grim was here early this morning and left a proposition with papa. He
+has not the heart, he says, to tell you of it, and requested me to do
+so. You know, Mr. Grim,” she continued, “is said to be a very good
+business man. He has examined the ore found at the 400 foot level, and
+says it is much richer than at the 300 foot level. He offers now, if you
+and papa will give him a half interest in the mine, to furnish the money
+to sink the shaft to the 500 foot level.”
+
+“So,” said Vance, reflectively. Presently he said: “If Rufus Grim
+has confidence to go to the 500 foot level, why not your father and
+I?”
+
+“But it will cost $6,000, Mr. Gilder, and neither papa nor I could
+think of asking you to put any more money into Gray Rocks.”
+
+“I do not think your father should take it to heart so; indeed, I do
+not.”
+
+“He does not care for himself, and neither do I care for myself, Mr.
+Gilder, but we do care for you.” Vance started and the blood mounted
+to his face “You have been so kind to my father and placed such
+unbounded confidence in his judgment, and now it seems as if it were
+impossible for him ever to [181] repay you, unless—,” she hesitated.
+
+“Unless what?” asked Vance, impatiently.
+
+“Unless you would be willing to join father in giving a half interest
+in Gray Rocks to Mr. Grim, and let him go on and develop the mine.”
+
+“What does your father advise? What does he say?”
+
+“He wants to go on to the 500 foot level, Mr. Gilder, and says he will
+give his own half interest in Gray Rocks to Mr. Grim rather than let the
+work stop at the 400 foot level. Father believes that at the 500 foot
+level they will strike ore as rich as any that has been discovered on
+the Peacock, and it looks as if Mr. Grim thought the same way, else he
+would not be so willing to advance the money.”
+
+“Have you confidence in Mr. Grim?” asked Vance.
+
+“We have always distrusted him,” replied Louise, “but perhaps he
+is not so bad and mean as we have thought.”
+
+“And do you think,” asked Vance, “that ore will be discovered at
+the 500 foot level?”
+
+“I don’t know,” she replied, “but I hope so.”
+
+“Would it not be better,” urged Vance, “to give it all up and
+leave these wild mountains and return to civilization, so to speak,
+where your father could enjoy the remaining years of his life in peace
+and contentment?” His words were full of earnestness, and he spoke
+with great deliberation.
+
+“If such an opportunity should present itself,” said Louise,
+“I know my father would refuse it, for he is so high-spirited, and
+moreover, he believes that a little more work, and a little more time
+and expense on Gray Rocks, and his prophecy will be fulfilled.”
+
+Vance rose to go, but still lingered near the beautiful [182] girl,
+as if she were a balm to his evident disappointment. Finally he said:
+“You say it will require $6,000. Now, if you had $6,000, Miss Louise,
+and it was every dollar you had in the world, what would you do with
+it?”
+
+“I would sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to the 500 foot level,” she
+replied quickly. “Shall I tell my father,” she asked, as Vance
+started to go, “that you are favorable to Mr. Grim’s proposition?”
+
+“No,” replied Vance, doggedly, “I have no confidence in Rufus
+Grim. You may tell your father that I say not to worry any more. With
+your permission, I will return in a couple of hours, and will then be
+glad to see him.”
+
+Louise seemed ignorant of any knowledge of Vance’s passionate love for
+her. Her mind and thoughts were so entirely in sympathy with her father,
+whom she loved so dearly and so devotedly. As Vance bade her good-bye,
+she took his outstretched hand as if he had been her benefactor, instead
+of only her father’s friend.
+
+“Your judgment,” said Vance, “has decided me; we will go on
+blasting—down, down, down—through solid rock toward an unknown doom.
+How it will end remains to be seen.” Before Louise could make a reply,
+he had turned and walked rapidly away toward his hotel.
+
+Looking carefully over his accounts, he found he still had to his
+credit, in the Chemical National Bank of New York city, barely $6,000.
+He paced the floor for a full half-hour in deep thought. Finally he
+paused and said aloud, “she would advance her last dollar to sink the
+shaft to the 500 foot level—a weak, little, lovely woman, yet stronger
+in her affections and devotion than a regiment of soldiers. Yes, I will
+do it; I will gamble my [183] last dollar—for it is nothing better
+than a gamble, and yet—well, who knows? We may strike it after all.”
+
+He drew a check for the amount, making it payable to Colonel Ben
+Bonifield. Before signing it, he looked at it long and thoughtfully.
+“Why do I do this? Is it my faith in Gray Rocks? No. Is it my faith in
+Colonel Bonifield? No. Is it my faith in Louise? Yes, a thousand times,
+yes.” His hand trembled a little as he signed his name to the check.
+It was the last throw of the dice. He felt that he had in a measure
+passed his word to Louise. There was a question of daily bread that must
+now be solved. The question was immediately ahead of him. He would call
+on Colonel Bonifield and then devote himself to the bread question. Yes,
+he would solve it.
+
+Strong with resolution, and with a judgment sadly warped because of his
+love for Louise, he returned to the Bonifield home. Louise met him at
+the door, and he went with her into the spacious parlor, where a wood
+fire was burning brightly in the open grate.
+
+“I delivered your message to my father,” she said, “and he has
+fallen into a restful sleep.”
+
+“Do not disturb him,” said Vance, “in this envelope is a check for
+$6,000. Tell him to start to-morrow morning for the 500 foot level.”
+
+The impulsive Louise took the proffered envelope from Vance with hands
+that trembled noticeably, while two great tears dimmed her lustrous blue
+eyes. “Why have you done this?” she asked.
+
+It is probable that Vance would then and there have told her why, had
+not Colonel Bonifield appeared in the door. “Mr. Gilder,” said he,
+“Yo’r presence in my house brings sunshine with it. Yo’ know the
+worst. [184] Louise tells me she has informed yo of the unfo’tunate
+geological fo’mation to be found at the 400 foot level in Gray
+Rocks?”
+
+Louise turned from Vance to her father while he was speaking, and buried
+her face on his breast, weeping in stilled sobs. When Colonel Bonifield
+asked her why she was weeping, she handed him the envelope, and pillowed
+her head deeper on his breast. He opened the envelope and carefully
+scanned the check. The old man’s eyes were dimmed with tears of
+gratitude.
+
+9192
+
+One arm was about his daughter, and the other he extended toward Vance,
+who accepted the proffered hand.
+
+“Suh,” said the Colonel, “Yo’ ovehpoweh me with yo’r
+confidence. I have been workin’ away so long on Gray Rocks, suh,
+that I can’t blame my friends if they should lose heart. But, suh,
+somethin’ keeps a tellin’ me that my effo’ts will yet be rewarded.
+Yo’ honor me by sharin’ my confidence in the outcome of Gray Rocks;
+yo’ do, indeed, suh. There’s good blood, Mr. Gilder, cou’sin’
+through yo’r veins, and there’s a crown awaitin’ yo’ when once
+we’ve reached the 500 foot level; yes, suh. I may neveh have mentioned
+it to yo’, but I once told yo’r father that if he would stay by Gray
+Rocks, it would make him a millionaire. I have forgotten whether I ever
+made the obse’vation to yo’ or not, but I wish to assure yo’
+at this time, Mr. Gilder, in the presence of Louise, suh, that yo’r
+confidence in Gray Rocks is well-founded, and she will make yo’ richer
+than all the possessions left yo’ by yo’r worthy father; yes, suh,
+much richer.” [185] Louise dried her tears and soon was cheerful as a
+mountain thrush that had never known a sorrow. The old Colonel declared
+he had never felt better in his life, and that work should be commenced
+early the following morning.
+
+On his way back to the hotel, Vance called at the office of the Gold
+Bluff Prospector.
+
+“Where is your typo?” asked Vance in the course of the conversation.
+
+“Haven’t got any,” replied the proprietor, “he left this morning
+on the stage. We’ll not be able to get out an issue of the paper this
+week unless we find someone that can set type. Say,” said he, “why
+can’t I sell my printing office to you?”
+
+“I’m not able to buy,” replied Vance.
+
+“Well, I’ll lease it to you.”
+
+“On what terms,” asked Vance.
+
+“I’d lease it to you for one year for half its earnings,” replied
+the good-natured proprietor, who never was known to have enough energy
+to walk across the street to solicit an advertisement.
+
+“What will it earn in a year?”
+
+“Oh, twelve or fifteen hundred dollars—subscriptions and
+advertisements. I own the building. I call this the reception and
+editorial room; the other is the composing room, while the one back of
+where we are sitting is where the printer usually sleeps.”
+
+In Vance’s college days, he had been one of the trio who had edited
+a college paper, set their own type, made up their own forms and
+circulated the issue after night, contenting themselves, for a
+compensation, with the general wonderment of their fellow-students as
+to who were the publishers. He felt that he was capable of acting
+as type-setter, as well as writing editorials, on the Gold Bluff
+Prospector. He examined the room designated as the sleeping apartment of
+the printer, and found it comfortable, yet very plain.
+
+He told the proprietor he thought very favorably of his proposition,
+and believed [186] he would accept it. The printing was done on an
+old-fashioned hand press, which would require the assistance of a boy
+for a couple of hours once a week.
+
+9194
+
+Aside from this, Vance believed he was competent to handle all the
+details and labor connected with the paper. Before he retired that
+night, arrangements had all been made, the lease drawn and signed, and
+Vance commenced operations the next morning as the proprietor of the
+Gold Bluff Prospector. He moved his trunk and personal effects into the
+shabby back room, to be used in the future as his sleeping apartment.
+He settled his hotel bill, and found that he had less than $3.00 in his
+pocket on which to begin the struggle for bread.
+
+It was a new experience, not without its novelty and excitement in
+anticipation, however. After he had arranged his room quite tidily,
+he commenced setting type, and smiled good humoredly to himself as he
+thought of the change from the great New York Banner to the Prospector.
+Yes, he had made sacrifices; and would he not willingly make any more
+to remain near the woman he loved with a love that surpasseth
+understanding.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.—STARTING THE BOOM.
+
+9195
+
+IXTEEN [187] hours a day for three days was Vance’s first experience
+on the Prospector. All day and far into the evening he set type and
+made up forms, until finally the paper was ready to be brought out. It
+contained the retiring proprietor’s bow to the public, and Vance’s
+announcement.
+
+The next evening he called at the Bonifields’. Louise greeted him
+more kindly than ever. The Colonel, after assuring him that excellent
+progress was being made on Gray Rocks, turned the conversation to
+Vance’s new venture.
+
+“Vehy creditable, suh; vehy creditable, indeed,” said he, glancing
+at a copy of the Prospector which he had been reading. “Louise and I
+think yo’ve made an excellent beginnin’, suh, vehy excellent.”
+
+“Indeed we do,” said Louise; “we have often heard, though, that
+editors were quite exclusive, and we didn’t know but that was the
+reason you have not called on us for so long a time.”
+
+“Well, that is the reason,” responded Vance, jestingly. “As
+managing editor of the Prospector, I have been exclusively engaged in
+setting type, making up forms, etc.”
+
+They laughed at Vance’s remark, and complimented [188] him on being
+able to impersonate all the functionaries of a printing establishment.
+In the midst of their conversation, Aunt Sally appeared at the door of
+the parlor, and courtesying low to Vance, said:
+
+“Good evenin’, Mr. Gilder; I ‘low I’ve been wantin’ to sec
+yo’ fo’ some time, suh.”
+
+Vance returned the salutation by rising and bowing politely. As he sat
+down he noticed the Colonel was greatly disturbed, as if he feared a
+storm was approaching.
+
+“Mr. Gilder,” commenced Aunt Sally’, “I consider it my duty to
+inform yo’ that yo’ are makin’ as big a fool of yo’self as my
+brother is of hisself.”
+
+“Come, sister,” said the Colonel, “come, come.”
+
+“Benjamin,” said Aunt Sally, looking hard at him over her
+spectacles, “I shall have my say. I consideh it a duty that I owe Mr.
+Gilder to inform him that he is squanderin’ his money. There is not a
+chance in ten thousand; no, suh, not one, fo’ yo’ to eveh get back
+a penny of the money yo’ve given my brother. Besides, yo’re only
+encouragin’ Benjamin to fool his time away. I have mighty neah worn
+my life out takin’ care of him, Virgie and Louise. Virginia has a good
+deal of sense—a heap mo’, I am proud to say, than Benjamin or Louise
+has.”
+
+“I hope, Mr. Gilder,” observed the Colonel, “that yo’ll remember
+an obse’vation I made some time ago in regard to my sister——”
+
+“What have yo’ been sayin’ about me?” asked Aunt Sally, and
+she looked threateningly at him. The Colonel paid no attention to his
+sister’s remark, and went on:
+
+“Yo’ will remember I obse’ved at one time, suh, that my sister
+was a most ext’ao’dina’y woman; yes, suh, [189] most
+ext’ao’dina’y; she is possessed of a most rema’kable intellect.
+
+0197
+
+There is, however, a slight disagreement in regard to our judgment
+relative to Gray Rocks. She is vehy set in her ways, vehy, indeed; and,
+I am sorry to say, doesn’t share in our belief relative to the final
+outcome of our minin’ property.”
+
+“Benjamin,” said Aunt Sally, still looking at him over her
+spectacles, “it is not a slight difference of opinion; it’s a vehy
+wide one, indeed. If yo’ had a hundred thousand [190] dollars to-day,
+suh, yo’d be grub-stakin’ all the pesky mines in the mountains
+around Gold Bluff; yo’ know yo’ would. There are times, suh, when
+it’s necessary fo’ me to put my foot down, and I ain’t goin’
+to neglect my duty any longer. Mr. Gilder has got to know the true
+situation, and if he has no mo’ sense than to go on givin’ yo’
+money to dig a worthless hole in the earth, why, I’ll wash my hands of
+him, and have the consolation of knowin’ that I told him befo’
+hand what he might expect.” Vance would have been amused, had he
+not observed the pained expression on Louise’s face and the evident
+discomfiture of Colonel Bonifield. In reality, it was an opportune
+time for him to make an observation that he had long wanted understood
+between the Colonel and himself, and therefore he said:
+
+“I am highly honored, Miss Bonifield, by your advice. Your brother,
+the Colonel, has been very enthusiastic in regard to Gray Rocks.”
+
+“Don’t I know it?” interrupted Aunt Sally. “Haven’t I told him
+he was makin a fool of hisself?”
+
+“Well,” continued Vance, “I will not go quite so far in my remarks
+as that, but I will say this—that it would please me very much to have
+the Colonel’s assurance that if he fails to find the wealth he has
+been looking for so many years when the 500 foot level is reached,
+that he will abandon work on Gray Rocks and accept certain offers of a
+pecuniary nature in the east, which I have in mind.”
+
+“Well, if I knew,” replied Aunt Sally, “that there was to be an
+end to this thing, I’d have mo’ patience in waitin’ but my land!
+he no sooner gets to one level than he wants to push on to the next
+hund’ed foot level, and [191] goodness gracious! there’s no end to
+it! Why, if Benjamin had his way, and his life was spared long enough, I
+‘low he’d have a hole clear through the earth!”
+
+The Colonel was noticeably disturbed. He had risen and was walking back
+and forth in a nervous, yet dignified way.
+
+“Yo’r request, Mr. Gilder,” he finally said, “shall be complied
+with, suh, and in complyin’ with it, I hope that I also pacify my
+sister. I give yo’ my word of honor, suh, that when the 500 foot level
+is reached, and we have cross-cut into the vein of wealth that I feel
+positive, yes, suh, positive, is waitin’ to be brought to the light
+of day—if, I say, we should again be disappointed, then I am ready to
+give up my labors on Gray Rocks; yes suh, give up my life’s work.
+Of course, suh, yo’ cannot undehstand and perhaps neveh will, the
+magnitude of this promise.” There were tears in the Colonel’s voice,
+as well as in his eyes, when he ceased speaking.
+
+“Thank the Lord!” exclaimed Aunt Sally, as she raised her hands in
+an attitude of supplication and thanksgiving. “I feel now there’s
+goin’ to be an end of this tomfoolery, and I’ll not say another
+word, nary a word, until the 500 foot level is reached.” She turned to
+Vance as she started to leave the room, and bade him good-evening, and
+assured him that in her opinion she had accomplished a “mighty sight
+of good.”
+
+As soon as the door closed behind her, Vance turned to the Colonel and
+begged him not to take the slightest notice of what his sister had
+said, for he knew her peculiarities and thought nothing of them. He
+also thanked him for his promise. Vance’s words seemed to relieve the
+Colonel greatly, and he became almost himself again [192] before the
+evening was over, and narrated to Vance with a fair degree of enthusiasm
+how nicely the pumps and other machinery in the mine were working.
+
+Afterwards Louise favored them with music, and Vance quite forgot
+himself, so pleasantly was he entertained, until, glancing at his
+watch, he found it was almost eleven o’clock. Soon after, he took his
+departure, and with a light heart wended his way to the printing office.
+
+His infatuation for Louise was of an ennobling character. He was a
+fatalist in this: that he believed when the time came for him to speak
+his heart to her he would have courage to do so, and contented himself
+in loving blindly on.
+
+When he awoke next morning he found a heavy snow had fallen. Nothing
+like it had happened in Gold Bluff before in many years. A great many of
+the mines were necessarily shut down on account of the scarcity of fuel
+to operate the engines. During the next four weeks snows kept falling
+heavier and heavier, and in a measure cut off communication with the
+outer world.
+
+Vance applied himself industriously to his paper, widening
+his acquaintanceship among the people of Gold Bluff, solicited
+advertisements, and succeeded far beyond his expectations.
+
+His friends complimented him on the neat appearance of the Prospector.
+It was filled with excellent reading matter, and its circulation was
+constantly increasing.
+
+Another heavy snow storm during the holidays rendered the roads quite
+impassable and finally work on Gray Rocks was necessarily suspended, nor
+was it resumed until late the following spring. [193] In the meantime
+matters were progressing slowly in the great Thief River Valley. There
+had been no meeting of the Waterville Town Company. Homer Winthrop and
+Marcus Donald regularly opened up the Town Company’s office every
+morning and closed it every evening. Time hung heavy on their hands.
+Thus passed the winter months away in weary waiting for a boom in real
+estate that seemed stubborn and would not come.
+
+Dick Ballard called one afternoon in early April, and suggested that his
+finances were running rather low, and if it would be convenient he would
+like a check for Homer Winthrop’s board.
+
+8201
+
+Winthrop was a proud fellow and disliked to admit that he was, in the
+ordinary parlance, “broke.”
+
+Homer suggested to Ballard the advisability of purchasing a few lots in
+Eagle’s Addition to Waterville. “Or,” said Winthrop, “We can
+let you have a couple of lots adjoining your hotel. You’ve been a good
+friend of ours and we would let you have them cheap, awfully cheap.”
+
+Dick Ballard sat back in his chair, inserted his thumbs in the arm-holes
+of his vest, and said: “Now, lookee here, Winthrop, I have been your
+friend, haven’t I?” Winthrop acknowledged that he had. “I’ve
+been your friend, Mr. Donald, haven’t I?” said Ballard, pointing his
+index finger straight at Donald.
+
+“I think you have,” replied Donald, laughingly.
+
+“Yes, I’ve been Colonel Alexander’s friend; I’ve been General
+Ira House’s friend; I’ve been B. Webster Legal’s friend; in fact,
+gentlemen, I’ve been a friend to the [194] Waterville Town Company
+from start to finish.” He brought his hand clown upon the table
+in front of him with threat vehemence as he made this remark. “Yes
+sir,” he went on, “I have been a friend to you and to your
+enterprise, but when it comes, Homer Winthrop, to selling your uncle
+any Waterville town lots, why, you don’t know me. Oh, no; Dick
+Ballard usually knows which side his bread’s buttered on, and, between
+ourselves, I wouldn’t give you a square meal of victuals for any lot
+you’ve got in Eagle’s addition. No, sir, Mr. Winthrop, money is
+what I want, and pardon me for observing, money is what I, politely,
+but nevertheless firmly, insist that you must produce—if not to-day,
+perhaps tomorrow, and liquidate that little matter of board which has
+now been running for some three months.”
+
+Presently he walked over toward the window and looked wistfully out over
+the sage brush landscape. “The grass is beginin’ to grow,” said
+he, “and I see it is startin’ in the streets as well as on the
+beautiful lots you have for sale. Remember, gentlemen,” said Ballard,
+as he turned and expectorated a vigorous “pit-tew” of tobacco juice
+toward the stove, “what I have said to you never has, nor never will,
+escape the lips of Dick Ballard; no, sir, I’m your friend, but don’t
+try to work me with any town lots in payin’ board bills.”
+
+Winthrop was noticeably’ non-plussed. Donald was laughing contentedly
+and quietly’ to himself at Winthrop’s discomfiture. Ballard looked
+on and chuckled, as much as to say, “I am a heap sight smarter than
+you fellows give me credit for.” Finally he broke the silence by
+suddenly asking:
+
+“Mr. Winthrop, what is your lot worth next to my hotel?”
+
+“Five hundred dollars,” replied Winthrop, looking up.
+
+“I hope you’ll get it,” said Ballard; “yes, I hope you’ll
+sell it for a thousand—but I’ll tell you somethin’,” said he,
+shutting one eye and looking hard at Winthrop with the other, “I
+wouldn’t trade you our militia company’s new snare drum for both
+those condemned lots; no, sir,” and he turned laughingly toward the
+door.
+
+Just here he came face to face with Miss Virginia Bonifield.
+
+Ballard lifted his hat and bowed low, for she was one of his boarders
+who paid promptly. After speaking pleasantly to Marcus Donald and Homer
+Winthrop, she said:
+
+“I am very [195] glad you are here, Mr. Ballard, I want to ask your
+advice.” Dick Ballard was all attention, for if there was any one
+thing he liked to do better than another—barring a drill exercise
+with his state militia company—it was to give advice. Homer Winthrop,
+noticeably confused, pushed the best chair forward and invited Miss
+Bonifield to be seated.
+
+“Thank you,” said she, looking kindly at Homer, who, in turn,
+hushed scarlet. “What I wish to ask is in regard to an investment in
+Waterville.’
+
+“Why, in what way?” asked Dick Ballard.
+
+“In regard to making a purchase of town lots as an investment.”
+
+Ballard coughed immoderately, cleared his throat several times,
+“a-hemmed,” got red in the face, looked helplessly toward Marcus
+Donald, and finally said:
+
+“Nothin’ like it in the world, Miss Bonifield; best investment on
+earth. There’s not another place in the [196] United States will come
+out of the kinks like Waterville. No, sir; if I had a million I’d
+plant every dollar of it in Waterville, every dollar. My land!” said
+he, glancing at his watch, “it is three o’clock! Well, I must be
+goin’.” With this he took up his hat and hastily left the room.
+
+“Is this a map of the town?” asked Miss Virgie Bonifield, rising
+and approaching a map that hung on the wall near where Marcus Donald was
+seated.
+
+“Yes, that is one of the best maps that has ever been gotten out,”
+said Marcus Donald, adjusting his gold-rimmed spectacles.
+
+“And where is Eagle’s Addition?” Marcus Donald pointed it out.
+
+“And what are you selling lots for in that part of town?”
+
+“Well, really, Miss Bonifield,” said Donald, stammering a little,
+“we haven’t been selling very many lots—that is, not recently. I
+will refer you to Mr. Winthrop; he has charge of all such matters, and
+perhaps he can give you better advice than I can.”
+
+“But what do you advise in regard to investments in Waterville?” she
+asked, abruptly.
+
+“Oh, you know we believe in Waterville, Miss Bonifield; we believe it
+is destined to be one of the greatest cities in the United States. Of
+course there has not been any marked activity during the past winter,
+but we are expecting business to open up well, most any time now.”
+
+She turned to Winthrop, and seating herself beside his desk, asked him
+to point out what he considered one of the most desirable corners in
+Eagle’s Addition. Usually Winthrop prided himself on his ability to
+make sales of lots, and he was quite willing to sell to anybody rather
+[197] than the woman by his side. He had been so hard pressed for
+ready-money during the winter and spring that he had shut himself out,
+so to speak, from all society, for the reason that he was destitute of
+even spending money of the most ordinary character. After studying some
+time, he put his pencil reluctantly down on the map and said:
+
+“I consider these lots as desirable as any in Eagle’s Addition.”
+
+“And what are you selling them for?”
+
+“We are asking $100 a lot,” said he, “but we are not selling any
+just now, Miss Bonifield, at all.”
+
+She looked at the map a few minutes, and then said, “You think these
+are about the best lots in the Addition, do you?”
+
+Winthrop almost inaudibly assented. “Well, no—hardly—Miss
+Bonifield; the fact is,” he faltered, “we do not care to make any
+sales at the present time. We are rather expecting some information a
+little later; we—we expect to hold a Town Company meeting, and may
+conclude to reduce the price of lots—and—”
+
+“Or you may raise the prices,” said she, looking archly at Homer.
+“Is it not so.”
+
+“P—possibly,” replied Winthrop.
+
+“Well, I wish to purchase four lots on the corner you have indicated.
+Here is the money,” said she, laying down a roll of bills on his desk,
+“please fix up the deed and leave it at the hotel for me as soon as it
+is convenient.”
+
+“But—hold on,” said Homer. She had risen and started toward the
+door. “You do not mean to make a purchase of lots? I really have not
+advised it; you’d better reconsider—think it over a few days.” All
+of this was stammered out by Winthrop in a hurried and confused manner.
+
+“But I have [198] considered,” said Miss Virginia Bonifield, smiling
+in her own imperious way. “I have fully considered, Mr. Winthrop, and
+desire to make the purchase. Good day.” She was gone.
+
+Donald sat looking over his spectacles, while an astonished and amused
+smile played over his “$10,000 face.” Winthrop looked at the roll
+of bills spread out before him, and then turning to Marcus Donald,
+ejaculated, “Thank God, the boom has started!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.—RUFUS GRIM S AMBITION.
+
+9207
+
+UFUS GRIM [199] was not pleased with Vance’s management of the Gold
+Bluff Prospector. A number of items had appeared in the columns of that
+paper which tended to vindicate Steve Gibbons from all suspicion
+or connection with the stage coach robbery. Grim considered this an
+indirect thrust at himself. His money had made him a lion among the
+people of Gold Bluff, but for some unaccountable reason he was unable to
+secure Vance Gilder’s good opinion.
+
+He secretly had an ambition to represent the people of Idaho in the
+halls of congress, and felt it would never do to let matters go on with
+his own town paper prejudiced against him. On several occasions he had
+made overtures to Vance of a friendly nature, but had, invariably, been
+repulsed. On one occasion he had endeavored to compliment Vance, and
+told him patronizingly, in his uncouth, pompous way, that he was very
+glad such a scholarly gentleman had charge of the Prospector, and that
+he considered him the most refined and cultured gentleman in Gold Bluff.
+[200] Vance had coldly replied, “It is an admirable thing, Mr. Grim,
+to be a cultured and refined man, but it is far better to be a manly
+man.” Grim had agreed with him, while Vance went quietly on setting
+type. The rich miner was irritated at his own lack of words when in
+Vance’s society. With others he was boastful as ever—bragged of his
+gold, and in his own domineering way, attempted to subdue everything
+with which he came in contact.
+
+9208
+
+Those who knew his home life best said he was afraid of his wife. She
+was all formality, and Grim, in his way, honored her, and at the same
+time, feared her. It was whispered that he found more pleasure in his
+stepdaughter’s society than in his wife’s.
+
+Bertha, with her handsome face and lisping speech, humored her
+mother’s whims of formality, and tickled the uncouth vanity of her
+step-father, on whose bounty she was dependent. She was an artful,
+cooing, little woman, full of strategy and deceit, and hopelessly
+untruthful. Her clandestine meetings with her cousin, Arthur Boast, were
+numerous, while in her heart she felt an infatuation for Vance Gilder,
+and was secretly intensely jealous of Louise Bonifield. Outwardly, she
+courted Louise, and never missed an opportunity of calling her “her
+own dear darling,” and telling her how very pretty she was.
+
+In the early days of June Arthur Boast returned permanently to Gold
+Bluff, and at first paid a great deal of attention to Louise, not as a
+lover, but rather as a friend of the family, and by every artifice known
+to his cunning endeavored to enlist her sympathy. He frequently [201]
+observed that no one was his friend, and it pleased him to hear Louise
+say that “she was his friend, and always had been.” He said nothing
+derogatory of Vance’s character, but his insinuations were of a wicked
+nature.
+
+Vance was at a loss to understand why Boast had left Waterville,
+especially as it was rumored that a great boom was going on at that
+place.
+
+One day Vance received a note from Arthur Boast asking him to call at
+the hotel that evening. He said he was indisposed and could not leave
+his room, otherwise he would call at the printing office.
+
+It was after eight o’clock when Vance called at the hotel, and was at
+once ushered into J. Arthur Boast’s room. He found Boast dressed as
+elegantly as ever, in fact, he was scrupulously attired, and resting
+on a divan. He seemed weak, and was quite pale. He no longer spoke in a
+thin, piping voice, but in a quiet, manly way, that at once interested
+Vance.
+
+“I sent for you, Mr. Gilder, because I was lonely and wanted to
+talk with you. I suppose you think I am supremely selfish in this, as
+everything else, but I have been almost sick for the last week.”
+
+“We are admonished to visit the sick,” said Vance, good-naturedly,
+“and I am sure it is only natural that one indisposed should like
+company.”
+
+“It is very kind of you to come, I’m sure,” Boast went on, “I
+have been worried a good deal about a certain misunderstanding that
+seemingly exists between us.” Vance assured him that he knew of no
+misunderstanding.
+
+“No,” said Boast, “not an open misunderstanding; but then I feel
+that you have misunderstood me from the [202] first, Mr. Gilder, and
+perhaps, in a measure, I have done you the injustice of not always
+interpreting your acts as I should have done. I do not know whether
+there is any philosophy in the circumstances which seem to shape my life
+or not.”
+
+“We are told,” said Vance, “that in our strength and manhood we
+should shape circumstances rather than let circumstances shape us.”
+
+“That’s it,” said Boast, “the eternal trying to shape
+circumstances brings on an endless conflict, not only between men, but a
+conflict with one’s own self. I have almost made up my mind that it
+is quite impossible for a man to shape his destiny. Now, as a matter
+of fact, I respect you, Mr. Gilder, highly, and have confidence in your
+ability and judgment. I think you are making a great success of the
+Prospector. It is impossible,” he went on, “for me to tell you why
+I have this confidence or this respect. I also know that you cordially
+dislike me, but why, I do not know, and perhaps you could not tell
+yourself.”
+
+Vance was surprised at this philosophic turn of mind, and began to think
+he had misunderstood J. Arthur Boast all along.
+
+“I cannot help but feel complimented,” said Vance, “by your kind
+words. I will admit that I have never stopped to analyze my feelings
+very closely in regard to yourself, and will not deny that I have been
+unable to discover any affinity between us. Perhaps I have misjudged
+you. If so, I can do no less than make proper amends.”
+
+“You speak [203] as if you would be my friend.” said Boast,
+“friends with me are very scarce. My highest ambition has ever been
+to make friends, and yet it requires no words of mine to tell you what
+a miserable failure I have made of it all. I would like to be Rufus
+Grim’s friend, but he won’t let me. He does everything he can to
+influence my cousin, Bertha Allen, against me, but in that he is making
+a complete failure. She is my friend,” said he with animation. “I
+suppose you know that Mrs. Grim is very ill?”
+
+“No,” said Vance; “I had not heard of it.”
+
+“Yes, she has never been very rugged, and I understand her present
+illness is of a very serious nature. She is so many years older than her
+pompous lord and master, that it would not be surprising to hear of her
+death at any time. Personally, I should regret it, not only on account
+of my aunt, but also on account of Bertha. I dread to think what may
+happen if my aunt should die.”
+
+“You do not regard her sickness so seriously as that?” asked Vance.
+
+“She is certainly very ill,” was Boast’s reply. “I would like
+to go and see her, but I do not presume Rufus Grim would let me into the
+house. But what I desired most to say,” continued Boast, brightening
+up and changing the conversation, “is this: I would like to have you
+be my friend. I wish to be yours.”
+
+Vance was astonished, and for a moment could not reply. Finally he
+said, “I cannot do less, Mr. Boast, than meet you half way in such a
+laudable ambition, I am sure.”
+
+“Ambition,” repeated Boast, “what a detestable word! I sometimes
+think ambition has been the cause of all my misfortune. I have wanted
+wealth all my life, but have not succeeded to any great extent. I ought
+to be in Waterville now, selling town lots and lands. There’s [204]
+great activity down there. I have the ambition but not the strength. You
+may not know it, but my health is seriously impaired. I do not seem to
+have any vitality.”
+
+Vance expressed his sympathy, but Boast seemingly did not notice his
+remarks, and said, “if a man has a clearly defined principle of life
+to follow, why cannot he adhere to it?”
+
+“I think he can,” replied Vance. “No life, in my judgment, has
+ever been a success unless a well-defined principle of action is first
+laid out, and then lived up to.”
+
+“I wish I could believe your philosophy,” said Boast. “The dual
+nature in me continually divides me.
+
+9212
+
+I go to sleep at night filled with the most laudable ambitions; I wake
+up the next morning and pursue an entirely different course, and therein
+lies the conflict—but I know, Mr. Gilder, I am boring you.”
+
+Vance assured him that he was not, but soon afterward took his leave,
+and as he walked along toward his home, he mused thoughtfully over his
+interview with J. Arthur Boast. What a different light had been thrown
+on his character! “Yes,” said he, “I will be his friend. I have
+misunderstood him.”
+
+The next morning the town was startled by the announcement that Mrs.
+Grim was dead. The church bell tolled fifty-six times. Bertha Allen was
+prostrated with grief, while the rich mine owner had the entire sympathy
+of the people of Gold Bluff. Rufus Grim did nothing by halves, and there
+could not have [205] been a more splendid show of grief than that for
+which his arrangements provided.
+
+The works on the Peacock were stopped, and the men, on full pay, invited
+to the funeral. It was an imposing affair. The crape on Mr. Grim’s hat
+was of the widest pattern, and jet studs took the place of his diamond.
+His black suit fit his plump form well, and he seemed subdued with
+genuine grief. Bertha Allen looked very fair and interesting in her
+costume of black. She clung dependently to Mr. Grim’s arm during the
+burial service, and looked unusually pretty, notwithstanding the marks
+of grief and weeping upon her handsome face; indeed, she enlisted the
+sympathy of all who saw her.
+
+The following day work on the Peacock was started up again, and the
+deep, resounding blasts down below the earth’s surface told of more
+gold flowing towards the coffers of Rufus Grim.
+
+The machinery in Gray Rocks mine had been behaving badly. Several big
+breaks had occurred, and work had been delayed at one time for two
+weeks. The days glided by, and October had come again. The rocks high
+up the mountain, overlooking Gold Bluff, reflected the autumn sun,
+while the forests on the mountain side were ablaze with fiery autumn
+tints—nature’s superb clothing.
+
+Colonel Bonifield had ceased, in part, to be the enthusiast of former
+days. Perhaps he felt that he had passed his word to give up work
+on Gray Rocks if disappointment should again reward his efforts, and
+possibly it saddened him.
+
+One evening Vance and Louise had called on Bertha Allen. She was
+beautiful as ever, and lisped in sweet intonation. Her dress indicated
+the grief that still rested [206] upon her. That evening, after her
+callers had taken their leave, Rufus Grim joined Bertha in the parlor of
+his luxuriant home. The weeks that had intervened since the death of his
+wife had not made him entirely forget the proper melancholy tone which
+formality, at least, demanded he should exhibit.
+
+Bertha seemed frightened with some secret fear and anxiety. She knew too
+well that a crisis in her life was approaching. Yes, Rufus Grim came to
+declare himself.
+
+He was confident, as he always was, of the result, nevertheless, there
+was a timidity that prevented him from feeling the full assurance
+that he would have liked. He sat down beside her, and after a few
+common-place remarks, he said, in a voice low, yet audible: “Bertha, I
+have something to say to you.”
+
+“Yes,” she lisped innocently enough, and looked up into his face.
+
+“What I have to say,” Grim went on, in a husky voice, “cannot be a
+matter of news to you. You must know that I love you; yes, love you with
+my whole heart.” His hands trembled and his voice was unsteady.
+
+“You’ve always been so very kind to me,” lisped Bertha, and there
+was gratitude in her voice.
+
+“Heaven knows I have tried to be, and that I have guarded you with
+jealous care ever since you were a little girl and came under my
+protection.” He had taken her hands, but they were unresponsive. “No
+man,” continued Grim, “could love you more than I have for many
+years. Of course you knew what my feelings were—you must have known,
+for have I ever failed to satisfy your every wish and want?”
+
+[207] “Never,” murmured Bertha, as she leaned her head against his
+breast
+
+“Yes, I have protected you,” he went on, as he laid one arm about
+her slender form, “I have kept you from the young scape-grace, your
+cousin, Arthur Boast. I feared he was trying to make love to you, and
+for that reason forbade him the house.”
+
+0215
+
+“Oh, how could you think such a thing?” said she, in her soft,
+cooing way, yet with a half-indignant intonation in her voice.
+
+[208] “Oh, I am perfectly content now,” replied Grim, and his old,
+pompous air and manner of speech began to assert themselves. “Of
+course I could not show you my heart in all its tenderness—I was
+a husband and had to control myself—but now, it seems as if all
+obstacles have been removed. Do you love me, Bertha? I have thought many
+times that I could read my answer in your eyes, but I long to hear you
+say so.”
+
+“Yes,” whispered Bertha, “I love you so much.”
+
+In his daily walks, Rufus Grim was an over-bearing, selfish man, but now
+he was softened, and his emotion was very great. He looked tenderly and
+longingly on the drooping head beside him, and was for a time completely
+absorbed in the intensity of his love for the artful girl at his side.
+
+Yes, she was fooling him. She was the affianced wife of J. Arthur Boast,
+and yet she must play her part.
+
+“And may I one day call you wife?” said Rufus Grim, pressing her
+closely to him and kissing her reverently on the forehead. “Say in a
+year from now,” he pleaded.
+
+“Yes,” she lisped, gently pressing his hand, “it shall be as you
+say.” As a matter of truth, she was mentally speculating how she could
+get out of this horrible scrape. He had said in a year—that was a
+long time. She would have ample opportunity to free herself in some way.
+Arthur must help her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.—THE GOLDEN MAUSOLEUM.
+
+9217
+
+GRIM [209] was a happy man. He would conceal his joy for one short year,
+and then—and then—. He had at last reached the top-most craig of all
+his worldly hopes. Wealth was his, and now he had secured the promise of
+Bertha Allen to be his wife. He called at his lawyer’s office the next
+day and told him he wished to add a codicil to his will. He spoke in his
+usual loud and confident way, and seemed to constantly remember that he
+was not only the richest man in Gold Bluff, but, by big odds, the most
+fortunate.
+
+The lawyer knew his client. He knew his whims and wisely humored his
+eccentricities. It needed but little encouragement and flattery to set
+Rufus Grim going, recounting the steps he had carved out for himself on
+life’s journey, and the pinnacle to which he had climbed.
+
+Arthur Boast came in and took a seat in the outer room, Grim requested
+the lawyer to close the door, and asked him what he let that young
+scoundrel come about the premises for. Then he seemed to remember that
+he was the victor, and why should he still hold malice? After a little,
+he again referred to the matter of changing his will, and when the
+lawyer was ready, he [210] dictated a codicil bequeathing all his
+possessions unconditionally to Bertha Allen, to which he attached his
+signature. The lawyer showed no signs of astonishment at Rufus Grim’s
+action, though he guessed the relationship that existed between his
+client and Bertha Allen.
+
+That evening a clandestine meeting between Bertha and her cousin, Arthur
+Boast, had been arranged.
+
+9218
+
+Her first words, after the greeting and a kiss of welcome, were in
+regard to the ordeal she had passed through with Mr. Grim.
+
+“To think, Arthur,” lisped Bertha, “of that old fool asking me to
+be his wife! Why, I really thought I would die, I did indeed!”
+
+“And what did you say?” asked Boast.
+
+“Why, you sweet old darling, what could I say but give him to
+understand that perhaps I was willing? I told him to wait a year, and
+then—.”
+
+“Yes, and then?” hissed Arthur, through his teeth.
+
+“Oh, don’t be foolish, my own darling,” said she, slipping her
+arms about his neck, “you know I was only pretending; you know that I
+loathe him, but I have been dependent on his bounty for so many years.
+I am only too ready, Arthur, to go with you; yes, to the ends of the
+earth.” She caressed him tenderly, and Arthur’s ill-feeling gave way
+before her tender entreaties.
+
+He had heard Rufus Grim dictating the codicil to his will, and had been
+fired with a mad jealousy, but she had confessed all at their first
+meeting, and he felt relieved. He would not tell her of the codicil to
+the will; no, not now.
+
+[211] “We must not delay our marriage much longer,” said Bertha,
+sweetly, “we really must not, Arthur; you must save me from that old
+bear. Oh, how I hate him!”
+
+“Did he attempt to caress you?” asked Arthur.
+
+“Yes,” replied Bertha, slowly, “but he only kissed me once.”
+
+“Only kissed you once!” cried Arthur, and with a savage oath he
+pushed her from him.
+
+“Arthur, you’ll break my heart,” she cried in stifled pain, and
+creeping closer to him she clasped his arm with both her hands. “He
+kissed me on the forehead. How could I help it? He is so overbearing and
+so determined—I did not know but he would turn me away from his home
+unless I humored and fooled him. Won’t you forgive me? How could I
+help it?”
+
+“Yes,” said Arthur, clasping her passionately to his breast, “yes,
+I’ll forgive you; but you must go away from Rufus Grim’s house, and
+I will arrange matters and soon we will be married.”
+
+“You make me so happy, Arthur; I could starve, yes, starve willingly
+with you, rather than live with any other man on earth.”
+
+“I think we had better be married soon,” said Arthur, “say in two
+weeks?”
+
+“Impossible!” lisped Bertha.
+
+“No, not impossible,” replied Boast, almost savagely,
+
+“I say we must be married in two weeks. I will take you to
+my father’s for a little while, after which we will commence
+housekeeping.”
+
+“Why, Arthur,” protested Bertha, “you are the most unreasonable
+man living; you are, indeed. How can I [212] be married in two weeks?
+It’s such a short time since mamma died.”
+
+“It must be as I say,” replied Arthur, determinedly, “it is for
+your good. You are left alone in the world, and, Bertha, I love you with
+the only love that I have ever given to any human being. There, don’t
+cry; dry your eyes, my darling, and make up your mind that I know what
+is for your good.” She finally gave in, and the compact was sealed
+with a lover’s kiss and a tender embrace.
+
+The next day was one to be long remembered. Colonel Bonifield called at
+the Prospector office and told Vance that, at last, they had reached the
+500 foot level.
+
+9220
+
+“Yes,” said the Colonel, with more enthusiasm than he had exhibited
+for some months, “we have cert’nly had mo’ trouble, suh, in
+goin’ these last hund’ed feet than all the other distance put
+together, but we have kep’ right along, and finally, suh, we are 500
+feet below the groun’. Of cou’se, there’s a lot of work yet to do;
+in fact, a pow’ful lot, in cross-cutting into the vein, but a week’s
+work, with my present fo’ce of men, will finish the drift-shaft.
+It’s a vehy proud moment of my life, suh, to tell yo’ that afteh all
+the trials and delays we have had, that finally we are down to the 500
+foot level. There’s a little matteh, Mr. Gilder, that I want to speak
+to yo’ about. I’m goin’ to be a little short of money. I think,
+possibly, suh, I have enough fo’ about three or fou’ days’ work
+yet. We have about fo’ty men workin’, and I am anxious to keep them
+until we finish cross-cuttin’.”
+
+Vance was aghast. He knew not what to do, and he frankly confessed to
+the Colonel that the $6,000 which he had given him was, practically,
+every cent he had in the world of ready money; that he had written to
+Judge Patton, who had charge of his estate in New York city, and the
+judge interpreted his father’s will to require his residence in New
+York city in order to enjoy the annuity.
+
+The Colonel thought a moment, and then said: “Don’t bother
+yo’self, Mr. Gilder, it’s a matteh of vehy little importance,
+anyway, I assure yo’, suh; I know my men. Most of them have been
+workin’ fo’ me oveh a year, and I feel perfectly confident they
+will stand by me until we finish the work, even if I haven’t the ready
+money with which to pay them. They’re a grand lot of fellows, I assure
+yo’ they are, and between yo’ and me, every one of them has great
+confidence in Gray Rocks; wonde’ful confidence, yes, suh.”
+
+The Colonel [213] bade Vance good-day and started for his mine, and
+Vance turned to his case with a heavy heart.
+
+The winter was late in coming; though it was the first of November, yet
+the air was comparatively mild, and the breezes soft, yet invigorating.
+
+That evening, Rufus Grim walked back and forth on his wide porch
+contemplating his own importance. After a little, he walked down through
+the village and followed a by-path along the mountain side, up
+toward the old prospect shaft on the Peacock. The night was still and
+beautiful. The moon was in the last quarter; but her rays were obscured
+by lazy, drifting clouds, that hung idly in the heavens.
+
+Arriving at the old prospect shaft, he took off his hat, and pushed his
+fat fingers through his heavy hair. He [214] even unbuttoned his coat
+and leaned against the low wall about the old shaft. Far below him were
+the lights of Gold Bluff shining from many windows. He looked toward his
+home and thought of Bertha.
+
+“Yes, she loves me,” he mused aloud, “she is a darling little
+angel. I always thought she returned my love, and now I know it. What
+a coy way she has about her! What slender hands! Gad; but it was an
+ordeal, the declaring of my love for her, but I fancy no one could have
+done better. No, sir, Rufus Grim is always equal to any occasion.
+
+“I have made myself what I am. After we are married, we will go to New
+York city and Washington. They will say I have the loveliest little wife
+in America—they cannot say otherwise. The men will envy me for owning
+such a jewel. How different she is from other women!
+
+“Bertha!” he mused, “the loveliest name in the world! The little
+minx! Yes, she suspected that I loved her. She refused ‘em all for
+me; that scoundrel J. Arthur Boast, among the rest. He is a clever dog,
+though, and I rather feared him, but now it is all over.
+
+“I wish my law-suit was settled; that is the only speck on my horizon,
+but the decision in the courts above, I feel sure, will be the same
+as in the lower courts. Yes, I am lucky; there’s none luckier on the
+whole face of the earth. I came into this camp with nothing—now look
+at my possessions.” He chuckled to himself, and in an absent way
+kicked his foot against the old wall.
+
+“Here is the place I made the discovery. I presume I ought not to
+blame the dogs of war for being on my track, of course, they want a
+share of this rich mine, but d——— ‘em, they can’t have it. No,
+sir, it belongs to Rufus [215] Grim! The gold I have will protect the
+unmined millions in the Peacock.
+
+“Neither court nor jury shall stand before my ambition. My first, yes,
+my abiding ambition, is for gold, but with it has come a love that
+knows no brooking for Bertha. God bless her! She is so tender and so
+refined—-my cup is full to overflowing.
+
+“They say I am successful. Whom shall I thank but [216] myself? No
+one. I have climbed the rugged and uneven path alone, unaided. I have
+bent men to my way of thinking; I am greater than all of them; yes,
+greater than all. I’ll make my marriage a success too, and with my
+gold and my beautiful wife, I will commence living. No, I have never
+lived; I have merely slaved and existed, but now I am getting ready to
+commence.”
+
+Thus Rufus Grim fed himself on his own egotism, and recounted life’s
+victories, resulting from his own exertions.
+
+0223
+
+A dark form crouched near him, dimly outlined in the uncertain light.
+Presently it crept stealthily up behind him. There was a hurried rush,
+a whistling noise cut sharply through the air; a stifled cry, a heavy
+fall, and Rufus Grinds body plunged forward into the yawning mouth of
+the old prospect shaft, and his life’s work was over.
+
+His anticipated happiness, his pompous joy, his earthly prosperity, his
+vanity and vain-glory, all were over. Had he died by any other method,
+it might have been said that it was well that his death occurred before
+he discovered that Bertha Allen, to whom he had given all that was
+tender in his coarse and pompous life, had cruelly deceived him.
+
+It mattered not now, the decision of the higher courts of earth, but
+rather the decision of that higher court in heaven. A sounding splash
+from murky waters far below resounded back to the outer world like a
+farewell echo, and Rufus Grim’s mangled remains rested near the gold
+he loved so well. Yes, in the vault where his manhood had been bartered
+for gold, he slept. There was gold on [217] every side—gold above him
+and gold beneath him—a priceless mausoleum.
+
+Yes, at last, all that was mortal of the man of inordinate worldly
+ambition and restless energy, reposed in the monotonous sleep of
+unbroken stillness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.—CROSS-CUTTING IN THE MINE.
+
+9226
+
+HE next [218] day Rufus Grim was missed from the Peacock. His manager
+could not understand it. Never before had he absented himself from his
+office without giving the most detailed instructions in regard to work
+in the mine. When the following morning came and he was still absent,
+the manager’s fears ripened into genuine alarm and soon all the
+people of Gold Bluff were discussing the mystery of Rufus Grim’s
+disappearance.
+
+A vigorous search was instituted, which resulted a few days later in
+finding his lifeless body at the bottom of the old prospect shaft. At
+the coroner’s inquest it was decided that he had been murdered, as was
+evidenced by peculiar wounds on the back of his head.
+
+He was laid to rest by the side of his deceased wife, with a
+demonstration that far excelled any funeral that had ever taken place in
+Gold Bluff. Such a cowardly murder excited the sympathy of all who knew
+him. They forgot the pompous, over-bearing owner of the Peacock, in
+listening to the minister’s pious words of commendation over the
+mangled remains of Rufus Grim, the citizen.
+
+The mystery surrounding his demise appealed to all law-abiding citizens
+to help hunt down the assassin. In [219] the feverish excitement it was
+remembered that Hank Casey and Steve Gibbons were sworn enemies of the
+rich mine owner; indeed, the latter had even threatened his life in the
+presence of numerous witnesses.
+
+The sheriff who had so ignominiously failed in running down the stage
+robbers, took the lead in trying to ferret out the murderer and bring
+him to justice. A few days after this, warrants were sworn out for the
+arrest of Steve Gibbons and Hank Casey, charging them with the crime.
+Gibbons was arrested, but Hank Casey could not be found. He had
+disappeared a few days after the murder, and no one knew where he had
+gone. Gibbons maintained a dogged silence and seemed much subdued and
+humiliated that not one of his many supposed friends came forward to
+sign his bond. Handcuffed and accompanied by the sheriff, heavily armed,
+he appealed in vain to many, but without success. Vance made himself
+quite unpopular by offering to sign Steve Gibbons’ bond. The people
+were indignant and said it was carrying his ill-feeling toward Rufus
+Grim entirely too far. As he had no property excepting an interest in
+Gray Rocks mine, which was undeveloped, he was considered incompetent as
+a bondsman and promptly rejected.
+
+One evening Vance worked very late setting type on the Prospector. It
+was past midnight when he went to his sleeping room. He was about to
+retire when he heard some one knocking at the printing office door. He
+admitted the visitor and found it to be J. Arthur Boast.
+
+“Good evening, Mr. Gilder,” said he, “I have come to see you on a
+little matter of great importance to myself.”
+
+“Come in,” said Vance, “I have no light in this room; come on into
+my bedroom.”
+
+[220] “You will remember a conversation we had,” said Boast, “some
+time ago at the hotel.” Vance assented that he did. “Well, I have
+come tonight to claim a little of the reciprocal friendship which you
+promised me.”
+
+“Circumstances,” said Boast, “indeed, shape the destiny of man. Of
+this I am more and more convinced. To think of us sitting down together
+as friends a month ago would have been preposterous, and yet I am happy
+to know we meet as such to-night. What impelled me to send for you the
+night you visited me at the hotel, I am unable to explain; an impulse
+that I was not strong enough to overcome, compelled me to do it. I feel,
+Mr. Gilder, that I have much to be thankful for in your friendship, and
+yet it has all been brought about by a circumstance over which I had
+no control. It was not the result of a premeditated judgment, but the
+outcome of an impulse.”
+
+“I hope,” said Vance, as he reached Boast a cigar and lit one
+himself, “that you have no regrets in regard to our late friendly
+understanding.”
+
+“No, indeed,” replied Boast, “on the contrary I feel that I am one
+of the most fortunate men living. By the way,” he continued, “this
+is an excellent cigar.”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance, “I received a box from one of my New York
+friends. It is a luxury that I am not able to indulge in very freely,
+unless some old chum happens to remember my isolation in these Western
+mountains and takes pity on me.”
+
+“Have I told you,” asked Boast, “that I have quit drinking?”
+
+“No!” replied Vance, in some surprise.
+
+“Yes, I have given up red liquor altogether. The habit got a pretty
+strong hold on me and I was going down hill at a very rapid pace;
+indeed, I had quite given up any hope of ever being anything but a hard
+drinker. Scarcely had I reconciled myself to that belief, than a whim,
+a caprice, an impulse, or whatever you may call it, took hold of me and
+said, ‘No more [221] liquor, J. Arthur Boast; not another drop,’ and
+from that day to this I have not tasted the abominable stuff.”
+
+9229
+
+Vance assured him he was glad to hear of the reformation.
+
+“I am in love; desperately so,’.rdquo; said Boast.
+
+“In love?” repeated Vance.
+
+“Yes, I am in love with my cousin, Bertha Allen, and she reciprocates
+my own tender affection. On her account, if not for my own, I am indeed
+glad the red liquor craze has been overcome, and that reminds me of the
+object of my visit.
+
+“Bertha is such [222] a stickler on formalities and so sensitive that
+I have had hard work to convince her our marriage should take place
+so soon after her mother’s death. Our arrangements were made to be
+married the day after to-morrow. Her step-father’s death, of course,
+complicated matters a little, and she thought we ought to postpone the
+affair. As usual, however,” continued Boast, “I have convinced her
+that she is wrong and I am right, and have finally gained her consent,
+on one condition, that you and Miss Louise will favor us with your
+presence and act as groomsman and bridesmaid.”
+
+Vance was non-plussed at Boast’s remarks, and for a moment did not
+know what to say.
+
+“It will be a very quiet affair,” continued Boast, “immediate
+relatives and all that—she has none, and neither have I, save my
+father and mother. We are to be married at my father’s. There’s no
+one Bertha thinks so much of as Louise. They have been chums for many
+years, and since you profess friendship for me, I feel sure you’ll not
+refuse my request.”
+
+Vance promised to consider the matter and let him know the next day,
+after consulting Louise.
+
+“Very well,” said Boast, “I will call to-morrow. It’s really too
+bad,” he went on, “that a weak little woman like Bertha should have
+had so much suffering during the last few months. Actuated by sympathy
+as well as love, I feel it my duty to set formalities aside, marry her,
+and thus insure to myself the privilege of protecting and caring for her
+as she deserves.”
+
+“Yes,” said [223] Vance, “she has had a great deal to endure. By
+the way, Mr. Boast, do you believe Steve Gibbons guilty of Mr. Grim’s
+murder?”
+
+Boast relit his cigar before answering. “Mr. Gilder,” said he, after
+deliberating, “I hope Mr. Gibbons is innocent. I have tried to look
+calmly at his case, shrouded in mystery as it is. I have tried to blunt
+my ears to whisperings and prejudices and not jump with the multitude
+toward a hasty conclusion Of course, the circumstantial evidence
+against Mr. Gibbous is rather damaging. Mr. Casey’s disappearance and
+Gibbon’s continued silence as to his whereabouts, makes it look still
+worse. The probabilities are that nine out of ten of the people of
+Gold Bluff believe him to be guilty. They have built up a wall of
+circumstantial evidence that seems to be impregnable, and unless the
+public pulse is permitted to cool before his trial comes off, they very
+likely will convict him, To me, mercy seems much more preferable than
+a hasty judgment, Well, good-night, Mr. Gilder. I am sorry to have been
+compelled to call on you at such a late hour, but you know,” said he,
+with a jocular laugh, “it is an urgent case, and when you are as near
+to your nuptials as I am, I’ll forgive you if you should rout me out
+of bed at all hours of the night.”
+
+“A strange man!” said Vance to himself when Boast was gone, “he
+talks like a philosopher. His judgment is seasoned with mercy. How could
+I have misunderstood him as I did? It’s rather odd that he and Bertha
+Allen are to be married. I know Louise will be surprised. After all,
+it’s best that he should marry Miss Allen, and the very fact that
+he makes her his wife at this time when she is left completely alone,
+really ennobles the fellow to me.”
+
+The following day a favorable answer was given to Boast, and the
+marriage took place the next evening. It was indeed a quiet affair.
+Whether Colonel Boast and his wife approved of their only son marrying
+his cousin or not, Vance was unable to satisfactorily decide in his own
+mind; but he and Louise both acknowledged that they felt freed from an
+indescribable restraint after taking their departure.
+
+Almost simultaneously with the announcement of J. Arthur Boast’s
+marriage was the discovery that Bertha Allen was the heiress of all the
+vast possessions of the murdered mine owner. Rufus Grims attorney
+became Arthur Boast’s trusted adviser. Work in the great Peacock mine
+continued, and within a week J. Arthur Boast was in control of affairs;
+indeed, he seemed a changed [224] man. His responsibilities seemed to
+subdue without irritating him. The people were quick to discover new
+elements of strength in the controller of the Peacock, and vied with
+each other in giving him encouragement.
+
+Work on Gray Rocks had not been progressing so smoothly. Old Colonel
+Bonifield, fired with the enthusiasm of a Ponce de Leon, believed the
+forty odd men employed in cross-cutting the drift shaft from the 500
+foot level would remain with him, although his finances were exhausted.
+
+It was on Saturday night that he called his men about him and explained
+his temporary embarrassments.
+
+8232
+
+He paid them off in full, and assured them that three or four more
+days’ work with their united assistance, was all that was necessary
+to reach the gold he had been looking for so many weary years, and
+expressed confidence, in his chivalrous way, that all his employes would
+report the next Monday morning for work, and stay with him until the
+drift was finished. The following Monday morning, however, found but
+a half dozen men reporting for work, much to Colonel Bonifield’s
+surprise and disappointment.
+
+The old Colonel went into the mine with his faithful adherents,
+and encouraged them by his undaunted energy. What could have been
+accomplished by forty men in the space of three days, would require
+fifteen or twenty days with his half dozen assistants. They lessened the
+size of the drift shaft, however, and this would make quite a saving of
+time. Throughout the week, the Colonel, with his handful of assistants,
+labored incessantly. When the next Monday morning came around, he found
+that only three reported for duty. This was indeed discouraging, but
+with a determination that knew no brooking, he went on.
+
+Two days later, [225] his three assistants advised him that their
+families were in want of the necessities of life, and while they
+still had unbounded faith in Gray Rocks, yet they owed a duty to their
+families first and before all else, and could not remain with him any
+longer.
+
+After this, the engineer and fireman took turns in helping the Colonel.
+One man remaining in the engine room performed the work of both. After
+a couple of days of monotonous drilling and blasting, the Colonel one
+evening told Louise of his great discouragement.
+
+“My deah daughter,” said the Colonel, “they have all dese’ted
+me; I am left alone to finish the work in the mine as best I can. It’s
+pow’ful humiliatin’ to be dese’ted just when I am reachin’ fo’
+the last round in the laddeh.” Louise had slipped her arms around his
+neck while he was speaking.
+
+“My dear father,” she said, “why not go to Mr. Gilder; he has been
+so true to you, and I am sure, now that you are so near finishing your
+work, he will give you what assistance is needed.”
+
+The old man stroked his daughter’s hair affectionately. “Yes,
+suh, yo’ are right; he would help me if he could. No one seems to
+undehstand me, Louise, my deah child, except’n’ yo’self and Mr.
+Gilder. I may as well tell yo’ that I called on Mr. Gilder sev’al
+days ago fo’ a little mo’ money, and he told me the $6,000 which he
+had given us was practically every dollar he had in the world. It made
+my old heart bleed to see the pained expression on the [226] noble
+young fellow’s face—pained because he couldn’t help me mo’. I
+explained to him that it made no diff’ence; that my men—the rascals
+who have so shamefully dese’ted me—had confidence in Gray Rocks, and
+that they would stand by me fo’ a few days longeh.”
+
+The Colonel walked back and forth in an agitated way, and held his head
+between his hands. “My God, it will drive me crazy,” he exclaimed,
+“if the work is not finished.” Louise was startled at his manner.
+She noticed that he appeared older than ever before, and condemned
+herself for not giving him more encouragement and help.
+
+“Father, how can I help you?” she asked, imploringly.
+
+“There is no way, my precious little child; come here to me.” He
+seated himself and she nestled on his lap.
+
+“To-morrow morning, father,” said she, “now listen, for I am going
+to have my way—to-morrow morning I am going with you down to the 500
+foot level and help you with the work. I’m not afraid, and I’m very
+strong, too.”
+
+“Why, what [227] would Mr. Gilder say if he knew my little girl
+was down in a mine workin’.” said the Colonel, half amused at her
+earnestness, while he pressed her close and closer to him.
+
+“Mr. Gilder?” repeated Louise, looking dreamily into the bed of red
+coals in the open grate, “we won’t tell him. How heroic it was of
+him to give you every dollar he had in the world! Tell me, father, do
+you think any one else would have done so much?”
+
+“No, suh,” replied the Colonel, “there’s betteh blood
+cou’sin’ through his veins than any man I eveh saw. To be sure,
+he’s a nawth’n man—that is, he was bawn in the nawth; but even the
+old state of Virginia neveh produced a manlier man.”
+
+True to her promise, the next morning found Louise with her father in
+the drift shaft, 500 feet underground. They had carried with them
+a well-filled lunch basket, and worked with a determination born of
+despair. Holes were drilled deep in the solid rock and filled with giant
+powder, then after lighting the fuse, they would retreat until the blast
+resounded in hollow mockery through the caverns of the earth. No sooner
+would the smoke clear away than they would drill again.
+
+While Louise was drilling and putting forth all her strength in work
+that would have tried the courage of the hardiest miner, her father
+would take turns with her, and again he would measure the distance from
+the shaft to see how much farther they had to drift.
+
+It was late in the evening, and they had been working on some time in
+silence, when the Colonel, after making a last measurement, shouted out
+in the stillness, “Well finish it to-night! Bring the powdeh, while
+I drill!” and presently another blast resounded like a death knell to
+hope, tearing away great sections of the adamantine rock. On, on they
+worked—drilling and blasting.
+
+Louise had become well-nigh exhausted, and rested for a moment, when the
+Colonel shouted: “Drill on! Drill on! There’s no time to lose!”
+
+“But, father,” cried Louise, “the powder is all gone. Shall we
+not send the engineer for more? There’s hardly enough for more than
+another blast.”
+
+“No!” yelled the Colonel, almost like a maniac in vehemence, “I
+have no money fo’ mo’ powdeh. [228] Let us use what we have. Scrape
+the cans and put it all in one great blast. I will drill.”
+
+0236
+
+Louise was frightened. She feared her father was losing his mind. It
+might be, after all, that instead of benefitting him by her constant
+encouragement and belief in Gray Rocks, she had but added to his vain
+hallucination, and the shock of another failure might dethrone his
+reason. While she was thinking, she industriously applied herself to
+gathering from the different cans that had contained the giant powder
+all that was left into one. Yes, there was enough for one more blast,
+but not enough for two.
+
+“Where is the powdeh?” cried the Colonel. She looked at her father,
+whose face was almost as white as the disheveled hair of his uncovered
+head. He had thrown aside his hat and coat, and was wrought up to the
+highest pitch of excitement.
+
+“A moment, father,” said Louise, laying her hand on his arm.
+
+“Let me alone, I have no time to wait,” he said.
+
+“But listen, father, won’t you? Listen to me just a moment.”
+
+“Well, what is it?” said he, impatiently, wiping the perspiration
+from his brow.
+
+“For thirteen years, father, you’ve been striving and striving to
+find gold in Gray Rocks; what if you are no nearer now than you were
+thirteen years ago? Will you be so terribly disappointed, father? Come,
+tell me you will not.” She had her arms about his neck and was looking
+pleadingly up into his face. He pushed her from him.
+
+“Yo’ talk as if yo’ [229] doubted,” said he. “I’m thirteen
+years nearer success to-night than the day I commenced. It’s vehy
+humiliatin’ to me to think that yo’, Louise, should doubt yo’r
+old father’s judgment. Have yo’ forgotten that my blood cou’ses in
+yo’r veins? Are yo’, too, turnin’ against me at the vehy last?”
+
+“Oh, father,” cried Louise, as she clung to him and buried her head
+on his breast, sobbing wildly, “don’t speak to me so harshly! It
+will kill me! Have I not,” said she, between her sobs, “stood by
+you and believed [230] with you, though all others, unless it was Mr.
+Gilder, turned against you? I believe now that you are right,
+father, but it may be deeper down, and I was only trying to make the
+disappointment less hard in case disappointment should again be the
+result of our efforts.”
+
+“There, there, little girl,” said the Colonel, stroking her head
+affectionately, “I do forgive yo’, and yo’ must forgive yo’r
+old, excitable father. Let us put in the powdeh; let us make the last
+blast, and let its resoundin’ peals tell the whole world that we’ve
+done our best!”
+
+“Yes, father; that we have indeed done our utmost; and after this
+blast we will go home and still have faith in Gray Rocks, though the
+whole world disbelieves.”
+
+“We have plenty of powdeh here,” said the old Colonel, picking up
+the can, “to tear ten tons of rock into shreds.”
+
+The fuse was lighted and they retired for protection until the powder
+should ignite. Presently there was a deafening roar, as if the mountains
+were being split asunder. The Colonel grasped his daughter’s hand with
+such a vise-like grip that it almost made her cry out with pain.
+
+“The last blast!” shouted the old Colonel, when the reverberations
+had ceased, “the smoke will soon clear away, and then we shall see,
+yes, suh, we shall see!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.—A STARTLING EDITORIAL.
+
+9239
+
+ANCE knew [231] nothing of Colonel Bonifield’s discouraging labors in
+the mine. Indeed, he had been so busy with other matters that he had not
+found time to call on the Bonifield’s for over a week—a very unusual
+occurrence.
+
+A few days prior to Louise’s experience in her father’s mine, Vance
+had been routed up by some one knocking on his window in the middle
+of the night. It proved to be none other than the missing Hank Casey,
+accompanied by Marcus Donald of Waterville. A consultation that lasted
+several hours followed. An understanding was finally reached, and it
+was agreed that Hank Casey should remain concealed during the daytime in
+Vance’s room, and await developments.
+
+“I may be laying myself liable to the law,” said Vance, laughingly,
+“in concealing a man for whom a warrant has been issued, but,
+nevertheless, I believe what you tell me, and on our mutual friend,
+Marcus Donald’s advice, I shall act my part unflinchingly.”
+
+“Of course,” said Marcus Donald, “it’s none of my affairs in one
+sense of the word, but when Mr. Casey came to Waterville, having walked
+all the way from Gold Bluff by a circuitous route, in order to avoid
+meeting any [232] one, and told me that Mr. Gibbons was about to be
+unjustly arrested for murder, I at once became interested, especially
+with Mr. Casey’s knowledge of the affair.”
+
+“Ye see, pardner,” said Hank Casey, addressing Vance, “I ‘lowed
+things was goin’ to be pipin’ hot in these ‘ere diggin’s, fer I
+heered a rumour that Steve an’ I was both to be arrested. I knowed’
+t’wan’t no use fer both of us to lay ‘round here till our hands
+an’ feet were tied, so, sez I to Steve Gibbons, sez I, ‘Steve, you
+make your perch here in Gold Bluff, an’ don’t you run nary an inch,
+and I’ll scoot out an’ try an’ scare up some help an’ turn the
+tables on these ‘ere chaps. Of course, nuther of us liked Rufus Grim
+any too well; that is, we had no hankerin’ love for him; but I ‘low
+were not quite low enough down to commence murderin’ people, even if
+they did cheat us out of a rich mine like the Peacock. This game ain’t
+out yet,” he went on, “the higher courts may reverse the decision of
+the court below, and in that event Steve an’ I will yet have justice,
+though it s been dangnation slow ‘bout comin’.”
+
+“I am greatly astonished,” said Vance, “at your revelation. It
+is entirely contrary to my theory of the case. I am beginning to feel,
+however, that my judgment amounts to but very little in this western
+country, though I must say I have received great encouragement from your
+words, Mr. Donald, in regard to Waterville property. I will throw a bomb
+into the enemy’s camp by writing an editorial for the Prospector that
+will touch a tender place, if Mr. Casey is correct in his statement.”
+
+It so happened that on the very day that Louise and her father were
+working in the mine, the Prospector was issued, and contained the
+following editorial: [233] THE RUFUS GRIM MURDER.
+
+The history of Rufus Grim’s demise, though still shrouded in mystery,
+will doubtless, when the facts are known, startle the people of Gold
+Bluff even more than the murder itself. It is true that Steve Gibbons is
+accused and languishes in the county jail, and that a warrant is out for
+the arrest of his old associate, Hank Casey. In the excitement of the
+hour, our people may have interpreted circumstantial evidence as
+proof of guilt. As a matter of fact, not one jot or tittle of damaging
+evidence, in the Prospector’s judgment, can be produced against these
+men.
+
+The idea of suicide has been effectually set aside by the findings
+at the coroner’s inquest. No one doubts that it was a cold-blooded,
+cowardly murder. We believe the murderer is in Gold Bluff to-day, and
+like the wolf of old, is clad in sheep’s raiment.
+
+Our people should understand the difference between circumstantial and
+real evidence. It is probably true that both Steve Gibbons and Hank
+Casey were on anything but friendly terms with Rufus Grim, but they
+were not his only enemies; indeed, there is one in Gold Bluff who was
+secretly, if not openly, a much greater enemy to the rich mine owner
+than either of the suspected parties.
+
+It is time that prejudice gave way to reason, and that others, who
+profited much more by Rufus Grim’s removal, should not only
+be suspected, but subjected to the crucial test of a thorough
+investigation.
+
+This article set the people of Gold Bluff agog. The entire camp, from
+center to circumference, seemed startled by the boldness of Vance
+Gilder’s double-leaded editorial. When J. Arthur Boast read the
+article, he was dazed by its audacity. He sent for his attorney, and
+throughout the afternoon a consultation that lasted far into the night
+was held.
+
+Work on the Peacock was shut down the following [234] morning at
+Boast’s request, and the men assembled at the company’s office.
+Boast, addressing the miners, said:
+
+“You, doubtless, have read the editorial in yesterday’s Prospector,
+written by a stranger and interloper in our midst, Mr. Vance Gilder, who
+foully accuses me of murdering Rufus Grim.
+
+9242
+
+I am now going down to the office of the Prospector, and shall demand an
+amende honorable. So many of you as see fit may accompany me.”
+
+“Ay, ay!” the crowd shouted, “we are ready!” Indeed, the
+citizens of Gold Bluff almost to a man, sided with Boast, and said Vance
+was showing a cowardly venom at J. Arthur Boast’s unexpected success
+and good fortune, that was neither dignified nor just. Boast led the
+way to the Prospector office, and was followed by a throng of determined
+miners and angry citizens, who were in a frame of mind that boded no
+good for Vance Gilder.
+
+Louise Bonifield had just come over to the Prospector office with a
+message from her father, and met Arthur Boast at the office door. Louise
+tripped lightly into the office and saluted Vance with a cheery smile
+and good morning, while Boast paused in the doorway.
+
+“Good morning, Mr. Gilder,” said he, savagely.
+
+“Good morning,” replied Vance.
+
+“Who wrote this editorial?” asked Boast, striking vigorously a copy
+of the Prospector which he held in his hand. “I tell you,” continued
+Boast, “I never murdered Rufus Grim, and any man that says I did is a
+liar, abase scoundrel, and a contemptible whelp!”
+
+[235] “That’s right! Ay, ay!” exclaimed the mob that was standing
+behind Boast, ready at a moment’s notice to loot the printing office.
+
+Vance was cool and collected. He noticed that Boast spoke in his
+old-time thin, piping voice, and his eyes were restless and glittered
+like a fiend’s. The element of manhood and of the philosopher had
+wholly disappeared.
+
+Louise stepped quickly forward before Vance could make a reply, and
+laying her hand on Boast’s arm, said: “Arthur, you know I have
+always been your friend. I am sure Mr. Gilder has never accused you of
+murdering Mr. Grim. What do you mean?”
+
+“But he has accused me,” retorted Boast. “Read this!”
+
+Vance stepped hurriedly from behind the case, and drawing Louise gently
+back, stood face to face with Arthur Boast. He was calm and determined.
+“Where,” said he, “where have I accused you of murdering Rufus
+Grim? Point out the sentence in the article where your name even
+appears?”
+
+“Well, you haven’t used my name, but you might as well have done
+so.”
+
+“No,” said Vance, as his eyes gleamed with fiercest indignation and
+anger, “I have not accused you, Arthur Boast, but you, by this act,
+with your mob of hirelings behind you, have accused yourself. Now
+you must, and by the eternals, shall answer to the law. A guilty
+conscience,” he continued, “needs no accuser, and it is your
+accusing conscience that has prompted you to come here and publicly
+charge yourself with the crime. Neither you, nor your host of admirers
+on full pay, can intimidate me. If you can pass through the test of a
+thorough investigation, and can be proved innocent, then I will have
+[236] no more to say, but until you do this, I shall publicly accuse you
+and denounce you as the murderer of Rufus Grim!”
+
+Vance towered up like a giant before the writhing and shriveling form of
+J. Arthur Boast.
+
+0244
+
+“Well, I don’t know that you have accused me in this editorial,”
+whined Boast, “and I don’t know as I need to take any steps of
+revenge until you dare to use my name in your paper. I guess I’ll wait
+and see what my [237] lawyer advises. Fall back, boys, I have nothing
+farther to say at this interview.”
+
+“But I have,” said Vance, in thundering tones, “and before long I
+shall have much to say.”
+
+“Well, you won’t say it through the columns of the Gold Bluff
+Prospector. It is my property; I have the bill of sale in my pocket.”
+
+“Yes,” said Vance, “yours is the weapon of a coward; the unholy
+use of the power of money, but your plan of securing possession of the
+Prospector has no terrors for me. The copy of the Prospector that you
+hold in your hand contains the last editorial I ever expect to write for
+the paper. It may please you to know that my last dollar is gone; I am
+penniless, and without interference from you the Prospector has been
+issued for the last time under my management. I have been typo, managing
+editor, devil, form setter, city editor, publisher and everything else,
+trying hard to make an honest living. I am now through. You and
+your host of satellites will oblige me by leaving the premises. Come
+to-morrow morning and take possession. You’ll not find me in the
+way.”
+
+Boast turned, and facing his mob of backers said, with the forced laugh
+of a whipped man:
+
+“I thought I would squelch him, boys; he had to cave in, you bet.”
+His voice was shrill and squeaky, and his braggadocio air, as he led his
+admirers away, hid but poorly his nervousness and agitation.
+
+Vance and Louise were alone. Louise had stood by during the interview,
+startled and alarmed. She marvelled at Vance’s strength; at his
+grandeur; at his nobleness; and when she heard him say that now he was
+penniless, she remembered the sacrifices he had made to help her
+father. He turned toward her and their eyes met. It came to her like an
+inspiration, that her respect and admiration for him in times past had
+been but a prelude to the pulsing love she now felt for him. She reached
+out both her hands toward him; he took them, and a moment later she was
+sobbing on his breast. No word had been spoken, but volumes had been
+interchanged in that one look.
+
+The doorway was darkened. They quickly looked up, Louise through her
+tears, and Vance with a beaming countenance. Colonel Bonifield was
+surveying the situation with a look of genuine surprise on his face.
+
+“Yo’ almost pa’lyze me, suh,” said the Colonel, “indeed yo’
+do. Why, Mr. Gilder, I sent my little girl oveh here to tell yo’ that
+I had a matteh of vehy great impo’tance to talk oveh with yo’, but
+she was gone so long, suh, [238] that I became impatient and came oveh
+myself.”
+
+“Oh, papa,” said Louise, “Mr. Gilder and Arthur have had a
+terrible quarrel!”
+
+“A quarrel, suh; why, how is that?”
+
+“I am always ready to talk with you, Colonel,” said Vance, in a
+confused way, and unconsciously retaining one of Louise’s hands.
+
+“Well, now, if my little girl,” said the Colonel “God bless her!
+will go oveh home and see about preparin’ dinneh and lay an extra
+plate fo’ yo’, we’ll have our talk and come oveh a little
+lateh.”
+
+While no word had been spoken between Vance and Louise, yet he believed
+that his great love had been understood and rewarded. He lifted her
+hand to his lips as she started to go, with that chivalrous respect
+so becoming in the knights of old. When she was gone, Vance turned and
+thought he saw a smile chasing rapidly over the Colonel’s face.
+
+“Wait a moment, Colonel,” said Vance, “I have some choice cigars
+that were sent me from New York. Here, try this one.”
+
+“Thank yo’,” [239] said the Colonel, “I neveh felt mo’ like
+smokin’ in my life than I do this mawnin’ As they lit their cigars,
+they walked out in front of the printing office. The morning sun
+mellowed the crisp and invigorating mountain air. Vance narrated his
+interview with Boast. The Colonel’s face clouded with a troubled
+expression. Presently he said:
+
+“Mr. Gilder, we have at last finished our work on Gray Rocks.”
+
+“I am very glad,” was Vance’s reply.
+
+“Yo’ fo’ced me, suh, at one time,” said the Colonel, “to make
+a promise. When I pledge my word of honor, suh, as I did to yo’, it is
+sacred. Heretofore yo’ most naturally, Mr. Gilder, have asked me what
+I advised. I now come to yo’ and ask, what do yo’ advise?”
+
+“Colonel Bonifield,” said Vance, “I am glad you ask me what I
+advise. You know, Colonel, when you first came to New York city, you
+thought that if you could only get to the 300 foot level you would
+cross-cut into a mine of untold wealth.”
+
+“Yes, suh,” replied the Colonel, “that is so, and yo’ freely
+gave me the money to push the work.”
+
+“Yes,” said Vance, and unconsciously with the toe of his boot he dug
+in the sand as if he was seeking the 300 foot level, “at the 300 foot
+level your efforts were not rewarded. Then you started for the 400 foot
+level.”
+
+[240] “Yes, suh,” said the Colonel, “and again you gave me the
+money.”
+
+“Yes, yes,” said Vance, as the toe of his boot dug still deeper in
+the sand, “but again you failed. Then I gave you the last dollar of
+ready money I had in the world to sink the shaft on down to the 500 foot
+level.”
+
+“Vehy true,” said the Colonel, “and would have given me mo’ if
+yo’ had had it.”
+
+“Most assuredly,” said Vance, as his boot struck the rock that lay
+beneath the sand. “Yes,” said he, planting his heel firmly on the
+rock, “you have at last reached the 500 foot level. Heretofore, I have
+listened to your advice, and now I hope you will be guided by mine. I
+have been away from New York over two years. I have not left Gold Bluff
+for more than a year. I have remained close to Gray Rocks, alternately
+hoping and doubting that you would be successful. Colonel Bonifield,
+I have no regrets. You have been earnest and sincere, though sadly
+mistaken, in regard to this mining venture.”
+
+“Well, well, suh,” said the Colonel, as he waited for Vance to go
+on.
+
+“I have something [241] to say to you, Colonel—I love your daughter
+with my whole heart, and more devotedly, it seems to me, than ever man
+loved woman before. I have a beautiful home in New York city, with ample
+means to care for her and you. My advice is that you and your lovely
+daughter, with those dependent upon you, come with me and we will leave
+these western wilds, so associated with disappointment, and go to
+my city home. This morning, for the first time, I have had reason to
+believe that your daughter reciprocated the great love I bear her. You
+are now an old man, Colonel, and while I have not a doubt in the world
+that if you would sink your shaft to the 600 foot level, say, or,
+perhaps to the 700 foot level, you would strike the vein of gold you
+have been looking for so many years; yet, what is the use, Colonel
+Bonifield, what is the use? My love for your daughter is very great,
+and I believe it is unselfish. A home of plenty awaits us. Hardships and
+disappointment alone have been the reward of our earnest efforts.
+Why not go away from it all? Yes, let us go and forget the trials,
+hardships, and hopes deferred of a frontiersman’s life, and let me
+help you spend the remaining years of your life in quiet, peace, and
+contentment.”
+
+“Yo’ do me honor, suh,” replied the Colonel, as he brushed a mist
+from his eyes, “bawn in the nawth, yet yo’ possess the true chivalry
+of a southern gentleman. Yes, suh, yo’ do, indeed. It is true we sunk
+the shaft to the 300 foot level, and finally, to the 500 foot level, and
+you, suh, have fu’nished the money fo’ this great work. I thought
+my men would stay with me and help cross-cut into the vein, but I found,
+when I spoke to them about the matteh, that they only had confidence
+in Gray Rocks so long as there was money in my purse to pay their wages
+every Saturday night. When they dese’ted me, suh, I worked away alone,
+and finally that little girl, Louise, went down with me yeste’day
+early in the mawnin’, and we didn’t get home until after nine
+o’clock last night.”
+
+[242] “What!” said Vance, “Louise been working down in the mine?”
+
+“Yes, suh, the hardest day’s work I eveh put in on Gray Rocks was
+yeste’day.”
+
+“Why did you not let me know?” asked Vance, “I would have come and
+helped you most cheerfully, rather than have let her do the work of a
+man, and 500 feet under ground at that.”
+
+“Well, hold on, Mr. Gilder, let me tell yo’. We had a goodly portion
+of giant powder yeste’day mawnin’, and yo’ve no idea how much
+assistance Louise gave me. I took the measu’ments a dozen times, suh,
+durin’ the day, and it seemed to me that by workin’ a little late,
+we might finally blast through into the vein.”
+
+“Yes, Colonel, ‘where the vein might have been,’.rdquo; said
+Vance, with a merry twinkle in his eye, while he struck his heel in
+an absent way against the rock. The Colonel paid no attention to the
+interruption.
+
+“Finally, suh, we made our last, drill, and filled it up with every
+grain of powdeh we had left. My little Louise had to dust every powdeh
+can in ordeh to have enough to make the last blast. We retired, suh, as
+usual, afteh I had lit the fuse, and yo’ ought to have heard that
+last blast go off! My daughter, suh, God bless her, tried to dull
+the disappointment that she felt sure was awaitin’ our effo’ts
+by gettin’ me to promise not to be too much disappointed; but I had
+confidence; yes, suh, right up to the last. Well, suh, the smoke finally
+cleared away, and my God! suh, my old eyes wept for joy!”
+
+“What!” exclaimed Vance.
+
+“Look at this piece of ore, Mr. Gilder; richer, yes, suh, richer than
+anything ever discovered in the Peacock. [243] Yes, suh, my deah
+Gilder, we have made our last blast, and Gray Rocks is worth two million
+dollars. The agent of a rich minin’ corporation of Butte City made me
+an offer of that sum this mawnin’.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.—AT LAST!
+
+9252
+
+EFFECT [244] on the people of a mining camp of one of those fabulously
+rich “strikes” like Gray Recks mine proved to be, may be imagined
+but cannot be described in words. Shopkeeper, citizen and miner alike,
+go wild with enthusiasm over so important a discovery. Congratulations
+were showered upon Colonel Bonifield and Vance from every quarter. Every
+one in Gold Bluff felt it his privilege to call at Colonel Bonifield’s
+home and pay his respects to one who had lived so long in their midst,
+and who had so persistently and so patiently maintained unbounded
+confidence in a proposition that was looked upon by others as a
+money-losing venture.
+
+Independent of the fortune left him by his father, Vance was now a
+millionaire. In his prosperity he did not forget his old friends. He
+called on the sheriff and again offered himself as bondsman for Steve
+Gibbons. The bond was accepted, and a half hour later, Gibbons was
+released. Hank Casey surrendered himself, and was also immediately
+bailed out of custody.
+
+One evening the stage coach brought to Gold Bluff Homer Winthrop and
+his young bride, nee Virgie Bonifield. It was a great surprise to the
+Bonifield household.
+
+[245] “And this accounts,” said Vance to Homer, after he had
+congratulated him, “this accounts for Marcus Donald hastening away
+from Gold Bluff.”
+
+“Yes,” said Homer, “I could not think of having the ceremony take
+place without my old friend and associate, Marcus Donald, being
+present. We have traveled together so long, in adversity as well as in
+prosperity, that we are quite inseparable.”
+
+“He is a great character,” replied Vance, “his disinterested
+assistance and help I have recently seen demonstrated in a marked
+degree.”
+
+“He is one of the ‘salt of the earth,’.rdquo; replied Winthrop,
+enthusiastically, “he is not only a sunny day friend, but one in
+the hour of need—indeed, he is a man among men. By the way,” he
+continued, “I want to congratulate you with all my heart on the great
+Gray Rocks strike.”
+
+“Thank you,” replied Vance, “the prosperity could never have come
+at a more opportune time. My finances was reduced to the last dollar
+when Colonel Bonifield broke the news to me.”
+
+“I received your letter, written some ten days ago,” said
+Winthrop, “and have sold those twenty-five lots your New York friends
+purchased.”
+
+“Thank God for that!” ejaculated Vance.
+
+“Yes, I sold them for $800 apiece, or $20,000. As they only paid
+$2,500 for them, I hardly think they can complain at the profits. Oh,
+you have no idea what a city Waterville has become. The great waterpower
+has been effectually harnessed, the streets are paved; electric car
+lines, planing mills, and scores of other manufacturing concerns are
+in full operation. Our population is now [246] numbered by thousands,
+instead of hundreds, while busy activity and prosperity are apparent on
+every hand.”
+
+“You quite astonish me, old fellow,” replied Vance, “indeed you
+do; but I needed no greater proof of Waterville’s prosperity than your
+report of the sale of lots belonging to my New York friends. Once, old
+fellow, I gave you my promise to wait five years before passing judgment
+on your enterprise. Hardly half that time has elapsed, yet it gives
+me pleasure to assure you that I am already better satisfied with
+Waterville than I ever dared hope for.”
+
+“Thank you,” said Homer, “your ‘Two Honorable Exceptions’
+article in the New York Banner was indeed prophetic.”
+
+“Yes,” said Vance, “while the prophecies of Col. Alexander, B.
+Webster Legal, Gen. Ira House, and other members of your Waterville Town
+Company, have been more than realized.”
+
+“My associates,” said Homer, “in the great work of building up
+Waterville, have at last met with a compensation which I cannot but feel
+is a just one. Taking it all and all, they are a grand lot of fellows,
+each one a study within himself; nevertheless, collectively a phalanx of
+strength.”
+
+“By the way,” he continued, “it was my noble little wife, Virgie,
+that started the boom last spring. She learned in some mysterious way
+that a private school fund had been created for her special benefit, and
+in order to return the money, purchased the first lots that we had
+sold for months and months, and from that day the boom started, until
+now—well, you’ll have to see the place to realize the wonderful
+changes and improvements.”
+
+[247] “Hers,” said Vance, “is certainty a sweet and noble
+character.”
+
+“Yes, indeed,” replied Winthrop, laughingly, “I still think she is
+the most practical member of the Bonifield family.”
+
+“Indeed,” said Vance, “I remember the allusion, and I beg to
+assure you that my opinion remains unchanged in regard to Louise.”
+
+“I notice,” said Winthrop, “that our old acquaintance, J. Arthur
+Boast, has had quite a rise in the world—at the head of the Peacock
+mine, I understand.”
+
+“Yes,” replied Vance, while a sorrowful expression swept over his
+face, “I fear his rise preceeds a mighty fall. Gibbons and Casey have
+been arrested for the Grim murder, but have given bonds, and are waiting
+for their attorney, B. Webster Legal, and to use one of Steve Gibbons’
+expressions, ‘Things are liable to be sizzlin’ hot for Boast before
+long. ‘”
+
+“Why,” interrupted Winthrop, “you cannot mean—”
+
+“Yes,” continued Vance, “I do mean that J. Arthur Boast murdered
+Rufus Grim. I have the evidence. Hank Casey saw the act.”
+
+“Why, you astonish me!”
+
+“Casey,” continued Vance, “was at first afraid to report the
+matter, nor did he until he went to Waterville. You were away at the
+time, and he confided to Mr. Donald. His own and Steve Gibbons’ long
+years of warfare with Grim over the Peacock, he was afraid, would cause
+people to suspect them of the crime. He divined rightly. There is a
+great prejudice against both of them.”
+
+“I never was more surprised in my life!” said Winthrop, [248]
+“and while I never liked the fellow, yet I had no idea he would commit
+murder.”
+
+The next day a warrant was issued for the arrest of J. Arthur Boast,
+charging him with the murder of Rufus Grim. A most diligent search was
+made, but the officer was unable to find him. His wife was in tears and
+prostrated with grief, declaring she had no idea of his whereabouts.
+
+It was the morning before Thanksgiving that Vance received a certain
+letter. It was from Arthur Boast, and read as follows:
+
+At Home.
+
+Dear Sir:
+
+Why I write to you above all others, is more than I can tell. An
+impulse, actuated by some wandering spirit from the regions of darkness
+and the damned, forces me to it. The things I want to do, I am unable to
+accomplish. The acts I loathe and abhor, I am made a cat’s-paw of to
+perform by some unknown impelling force.
+
+It may be that some men can shape their own destiny—mine has been
+shaped for me.
+
+I have never seen the time I did not fear you, and cannot remember
+the time I did not hate and despise you. I sought your friendship for
+protection. When I needed your support, you turned against me.
+
+Rufus Grim was my evil genius in this life, and he is more unbearable
+dead than living. Every night since I murdered him—yes, it was I who
+did the deed—he has visited me in my dreams All night long he walks up
+and down my bed-room—back and forth—and curses me. Sometimes I pull
+the covers well over my head, and try to sleep, but he pulls them off
+and rubs his cold, clammy hands threateningly over my face. He has found
+out also that I robbed the stage coach and bribed the sheriff.
+
+I am tired of it all. I have not slept for ten nights. My brain [249]
+is on fire. You want vengeance, but I intend to cheat you—yes? I will
+cheat you—and in this way I find my only consolation.
+
+An hour ago my attorney came to my hiding-place, and told me the higher
+courts had reversed the decision. When this is known all Gold Bluff will
+turn against me. Even now I can hear them hissing the words. Scoundrel!
+scoundrel! murderer! murderer! in tantalizing scorn.
+
+My ambition has always been to be wealthy. Now I am so poor that if I
+continued to live and was not hunted down and sent to prison, I would
+not even have a crust of bread to eat.
+
+Yes, Gibbons and Casey are now the owners of the Peacock mine—the
+higher courts have so decided. With their money, they’ll join you in
+persecuting me—but I’ll cheat them as well as you. Your longing for
+revenge shall not be satisfied.
+
+At the old prospect shaft on the Peacock, where I struck the fatal blow
+that hurled Rufus Grim into eternity, you will find all that remains of
+the persecuted, despised and hated.
+
+J. Arthur Boast.
+
+To Vance Gilder.
+
+A search was at once made, and his lifeless body found near the old
+prospect shaft.
+
+9257
+
+A bullet wound in his temple, and the weapon still clutched in his hand,
+told of the maniac’s suicide.
+
+The people of Gold Bluff were astonished at the rapidity with which
+history was being made. The sheriff was missing, and his absence gave
+color to Boast’s statement about the sheriff being an accomplice in
+the stage robbery.
+
+The undisputed owners of the Peacock mine, Casey and Gibbons, the
+multi-millionaires, were entirely vindicated by Boast’s letter,
+and not [250] a shadow of suspicion rested against them; indeed, the
+citizens of Gold Bluff suddenly remembered that Mr. Henry Casey and
+Stephen Gibbons, Esq., were most excellent gentlemen. It was astonishing
+to find how many “friends” flocked around them to tender their
+congratulations.
+
+It was Thanksgiving night, and Vance, with the members of the Bonifield
+household, was seated before the open grate, where a cheerful fire
+burned brightly. [251] They had been talking it all over, and the
+Colonel, in a subdued but satisfied way, thanked God that he had been
+permitted to live long enough to see a fulfillment of his life’s
+dream.
+
+8258
+
+Both Louise and Virgie were animated and happy, and Homer Winthrop had
+been dilating upon Waterville’s wonderful prosperity.
+
+Presently the door opened, and Aunt Sally came in. “Good evenin’,
+Mr. Gilder,” said she, in her rich Southern accent, “I ‘low this
+is the happiest day of our lives.”
+
+“Yes, indeed,” replied Vance, “we owe many apologies to your
+brother for our seeming lack of confidence in Gray Rocks.”
+
+She looked at him quickly over her spectacles, and replied, “Lack of
+confidence, Mr. Gilder? I’d like to know who lacked confidence in my
+brother Benjamin’s mine! Fo’ myself, I have believed from the first
+that Benjamin would strike it if I could only keep him workin’ away
+long enough.”
+
+Vance was non-plussed, and was about to reply, when the Colonel
+interposed. “Yo’ see, suh,” said he, with a knowing twinkle in
+his eye, “I have often obse’ved to yo’ that my sisteh is a most
+ext’ao’dina’y person; yes, suh, most ext’ao’dina’y indeed.
+She has been a powehful support to me, suh, in my effo’ts.”
+
+This seemed to partially pacify Aunt Sally. Presently she said, “I
+‘spect, Mr. Gilder, yo’ are thinkin’ ‘bout a convehsation we
+had a few months ago in regard to sinkin’ the shaft. Of cou’se yo’
+didn’t know how much strategy I had to resort to that I might keep
+Benjamin from getting disheartened. Of cou’se I won’t allow nobody
+to say anythin’ against my brother, but I ‘low he is the contrariest
+man livin’, I do indeed, suh. Time and again I have been fo’ced to
+pretend that I was opposin’ him, just to make him go on work in’ and
+sinkin’ that shaft, but at last it is all over with, and I’ve much
+to be thankful fo’ that I was spared so that I could keep on naggin’
+at Benjamin and spurrin’ him up, until finally his effo’ts were
+rewa’ded.” Soon after, she embraced Louise and Virgie tenderly, and
+retired.
+
+When she was gone, the Colonel looked up from the crackling fire, into
+which he had been gazing long and earnestly, and said, “I presume,
+Mr. Gilder, my sisteh is without question one of the greatest characters
+that ever lived, I do indeed, suh. I’m discoverin’, even to this
+day, new traits of superio’ity and strength in her. Indeed, suh, she
+is no o’dina’y woman. Though bawn in the South, and possessin’ in
+a high degree the very great refinement peculiar to our Southern ladies,
+yet at the same time her diplomacy in accomplishin’ great results
+equals the shrewdest Nawthe’n Yankee. Indeed, suh, she is a most
+rema’kable character; yes, suh, most rema’kable.” [252] A little
+later Homer and Virgie retired, pleading weariness. “Do you know,”
+said Colonel Bonifield, looking up from the fire again, “since our
+great discovery was made, I seem to want to do all my sleeping in the
+mawnin’.”
+
+“Papa,” said Louise, “is too busy thinking over and over again his
+great good fortune to get sleepy; but my! how late he does sleep in the
+morning!”
+
+“He has justly earned,” said Vance, “the rest he claims.’
+
+“Indeed he has,” replied Louise, approaching her father and pushing
+gently back his long white locks, “you are my darling old papa,” she
+continued in a caressing way, “and may sit up as late as you like, and
+sleep until noon every day if it is your wish.”
+
+“I’ll tell yo’, Mr. Gilder,” said the Colonel, rising and
+standing before the fire, “this little girl of mine is bound to spoil
+me; yes, suh; she always did humor me eveh since I can remembeh, and she
+is worse now than eveh befo’ Well, well, you’ll have to excuse me
+until I have another pipe of tobacco.” His elegant suit of black of
+the latest pattern added to his dignified appearance, and made a strange
+contrast, Vance thought, with the miner’s garb he had worn for so many
+years. He pushed through the portieres that opened into the library,
+and Louise and Vance were left alone, for the first time since the rich
+discovery had been announced.
+
+A doubt came into Vance’s mind whether he was glad of it or not.
+Heretofore this noble girl whom he had loved so long and patiently
+had been in a measure dependent upon him—now she was an heiress.
+He fancied he detected a restraint in her conversation that was
+embarrassing. His own unworthiness rose up before him, and he was
+engulfed in the cowardice of a lover! What if she should refuse him?
+Cross-cutting into a pinched-out vein would be nothing in comparison
+with such a disappointment. Presently, at his request, she went to the
+piano, and sang for him.
+
+She sang [253] with far more feeling than ever before. Her heart
+was filled with a maiden’s dearest happiness—a deep, reciprocal,
+unspoken love of limitless depth. Yes, with the unerring divination of
+a woman, she knew that Vance’s love was wholly hers. There was a love
+song before her, and under its cover, she would declare her own without
+restraint. She sang with the rapture of a mountain thrush, in notes so
+rich, so innocent, so plaintively low, so delightfully thrilling.
+
+Vance listened with bated breath. There are pleasures so keen as to
+be painful. “I am so inferior to her,” he thought, with unselfish
+humility, “but to live without her is impossible.” Finally she
+ceased playing and turned toward him with the music of her soul radiant
+upon her face. A momentary silence followed.
+
+“Louise,” [254] said Vance, and there was a tremulous rhythm in his
+voice, notwithstanding he tried to crush it into naturalness, “it
+may be news to you, but I can no more help loving you than I can help
+breathing.” He walked back and forth before the open grate. “Please
+do not look away from me,” he went on, “as if I were so unworthy—I
+know that well enough. I would rather love you without hope than
+have the unselfish devotion of all the other women of the earth at my
+feet.”
+
+She had lifted her hands and covered her face. Her happiness was very
+great. She fears he would see it, vet he must know it, else she would be
+miserable.
+
+“What I have said,” Vance went on, “may be nothing to you, but it
+is either life or death to me. To-morrow I shall leave Gold Bluff for
+ever unless you wish me to remain.” Vance stood before the open grate
+still and motionless, and when she looked up, she saw his face was white
+as marble. She rose from the piano with tear-stained cheeks, flushing
+pink as La France roses with morning dew-drops upon them. She came
+forward a few steps, and then paused. Her golden wealth of hair [255]
+reflected the forelight, and made a halo about her girlish face and
+form. Her full red lips were parted with the tender smile of youth,
+purity and love. She was thinking, “I am certain of his love; I am
+sure of mine for him, and I will give myself entirely, yes, wholly into
+his keeping.” With one hand over her beating heart, she held the other
+toward Vance. In a moment he was by her side, and raising her hand,
+pressed it passionately to his lips. In the deliciousness of love’s
+dream, he led her to a divan and seated himself beside her. His arms
+stole about her, her head rested on her breast, and there a devout
+lover’s affection was sealed with love’s first kiss.
+
+A moment [256] later the portieres parted, and in the doorway stood the
+Colonel. His long white hair fell back from his temples, and there was
+a look of gladness upon his countenance. He lifted up his face toward
+Heaven, and in tones that were scarcely audible, said: “Such tender
+and sacred things of earth are sanctified in Heaven.”
+
+Yes, again the Shuttle of Fate wove into the web of Destiny the better
+attributes of a manly man and the ennobling love of a gentle woman.
+
+0261
+
+0263
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg’s My “Pardner” and I, by Willis George
+Emerson
+
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+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      My 'Pardner' and I, by Willis George Emerson
+    </title>
+    <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" />
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+
+    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: justify; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;}
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    .xx-small {font-size: 60%;}
+    .x-small {font-size: 75%;}
+    .small {font-size: 85%;}
+    .large {font-size: 115%;}
+    .x-large {font-size: 130%;}
+    .indent5   { margin-left: 5%;}
+    .indent10  { margin-left: 10%;}
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+    .indent20  { margin-left: 20%;}
+    .indent30  { margin-left: 30%;}
+    .indent40  { margin-left: 40%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {position: absolute; right: 1%; font-size: 0.6em;
+                font-variant: normal; font-style: normal;
+                text-align: right; background-color: #FFFACD;
+                border: 1px solid; padding: 0.3em;text-indent: 0em;}
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+    p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0}
+    span.dropcap         { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 0.8 }
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+
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of My "Pardner" and I, by Willis George Emerson
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world 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.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+
+
+Title: My "Pardner" and I
+       Gray Rocks, A Story Of The Middle-West, Illustrated
+
+Author: Willis George Emerson
+
+Release Date: June 30, 2016 [EBook #52458]
+Last Updated: August 2, 2016
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY "PARDNER" AND I ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger from page images generously
+provided by the Internet Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <div style="height: 8em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      MY &ldquo;PARDNER&rdquo; AND I
+    </h1>
+    <h2>
+      (<i>Gray Rocks</i>)
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      A Story Of The Middle-West
+    </h3>
+    <h4>
+      Illustrated
+    </h4>
+    <h2>
+      By Willis George Emerson
+    </h2>
+    <h4>
+      Chicago: Laird &amp; Lee, Publishers
+    </h4>
+    <h3>
+      1894
+    </h3>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      &ldquo;Beneath yon rocky peak that hides
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      In fleecy clouds its snow-flecked crest;
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      Beneath those crimson crags abides
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      The fairest queen of all the West.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0009.jpg" alt="0009 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0009.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0010.jpg" alt="0010 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0010.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0011.jpg" alt="0011 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0011.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <b>CONTENTS</b>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> PARTIAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I.&mdash;VANCE GILDER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II.&mdash;THE OLD MINER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III.&mdash;THE BANNER FORCE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV&mdash;A SUPPER PARTY. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V.&mdash;AN ODD CHARACTER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI&mdash;THE TOWN BOOMER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII.&mdash;A VISIT TO WATERVILLE </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII.&mdash;AT THE MINE </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX.&mdash;THE STAGE DRIVER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X.&mdash;PROPERTY HAS GONE UP. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI.&mdash;OWNER OF THE PEACOCK MINE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII&mdash;TROUT FISHING. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII.&mdash;THE STAGE RIDE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV.&mdash;THE TOWN COMPANY&rsquo;S
+      MEETING. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV.&mdash;MISS VIRGINIA BONIFIELD. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI.&mdash;THE OLD COLONEL&rsquo;S
+      DISAPPOINTMENT. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII.&mdash;An AWAKENING. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.&mdash;VANCE RETURNS TO WATERVILLE.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX.&mdash;THE INDIGNATION MEETING </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX.&mdash;THE STAGE IS ROBBED. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI.&mdash;REACHING THE 400 FOOT LEVEL.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII.&mdash;STARTING THE BOOM. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII.&mdash;RUFUS GRIM S AMBITION. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV.&mdash;THE GOLDEN MAUSOLEUM. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV.&mdash;CROSS-CUTTING IN THE MINE.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI.&mdash;A STARTLING EDITORIAL. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII.&mdash;AT LAST! </a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /> <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PREFACE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The breaking of a twig in some vast forest, or the dull echo of a miner&rsquo;s
+      pick in a rugged mountain canyon, alike suggest the solitude of Nature.
+      The unwritten history of mining prospectors who search for yellow gold, or
+      the advance guards of our civilization in the rich valleys of the West,
+      are replete-with interest and dramatic incident. The &ldquo;boom&rdquo;
+      town builder also plays a most conspicuous part in this unwritten drama.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are no frayed-out remnants of a former greatness to be found on the
+      frontier. A man sells for his intrinsic worth&mdash;no more, no less.
+      Conditions that made men great in former generations are here active. and
+      develop manhood in its highest form.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is hardly a cross-road hamlet without its hotel, and usually a
+      &ldquo;Dick Ballard&rdquo; presides. &ldquo;Brainy men.&rdquo; such as
+      composed the Waterville Town Company, may be found wherever a new town is
+      building, while a &ldquo;Rufus Grim&rdquo; is usually the autocrat of the
+      mining camp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old &ldquo;Colonel&rdquo; represents a class of sturdy miners whose
+      untiring labor occasionally gives to the world the golden keys of some
+      fabulously rich discovery; while the greater number dedicate their lives
+      to a fruitless search for hidden treasures, and finally die of
+      disappointment and a broken heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Louise,&rdquo; in her unswerving devotion to her father, is a
+      specimen of superior womanhood whose duplicate may be found in many a
+      ranchman&rsquo;s home throughout the nestling valleys of our y re at West.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sometimes I imagine I was with &ldquo;J. Arthur Boast&rdquo; in his hiding
+      place when he wrote that last letter and saw the spectral ghost that ever
+      kept him company. The retribution perhaps was just, yet my sympathy
+      lingers around the old prospect shaft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many of my readers will doubtless desire to express their criticism of
+      GRAY ROCKS. Nothing will afford me more pleasure than to receive just
+      criticisms, for it will at least enable me to escape similar errors in
+      other stories that I am now engaged in writing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sincerely,
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      WILLIS GEORGE EMERSON.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      ELM REST, August 20, 1894.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No. 1363 Central Park Boulevard, Chicago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PARTIAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+ I. The Mr. Gilder for Whom I am Looking is a Much Older Gentleman..<a
+      href="#link14">14</a>
+
+ II. He Clasped Vance&rsquo;s Hand Warmly.................................<a
+      href="#link21">21</a>
+
+ III. A Letter Was Handed to Him....................................<a
+      href="#link30">30</a>
+
+ IV. My Salary Has Been Raised,.....................................<a
+      href="#link37">37</a>
+
+ V. Hello, Pardner! How D&rsquo;.e Do.....................................<a
+      href="#link41">41</a>
+
+ VI. He Offered Vance Some Havanas,.................................<a
+      href="#link50">50</a>
+
+ VII. This &lsquo;ere Town is Comin&rsquo; Out of the Kinks in Fine Shape.......<a
+      href="#link60">60</a>
+
+ VIII. He Forgot Time,..............................................<a
+      href="#link68">68</a>
+
+ IX. I Am Going to Give Him a Piece of My Mind......................<a
+      href="#link76">76</a>
+
+ X. Vance Turned and Saw J. Arthur Boast............................<a
+      href="#link82">82</a>
+
+ XI. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re the Young Man, I Reckon,&rdquo; Said Grim, &ldquo;From New York,"..<a
+      href="#link87">87</a>
+
+ XII. Don&rsquo;t You Think I Am Horrid to Go on Talking this Way to You?.<a
+      href="#link96">96</a>
+
+ XIII. The Stage Ride..............................................<a
+      href="#link108">108</a>
+
+ XIV. Gentlemen, We Deliberate Upon the Destiny of Waterville......<a
+      href="#link114">114</a>
+
+ XV. Vance Was Presented to Miss Virginia Bonifield,...............<a
+      href="#link124">124</a>
+
+ XVI. We Have Cross-cut Into Whar&rsquo; the Vein Ought to Be............<a
+      href="#link135">135</a>
+
+ XVII. &ldquo;Lost Your Position?&rdquo; Said Louise, with Unmistakable Concern<a
+      href="#link143">143</a>
+
+ XVIII. Vance Handed Marcus Donald a Copy..........................<a
+      href="#link151">151</a>
+
+ XIX. They Are the Brainiest Lot of Men This Country Has Produced..<a
+      href="#link162">162</a>
+
+ XX. They Started Pell-mell Down the Mountain Load.................<a
+      href="#link171">171</a>
+
+ XXI. You Will Not Be Angry With Father, Will You?.................<a
+      href="#link179">179</a>
+
+ XXII. There Are Times, When It&rsquo;s Necessary to Put My Foot Down....<a
+      href="#link189">189</a>
+
+ XXIII. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; Whispered Bertha, &ldquo;I Love You So Much,&rdquo;.............<a
+      href="#link207">207</a>
+
+ XXIV. A Dark Form Crouched Near,..................................<a
+      href="#link215">215</a>
+
+ XXV. Where Is the Powder?.........................................<a
+      href="#link228">228</a>
+
+ XXVI. A Guilty Conscience Needs No Accuser........................<a
+      href="#link236">236</a>
+
+ XXVII. Such Tender Things of Earth Are Sanctified in Heaven.......<a
+      href="#link256">256</a>
+
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I.&mdash;VANCE GILDER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9019.jpg" alt="9019 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9019.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ANCE GILDER <span class="pagenum">11</span><a name="link11" id="link11"></a>had
+      an ambition. It was to be a great journalist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sunshine that gleamed in at his western windows disclosed most
+      luxurious apartments&mdash;indicating refinement and culture. The
+      bric-a-brac; the leathern walls stamped with gilt; the frieze of
+      palm-leaves; the chandelier; the richly carved book-case, filled with
+      tawny-covered volumes; the upright piano, and a guitar which stood
+      sentinel-like in a retired corner; together with India rugs and tiger
+      skins on the floor before an open grate, half hidden by a large Japanese
+      fan&mdash;bespoke wealth as well as refined taste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seated at an open escritoire with writing materials before him, on the
+      evening of a June day, was Vance Gilder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was not more than twenty-five, of medium height, dark brown hair, soft
+      and wavy as the silk of Indian corn, large brown eyes, a clear complexion,
+      an aquiline nose, <span class="pagenum">12</span><a
+      name="link12_rdquo_________id_" id="link12_rdquo_________id_"></a>and a
+      rather heavy, dark moustache, which in part hid a well-formed mouth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before him lay numerous packages of papers, but they were not claiming his
+      attention. He was perusing a billet-doux written in a lady&rsquo;s hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a refinement and gentleness in his face, while his dress and
+      surroundings indicated a serious elegance, rich but unaffected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who can she be?&rdquo; was the exclamation that escaped him as he
+      again read the letter which he held in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tossing it down, he walked back and forth across the room with measured
+      strides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stopping before the mantel, he lighted a cigar. &ldquo;Louise Bonifield,&rdquo;
+      he ejaculated, between puffs of smoke, which he blew away in rings toward
+      the ceiling, &ldquo;where have I met her?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9020.jpg" alt="9020 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9020.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Where have I seen that name?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Walking back to the escritoire, he took up the letter and read aloud:
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>
+        Murray Hill Hotel, June 18.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Kind Sir:
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Father and I arrived in the city last night. He wishes me to call on you
+        at three o&rsquo;clock this afternoon; business of special importance to
+        himself.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Respectfully,
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        LOUISE BONIFIELD.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; he said aloud, &ldquo;I do not remember Miss Louise
+      Bonifield. It is doubtless very stupid of me, and all that, but if ever I
+      even heard the name before, it certainly has <span class="pagenum">13</span><a
+      name="link13" id="link13"></a>passed from my memory. She says three o&rsquo;clock,&rdquo;
+      and glancing at the French time-piece which helped to make up the
+      furniture of his room, he saw it was preparing to strike the hour of
+      three.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the sound of the mellow cathedral bell died away, when the
+      door-bell clanged out like a harsh echo of the clock&rsquo;s last stroke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9021.jpg" alt="9021 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9021.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The servant brought in a card bearing the name of &ldquo;Louise Bonifield,&rdquo;
+      and received instructions to admit the visitor at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The rustling of skirts was soon heard in the hallway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the deportment of a queen, she accepted the proffered chair and
+      raised to Vance&rsquo;s face a pair of laughing blue eyes that might be
+      dangerous. The parting of her rosy lips displayed her ivory teeth to
+      advantage, while her evident embarrassment tinged with pink her beautiful
+      cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I called,&rdquo; she stammered, &ldquo;to see Mr. Vance Gilder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At your service,&rdquo; he replied, bowing low.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But really, sir, are you Mr. Gilder?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;that I enjoy the doubtful
+      honor of that appellation.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The half-hesitation of the visitor as she stood in the open door might
+      have suggested momentary confusion, but reassurance seemed to assert
+      itself as she complied with the melodious invitation of Vance Gilder to
+      enter and be seated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This vision of loveliness that entered the bachelor apartments of Vance
+      Gilder might have been eighteen years old, but certainly no more. In
+      stature she was of medium height, rather slender, and sustained herself
+      <span class="pagenum">14</span><a name="link14" id="link14"></a>"It must
+      be,&rdquo; she faltered, with increasing embarrassment, &ldquo;all a
+      mistake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0022.jpg" alt="0022 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0022.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Vance Gilder, with all his boasted matter-of-fact principles, was
+      wonderfully interested in his fair visitor. She evidently was a stranger
+      in the city, or a skilled actress. In referring to her afterwards, he
+      spoke of her as a &ldquo;dream of loveliness.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was too chivalrous to permit his visitor&rsquo;s embarrassment to
+      increase if he could help it and quickly <span class="pagenum">15</span><a
+      name="link15" id="link15"></a>assured her that it was not a very serious
+      mistake, and asked in what way he could serve her, at the same time saying
+      he regretted exceedingly that he did not answer the description of the
+      Vance Gilder for whom she was seeking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Mr. Gilder for whom I am looking,&rdquo; said his fair visitor,
+      &ldquo;is a much older gentleman than you. He visited father some three
+      years ago, at Gold Bluff, Idaho, and owns an interest in Gray Rocks, my
+      father&rsquo;s mine. My father is very anxious to meet Mr. Gilder; in
+      fact, we have come all the way from Idaho expressly for that purpose. He
+      would have called in person, but was taken ill last evening&mdash;so ill,
+      indeed, that we found it necessary to summon a physician. We are stopping
+      at the Murray Hill Hotel. I fear my father will be greatly disappointed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A shade of sadness stole over the usually buoyant face of Vance Gilder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think I understand,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;I bear the name of my
+      father, who, after spending several months in the mining districts of
+      Idaho, went to California, where he remained over a year, endeavoring to
+      regain his health. He returned home a little less than two years ago and
+      died within two months after his arrival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As his living representative, and in honor of his memory,&rdquo;
+      said he, with feeling, &ldquo;if there is any way in which he could have
+      served you or your father, had he lived, I will volunteer, to the extent
+      of my ability, to act in his stead.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It certainly is very kind of you,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;but I
+      am distressed at this intelligence, and know my father will be also. We
+      learned to think a great deal of Mr. Gilder <span class="pagenum">16</span><a
+      name="link16_rdquo_________id_" id="link16_rdquo_________id_"></a>during
+      his few months&rsquo; stay at Gold Bluff. You can certainly do my father a
+      great service by calling on him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall take great pleasure,&rdquo; said Vance, in his earnest way,
+      &ldquo;in doing so. I am employed on the <i>Banner</i>, and my duties will
+      prevent me calling before tomorrow at ten o&rsquo;clock, but at that hour,
+      tell your father he may expect me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She had risen while he was speaking, and with a face full of sympathy and
+      kindness, thanked him for his promise; and before he realized what was
+      transpiring, the hall door closed and she was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The house from which she had taken her leave was one of the best
+      overlooking Central Park, in New York City. Vance Gilder, the elder, was a
+      man of great determination of character, and had accumulated a fortune
+      while yet in the prime of life. He built for himself this house. It was
+      surrounded by elegantly kept gardens and velvet lawns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He retired from business late in the &lsquo;60&rsquo;., intending to
+      devote himself to his wife and only son, then a mere child, and his
+      library. Scarcely a year of such enjoyment was allowed him before his wife
+      sickened and died, leaving him his son and his fortune. It was hardly more
+      than natural that he should lavish a great deal of attention and wealth
+      upon his child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As his son grew to manhood, his father discovered a recklessness and
+      extravagance which was sadly at variance with those economic principles
+      which he himself had so studiously practiced. Vance stood fairly well in
+      his classes, and after graduating at Princeton, went abroad, visiting the
+      principal cities of Europe, and spending money in such a lavish way that
+      at the expiration of a <span class="pagenum">17</span><a
+      name="link17_rdquo_________id_" id="link17_rdquo_________id_"></a>year his
+      father summoned him home and remonstrated with him severely on his manner
+      of living and his expensive habits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Piqued at the rebuke, he quarreled with his father, and started out to
+      make his way in the world alone. The estrangement was of short duration,
+      however, and soon after the reconciliation he secured a position on the
+      __Banner_ _, and assiduously devoted himself to the study of journalism.
+      He gave up his follies and fast living, and found more enjoyment in his
+      work on the <i>Banner</i> than he had ever found in swell dinners and
+      midnight carousals at his club.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II.&mdash;THE OLD MINER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9026.jpg" alt="9026 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9026.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ROOM <span class="pagenum">18</span><a name="link18" id="link18"></a>in
+      which we have introduced Vance Gilder to the reader, in the home
+      overlooking Central Park, had been his from childhood, and furnished by
+      his father in its present luxurious style, as a reward for his devotion to
+      the profession of journalism.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His father had invested his income in real estate, and in the lapse of
+      years found himself possessed of a fortune many times greater than he had
+      ever anticipated. He traveled a great deal over the west, and at Gold
+      Bluff, Idaho, he found in Ben Bonifield, the owner of Gray Rocks, a
+      playmate of his youth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ben Bonifield had staked out a claim which he called &ldquo;Gray Rocks,&rdquo;
+      and had worked away for several years with pick and shovel, believing that
+      some day he would &ldquo;strike it rich&rdquo;&mdash;and from the output
+      of other mining properties in that vicinity, it seemed as if his
+      expectations might be realized some day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He deeded a half interest in his mine to the elder Gilder, in
+      consideration of certain moneys advanced him to develop the property. This
+      one investment was the only one that Mr. Gilder ever made outside of New
+      York <span class="pagenum">19</span><a name="link19" id="link19"></a>City,
+      and it is quite probable that in making this one it was not so much an
+      investment as a desire to assist his boyhood&rsquo;s friend. The deed
+      which Ben Bonifield gave had been duly recorded, but in his travels on the
+      Pacific coast he had in some way mislaid it, and on his return to New York
+      City he had died without ever having mentioned the matter to his son. When
+      his father died, Vance was bowed down with grief, while the old Scotch
+      house-keeper and her husband could not have mourned more sincerely had the
+      elder Gilder been related by the nearest ties of blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance found his father had not only left a fortune, but also a will. The
+      date of this instrument showed that it was executed during the months of
+      their estrangement, and had never been changed. The important part of the
+      will, for this narrative, was a clause limiting Vance to an annuity of
+      $5,000, provided he remained at the old homestead and gave employment and
+      a home to the Scotch house-keeper and her husband; but the title to the
+      vast property which he owned was not to pass into his custody until he was
+      forty years of age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the credit of the son, it can be said that he entertained no enmity
+      towards his father because of this provision, but regarded it as simple
+      justice. In the meantime, he devoted himself with more energy than ever to
+      his profession, was economical in his habits, and had the consolation of
+      knowing that he was being advanced from time to time on the <i>Banner</i>,
+      until he was now regarded as one of the most trusted men on that great
+      journal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To be a member of the <i>Banner</i> staff of newsgatherers was a position
+      to be envied by those similarly employed on less imposing journals. His
+      associates&mdash;the city <span class="pagenum">20</span><a
+      name="link20_rdquo_________id_" id="link20_rdquo_________id_"></a>editor,
+      the religious editor, the dramatic critic, the police reporter, and the
+      heads of several other departments&mdash;were in the habit of discussing
+      the topics of the times from a strictly democratic standpoint, with the
+      regularity with which day follows night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The &ldquo;old man,&rdquo; or managing editor, could not take a deeper
+      interest in the columns of the <i>Banner</i> than did his faithful coterie
+      of assistants. The managing editor prided himself on his ability to
+      recognize and command intellectual forces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the breaking of the dawn anew paper, filled with news deftly gathered
+      from the four corners of the earth, was ushered into life, teeming with
+      the world&rsquo;s history of a day, to be discussed by the banker, the
+      politician, and the professional and non-professional classes over the
+      breakfast-table. Each issue was a daily history possessing a soul and
+      character distinctly its own, which collectively made up the policy of one
+      of the greatest journals of New York City. Before high noon of each day a
+      newspaper has generally served its purpose&mdash;dies; is a thing of the
+      past, and the record of events found in its columns becomes ancient
+      history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following morning at ten o&rsquo;clock, agreeable to his promise,
+      Vance Gilder was at the Murray Hill Hotel, and sent up his card to Ben
+      Bonifield. Instead of receiving in his room, the old gentleman joined
+      Vance in the lobby. He was a typical character&mdash;once seen, never
+      forgotten. An old Virginian by birth and education, he still retained the
+      courtly polish of one of the southern aristocracy, which many years of
+      mining life had not been able to wholly destroy. In stature he was fully
+      six feet, and rather portly; his oval face was smooth-shaven, save an
+      <span class="pagenum">21</span><a name="link21" id="link21"></a>iron-gray
+      moustache. He wore his hair rather long, and the rim of his black felt hat
+      was broad as a sombrero. His Prince Albert coat of broad-cloth was of
+      old-time date, and suggested a revival of ancient gentility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Glad to see yo&rsquo;, suh; am delighted to meet a son of my old
+      friend, Colonel Gilder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0029.jpg" alt="0029 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0029.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      He clasped Vance&rsquo;s hand warmly, and his face was full of sympathy as
+      he referred to the recent information he had received concerning Mr.
+      Gilder&rsquo;s death. They <span class="pagenum">22</span><a name="link22"
+      id="link22"></a>soon found seats in a retired corner of the lobby, and
+      after assuring Vance that he had entirely recovered from his recent
+      illness, the old gentleman plunged into business.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; know, of cou&rsquo;se, that yo&rsquo;r father owned a
+      one-half interest in Gray Rocks?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I was not aware of the fact until your daughter named it to me
+      yesterday,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; su&rsquo;prise me, suh, yo&rsquo; really do,&rdquo; said
+      the old miner, &ldquo;but it is true, nevertheless, and the deed is on
+      record; and what is mo&rsquo;, suh, Gray Rocks is destined to be the
+      richest gold mine in Idaho. Yo&rsquo; see, I have been workin&rsquo; away
+      on Gray Rocks for seven years&mdash;kep&rsquo; right at it, winter an&rsquo;
+      summer, and while I have not &lsquo;struck it&rsquo; yet, I am positive,
+      suh, that if I had a little mo&rsquo; money to push the work, my most
+      sanguine expectations would be mo&rsquo; than re&rsquo;lized. We are now
+      on the 200 foot level, but it seems, suh, it is not deep enough. A most
+      wonderful showin&rsquo;, in my opinion, suh, will be made when the 300
+      foot level is reached, and we have cross-cut into the vein.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not very well versed in regard to mining, in fact know next to
+      nothing about it, but of course, as I am a half owner in a gold mine, I am
+      naturally interested in having it developed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, suh,&rdquo; said the old gentleman, &ldquo;yo&rsquo; see I
+      am. I know all about mines. Yes, suh, I assure yo, on my honor, that I can
+      tell &lsquo;pay dirt&rsquo; as far as I can see it, suh, if I am
+      sixty-five years old, Yo&rsquo; see, suh,&rdquo; continued the old miner,
+      &ldquo;let us suppose this table is the top of the mountain. Now, where I
+      place this ink-stand, is Gray Rocks; just beyond, here where I lay this
+      pen-stalk, is the Peacock mine. It joins us directly on the nawth. The
+      <span class="pagenum">23</span><a name="link23_rdquo_________id_"
+      id="link23_rdquo_________id_"></a>Excelsior is at this point, where I lay
+      my eye-glasses, directly south of Gray Rocks. Both of them, suh, are payin&rsquo;
+      immense dividends, and befo&rsquo; a year, with proper management, Gray
+      Rocks will be doin&rsquo; the same. When he learned, suh, that I only had
+      a half interest, he refused to talk with me any mo&rsquo; about it. He
+      said he wanted all or none. Confidentially, Mr. Gilder, I consider old
+      Grim the most ill-mannered man in the Fish River minin&rsquo; district,
+      and us miners, suh, usually form a pretty correct idea of mankind in gene&rsquo;l.
+      I have been minin&rsquo; it now fo&rsquo; over thirty years, and while I
+      have never &lsquo;struck it&rsquo; yet, I assure yo&rsquo; on my word,
+      suh, that I have mo&rsquo; confidence in Gray Rocks to-day than ever befo&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, Col. Bonifield,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I know nothing
+      about your technical expressions of &lsquo;sinking-shafts,&rsquo; &lsquo;cross-cutting,&rsquo;
+      and all that sort of thing, but I remember now of my father speaking of
+      you on several occasions, and I doubt not, if he were living, he would
+      gladly assist you in any way in his power. Personally, my means are
+      limited, but if your wants are not too great, I will gladly give you my
+      assistance.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give me yo&rsquo;re hand, suh! Why, Mr. Gilder, yo&rsquo;re a
+      gentleman that I&rsquo;m proud to meet, suh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What we must do, suh, is to sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to a 300
+      foot level, and we will cross-cut into a vein of wealth, suh, that will
+      make yo&rsquo; rich as a Vanterbilt. Yes, suh; take my word fo&rsquo; it.
+      Now,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;there is old Grim; he owns a majority of
+      the stock in the Peacock, and he wanted to buy out Gray Rocks, but <span
+      class="pagenum">24</span><a name="link24" id="link24"></a>of the old
+      school, belonging to one of the oldest and proudest families of Virginia&mdash;yes,
+      suh. Now, you have a half interest in Gray Rocks, and if yo&rsquo; can
+      furnish the money, Mr. Gilder, to sink the shaft to the 300 foot level, I
+      will go back to Gold Bluff and immediately commence the work&mdash;and
+      mind, Mr. Gilder, I give yo&rsquo; my word that yo&rsquo; will never lose
+      a dollar; no, suh, Gray Rocks is a sure winner. The claim is patented and
+      our title is perfect; but we must do mo&rsquo;, suh; we must sink our
+      shaft, and it costs money to sink shafts, and a pow&rsquo;ful sight of
+      hard work into the bargain, suh. I came to New York especially to see yo&rsquo;re
+      father and have him help me by advancin&rsquo; a little mo&rsquo; money.
+      He paid me $1,000, suh, fo&rsquo; a half interest in Gray Rocks. I told
+      him, and I tell yo&rsquo; now, it will bring yo&rsquo; a million. Yes,
+      suh, I pledge yo&rsquo; my word it will.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old gentleman&rsquo;s words, his enthusiasm, his southern courtliness,
+      and his unmistakable belief in Gray Rocks, carried Vance quite away, in
+      anticipation of his half-ownership in a gold mine. He mentally computed
+      the amount of money he had in the bank, and felt that he would willingly
+      check out his last half-dollar to sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to a 300
+      foot level.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had to his credit in the Chemical National Bank some fifteen thousand
+      dollars, and finally ventured to ask about how much it would take to do
+      the work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, yo&rsquo; see, suh,&rdquo; replied the old miner, &ldquo;the
+      mo&rsquo; a fellow has, the quicker he can sink a shaft. Now, I could get
+      along at present with, say $1,500, but $2,000 would be betteh, and $2,500
+      would be a great plenty.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll advance you
+      $2,500, and can bring it to you within a couple of hours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">25</span><a name="link25" id="link25"></a>The old
+      gentleman was highly delighted with Vance&rsquo;s ready acquiescence in
+      the matter, and shook his hand warmly, assuring him that he was a very
+      true Virginian. Taking his leave, he quitted the hotel, and in less than
+      two hours paid to Col. Bonifield $2,500.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old gentleman was very urgent for Vance to remain and lunch with him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My Louise, suh,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;will be delighted to see yo&rsquo;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8033.jpg" alt="8033 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8033.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Now, suh, there&rsquo;s one girl in a thousand. I call her a diamond in
+      the rough, suh. She stays by the old man, and has just as much faith in
+      the ultimate outcome of Gray Rocks as I have, I sometimes think, suh, that
+      I ought not to keep her away so far from civil&rsquo;zation, so to speak,
+      among the mountains; but she says, &lsquo;We will wait until we strike it.&rsquo;
+      I assure yo&rsquo;, suh, she is a wonderful comfort to me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance endeavored to persuade the old gentleman to bring his daughter and
+      stop at his house for a few days, but the old miner explained that his
+      stay could not be prolonged; that he was impatient to begin work on the
+      mine, sinking the shaft to the 300 foot level, and then commence
+      cross-cutting. He insisted that he must start for Gold Bluff by the
+      evening train.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending to the ladies&rsquo; parlor, Vance waited until the old miner
+      brought his daughter to bid him good-bye. As she came into the room on the
+      arm of her stately father, Vance had hard work to convince himself that
+      such a queenly girl as stood before him could have grown to such
+      loveliness among the mountains of the northwest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III.&mdash;THE BANNER FORCE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9034.jpg" alt="9034 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9034.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      GREAT <span class="pagenum">26</span><a name="link26" id="link26"></a>metropolitan
+      journal like the <i>Banner</i>, has a tendency to swallow up individual
+      characteristics in its own self-importance. A man may be ever so clever
+      with his pen, and contribute the most readable articles day after day and
+      year after year, and yet not one reader in ten thousand has any idea whose
+      composition he is perusing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance Gilder was only one of the force, and yet he was a favorite with his
+      associates. He sometimes dreamed of promotion, and the time when he would
+      be a correspondent of note, or possibly at the head of some important
+      department on that great paper. Visions of special work which would call
+      him not only to different parts of his own country, but to foreign parts
+      as well, charmed him into contentment and renewed energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only once during his connection with the <i>Banner</i> had he made
+      anything like a &ldquo;hit.&rdquo; He had on one solitary occasion
+      succeeded in &ldquo;scooping&rdquo; the other New York journals in a most
+      masterly manner. Indeed, to Vance belonged the credit of having completely
+      humiliated the other dailies with an article under flaming headlines and
+      double-leaded. As a compensation, he was sent for by <span class="pagenum">27</span><a
+      name="link27" id="link27"></a>the chief, and received that august person&rsquo;s
+      special thanks. This was a mark of distinction, for it was seldom that he
+      paid compliments. On the other hand, if the work was not up to the
+      standard, the staff generally heard from him in a volley of profanity that
+      caused them to doubt the permanency of their positions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the night after Ben Bonfield started for Gold Bluff, Vance found
+      himself thinking a great deal about Gray Rocks. To a young man of
+      twenty-five, fifteen years seems a long time to wait for the possession of
+      one&rsquo;s property. There is a certain fascination about the idea of
+      owning a gold mine, and this charm had taken possession of Vance to a
+      degree far beyond that which he was willing to admit, and between the
+      lines of copy, he speculated on the future and built many castles in the
+      air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The half interest which his father owned in Gray Rocks had not been named
+      in the will, and as Vance was his only heir, it naturally occurred to him
+      that in case the old miner should &ldquo;strike it rich,&rdquo; he would
+      find himself with a handsome competency long before his fortieth birthday.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the first time during the years of his connection with the <i>Banner</i>,
+      a feeling of dissatisfaction stole over him, and he was glad Colonel
+      Bonfield had been so prompt in returning to Gold Bluff, for he felt the
+      work of sinking the shaft on Gray Rocks should be commenced at the
+      earliest possible moment. There was also a feeling of regret deep down in
+      his heart that he had not had an opportunity to know more of the fair
+      Louise, the remembrance of whose laughing blue eyes and perfect freedom
+      from affectation hovered near him with a distinctness that he had never
+      before experienced with any of his young lady friends. <span
+      class="pagenum">28</span><a name="link28" id="link28"></a>He was in this
+      state of mind when the police reporter came in and declared that he was
+      disgusted with the scarcity of crime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Vance,&rdquo; saidhe, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s getting to be a
+      pretty pass when a fellow has to rummage all over the city for a few
+      crumbs of accidental deaths, street brawls and shooting affairs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9036.jpg" alt="9036 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9036.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Before Vance had time to reply, the religious editor commenced swearing
+      about the uninteresting sermons he was compelled to write of late.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dramatic critic observed that lie presumed writing sermons was a
+      rather stupid business, but if the reading public could endure them, the
+      religious editor ought to be able to, at $60 a week.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The religious editor said, &ldquo;by Gad! old boy, you&rsquo;re about
+      right,&rdquo; and begged a cigarette of the dramatic critic, declaring
+      that he did not know with whom he would rather smoke than a representative
+      of the footlights. He then slapped Vance on the shoulder in a jocular way,
+      and asked him what made him so quiet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scoops are scarce,&rdquo; replied Vance, without lifting his eyes
+      from the copy he was revising.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scarce!&rdquo; chimed in the city editor, &ldquo;I should say so.
+      We have not had such a thing as a &lsquo;scoop&rsquo; about the office for
+      six months.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Journalism,&rdquo; observed the dramatic critic, &ldquo;is, without
+      question, the king of professions. Here we see life in its every phase.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am <span class="pagenum">29</span><a name="link29" id="link29"></a>
+      beginning to think,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;that journalism is a
+      drudgery without hope or reward.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You astonish me,&rdquo; replied the religious editor. &ldquo;Why,
+      Vance,&rdquo; he continued, knocking the ashes from his cigarette, &ldquo;a
+      fellow with as bright a future in the profession as you have, making such
+      a remark as that, causes me to think you are growing cynical. Think of the
+      opportunities which journalism affords.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What opportunities,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;have I, or you, or
+      any other members of the staff, excepting those we have no right to take
+      advantage of? I freely admit that there is a fascination about the
+      profession of journalism; an influence, if you please, that holds us in
+      the rut, much the same as the current of a mighty river&mdash;always
+      drawing everything into the center where the current is swiftest&mdash;but
+      the individuality of the most talented among us is completely lost in the
+      great octopus that we are <i>daily</i> and nightly striving with our best
+      efforts of brawn and brain to keep supplied with news.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bravo!&rdquo; shouted the police reporter. &ldquo;There is not an
+      ordinary prize-fighter in the land but has more individual reputation than
+      any of us. Vance is about right in his position.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture of their conversation, a note was handed to Vance. It was
+      a polite request to report at the chief&rsquo;s private room at ten o&rsquo;clock
+      the next morning. After hastily glancing over it, Vance read it aloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Vance, <span class="pagenum">30</span><a name="link30"
+      id="link30"></a>old boy, that&rsquo;s a little rough; and still,&rdquo;
+      continued the religious editor, between vigorous puffs of his cigarette,
+      &ldquo;it may be a step up.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was an open question with members of the force whether a formal summons
+      into the presence of the chief, without any intimation of the nature of
+      the interview, was a good omen or otherwise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Possibly,&rdquo; responded Vance, &ldquo;but I rather surmise it is
+      a step out.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0038.jpg" alt="0038 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0038.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The evil is sufficient unto the day thereof,&rdquo; observed the
+      dramatic critic. &ldquo;It is twelve o&rsquo;clock, boys; let us adjourn
+      to the &lsquo;realm of pie,&rsquo; and there we will discuss the
+      unlooked-for summons.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A half dozen as jolly young fellows as could be found anywhere, were soon
+      seated in a private room at Thompson&rsquo;s cafe, partaking of the
+      reporter&rsquo;s stereotyped lunch. <span class="pagenum">31</span><a
+      name="link31_rdquo_________id_" id="link31_rdquo_________id_"></a>As a
+      result of their deliberations, there were many hopeful expressions made
+      for the benefit of Vance. There was an under-current, however, of
+      unmistakable belief, which Vance was not slow to perceive and share, that
+      his interview with the chief would not result satisfactorily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dramatic critic soon drifted to the leeward of the question, and with
+      almost forced vivaciousness recounted the latest hit of a jolly little
+      soubrette dancer at Madison Square Gardens. His description was not only
+      interesting, but a welcome diversion from the somber subject that might
+      mean a separation of Vance from the staff. The religious editor took up
+      the cue where the dramatic critic let go, and commenced swearing in
+      newspaper parlance about the unsatisfactory work he was doing in his
+      department.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8039.jpg" alt="8039 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8039.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The police reporter came in for a description of a &ldquo;knock-out&rdquo;
+      he had witnessed in the Bowery, and for the edification of his associates,
+      explained the difference between a &ldquo;shoulder-strike&rdquo; and an
+      &ldquo;undercut.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On returning to their respective posts of duty, there was but little said,
+      but it was noticeable that Vance was bid good night with more
+      consideration than usual.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance hurried along toward the elevated road, his thoughts were again
+      filled with that demure little Louise, a product of the great mountains of
+      the west. With her had come a hope&mdash;perhaps only a visionary one&mdash;stimulated
+      by the enthusiasm of the old miner. He did not pause to analyze <span
+      class="pagenum">32</span><a name="link32" id="link32"></a>the sustaining
+      hope which he experienced; he only knew that it took off the keen edge of
+      anxiety which otherwise he would have felt concerning his coming interview
+      with the chief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV&mdash;A SUPPER PARTY.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9041.jpg" alt="9041 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9041.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      T TEN <span class="pagenum">33</span><a name="link33" id="link33"></a>O&rsquo;.LOCK
+      the following morning, Vance sent in his card to the chief, and was
+      immediately admitted to his presence. &ldquo;Good morning, Mr. Gilder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning, sir,&rdquo; was Vance&rsquo;s prompt reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I sent for you,&rdquo; said the chief, as he industriously looked
+      over a bundle of papers on his desk, &ldquo;To discuss a matter I have had
+      in mind for some time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; was Vance&rsquo;s laconic reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chief having found the paper he evidently had been searching for,
+      motioned Vance to be seated, and turning to him, asked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you ever traveled much in the west?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have never been west of Buffalo.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your work,&rdquo; observed the chief, &ldquo;has been very
+      satisfactory&mdash;I may say, especially so&mdash;and it is the policy of
+      the <i>Banner</i> not only to reward those who have talent, but also to
+      keep pace with the times, and give its readers reliable information upon
+      all questions of moment and importance. The great Northwest has been
+      opening up for the last half century. There have been booms and
+      counter-booms out in that country, spasmodically, for <span class="pagenum">34</span><a
+      name="link34_rdquo_________id_" id="link34_rdquo_________id_"></a>many
+      years, and a great many fortunes have been lost by ill advised investors,
+      but I am not personally familiar with anyone who has bettered his
+      condition in western speculations. Just at the present time the northwest
+      is attracting, as you are doubtless aware, considerable attention, and the
+      effort to popularize it by the western press, seems unabating. Our eastern
+      people, even some of the oldest families of New York, are becoming
+      poisoned with the virus of western investments. My private opinion is that
+      instead of receiving dividends on these holdings, they will lose principal
+      and all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We want,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;a level-headed correspondent in
+      that western country. Mark, I say level-headed, for the reason that not
+      infrequently an eastern man, especially if he is unacquainted with the
+      wonderland of the west, loses his head, figuratively speaking, and becomes
+      won over by the fairy tales of prospective wealth, as told by the average
+      real estate boomer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the chief, eying Vance with great
+      directness, &ldquo;have been selected for this important position of
+      trust. I might,&rdquo; he continued, as if it were an afterthought,
+      &ldquo;modify my remarks by saying there are some places in the west
+      worthy of credence, possessing real merit; but in nine cases out of ten,
+      the new towns that are ringing up throughout the north western portion of
+      the United States are, in my judgment, intangible as moonshine. In short,
+      there is entirely too much capital flowing from the east into those
+      wildcat western speculations, and we desire to give a series of letters
+      descriptive of that country to the readers of the <i>Banner</i>,
+      containing the facts stripped of all allurement, and dissuade them from
+      such unstable investments as are daily being made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">35</span><a name="link35" id="link35"></a>"I deem,&rdquo;
+      continued the chief, &ldquo;these few suggestions necessary for your good
+      in governing the character of your correspondence from that western
+      country to the columns of the <i>Banner</i>. I shall expect you to be
+      ready tomorrow evening, and start on the six o&rsquo;clock train. As you
+      will probably be away for some time, it would be well for you to arrange
+      your private affairs accordingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8043.jpg" alt="8043 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8043.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Call tomorrow at eleven o&rsquo;clock, and I will have ready the necessary
+      credentials, transports and instructions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance bowed his acquiescence and turned to go, when the chief said,
+      &ldquo;By the way, instead of $40 a week, your present salary, you will
+      receive $60 and expenses, which doubtless will be satisfactory.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance attempted to express his appreciation of the confidence that had
+      been reposed in him, of so important an undertaking; but the chief waved
+      him to silence and muttered something about &ldquo;time being money,&rdquo;
+      and at once turned to other affairs that were awaiting his attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That afternoon Vance was not found among the staff, and a new man occupied
+      his chair. He called on Thomas Patten, Esq., the attorney who had
+      represented the Gilder family for many years, and named in his father&rsquo;s
+      will as trustee, and explained to him his promotion, telling him he would
+      start for the west the next evening.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His old associates at the <i>Banner</i> were asking questions of one
+      another as to what had transpired between Vance and the chief, but no one
+      seemed to know anything about it, except that a new man was on duty and
+      Vance absent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">36</span><a name="link36" id="link36"></a>At half
+      past eleven o&rsquo;clock that night the dramatic critic hurried in from
+      the street and passed word around among the coterie that a surprise was
+      waiting for them over at Thompson&rsquo;s cafe. Thompson&rsquo;s is, and
+      has been for many years, a favorite resort for newspaper men. Vance Gilder
+      was well known to the manager as a member of the <i>Banner</i> staff, and
+      when that afternoon he requested that a lunch something better than the
+      ordinary be prepared, he was assured that everything would be in
+      readiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dramatic critic ushered his associates into a private room precisely
+      at twelve o&rsquo;clock. Vance was in waiting, and a warm greeting was
+      exchanged. The religious editor declared that he believed a conspiracy of
+      gigantic proportions had been laid to entrap the meek and lowly, but,
+      nevertheless, he took his place with alacrity at the table to enjoy the
+      modest but excellent feast prepared for the occasion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few bottles of rare old wine added interest to the surprise which Vance
+      had so cleverly arranged. After the glasses had been tilled and drained,
+      the political editor moved that an explanation was in order.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My friends,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;the most important disclosure
+      I have to make is that my salary has been raised to $60 a week.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The religious editor said, &ldquo;By Gad,&rdquo; and fell from his chair,
+      declaring that his nerves were so unstrung that it would require another
+      glass of wine to restore them. After Vance had carefully narrated his
+      interview with the chief, he received the hearty congratulations of his
+      associates. Each vied with the others in wishing him unbounded success as
+      a western correspondent for the <i>Banner</i>. <span class="pagenum">37</span><a
+      name="link37" id="link37"></a>"I understand,&rdquo; said the political
+      editor, after clearing his throat with a glass of wine, &ldquo;that the
+      west is teeming with opportunities in a political way; and I would not be
+      surprised,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;if the Honorable Vance Gilder would be
+      the next thing we hear of, as mayor of some municipality in the Rocky
+      Mountain region, or possibly as a member of Congress from the Third
+      District.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0045.jpg" alt="0045 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0045.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or still better,&rdquo; observed the religious editor, &ldquo;president
+      of one of those bonanza gold mines that advertise <span class="pagenum">38</span><a
+      name="link38" id="link38"></a>themselves as being the greatest dividend
+      paying properties in the world.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the matter,&rdquo; said the police reporter, &ldquo;of
+      being moderate in your expectations? Suppose Vance secures the position of
+      judge of the police court in one of those western towns, where from a
+      dozen to twenty drunks and brawls occur every twenty-four hours&mdash;ye
+      gods! what a country for rich morsels of crime!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was conceded by all that Vance would have abundant opportunity for
+      making investments here and there in the growing west that would
+      materially increase his financial prospects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8046.jpg" alt="8046 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8046.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sixty dollars,&rdquo; said the dramatic critic, as he finished his
+      third glass of wine, &ldquo;is quite a step up, but evidently a mere
+      bagatelle to the &lsquo;pick-ups&rsquo; on the side, in a new country that
+      is just developing like the west is at the present time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That Vance was one of the luckiest fellows living was the verdict of all
+      his associates. After the lunch had been disposed of and a good-night
+      glass of wine drunk to Vance&rsquo;s success, he bade his companions
+      good-night, and was soon being driven rapidly up Eighth Avenue to Central
+      Park, west.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On reaching his room he began to feel more than ever that he had awakened
+      to find himself famous, and that a great honor had been thrust upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His gratitude to his chief was unbounded, but like the young and ambitious
+      everywhere, his own personal advancement in a financial sense was a
+      consideration not to be overlooked. <span class="pagenum">39</span><a
+      name="link39" id="link39"></a>While he knew personally very little about
+      the Western country, the many allusions of his companions to the rare
+      opportunities which awaited him in the new world he was about to visit
+      filled him with a vague, indescribable sense of importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he retired for the night, he assured himself that Gold Bluff, Idaho,
+      would be one of his objective points, and hoped he would be there when the
+      shaft reached the 300 foot level. He was beginning to share the old miner&rsquo;s
+      enthusiasm and confidence in Gray Rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He drifted away into a restful sleep, while visions of a lovely girl in
+      early womanhood, with beautiful blue eyes, &ldquo;gentle grace and
+      sovereign sweetness,&rdquo; rose in a mist before him, and he dreamed he
+      was at Gold Bluff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V.&mdash;AN ODD CHARACTER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9048.jpg" alt="9048 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9048.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      TRIP <span class="pagenum">40</span><a name="link40" id="link40"></a>from
+      New York to the inter-mountain country of the west, with the present
+      railroad facilities of palatial Pullmans and dining cars, is now an
+      every-day affair. The traveler is surrounded by every comfort. Vance
+      Gilder was more than ever in love with the change, as the cars rumbled on
+      through dell and forest, across broad stretches of beautiful valley
+      country, and ever and anon rushing over an iron bridge that spanned some
+      beautiful stream of water, some of them calm and peaceful, and others
+      rushing madly along, breaking into white spray over rocky ripples, and
+      then hurrying on again as if they were running a race with time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he approached the Rocky Mountain country, and for the first time in his
+      life gazed upon that mighty range of Nature&rsquo;s towering masonry, he
+      was almost intoxicated with the new sights to be seen on the &ldquo;crown
+      of the continent.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his enjoyment of the new and varied scenery, he was glad
+      enough to abandon the cars at Butte City, after four days and nights of
+      continuous riding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Butte City is said to be, not only the greatest mining <span
+      class="pagenum">41</span><a name="link41" id="link41"></a>camp in Montana,
+      but the greatest in the world. They boast of the many millions that are
+      brought to the light of day by the magic wand of the miner&rsquo;s pick.
+      Vance found lodging at the Mercury Hotel, and early the next morning,
+      after breakfasting heartily, started for a walk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0049.jpg" alt="0049 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0049.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The town is built on a side-hill, gently rising from the depot grounds
+      westward to a very considerable elevation. He paused now and then to
+      inspect the architecture of some of the buildings, and then looked away
+      toward the smelter districts, at the black clouds of smoke which the <span
+      class="pagenum">42</span><a name="link42" id="link42"></a>chimneys were
+      belching forth, and falling over the city like a veil of mourning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently he was accosted by an individual of grizzly beard and
+      good-matured countenance, who said: &ldquo;Hello, pard; how d&rsquo;ye do?
+      Sizin&rsquo; up these diggins&rsquo; be ye?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance eyed his questioner rather critically and acknowledged the
+      salutation, the fellow reached him a card which bore the name &ldquo;Hank
+      Casey.&rdquo; While Vance was glancing at the card, his new acquaintance
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I reckon you be from down east? I come from thar a long time ago.
+      You&rsquo;ll notice from my card that I&rsquo;m in the real estate
+      business; also have some fine minin&rsquo; propositions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I am from the east, but do not
+      know as I care to make any investments.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, now, look&rsquo;ee? here, stranger. I &lsquo;spect I might
+      give you a pinter or two that may not come amiss. This &lsquo;ere town is
+      chuck up full of dead beats and black legs, who make it their business to
+      run every new feller in that comes from down east. Now Hank Casey do a
+      straight-for&rsquo;ard, legitimate business&mdash;that&rsquo;s me,&rdquo;
+      said he, as he tucked his thumbs into the armholes of his vest and
+      straightened himself to his fullest height.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was amused by this odd character, and determined to learn from him
+      what he could concerning Butte City and the claims made for it. He
+      therefore asked, &ldquo;What population have you and what are your
+      resources?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Over fifty thousand people, above an&rsquo; below. You see, thar&rsquo;s
+      several thousand of us in this town below ground, workin&rsquo; away with
+      shovel an&rsquo; pick. I reckon as how you&rsquo;ll see a fair sample of
+      our miners if you&rsquo;re on the <span class="pagenum">43</span><a
+      name="link43" id="link43"></a>streets tonight. As for resources&mdash;why,
+      pardner, thar&rsquo;s no end to &lsquo;em. We took out mighty near forty
+      million dollars from our mines last year, an&rsquo; thar&rsquo;s ore
+      enough in sight to keep on minin&rsquo; at the same rate for a hundred
+      years to come. What d&rsquo;ye think o&rsquo; that?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance replied that it certainly was a most extraordinary statement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8051.jpg" alt="8051 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8051.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What other towns have you in this state,&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None to speak of,&rdquo; was the prompt reply. &ldquo;Butte City is
+      the pertest town in any o&rsquo; these western diggings. Thar&rsquo;s not
+      another town in Montana as can tech one side of us, for money, marbles, or
+      chalk. To be sure,&rdquo; he went on, in a condescending tone, &ldquo;we
+      have lots o&rsquo; towns in this &lsquo;ere state, sech as they be; lots o&rsquo;
+      minin&rsquo; camps, but they are merely
+      blacksmith-shops-on-the-crossroads,&rsquo; compared with Butte City. D&rsquo;ye
+      see that Corner lot over thar&rsquo;. Five years ago I owned the ground
+      whar&rsquo; that buildin&rsquo; stands. I bought it for $300, held it just
+      thirteen months, and sold it for $4,000 spot cash.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why that was an immense profit,&rdquo; said Vance, with more
+      interest than he had yet manifested in Hank Casey&rsquo;s description of
+      Butte City. Hank Casey smiled contentedly and expectorated an accumulation
+      of tobacco juice with a resounding &ldquo;pit-tew&rdquo; on the side walk,
+      and said: &ldquo;You call that a good profit? Why, pardner, I bought stock
+      in the Blackbird mine at twelve cents a share when the company was fust
+      organized, and now its worth $300 a share and payin&rsquo; an immense
+      dividend monthly. That&rsquo;s what I call a good investment; but as fer
+      that speck,&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">44</span><a name="link44"
+      id="link44"></a>said he, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the corner
+      lot, &ldquo;that don&rsquo;t amount to nothin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know where Gold Bluff, Idaho, is?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I reckon I ought to know,&rdquo; replied the boomer; &ldquo;me an&rsquo;
+      Steve Gibbons were the fust prospectors in that &lsquo;neck o&rsquo; the
+      woods.&rsquo; Steve an&rsquo; I claim to own the Peacock, but old Rufus
+      Grim, the biggest scoundrel in Idaho yes, the biggest in this whole minin&rsquo;
+      country claims to own it, and has got possession, and I&rsquo;ve learned,
+      in this western country &lsquo;specially, that possession is not only nine
+      points of the law, but mighty near ten. Of course, a gold mine like the
+      Peacock is a mighty handy thing to have in the family, but as a general
+      rule, they&rsquo;re mighty unsartin. Give me a silver or copper mine every
+      time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance assured his new-found acquaintance that he was under many
+      obligations for the information received, and said he hoped to meet him
+      again. Hank Casey, however, was not to be disposed of in this way, and
+      walked along with Vance. Presently he called his attention to some vacant
+      lots across the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;D&rsquo;ye see them lots over thar? I can sell you one o&rsquo;
+      them fifty-foot lots at $3,500. an I&rsquo;ll bet diamonds against peanuts
+      it&rsquo;ll be a rich buy at $10,000 before two years. By the way,
+      stranger, what&rsquo;s the matter with you takin a leetle &lsquo;flyer&rsquo;
+      in Butte City dirt? Buy a few lots, stop here with us for six months, sell
+      &lsquo;em out agin for 100 per cent, profit, an&rsquo; that&rsquo;ll pay
+      all the expenses of your western trip. See? said he, touching Vance gently
+      in the ribs with his elbow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I see,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I see very clearly, or would,
+      <span class="pagenum">45</span><a name="link45" id="link45"></a>were it
+      not for the smoke. It smells like sulphur. Does it come from some of your
+      mills or smelters?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, look&rsquo;ee here, pard, you&rsquo;re just like every other
+      down-easter. They&rsquo;re always kickin&rsquo; &lsquo;bout this smoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9053.jpg" alt="9053 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9053.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Now, let me tell you; if we didn&rsquo;t have that &lsquo;ar smoke we
+      wouldn&rsquo;t have any Butte City, and besides, it kills the bacteria,
+      molecules, an&rsquo; all that sort o thing. It&rsquo;s mighty healthy
+      here, I can tell you, an&rsquo; a mighty pert town into the bargain.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance coughed immoderately, but Hank Casey who was acclimated, assured him
+      that he was at that moment breathing the healthiest air that ever his
+      lungs were filled with.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the course of their walk, the boomer kept up a constant conversation,
+      explaining different points of interest, pointing out the different mining
+      properties in sight and telling their names, until Vance felt that he had
+      been very fortunate in falling in with one so conversant with Butte City.
+      At parting, Vance bade his new-found friend good day, and promised to call
+      at his office before leaving the city.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he returned to the hotel, he commenced his first letter to the <i>Banner</i>,
+      but it was not finished until late that night. When it appeared in the
+      great New York journal it surprised, in point of brilliancy and interest,
+      even his warmest friends. His descriptions were so vivid and lifelike, and
+      his characters so droll, and withal teeming with information, that a score
+      of letters came to the managing editor, assuring him of the great pleasure
+      and profit they had experienced in its perusal. Of course, Vance knew
+      <span class="pagenum">46</span><a name="link46" id="link46"></a>nothing of
+      this at the time, but devoted himself with unceasing diligence in
+      searching out reliable information, and then training it into weekly
+      letters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Butte City began to impress him as a place of more importance than he had
+      at first thought. He learned that almost one million of dollars was paid
+      out monthly to the miners alone, and they, as a class, are &ldquo;hail
+      fellows well met,&rdquo; who believe in the doctrine of keeping money in
+      constant circulation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He noticed in many of the mercantile houses that when the day clerks went
+      off duty at six o&rsquo;clock in the evening, another set of clerks came
+      on, and the shops and stores, by the aid of brilliant electric lights,
+      continued business twenty-four hours out of the day the year around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance frequently thought of his conversation with the managing editor, and
+      what he had said about western towns and the over-enthusiastic town
+      boomer. In Hank Casey he felt he had found a typical character that fully
+      came up to all the managing editor had inferred, and had frequently used
+      him as an inspiration, but was becoming more and more convinced that Butte
+      City was one of those solid, substantial places which the managing editor
+      had classed as exceptions to the rule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI&mdash;THE TOWN BOOMER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9055.jpg" alt="9055 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9055.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      BOUT TWO WEEKS <span class="pagenum">47</span><a name="link47" id="link47"></a>after
+      Vance Gilder arrived in Butte City, he noticed one morning that everybody
+      was talking about a new town, and each was asking the others what they
+      thought about it. Glancing at the hotel register, he saw the name, Homer
+      Winthrop, of Waterville, Idaho.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In looking over the <i>Butte City Miner</i> and the <i>Inter-Mountain
+      Blade</i>, both healthy dailies and well edited, he was somewhat
+      astonished to find a full-page advertisement in each of the papers,
+      setting forth in blazing splendor the great Thief River Valley, and signed
+      by Homer Winthrop as agent, announcing that he would be at the Mercury
+      Hotel for a short time, and inviting those who were interested in
+      investing a little money in a purely agricultural city, to come early and
+      &ldquo;get in on the ground floor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The advertisement represented Waterville as being in the midst of the
+      great Thief River Valley, with the largest water power in the country,
+      surrounded by an agricultural district of two million acres of the richest
+      land the sun ever shone down upon. He termed the new town of <span
+      class="pagenum">48</span><a name="link48" id="link48"></a>Waterville the
+      &ldquo;City of Destiny,&rdquo; and said the price of town lots would
+      quadruple in a few years&rsquo; time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was at once interested. &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; said he to himself,
+      &ldquo;is a genuine town boomer, and as the fellow is stopping at this
+      hotel, it will be an easy matter to learn just how this boom business is
+      operated. It will make an excellent article for the <i>Banner</i>.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Accordingly, about eleven o&rsquo;clock that forenoon he called to see the
+      irrepressible town boomer and hear what sort of a marvelous story he had
+      to tell about Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8056.jpg" alt="8056 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8056.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He was quickly admitted into a reception room by a young gentleman who
+      assured him that Mr. Winthrop would soon be at leisure, and begged him to
+      be seated, calling his attention to the numerous maps on the walls, one of
+      which covered nearly the entire side of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop&rsquo;s young assistant seemed to know his business, and at once
+      commenced the preliminary skirmish of interesting Vance in the great Thief
+      River Valley, and especially town lots in Waterville; but as Vance did not
+      evince any inclination to purchase, the young fellow endeavored to so
+      impress him by calling his attention to the advertisements in the morning
+      papers. Every once in a while he would tip-toe over to the door where the
+      great town-boomer, Homer Winthrop, was holding a private conversation with
+      a would-be purchaser. He would put his ear to the keyhole and listen for a
+      moment, and then come tip-toeing back and assure Vance Mr. Winthrop would
+      soon be at leisure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently the door opened and a gentleman in miner&rsquo;s garb came out,
+      and Vance was immediately shown in. As he entered the private room of
+      Homer Winthrop, he involuntarily paused to study, if but for a moment, the
+      face of the man who had arrived in Butte City late the night before, and
+      now had everyone in the place agog over the prospects of a new town that
+      had just been laid out on paper in the Thief River Valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Homer Winthrop, with all the easy grace of a Chesterfield, motioned his
+      visitor to a seat, pushing a box of very superior Havanas toward him, and
+      invited him to join him in burning a weed. He was a man above the average
+      height, inclined to be rather slender, and possessed a rather good looking
+      face, beaming with good nature and apparent frankness; a pair of
+      intelligent dark eyes that laughed and smiled with as much expression as
+      the face, changeable, however, into intenseness and earnestness seldom met
+      with; a broad, intellectual forehead; a rather square chin, indicating
+      great determination of character. To this add a luxuriant head of dark
+      hair, and moustache, otherwise a clean-shaven face, and the reader will
+      have a fair idea of his appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was <span class="pagenum">49</span><a name="link49" id="link49"></a>evidently
+      an adept in reading human nature, and knew his man on sight; had seen much
+      of western life&mdash;and yet it required no second interview to discover
+      in him the polished manners and easy grace of one who has seen much of
+      refinement and culture. He could have entered into the gaieties of a
+      reception in a Fifth Avenue mansion with as little effort as he had <span
+      class="pagenum">50</span><a name="link50" id="link50"></a>stirred up a
+      city of 50,000 people in a few hours over the magnificent prospects of a
+      new town that was just budding into existence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0058.jpg" alt="0058 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0058.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Vance accepted the proffered cigar, and they easily engaged in
+      conversation. They discussed the great out put of ore from the mines of
+      Butte City, and the wonderful development of the western country during
+      recent years; the magnificent mining properties that had been opened up;
+      and, in fact, nearly everything except Waterville and the great Thief
+      River Valley. Homer Winthrop with the skill of a tactician, narrated
+      incidents and legends of different miners who had devoted a lifetime in
+      searching for the precious metal and finally &ldquo;struck it rich&rdquo;
+      in some out-of-the-way, unexpected place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance finally inquired in regard to the new town of <span class="pagenum">51</span><a
+      name="link51" id="link51"></a>Waterville, and was not a little surprised
+      at the conservative reply he received, wholly devoid of any enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;we have a very excellent
+      agricultural country in the valley. We are building our new town of
+      Waterville on the rapids of the Thief River. It has, perhaps, the greatest
+      water power of any inland city in the United States. Many believe a great
+      citv will eventually be built at that point. We also have a great deal of
+      capital invested in the construction of irrigating canals, reclaiming the
+      valley lands from their present arid condition and converting them into
+      productive farms.&rdquo; He also went on, in a voice full of rhythm that
+      was almost musical in its intonation, explaining in a modest way why many
+      people believed in the future of the place, touching on the numerous
+      natural resources that were apparent to everyone sufficiently interested
+      to visit the valley and see for himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was deeply interested in Homer Winthrop&rsquo;s appearance, and
+      later found himself charmed with his new acquaintance more than he cared
+      to admit, even to himself. On taking his leave, he promised to call again
+      the next day. As Vance stepped into the reception room, he found it almost
+      filled with miners and tradesmen who were waiting for an interview&rsquo;
+      with Mr. Winthrop, and he rightly guessed that a profitable business was
+      being done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In thinking over his interview with the town boomer of Waterville, Vance
+      was compelled to admit that he was one of the most attractive individuals
+      with whom he had ever come in contact. That afternoon he finished a letter
+      to the <i>Banner</i>, but it contained no reference to Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The result of his second interview was that he accepted an invitation to
+      visit the new town, which was some two <span class="pagenum">52</span><a
+      name="link52" id="link52"></a>hundred miles distant. Agreeable to this
+      arrangement, they left Butte City early one morning, and that evening
+      reached Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was not particularly attracted by the general appearance and &ldquo;lay&rdquo;
+      of the new town site. It appeared crude and unfinished, and abounded with
+      sage brush and sand. The waters of the rapids, however, in their mad
+      rushing as they went foaming down the narrows like race horses, impressed
+      him with a belief that nothing had been overdrawn in regard to this great
+      natural power, which had been idling its time away for centuries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9060.jpg" alt="9060 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9060.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Homer stood by his side on the rocky bank, but said nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently Vance looked up and said: &ldquo;What a wonderful power is going
+      to waste in these rapids!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will soon be harnessed,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, &ldquo;and this
+      vast power utilized in many manufacturing enterprises. I do not feel,&rdquo;
+      he continued, &ldquo;that I am over-estimating facts, Mr. Gilder, when I
+      say there is power enough here to turn every spindle in every woolen mill
+      and factory in the United States.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My only surprise,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;is that these waters
+      have not been put to use long before this.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That night at the hotel Vance felt he was indeed &ldquo;roughing it.&rdquo;
+      He rose in the morning feeling but little refreshed, and sat down to a
+      very unpalatable breakfast, and immediately afterwards started with Homer
+      Winthrop on a drive through the valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The farmers were busy harvesting their grain, and on <span class="pagenum">53</span><a
+      name="link53" id="link53"></a>inquiry they learned the yield of wheat was
+      from forty to seventy bushels to the acre, and that oats yielded from
+      sixty to one hundred bushels to the acre. Vance was greatly astonished,
+      and became almost enthusiastic over the agricultural possibilities of the
+      valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;Mr. Winthrop, there is no question but
+      this is destined to be one of the richest agricultural valleys in the
+      world. In my work on the <i>Banner</i> I have had occasion to look up
+      statistics on grain products, and if these farmers are telling the truth
+      in regard to the yield of their crops, there is no other place like it in
+      the United States.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A moment after, he was chagrined to think he had given way to such a burst
+      of enthusiasm. It would have been better for him to remain a listener, and
+      allow Winthrop to grow enthusiastic in praise of the country. Winthrop,
+      however, took no advantage of Vance&rsquo;s earnestness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was a perfect one; the sun was shining, and yet there was a cool,
+      invigorating breeze sweeping gently down from the snow-capped Tetons.
+      Driving rapidly and pleasantly along, they at last found themselves near
+      the foot-hills on a slight elevation overlooking the valley to the west.
+      Alighting from the carriage, Vance followed Winthrop&rsquo;s lead, and
+      soon they found themselves on a table rock, at a sufficient elevation to
+      see for many miles to the north, south and west. For a few minutes Vance
+      contemplated the sight in silence, and then said: &ldquo;This is indeed a
+      grand sight.&rdquo; Turning to Winthrop, he continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen many beautiful sights&mdash;the Green and White
+      Mountains of New England, the Cumberland of <span class="pagenum">54</span><a
+      name="link54" id="link54"></a>Virginia, and the mighty Rocky Mountains
+      through Colorado but standing here on the foot hills, with the mountains
+      rising behind us to the sky, with their hoary crests even on this July day
+      capped with snow, and these mountain streams, foaming cataracts, all
+      shimmering in the sunshine, making sweet and restful harmony in their
+      ceaseless flow, surpasses anything I have ever seen. The valley itself
+      looks like a vast green sward stretching before us like a map. The yellow
+      shocks of golden grain in the farming districts are suggestive of what may
+      be in years to come. No man can look upon such a promising picture and not
+      be convinced of the commercial importance which will attend the
+      development of this valley.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During Vance&rsquo;s outburst of ecstacy, Homer Winthrop said nothing,
+      merely acquiescing, in a modest way, to all Vance expressed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returning to Waterville, they partook of a sumptuous repast, which
+      Winthrop had ordered especially prepared, Consisting principally of
+      mountain trout, caught that morning in the Thief River.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After lunch Vance accepted an invitation to smoke and walk out over the
+      town site.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;is block fourteen of Eagle&rsquo;s
+      addition. You see it is less than three blocks from the center of the
+      town. It is one of the choicest blocks we have. If you want me to give you
+      some advice, Mr. Gilder, I will do so, and say, buy a few of these lots.
+      The price is only $100 each, and, in my judgment, they will be worth $500
+      before five years from to-day.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance looked<span class="pagenum">55</span><a name="link55" id="link55"></a>
+      away into the distance at the farm lands, and the music of the sickle was
+      borne lazily to him by a gentle breeze; then he turned his gaze toward the
+      river, where the roaring waters were crowding down the rapids, proclaiming
+      in thundering tones that Waterville was an exception to the rule. After a
+      little he turned to Homer Winthrop and said: &ldquo;I have been advised to
+      keep clear of these new towns. The person who gave me this advice told me
+      there were a few honorable exceptions to the rule. I must believe, from
+      what I have seen, that Waterville is an exception. I will take twenty-five
+      of these lots, and you may fix up the deed for them as soon as possible.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deed and abstract were delivered to Vance that afternoon, and his
+      check for $2,500 was duly deposited in Homer Winthrop&rsquo;s pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I may have been foolish,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;to act so
+      hastily in this matter.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop turned to him, and placing a hand on either shoulder, looked
+      squarely into his companion&rsquo;s eyes, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My belief, Mr. Gilder, is that you have acted wisely, and if you
+      will keep these lots five years, you will thank me for suggesting the
+      advisability of making the purchase. I have but one request to make&mdash;that
+      you will wait five years before passing judgment on my advice.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your request is cheerfully granted,&rdquo; replied Vance with great
+      earnestness, and the two men clasped hands, and a bond of friendship was
+      thereby woven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII.&mdash;A VISIT TO WATERVILLE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0027" id="linkimage-0027"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9064.jpg" alt="9064 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9064.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      NEW WESTERN TOWN is <span class="pagenum">56</span><a
+      name="link56_rdquo_________id_" id="link56_rdquo_________id_"></a>usually
+      provided with a public square, and the business houses and shops are
+      arranged along the four sides of it in sentinel-like position, the corner
+      lots going at a premium, and where the most substantial buildings are
+      erected. Waterville, however could not boast of a public square, but it
+      had two iron bridges spanning the Thief River.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A large stone grist mill had been built on the side of the river opposite
+      the town, and on the elevated ground beyond, it was said the State
+      Agricultural College was to be built.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a favorite pastime with the real estate agents to sit on the depot
+      platform, and while waiting for the incoming trains, to whittle pine
+      sticks into shavings, telling of the different manufactories, state
+      institutions, colleges and asylums, etc., that would be located in the
+      near future at Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening after Vance had made his purchase of town lots he strolled
+      away by himself across the great iron bridge, and gave himself up to
+      meditation. Had he acted wisely? Would Waterville after all prove a
+      &ldquo;boom town&rdquo; and his investment a losing one? Was Homer
+      Winthrop, <span class="pagenum">57</span><a name="link57" id="link57"></a>with
+      his suave manners and great earnestness, which at times seemed to carry
+      conviction to the hearts of all who heard him express himself, the noble
+      specimen of manhood he appeared to be, or were his fascinations merely the
+      arts of the ordinary skilled western boomer? Would the managing editor
+      approve his action in purchasing lots in such a new and undeveloped place
+      as Waterville?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is a common experience with mankind, that after a doubtful transaction
+      has been consummated, we can deliberate with far more intentness of
+      thought than before the trade was made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A peculiarity of a western town is its plentifulness of real estate
+      agents, who seem to travel in swarms, and find an abiding place in the
+      town that promises the greatest activity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0028" id="linkimage-0028"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9065.jpg" alt="9065 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9065.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      After a reaction sets in and hard times overtake them, this peculiar class
+      usually pick up their &ldquo;ink-horns&rdquo; and fly, as from a
+      pestilence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another peculiarity is, that if a trade is made with a &ldquo;tender-foot&rdquo;
+      everyone in the village usually knows of it in a very few hours.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance was returning from his walk he was met on the outskirts of the
+      village by a number of this class of hangers-on, who make their living by
+      selling town lots on commission. Each one was desirous of saying &ldquo;just
+      a word&rdquo; to Vance in private.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The story of one was practically the story of all. They advised him to
+      stop and think what he was losing by not buying more property in
+      Waterville. One particularly long, lank individual, who wore a sombrero
+      and high-<span class="pagenum">58</span><a name="link58" id="link58"></a>topped
+      boots, assured him that &ldquo;the opportunity of a lifetime was at that
+      very minute knocking at his door; it might never come again.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You might go away from Waterville,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;and come
+      back here in a few mouths&rsquo; time, and you&rsquo;ll find the town lots
+      I can sell you to-day for a mere song, going at ten times the price that
+      you can buy them for now. My name is Steve Gibbons, and I presume I am
+      doing the biggest real estate business in Waterville. I sell more lots
+      than any other half dozen agents in town. You&rsquo;ve made a great
+      mistake, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;in buying of the Town Company.
+      Of course, this is confidential, but if you had come to me instead of
+      buying of Winthrop, I could have saved you big money.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean by &lsquo;the company&rsquo;.&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you see, the Waterville Town Company own mighty near all the
+      property in town.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0029" id="linkimage-0029"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9066.jpg" alt="9066 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9066.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      That man Winthrop is a member of the company. Now, while I have not as
+      many lots for sale as the Town Company, my prices beat them all holler.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think,&rdquo; asked Vance, &ldquo;that Mr. Winthrop charged
+      me too much for my lots?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Think!&rdquo; said Steve Gibbons, &ldquo;think? why, pardner, all
+      the agents in town are laughin&rsquo; about it; he took you in.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance bit his lips, and mentally concluded to investigate very thoroughly
+      before he quit Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see,&rdquo; Gibbons <span class="pagenum">59</span><a
+      name="link59_rdquo_________id_" id="link59_rdquo_________id_"></a>went on,
+      &ldquo;all us fellers are down on the Town Company. We don&rsquo;t like
+      corporations, nohow; they don&rsquo;t give us honorable-intentioned
+      fellers a fair chance. We are the men that&rsquo;s buildin&rsquo; up this
+      here town&mdash;givin&rsquo; it the bone, and the sinew, and the standin&rsquo;,
+      so to speak. Don&rsquo;t you see?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I understand,&rdquo; and begging to
+      be excused, he turned and walked away from the &ldquo;honorable-intentioned&rdquo;
+      Steve Gibbons, and soon after sought the privacy of his own room in the
+      Ballard House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dick Ballard was a Grand Army man, and kept the only hotel of any
+      importance in Waterville. The only thing first-class about it was the
+      price for lodging. Immediately after the average traveler settled his bill
+      at the Ballard, there was generally a half-distinct impression in his mind
+      that he had been stopping at a first-class hotel, but the remembrance of
+      three kinds of meat cooked in the same kettle was not easily forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance sat in his room, in anything but a pleasant frame of mind, there
+      came a gentle knock on his door. He quickly admitted his visitor, and
+      found it was Dick Ballard, the proprietor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I reckon,&rdquo; said he, as soon as he stepped in, &ldquo;you&rsquo;ll
+      be one of us by and by. Bought property already, and a mighty good buy you&rsquo;ve
+      made of it, too. Oh, you know a good thing when you see it; you bet yer
+      life you do.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;the lots I purchased were
+      reasonable at the price?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should say so; yes, sir, mighty cheap. This here town is comin
+      out of the kinks in fine shape. We&rsquo;ll have a drum corps in our State
+      militia before another year; you bet we will. I presume you know we have
+      the finest drilled company at Waterville, outside the regular army, in the
+      state?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have been told,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;that I paid too much
+      <span class="pagenum">60</span><a name="link60" id="link60"></a>for the
+      property. I am more interested in learning the truth or untruth of the
+      statement than I am about your militia company.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0030" id="linkimage-0030"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0068.jpg" alt="0068 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0068.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you that:&rdquo; asked Ballard, with indignation. As Vance
+      did not answer, the hotel proprietor went on to say: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll bet
+      it was J. Arthur Boast. Now, look&rsquo;ee here, Mr. Gilder, you can&rsquo;t
+      believe everything these fellers tell you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The truth of this remark pressed itself on Vance so <span class="pagenum">61</span><a
+      name="link61" id="link61"></a>forcibly, and his indignation getting the
+      better of him, he turned upon Dick Ballard and said bitterly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who in thunderation can I believe?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can believe me, sir, and I&rsquo;ll produce prima facie
+      evidence of everything I say. This town is all right; your investment is a
+      good one, and the man who says it is not is surely trying to stick his
+      nose into other people&rsquo;s business&mdash;but, say, hold on a minute,&rdquo;
+      said Ballard, as if he had forgotten something, &ldquo;will you take a
+      drink?&rdquo; and he produced a bottle from his pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, thank you,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, if you don&rsquo;t mind, I will,&rdquo; said the landlord, as
+      he proceeded to treat himself to a liberal portion of the contents of his
+      bottle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said he, as he sat down smacking his lips, &ldquo;everything
+      I tell you is prima facie. I know how it is; some of these fellows have
+      been trying to make you dissatisfied with your purchase. I am not selling
+      town lots. My business is to run this hotel and see that everybody has a
+      fair deal.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is the Town Company?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Town Company, sir, consists of some of the most remarkable men
+      in this country. They are strong men, brainy men; they are hustlers; and
+      I,&rdquo; said Ballard, rising to his feet, &ldquo;I am their friend. This
+      man, Homer Winthrop,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;carries more gray matter
+      about on his brain than all the shark real estate agents in Waterville put
+      together. He is one of the company, but you&rsquo;ll see them all before
+      long; and when you do, I know you&rsquo;ll agree with me in saying they
+      are the cleanest cut lot of men on the continent. Winthrop is a great man,
+      but there are others in the company that are a mighty <span class="pagenum">62</span><a
+      name="link62_rdquo_________id_" id="link62_rdquo_________id_"></a>sight
+      stronger than he is. They are all men of honor, and their integrity is
+      prima facie.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Prima facie&rdquo; seemed to be a favorite expression of Dick
+      Ballard&rsquo;s. After he had delivered himself in the strongest language
+      at his command, he treated himself to another drink and retired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance sat far into the night, looking out at his window into the mellow
+      moonlight, listening to the ceaseless roar of the waters and the yelping
+      coyotes in the distance, which were answered by half a dozen dogs in
+      different parts of the town. At times he regretted his purchase, and again
+      he felt it must, in the very nature of things, increase many times in
+      value in a few years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moon came up the eastern sky, and seemed to hang in space like a ball
+      of fire, beckoning him to return to his eastern home before disaster
+      overtook him. The three great Tetons of the mountain range bearing their
+      name stood out in bold relief, throwing long, menacing shadows directly
+      towards him. The shimmering of the soft moonbeams glistened on the
+      restless waters of the musical river, whose alluring song of promise and
+      power was wafted to him on the night wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII.&mdash;AT THE MINE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0031" id="linkimage-0031"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9071.jpg" alt="9071 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9071.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE <span class="pagenum">63</span><a name="link63" id="link63"></a>next
+      morning Vance was rather late in rising. Soon after he had taken his seat
+      at the breakfast table, he was joined by an individual small in stature
+      but tastily dressed. His eyes were restless, and he seemed on the point of
+      making an observation several times before he finally did so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very pleasant morning,&rdquo; said he, looking up at
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance and then hastily glancing at the sunshine that streamed in at the
+      window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, delightful,&rdquo; was Vance&rsquo;s reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently the stranger observed: &ldquo;Sunny days are the rule, cloudy
+      days the exception, at Waterville. At least that&rsquo;s my experience
+      during a year&rsquo;s sojourn among the good people of this village.&rdquo;
+      There was a quaking sound in the fellow&rsquo;s voice that attracted Vance&rsquo;s
+      attention, because it was different from others more than because there
+      was anything charming about it. Vance wondered if this individual was not
+      also in the real estate business. It seemed as if every one with whom you
+      come in contact was a real estate agent. He was on the point of asking him
+      what line of business he <span class="pagenum">64</span><a name="link64"
+      id="link64"></a>was engaged in, when the fellow, looking up from his
+      plate, said, &ldquo;Real estate is my line. My office is just across the
+      street; you can see my sign from the window.&rdquo; Looking out at the
+      window, Vance saw a large real estate sign, with gold letters on a black
+      back-ground, bearing the name of &ldquo;J. Arthur Boast.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are Mr. Boast, I presume,&rdquo; said Vance, turning from the
+      window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;J. Arthur Boast, at your service.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Half an hour later Vance Gilder was seated in the real estate office of J.
+      Arthur Boast, looking over his special bargain list; not with a view of
+      buying, but rather to gain information.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0032" id="linkimage-0032"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9072.jpg" alt="9072 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9072.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Boast talked a great deal, and in his fawning, insinuating manner, advised
+      Vance, without saying so in so many words, to keep his eyes open when
+      dealing with the Town Company. After Vance had carefully scanned his list
+      of town lots, he was better satisfied than ever with his purchases.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Taking a bottle from his desk, Boast held it up toward the sunlight, and
+      asked Vance if he would have some &ldquo;red liquor.&rdquo; Vance declined
+      with thanks. Boast walked back and forth with the bottle in his hand, and
+      in a quaking voice, meant to be confidential, told Vance that he had got
+      to quit drinking; that red liquor was getting an awful hold on him. He
+      seemed to be desirous of giving the impression that he was a hard drinker.
+      Finally he poured out some of the contents of the bottle into a glass, and
+      drank it down at one swallow. Afterwards he seemed quite wretched and his
+      eyes were filled <span class="pagenum">65</span><a
+      name="link65_rdquo_________id_" id="link65_rdquo_________id_"></a>with
+      tears. Vance concluded, notwithstanding all he had said against himself,
+      that J. Arthur Boast was not a drinking man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That liquor is all right,&rdquo; said Boast; &ldquo;a very superior
+      article, but it is a little early in the day for me to commence. It always
+      half strangles me in the morning.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance was seeking information from which he could draw his own
+      conclusions, he gave Boast all the opportunities possible to express
+      himself in regard to Waterville and its people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0033" id="linkimage-0033"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8073.jpg" alt="8073 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8073.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The fellow said nothing positive, yet there was an evil vein of
+      insinuation in all that he did say not only in regard to the Waterville
+      Town Company and every other real estate agent, but also against everybody
+      in the town generally. Vance very much disliked the fellow, and afterwards
+      learned that he was universally disliked and shunned by everyone in
+      Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of returning to Butte City with Winthrop that afternoon, Vance
+      remained in Waterville, and arranged to take the early stage next morning
+      for Gold Bluff, which was located some sixty miles northwest of
+      Waterville, in the Fish River Mining District. He arrived in that Idaho
+      mining town late the following night, registered at the Bluff House, and
+      after a late supper retired to his room for a much needed rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning he found, on inquiry, that Ben Bonifield&rsquo;s mine was
+      located about half a mile from town upon the mountain side, and he at once
+      started out in <span class="pagenum">66</span><a name="link66" id="link66"></a>that
+      direction, to see how the work on the shaft, bound for the 300 foot level,
+      was progressing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The town of Gold Bluff was cozily nestled in a little valley, with abrupt
+      mountains lowering away to the sky on either side of it. The mountains
+      were covered with spruce and pine and mountain poplars up to the snow
+      line, above which the barren rocks rose majestically towards the heavens.
+      A refreshing stream meandered its course through the town, on one side of
+      which were stores and shops, and on the other residences. Vance noticed
+      that some of them were of modern architecture and neatly painted, while
+      others were primitive in the extreme&mdash;relics of early mining; days.
+      The town was rather quaint and picturesque, and made more so by a
+      profusion of shade trees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning,&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">67</span><a name="link67"
+      id="link67"></a>said Vance, as he came up to Ben Bonifield, who, in miner&rsquo;s
+      costume, was working vigorously away at the frame-work of the shaft over
+      Gray Rocks. The old man looked up with an astonished air, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0034" id="linkimage-0034"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8074.jpg" alt="8074 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8074.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good mawnin&rsquo;, suh.&rdquo; Then, recognizing his visitor, he
+      threw down his hammer and gave Vance&rsquo;s hand such a squeeze in his
+      powerful grasp that it almost made him cry out with pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, suh,&rdquo; cried the old miner, &ldquo;I am almost pa&rsquo;alyzed
+      to see yo&rsquo;. I am indeed, suh. Mr. Gilder, I welcome yo&rsquo; suh,
+      to Gold Bluff and to Gray Rocks. Here, suh, are our possessions,&rdquo;
+      waving his hand toward the shaft. &ldquo;Immediately upon my return from
+      the city, Mr. Gilder, we commenced work in earnest, suh, and befo&rsquo;
+      many weeks, I am proud to say, suh, we will reach the 300 foot level and
+      be ready to cross-cut into the vein, suh. Yo&rsquo; don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo;
+      said the old miner, again taking Vance&rsquo;s hand, &ldquo;how proud I am&mdash;yes,
+      proud, suh, proud to be honored with a visit from yo&rsquo;, I very much
+      desire that yo&rsquo; pu&rsquo;son&rsquo;lly inspect the mine; and there
+      is no better time than the present.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance entered heartily into the tour of inspection, and at the old miner&rsquo;s
+      invitation, went down in the bucket, where the miners were at work. The
+      old gentleman kept him there until he had explained everything to the
+      minutest detail, and when Vance at last reached the top of the shaft he
+      felt he had a far better idea of sinking shafts on mines than ever before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said the old miner, &ldquo;my Louise will be most
+      delighted to see yo&rsquo;, suh; she will indeed.&rdquo; Then turning, he
+      gave some instruction to his foreman, telling him he would not return that
+      afternoon, and together the old gentleman and Vance walked down the
+      mountain side to the village of Gold bluff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old miner&rsquo;s residence was a modest one, situated well back from
+      the street, near some huge boulders&mdash;a natural pyramid of rocks,
+      while a beautiful little spring of water flowed from near its base. There
+      was a very pretty yard in front, filled with growing evergreens and
+      mountain ash.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I planted these trees myself, suh,&rdquo; said the old miner,
+      &ldquo;years ago. They remind me of my old Virginia home. I was the fust
+      one to set out shade trees in Gold Bluff; yes, still, the fust one.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance entered the yard, he paused a moment to contemplate the beauty
+      and home-like appearance of the <span class="pagenum">68</span><a
+      name="link68" id="link68"></a>yard, and Ben Bonifield&rsquo;s home, with
+      its wide porches in front literally covered with honeysuckles, ivy, and
+      vining roses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0035" id="linkimage-0035"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0076.jpg" alt="0076 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0076.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Vance found Louise dressed as a mountain maid, instead of the fashionable
+      young lady who had called on him in his New York home. She was not such a
+      woman as poets rave about, and yet, withal, there was a grace&mdash;a
+      charm&mdash;about her, that commanded admiration. Her hair, in the
+      sunlight, was like one beautiful sheen of gold, <span class="pagenum">69</span><a
+      name="link69" id="link69"></a>with little ringlets here and there; her
+      complexion was pink and white, and when under deep excitement a ruddy glow
+      would mantle her cheeks. Her nose, while well formed, neither large nor
+      small, was quite ordinary. Her mouth was a perfect Cupid&rsquo;s bow, with
+      lips like two red cherries. As Vance conversed with her that afternoon, he
+      forgot the hair, forgot the delicately formed, rosy lips, forgot even the
+      glow of pink which came and went over her fair cheeks, in looking into her
+      talking eyes&mdash;so clear, so blue, and yet to trustful; even forgot the
+      long brown lashes that fringed them with gentle protection. Her eyes were
+      the crowning feature of her expressive face, which may not have been a
+      beautiful one in the parlance of fashion, yet it was one that a student of
+      human nature would term a face of intelligence; and after all, to the
+      cultured, is there aught more beautiful?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance sat with the old miner and his daughter on the porch of their
+      cozy dwelling that afternoon, he forgot time. The sun went down behind the
+      western mountains, leaving the beauty of an afterglow reflected on the
+      waters of the mountain brooklet. The moon that was climbing up over the
+      eastern hills threw its rays aslant through the clinging roses that grew
+      in profusion about the porch. A feeling of peace, and possibly a dangerous
+      contentment, stole into his heart, and he murmured a thanksgiving to the
+      fates. The unseen, potent force that binds us all, sooner or later, with a
+      silken cord, was thonging him to a future destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX.&mdash;THE STAGE DRIVER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0036" id="linkimage-0036"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9078.jpg" alt="9078 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9078.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ROM <span class="pagenum">70</span><a name="link70" id="link70"></a>Gold
+      Bluff Vance sent to the <i>Banner</i> one of his strongest descriptive
+      letters. The inspiration of the new west, with its gorges, mountains,
+      beautiful valleys and gurgling streams abounding with trout, tinged its
+      every sentence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His vivacious style, which had won for him the place he occupied on the <i>Banner</i>,
+      was reinforced with the new and intoxicating sights of the picturesque.
+      For two weeks he did little else than tramp through valleys, following up
+      mountain streams on fishing jaunts, and felt that he was &ldquo;roughing
+      it&rdquo; in a most delightful fashion. One night, coming in from a long
+      tramp far up in the mountains, he found a large bundle of mail awaiting
+      him that had been forwarded from Butte Citv. Among his letters was one
+      from the chief, which read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>
+        <i>Banner</i> Office,
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        New York City, July
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Dear Sir:
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Your letters to the <i>Banner</i>, in one sense of the word, are all and
+        even more than I expected. They are giving excellent satisfaction. As
+        yet you have expressed no decided opinion in regard to the desirability
+        of Western investments.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        My ideas are to educate our readers against unstable investments. Nine
+        out of every ten of the mining shafts in Montana, <span class="pagenum">71</span><a
+        name="link71" id="link71"></a>in my judgment, have had more money put
+        into them than ever has or ever will be taken out. You will also find
+        many Western towns where they are selling lots at from one to two
+        hundred dollars each, which, in reality, would be expensive property to
+        own at the government price of $1.25 per acre. Of course, there are,
+        perhaps, a few honorable exceptions.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Respectfully,
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        J. R. S., Chief.
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      When one is seeking an excuse for his convictions, especially if they are
+      as strong as Vance&rsquo;s had become in regard to Butte City and
+      Waterville, the one little sentence, &ldquo;Of course, there are, perhaps,
+      a few honorable exceptions,&rdquo; in the chief&rsquo;s letter saves him a
+      great deal of worry. Vance was too light hearted to be cast down by the
+      half-criticism of the class of correspondence he was sending in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had an engagement that evening with Louise Bonifield and her father;
+      indeed, his was a standing invitation at the Bonifields&rsquo;, and almost
+      every afternoon since his arrival at Gold Bluff found him at their
+      mountain home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0037" id="linkimage-0037"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9079.jpg" alt="9079 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9079.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      As he started from the hotel he was accosted by a familiar voice: &ldquo;Hello,
+      pard; how d&rsquo; ye do?&rdquo; and Steve Gibbons thrust out his long arm
+      to shake Vance&rsquo;s hand in western fashion. He still wore his sombrero
+      and high-topped boots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance assured Gibbons that he was delighted to see him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you would be,&rdquo; said Gibbons, &ldquo;You see, I have
+      given up the real estate t <span class="pagenum">72</span><a name="link72"
+      id="link72"></a>business clown at Waterville, and am turned stage driver.
+      Of course, every man in this &lsquo;ere country is lookin&rsquo; for
+      promotion. I don&rsquo;t reckon I&rsquo;m any smarter than other people,
+      but I&rsquo;ve had my eye on this job for several months; but you can bet
+      your life them other real estate agents didn&rsquo;t know nothin&rsquo;
+      about it. I tell you, pardner, it&rsquo;s a mighty elevatin&rsquo;
+      position to drive a six-horse team through these deep mountain gorges in
+      all kinds of wind and weather. Had to give a mighty stout bond, too, for
+      we handle all the express matter, and there&rsquo;s a good deal of gold
+      dust hauled down from this &lsquo;ere camp.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was glad to meet anyone, however slight the acquaintance had been,
+      and in the course of their conversation Steve Gibbons confessed to him
+      that he was &ldquo;givin&rsquo; it to him just a leetle&rdquo; in regard
+      to the town lots which Vance had purchased of the Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;the facts are, the Town Company of
+      Waterville has made that &lsquo;ere town, and are still makin&rsquo; it.
+      It&rsquo;s a mighty pert place, and is growin&rsquo; perter all the time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance mentally wondered if all the &ldquo;honest intentioned&rdquo;
+      fellows of Waterville would talk in the same way about the Town Company if
+      they were occupying positions where their interests were no longer adverse
+      to the Company&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you don&rsquo;t think I paid too much for my lots?&rdquo;
+      asked Vance, looking up with a quizzical expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Steve Gibbons, &ldquo;them lots are all right,
+      pardner, and will make you a barrel if you hold on to &lsquo;em. They sold
+      &lsquo;em to you cheap enough. That was just a leetle competition talk I
+      was givin&rsquo; you that night down at Waterville. Business is business,
+      you know, <span class="pagenum">73</span><a name="link73" id="link73"></a>when
+      you are sellin&rsquo; town lots, and a man has got to talk for hisself. I
+      really did want to sell you some lots, that&rsquo;s a fact, &lsquo;cause I
+      wanted to rake in the commission; but it&rsquo;s all over with now. I have
+      throwed up the whole darned business of sellin&rsquo; lots since I was
+      promoted. Old Dick Ballard,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;is jest as <i>prima
+      facie</i> as ever, and says his company is the finest drilled militia in
+      the state. By the way,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;the Town Company has
+      had a meetin&rsquo;, and the people are feelin&rsquo; mighty good jess now&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How&rsquo;s that?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; replied Gibbons, &ldquo;about once a month the Town
+      Company have a meetin&rsquo;, and pass resolutions, declar&rsquo;
+      dividends and get up a new&rsquo; prospectus of different manufacturin&rsquo;
+      enterprises that&rsquo;s goin&rsquo; to be built thar; also, of colleges
+      and state institutions that will be located at Waterville this comin&rsquo;
+      year, and that always makes the people feel high-spirited for the next
+      week or ten days, anyhow. Most of the people go on a spree after one o&rsquo;
+      them encouragin&rsquo; meetin&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;that Homer Winthrop is one of
+      the leading spirits of the Company.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is one of the Company,&rdquo; said Gibbons, as he filled his
+      pipe and lit it, &ldquo;but he lacks a good deal, I can tell you, of bein&rsquo;
+      the biggest toad in the puddle. There&rsquo;s old Colonel Alexander, he&rsquo;s
+      the fellow that lays out the plans on a gigantic scale. Then there&rsquo;s
+      General Ira House. I &lsquo;spect he has the biggest reputation of any
+      town boomer on the western half of the continent&mdash;I allow as what he
+      has. And when you&rsquo;re talkin&rsquo; about smart ones, you don&rsquo;t
+      want to forget B. Webster Legal; he&rsquo;s the corporation attorney, and
+      you can bet your last <span class="pagenum">74</span><a name="link74"
+      id="link74"></a>half dollar the company will never run agin&rsquo; any
+      shoals as long as he stands at the wheel and writes up contracts. Oh, he&rsquo;s
+      a hummer, and no mistake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s reported down thar&rsquo; that half a dozen different
+      railroad companies are tryin&rsquo; mighty hard to get him for their
+      attorney, but he saws, &lsquo;Not much; I have cast my fortune with my
+      friends and with Waterville, and I&rsquo;ll stick by the enterprise as
+      long as a town lot can be sold.&rsquo;.rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Town Company is mighty cute,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;they
+      never have any law suits, &lsquo;cause their contracts are drawn up with
+      knots tied knee deep all over the fellow they&rsquo;re dealin&rsquo; with.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is probable that Steve Gibbons would have gone on indefinitely had not
+      Vance begged to be excused, pleading a previous engagement. They bade each
+      other good night, Gibbons starting for the stables to look after his
+      horses, and Vance walked leisurely along toward the Bonifield&rsquo;s
+      home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That afternoon Louise had accepted his invitation to go on a fishing jaunt
+      some day during the week to a place called Silver Point Lake, some two
+      miles away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0038" id="linkimage-0038"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8082.jpg" alt="8082 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8082.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Her simplicity of manner and frankness, though possessing, withal, a
+      demure humor, which was one of her charming characteristics, had greatly
+      fascinated him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were standing on the cottage porch in the soft summer twilight, while
+      a mountain breeze was tossing the ringlets of Louise&rsquo;s hair about,
+      as if coquetting with them. Vance was studying her face while she was
+      looking far away toward the western <span class="pagenum">75</span><a
+      name="link75_rdquo_________id_" id="link75_rdquo_________id_"></a>mountains,
+      where the sun had left a reddened glow on the sky, which, he said, was a
+      promise of fair weather for the fishing excursion the next day. Presently,
+      a creaky voice commenced calling:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Louise! Louise! where is your par?&rdquo; and before Vance&rsquo;s
+      fair companion could explain, a woman well advanced in years came out on
+      the porch, and seemed surprised at seeing Vance, and eyed him critically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Aunt Sally,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;this is Mr. Gilder, papa&rsquo;s
+      friend. Mr. Gilder, this is my Aunt Sally, father&rsquo;s sister.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Aunt Sally acknowledged the introduction with a stately bow. Her apparel
+      was of the fashion of a quarter of a century ago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am very glad to see you, suh,&rdquo; she said, addressing Vance.
+      &ldquo;I understand you are interested with my brother in his mine. I can
+      give you, Mr. Gilder, some very excellent advice; I can, indeed, suh, but
+      I will defer it until some other time.&rdquo; Then turning to Louise, she
+      said, &ldquo;Do you know where your par&rsquo;s gone?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not,&rdquo; replied Louise, sweetly, &ldquo;I think he will be
+      here in a few moments.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I just allow he&rsquo;s grub-stakin&rsquo; some of them pesky
+      prospectin&rsquo; miners again,&rdquo; cried Aunt Sally. &ldquo;Mr.
+      Gilder,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;I have to watch over my brother very
+      closely, I do, indeed, suh. He&rsquo;s been plantin&rsquo; money all over
+      these mountains for many years, but there&rsquo;s no crop ever been
+      harvested. I allow I&rsquo;ll give him a piece of my mind when he comes
+      home.&rdquo; Saying this, she turned and disappeared into the house.
+      Louise was evidently confused, and regretted her aunt&rsquo;s words, while
+      Vance was at a loss to understand the import of the spinster s remarks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">76</span><a name="link76" id="link76"></a>"I am very
+      sorry, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said Louise&mdash;and he noticed she was
+      trembling like a frightened bird&mdash;&ldquo;sorry that Aunt Sally should
+      so far forget herself as to speak so before a stranger.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0039" id="linkimage-0039"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0084.jpg" alt="0084 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0084.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Vance declared there was no reason for being disturbed, but Louise was not
+      wholly reassured by his words. &ldquo;I know papa will be very angry with
+      Aunt Sally.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There surely is no cause for that,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">77</span><a name="link77" id="link77"></a>"You see,&rdquo;
+      said Louise, &ldquo;mamma died when Virginia and I were little girls, and
+      Aunt Sally has been a mother to us. Ever since papa commenced work on Gray
+      Rocks she has continually opposed him. She says he will never find a
+      dollar s worth of gold if he sinks his shaft a thousand feet. I sometimes
+      think she has influenced sister Virgie. Sister is away from home now,
+      teaching school at Waterville. I do not know whether papa is wrong or not,
+      but if he is, then I am also, for I believe with all my heart that some
+      time papa will find the wealth he has so persistently labored for so many
+      years. And I sincerely hope,&rdquo; she continued, laying her hand on
+      Vance&rsquo;s arm and looking pleadingly up into his face, &ldquo;that you
+      will not be influenced by anything that Aunt Sally may have said, will
+      you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was only human; he could not withstand such an appeal, If doubts had
+      ever come to him, the trembling girl at his side, by her looks and words,
+      had put them to flight. &ldquo;No,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;my faith is
+      as firm as the rocks in your father&rsquo;s mine.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X.&mdash;PROPERTY HAS GONE UP.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0040" id="linkimage-0040"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9086.jpg" alt="9086 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9086.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      MMEDIATELY <span class="pagenum">78</span><a name="link78" id="link78"></a>after
+      breakfast the following morning, Vance was waited upon by Col. Bonifield.
+      The old miner bore a troubled expression on his face. Vance invited him to
+      his room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the old miner, as he raised himself to his
+      full height, and with the dignity of a general addressed Vance: &ldquo;I
+      assure yo&rsquo;, suh, I am greatly pained at the uncalled fo&rsquo;
+      remarks which my sister made in yo&rsquo;r presence last evening; I am
+      indeed, suh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;there is no occasion to
+      refer to the matter at all. I assured your daughter, and I now assure you,
+      that I have every confidence in the mine, and will continue to have until
+      you yourself have sufficient reason to shake your faith. I certainly
+      cannot say more, and under the circumstances could not say less.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the old miner, &ldquo;yo&rsquo;, suh, are a
+      very honorable gentleman, and I am very proud of my partnership with yo&rsquo;.
+      I am indeed, suh. In regard to my sister&mdash;in her younger days, I
+      assure yo&rsquo;, she was one of the most rema&rsquo;kable women of
+      Virginia; yes, suh, a vehy rema&rsquo;kable woman. She certainly has been
+      a true sister to me, suh, and a faithful mother to my daughters, but in
+      <span class="pagenum">79</span><a name="link79" id="link79"></a>some way
+      she disbelieves in Gray Rocks, and would yo&rsquo; believe it, suh, she
+      has gone so far at times as to intimate that I am crazy as a March hare in
+      regard to ever &lsquo;strikin&rsquo; it rich&rsquo; on our minin&rsquo;
+      property; yes, suh, she certainly has said some vehy bitter things against
+      Gray Rocks, but fo&rsquo; all that, she is a vehy rema&rsquo;kable woman,
+      even to this day. Yes, suh, quite rema&rsquo;kable.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I now have a matter, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;of
+      vehy great importance to discuss with yo.&rdquo; Vance offered the old
+      miner a cigar, which he accepted, and soon they were discussing the
+      &ldquo;important matter,&rdquo; which of course referred to Gray Rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0041" id="linkimage-0041"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8087.jpg" alt="8087 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8087.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are not far away, Mr. Gilder, from the 300 foot level. Our
+      machinery and pumps, suh, have been workin&rsquo; rema&rsquo;kably well.
+      Two weeks mo&rsquo; and our shaft will be finished; yes, suh, finished.
+      Then we will cross-cut, and my opinion is, it will be well fo&rsquo; yo&rsquo;
+      to remain in Gold Bluff and be ready to send in yo&rsquo;r resignation as
+      cor&rsquo;spondent of that New York paper; yes, suh that is my advice. It
+      is only proper, suh, that yo&rsquo; should enjoy the riches that await yo&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But supposing, Col. Bonifield,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;supposing
+      that you do not find any pay ore when you crosscut into the vein, as you
+      say; in that event, I suppose you agree with me that it would be a pretty
+      good idea for me to hold my position on the <i>Banner?</i>&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of cou&rsquo;se, suh,&rdquo; replied the old miner, &ldquo;but
+      there is but one chance in ten thousand that we won&rsquo;t strike it. I
+      admit of this one chance against us, suh, fo&rsquo; the sake of <span
+      class="pagenum">80</span><a name="link80_rdquo_________id_"
+      id="link80_rdquo_________id_"></a>argument alone. Mr. Grim is now takin&rsquo;
+      out of the Peacock some of the richest ore I ever saw in my life, he is
+      indeed, suh&mdash;and his mine joins ours, as yo&rsquo; know, directly on
+      the nawth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was silent for a few moments, and then said: &ldquo;In the event,
+      Col. Bonifield, we do not strike it; what then? Will you be discouraged?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, suh; if we fail at the 300 foot level, suh, and yo&rsquo; can
+      furnish the money, we will start the next mornin&rsquo; fo&rsquo; the 400
+      foot level; but I assure yo&rsquo;, suh, I have no idea yo &lsquo;ll have
+      to furnish any mo&rsquo; money. Gray Rocks is a sure winner; it is indeed,
+      suh. The oldest miners in the camp say that if we stick to Gray Rocks it
+      will be worth mo&rsquo; in five years than Rufus Grim&rsquo;s Peacock
+      mine. When I was yo&rsquo;r age, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; he continued, blowing
+      a cloud of smoke away out of the window toward Gray Rocks, &ldquo;I could
+      not have stuck to that property year after year as I have been doin&rsquo;.
+      Why suh, it took a quarter of a century&rsquo;s experience fo&rsquo; me to
+      learn that a rollin&rsquo; stone gathers no moss&rsquo;. it did indeed,
+      suh. Now I have observed the fellows that strike it, in nine cases out of
+      ten, are the ones who follow up and hold on after they once strike a
+      trail. Why, suh, if yo&rsquo; had seen the float rock that I found befo&rsquo;
+      stakin&rsquo; out Gray Rocks, yo&rsquo; would know why I believe there is
+      an entire hill full of wealth over yonder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they were talking there came a gentle rap on the door. Vance called
+      out for them to &ldquo;come in. The door opened, and a boy sidled into the
+      room with a letter in his hand and asked for Col. Bonifield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At yo&rsquo;r service, suh,&rdquo; said the old miner&rsquo; rising
+      with much dignity. &ldquo;Thank yo&rsquo;, suh,&rdquo; said he, taking the
+      <span class="pagenum">81</span><a name="link81" id="link81"></a>letter.
+      The boy took himself off, closing the door behind him, while the colonel,
+      adjusting his glasses, read aloud the address, &ldquo;Miss Louise
+      Bonifield.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dropping his glasses from his eyes, he placed the letter in his pocket and
+      said: &ldquo;Mr. Boast has evidently returned to Gold Bluff.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Boast, did you say?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, suh, Mr. Boast&mdash;a young man in whom I have only the
+      slightest confidence. His full name is J. Arthur Boast. His father,
+      Colonel Boast, lives on a ranch about three miles from here.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance could never explain why, but the unfavorable opinion he had formed
+      of J. Arthur Boast while at Waterville was in the twinkling of an eye
+      changed to hatred. Soon after, Colonel Bonifield took his departure, and
+      Vance commenced preparing for his next day&rsquo;s fishing-jaunt. His door
+      had been left ajar, and presently he heard a squeaky, ill-omened voice
+      that he well remembered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you do, Mr. Gilder?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance turned and saw J. Arthur Boast standing at his door. &ldquo;How do
+      you do,&rdquo; said Vance, rather abruptly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not expect to find you at Gold Bluff,&rdquo; said Boast in an
+      insinuating tone of voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not?&rdquo; said Vance; without deigning to look up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you eastern fellows, and newspaper men in particular, never
+      stay very long in one place. So you&rsquo;ve met my old mining friend,
+      Colonel Bonifield?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume you&rsquo;ve met his daughter, Miss Louise?&rdquo; As he
+      made this remark he looked out of the corners of his restless eyes in a
+      manner that was intended to be cunning
+<span class="pagenum">82</span><a name="link82" id="link82"></a>
+Vance
+      was full of resentment, and dared not trust himself to make and immediate
+      reply. Presently Boast continued: &ldquo;They are old friends, of mine; a
+      most respectable family. I used to live in Gold Bluff; may live here
+      again. One can&rsquo;t say what may happen, you know.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0042" id="linkimage-0042"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0090.jpg" alt="0090 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0090.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;you were in love with
+      Waterville.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One&rsquo;s in love where one&rsquo;s possessions are, don&rsquo;t
+      you see?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance did not reply to the question, but busied himself with his fishing
+      tackle. Presently Boast took a bottle from his pocket, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you have a drink of red liquor Vance replied in the negative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I suppose,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;I ought not to drink so
+      much. The truth is, I am a pretty devilish hard citizen. I am drinking
+      entirely too much of the stuff, but no one takes interest enough in me to
+      tell me so; yet I know I&rsquo;m going to the bad. The habit is formed and
+      what is a fellow going to do about it?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He waited <span class="pagenum">83</span><a name="link83" id="link83"></a>some
+      time for a reply, but as Vance made none, he proceeded to pour out a small
+      portion of the contents of the bottle into a glass, and then added some
+      water to it and stood looking out of the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Won&rsquo;t you be seated?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, I believe I will,&rdquo; replied Boast, and sat down
+      with the glass of liquor in his hand, and said nothing for several
+      minutes. He acted as if he dreaded the ordeal of swallowing the portion,
+      but felt it would not do to set it aside after all he had said in regard
+      to being a hard drinker. Finally he gulped it down at a single swallow,
+      and then drank a great quantity of water immediately afterward. He
+      strangled considerably and his eyes became very red, and evidently was
+      glad the trial was over. Presently he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder, there are things going to happen down at Waterville in
+      the next ninety days that will surprise everyone. Some very large
+      manufacturing enterprises wall soon be located there.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That certainly is very welcome news,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;as
+      a property owner in the new city, I am naturally interested in its
+      development.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">84</span><a name="link84" id="link84"></a>"Property
+      has gone up ten per cent since you were there.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that so?&rdquo; said Vance, looking up in some surprise. &ldquo;Of
+      course,&rdquo; Boast continued, &ldquo;I am selling my special bargain
+      list at the same old prices, but the Company and other real estate agents
+      who have desk room here and there over the town, are trying very hard to
+      inflate prices. I am holding them level, however, and intend to keep on
+      doing so. I don&rsquo;t propose having Waterville killed by a lot of town
+      boomers, who are trying to get prices away above intrinsic values.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very fortunate,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;that Waterville
+      has such a conservative citizen as yourself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very complimentary for you to say so, I am sure,&rdquo;
+      replied Boast. &ldquo;Of course. Mr. Gilder, I would not say anything
+      detrimental about anyone.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly not,&rdquo; replied Vance. The tenor of his conversation
+      was decidedly wicked in its insinuations; indeed, one to hear him talk
+      would naturally think the destiny of Waterville rested entirely with J.
+      Arthur Boast. Presently, in a high, creaking voice, he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you like Miss Louise?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Louise?&rdquo; repeated Vance, with a perplexed look on his
+      face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Miss Louise Bonifield. How do you like her? Pretty fair
+      specimen for the west, ain&rsquo;t she?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My likes and dislikes,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;are hardly to be
+      taken into consideration. One seldom forms an opinion until he is
+      acquainted. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. I have known
+      people for a very short time, and yet instinctively taken a great dislike
+      to them. Miss Bonifield,&rdquo; continued Vance, without looking up, <span
+      class="pagenum">85</span><a name="link85" id="link85"></a>"has the
+      appearance of a lady of refinement and culture, but as my observations
+      have been limited, I can hardly say more than that I am well pleased with
+      both the young lady and her father.&rdquo; At this Vance prepared to leave
+      the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&rsquo;d better drink with me,&rdquo; said Boast, taking up his
+      bottle again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0043" id="linkimage-0043"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9093.jpg" alt="9093 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9093.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am liable to drink every drop of this liquor before I let up, and
+      you&rsquo;d only be doing me a kindness by dividing it up with me a
+      little.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, thank you,&rdquo; replied Vance. &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; said
+      Boast &ldquo;I shall remain in Gold Bluff several days, and hope to see
+      you often.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance closed the door after Boast had left his room, and the one word,
+      &ldquo;Scoundrel!&rdquo; hissed through his teeth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI.&mdash;OWNER OF THE PEACOCK MINE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0044" id="linkimage-0044"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9094.jpg" alt="9094 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9094.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE next <span class="pagenum">86</span><a name="link86" id="link86"></a>morning
+      Vance was up at an early hour for a morning walk. He followed the winding
+      road up the hill-side toward Gray Rocks. The air was fresh and
+      invigorating; the sun was just rising over the eastern mountains. Robins
+      and mountain thrushes were twittering gaily their morning songs. He
+      mentally compared the stifled life so prevalent in the great cities to the
+      healthful and exhilarating prospect about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A shadow flitted across his mind. It was J. Arthur Boast&rsquo;s inquiry
+      in regard to Louise Bonifield. &ldquo;But why should I be so ready to come
+      to her rescue? What right have I to be her champion? They may be old
+      acquaintances, but they certainly are not friends. She is too noble a
+      character to form an alliance of friendship with such an individual as
+      Boast. He is critical, cold, calculating, and, I believe, unprincipled.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Walking on in an aimless way, he followed a path that led by Gray Rocks on
+      toward the Peacock. Presently he saw a well-dressed man in middle life
+      walking toward him. There was an unmistakable look of good living and
+      prosperity&mdash;a general air of superiority about him. His round, fat
+      face was smooth shaven, except a <span class="pagenum">87</span><a
+      name="link87" id="link87"></a>bristly dark moustache. His nose was large
+      and obtrusive. In his shirt front glistened a diamond of great value,
+      while its counterpart reflected the morning sun from a massive ring on one
+      of his fat, short fingers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0045" id="linkimage-0045"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0095.jpg" alt="0095 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0095.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Vance returned the salutation, and presently the pompous stranger
+      introduced himself as Rufus Grim, owner of the Peacock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have heard of you,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">88</span><a name="link88" id="link88"></a>"You&rsquo;re
+      the young man from New York, I reckon,&rdquo; said Grim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;New York is my home.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have heard about you. I rather expected you over to see me.
+      I assure you, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;it would afford me
+      great pleasure to show you through the Peacock. She is a fine piece of
+      property, I can tell you; none better. If you&rsquo;ll walk down this way
+      a little we can see the old prospect shaft where the precious metal of the
+      Peacock was first discovered.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance readily consented, and presently they came to an old, open shaft
+      near the brow of the mountain overlooking the village of Gold Bluff and
+      the valley below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; said Rufus Grim, with a wave of his fat hand, &ldquo;is
+      where I commenced prospecting fifteen years ago. I was one of the pioneers
+      in this mining camp. Sometimes I did not know where the next meal was
+      coming from, but I worked on, day after day; first for wages, and then for
+      an interest in what, at the time, was looked upon as a labor and money
+      losing investment. I stuck to it; the other fellows didn&rsquo;t. Finally
+      I bought out the other fellows, and if you have heard very much about the
+      history of Gold Bluff and the prosperity of her mines, of course you have
+      heard about me. In fact,&rdquo; he said, with vulgar braggadocio, &ldquo;the
+      history of the Peacock and my own are so interwoven that you couldn&rsquo;t
+      very well hear of one and not know all about the other.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I have heard a great deal of you.
+      Mr. Grim, and am delighted to have the pleasure of knowing you personally.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I presume,&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">89</span><a
+      name="link89_rdquo_________id_" id="link89_rdquo_________id_"></a>said
+      Grim, as he looked away toward the valley that nestled beneath their feet,
+      &ldquo;I presume you&rsquo;ve heard a great deal about Rufus Grim that is
+      not true, and precious little to my credit. I have not a doubt but what
+      the busy-bodies of Gold Bluff have told you that old, worn-out story about
+      Steve Gibbons and Hank Casey, and how unjustly I treated them; but I can
+      tell you,&rdquo; he continued with warmth, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s not a word
+      of truth in all that you may have heard. No, sir, I have climbed the
+      ladder step by step and built up my own fortune, and whatever I am to-day,
+      I have nobody to thank but myself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I have heard nothing
+      particularly to your discredit. In fact, I have heard next to nothing at
+      all, except that you were the owner of the Peacock, and that it is a
+      paying property.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rufus Grim looked at Vance at first as if he doubted him, and then
+      expressed his surprise that no one had told him what a mean man he was.
+      &ldquo;If you get acquainted with that young scoundrel, Boast, he&rsquo;ll
+      tell you quick enough&mdash;a miserable story; how I cheated Casey and
+      Gibbons out of their share of the mine; but I say it&rsquo;s false,&rdquo;
+      he continued, as he brought his fat hands down together, &ldquo;not a word
+      of truth in any of their statements. No, sir. You see,&rdquo; he went on,
+      turning to the old prospect shaft, &ldquo;I have put a wall around this so
+      that it may be preserved. It gratifies me to come here occasionally and
+      think over the hard times of my prospecting life and the change that has
+      come. It came, sir, because I made it come. Yonder is my home,&rdquo; said
+      he, waving his hand toward an elegant residence located in the suburbs of
+      the village, with beautiful grounds about it. &ldquo;If there is any
+      better in the Fish River mining district, I don&rsquo;t know it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">90</span><a name="link90" id="link90"></a>"You&rsquo;re
+      home,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;is certainly a lovely looking place.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are at liberty,&rdquo; said Grim &ldquo;to come and see me
+      whenever you desire. I can&rsquo;t promise you more than this, that you
+      will be welcome.&rdquo; Grim made this last remark as if he was bestowing
+      a great favor upon a stranger within the gates of Gold Bluff; indeed, one
+      might have imagined him Lord Mayor of some municipality granting the
+      freedom of the city to some favored guest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance thanked him for the invitation. With a stately bow to Vance, Grim
+      turned and walked toward the works on the Peacock, and Vance returned to
+      the hotel refreshed from his walk, and interested in the fragments of the
+      story he had heard from the owner of the Peacock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the appointed hour he called for Louise, and, together, they walked
+      briskly toward Silver Point Lake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise was <span class="pagenum">91</span><a name="link91" id="link91"></a>all
+      animation and life, and thought nothing of the two miles&rsquo; walk which
+      lay before them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0046" id="linkimage-0046"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9098.jpg" alt="9098 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9098.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, she had followed these mountain paths from her early childhood,
+      and felt less fatigue after a tramp of a half-dozen miles than many a city
+      belle after walking a half-dozen blocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It might be well to explain that Louise&rsquo;s mother was a lady of great
+      culture and refinement, and belonged to one of the oldest families of
+      Baltimore. She died when Louise was only four years old. A spinster sister
+      of Colonel Bonifield tried to persuade her brother to give up his
+      daughters while he was leading a life in the mountains, and let than be
+      reared to womanhood at the old Bonifield home in Virginia, but Ben
+      Bonifield could not do this. The loss of his wife was a severe blow, and
+      to part with his daughters, Virginia and Louise, could not be thought of.
+      Therefore, Aunt Sully had accepted her brother&rsquo;s invitation to make
+      her home in the mountains, and take upon herself the care and training of
+      her brother&rsquo;s children.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Aunt Sally was a lady in the olden time possessed of uncommon gifts and a
+      finished education, not only in classical literature, but also in music
+      and painting. Louise had proven a more apt scholar than her elder sister,
+      Virginia. Aunt Sally had been a most painstaking instructress, and her
+      wards had grown up with minds enriched and cultured, while their physical
+      development was in keeping with the wild freedom of a health-sustaining
+      mountain country.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In her later years, however, Aunt Sally had become greatly dissatisfied
+      with her brother and his attachment for Gray Rocks, and she had developed
+      a querulous disposition, which, at times, was very annoying to Ben
+      Bonifield. She lost no opportunity to express her opinion that &ldquo;he
+      was fooling his time away&rdquo; while working on Gray Rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance and Louise walked along that morning toward Silver Point Lake, he
+      could not help glancing at the ruddy glow on the fair cheeks of his
+      companion. He listened to her childish talk of the many excursions which
+      she had made with her father far over some of the tallest mountains that
+      lav before them, and of numerous &ldquo;fish frys&rdquo; they had enjoyed
+      at Silver Point Lake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While he listened to the sweet music of her voice, he <span class="pagenum">92</span><a
+      name="link92" id="link92"></a>mentally speculated as to what sort of a
+      friendship, if any, could possibly exist between such a fair creature and
+      J. Arthur Boast. Presently, looking up at Vance with her large blue eyes,
+      she said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We may have company at the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, how is that?&rdquo; inquired Vance in some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I received a note,&rdquo; replied Louise, &ldquo;from Bertha Allen,
+      inviting me to go horseback riding to-day. In my reply I explained my
+      previous engagement with you. Just before starting this morning I received
+      a note from her saying that she and her cousin, Arthur Boast, would try to
+      join our fishing party. Of course,&rdquo; she said, with a sweet little
+      laugh, &ldquo;you do not know who Bertha Allen is. Bertha Allen,&rdquo;
+      she went on, &ldquo;is Mr. Rufus Grim&rsquo;s step-daughter. Mr. Grim
+      married Mrs. Allen when Bertha was a girl in her early teens. Mrs. Allen
+      is Colonel Boast&rsquo;s sister, and Bertha and Arthur are, therefore,
+      cousins.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance did not fancy the prospect of meeting Boast, and felt that his
+      happiness for the day would certainly be very incomplete if Boast was to
+      be one of the fishing party.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have met Mr. Boast,&rdquo; said Vance, with just a tinge of
+      resentment in his voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope you like him,&rdquo; said Louise, as she turned her lovely
+      face toward him with a pleading look in her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask you why you hope so?&rdquo; asked Vance, in almost a
+      defiant tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was no maidenly blush on Louise&rsquo;s cheeks as she replied with
+      the simplicity of a child:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, Mr. Gilder, there is hardly anybody that likes Arthur, and I
+      sometimes feel sorry for him. Mr. Grim <span class="pagenum">93</span><a
+      name="link93" id="link93"></a>says very hard things about him, and no one
+      seems to be his friend.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps he is unworthy,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment Louise was silent, and then said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The judgment of the world, Mr. Gilder, is often at fault. We may
+      judge with a degree of accuracy art, music, fame, or power, but it is
+      hardly wise to apply the same rule to a human being.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0047" id="linkimage-0047"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0101.jpg" alt="0101 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0101.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII&mdash;TROUT FISHING.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0048" id="linkimage-0048"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9102.jpg" alt="9102 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9102.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      RRIVING at <span class="pagenum">94</span><a name="link94" id="link94"></a>the
+      lake by a circuitous path, they found themselves on the banks of a lovely
+      sheet of water, several hundred feet wide and perhaps a mile in length.
+      The distinct reflection of the foliage, trees and mountains, which rose
+      several hundred feet on the opposite side, made a double picture of
+      enchanting loveliness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have been waiting for you,&rdquo; said Bertha Allen, in a
+      flute-like voice. She was a cooing sort of a young lady, with a dainty
+      lisp, which she evidently regarded as becoming. She embraced Louise and
+      gave her one of her sweetest kisses, and in a half sotto voice lisped,
+      &ldquo;how beautiful you look to-day!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was presented, and Bertha honored him with one of her stateliest
+      bows. There was no alternative, as Boast extended his hand and observed
+      that he had met Mr. Gilder before, but to accept the situation and make
+      the best of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance saw in Bertha Allen a young lady of about five and twenty, rather
+      tall and slender, with a wasp-like waist. She had a small head and face,
+      with heavy braids of dark brown hair, which corresponded with her long
+      eyelashes of a dark hue. Her eyes never looked straight at anyone, but she
+      continually practiced a bewitching habit of shy observation, evidently
+      considering it fasci<span class="pagenum">95</span><a
+      name="link95_rdquo_________id_" id="link95_rdquo_________id_"></a>nating.
+      Her mouth was small, and a noticeable dimple was in her chin. There was a
+      delicate pink upon her cheeks, which Vance noticed as the day wore on, did
+      not come and go, but remained as one of her permanent features. There was
+      a poetry in her movements, however, which admirably fitted her slow, soft
+      tone of lisping-speech. Her slender form was robed in a pretty costume of
+      pink, with black lace and ribbons. It was a costume of frills and laces,
+      coquetishly arranged, making her graceful figure more symmetrical in
+      arrangement. There were puffings here and there, which concealed defects,
+      if any existed, and revealed her womanly charms to the best advantage. She
+      talked a good deal, and called Louise her own &ldquo;dear darling.&rdquo;
+      Here every sentence was a lisp, and she told Cousin Arthur he was &ldquo;simply
+      horrid to kill the poor worms in baiting the hooks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance noticed that Roast was ready at any time to neglect his stylish
+      cousin to engage in conversation with Louise. He found himself
+      interpreting Bertha Allen&rsquo;s attempts to entertain and interest him,
+      as the act of an accomplice, to enable Boast to have a tete-a-tete with
+      Louise. There was consolation, however, in the fact that he did not
+      believe Louise favored Arthur Boast&rsquo;s attentions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How Arthur and Louise are enjoying themselves!&rdquo; lisped Bertha
+      Allen, in a sweet, confiding way, to Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think their enjoyment is superior to ours?&rdquo; asked
+      Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No more than mine,&rdquo; she replied demurely, &ldquo;but possibly
+      more than yours.&rdquo; This was followed by a silvery little laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear I am not very entertaining,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">96</span><a name="link96" id="link96"></a>"On the
+      contrary, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; replied Bertha, &ldquo;I think you are a very
+      charming companion. Are you from Virginia?&rdquo; she asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; my people were from Virginia. I was born and reared in New York
+      City.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0049" id="linkimage-0049"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0104.jpg" alt="0104 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0104.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Bonifields are Virginians. They seem to think,&rdquo; continued
+      Bertha, &ldquo;that all good people come from Virginia or Baltimore. I
+      sometimes wish I had been born in Virginia.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">97</span><a name="link97" id="link97"></a>"I never
+      noticed that peculiarity,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;in either Colonel
+      Bonifield or his daughter.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, I don&rsquo;t mean, Mr. Gilder, they are affected. Don&rsquo;t
+      you think I am horrid to go on talking this way to you? But really, is not
+      Louise one of the sweetest little darlings in the world?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was bored, but turning toward Bertha Allen and smiling at her pretty
+      up-turned face, replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You ask me so many questions, Miss Allen, that I do not know which
+      to answer first.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She looked archly at Vance, and said: &ldquo;Do not answer either of them,
+      for I know I would be dissatisfied with your reply. Is not that a
+      beautiful botanical specimen? Really, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; she continued,
+      &ldquo;I sometimes do not know what I am saying. I know you will think me
+      awfully stupid.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The well modulated and lisping voice of Bertha Allen possessed a charm of
+      its own, and Vance found himself interested in studying the difference
+      between the sweet, simple, unaffected Louise, and the affected,
+      calculating Miss Allen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think, Mr. Gilder, that Louise has great
+      individuality?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe her to be a most exemplary young lady,&rdquo; replied
+      Vance, &ldquo;and possessed of a good mind.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you think that, do you?&rdquo; said Bertha, lisping and
+      laughing like the silvery tones of a flute. &ldquo;You are not the only
+      one, Mr. Gilder, that thinks that way. I mean Cousin Arthur. Oh, he&rsquo;s
+      awfully smitten.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a beautiful picture,&rdquo; said Bertha presently. &ldquo;The
+      waters mirror the trees and the mountains so <span class="pagenum">98</span><a
+      name="link98_rdquo_________id_" id="link98_rdquo_________id_"></a>distinctly.
+      Let us look over the bank at our own reflections.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me to hold your hand,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;and I will
+      prevent your falling. There&mdash;can you see yourself?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, just splendidly!&rdquo; lisped Bertha, &ldquo;it is clear as a
+      French plate mirror. Shall I support you, Mr. Gilder, while you look?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, thank you,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I am not fond of
+      looking at homeliness. I would rather look at you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Mr. Gilder, you men are such flatterers! I thought better
+      things of you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why of me?&rdquo; asked Vance, teasingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Louise has spoken of you so many&rsquo; times,&rdquo; she replied,
+      &ldquo;and in such flattering terms, that I was very anxious to meet you.
+      Indeed, I had quite made up my mind that you were different from other
+      men. Let us turn down this way, Mr. Gilder. Let me see&mdash;what was I
+      saying? I thought you must be different; but I guess men are all about
+      alike.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I feel highly honored,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;to think that
+      Miss Bonifield should have spoken of me at all.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bertha stopped and looked at Vance for a moment in silence, and then said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Men are so conceited. There is no sentiment, I assure you, in
+      Louise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your frankness is quite charming, Miss Allen.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, do you think so?&rdquo; said Bertha, with a sweet lisp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes: and as to Miss Bonifield, I beg to differ from you. She
+      certainly possesses in a high degree that sentiment peculiar to the
+      children of nature. She loves all that is natural, and in the tenderness
+      of her heart, pities the assumed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">99</span><a name="link99" id="link99"></a>"How
+      unfortunate, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said Bertha, &ldquo;that love is not
+      reciprocal.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before Vance could reply, Louise called to them and soon after she and
+      Boast came up, declaring the day had been a great success. Arthur and
+      Vance divided the catch equally, and soon with their baskets swinging from
+      their shoulders, they started for home. Bertha was profuse in her
+      invitations to Mr. Gilder to call, and he promised to do so. He was quite
+      glad, however, when they finally separated and he had Louise all to
+      himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope you have enjoyed the day as much as you anticipated, Mr.
+      Gilder,&rdquo; said Louise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I am anything,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I am frank; and
+      therefore confess I would have enjoyed it far more without Boast and his
+      pretty cousin.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you would think her pretty,&rdquo; said Louise; &ldquo;everyone
+      does.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you think she is pretty?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, indeed,&rdquo; replied Louise, &ldquo;I have seen no one, even
+      in your great city of New York, half so handsome as Bertha.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are certainly generous in your compliments,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bertha has such a sweet way about her, and she always makes one
+      feel so at his ease.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before Vance had time to reply, Colonel Bonifield waved his pipe and blew
+      out a cloud of smoke as an act of welcome to the returning fishermen.
+      Vance displayed his long string of speckled beauties, and the Colonel
+      assured him they had made a great success. &ldquo;I have been thinkin&rsquo;
+      of yo&rsquo; all day,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;and had half a mind,
+      upon my honor I did, suh, to come oveh and help yo&rsquo; out.&rdquo;
+      <span class="pagenum">100</span><a name="link100" id="link100"></a>Soon
+      after. Vance took leave of the Bonifields, and started for the hotel. His
+      respect for generous-hearted Louise was increasing. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo;
+      said Vance to himself, &ldquo;she is a child of nature. She does not know
+      how to dissemble, and her heart is too pure to be resentful.&rdquo; His
+      pleasant reverie was broken by encountering Boast at the hotel, who had
+      arrived a little before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His shoes had been exchanged for polished ones, yet he complained about
+      his negligee appearance, and stooped to brush the least speck of dust or
+      cigar ashes that might have found lodgment on his trousers or coat
+      sleeves, and kept assuring Vance that he knew he &ldquo;looked rougher
+      than a miner.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0050" id="linkimage-0050"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9108.jpg" alt="9108 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9108.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      As a matter of fact, he was spotlessly at-attired, as was his custom. Even
+      in his office at Waterville, he seemed backward about doing any business,
+      for fear of soiling his hands in ink, or getting his desk out of order.
+      Stepping into the bar-room of the hotel, they found seats near an open
+      door, and Vance determined to gain as much information as he could from
+      what Boast might have to say. As they seated themselves, Vance said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I met Mr. Grim this morning.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh. did you?&rdquo; replied Boast. &ldquo;There is a man,&rdquo; he
+      continued, &ldquo;that ought to be hung. He&rsquo;s a robber!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A robber?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. Fifteen years ago,&rdquo; continued Boast, &ldquo;my father
+      was the richest man in this part of Idaho. He was engaged then as now in
+      the cattle and horse ranching business. He owns a very large ranch three
+      miles from here down the valley. Grim came to the mining camp <span
+      class="pagenum">101</span><a name="link101" id="link101"></a>without a
+      dollar in his pocket and worked by the day. An opportunity presented
+      itself for him to steal from his associates. He not only stole everything
+      in sight, but by fraud and misrepresentation secured possession of the
+      Peacock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0051" id="linkimage-0051"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8109.jpg" alt="8109 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8109.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is an ignorant old boor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ten years ago he married my aunt, the widow Allen, who is fully
+      fifteen years his senior. He wanted a position in society and a home. My
+      aunt is a stickler on all that&rsquo;s polite, but notwithstanding her
+      training and all of old Grim&rsquo;s wealth, she has been unable to gild
+      him over with even an appearance of culture, learning or decency. I never
+      call at his house. They own perhaps the finest residence in the state of
+      Idaho. If you will talk with Rufus Grim half an hour, it will be a wonder
+      if he does not tell you that I am the biggest scoundrel outside the
+      penitentiary; and it is all because my cousin Bertha is my friend.
+      Sometimes I think he is afraid I will marry her. I believe he is in love
+      with Bertha himself, and is only waiting for my aunt to die. It may be
+      unwise for me to talk so plainly, Mr. Gilder, but when I think of that old
+      reprobate, I become desperate.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was certainly no half insinuation in this statement, but rather a
+      fiendish denunciation of the rich miner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;we&rsquo;d better have something
+      to drink. I have a bottle in my pocket, but you are not very sociable, and
+      I don&rsquo;t presume you will drink with me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I am just as much obliged, but I do
+      not feel the need of any stimulant this evening.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">102</span><a name="link102" id="link102"></a>"I have
+      abstained all day,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;out of respect for the
+      ladies.&rdquo; His voice began to sound piping, and his restless eyes no
+      longer looked squarely at Vance, but confined themselves to side-long
+      glances, as if he were trying to discover what his feelings were toward
+      his cousin and Miss Louise. &ldquo;They are pretty fair specimens, eh, for
+      the mountains? The ladies, I mean; the ladies.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance answered in the affirmative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My cousin is terribly taken with you, Mr. Gilder; if she was not my
+      cousin I would feel jealous of you.&rdquo; As Vance made no reply, Boast
+      continued: &ldquo;I know I am going down hill at a pretty rapid rate, all
+      on account of this red liquor.&rdquo; Tipping up the bottle, he took a
+      swallow, coughed immoderately afterward, and made wry faces, as if he were
+      mentally damning all the &ldquo;red liquor&rdquo; to perdition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&rsquo;s only one thing that will ever save Bertha Allen, and
+      that is for old Grim to <i>die</i>. My aunt would inherit the wealth, and
+      of course, in that event, Bertha would be an heiress. At present, she is
+      entirely dependent upon his generosity. I understand,&rdquo; continued
+      Boast, &ldquo;Colonel Bonifield has about reached the 300 foot level. If I
+      have one hope greater than another, it is that he will strike it ten times
+      richer than old Grim ever did. In that event,&rdquo; he continued, while
+      he furtively glanced at Vance, &ldquo;there will be another heiress in
+      Gold Bluff.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That night, after Vance found the seclusion of his room, he worked far
+      into the early hours of morning, finishing a letter to the <i>Banner, a
+      letter full of decided opinions</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII.&mdash;THE STAGE RIDE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0052" id="linkimage-0052"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9111.jpg" alt="9111 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9111.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE <span class="pagenum">103</span><a name="link103" id="link103"></a>following
+      morning Vance forwarded to the <i>Banner</i> office a two column article,
+      which he considered the finest of all his western letters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chief was at Buzzard&rsquo;s Bay enjoying a much needed rest, when
+      Vance&rsquo;s letter was received. The assistant managing editor did
+      little more than glance over the manuscript and observe to the dramatic
+      critic, as he hung the copy on the hook, that &ldquo;Young Gilder was
+      sending in some excellent articles from the Northwest.&rdquo; The article
+      was headed &ldquo;Two Honorable Exceptions.&rdquo; It proceeded, in a most
+      logical manner, to give the output of precious metals from the mining town
+      of Butte City.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His statistics were carefully revised, showing there was five times as
+      much capital per capita in the mining camp of Butte City, with her 50,000
+      people, as in the cities of New York, Philadelphia or Boston.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance had spent a good deal of time in preparing the article, and every
+      statement was supplemented with irrefragable proof. The latter half of the
+      article was devoted to Waterville and the agricultural resources of the
+      Thief River Valley. The exports of surplus crops had increased <span
+      class="pagenum">104</span><a name="link104" id="link104"></a>from 100
+      carloads per annum to 3,000 carloads in four years&rsquo; time, and a
+      clever comparison was drawn between the farmers of eastern and New England
+      states and the farmers of the great Thief River Valley, showing that for a
+      given amount of labor, the farmer in the Thief River Valley received at
+      least three dollars where the eastern farmer received only one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The wonderful water power in the rapids of the Thief River, where the new
+      town of Waterville was building, was also dwelt upon, as well as the
+      centrality of location of the new city&mdash;not only from a local
+      standpoint, but as to the entire northwestern section of the United
+      States. The yield of wheat and other cereals was briefly referred to, all
+      showing that Gilder had been most painstaking in preparing the article.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The managing editor, at Buzzard&rsquo;s Bay, was enjoying his morning
+      smoke when the <i>Banner</i> was laid on his table. Glancing it over
+      leisurely, his eye caught the head-lines, &ldquo;Two Honorable Exceptions.&rdquo;
+      In a moment he was all animation. His cigar was permitted to go out in his
+      general neglect of everything else, in devouring every sentence and word
+      of the article. He then paced back and forth across his room and swore
+      like a pirate, declaring he would not have had the article appear in the
+      columns of the <i>Banner</i> for $10,000.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just to think,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;the very thing I sent that
+      young fool of a Gilder into the west to accomplish, he has in this one
+      article spoiled forever. Half a dozen of my friends have been asking me
+      about mining invest<span class="pagenum">105</span><a name="link105"
+      id="link105"></a>ments in Butte City. I have pleaded ignorance, but
+      assured them we had sent a trusty man to inspect the merits of such
+      investments, and they could expect reliable information in the columns of
+      the <i>Banner</i>. Here it is, and a pretty mess he has made of it. He
+      has,&rdquo; continued the managing editor, angrily, &ldquo;completely lost
+      his head; only one thing will bring him to his senses, and that is a
+      prompt dismissal from the <i>Banner</i> force.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Accordingly he wired the assistant managing editor, directing him to
+      notify Mr. Gilder by letter that his services were no longer required. He
+      also instructed his assistant to send the clearest headed man on the force
+      immediately to Butte City, Montana, and Waterville, Idaho, and have an
+      article for the coming Sunday issue that would entirely counteract the
+      effect of Mr. Gilder&rsquo;s communication.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While these arrangements were being made at the <i>Banner</i> office,
+      Vance was preparing to return to Butte City by way of Waterville, in order
+      to make some investigations and secure additional information for his next
+      letter to the <i>Banner</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old miner, Ben Bonifield, had assured him they would reach the 300
+      foot level by the following Saturday night, and Vance promised to return
+      to Gold Bluff early the following week. Vance waited over one stage in
+      order to travel in the one driven by Steve Gibbons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As a special mark of distinction to Vance, Gibbons invited him to a seat
+      on the top of the stage. As they were whirled away from the beautiful
+      little village of Gold Bluff, the sun was beginning to gild with gold the
+      eastern hills. Vance felt it was a sight never to be forgotten. The
+      evening before starting he was at the Bonifields. <span class="pagenum">106</span><a
+      name="link106" id="link106"></a>When Louise said good-bye, with the sweet
+      truthfulness of youth, and assured him that she would be lonely when he
+      was gone, he felt like declaring then and there, he would stay forever if
+      she would but make the request. She gave Vance a letter of introduction to
+      her sister Virginia, whom Vance promised to call upon as soon as possible
+      after reaching Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Steve Gibbons was in his element on top of the stage coach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0053" id="linkimage-0053"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8114.jpg" alt="8114 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8114.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He chatted away in a vivacious manner, recounting various reminiscences of
+      the different mountain gorges, here and there, where fine specimens of
+      float rock had been discovered at different times. Again he would tell of
+      some thrilling adventure with the Indians, and marvelous hair-breadth
+      escapes. Gibbons invariably figured in these narratives as one of the
+      principal characters. Presently he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t reckon you met Grim, did you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rufus Grim?&rdquo; said Vance; &ldquo;yes, I had the pleasure of
+      meeting him only a few days ago.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I &lsquo;spect,&rdquo; said Gibbons, &ldquo;that Rufus Grim is the
+      biggest scoundrel unhung in these diggins. He thinks he&rsquo;s mighty
+      pert, but Hank Casey and me &lsquo;ll teach him afore long that other
+      people can be a mighty sight perter than what he is. The only hearty,
+      overgrown regret that I&rsquo;ve never been able to get rid of is that I
+      didn&rsquo;t twist his neck ten years ago.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What grievance have you,&rdquo; asked Vance, &ldquo;against Mr.
+      Grim? One would naturally suppose the owner of the richest mine in the
+      Fish River Mining District would be respected instead of disliked.&rdquo;
+      <span class="pagenum">107</span><a name="link107" id="link107"></a>Steve
+      Gibbons pushed his sombrero back from his forehead, as if to relieve his
+      pent up feelings, swung his long whip twice around his head, and made the
+      welkin ring as he cracked it over the backs of his dappled leaders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He then expectorated a vigorous &ldquo;pit-tew&rdquo; of tobacco juice,
+      and said: &ldquo;I reckon one can&rsquo;t always judge by appearances.
+      When Steve Gibbons says that Rufus Grim is a scoundrel, he is a pretty
+      good jedge of what he is sayin&rsquo;, and he mighty near means what he
+      says, pardner. Somebody&rsquo;s goin&rsquo; to be jerked out of the kinks
+      &lsquo;fore long, and&mdash;&rsquo;twixt ourselves&mdash;I think that
+      somebody is Rufus Grim. Hank Casey an&rsquo; me are old pards, and we&rsquo;ve
+      employed B. Webster Legal. He&rsquo;s the corporation attorney for the
+      Waterville Town Company. You won&rsquo;t be takin&rsquo; no chances,
+      pardner, of bettin&rsquo; your last dollar that old Grim will think
+      somebody&rsquo;s after him with a sharp stick and a diamond drill in the
+      end of it &lsquo;afore B. Webster Legal gets through with him. I tell you,
+      Jedge Legal is a cuss in the court room. He can whip his weight in
+      wild-cats in a law suit. Of course, I don&rsquo;t mean that he&rsquo;s
+      goin&rsquo; to leave the Town Company; he&rsquo;ll never do that as long
+      as a lot can be sold&mdash;he says so his-self. Hank and I hev made a
+      bargain with him, and old Grim is goin&rsquo; to be ousted. The Peacock
+      belongs to Hank Casey and me. What do you think of that?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;you interest me very
+      much. I supposed Mr. Grim was the owner of the Peacock.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again Steve Gibbons&rsquo; long whip cracked like a pistol shot over the
+      backs of his horses. Presently he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t tell everybody, pardner, but I &lsquo;spect it makes
+      no difference with you. You see, when Rufus Grim came <span class="pagenum">108</span><a
+      name="link108" id="link108"></a>to Gold Bluff some fifteen years ago, he
+      was so darnation poor he couldn&rsquo;t buy a meal of victuals. Hank and I
+      had staked out the Peacock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0054" id="linkimage-0054"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0116.jpg" alt="0116 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0116.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      We had found some mighty rich float rock in that part of the mountain, and
+      knew the precious stuff was not very far away. We &lsquo;grub-staked&rsquo;
+      Grim and put him to work on wages, and while he was workin&rsquo;, he
+      struck a &lsquo;pocket&rsquo; and found free gold&mdash;a regular vault
+      full of yellow stuff. He commenced his treachery by stealin&rsquo; every
+      grain of it, and then cleverly walled up that part of the shaft and
+      continued diggin&rsquo; in the opposite direction, endeavorin&rsquo; to
+      get as far away from the place where he had made the discovery as
+      possible. Well, by and by Hank Casey and me got tired of payin&rsquo; out
+      money, and we sold out the Peacock for a mere song to Grim. Soon after,
+      the name of Rufus Grim was known all over the mountain district as a
+      bonanza king. He organized an immense company, and owns most of the stock
+      himself. Within six months after we were defrauded of our rights in the
+      Peacock, he was a rich man, and has been gettin&rsquo; richer ever since.
+      Hank Casey and me have a whole lot of evidence. B. Webster Legal says if
+      we can prove what we claim, that we have got a lead pipe cinch on the
+      Peacock. The papers are bein&rsquo; drawn up, and things are goin&rsquo;
+      to be sizzlin&rsquo; hot for Rufus Grim before many moons go over his
+      head.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance expressed <span class="pagenum">109</span><a
+      name="link109_rdquo_________id_" id="link109_rdquo_________id_"></a>much
+      surprise and sympathy at the injustice he had sustained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say, pardner,&rdquo; said Steve, &ldquo;I kind o&rsquo; reckon you&rsquo;re
+      shinin&rsquo; up a little toward old Bonifield&rsquo;s gal, ain&rsquo;t
+      you?&rdquo; and he nudged Vance in the ribs with his elbow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The question was so unexpected that Vance hardly knew how to reply.
+      &ldquo;I hope,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;that I am not in disfavor with
+      the young lady, or her father either. I own an interest in Gray Rocks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dickens you do!&rdquo; said Steve Gibbons. &ldquo;Well, if
+      there&rsquo;s any man in these mountains, pardner, who ought to strike it,
+      old Ben Bonifield is the one. He&rsquo;s been stickin to Gray Rocks for a
+      good many years, and is one of the squarest men in the Fish River Minin&rsquo;
+      District, while that gal of his&mdash;-why, she is the gem of all these
+      diggins. I did think J. Arthur Boast had the inside <span class="pagenum">110</span><a
+      name="link110" id="link110"></a>track on the Bonifield ranch, but here
+      lately I &lsquo;lowed as maybe Boast was playin&rsquo; second fiddle; but
+      then you can&rsquo;t tell how a game is goin&rsquo; to end until the last
+      card is played.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance made no reply, but ground his teeth in silent anger at the mention
+      of Boast&rsquo;s name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late that night when they arrived at Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV.&mdash;THE TOWN COMPANY&rsquo;. MEETING.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0055" id="linkimage-0055"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9119.jpg" alt="9119 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9119.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ARLY <span class="pagenum">111</span><a name="link111" id="link111"></a>the
+      next morning Dick Ballard rapped on Vance&rsquo;s door, and being
+      admitted, greeted him warmly, and assured him he was mighty glad to see
+      him again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&rsquo;s goin&rsquo; to be a meetin&rsquo; of the Town
+      Company.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that so?&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; the hul kit and bilin&rsquo; of &lsquo;em are here,&rdquo;
+      replied Ballard. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s Colonel Alexander, Homer Winthrop,
+      General Ira House and his brother, Jack House, B. Webster Legal and Marcus
+      Donald. Donald is the resident director of the Town Company.&rdquo; Vance
+      said he would be glad to meet them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you&rsquo;ll see the keenest lot of men,&rdquo; said Ballard,
+      &ldquo;this here country has ever pulled together. Every one of &lsquo;em
+      is a strong man and a hustler from the word go. What I say about &lsquo;em
+      you&rsquo;ll find is <i>prima facie</i>.&rdquo; After a little, Dick
+      Ballard winked one eye at Vance and said: &ldquo;I feel a bottle in my
+      pocket, and I wouldn&rsquo;t wonder a mite there was suthin&rsquo; in it
+      that wouldn&rsquo;t taste bad. A little spirits is mighty good for a
+      feller when he has had a hard day&rsquo;s ride.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance assured him that he was much obliged, but was <span class="pagenum">112</span><a
+      name="link112" id="link112"></a>thoroughly refreshed by his night&rsquo;s
+      rest, and a light breakfast was all he wanted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We usually,&rdquo; replied Ballard, &ldquo;accommodate fellows that
+      want that kind of a breakfast; in fact, some of our breakfasts are too
+      darned light. I&rsquo;ll go down and see what I can skirmish up for you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the door Dick Ballard turned and said, &ldquo;Oh, yes, have you heard
+      the news?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I do not remember of having heard anything of a startling
+      character,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, by Ned, I supposed you had heard all about it,&rdquo; said
+      Ballard, as he leaned against the door and looked wise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what is it?&rdquo; queried Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir, our militia company has got a new snare drum, and, gosh
+      all fish hooks! but she is a rat-tat-tat-to-or from away back!&rdquo; The
+      door closed and Old Dick Ballard retreated, merrily whistling &ldquo;Away
+      down in Dixie.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After breakfast, Vance was escorted to the Town Company&rsquo;s office,
+      where he met the different members of the company. Each vied with the
+      other in showing him courtesies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume,&rdquo; said Homer Winthrop, as they drew a little aside
+      from the others, &ldquo;that you have never met as remarkable men as you
+      see in my associates.&rdquo; He looked radiant, inserted his thumbs in the
+      armholes of his vest, and continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Colonel Alexander is possessed of one of the richest brains of any
+      man I ever knew. Our attorney, Mr. Legal is a star of the first magnitude
+      in his profession, and can whip a small army in a lawsuit, while Gen. Ira
+      <span class="pagenum">113</span><a name="link113" id="link113"></a>House
+      has a reputation superior to any man in the Rocky Mountains as a town
+      builder. Now, if he,&rdquo; continued Winthrop, &ldquo;should go into the
+      midst of a desert and say, &lsquo;Here a great city shall be built,&rsquo;
+      you would make no mistake in taking a &lsquo;flyer&rsquo; on some dirt in
+      that vicinity. Then there is Jack House, the General&rsquo;s brother, who
+      is, in his specialty, a most remarkable man. He is sometimes called
+      &lsquo;the Conspirator&rsquo; of our gang, because of his ability to set
+      up jobs on the enemy and down &lsquo;em.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove, look,&rdquo; said Winthrop, pointing out of the window,
+      while his face became animated, &ldquo;do you see that young lady on the
+      other side of the street? That&rsquo;s Miss Virgie Bonifield, and I
+      venture to say she&rsquo;s one of the loveliest girls in the Rocky
+      Mountains.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have a message for her, sent by her sister,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+      &ldquo;I will be under many obligations if you&rsquo;ll introduce me to
+      the young lady.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With pleasure,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, &ldquo;as soon as the town
+      meeting adjourns we will call upon her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The meeting was called to order, with Colonel Alexander in the chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chairman cleared his throat several times with marked vehemence, and
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, we have again met to deliberate upon the destiny of
+      Waterville and the great Thief River Valley. It is no small matter for
+      gigantic intellects to thus assemble as a deliberative body, to arrange,
+      by resolutions or otherwise, questions of great moment. The leading
+      question to-day, gentlemen, is that of mind over matter. We have said to
+      one another, &lsquo;Waterville shall become a great city;&rsquo; our
+      united efforts are concentrated <span class="pagenum">114</span><a
+      name="link114" id="link114"></a>in this work. The story of the bundle of
+      sticks is as true to-day as when the fable was first written.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0056" id="linkimage-0056"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0122.jpg" alt="0122 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0122.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The wealth, gentlemen, of our united intellects is bearing down in
+      concentrated rays against every opposition, and with hammer and tongs we
+      are reaching out in every direction, and are making one of the grandest
+      campaigns the country has ever witnessed. Gentlemen, what is the pleasure
+      of this meeting?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel&rsquo;s earnestness could not be doubted. When <span
+      class="pagenum">115</span><a name="link115" id="link115"></a>he sat down
+      he fondled his gold-headed cane with apparent tenderness, as if he were
+      ashamed of the way he had abused it in emphasizing his remarks by punching
+      it into the floor in a most merciless fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      B. Webster Legal, addressing the chairman, said: &ldquo;I am proud again
+      to meet my distinguished associates as a deliberative body. For the
+      benefit of our beloved citizens of Waterville, who are crowding into this
+      room of deliberation, and standing in front of the windows eagerly
+      listening to the important proceedings of this meeting, I will say that
+      only men in the broadest term&mdash;men with an abundance of gray matter
+      clinging to their brains&mdash;could possibly have accomplished the feats
+      which have characterized the acts of the Waterville Town Company from its
+      organization up to the present time. I feel, Mr. President and gentlemen,
+      that our untiring efforts are about to be crowned with a success little
+      dreamed of by the most hopeful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From a legal point of view, I am proud to assure you that the
+      Waterville Town Company is in a most safe and healthy condition. I have
+      frequently observed, and will again say, I am not a seller of lots, but I
+      assure each and every one of you that I am here to stay by this company as
+      long as a lot can be sold. So far as legal knots are concerned, I will
+      untie them; or, failing to do so, will, with the sharp edge of the law,
+      cleave them asunder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attorney&rsquo;s remarks were greeted with applause as he sat down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chairman jarred the frail building by again clearing his throat, and
+      requested C. Webster Legal to make a report of the assets of the
+      Waterville Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">116</span><a name="link116" id="link116"></a>"Mr.
+      Chairman,&rdquo; said B. Webster Legal, &ldquo;I have recently looked over
+      the list of property owned by the Waterville Town Company, and find that
+      we have assets amounting to some two millions of dollars.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the attorney sat down there was a satisfied look upon his face
+      suggestive of the millionaire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chairman looked over his spectacles and said, &ldquo;Gentlemen, you
+      have heard, and no doubt with pardonable elation, the statement of our
+      honored associate, Judge Legal. There are eight of us,&rdquo; he
+      continued, &ldquo;and two millions means a quarter of a million each.
+      Within two years, sirs, these assets will have doubled in value. There are
+      men whose statements I would not rely implicitly upon without discounting
+      them&mdash;say, fifty or seventy-five per cent&mdash;but, gentlemen, when
+      it comes to downright conservatism, why, my level-headed friend the Judge
+      takes the jackpot. Yes, sir, I undertake to say, gentlemen, he is the king
+      bee of us all in cutting square into the heart of a proposition, and
+      analyzing it with a precision that is truly remarkable; and when he says
+      two millions, I have no hesitancy, gentlemen, in staking my reputation
+      that it is three millions if it is a cent.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the chairman sat down he looked carefully at his gold-headed cane again
+      to make sure it had sustained no injury.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Marcus Donald, the resident Town Company&rsquo;s director, addressed the
+      meeting, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Chairman, I never felt so rich in my life as I do at the
+      present moment. I regret that my ancestors are not alive to rejoice with
+      me in the prosperity I am now enjoying. There is a reason in this
+      contemplated prosperity. First, the great natural opportunities in this
+      <span class="pagenum">117</span><a name="link117" id="link117"></a>wonderful
+      valley, and, second, the unity of action on the part of the members of our
+      Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have here a small matter to which I wish to call the directors&rsquo;
+      attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0057" id="linkimage-0057"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9125.jpg" alt="9125 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9125.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      It is a livery bill of some eighty dollars that is past due, and, perhaps,
+      we had better arrange for it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Judge Legal rose to a point of order. He said that such small details as
+      paying livery bills had no place in the deliberations of this body of men.
+      &ldquo;It is the duty of the auditing committee to first approve and then
+      look after the payments of small items like expense bills.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Director Donald stated in reply that B. Webster Legal was a member of the
+      auditing committee as well as himself, and, doubtless, knew the bill had
+      been approved of long ago, but that there were no funds with which&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Order!&rdquo; shouted the chairman, punching his goldheaded cane
+      vigorously into the floor. &ldquo;I sustain the point of order made by
+      this corporation&rsquo;s attorney. Let us now proceed with the
+      deliberations of weighty and progressive questions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gen. Ira House sat propped back in his chair in a retired corner of the
+      room, and until now had maintained silence, save the fetching and labored
+      puffs of his cigar, which almost completely enveloped him in a cloud of
+      smoke. As he straightened himself up, he pushed his chair in front of him,
+      elevated one foot to the seat and rested his left elbow on his elevated
+      knee. He wore an expression on his face becoming a philosopher. <span
+      class="pagenum">118</span><a name="link118" id="link118"></a>"Mr.
+      Chairman,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;it seems to me we&rsquo;re drifting.&rdquo;
+      He looked wise and waited a moment for his remark to take effect. &ldquo;Drifting,&rdquo;
+      he continued, &ldquo;is weakness. If we drift, we scatter; if we scatter,
+      we fall. Now, gentlemen,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;we must not drift.
+      There are important business matters awaiting our attention. I hold in my
+      hand a letter from a party who wants to know if Waterville would not be a
+      good place to start a foundry. Now, gentlemen, do we want a foundry at
+      Waterville, or do we not? That is the question before this meeting.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Gen. House sat down, the crowd cheered him lustily, stamped their feet,
+      clapped their hands, and cries of &ldquo;Good!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s business!&rdquo; &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the talk!&rdquo;
+      were heard on all sides among the citizens who were listening with bated
+      breath to the proceedings of the Town Company&rsquo;s meeting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I move,&rdquo; said Jack House, &ldquo;that we want a foundry at
+      Waterville, and resolutions to that effect be prepared, inviting the
+      party, whoever he is, to locate his foundry here.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Order, gentlemen!&rdquo; shouted the chairman, again clearing his
+      throat. &ldquo;Mr. Secretary, please record in the minutes of this
+      meeting, if there are no objections, the unanimous vote in favor of the
+      foundry, and prepare a set of elaborate resolutions, which we will sign,
+      inviting the party making the inquiry to come at once to Waterville and
+      locate his foundry.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The throng of citizens broke into cheers at this announcement, and the
+      word was soon passed through the throng to the outer circle, that a
+      foundry was to be located at Waterville. Presently, three cheers and a
+      <span class="pagenum">119</span><a name="link119" id="link119"></a>tiger
+      were proposed for the new foundry, and the deliberations of the Town
+      Company were necessarily delayed until the cheering had ceased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Marcus Donald, addressing the chairman, said: &ldquo;I have received a
+      communication from the owners of a sash, blind and door factory, who seem
+      quite desirous of casting their lot with us. I suggest the importance of
+      taking official notice of their communication.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The throng of citizens waited almost breathlessly, and with a fair degree
+      of patience, to see what was to be done in regard to the sash, blind and
+      door factory. Judge Legal moved that the suggestion offered by Director
+      Donald be acted upon, and that a resolution favoring the sash, blind and
+      door factory be voted upon. As he sat down, three other directors seconded
+      the motion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have heard the question,&rdquo; said the chairman. &ldquo;Unless
+      there is some opposition, we will regard it as carried unanimously.&rdquo;
+      He looked over his spectacles a moment, and as no one offered an
+      objection, he brought his gold-headed cane down with a sharp rap upon the
+      floor, and said &ldquo;Carried!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again the word was passed from citizen to citizen onto the waiting mob
+      without, that Waterville was to have a sash, blind and door factory. Again
+      huzzas and cheering rent the air, and impeded, to a certain degree, the
+      deliberations of the Town Company&rsquo;s meeting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture, a clerk of the local bank&mdash;the only one that
+      Waterville could boast of&mdash;presented himself and asked permission to
+      address the directors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the nature of your business, young man?&rdquo; asked Col.
+      Alexander, clearing his throat threateningly and looking hard at the clerk
+      over his spectacles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">120</span><a name="link120" id="link120"></a>"I have
+      a sight draft for $50, drawn on the Waterville Town Company for printing
+      stock certificates.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chairman and his seven colleagues came to their they cried, almost in
+      unison. Several of the directors shouted, &ldquo;Mr. Chairman! Mr.
+      Chairman!&rdquo; at the top of their voice, but in his indignation the
+      chairman failed to take notice of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0058" id="linkimage-0058"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8128.jpg" alt="8128 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8128.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Presently a silence, caused by sheer consternation, succeeded the first
+      burst of surprise. Judge Legal, mounting a chair, said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Chairman! I move you that article 57 of our by-laws be copied
+      and certified to under our corporate seal and delivered to this young
+      gentleman, that he may return it with the sight draft. Here is the wording
+      of article 57: &lsquo;Further, that this corporation, the Waterville Town
+      Company refuses to honor or pay sight drafts from any and all sources.&rsquo;.rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have heard the question,&rdquo; said the excited chairman,
+      bringing his cane down with great vehemence. &ldquo;Do I hear a second?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We all second it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Silence having been restored, Judge Legal again addressed the chair:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Secretary,&rdquo; said the chairman, &ldquo;record the question
+      as carried unanimously.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Chairman,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;<span class="pagenum">121</span><a
+      name="link121_rdquo_________id_" id="link121_rdquo_________id_"></a>in the
+      future all printing by the Waterville Town Company will be sent to another
+      printing establishment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unless there is opposition, we will consider the question as
+      carried unanimously,&rdquo; said the chairman. At this juncture the
+      chairman took the floor, and addressing the directors, said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are times when, notwithstanding the power of our united
+      intellects, questions of a very exasperating nature confront us, and,
+      momentarily, we are at a loss to know just what to do; but it is only
+      momentarily&mdash;we meet every crisis. It takes us a very short time to
+      decide; and, with us, decision is action.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In my experience I have observed that, occasionally, storms of
+      opposition sweep down upon men like an irresistible avalanche. At such
+      times it is well to retreat to some protected place and let the storm tire
+      itself out&mdash;beat itself into exhaustion, so to speak&mdash;until its
+      very protest becomes a dead silence. Refreshed with the rest we have had,
+      we may then safely sally forth, and, with renewed vigor, arrange a flank
+      movement on the enemy, and everlastingly choke opposition into a corpse.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the chairman sat down he motioned Vance to his side, and said, <i>sotto
+      voce</i>: &ldquo;Was not that a master stroke, Mr. Gilder? Do not we meet
+      and dispose of questions that would simply stump any ordinary body of men
+      into inaction? Opposition does not faze us; no sir, we know our rights,
+      and are here to fight for them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The citizens were very much elated over the prospects of a foundry and a
+      sash, blind and door factory at Waterville. Their gratitude to the Town
+      Company was very marked, and was evidenced by three hearty cheers and many
+      huzzas. <span class="pagenum">122</span><a name="link122" id="link122"></a>Presently
+      the meeting of the Town Company adjourned, and then there was much
+      clapping of hands and more cheering. Each member of the company crowded
+      around Vance and shook him warmly by the hand, and assured him they had
+      had one of the most profitable meetings that had ever taken place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV.&mdash;MISS VIRGINIA BONIFIELD.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0059" id="linkimage-0059"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9131.jpg" alt="9131 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9131.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      |ANCE <span class="pagenum">123</span><a name="link123" id="link123"></a>had
+      become so thoroughly interested during his first visit to Waterville, that
+      he was prepared, in a degree, to share in a general way the enthusiasm of
+      the citizens and the members of the Waterville Town Company which
+      prevailed after the meeting adjourned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Buoyant with hope of the future, without hardly understanding why, and
+      with a blind belief that his investment would yield him a splendid return,
+      he began to feel that it was indeed a lucky day when the chief of the <i>Banner</i>
+      sent him to the northwest, and still luckier when he fell in with the
+      members of the Waterville Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That afternoon, accompanied by Homer Winthrop, he called on Miss Virginia
+      Bonifield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That young lady received her callers with a cultured grace and dignity
+      that would have done honor to even one who had seen much more of the
+      world. She was rather tall and a pronounced brunette. Her well poised head
+      was in keeping with her graceful figure. One could not say she was
+      strikingly beautiful, but there was some<span class="pagenum">124</span><a
+      name="link124" id="link124"></a>thing in her face as well as manner that
+      made one forget to desire her different than the interesting person she
+      was. Both vivacious and intelligent, she possessed the rare charm, in her
+      conversation, of reflecting the mood of those about her. Addressing Vance,
+      she said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Louise has written me so much about you that I have been quite
+      impatient to form your acquaintance. I presume that papa is still working
+      away on Gray Rocks?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0060" id="linkimage-0060"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0132.jpg" alt="0132 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0132.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;he will soon reach the 300 foot
+      level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">125</span><a name="link125" id="link125"></a>"And
+      the old story will be told again, I dare say,&rdquo; said Virginia,
+      laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Virginia is not an enthusiast,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;in
+      regard to untold millions that have not yet been discovered in mining
+      shafts.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My observations,&rdquo; retorted Virginia, &ldquo;have caused me to
+      be less sentimental, if not more practical, than my good sister Louise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;you do not share in your father&rsquo;s
+      belief in regard to the future of Gray Rocks?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am a Bonifield,&rdquo; replied Virginia, &ldquo;and believe
+      implicitly in my father; and, in my way, love him as tenderly, I dare say,
+      as any daughter ever loved a parent, but sometimes I fear he is mistaken&mdash;but,
+      to change the subject,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;how do you like the
+      west?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am very favorably impressed with what I have seen. In the east we
+      have many brilliants that are not diamonds; in the west we have many rough
+      ashlars that are diamonds unpolished.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; replied Virginia, &ldquo;I consider that a
+      compliment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our intention,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;to claim Mr.
+      Gilder as a western man before another year; and if Waterville continues
+      to grow, as we expect it will, we may persuade him to edit our first daily
+      paper.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after, they rose to go. &ldquo;I shall hope,&rdquo; said Miss
+      Virginia, &ldquo;that I will be honored by a call from you whenever you
+      are in Waterville.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;it will afford me great
+      pleasure.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop remained behind a few moments, while Vance walked up and down the
+      sidewalk. The sun was <span class="pagenum">126</span><a
+      name="link126_rdquo_________id_" id="link126_rdquo_________id_"></a>well
+      toward the western horizon. A bluish haze lay against the mountains in the
+      distance. It was an Indian summer afternoon, full of quiet rest, with a
+      gentle, invigorating mountain breeze as a constant tonic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently Winthrop joined him, and they hurried down to the depot, for it
+      was nearing train time, and they had arranged to travel together to Butte
+      City.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How are you impressed with Miss Bonifield?&rdquo; asked Winthrop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite favorably,&rdquo; replied Vance. &ldquo;She is, however, an
+      entirely different type from her sister, Miss Louise; indeed, I can
+      discover no family resemblance. Miss Louise is quite fair, while Miss
+      Virginia is a decided brunette.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after, the train came in, and they secured comfortable seats in a
+      Pullman. As the train started, Vance looked out of the window at the
+      turbulent waters in the river, and asked Winthrop where the foundry, and
+      sash, blind and door factory would be located.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have not decided as yet,&rdquo; replied Winthrop. &ldquo;That
+      will be an easy matter to arrange when the party or parties are ready to
+      commence building.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume you are selling a good many lots?&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, yes,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, hesitatingly. &ldquo;We are
+      interesting a good many people; and it takes people to build a city. Where
+      a man&rsquo;s possessions are, his heart is generally not far away.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should judge from your complimentary remarks about Miss Virginia
+      Bonifield, and the delightful expression of your face when we called this
+      afternoon, that your heart abides quite permanently at Waterville.&rdquo;
+      <span class="pagenum">127</span><a name="link127" id="link127"></a>Winthrop
+      seemed confused and looked out of the window. Presently lie said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Bonifield is one of the most practical young ladies it has
+      ever been my good fortune to meet. She is a most exemplary young lady, and
+      the good people of Waterville hold her in high esteem. This is her second
+      year in the public school at that place.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I judge from her remarks,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;that her faith
+      is very limited in her father&rsquo;s mine.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied &lsquo;Winthrop, &ldquo;I consider her the most
+      practical member of the Bonifield family.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance blushed scarlet and turned resentfully in his seat toward Winthrop.
+      &ldquo;Ho! ho!&rdquo; said Winthrop, laughing, &ldquo;I was merely
+      expressing my own private opinion. I see, without your saying it, that
+      your opinion is quite different. How fortunate it is that all men,
+      especially you and I, Mr. Gilder, are not of the same opinion. This very
+      difference of opinion,&rdquo; Winthrop went on, &ldquo;may, as the months
+      come and go, weld our friendship more and more firmly.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance saw that he had betrayed his feelings, and good-naturedly observed
+      that he always was quite partial to blondes. &ldquo;I presume,&rdquo; he
+      went on, &ldquo;when I become editor of the first daily paper in
+      Waterville, you will, doubtless, be president of some great banking house.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, thoughtfully. &ldquo;If many
+      people are interested in our new town it will help us in more ways than
+      one. They will ultimately move to Waterville, erect homes, and engage in
+      business; but we must not be impatient and expect too much for the first
+      year, or the second, for that matter. &lsquo;Rome was not <span
+      class="pagenum">128</span><a name="link128" id="link128"></a>built in a
+      day.&rsquo; I fully believe,&rdquo; continued Winthrop, &ldquo;that
+      parties purchasing lots at the present prices will receive most excellent
+      returns on their investments. You see,&rdquo; continued Winthrop in a
+      confidential way, &ldquo;the Waterville Town Company was compelled to go
+      into debt very heavily at the time it commenced its operations, but by
+      persistent and continued efforts on the part of various members of the
+      company, we have greatly reduced the indebtedness, and if the sale of lots
+      continues for a week longer we will, probably, not owe a dollar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0061" id="linkimage-0061"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9136.jpg" alt="9136 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9136.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      We will then divide our property, each member receiving a deed for his
+      respective share.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop seemed so happy in anticipation of the joyful time when the
+      company&rsquo; would be out of debt, and was so confidential and frank in
+      regard to the matter, that Vance, hardly knowing why, found himself deeply
+      interested in the work of selling lots, and suggested to Winthrop that he
+      would write to some of the members of the <i>Banner</i> force who were
+      particular friends of his, and advise them to send on their surplus
+      earnings for investment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The town boomer was at once on the alert, and, in not an over-anxious way,
+      heartily advised the step. Accordingly, that night at the hotel in Butte
+      City, Vance wrote a letter to his friends advising an investment in
+      Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dramatic critic, the religious editor, the police reporter, and the
+      heads of the several departments of the <i>Banner</i> at once acted on
+      Vance&rsquo;s advice. They knew nothing of the chief&rsquo;s action in
+      regard to Vance&rsquo;s dismissal. They wired Vance, authorizing him to
+      sight <span class="pagenum">129</span><a name="link129" id="link129"></a>draft
+      them for $2,500, and invest the proceeds in town lots in Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He at once complied with the instructions, turned the money over to
+      Winthrop, and instructed him to forward the deeds to his friends in New
+      York city.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was not a little gratified to find his last letter to the <i>Banner</i>
+      copied in full by the <i>Intermountain Blade</i> and the <i>Butte City
+      Miner</i>, with editorials referring to the article as particularly able,
+      and to the writer as having the &ldquo;courage of his convictions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The article had a most salutary effect on Homer Winthrop&rsquo;s lot
+      selling enterprise, and during the next few days he sold more Waterville
+      town lots than his most sanguine expectations had caused him to hope for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Toward the last of the week Vance left Butte City for Gold Bluff, via
+      Waterville. He had in his possession additional data and statistics to
+      support and corroborate his recent letter to the <i>Banner</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At first the west was distasteful to him, but as he became better
+      acquainted with its customs and habits he began to recognize the true
+      manhood that is not unfrequently found under the miner&rsquo;s garb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is an uncouth, whole-soul generosity met with on the frontier of
+      which the effete easterner knows nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arriving at Waterville the following morning too late for the Gold Bluff
+      stage, he was compelled to put in another day at Waterville. Remembering
+      Miss Virginia Bonifield&rsquo;s invitation, he called on her that evening,
+      and was most hospitably received. In the course of their conversation she
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand, Mr. Gilder, that you are interested with my father in
+      Gray Rocks I hope you did not mis<span class="pagenum">130</span><a
+      name="link130" id="link130"></a>understand me or my motive when I spoke
+      discouragingly of my father&rsquo;s mining prospects.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;what reason you have for your
+      pessimistic views, if I may term them such?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume,&rdquo; she replied, a little nettled, &ldquo;they are
+      about as tangible and equally hard to explain as those of an optimist. I
+      have a presentiment that father will never find what he is looking for in
+      the Gray Rocks mine. My sister, Louise, encourages faith in what to me
+      seems a mad belief.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your sister may be right,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My greatest hope,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;is that I am wrong and
+      that my sweet sister is right; but I really fear, Mr. Gilder, you will
+      never see your money again that you have been investing with my father.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot doubt your sincerity,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;but I
+      am glad to have more faith than you have.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why should I have any faith,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;Have I not
+      seen my father clinging to that false hope year after year, and every day
+      resulting in a fresh disappointment? Long ago I made up my mind that Aunt
+      Sally is about right. She says that father has been planting money with
+      different prospectors all over the mountains, and none of it has ever
+      found its way back. She also predicts that father will work away on Gray
+      Rocks until he dies, and never have his hopes realized. I love my father
+      tenderly, and feel very sorry for him. A stranger cannot understand his
+      personal charms and grandeur as one of his family. He is certainly one of
+      the sweetest characters in the world. His persuasive powers, as you
+      evidently have reason to know, are very great, and I feel it my duty to
+      thus warn you for your own protection. Papa is <span class="pagenum">131</span><a
+      name="link131" id="link131"></a>so sane on everything else excepting Gray
+      Rocks, and is so foolish about that, notwithstanding his many years of
+      lost labor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If your father has a &lsquo;wheel in his head&rsquo; on the subject
+      of Gray Rocks, I must admit that I, too, have one in mine,&rdquo; replied
+      Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The blush that overspread Virginia&rsquo;s face suggested that she felt
+      keenly the rebuke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;I had forgotten that
+      I am not &lsquo;my brother&rsquo;s keeper&rsquo;. I promise never to refer
+      to the subject again.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening, after Vance had taken leave of Miss Virginia Bonifield, he
+      experienced a strange unrest and dissatisfaction, and while he did not
+      admit it to himself, the glamour of his day-dreams had been broken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0062" id="linkimage-0062"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8139.jpg" alt="8139 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8139.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Presently, as he walked along, the face of Louise came before him, and, in
+      a moment, he forgot his unsatisfactory evening; forgot hope&rsquo;s broken
+      glamour, and basked again in the alluring belief that the future held no
+      clouds for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late when he reached the hotel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Looking through the window, he saw old Dick Ballard, who was alone in the
+      barroom entertaining himself with an evening drill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He carried a long, iron poker at &ldquo;carry arms,&rdquo; and was
+      marching back and forth with military tread. Arriving at the end of the
+      room, he would call out &ldquo;Halt! About face! March!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was very much amused at old Dick Ballard&rsquo;s pantomime drill,
+      but finally opened the door and walked in. The transformation scene was
+      wonderful. Old Dick <span class="pagenum">132</span><a
+      name="link132_rdquo_________id_" id="link132_rdquo_________id_"></a>Ballard
+      was vigorously poking in the stove, notwithstanding it was a July night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hello, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he, looking up, &ldquo;I saw a
+      mighty big rat run in this stove a minute ago, and I am after it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better charge your entire militia company on the enemy,&rdquo; said
+      Vance, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you saw me, did you,&rdquo; said Ballard. &ldquo;I was jes&rsquo;
+      drillin&rsquo; up a little for dress parade. Well, pardner, I&rsquo;ll set
+      &lsquo;em up, and you say nothin&rsquo; about it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance declined to be entertained, but Ballard drank copiously from his
+      ever ready bottle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, Waterville&rsquo;s got it and no mistake,&rdquo; said
+      he, putting his bottle carefully away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Got what,&rdquo; asked Vance, as he turned to go to his room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Got the crack military company of the state,&rdquo; replied
+      Ballard. &ldquo;You ought to see &lsquo;em drill once. There is nothin&rsquo;
+      in New York city or anywhere else can tech one side of &lsquo;em for big
+      money.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI.&mdash;THE OLD COLONEL&rsquo;. DISAPPOINTMENT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0063" id="linkimage-0063"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9141.jpg" alt="9141 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9141.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE FOLLOWING <span class="pagenum">133</span><a name="link133" id="link133"></a>morning
+      Vance took the stage for Gold Bluff. As he neared that little mining town,
+      he found himself experiencing an impatience once more to see Louise
+      Bonifield that was strangely at variance with any former sensation of his
+      life. It seemed to him the stage coach was traveling at a snail&rsquo;s
+      pace, and even the good natured, &ldquo;honest intentioned&rdquo; Steve
+      Gibbons, with all his droll talk of frontier adventure, failed to interest
+      him. Arriving at the hotel, he found the old miner, Ben Bonifield, waiting
+      for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am delighted to see yo&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder; I am indeed, suh. I
+      presume yo&rsquo;r almost famished; pow&rsquo;ful tiresome ridin&rsquo; in
+      a stage coach all day, suh. After yo&rsquo; have refreshed yo&rsquo;self,
+      I shall be pleased to join yo&rsquo; in yo&rsquo;r room. I have a matteh
+      of vehy great impo&rsquo;tance to discuss with yo&rsquo;, suh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All right,&rdquo; said Vance, in his cheeriest tones. &ldquo;I
+      trust Miss Louise is well?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite well, suh; quite well, thank yo&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance ate his supper a satisfied feeling of contentment with the whole
+      world intruded itself upon him. His advancement in his profession was
+      certainly gratifying. He had received several valuable hints while in
+      <span class="pagenum">134</span><a name="link134" id="link134"></a>Butte
+      City in regard to a new silver mining company that was about to be
+      organized, in which he was thinking seriously of investing a little money.
+      The price was only ten cents a share, which he had been assured, on what
+      seemed to him very excellent authority, would be worth a dollar a share
+      before twelve months&rsquo; time. His investment at Waterville was
+      certainly a good one, and he heartily believed Col. Bonifield had good
+      news to tell him about Gray Rocks. In addition to this, he was once more
+      near Louise, that fair vision of loveliness, whose tender blue eyes seemed
+      ever near him. He dropped a coin into the hand of the waiter as he rose
+      from the table, and stopped in the hallway to caress a lovely little child
+      which he found playing hide-and-seek with an older companion, and then
+      made each a present of money with which to buy bon-bons. He hummed softly
+      to himself the air of an old love song as he went leisurely to his room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after, he was enjoying a choice Havana with Col. Bonifield sitting in
+      a chair opposite him, smoking his briar-root, blowing blue rings of smoke
+      leisurely toward the ceiling. Vance was animated, and spoke glowingly of
+      the prospects of Waterville. Presently Col. Bonifield said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder, we have reached the 300 foot level, suh,&rdquo; and
+      then lapsed into silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you cross-cut into the vein yet?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the old miner, as he rose from his chair
+      and walked back and forth in a stately manner, &ldquo;we have cross-cut,
+      suh, into where the vein ought to have been, but it is not there, suh. I
+      must confess to yo&rsquo;, suh, that I am greatly disappointed, but the
+      disappoint<span class="pagenum">135</span><a name="link135" id="link135"></a>ment,
+      I am sure, suh, is only tempoary. Of course it is much richer, suh, than
+      it was at the 200 foot level, but it is not rich enough, suh, to work, by
+      a pow&rsquo;ful sight.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0064" id="linkimage-0064"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0143.jpg" alt="0143 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0143.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      This information was a great disappointment to Vance, for he had fully
+      shared the old miner&rsquo;s belief that they would strike the rich ore at
+      the 300 foot level.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will admit, Col. Bonifield, that I am somewhat disappointed, and
+      of course you are. Under the circumstances, what do you advise?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">136</span><a name="link136" id="link136"></a>"Yo&rsquo;
+      honor me, suh, indeed yo&rsquo; do, Mr. Gilder, to ask my advice, because,
+      suh, I know my advice is good. Whether yo&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder, will so
+      regard it, remains to be seen. If yo&rsquo; can furnish about four
+      thousand dollars mo&rsquo; money, I will start to-morrow mornin&rsquo; fo&rsquo;
+      the 400 foot level, and we will then cross-cut, suh, into a vein of pow&rsquo;ful
+      rich ore. I assure yo&rsquo;, suh, I never was mo&rsquo; sincere in my
+      life than I am in makin&rsquo; this statement, suh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance possessed the confidence of youth, and his belief in Gray Rocks was
+      not to be shaken at the first disappointment, while before him rose up, as
+      from a mist, the pleading face of Louise, and he fancied she was asking
+      him to still believe in her father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0065" id="linkimage-0065"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9144.jpg" alt="9144 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9144.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He took his check book from his pocket and wrote a check for $4,000, and
+      signing it, handed it to the old miner, saying: &ldquo;How long, with the
+      present force of men, will it take to reach the 400 foot level?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the colonel, accepting his check,
+      and clasping his hand, &ldquo;yo&rsquo; quite ovehpow&rsquo;r me, yo&rsquo;
+      do indeed, suh. Yo&rsquo; may have been bawn in the nawth but yo&rsquo;
+      are a Virginian still at heart, with the warm blood cou&rsquo;sin&rsquo;through
+      yo&rsquo;r veins I think, suh, that within three or fou&rsquo; mouths we
+      can reach the fou&rsquo; hund&rsquo;ed foot level. I told yo&rsquo;r
+      father that Gray Rocks was a sure winner, and I am proud, suh, to repeat
+      the statement to you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">137</span><a
+      name="link137_rdquo_________id_" id="link137_rdquo_________id_"></a>said
+      Vance, &ldquo;whether you will strike it at the four hundred foot level or
+      not, but I assure you, Colonel Bonifield, that I have every faith in your
+      sincerity, and I am anxious to develop the mine as rapidly as possible. If
+      my investment should prove a total loss, I assure you I would never hold
+      you responsible.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am gettin&rsquo; along in years, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the
+      Colonel, &ldquo;and while I have not struck it yet, I have every
+      confidence, suh, that we will if we stay by Gray Rocks. My little Louise,
+      of cou&rsquo;se, was disappointed like myself. We both feared, suh, yo&rsquo;
+      would be veihy much disappointed; and I assure yo&rsquo;, suh, we cared a
+      great deal mo&rsquo; about yo&rsquo;r disappointment than we did about our
+      own. To tell yo&rsquo; the truth, suh, that little girl of mine had mo&rsquo;
+      faith in yo&rsquo;r looking at this matteh philosophically than I did;
+      but,&rdquo; continued the Colonel, pressing Vance&rsquo;s hand, &ldquo;I
+      misjudged yo&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder, I did indeed, suh, and I apologize fo&rsquo;
+      it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After Colonel Bonifield had taken his departure, Vance commenced looking
+      over his accumulated mail. The first thing that claimed his attention was
+      a copy of the <i>Banner</i> containing his article, &ldquo;Two Honorable
+      Exceptions.&rdquo; He read it carefully through again with evident pride.
+      Not a word or a single sentence had been cut out. This was gratifying to
+      him, and seemed proof that the managing editor had confidence in his
+      ability to select the wheat from the chaff. He laid down the paper and
+      began opening his letters. Presently the song he was humming died on his
+      lips. He sat upright and stared at a letter which he held in his hand. It
+      read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>
+        <i>Banner</i> Office, New York City.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        DEAR SIR:&mdash;
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        I am directed by the managing editor to advise you that your services
+        are no longer required. Enclosed find check in payment of your salary to
+        date.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        J Respectfully,
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        J. M. M.,
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Ass&rsquo;t Managing Editor.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        To Vance Gilder, Esq.
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">138</span><a name="link138" id="link138"></a>He
+      arose from his chair and rapidly paced the room, while great beads of
+      perspiration stood on his forehead. What had he done to merit such
+      humiliation? The idea that it might be a practical joke for a moment found
+      lodgment in his thoughts, but he quickly dismissed the hallucination.
+      Again he took up the paper and re-read the article, &ldquo;Two Honorable
+      Exceptions.&rdquo; He endeavored logically to think out a solution of his
+      dismissal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0066" id="linkimage-0066"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8146.jpg" alt="8146 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8146.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The more earnestly he thought over the situation, the more distinctly he
+      remembered the prejudiced views the chief seemed to entertain in regard to
+      western enterprises and investments. &ldquo;He certainly wants the truth,&rdquo;
+      soliloquized Vance, &ldquo;and I will stake my life there is not a
+      sentence in this article,&rdquo; and he struck the paper vigorously with
+      his hand, &ldquo;but what is true. The article might almost be regarded as
+      an advertisement for the great mining camp of Butte City, yet it was news,
+      and not nearly so strong as it might be and still keep within the bounds
+      of truth. The same is equally true as to what I have said in regard to the
+      agricultural and other resources of Waterville.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He sat far into the night, discussing with himself this unlooked for
+      calamity. Once, and only once, did the idea occur to him that possibly the
+      chief had sent him into the northwest to systematically destroy confidence
+      concerning western investments. He was too honorable, however, to harbor
+      the thought, and quickly dismissed it as too contemptible to be
+      entertained. The only consolation he could find&mdash;and that was
+      certainly a very <span class="pagenum">139</span><a
+      name="link139_rdquo_________id_" id="link139_rdquo_________id_"></a>meager
+      one&mdash;was that in all probability a letter of explanation would soon
+      come, that would clear away the misunderstanding. In the meantime he would
+      patiently wait, keeping his own counsel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked over his check book, and found he had, all told, some six
+      thousand dollars to his credit, besides the four thousand dollars he had
+      that evening given to Colonel Bonifield. He sat by his window and
+      considered the advisability of returning at once to New York and demanding
+      an explanation. Such a course would take him away from Gold Bluff, from
+      Gray Rocks, and from Louise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII.&mdash;An AWAKENING.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0067" id="linkimage-0067"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9148.jpg" alt="9148 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9148.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ANCE GILDER <span class="pagenum">140</span><a name="link140" id="link140"></a>was
+      not of a morose nature. The following morning he ate as hearty a breakfast
+      as ever, and while smoking his morning cigar, acknowledged to himself that
+      he had fallen in love with the picturesque scenery of the mountains,
+      rivers, valleys and everything about him was restful, while an alluring
+      contentment stole into his heart. He congratulated himself that he was far
+      away from the hot and crowded metropolis of the Atlantic seaboard. Here,
+      far removed from &ldquo;the busy marts of men,&rdquo; and the restless
+      commotion of commerce and traffic, he could rest and wait.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day passed quickly by; the afternoons and evenings usually in the
+      society of Louise. They were bewildering days in their completeness. The
+      night claimed the day all too soon when in her society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was surprised, after the first shock of disappointment had passed away,
+      to find how indifferent he was becoming in regard to the loss of his
+      position on the <i>Banner</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One morning he awakened to a keen sense of incompleteness where
+      completeness had dwelt. Also around Gold Bluff, he <span class="pagenum">141</span><a
+      name="link141" id="link141"></a>covered a vein of discontent where
+      contentment had reigned supreme. His love of the mountains, the rivers,
+      and the picturesque scenery was but a prelude of promise, thumbing sweetly
+      of the great, unselfish love awakened in him for Louise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This unrest dated from a certain evening when Louise first sang for him.
+      He was quite entranced by the full, rich volume of her contralto voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She began by striking the chords in a hesitating way; but presently the
+      genius of her musical nature seized her with its wonderful power, and she
+      sang with wild abandon:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      &lsquo;We seemed to those who saw us meet
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent20">
+      The casual friends of every day;
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      His courtesy was frank and sweet,
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent20">
+      My smile was unrestrained and gay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      But yet, if one the other&rsquo;s name
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent20">
+      In some unguarded moment heard,
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent15">
+      The heart you thought so free and tame
+    </p>
+    <p class="indent20">
+      Would flutter like a frightened bird.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she sang Vance gave himself up to the intoxication of the moment. His
+      soul broke through the barriers and went out to hers, and as the song died
+      on her lips, and the music ceased with a few reluctant farewell chords, he
+      knew that a great and tender love had sprung up in his heart&mdash;a love
+      that was not for a day, but for all time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Bonifield,&rdquo; said Vance, with emotion, &ldquo;you are,
+      indeed, a constant surprise to me. Your playing is <span class="pagenum">142</span><a
+      name="link142" id="link142"></a>certainly superb, while your voice; not
+      only soft and musical, but has great range. To hear you sing fills me with
+      a longing to be a better man.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;I seldom play or sing
+      excepting for papa. Your compliment, however, is highly appreciated.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As long as I remain in Gold Bluff I hope I will be privileged in
+      hearing you sing occasionally.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will promise not to ostracize you altogether, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo;
+      said Louise, laughingly, &ldquo;but may I ask how long you expect to
+      remain with us?&rdquo; There was just enough hesitation in the question to
+      suggest interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; replied Vance. &ldquo;I presume you think it
+      is strange that I have remained as long as I have. To be frank with you,
+      Miss Bonifield, I have lost my position on the <i>Banner</i>.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lost your position!&rdquo; said Louise, with unmistakable concern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am indeed sorry,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;whether it is a
+      misfortune or not. I had an offer to-day to take charge of the <i>Gold
+      Bluff Prospector</i>, and am thinking seriously of accepting.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You quite <span class="pagenum">143</span><a name="link143"
+      id="link143"></a>astonish me,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;but I know papa
+      will be delighted if you conclude to remain permanently in Gold Bluff.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; said Vance thoughtfully, &ldquo;there is quite a
+      difference between the New York <i>Banner</i> and the <i>Gold Bluff
+      Prospector</i>&mdash;one a cosmopolitan daily and the other a country
+      newspaper without any special circulation. It would only be profitable to
+      me as I increased its circulation and its importance to advertisers. I
+      shall not decide for a few days. I may <span class="pagenum">144</span><a
+      name="link144_rdquo_________id_" id="link144_rdquo_________id_"></a>receive
+      some explanation from the <i>Banner</i> that will put a different light
+      upon my dismissal.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0068" id="linkimage-0068"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0151.jpg" alt="0151 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0151.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have almost made up my mind that I should like to remain in Gold
+      Bluff,&rdquo; continued Vance, looking inquiringly at Louise. &ldquo;My
+      confidence in Gray Rocks is growing daily, and I believe it is only a
+      question of a short time until your father&rsquo;s efforts will be crowned
+      with success.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; replied Louise, feelingly, &ldquo;I thank you
+      for your confidence and faith in my father. It seems that nearly every one
+      disbelieves in his final success. I cannot tell why, yet my faith is
+      unbounded. Even sister Virgie has lost hope, and at times papa is greatly
+      discouraged because sister and Aunt Sally talk as they do; but I am sure
+      in time he will be able to fully prove how mistaken they are in their
+      judgment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Vance rose to go he took her hand and said &ldquo;Miss Bonifield, you
+      certainly are a noble daughter, and your father is pardonable for wishing
+      to keep you with him in this western country. I am beginning to understand
+      what a great strength and support you must be to him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; replied Louise, &ldquo;I am sure you overestimate
+      the assistance I am to my father, but my greatest pride is in doing
+      something that will add to his comfort, and I am sure papa cannot want me
+      with him more than I wish to remain.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance had become accustomed to Louise&rsquo;s frankness of speech, yet he
+      received a shock that thrilled him with delight when she said, &ldquo;I
+      shall be very happy, Mr. Gilder, if you conclude to remain in Gold Bluff.
+      You have no idea how lonesome I should be if you were to go away.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance&rsquo;s heart beat wildly, and something seemed to rise up in his
+      throat as he attempted to thank her. The expression of his face evidently
+      betrayed his feelings, for she quickly drew away, and with a formality
+      that was new to Vance she bowed stiffly and said &ldquo;Good night.&rdquo;
+      After leaving the Bonifield&rsquo;s home, he followed the road which led
+      up the mountain side toward Gray Rocks. The moon, large and round, was
+      just lifting itself above the eastern horizon. He walked on past the
+      shaft, where the <span class="pagenum">145</span><a name="link145"
+      id="link145"></a>night force of men were busy working away toward the 400
+      foot level, and soon found himself near the old prospect shaft on the
+      Peacock. The valley where the little city of Gold Bluff nestled was far
+      beneath him. He saw a light glimmering from one of the windows in the
+      Bonifield home, and interpreted it as a beacon of hope.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0069" id="linkimage-0069"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9153.jpg" alt="9153 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9153.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He repeated over and over again Louise&rsquo;s words relative to his
+      remaining in Gold Bluff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I will remain, no matter what the
+      explanation may be from the <i>Banner</i> office,&rdquo; and filled with
+      this decision, he returned to his hotel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening, about a week after receiving the letter dismissing him from
+      the <i>Banner</i> force, the mail brought a copy of that great New York
+      paper. Vance eagerly perused it to see if it contained his last
+      communication. No, it had been rejected, but in its stead he found an
+      article entitled &ldquo;Two Western Towns.&rdquo; It was a three-column
+      article devoted to Butte City and Waterville. It referred in the most
+      vindictive manner to the members of the Waterville Town Company, and
+      classed them as a lot of town site boomers. It warned eastern people not
+      to be caught and misled by such wildcat speculations as were offered by
+      them in the great Thief River Valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It said the valley was one immense lava bed, interspersed with sage brush
+      thickets, alkali swamps and basalt plains. The wonderful water-power, it
+      claimed, was an absolute myth; and, in fact, the printed statements in the
+      circulars of these &ldquo;town boomers&rdquo; were deliberate lies. <span
+      class="pagenum">146</span><a name="link146" id="link146"></a>Another thing
+      which eastern investors should bear in mind, the paper went on to say, was
+      the fact that the property which had been platted into town lots was still
+      government land. The town company had no title, and, perhaps, never would
+      have. It branded the whole enterprise as the most gigantic confidence game
+      that had ever been perpetrated on an unsuspecting public.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It further said the swindling operations of these irresponsible and
+      restless town boomers of Waterville were only exceeded in point of
+      adroitness by the mining operations in and around Butte City, Montana. The
+      article said the mountain sides at Butte City were perforated with
+      prospect holes, where hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars of
+      eastern people&rsquo;s money had been expended by local managers in
+      riotous living and debauchery, and claimed that it was a safe estimate to
+      say that for every thousand dollars put into prospect shafts in and about
+      Butte City, not more than one dollar had been taken out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It spoke of the inhabitants of both Butte City and Waterville as plebians
+      of the lowest sort and condition of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The worst cut of all to Vance, however, was the closing paragraph, where
+      it stated that it was the habit of promoters of these western towns to
+      bribe indiscriminately correspondents of eastern papers, and that many
+      were weak enough to fall, which was not only unfortunate for the journal
+      publishing these flattering falsehoods, but a base injustice to the
+      eastern investor, who was led captive with his savings into western
+      &ldquo;booms&rdquo; through <span class="pagenum">147</span><a
+      name="link147_rdquo_________id_" id="link147_rdquo_________id_"></a>the
+      machinations of unprincipled correspondents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If Vance had been nonplussed on receipt of the assistant&rsquo;s letter,
+      he was now stunned. He thought very little about his own investment in
+      Waterville, but rather, what would his old associates on the <i>Banner</i>
+      think of him? He regarded the article as a direct thrust at himself and
+      his integrity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After waiting a few days and receiving no further communication from the
+      <i>Banner</i> office, and feeling too much humiliation to write to his
+      city friends until time had dulled the blow, he concluded to go to
+      Waterville and see if he could not make arrangements with the Town Company
+      whereby he could return at once the money invested by his old associates
+      in Waterville town lots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The more he thought over the refuting article in the <i>Banner</i> the
+      more indignant he became. &ldquo;There is not a manufacturer or other
+      institution in the east rich enough,&rdquo; said he to himself, &ldquo;to
+      stand such wholesale boycotting as this western country is constantly
+      subjected to by the eastern press. It is not conservatism; it is downright
+      injustice. I have not been long in the west, it is true, but my respect
+      for it and its people is growing. Even Chicago, with all her greatness,
+      energy and achievements, is belittled by the boycotting press of the east!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By birth I am a Gothamite, and by education I am an eastern man,
+      but my patriotism for America and all that is American has never prevented
+      me from turning up my trousers when there is a heavy fog in London?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII.&mdash;VANCE RETURNS TO WATERVILLE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0070" id="linkimage-0070"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9156.jpg" alt="9156 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9156.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      T <span class="pagenum">148</span><a name="link148" id="link148"></a>was
+      on an October morning that Vance started for Waterville. A light frost the
+      night before had made the air sharp and crisp. The frost disappeared,
+      however, before the genial warmth of the rising sun, while the russet
+      leaves grew brownerer and as the wind stirred them, sang brokenly of old
+      age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      October is the scenic month in the mountains. You seem to stand in Nature&rsquo;s
+      picture gallery. The box-alder leaves are as changeable in color as a
+      blushing maiden. From the low foothills on up the sides of the mountains
+      to the timber line, the elms, the box-alders, and poplars grow in
+      profusion. The leaves vary in color from the deepest green to the
+      brightest scarlet, the most golden yellow, or the somberest brown. The
+      colors are intermingled in this gorgeous panoramic scene with a charm and
+      beauty that baffles the most skilled artist&rsquo;s touch to reproduce on
+      canvas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was seated beside Steve Gibbons on the top of the stage coach, as
+      they whirled along in meditative silence. The evening before Louise had
+      sung for him. It was music fit for the gods&mdash;so rich, so deep, so
+      plaintively low, so fascinating. He could see her even now, standing on
+      the wide old porch as she bade him good-bye. <span class="pagenum">149</span><a
+      name="link149" id="link149"></a>The mild October breeze that stirred the
+      ringlets of her golden hair seemed laden with worshipers of hope for
+      Vance, the lover, and he interpreted her every word and smile as a token
+      reciprocal of his own deep love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently Vance was brought back from his day dreams to the present by
+      Steve Gibbons remarking:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Things ain&rsquo;t so powerful brisk down at Waterville jes&rsquo;
+      now.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, how is that?&rsquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, I dunno,&rdquo; replied Gibbons, as he waked up his leaders
+      with a spirited crack of his whip, &ldquo;can&rsquo;t say jes&rsquo; what
+      is the matter. But I can tell ye one thing, pardner,&rdquo; he went on,
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;m mighty glad I&rsquo;m not in the real estate business. In
+      my opinion, them real estate agents down thar will be jumpin&rsquo;
+      sideways for a sandwich before the winter&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was noticeably depressed by Gibbons&rsquo; remarks. He was going to
+      Waterville for the express purpose of disposing of his New York friends&rsquo;
+      property, in which they had invested on his recommendation. He cared very
+      little about his own investment. He was willing to wait, or even to lose
+      it all, if he could only prevent them from sustaining loss on their
+      purchase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late that night when they reached Waterville. Vance was delighted
+      to find that Homer Winthrop was registered at the hotel. They met the
+      following morning at the breakfast table. The conduct of the usually
+      polite and entertaining Winthrop was changed to a sternness for which
+      Vance was at a loss to account. As they arose from the table, Vance went
+      out with Winthrop and asked him how he was progressing in the lot selling
+      business.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How am I progressing?&rdquo; repeated Winthrop, as he <span
+      class="pagenum">150</span><a name="link150" id="link150"></a>turned and
+      looked coldly at Vance. &ldquo;I am through. I have left Butte City for
+      good.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, how is that?&rdquo; asked Vance in some surprise. Winthrop was
+      silent for a moment, and then replied: &ldquo;It is rather strange, Mr.
+      Gilder, for you to ask such a question after writing the article you did
+      for that New York paper. The <i>Inter Mountain Blade</i> and the <i>Butte
+      City Miner</i> both copied the letter. It is hardly necessary for me to
+      observe,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;that it rendered it impossible for me
+      to sell another lot in Butte City. Those who had purchased became so
+      infuriated that I deemed it best for personal safety to leave the town.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Saying this, Winthrop turned abruptly and left Vance, who was for a moment
+      unable to make a reply. Homer Winthrop&rsquo;s words both astonished and
+      chilled him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A little later he visited the Town Company&rsquo;s office, where he found
+      Marcus Donald, the resident director, and Homer Winthrop in deep
+      consultation. Donald was a man of commanding presence. His associates
+      often remarked that Marcus Donald&rsquo;s face was worth $10,000 in an
+      important trade of any kind. He was dignified and commanding in
+      appearance, and when one talked with him, the most skeptical fell into the
+      habit of believing every word that fell from his lips. Vance discovered
+      that he was not wanted, but he determined to vindicate himself, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, pardon me for interrupting, but I must ask your
+      indulgence for a few moments. I wish you would read this article. I am
+      humiliated enough without any further complications or misunderstandings.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He handed<span class="pagenum">151</span><a name="link151" id="link151"></a>
+      Marcus Donald a copy of the <i>Banner</i>. Donald adjusted his gold-rimmed
+      spectacles and read aloud the entire article, &ldquo;Two Western Towns.&rdquo;
+      When he had concluded, Vance turned toward Winthrop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that the letter you referred to?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0071" id="linkimage-0071"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0159.jpg" alt="0159 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0159.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, yes,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;but how is this?&rdquo; said
+      he, picking up the paper. &ldquo;The Butte City papers published only that
+      part of the article referring to Waterville; but how came you to write
+      such a letter at all, Mr. Gilder? You certainly know there is not a
+      syllable of truth in it from beginning to finish.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance looked first at Winthrop and then at Donald, <span class="pagenum">152</span><a
+      name="link152" id="link152"></a>and replied, &ldquo;I did not write it.&rdquo;
+      He then proceeded to give them a history of his dismissal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was written,&rdquo; tapping the paper with the back of his
+      hand, &ldquo;evidently to counteract the influence and effect of what I
+      had written the week before.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course that puts it in a different light,&rdquo; said Donald,
+      rising and extending his hand to Vance. &ldquo;I could not believe it
+      possible that you, Mr. Gilder, could be guilty of writing such a libelous
+      article as this is.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop also accepted the explanation as eminently satisfactory, and
+      sympathized with Vance in the loss of his position on the great New York
+      daily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has completely killed the lot selling business for me in Butte
+      City,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;but fortunately for us, we have made some
+      very excellent sales during the past few weeks, and the Town Company&rsquo;
+      has sufficient money in the treasury to pay all its debts, and the last
+      obligation will be paid off before twelve o&rsquo;clock to-day.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Marcus Donald, &ldquo;they will all be paid off,
+      but it will leave the treasury in a depleted condition; but the future, I
+      believe, is all right. I hope you will not lose faith, Mr. Gilder, in
+      Waterville&rsquo;s prospects.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I have unbounded faith in Waterville,
+      but I would like very much to have the Town Company, if possible, return
+      the $2,500 which I invested for my New York friends. It would save me much
+      embarrassment if I could return them their money&rsquo;. They doubtless
+      know I have been dismissed from the force, and have read this last
+      article, which puts an entirely&rsquo; different coloring on this western
+      country&rsquo; from what I represented.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">153</span><a name="link153" id="link153"></a>"You
+      must know,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;that what you seek is next to
+      impossible. The money has been paid into the treasury, and no difference
+      how friendly I personally feel toward you, or how much the resident
+      director, Mr. Donald, may wish to return the money, it cannot possibly be
+      done without an action of the directors.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture, Marcus Donald invited Vance to take a scat by his desk,
+      and he would explain to him carefully and fully the situation, and
+      believed he could prove to him conclusively why he was acting for his New
+      York friends&rsquo; best interests in leaving the investment as it was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0072" id="linkimage-0072"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8161.jpg" alt="8161 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8161.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Donald produced a great many maps and carefully spread them out on the
+      table, adjusted his spectacles carefully, and with his $10,000 face looked
+      squarely into Vance&rsquo;s, and proceeded to go over the old, old story
+      of the unlimited natural resources of the valley. He discussed at length,
+      and in a very entertaining and convincing manner, the number of acres of
+      land already in cultivation, the probable annual increase acreage of farm
+      land; figured out results that amounted to millions of dollars. He then
+      carried Vance from one side of the map to the other, up to the top, then
+      down to the bottom and back again to the point where they had first
+      started; indeed, he quite enthused Vance in regard to the future prospects
+      and final outcome of Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He also confirmed Winthrop&rsquo;s statement in regard to their inability
+      to take any money out of the treasury for <span class="pagenum">154</span><a
+      name="link154" id="link154"></a>the purpose suggested without first having
+      an action of the directors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I advise you to write to your New York friends,&rdquo; continued
+      Donald, &ldquo;and tell them their investment is all right, <i>if</i>&mdash;mark,
+      I say <i>if</i>&mdash;they have the nerve to stay with it a year or such a
+      matter. Of course this article in the <i>Banner</i> hurts us immensely. It
+      is simply a highhanded piece of boycotting; but the west has received
+      similar injustice at the hands of the great New York dailies times without
+      number in years gone by.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Acting on Marcus Donald&rsquo;s advice, Vance wrote a letter that day to
+      his New York friends, and afterwards felt better for having done so. He
+      determined to remain a week or two at Waterville, and see if there was any
+      demand for real estate. Before many days, he began to understand the
+      wonderful, far-reaching effects of the late article in the <i>Banner</i>.
+      Rival surrounding towns copied it, and with double-leaded editorials
+      called attention to a town that had over-reached itself. They denounced
+      the various members of the Waterville Town Company as villainous sharks,
+      and predicted that the boom had been pricked with a needle that would let
+      all the wind out of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The transient class of real estate agents and hangers-on, who had been
+      doing a rather thriving business, said, &ldquo;Boys, this ends it,&rdquo;
+      as they blew the foam from their glasses of beer, &ldquo;we might as well
+      go somewhere else as wait and see the dog-fennel grow in the streets of
+      Waterville.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day Vance called on J. Arthur Boast at his office. He found him as
+      elegantly dressed as ever, and engaged in tying up bundles of legal
+      papers, deeds, contracts, etc. <span class="pagenum">155</span><a
+      name="link155" id="link155"></a>"Are you getting ready to move away from
+      Waterville?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I am not going away; that is, not permanently,&rdquo; replied
+      Boast, as he stooped to brush a speck of dust from his highly polished
+      shoes, &ldquo;but I do not presume we will have any use for deeds or
+      contracts for some time to come, and I am therefore putting them away out
+      of the dust until the boom opens up again.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You talk a little discouragingly,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Discouragingly!&rdquo; said Boast, as he seated himself on the
+      table in front of Vance. &ldquo;Discouragingly! Why, didn&rsquo;t I tell
+      you the Town Company would ruin Waterville? I was away only two weeks
+      visiting, as you know, at Gold Bluff, but while I was gone they inflated
+      prices of property; made promises right and left that were quite
+      impossible for them to fulfill. The newspapers all over the country are
+      denouncing them, and the result of it is that Waterville is dead! I say
+      dead, and I mean dead, and all on account of the Town Company.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you suppose,&rdquo; asked Vance, &ldquo;that you could possibly&rsquo;
+      sell my twenty-five lots?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Boast looked absently&rsquo; out of the window and said, &ldquo;I might
+      sell them in time by putting them on my special bargain list.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At what price?&rdquo; Vance ventured to ask.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me see,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;you paid $2,500 for them, did
+      you not?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, well,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;I might be able to get $500 for
+      them, but it would be a pretty green sort of a tenderfoot that I could
+      load them on at even that price. But what&rsquo;s the use,&rdquo; said he,
+      facing around toward Vance <span class="pagenum">156</span><a
+      name="link156" id="link156"></a>and still sitting on the table, &ldquo;what&rsquo;s
+      the use of losing your nerve? Within one or two years Waterville will be
+      all right. She can&rsquo;t be kept down. She has natural resources; the
+      richest farm lands in the world; the greatest water power of any inland
+      city in the United States; marvelous veins of coal; inexhaustible quarries
+      of rock; unsurpassed forests of timber; and abundance of water for
+      irrigating purposes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0073" id="linkimage-0073"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8164.jpg" alt="8164 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8164.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Why, dang it, old fellow,&rdquo; said he, slapping Vance on the shoulder,
+      &ldquo;Waterville s all right. All you&rsquo;ve got to do is to hold on to
+      your nerve and your lots, and you will come out on top.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all very well,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;but the
+      ray of hope you hold out is too far away to be very satisfactory at the
+      present time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Every tenderfoot,&rdquo; replied Boast, &ldquo;needs a certain
+      amount of experience in order to acclimate him to this western country.
+      Your experience is just now beginning. After a little Colonel Bonifield
+      will strike it rich on Gray Rocks, Waterville will also come out of the
+      kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel must be
+      pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, Waterville will also come out
+      of the kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel must
+      be pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, is he not:&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe he is making very satisfactory progress,&rdquo; replied
+      Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the old man should strike it rich,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;I
+      would not mind connecting myself with his family. Of course, I am not so
+      hard to please as you New York fellows.&rdquo; He looked archly at Vance
+      and smiled wickedly as he made this remark.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was indignant at the cold-blooded insinuation of Boast, and replied:
+      <span class="pagenum">157</span><a name="link157" id="link157"></a>"While
+      you may have no objections, I don&rsquo;t doubt you will meet some pretty
+      knotty ones before you succeed in winning Miss Bonifield.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Possibly,&rdquo; replied Boast, coolly. &ldquo;Nevertheless, if the
+      old Colonel strikes it in Gray Rocks, it&rsquo;s worth a trial, anyway;
+      but come, there&rsquo;s no use in quarreling over something that hasn&rsquo;t
+      happened, or being down-hearted about a busted boom, so long as a fellow
+      has a bottle of red liquor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance did not wait for him to go through the ordeal of condemning himself
+      as a drunken profligate, but let him to finish tying up his papers and
+      drink the contents of his bottle alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX.&mdash;THE INDIGNATION MEETING
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0074" id="linkimage-0074"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9166.jpg" alt="9166 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9166.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ANCE had <span class="pagenum">158</span><a name="link158" id="link158"></a>been
+      in Waterville something over a week, and his enthusiasm was noticeably
+      subdued. One evening he discovered that a great many citizens were
+      assembling in the Town Hall. He joined the crowd, and found it was
+      composed of representative of nearly every family in Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The meeting was called to order with J. Arthur Boast in the chair. It was
+      an indignation meeting. Instead of huzzaing for the Waterville Town
+      Company, its members were being vigorously denounced. A speaker addressed
+      the chair, and among other things said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is our sash, blind and door factory? Where is our foundry?
+      Where is our woolen mill? Where are our canning factories? Where is our
+      great smelting plant, and other manufacturing enterprises which have been
+      promised us by the Waterville Town Company? When we see anything in a
+      newspaper we have a right to believe what it says. Outside of Waterville,
+      the newspapers claim the members of the Waterville Town Company to be a
+      lot of restless town site boomers. I believe what I see in the papers. The
+      dog-fennel is already growing in our streets&mdash;our town is dead; not
+      one stranger in a week alights from the train at Waterville. <span
+      class="pagenum">159</span><a name="link159" id="link159"></a>We have been
+      deceived, and it is now time for an indignant community to assert its
+      rights, take the reins of government, so to speak, in our own hands, and
+      give the Waterville Town Company to understand that no more bonds of any
+      kind will be voted or subsidies given.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A number of other speakers expressed themselves in bitter terms against
+      the Waterville Town Company. The chairman, J. Arthur Boast, finally
+      addressed the meeting, and with his thin, piping voice advise moderation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He said it was true that, during his absence, prices had been
+      unfortunately inflated, and a reaction had set in. He reminded his hearers
+      that he was still in the real estate business, and by listing their
+      property with him he would try to put it on his &ldquo;special bargain
+      list,&rdquo; and thought possibly he could, in time, re-establish
+      confidence and create a new era of activity in the real estate business.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Boast was very careful not to openly charge the depression in Waterville
+      to anyone in particular, but his insinuations left no room to doubt he
+      meant the Waterville Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It seemed to be the sense of the meeting that retrenchment was in order.
+      One speaker advised the closing of the public school. The suggestion
+      seemed to meet with favor. Old Dick Ballard pushed his way through the
+      crowd, and addressing the chairman, begged the crowd to listen to reason.
+      &ldquo;You know,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;that I&rsquo;m your school
+      director in this township. The office sought me; I didn&rsquo;t seek the
+      office. Retrenchment in any other line exceptin&rsquo; the closin&rsquo;
+      down of our public school is, perhaps, all right; but do not take a step
+      backward. Our public school system is our pride, and should appeal to the
+      patriotism of every one here.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">160</span><a
+      name="link160" id="link160"></a>In conclusion, he offered to give an
+      entertainment with his State Militia Company for the benefit of the public
+      school of Waterville. Hi is remarks would probably have been effective had
+      not a fiery speaker followed him and advanced the idea that by
+      discontinuing the public school it would be a direct rebuke to the
+      Waterville Town Company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let it be noised abroad,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;that the residents
+      of Waterville refuse to pay any school taxes, and then the Waterville town
+      Company will begin to understand that we must be consulted, or we will
+      thwart their schemes of booming this town. All they care for, anyway, is
+      the money there is in selling town lots.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The speaker then asked Dick Ballard how much money was in the teacher&rsquo;s
+      fund of the school treasury. Ballard said he did not know, but he could
+      find out in a day or two. The speaker then addressed the chair, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I move you, sir, that it is the sense of this public demonstration
+      that we quit paying taxes to support a public school in Waterville, and
+      when the funds now on hand are exhausted that our school be closed.&rdquo;
+      The motion almost unanimously prevailed. There were a few feeble protests,
+      but they were not recognized by the presiding officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A little later Vance felt some one plucking at his sleeve, and old Dick
+      Ballard motioned him to follow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, sir,&rdquo; said Ballard, in a deep whisper when they were
+      alone, &ldquo;there is some mighty important work to be done. Be in the
+      parlor of my hotel in half an hour from now. Say nothin&rsquo;.&rdquo; At
+      this Dick Ballard, with a mysterious look on his face, turned and hurried
+      away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A little later Vance walked over to the hotel and found <span
+      class="pagenum">161</span><a name="link161" id="link161"></a>Dick Ballard,
+      Homer Winthrop, and Marcus Donald. They apparently were waiting for him.
+      Ballard was very careful to lock the door securely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0075" id="linkimage-0075"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9169.jpg" alt="9169 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9169.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He then turned and said: &ldquo;Now, gentlemen, we have business of
+      importance on hand. Yes, sir, the time has come for us to act, and act
+      promptly. Hold on&mdash;just wait a moment until I read you a letter. This
+      is private,&rdquo; said he, tapping a letter which he unfolded with a
+      great flourish. &ldquo;This is from General Ira House, the greatest town
+      builder in the world. Now, here&rsquo;s what he says:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I will settle my board bill, no, hold on; that isn&rsquo;t
+      the place. Here it is: &lsquo;Tell the people to be patient. The darkest
+      hour is just before the dawn. Waterville is all right.&rsquo;.rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you think of that, gentlemen?&rdquo; said he, folding the
+      letter and putting it into his pocket. &ldquo;I tell you, General House
+      can come as near breakin&rsquo; the shell and gettin&rsquo; at the meat of
+      the kernel as any man I ever knew&rsquo;. He&rsquo;s brainy, and no
+      mistake. Our citizens are excited,&rdquo; Ballard went on, &ldquo;and in
+      their excitement they are foolish. They&rsquo;re attemptin&rsquo; to bite
+      the hand that is feedin&rsquo; us all. &lsquo;The Town Company has made
+      this town. I address my remarks, Mr. Gilder, to you. Modesty forbids, sir,
+      that I should say to my friends, Mr. Donald and Mr. Winthrop, that which I
+      unhesitatingly proclaim to an outside party. Now let me ask, Mr. Gilder,
+      if I didn&rsquo;t tell you long ago that the members of the Waterville
+      Town Company were the brainiest men this country had ever produced?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">162</span><a name="link162" id="link162"></a>"I
+      believe you made that remark,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0076" id="linkimage-0076"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0170.jpg" alt="0170 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0170.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, and I am proud to repeat the statement, and in the letter
+      which I have just read to you I have the evidence, the <i>prima facie</i>
+      evidence, that Watcrville is only restin&rsquo;, as it were, preparatory
+      to enterin&rsquo; the free-for-all hurdle race, and makin&rsquo; the
+      fastest time on record. Yes, sir, her time will be a record breaker, and
+      she will distance all would-be competitors, notwithstandin&rsquo; the
+      slanderous <span class="pagenum">163</span><a name="link163" id="link163"></a>and
+      libelous articles now goin&rsquo; the rounds in the press.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We now,&rdquo; continued Mallard, &ldquo;are a ways-and-means
+      committee. The closing of our public school would indeed be a calamity.
+      They asked me over at the town meetin&rsquo; how much money was in the
+      school treasury. I told them I didn&rsquo;t know. I beg you gentlemen&rsquo;s
+      pardon for my reply, I do know. There is not a cent. I was forced into the
+      awkward position of tellin&rsquo; a falsehood for the good of my adopted
+      city, Waterville. Now, gentle men, what do you advise?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think,&rdquo; said Donald, &ldquo;that our taxpayers proper are
+      not objecting to the expense of our public school. The Waterville Town
+      Company owns fully three-fourths of all the property in Waterville, and we
+      want the school to go on. The citizens who are the loudest in denouncing
+      the expense, and calling most vigorously for retrenchment, as a matter of
+      fact, do not pay a penny of tax.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&rsquo;re right,&rdquo; said Dick Ballard, glowingly, &ldquo;that&rsquo;s
+      the talk! There&rsquo;s argument in your remarks, Mr. Donald, and if I had
+      them printed on dodgers I would regard it as a personal privilege to
+      deliver copies to members of my State Militia Company, and issue a general
+      order to have them distributed over the entire town.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to call your attention to one thing,&rdquo; continued
+      Ballard. &ldquo;No member of my State Militia Company voted to discontinue
+      our public school; no, sir, not one.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop was called on for remarks, and observed that the demonstration
+      was a hasty action that would not be approved, probably, by the people
+      themselves on mature reflection. <span class="pagenum">164</span><a
+      name="link164" id="link164"></a>"A few weeks ago,&rdquo; he went on,
+      &ldquo;these same people were hurrahing; for the Waterville Town Company.
+      They expect us to perform wonders in a few weeks&rsquo; time, that in
+      reality require months, and even years. I fully believe the present
+      depression will be followed by a healthy activity that will satisfy the
+      most pronounced pessimist in Waterville.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen.&rdquo; said Dick Ballard, &ldquo;there are four of us.
+      Miss Virginia Bonifield is a most exemplary young lady, while, as a
+      teacher, she is without a peer. I stand ready to pledge myself for
+      one-fourth of her salary. Her salary for the entire year is $500.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Put me down for one fourth,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will gladly pay one fourth,&rdquo; said Marcus Donald, &ldquo;and
+      my check is ready at any time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count me in on the deal,&rdquo; said Homer Winthrop &ldquo;Just one
+      thing, gentlemen,&rdquo; said Dick Ballard, &ldquo;I am pretty well
+      acquainted with Miss Virginia Bonifield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0077" id="linkimage-0077"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9172.jpg" alt="9172 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9172.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      She posseses the spirit of independence to a very large degree. She is,
+      indeed, the daughter of her father, Colonel Bonifield. If she knew that
+      her salary was comin&rsquo; from a private source, why, you could not get
+      her to touch a dollar of it, therefore I think it best to consider this
+      compact and agreement strictly confidential.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dick Ballard&rsquo;s views met with the approval of his associates, and
+      then the conversation became general. Vance inquired when the Town Company
+      would probably hold another meeting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">165</span><a name="link165" id="link165"></a>"Not
+      for some time, from present indications,&rdquo; replied Winthrop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Marcus Donald, &ldquo;I have to-day received a
+      letter from Colonel Alexander, and he says it will be necessary, on
+      account of pressing business in the Wharfage and Dockage Company down on
+      the Gulf coast, to defer holding another Town Company meeting for some
+      months. The only thing we can do,&rdquo; continued Donald, &ldquo;is to
+      keep a good grip on our holdings here and wait. The dark days will roll by
+      like so many clouds and the sun will shine again. Waterville will be in
+      the ascendency. Strangers will be coming in, bringing money for internal
+      improvements; this great valley will be settled up, and successful
+      activity, in my judgment, will take the place of the present unfortunate
+      depression.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance continued his stay in Waterville several days longer than he had at
+      intended. His frequent consultations with Horner Winthrop and Marcus
+      Donald led him to believe they were two of the most honorable men he had
+      ever met. Possibly they were wrong in their judgment about Waterville, but
+      they certainly were sincere. They seemed like men who had been fighting
+      for a goal against bitter odds. The goal was finally reached when the last
+      obligation of the Waterville Town Company had been paid. They were left
+      practically penniless, or at best, with very little money; yet they were
+      content to wait until time should lift then out of the trough of the sea
+      upon the waves of commercial activity again, which they fully believed
+      would come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Vance started for Gold Bluff, he said he might see them again in a
+      couple of weeks, and again, he might <span class="pagenum">166</span><a
+      name="link166" id="link166"></a>not see them for a year or longer. He was
+      wholly undecided what to do.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arriving at Gold Bluff in the evening, Vance made a hasty toilet and
+      called upon the woman he secretly loved so devotedly. She welcomed him
+      warmly. Soon after, they were seated in the little parlor where Vance had
+      spent so many happy evenings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel greeted him enthusiastically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0078" id="linkimage-0078"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8174.jpg" alt="8174 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8174.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The open grate was crackling and burning cheerily with a bright wood fire,
+      and seemed to add warmth to the welcome extended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am delighted to see yo&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder, I am indeed, still. We
+      have at last reached the 400 foot level. Tempo&rsquo;ary embarrassments
+      will soon be relegated into antiquity, yes, suh; a few days longer, a few
+      days mo&rsquo; of waitin&rsquo;, suh, and the struggle for a livin&rsquo;
+      will be oveh with. No matteh how much we may fight against it, we are
+      bound to be wealthy. Of cou&rsquo;se it&rsquo;ll take a few days yet, but
+      only a few.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was evident that the Colonel was greatly in earnest. It was a welcome
+      hope to Vance. He briefly related to the Colonel and Louise concerning the
+      depression at Waterville, but that he still had hopes that eventually&mdash;he
+      did not pretend to say exactly when, but some time in the future&mdash;his
+      investment in Waterville town lots would turn out all right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On gen&rsquo;al principles,&rdquo; said Colonel Bonifield, &ldquo;I
+      am not favo&rsquo;able to real estate spec&rsquo;lations. I presume, suh,
+      the reason is I know so vehy little about them, but when <span
+      class="pagenum">167</span><a name="link167" id="link167"></a>it comes to a
+      mine, suh,&rsquo;.pecially like Gray Rocks, I inva&rsquo;ably know, suh,
+      what I am talkin&rsquo; about. Louise,&rdquo; said the Colonel, looking at
+      his daughter, &ldquo;let us have some music. I see Mr. Gilder is vehy
+      tired, and we will talk no mo&rsquo; business this evenin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise opened the piano and sang for them. There was a plaintive sweetness
+      in the girl&rsquo;s voice that made Vance&rsquo;s heart pulse with
+      delicious contentment. Hope played back and forth among the chords as the
+      music swelled and surged in sweet, symphonious strains. While she was
+      singing, he felt how easy it would be to declare his love, but when she
+      had ceased, and the last vibrations of music had died away, he knew he
+      lacked the courage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance would be called a brave man in the daily walks of life, and yet, as
+      Louise&rsquo;s lover, he was the most arrant of cowards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX.&mdash;THE STAGE IS ROBBED.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0079" id="linkimage-0079"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9176.jpg" alt="9176 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9176.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE <span class="pagenum">168</span><a name="link168" id="link168"></a>next
+      morning Vance met his old acquaintance, Hank Casey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning, Mr. Casey,&rdquo; said Vance, cheerily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hello, pardner,&rdquo; was the laconic and somewhat dejected reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen you for some time,&rdquo; said Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I&rsquo;ve been prospectin&rsquo; round these &lsquo;ere diggin&rsquo;s,
+      but I guess I won&rsquo;t stay much longer. The court decided agin Steve
+      Gibbons an&rsquo; me. I think I&rsquo;ll go back to Butte City afore long.
+      She&rsquo;s the pertest minin&rsquo; camp in the &lsquo;hull country.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say the court has decided against you?&rdquo; repeated Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;Steve Gibbons an&rsquo; we had a law
+      suit agin&rsquo; Rufus Grim over the Peacock. B. Webster Legal is a pretty
+      cute lawyer, an&rsquo; for a time he made it bilin&rsquo; hot for old
+      Grim, but somehow on the show-down we got done up. It don&rsquo;t make
+      much difference how cute a feller&rsquo;s lawyer is, when the court&rsquo;s
+      prejudiced all out o&rsquo; shape. I sometimes think old Grim has a
+      &lsquo;nuf sight better title to the court of this &lsquo;ere district
+      than he has to the Peacock mine.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your friend Gibbons,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;told me sonnies
+      <span class="pagenum">169</span><a name="link169" id="link169"></a>thing
+      of this law suit, and I rather expected, with the assistance of an
+      attorney like B. Webster Legal, you would succeed in establishing your
+      claim. You have my sympathy if an injustice has been done you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it wa&rsquo;n&rsquo;. no fault of Lawyer Legal, I can tell you,
+      he&rsquo;s a hummer, and a mighty social chap in the bargain; but this
+      &lsquo;ere game isn&rsquo;t played to a finish yet, pardner, not by
+      several great, big moves on the chess board. You see, we&rsquo;ve appealed
+      it to the higher courts, but they&rsquo;re so dangnation slow that a
+      feller had better get a hustle on hisself while he&rsquo;s waitin&rsquo;
+      for a decision or he&rsquo;ll starve. When old Grim has his neck broken,
+      honest people may then get their just deserts.&rdquo; He seemed dejected,
+      and soon after took his leave, saying that he was going into the mountains
+      to do a little prospecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Peacock mine was constantly increasing its output of the yellow metal.
+      Nearly every stage carried shipments of gold bullion to the mints. Rufus
+      Grim was growing richer and more pompous. His satellites and admirers
+      noticeably increased after the courts had decided in his favor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime the pumps in Gray Rocks had broken down and delayed the
+      work several weeks. Vance was in a state of feverish anxiety. He longed to
+      be relieved from the mental strain and know whether he was a half owner in
+      a gold mine that produced in paying quantities, or only a half owner in a
+      worthless shaft in the mountain side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He retired one evening at an early hour, tired out and thoroughly
+      disgusted with his achievements in the west. He was awakened about two o&rsquo;clock
+      in the morning by a great commotion going on below. Hastily dressing
+      himself, he went down to the bar-room, where he found everything was wild
+      with excitement. <span class="pagenum">170</span><a
+      name="link170_rdquo_________id_" id="link170_rdquo_________id_"></a>The
+      stage coach had been robbed, and it was reported that Steve Gibbons was
+      dead. Hasty preparations were being made to form a posse and start in
+      pursuit of the highwaymen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0080" id="linkimage-0080"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9178.jpg" alt="9178 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9178.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The express company had some heavy consignments of gold bullion sent from
+      the Peacock mine, and it was reported missing. Vance signified his
+      willingness to join in the pursuit, and was furnished with a horse, and
+      soon after they started pell-mell down the mountain road from Gold Bluff
+      in the direction of Waterville, to the point where the robbery had taken
+      place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rufus Grim offered $1,000 for the capture of the perpetrators, which,
+      together with a large sum offered by the express company, stimulated a
+      feverish interest in the chase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was just coming up when they reached the place where the robbers
+      had sallied forth from a neighboring mountain gorge the morning before and
+      committed their lawless work. About two miles beyond, they found the only
+      two passengers of the ill-fated stage coach. A gentleman and his wife from
+      the east had been visiting Colonel Boast, the rich rancher who lived near
+      Gold Bluff, and were returning to their eastern home. The gentleman had
+      been relieved of his wallet, containing some $2,000, also his watch,
+      diamond pin, and his wife of her jewelry. They were left in a destitute
+      condition, and were waiting to take the next stage back to Gold Bluff to
+      secure such aid from Colonel Boast as would enable them to continue their
+      homeward journey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They said there were
+<span class="pagenum">171</span><a name="link171" id="link171"></a>
+five
+      of the robbers. When they commanded Steve Gibbons to stop, he whipped up
+      his horses, and received a bullet through his body for his attempted
+      bravery. He fell from the stage coach and sustained serious injuries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0081" id="linkimage-0081"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0179.jpg" alt="0179 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0179.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The robbers quickly stopped the horses, relieved the two passengers of
+      their possessions, secured the express matter and started for the mountain
+      wilds, taking with them the four dapple-gray horses that Steve Gibbons had
+      prided himself so much in driving.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gibbons had been carefully cared for by the mountain rancher and his wife,
+      where the two passengers were <span class="pagenum">172</span><a
+      name="link172" id="link172"></a>stopping. A physician had been sent for
+      and dressed his wounds. He said Gibbons would get well; the bullet had
+      struck a rib and glanced off.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After learning these meager details, the posse pushed on into the
+      mountains in hot pursuit. They were under command of the sheriff of the
+      county. The trail of the desperadoes was easily followed. Along in the
+      afternoon, the sheriff called a halt for refreshments. The horses were
+      tethered with lariats to some trees that grew near a mountain stream, and
+      permitted to graze while the men refreshed themselves with lunches which
+      they had brought along.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We&rsquo;re twenty-four hours behind the rascals,&rdquo; said the
+      sheriff, &ldquo;and I don&rsquo;t know whether we&rsquo;ll overtake them
+      or not.&rdquo; Some of the men were eager to go on, and others were ready
+      to give up the chase. After a rest of an hour or such a matter, the order
+      was given to again mount, and the trail was followed until darkness set
+      in. Sleeping on the ground with the starry canopy for a covering was a new
+      experience for Vance, but he was determined not to show the white feather.
+      What others endured he would endure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About ten o&rsquo;clock the next morning, they came to a mountain gorge
+      and followed the trail to a point where it seemed quite impossible for a
+      horseman to ascend, it was so steep and rugged. The sheriff and a few of
+      his men dismounted and went on ahead, looking for the trail. They found
+      horses&rsquo; tracks, but where could they have gone? The grass was deep
+      and heavy in the center of the gulch, and fringed with trees and boulders
+      on either side. Finally the sheriff returned and reported the trail as
+      lost. <span class="pagenum">173</span><a name="link173" id="link173"></a>"They
+      have evidently come into this &lsquo;pocket&rsquo; of a canon to throw us
+      off their trail. We will have to return to the mouth of the gorge and see
+      in what other direction the trail leads.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The afternoon was spent in searching for the lost trail. Night overtook
+      the party again, and rations were very short. Their meal was a frugal one,
+      and far from satisfying the hunger of men who had ridden hard all day. The
+      horses were securely fastened and the party lay down to sleep. Vance made
+      his bed on some bunch grass that grew under the wide-spreading branches of
+      a mountain pine. He could plainly hear the rippling of a stream which ran
+      near by, and when deep silence settled down over the landscape, save the
+      occasional snort of one of the horses, the singing of the stream grew
+      louder and louder. The smell of pine added to the deliciousness of his
+      novel and strange surroundings. Weariness soon overcame the discomforts of
+      his improvised bed, and he sank to sleep. Suddenly he awoke in the middle
+      of the night, but found everyone else was deep in slumber, save the two
+      guards that had been left on duty a few yards from the camp. The stars
+      were winking at him from above; a wolf was howling a dismal cadence, and
+      was answered by another far away in a different direction. An owl hooted
+      its discordant strain from the dead branch of a tree a short distance
+      away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He closed his eyes, and thought of the wonderful change that a few months
+      had brought into his life; but these thoughts one after another vanished;
+      and still other fancies went pell-mell through his imagination in the
+      panorama of thought. Presently a face appeared on this mental canvas&mdash;so
+      sweet, so tender, so trusting, and <span class="pagenum">174</span><a
+      name="link174" id="link174"></a>wreathed in that smile he knew so well. He
+      started, opened his eye and murmured, &ldquo;Louise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The wolf howled again in the distance, and he thought he detected a
+      snappish twang in its concluding barks, and wondered if it foreboded
+      danger. Occasionally one of the horses would snort and stamp on the
+      ground, and then go on munching, munching, the grass on which they were
+      feeding. Finally he dozed again and slept. He thought it was only a moment
+      afterward, when someone shook his shoulder and told him to get up. He
+      opened his eyes and found it was morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He hastily sprang up and found there was considerable excitement among his
+      associates. The sheriff was missing. About a half hour later he came into
+      camp and said he had been out looking for the trail, but could find
+      nothing of it. He said they might as well return home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was not sorry of this decision, for he was hungry and tired and
+      sore. There were mutterings, however, among some of the sheriff&rsquo;s
+      posse, and they whispered among themselves as if they suspected their
+      chief of crooked work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It took them two days to return to Gold Bluff. They found Steve Gibbons at
+      the hotel, and able to sit up. The robbers had all worn masks, and it was
+      impossible for him to give a description of any of them. The
+      representative of the express company was evidently disappointed that the
+      sheriff had not been able to find the desperadoes; $10,000 of gold bullion
+      had been stolen, as well as other valuable express matter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days later, Steve Gibbons declared that he was able to resume his
+      place on the stage coach, but it transpired that two of his bondsmen had
+      asked to be relieved <span class="pagenum">175</span><a
+      name="link175_rdquo_________id_" id="link175_rdquo_________id_"></a>This
+      was an insinuation that some one regarded him as an accomplice in the
+      unfortunate stage robbery. He investigated and found it was Rufus Grim who
+      had advised two of his bondsmen to be a little careful. During the day,
+      through Vance&rsquo;s assistance, Gibbons succeeded in giving a
+      satisfactory bond.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening, a little the worse for drink, he accosted Rufus Grim at the
+      post office, where the Gold bluff villagers were wont to congregate on the
+      arrival of the evening coach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0082" id="linkimage-0082"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9183.jpg" alt="9183 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9183.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Steve Gibbons was evidently the agressor. &ldquo;Look&rsquo;ee here, Mr.
+      Grim,&rdquo; said Steve Gibbons, approaching him, &ldquo;you&rsquo;ve been
+      interferin&rsquo; with me for a good many years, and it&rsquo;s time you
+      was lettin&rsquo; up.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know, Mr. Gibbons,&rdquo; said Grim, &ldquo;that I
+      have ever interfered with you. I have plenty of business of my own to look
+      after, without bothering with other people&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all right, pardner,&rdquo; said Gibbons, &ldquo;but
+      there&rsquo;s somebody likely to wish they&rsquo;d never been born if they
+      don&rsquo;t quit foolin&rsquo; with me. You advised some of my bondsmen to
+      take their names off from the bond, but I&rsquo;ve got other friends, and
+      jes&rsquo; as many of &lsquo;em as you have, and don&rsquo;t you forget
+      it!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There must be some mistake, Mr. Gibbons,&rdquo; said Grim, very
+      coolly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know,&rdquo; said Gibbons, &ldquo;jes&rsquo; what I&rsquo;m
+      talkin&rsquo; about. You have tried to infer that I was mixed up in the
+      robbery of the stage coach, and I say you are an unprincipled old
+      scoundrel, and a liar in the bargain. If I was as strong as I was before I
+      was shot, I&rsquo;d maul the <span class="pagenum">176</span><a
+      name="link176" id="link176"></a>earth with you. You stole the Peacock mine
+      from Hank Casey an&rsquo; me, an&rsquo; I&rsquo;ve my suspicions that you
+      bought judge and jury to beat us in our law suit.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One would have thought that Grim would have become very angry, but
+      instead, he tried to pacify the irate and angry Steve Gibbons. It seemed
+      to anger Gibbons beyond description that he could not disturb the even
+      temper of Rufus Grim, and finally, in a burst of anger at Grim, Gibbons
+      said: &ldquo;You&rsquo;d better have your life insured, old man, for
+      somebody&rsquo;s goin&rsquo; to be revenged, and the day of judgment ain&rsquo;t
+      very far &lsquo;way, nuther.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this threat, Grim turned quickly and reached for his revolver. Gibbons
+      was unarmed. A moment later, Grim seemed to master himself, and turning
+      away, walked down the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hank Casey put his arm through Steve Gibbon&rsquo;s and led him to the
+      hotel. Gibbons was hilarious, but Casey felt that in his hilarity he had
+      been very indiscreet. The next morning, however, he mounted the stage
+      coach on his regular run between Gold Bluff and Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI.&mdash;REACHING THE 400 FOOT LEVEL.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0083" id="linkimage-0083"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9185.jpg" alt="9185 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9185.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      N the<span class="pagenum">177</span><a name="link177" id="link177"></a>
+      excitement incident to Col. Bonifield&rsquo;s cross-cutting into the vein,
+      the stage robbery, and the bewildering evenings spent in the society of
+      Louise, Vance quite forgot about his hopes and fears relative to his
+      investment in Waterville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening he was out for a walk near the Bonifields&rsquo;. Louise was
+      standing on the porch. He lifted his hat, and she waved a dainty little
+      handkerchief, and came down the road to meet him. There was a troubled
+      expression on her face which Vance had never seen before. It cut him to
+      the heart, and he feared some great calamity had befallen her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said she, after the morning salutation, &ldquo;my
+      father is very despondent this morning, and while he desires greatly to
+      see you, yet he is so broken down that I do not know whether he will be
+      able to see anyone until this afternoon.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, what has happened?&rdquo; asked Vance, in alarm. They were
+      walking along toward the Bonifield residence as they talked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you have not heard?&rdquo; said Louise, looking up with her big,
+      blue eyes. Vance looked at her in astonishment. <span class="pagenum">178</span><a
+      name="link178" id="link178"></a>"You have not heard,&rdquo; she repeated,
+      &ldquo;that they have finished cross-cutting?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they have finished the work,&rdquo; repeated Louise, and then
+      almost broke down in tears. He led her to a seat on the broad porch where
+      the morning sun shone full and warm, and begged her to calm herself, and
+      tell him what had happened to her father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not quite enough?&rdquo; said she, looking up at Vance
+      through her tears, &ldquo;another disappointment is father&rsquo;s only
+      reward.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was shocked, for this disappointment meant a great deal to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible,&rdquo; he ejaculated, &ldquo;and your father was so
+      confident only the other night!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will not be angry with father?&rdquo; said Louise, laving her
+      hand on Vance&rsquo;s arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Angry,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;no; why should I be? He and I
+      are jointly interested in results. If they are unfavorable, why, he cannot
+      be more disappointed than I am. Had he been successful, we would have been
+      equal partners as well.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;I pity my poor father so
+      much.&rdquo; She dried her eyes a little and then went on: &ldquo;Aunt
+      Sally was so querulous with papa last evening when she heard the result,
+      and it made papa very unhappy; indeed, he did not sleep any during the
+      night, though I have comforted him as well as I could.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And have not slept a wink?&rdquo; said Vance, looking at her
+      keenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How could I, when papa was so troubled?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was silent.
+<span class="pagenum">179</span><a name="link179" id="link179"></a>
+Presently
+      he spoke: &ldquo;I will confess I never was more disappointed in my life.
+      I was so hopeful your father would be successful. Mind,&rdquo; he
+      continued, hastily, glancing at Louise, &ldquo;I attach no blame to him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0084" id="linkimage-0084"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0187.jpg" alt="0187 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0187.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; she murmured, and Vance went on, &ldquo;No, I do
+      not blame him, neither do I blame myself. Hundreds, yes, thousands have
+      pursued the same course. Some of them have been successful, and others,
+      ourselves included, have not. I regret that your father should <span
+      class="pagenum">180</span><a name="link180" id="link180"></a>have spent so
+      many years of his life in that useless prospect shaft.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is hope yet, Mr. Gilder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hope,&rdquo; said Vance quickly, &ldquo;where?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The ore,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;is richer than at the 300
+      foot level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you believe&mdash;?&rdquo; commenced Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not ask me, please, Mr. Gilder, what I believe at this time. Mr.
+      Grim was here early this morning and left a proposition with papa. He has
+      not the heart, he says, to tell you of it, and requested me to do so. You
+      know, Mr. Grim,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;is said to be a very good
+      business man. He has examined the ore found at the 400 foot level, and
+      says it is much richer than at the 300 foot level. He offers now, if you
+      and papa will give him a half interest in the mine, to furnish the money
+      to sink the shaft to the 500 foot level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; said Vance, reflectively. Presently he said: &ldquo;If
+      Rufus Grim has confidence to go to the 500 foot level, why not your father
+      and I?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it will cost $6,000, Mr. Gilder, and neither papa nor I could
+      think of asking you to put any more money into Gray Rocks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not think your father should take it to heart so; indeed, I do
+      not.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He does not care for himself, and neither do I care for myself, Mr.
+      Gilder, but we do care for you.&rdquo; Vance started and the blood mounted
+      to his face &ldquo;You have been so kind to my father and placed such
+      unbounded confidence in his judgment, and now it seems as if it were
+      impossible for him ever to <span class="pagenum">181</span><a
+      name="link181" id="link181"></a>repay you, unless&mdash;,&rdquo; she
+      hesitated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unless what?&rdquo; asked Vance, impatiently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unless you would be willing to join father in giving a half
+      interest in Gray Rocks to Mr. Grim, and let him go on and develop the
+      mine.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does your father advise? What does he say?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He wants to go on to the 500 foot level, Mr. Gilder, and says he
+      will give his own half interest in Gray Rocks to Mr. Grim rather than let
+      the work stop at the 400 foot level. Father believes that at the 500 foot
+      level they will strike ore as rich as any that has been discovered on the
+      Peacock, and it looks as if Mr. Grim thought the same way, else he would
+      not be so willing to advance the money.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you confidence in Mr. Grim?&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have always distrusted him,&rdquo; replied Louise, &ldquo;but
+      perhaps he is not so bad and mean as we have thought.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you think,&rdquo; asked Vance, &ldquo;that ore will be
+      discovered at the 500 foot level?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;but I hope so.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would it not be better,&rdquo; urged Vance, &ldquo;to give it all
+      up and leave these wild mountains and return to civilization, so to speak,
+      where your father could enjoy the remaining years of his life in peace and
+      contentment?&rdquo; His words were full of earnestness, and he spoke with
+      great deliberation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If such an opportunity should present itself,&rdquo; said Louise,
+      &ldquo;I know my father would refuse it, for he is so high-spirited, and
+      moreover, he believes that a little more work, and a little more time and
+      expense on Gray Rocks, and his prophecy will be fulfilled.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance rose to go, but still lingered near the beautiful <span
+      class="pagenum">182</span><a name="link182" id="link182"></a>girl, as if
+      she were a balm to his evident disappointment. Finally he said: &ldquo;You
+      say it will require $6,000. Now, if you had $6,000, Miss Louise, and it
+      was every dollar you had in the world, what would you do with it?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would sink the shaft on Gray Rocks to the 500 foot level,&rdquo;
+      she replied quickly. &ldquo;Shall I tell my father,&rdquo; she asked, as
+      Vance started to go, &ldquo;that you are favorable to Mr. Grim&rsquo;s
+      proposition?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Vance, doggedly, &ldquo;I have no confidence in
+      Rufus Grim. You may tell your father that I say not to worry any more.
+      With your permission, I will return in a couple of hours, and will then be
+      glad to see him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise seemed ignorant of any knowledge of Vance&rsquo;s passionate love
+      for her. Her mind and thoughts were so entirely in sympathy with her
+      father, whom she loved so dearly and so devotedly. As Vance bade her
+      good-bye, she took his outstretched hand as if he had been her benefactor,
+      instead of only her father&rsquo;s friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your judgment,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;has decided me; we will go
+      on blasting&mdash;down, down, down&mdash;through solid rock toward an
+      unknown doom. How it will end remains to be seen.&rdquo; Before Louise
+      could make a reply, he had turned and walked rapidly away toward his
+      hotel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Looking carefully over his accounts, he found he still had to his credit,
+      in the Chemical National Bank of New York city, barely $6,000. He paced
+      the floor for a full half-hour in deep thought. Finally he paused and said
+      aloud, &ldquo;she would advance her last dollar to sink the shaft to the
+      500 foot level&mdash;a weak, little, lovely woman, yet stronger in her
+      affections and devotion than a regiment of soldiers. Yes, I will do it; I
+      will gamble my <span class="pagenum">183</span><a
+      name="link183_rdquo_________id_" id="link183_rdquo_________id_"></a>last
+      dollar&mdash;for it is nothing better than a gamble, and yet&mdash;well,
+      who knows? We may strike it after all.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He drew a check for the amount, making it payable to Colonel Ben
+      Bonifield. Before signing it, he looked at it long and thoughtfully.
+      &ldquo;Why do I do this? Is it my faith in Gray Rocks? No. Is it my faith
+      in Colonel Bonifield? No. Is it my faith in Louise? Yes, a thousand times,
+      yes.&rdquo; His hand trembled a little as he signed his name to the check.
+      It was the last throw of the dice. He felt that he had in a measure passed
+      his word to Louise. There was a question of daily bread that must now be
+      solved. The question was immediately ahead of him. He would call on
+      Colonel Bonifield and then devote himself to the bread question. Yes, he
+      would solve it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Strong with resolution, and with a judgment sadly warped because of his
+      love for Louise, he returned to the Bonifield home. Louise met him at the
+      door, and he went with her into the spacious parlor, where a wood fire was
+      burning brightly in the open grate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I delivered your message to my father,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;and
+      he has fallen into a restful sleep.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not disturb him,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;in this envelope is a
+      check for $6,000. Tell him to start to-morrow morning for the 500 foot
+      level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The impulsive Louise took the proffered envelope from Vance with hands
+      that trembled noticeably, while two great tears dimmed her lustrous blue
+      eyes. &ldquo;Why have you done this?&rdquo; she asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is probable that Vance would then and there have told her why, had not
+      Colonel Bonifield appeared in the door. &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he,
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo;r presence in my house brings sunshine with it. Yo&rsquo;
+      know the worst. <span class="pagenum">184</span><a name="link184"
+      id="link184"></a>Louise tells me she has informed yo of the unfo&rsquo;tunate
+      geological fo&rsquo;mation to be found at the 400 foot level in Gray
+      Rocks?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise turned from Vance to her father while he was speaking, and buried
+      her face on his breast, weeping in stilled sobs. When Colonel Bonifield
+      asked her why she was weeping, she handed him the envelope, and pillowed
+      her head deeper on his breast. He opened the envelope and carefully
+      scanned the check. The old man&rsquo;s eyes were dimmed with tears of
+      gratitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0085" id="linkimage-0085"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9192.jpg" alt="9192 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9192.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      One arm was about his daughter, and the other he extended toward Vance,
+      who accepted the proffered hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suh,&rdquo; said the Colonel, &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; ovehpoweh me with yo&rsquo;r
+      confidence. I have been workin&rsquo; away so long on Gray Rocks, suh,
+      that I can&rsquo;t blame my friends if they should lose heart. But, suh,
+      somethin&rsquo; keeps a tellin&rsquo; me that my effo&rsquo;ts will yet be
+      rewarded. Yo&rsquo; honor me by sharin&rsquo; my confidence in the outcome
+      of Gray Rocks; yo&rsquo; do, indeed, suh. There&rsquo;s good blood, Mr.
+      Gilder, cou&rsquo;sin&rsquo; through yo&rsquo;r veins, and there&rsquo;s a
+      crown awaitin&rsquo; yo&rsquo; when once we&rsquo;ve reached the 500 foot
+      level; yes, suh. I may neveh have mentioned it to yo&rsquo;, but I once
+      told yo&rsquo;r father that if he would stay by Gray Rocks, it would make
+      him a millionaire. I have forgotten whether I ever made the obse&rsquo;vation
+      to yo&rsquo; or not, but I wish to assure yo&rsquo; at this time, Mr.
+      Gilder, in the presence of Louise, suh, that yo&rsquo;r confidence in Gray
+      Rocks is well-founded, and she will make yo&rsquo; richer than all the
+      possessions left yo&rsquo; by yo&rsquo;r worthy father; yes, suh, much
+      richer.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">185</span><a
+      name="link185_rdquo_________id_" id="link185_rdquo_________id_"></a>Louise
+      dried her tears and soon was cheerful as a mountain thrush that had never
+      known a sorrow. The old Colonel declared he had never felt better in his
+      life, and that work should be commenced early the following morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On his way back to the hotel, Vance called at the office of the Gold Bluff
+      <i>Prospector</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is your typo?&rdquo; asked Vance in the course of the
+      conversation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Haven&rsquo;t got any,&rdquo; replied the proprietor, &ldquo;he
+      left this morning on the stage. We&rsquo;ll not be able to get out an
+      issue of the paper this week unless we find someone that can set type.
+      Say,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;why can&rsquo;t I sell my printing office to
+      you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not able to buy,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;ll lease it to you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On what terms,&rdquo; asked Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;d lease it to you for one year for half its earnings,&rdquo;
+      replied the good-natured proprietor, who never was known to have enough
+      energy to walk across the street to solicit an advertisement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What will it earn in a year?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, twelve or fifteen hundred dollars&mdash;subscriptions and
+      advertisements. I own the building. I call this the reception and
+      editorial room; the other is the composing room, while the one back of
+      where we are sitting is where the printer usually sleeps.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Vance&rsquo;s college days, he had been one of the trio who had edited
+      a college paper, set their own type, made up their own forms and
+      circulated the issue after night, contenting themselves, for a
+      compensation, with the general wonderment of their fellow-students as to
+      who were the publishers. He felt that he was capable of acting as
+      type-setter, as well as writing editorials, on the Gold Bluff <i>Prospector</i>.
+      He examined the room designated as the sleeping apartment of the printer,
+      and found it comfortable, yet very plain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He told the proprietor he thought very favorably of his proposition, and
+      believed <span class="pagenum">186</span><a name="link186" id="link186"></a>he
+      would accept it. The printing was done on an old-fashioned hand press,
+      which would require the assistance of a boy for a couple of hours once a
+      week.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0086" id="linkimage-0086"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9194.jpg" alt="9194 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9194.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Aside from this, Vance believed he was competent to handle all the details
+      and labor connected with the paper. Before he retired that night,
+      arrangements had all been made, the lease drawn and signed, and Vance
+      commenced operations the next morning as the proprietor of the Gold Bluff
+      <i>Prospector</i>. He moved his trunk and personal effects into the shabby
+      back room, to be used in the future as his sleeping apartment. He settled
+      his hotel bill, and found that he had less than $3.00 in his pocket on
+      which to begin the struggle for bread.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a new experience, not without its novelty and excitement in
+      anticipation, however. After he had arranged his room quite tidily, he
+      commenced setting type, and smiled good humoredly to himself as he thought
+      of the change from the great New York <i>Banner</i> to the <i>Prospector</i>.
+      Yes, he had made sacrifices; and would he not willingly make any more to
+      remain near the woman he loved with a love that surpasseth understanding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII.&mdash;STARTING THE BOOM.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0087" id="linkimage-0087"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9195.jpg" alt="9195 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9195.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      IXTEEN <span class="pagenum">187</span><a name="link187" id="link187"></a>hours
+      a day for three days was Vance&rsquo;s first experience on the <i>Prospector</i>.
+      All day and far into the evening he set type and made up forms, until
+      finally the paper was ready to be brought out. It contained the retiring
+      proprietor&rsquo;s bow to the public, and Vance&rsquo;s announcement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next evening he called at the Bonifields&rsquo;. Louise greeted him
+      more kindly than ever. The Colonel, after assuring him that excellent
+      progress was being made on Gray Rocks, turned the conversation to Vance&rsquo;s
+      new venture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vehy creditable, suh; vehy creditable, indeed,&rdquo; said he,
+      glancing at a copy of the <i>Prospector</i> which he had been reading.
+      &ldquo;Louise and I think yo&rsquo;ve made an excellent beginnin&rsquo;,
+      suh, vehy excellent.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed we do,&rdquo; said Louise; &ldquo;we have often heard,
+      though, that editors were quite exclusive, and we didn&rsquo;t know but
+      that was the reason you have not called on us for so long a time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, that is the reason,&rdquo; responded Vance, jestingly.
+      &ldquo;As managing editor of the <i>Prospector</i>, I have been
+      exclusively engaged in setting type, making up forms, etc.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They laughed at Vance&rsquo;s remark, and complimented <span
+      class="pagenum">188</span><a name="link188" id="link188"></a>him on being
+      able to impersonate all the functionaries of a printing establishment. In
+      the midst of their conversation, Aunt Sally appeared at the door of the
+      parlor, and courtesying low to Vance, said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good evenin&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder; I &lsquo;low I&rsquo;ve been wantin&rsquo;
+      to sec yo&rsquo; fo&rsquo; some time, suh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance returned the salutation by rising and bowing politely. As he sat
+      down he noticed the Colonel was greatly disturbed, as if he feared a storm
+      was approaching.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; commenced Aunt Sally&rsquo;, &ldquo;I consider
+      it my duty to inform yo&rsquo; that yo&rsquo; are makin&rsquo; as big a
+      fool of yo&rsquo;self as my brother is of hisself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sister,&rdquo; said the Colonel, &ldquo;come, come.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Benjamin,&rdquo; said Aunt Sally, looking hard at him over her
+      spectacles, &ldquo;I shall have my say. I consideh it a duty that I owe
+      Mr. Gilder to inform him that he is squanderin&rsquo; his money. There is
+      not a chance in ten thousand; no, suh, not one, fo&rsquo; yo&rsquo; to
+      eveh get back a penny of the money yo&rsquo;ve given my brother. Besides,
+      yo&rsquo;re only encouragin&rsquo; Benjamin to fool his time away. I have
+      mighty neah worn my life out takin&rsquo; care of him, Virgie and Louise.
+      Virginia has a good deal of sense&mdash;a heap mo&rsquo;, I am proud to
+      say, than Benjamin or Louise has.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; observed the Colonel, &ldquo;that yo&rsquo;ll
+      remember an obse&rsquo;vation I made some time ago in regard to my sister&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have yo&rsquo; been sayin&rsquo; about me?&rdquo; asked Aunt
+      Sally, and she looked threateningly at him. The Colonel paid no attention
+      to his sister&rsquo;s remark, and went on:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; will remember I obse&rsquo;ved at one time, suh, that my
+      sister was a most ext&rsquo;ao&rsquo;dina&rsquo;y woman; yes, suh, <span
+      class="pagenum">189</span><a name="link189" id="link189"></a>most ext&rsquo;ao&rsquo;dina&rsquo;y;
+      she is possessed of a most rema&rsquo;kable intellect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0088" id="linkimage-0088"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0197.jpg" alt="0197 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0197.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      There is, however, a slight disagreement in regard to our judgment
+      relative to Gray Rocks. She is vehy set in her ways, vehy, indeed; and, I
+      am sorry to say, doesn&rsquo;t share in our belief relative to the final
+      outcome of our minin&rsquo; property.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Benjamin,&rdquo; said Aunt Sally, still looking at him over her
+      spectacles, &ldquo;it is not a <i>slight</i> difference of opinion; it&rsquo;s
+      a vehy <i>wide</i> one, indeed. If yo&rsquo; had a hundred thousand <span
+      class="pagenum">190</span><a name="link190" id="link190"></a>dollars
+      to-day, suh, yo&rsquo;d be grub-stakin&rsquo; all the pesky mines in the
+      mountains around Gold Bluff; yo&rsquo; know yo&rsquo; would. There are
+      times, suh, when it&rsquo;s necessary fo&rsquo; me to put my foot down,
+      and I ain&rsquo;t goin&rsquo; to neglect my duty any longer. Mr. Gilder
+      has got to know the true situation, and if he has no mo&rsquo; sense than
+      to go on givin&rsquo; yo&rsquo; money to dig a worthless hole in the
+      earth, why, I&rsquo;ll wash my hands of him, and have the consolation of
+      knowin&rsquo; that I told him befo&rsquo; hand what he might expect.&rdquo;
+      Vance would have been amused, had he not observed the pained expression on
+      Louise&rsquo;s face and the evident discomfiture of Colonel Bonifield. In
+      reality, it was an opportune time for him to make an observation that he
+      had long wanted understood between the Colonel and himself, and therefore
+      he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am highly honored, Miss Bonifield, by your advice. Your brother,
+      the Colonel, has been very enthusiastic in regard to Gray Rocks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t I know it?&rdquo; interrupted Aunt Sally. &ldquo;Haven&rsquo;t
+      I told him he was makin a fool of hisself?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; continued Vance, &ldquo;I will not go quite so far in
+      my remarks as that, but I will say this&mdash;that it would please me very
+      much to have the Colonel&rsquo;s assurance that if he fails to find the
+      wealth he has been looking for so many years when the 500 foot level is
+      reached, that he will abandon work on Gray Rocks and accept certain offers
+      of a pecuniary nature in the east, which I have in mind.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, if I knew,&rdquo; replied Aunt Sally, &ldquo;that there was
+      to be an end to this thing, I&rsquo;d have mo&rsquo; patience in waitin&rsquo;
+      but my land! he no sooner gets to one level than he wants to push on to
+      the next hund&rsquo;ed foot level, and <span class="pagenum">191</span><a
+      name="link191" id="link191"></a>goodness gracious! there&rsquo;s no end to
+      it! Why, if Benjamin had his way, and his life was spared long enough, I
+      &lsquo;low he&rsquo;d have a hole clear through the earth!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel was noticeably disturbed. He had risen and was walking back
+      and forth in a nervous, yet dignified way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo;r request, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; he finally said, &ldquo;shall
+      be complied with, suh, and in complyin&rsquo; with it, I hope that I also
+      pacify my sister. I give yo&rsquo; my word of honor, suh, that when the
+      500 foot level is reached, and we have cross-cut into the vein of wealth
+      that I feel positive, yes, suh, positive, is waitin&rsquo; to be brought
+      to the light of day&mdash;if, I say, we should again be disappointed, then
+      I am ready to give up my labors on Gray Rocks; yes suh, give up my life&rsquo;s
+      work. Of course, suh, yo&rsquo; cannot undehstand and perhaps neveh will,
+      the magnitude of this promise.&rdquo; There were tears in the Colonel&rsquo;s
+      voice, as well as in his eyes, when he ceased speaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank the Lord!&rdquo; exclaimed Aunt Sally, as she raised her
+      hands in an attitude of supplication and thanksgiving. &ldquo;I feel now
+      there&rsquo;s goin&rsquo; to be an end of this tomfoolery, and I&rsquo;ll
+      not say another word, nary a word, until the 500 foot level is reached.&rdquo;
+      She turned to Vance as she started to leave the room, and bade him
+      good-evening, and assured him that in her opinion she had accomplished a
+      &ldquo;mighty sight of good.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As soon as the door closed behind her, Vance turned to the Colonel and
+      begged him not to take the slightest notice of what his sister had said,
+      for he knew her peculiarities and thought nothing of them. He also thanked
+      him for his promise. Vance&rsquo;s words seemed to relieve the Colonel
+      greatly, and he became almost himself again <span class="pagenum">192</span><a
+      name="link192" id="link192"></a>before the evening was over, and narrated
+      to Vance with a fair degree of enthusiasm how nicely the pumps and other
+      machinery in the mine were working.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Afterwards Louise favored them with music, and Vance quite forgot himself,
+      so pleasantly was he entertained, until, glancing at his watch, he found
+      it was almost eleven o&rsquo;clock. Soon after, he took his departure, and
+      with a light heart wended his way to the printing office.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His infatuation for Louise was of an ennobling character. He was a
+      fatalist in this: that he believed when the time came for him to speak his
+      heart to her he would have courage to do so, and contented himself in
+      loving blindly on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he awoke next morning he found a heavy snow had fallen. Nothing like
+      it had happened in Gold Bluff before in many years. A great many of the
+      mines were necessarily shut down on account of the scarcity of fuel to
+      operate the engines. During the next four weeks snows kept falling heavier
+      and heavier, and in a measure cut off communication with the outer world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance applied himself industriously to his paper, widening his
+      acquaintanceship among the people of Gold Bluff, solicited advertisements,
+      and succeeded far beyond his expectations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His friends complimented him on the neat appearance of the <i>Prospector</i>.
+      It was filled with excellent reading matter, and its circulation was
+      constantly increasing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another heavy snow storm during the holidays rendered the roads quite
+      impassable and finally work on Gray Rocks was necessarily suspended, nor
+      was it resumed until late the following spring. <span class="pagenum">193</span><a
+      name="link193" id="link193"></a>In the meantime matters were progressing
+      slowly in the great Thief River Valley. There had been no meeting of the
+      Waterville Town Company. Homer Winthrop and Marcus Donald regularly opened
+      up the Town Company&rsquo;s office every morning and closed it every
+      evening. Time hung heavy on their hands. Thus passed the winter months
+      away in weary waiting for a boom in real estate that seemed stubborn and
+      would not come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dick Ballard called one afternoon in early April, and suggested that his
+      finances were running rather low, and if it would be convenient he would
+      like a check for Homer Winthrop&rsquo;s board.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0089" id="linkimage-0089"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8201.jpg" alt="8201 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8201.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop was a proud fellow and disliked to admit that he was, in the
+      ordinary parlance, &ldquo;broke.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Homer suggested to Ballard the advisability of purchasing a few lots in
+      Eagle&rsquo;s Addition to Waterville. &ldquo;Or,&rdquo; said Winthrop,
+      &ldquo;We can let you have a couple of lots adjoining your hotel. You&rsquo;ve
+      been a good friend of ours and we would let you have them cheap, awfully
+      cheap.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dick Ballard sat back in his chair, inserted his thumbs in the arm-holes
+      of his vest, and said: &ldquo;Now, lookee here, Winthrop, I have been your
+      friend, haven&rsquo;t I?&rdquo; Winthrop acknowledged that he had. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve
+      been your friend, Mr. Donald, haven&rsquo;t I?&rdquo; said Ballard,
+      pointing his index finger straight at Donald.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think you have,&rdquo; replied Donald, laughingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I&rsquo;ve been Colonel Alexander&rsquo;s friend; I&rsquo;ve
+      been General Ira House&rsquo;s friend; I&rsquo;ve been B. Webster Legal&rsquo;s
+      friend; in fact, gentlemen, I&rsquo;ve been a friend to the <span
+      class="pagenum">194</span><a name="link194_rdquo_________id_"
+      id="link194_rdquo_________id_"></a>Waterville Town Company from start to
+      finish.&rdquo; He brought his hand clown upon the table in front of him
+      with threat vehemence as he made this remark. &ldquo;Yes sir,&rdquo; he
+      went on, &ldquo;I have been a friend to you and to your enterprise, but
+      when it comes, Homer Winthrop, to selling your uncle any Waterville town
+      lots, why, you don&rsquo;t know me. Oh, no; Dick Ballard usually knows
+      which side his bread&rsquo;s buttered on, and, between ourselves, I wouldn&rsquo;t
+      give you a square meal of victuals for any lot you&rsquo;ve got in Eagle&rsquo;s
+      addition. No, sir, Mr. Winthrop, money is what I want, and pardon me for
+      observing, money is what I, politely, but nevertheless firmly, insist that
+      you must produce&mdash;if not to-day, perhaps tomorrow, and liquidate that
+      little matter of board which has now been running for some three months.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently he walked over toward the window and looked wistfully out over
+      the sage brush landscape. &ldquo;The grass is beginin&rsquo; to grow,&rdquo;
+      said he, &ldquo;and I see it is startin&rsquo; in the streets as well as
+      on the beautiful lots you have for sale. Remember, gentlemen,&rdquo; said
+      Ballard, as he turned and expectorated a vigorous &ldquo;pit-tew&rdquo; of
+      tobacco juice toward the stove, &ldquo;what I have said to you never has,
+      nor never will, escape the lips of Dick Ballard; no, sir, I&rsquo;m your
+      friend, but don&rsquo;t try to work me with any town lots in payin&rsquo;
+      board bills.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop was noticeably&rsquo; non-plussed. Donald was laughing
+      contentedly and quietly&rsquo; to himself at Winthrop&rsquo;s
+      discomfiture. Ballard looked on and chuckled, as much as to say, &ldquo;I
+      am a heap sight smarter than you fellows give me credit for.&rdquo;
+      Finally he broke the silence by suddenly asking:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Winthrop, what is your lot worth next to my hotel?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Five hundred dollars,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, looking up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope you&rsquo;ll get it,&rdquo; said Ballard; &ldquo;yes, I hope
+      you&rsquo;ll sell it for a thousand&mdash;but I&rsquo;ll tell you somethin&rsquo;,&rdquo;
+      said he, shutting one eye and looking hard at Winthrop with the other,
+      &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t trade you our militia company&rsquo;s new snare
+      drum for both those condemned lots; no, sir,&rdquo; and he turned
+      laughingly toward the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just here he came face to face with Miss Virginia Bonifield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ballard lifted his hat and bowed low, for she was one of his boarders who
+      paid promptly. After speaking pleasantly to Marcus Donald and Homer
+      Winthrop, she said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am very <span class="pagenum">195</span><a name="link195"
+      id="link195"></a>glad you are here, Mr. Ballard, I want to ask your
+      advice.&rdquo; Dick Ballard was all attention, for if there was any one
+      thing he liked to do better than another&mdash;barring a drill exercise
+      with his state militia company&mdash;it was to give advice. Homer
+      Winthrop, noticeably confused, pushed the best chair forward and invited
+      Miss Bonifield to be seated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; said she, looking kindly at Homer, who, in turn,
+      hushed scarlet. &ldquo;What I wish to ask is in regard to an investment in
+      Waterville.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, in what way?&rdquo; asked Dick Ballard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In regard to making a purchase of town lots as an investment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ballard coughed immoderately, cleared his throat several times, &ldquo;a-hemmed,&rdquo;
+      got red in the face, looked helplessly toward Marcus Donald, and finally
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothin&rsquo; like it in the world, Miss Bonifield; best investment
+      on earth. There&rsquo;s not another place in the <span class="pagenum">196</span><a
+      name="link196" id="link196"></a>United States will come out of the kinks
+      like Waterville. No, sir; if I had a million I&rsquo;d plant every dollar
+      of it in Waterville, every dollar. My land!&rdquo; said he, glancing at
+      his watch, &ldquo;it is three o&rsquo;clock! Well, I must be goin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+      With this he took up his hat and hastily left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this a map of the town?&rdquo; asked Miss Virgie Bonifield,
+      rising and approaching a map that hung on the wall near where Marcus
+      Donald was seated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that is one of the best maps that has ever been gotten out,&rdquo;
+      said Marcus Donald, adjusting his gold-rimmed spectacles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where is Eagle&rsquo;s Addition?&rdquo; Marcus Donald pointed
+      it out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what are you selling lots for in that part of town?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, really, Miss Bonifield,&rdquo; said Donald, stammering a
+      little, &ldquo;we haven&rsquo;t been selling very many lots&mdash;that is,
+      not recently. I will refer you to Mr. Winthrop; he has charge of all such
+      matters, and perhaps he can give you better advice than I can.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what do <i>you</i> advise in regard to investments in
+      Waterville?&rdquo; she asked, abruptly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you know we believe in Waterville, Miss Bonifield; we believe
+      it is destined to be one of the greatest cities in the United States. Of
+      course there has not been any marked activity during the past winter, but
+      we are expecting business to open up well, most any time now.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She turned to Winthrop, and seating herself beside his desk, asked him to
+      point out what he considered one of the most desirable corners in Eagle&rsquo;s
+      Addition. Usually Winthrop prided himself on his ability to make sales of
+      lots, and he was quite willing to sell to anybody rather <span
+      class="pagenum">197</span><a name="link197" id="link197"></a>than the
+      woman by his side. He had been so hard pressed for ready-money during the
+      winter and spring that he had shut himself out, so to speak, from all
+      society, for the reason that he was destitute of even spending money of
+      the most ordinary character. After studying some time, he put his pencil
+      reluctantly down on the map and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I consider these lots as desirable as any in Eagle&rsquo;s
+      Addition.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what are you selling them for?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are asking $100 a lot,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;but we are not
+      selling any just now, Miss Bonifield, at all.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She looked at the map a few minutes, and then said, &ldquo;You think these
+      are about the best lots in the Addition, do you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Winthrop almost inaudibly assented. &ldquo;Well, no&mdash;hardly&mdash;Miss
+      Bonifield; the fact is,&rdquo; he faltered, &ldquo;we do not care to make
+      any sales at the present time. We are rather expecting some information a
+      little later; we&mdash;we expect to hold a Town Company meeting, and may
+      conclude to reduce the price of lots&mdash;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or you may raise the prices,&rdquo; said she, looking archly at
+      Homer. &ldquo;Is it not so.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;P&mdash;possibly,&rdquo; replied Winthrop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I wish to purchase four lots on the corner you have
+      indicated. Here is the money,&rdquo; said she, laying down a roll of bills
+      on his desk, &ldquo;please fix up the deed and leave it at the hotel for
+      me as soon as it is convenient.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But&mdash;hold on,&rdquo; said Homer. She had risen and started
+      toward the door. &ldquo;You do not mean to make a purchase of lots? I
+      really have not advised it; you&rsquo;d better reconsider&mdash;think it
+      over a few days.&rdquo; All of this was stammered out by Winthrop in a
+      hurried and confused manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have <span class="pagenum">198</span><a name="link198"
+      id="link198"></a>considered,&rdquo; said Miss Virginia Bonifield, smiling
+      in her own imperious way. &ldquo;I have fully considered, Mr. Winthrop,
+      and desire to make the purchase. Good day.&rdquo; She was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Donald sat looking over his spectacles, while an astonished and amused
+      smile played over his &ldquo;$10,000 face.&rdquo; Winthrop looked at the
+      roll of bills spread out before him, and then turning to Marcus Donald,
+      ejaculated, &ldquo;Thank God, the boom has started!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII.&mdash;RUFUS GRIM S AMBITION.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0090" id="linkimage-0090"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9207.jpg" alt="9207 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9207.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      UFUS GRIM <span class="pagenum">199</span><a name="link199" id="link199"></a>was
+      not pleased with Vance&rsquo;s management of the Gold Bluff <i>Prospector</i>.
+      A number of items had appeared in the columns of that paper which tended
+      to vindicate Steve Gibbons from all suspicion or connection with the stage
+      coach robbery. Grim considered this an indirect thrust at himself. His
+      money had made him a lion among the people of Gold Bluff, but for some
+      unaccountable reason he was unable to secure Vance Gilder&rsquo;s good
+      opinion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He secretly had an ambition to represent the people of Idaho in the halls
+      of congress, and felt it would never do to let matters go on with his own
+      town paper prejudiced against him. On several occasions he had made
+      overtures to Vance of a friendly nature, but had, invariably, been
+      repulsed. On one occasion he had endeavored to compliment Vance, and told
+      him patronizingly, in his uncouth, pompous way, that he was very glad such
+      a scholarly gentleman had charge of the <i>Prospector</i>, and that he
+      considered him the most refined and cultured gentleman in Gold Bluff.
+      <span class="pagenum">200</span><a name="link200" id="link200"></a>Vance
+      had coldly replied, &ldquo;It is an admirable thing, Mr. Grim, to be a
+      cultured and refined man, but it is far better to be a manly man.&rdquo;
+      Grim had agreed with him, while Vance went quietly on setting type. The
+      rich miner was irritated at his own lack of words when in Vance&rsquo;s
+      society. With others he was boastful as ever&mdash;bragged of his gold,
+      and in his own domineering way, attempted to subdue everything with which
+      he came in contact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0091" id="linkimage-0091"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9208.jpg" alt="9208 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9208.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Those who knew his home life best said he was afraid of his wife. She was
+      all formality, and Grim, in his way, honored her, and at the same time,
+      feared her. It was whispered that he found more pleasure in his
+      stepdaughter&rsquo;s society than in his wife&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bertha, with her handsome face and lisping speech, humored her mother&rsquo;s
+      whims of formality, and tickled the uncouth vanity of her step-father, on
+      whose bounty she was dependent. She was an artful, cooing, little woman,
+      full of strategy and deceit, and hopelessly untruthful. Her clandestine
+      meetings with her cousin, Arthur Boast, were numerous, while in her heart
+      she felt an infatuation for Vance Gilder, and was secretly intensely
+      jealous of Louise Bonifield. Outwardly, she courted Louise, and never
+      missed an opportunity of calling her &ldquo;her own dear darling,&rdquo;
+      and telling her how very pretty she was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the early days of June Arthur Boast returned permanently to Gold Bluff,
+      and at first paid a great deal of attention to Louise, not as a lover, but
+      rather as a friend of the family, and by every artifice known to his
+      cunning endeavored to enlist her sympathy. He frequently <span
+      class="pagenum">201</span><a name="link201" id="link201"></a>observed that
+      no one was his friend, and it pleased him to hear Louise say that &ldquo;she
+      was his friend, and always had been.&rdquo; He said nothing derogatory of
+      Vance&rsquo;s character, but his insinuations were of a wicked nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was at a loss to understand why Boast had left Waterville,
+      especially as it was rumored that a great boom was going on at that place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day Vance received a note from Arthur Boast asking him to call at the
+      hotel that evening. He said he was indisposed and could not leave his
+      room, otherwise he would call at the printing office.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was after eight o&rsquo;clock when Vance called at the hotel, and was
+      at once ushered into J. Arthur Boast&rsquo;s room. He found Boast dressed
+      as elegantly as ever, in fact, he was scrupulously attired, and resting on
+      a divan. He seemed weak, and was quite pale. He no longer spoke in a thin,
+      piping voice, but in a quiet, manly way, that at once interested Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I sent for you, Mr. Gilder, because I was lonely and wanted to talk
+      with you. I suppose you think I am supremely selfish in this, as
+      everything else, but I have been almost sick for the last week.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are admonished to visit the sick,&rdquo; said Vance,
+      good-naturedly, &ldquo;and I am sure it is only natural that one
+      indisposed should like company.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very kind of you to come, I&rsquo;m sure,&rdquo; Boast went
+      on, &ldquo;I have been worried a good deal about a certain
+      misunderstanding that seemingly exists between us.&rdquo; Vance assured
+      him that he knew of no misunderstanding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;not an open misunderstanding; but
+      then I feel that you have misunderstood me from the <span class="pagenum">202</span><a
+      name="link202" id="link202"></a>first, Mr. Gilder, and perhaps, in a
+      measure, I have done you the injustice of not always interpreting your
+      acts as I should have done. I do not know whether there is any philosophy
+      in the circumstances which seem to shape my life or not.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are told,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;that in our strength and
+      manhood we should shape circumstances rather than let circumstances shape
+      us.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;the eternal trying to
+      shape circumstances brings on an endless conflict, not only between men,
+      but a conflict with one&rsquo;s own self. I have almost made up my mind
+      that it is quite impossible for a man to shape his destiny. Now, as a
+      matter of fact, I respect you, Mr. Gilder, highly, and have confidence in
+      your ability and judgment. I think you are making a great success of the
+      <i>Prospector</i>. It is impossible,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;for me to
+      tell you why I have this confidence or this respect. I also know that you
+      cordially dislike me, but why, I do not know, and perhaps you could not
+      tell yourself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was surprised at this philosophic turn of mind, and began to think
+      he had misunderstood J. Arthur Boast all along.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot help but feel complimented,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;by
+      your kind words. I will admit that I have never stopped to analyze my
+      feelings very closely in regard to yourself, and will not deny that I have
+      been unable to discover any affinity between us. Perhaps I have misjudged
+      you. If so, I can do no less than make proper amends.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You speak <span class="pagenum">203</span><a name="link203"
+      id="link203"></a>as if you would be my friend.&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;friends
+      with me are very scarce. My highest ambition has ever been to make
+      friends, and yet it requires no words of mine to tell you what a miserable
+      failure I have made of it all. I would like to be Rufus Grim&rsquo;s
+      friend, but he won&rsquo;t let me. He does everything he can to influence
+      my cousin, Bertha Allen, against me, but in that he is making a complete
+      failure. She is my friend,&rdquo; said he with animation. &ldquo;I suppose
+      you know that Mrs. Grim is very ill?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Vance; &ldquo;I had not heard of it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, she has never been very rugged, and I understand her present
+      illness is of a very serious nature. She is so many years older than her
+      pompous lord and master, that it would not be surprising to hear of her
+      death at any time. Personally, I should regret it, not only on account of
+      my aunt, but also on account of Bertha. I dread to think what may happen
+      if my aunt should die.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not regard her sickness so seriously as that?&rdquo; asked
+      Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is certainly very ill,&rdquo; was Boast&rsquo;s reply. &ldquo;I
+      would like to go and see her, but I do not presume Rufus Grim would let me
+      into the house. But what I desired most to say,&rdquo; continued Boast,
+      brightening up and changing the conversation, &ldquo;is this: I would like
+      to have you be my friend. I wish to be yours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was astonished, and for a moment could not reply. Finally he said,
+      &ldquo;I cannot do less, Mr. Boast, than meet you half way in such a
+      laudable ambition, I am sure.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ambition,&rdquo; repeated Boast, &ldquo;what a detestable word! I
+      sometimes think ambition has been the cause of all my misfortune. I have
+      wanted wealth all my life, but have not succeeded to any great extent. I
+      ought to be in Waterville now, selling town lots and lands. There&rsquo;s
+      <span class="pagenum">204</span><a name="link204" id="link204"></a>great
+      activity down there. I have the ambition but not the strength. You may not
+      know it, but my health is seriously impaired. I do not seem to have any
+      vitality.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance expressed his sympathy, but Boast seemingly did not notice his
+      remarks, and said, &ldquo;if a man has a clearly defined principle of life
+      to follow, why cannot he adhere to it?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think he can,&rdquo; replied Vance. &ldquo;No life, in my
+      judgment, has ever been a success unless a well-defined principle of
+      action is first laid out, and then lived up to.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish I could believe your philosophy,&rdquo; said Boast. &ldquo;The
+      dual nature in me continually divides me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0092" id="linkimage-0092"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9212.jpg" alt="9212 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9212.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      I go to sleep at night filled with the most laudable ambitions; I wake up
+      the next morning and pursue an entirely different course, and therein lies
+      the conflict&mdash;but I know, Mr. Gilder, I am boring you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance assured him that he was not, but soon afterward took his leave, and
+      as he walked along toward his home, he mused thoughtfully over his
+      interview with J. Arthur Boast. What a different light had been thrown on
+      his character! &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I will be his friend. I
+      have misunderstood him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning the town was startled by the announcement that Mrs. Grim
+      was dead. The church bell tolled fifty-six times. Bertha Allen was
+      prostrated with grief, while the rich mine owner had the entire sympathy
+      of the people of Gold Bluff. Rufus Grim did nothing by halves, and there
+      could not have <span class="pagenum">205</span><a
+      name="link205_rdquo_________id_" id="link205_rdquo_________id_"></a>been a
+      more splendid show of grief than that for which his arrangements provided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The works on the Peacock were stopped, and the men, on full pay, invited
+      to the funeral. It was an imposing affair. The crape on Mr. Grim&rsquo;s
+      hat was of the widest pattern, and jet studs took the place of his
+      diamond. His black suit fit his plump form well, and he seemed subdued
+      with genuine grief. Bertha Allen looked very fair and interesting in her
+      costume of black. She clung dependently to Mr. Grim&rsquo;s arm during the
+      burial service, and looked unusually pretty, notwithstanding the marks of
+      grief and weeping upon her handsome face; indeed, she enlisted the
+      sympathy of all who saw her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following day work on the Peacock was started up again, and the deep,
+      resounding blasts down below the earth&rsquo;s surface told of more gold
+      flowing towards the coffers of Rufus Grim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The machinery in Gray Rocks mine had been behaving badly. Several big
+      breaks had occurred, and work had been delayed at one time for two weeks.
+      The days glided by, and October had come again. The rocks high up the
+      mountain, overlooking Gold Bluff, reflected the autumn sun, while the
+      forests on the mountain side were ablaze with fiery autumn tints&mdash;nature&rsquo;s
+      superb clothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Colonel Bonifield had ceased, in part, to be the enthusiast of former
+      days. Perhaps he felt that he had passed his word to give up work on Gray
+      Rocks if disappointment should again reward his efforts, and possibly it
+      saddened him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening Vance and Louise had called on Bertha Allen. She was beautiful
+      as ever, and lisped in sweet intonation. Her dress indicated the grief
+      that still rested <span class="pagenum">206</span><a
+      name="link206_rdquo_________id_" id="link206_rdquo_________id_"></a>upon
+      her. That evening, after her callers had taken their leave, Rufus Grim
+      joined Bertha in the parlor of his luxuriant home. The weeks that had
+      intervened since the death of his wife had not made him entirely forget
+      the proper melancholy tone which formality, at least, demanded he should
+      exhibit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bertha seemed frightened with some secret fear and anxiety. She knew too
+      well that a crisis in her life was approaching. Yes, Rufus Grim came to
+      declare himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was confident, as he always was, of the result, nevertheless, there was
+      a timidity that prevented him from feeling the full assurance that he
+      would have liked. He sat down beside her, and after a few common-place
+      remarks, he said, in a voice low, yet audible: &ldquo;Bertha, I have
+      something to say to you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; she lisped innocently enough, and looked up into his
+      face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have to say,&rdquo; Grim went on, in a husky voice, &ldquo;cannot
+      be a matter of news to you. You must know that I love you; yes, love you
+      with my whole heart.&rdquo; His hands trembled and his voice was unsteady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve always been so very kind to me,&rdquo; lisped Bertha,
+      and there was gratitude in her voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven knows I have tried to be, and that I have guarded you with
+      jealous care ever since you were a little girl and came under my
+      protection.&rdquo; He had taken her hands, but they were unresponsive.
+      &ldquo;No man,&rdquo; continued Grim, &ldquo;could love you more than I
+      have for many years. Of course you knew what my feelings were&mdash;you
+      must have known, for have I ever failed to satisfy your every wish and
+      want?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">207</span><a name="link207" id="link207"></a>"Never,&rdquo;
+      murmured Bertha, as she leaned her head against his breast
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have protected you,&rdquo; he went on, as he laid one arm
+      about her slender form, &ldquo;I have kept you from the young scape-grace,
+      your cousin, Arthur Boast. I feared he was trying to make love to you, and
+      for that reason forbade him the house.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0093" id="linkimage-0093"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0215.jpg" alt="0215 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0215.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, how could you think such a thing?&rdquo; said she, in her soft,
+      cooing way, yet with a half-indignant intonation in her voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">208</span><a name="link208" id="link208"></a>"Oh, I
+      am perfectly content now,&rdquo; replied Grim, and his old, pompous air
+      and manner of speech began to assert themselves. &ldquo;Of course I could
+      not show you my heart in all its tenderness&mdash;I was a husband and had
+      to control myself&mdash;but now, it seems as if all obstacles have been
+      removed. Do you love me, Bertha? I have thought many times that I could
+      read my answer in your eyes, but I long to hear you say so.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; whispered Bertha, &ldquo;I love you so much.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In his daily walks, Rufus Grim was an over-bearing, selfish man, but now
+      he was softened, and his emotion was very great. He looked tenderly and
+      longingly on the drooping head beside him, and was for a time completely
+      absorbed in the intensity of his love for the artful girl at his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, she was fooling him. She was the affianced wife of J. Arthur Boast,
+      and yet she must play her part.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And may I one day call you wife?&rdquo; said Rufus Grim, pressing
+      her closely to him and kissing her reverently on the forehead. &ldquo;Say
+      in a year from now,&rdquo; he pleaded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; she lisped, gently pressing his hand, &ldquo;it shall
+      be as you say.&rdquo; As a matter of truth, she was mentally speculating
+      how she could get out of this horrible scrape. He had said in a year&mdash;that
+      was a long time. She would have ample opportunity to free herself in some
+      way. Arthur must help her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV.&mdash;THE GOLDEN MAUSOLEUM.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0094" id="linkimage-0094"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9217.jpg" alt="9217 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9217.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      GRIM <span class="pagenum">209</span><a name="link209" id="link209"></a>was
+      a happy man. He would conceal his joy for one short year, and then&mdash;and
+      then&mdash;. He had at last reached the top-most craig of all his worldly
+      hopes. Wealth was his, and now he had secured the promise of Bertha Allen
+      to be his wife. He called at his lawyer&rsquo;s office the next day and
+      told him he wished to add a codicil to his will. He spoke in his usual
+      loud and confident way, and seemed to constantly remember that he was not
+      only the richest man in Gold Bluff, but, by big odds, the most fortunate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lawyer knew his client. He knew his whims and wisely humored his
+      eccentricities. It needed but little encouragement and flattery to set
+      Rufus Grim going, recounting the steps he had carved out for himself on
+      life&rsquo;s journey, and the pinnacle to which he had climbed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arthur Boast came in and took a seat in the outer room, Grim requested the
+      lawyer to close the door, and asked him what he let that young scoundrel
+      come about the premises for. Then he seemed to remember that he was the
+      victor, and why should he still hold malice? After a little, he again
+      referred to the matter of changing his will, and when the lawyer was
+      ready, he <span class="pagenum">210</span><a name="link210" id="link210"></a>dictated
+      a codicil bequeathing all his possessions unconditionally to Bertha Allen,
+      to which he attached his signature. The lawyer showed no signs of
+      astonishment at Rufus Grim&rsquo;s action, though he guessed the
+      relationship that existed between his client and Bertha Allen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening a clandestine meeting between Bertha and her cousin, Arthur
+      Boast, had been arranged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0095" id="linkimage-0095"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9218.jpg" alt="9218 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9218.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Her first words, after the greeting and a kiss of welcome, were in regard
+      to the ordeal she had passed through with Mr. Grim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To think, Arthur,&rdquo; lisped Bertha, &ldquo;of that old fool
+      asking me to be his wife! Why, I really thought I would die, I did indeed!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did you say?&rdquo; asked Boast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you sweet old darling, what could I say but give him to
+      understand that perhaps I was willing? I told him to wait a year, and then&mdash;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, and then?&rdquo; hissed Arthur, through his teeth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, don&rsquo;t be foolish, my own darling,&rdquo; said she,
+      slipping her arms about his neck, &ldquo;you know I was only pretending;
+      you know that I loathe him, but I have been dependent on his bounty for so
+      many years. I am only too ready, Arthur, to go with you; yes, to the ends
+      of the earth.&rdquo; She caressed him tenderly, and Arthur&rsquo;s
+      ill-feeling gave way before her tender entreaties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had heard Rufus Grim dictating the codicil to his will, and had been
+      fired with a mad jealousy, but she had confessed all at their first
+      meeting, and he felt relieved. He would not tell her of the codicil to the
+      will; no, not now.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">211</span><a name="link211" id="link211"></a>"We
+      must not delay our marriage much longer,&rdquo; said Bertha, sweetly,
+      &ldquo;we really must not, Arthur; you must save me from that old bear.
+      Oh, how I hate him!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did he attempt to caress you?&rdquo; asked Arthur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Bertha, slowly, &ldquo;but he only kissed me
+      once.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only kissed you once!&rdquo; cried Arthur, and with a savage oath
+      he pushed her from him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arthur, you&rsquo;ll break my heart,&rdquo; she cried in stifled
+      pain, and creeping closer to him she clasped his arm with both her hands.
+      &ldquo;He kissed me on the forehead. How could I help it? He is so
+      overbearing and so determined&mdash;I did not know but he would turn me
+      away from his home unless I humored and fooled him. Won&rsquo;t you
+      forgive me? How could I help it?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Arthur, clasping her passionately to his breast,
+      &ldquo;yes, I&rsquo;ll forgive you; but you must go away from Rufus Grim&rsquo;s
+      house, and I will arrange matters and soon we will be married.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You make me so happy, Arthur; I could starve, yes, starve willingly
+      with you, rather than live with any other man on earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think we had better be married soon,&rdquo; said Arthur, &ldquo;say
+      in two weeks?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible!&rdquo; lisped Bertha.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not impossible,&rdquo; replied Boast, almost savagely,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say we must be married in two weeks. I will take you to my father&rsquo;s
+      for a little while, after which we will commence housekeeping.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, Arthur,&rdquo; protested Bertha, &ldquo;you are the most
+      unreasonable man living; you are, indeed. How can I <span class="pagenum">212</span><a
+      name="link212" id="link212"></a>be married in two weeks? It&rsquo;s such a
+      short time since mamma died.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It must be as I say,&rdquo; replied Arthur, determinedly, &ldquo;it
+      is for your good. You are left alone in the world, and, Bertha, I love you
+      with the only love that I have ever given to any human being. There, don&rsquo;t
+      cry; dry your eyes, my darling, and make up your mind that I know what is
+      for your good.&rdquo; She finally gave in, and the compact was sealed with
+      a lover&rsquo;s kiss and a tender embrace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day was one to be long remembered. Colonel Bonifield called at
+      the <i>Prospector</i> office and told Vance that, at last, they had
+      reached the 500 foot level.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0096" id="linkimage-0096"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9220.jpg" alt="9220 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9220.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the Colonel, with more enthusiasm than he had
+      exhibited for some months, &ldquo;we have cert&rsquo;nly had mo&rsquo;
+      trouble, suh, in goin&rsquo; these last hund&rsquo;ed feet than all the
+      other distance put together, but we have kep&rsquo; right along, and
+      finally, suh, we are 500 feet below the groun&rsquo;. Of cou&rsquo;se,
+      there&rsquo;s a lot of work yet to do; in fact, a pow&rsquo;ful lot, in
+      cross-cutting into the vein, but a week&rsquo;s work, with my present fo&rsquo;ce
+      of men, will finish the drift-shaft. It&rsquo;s a vehy proud moment of my
+      life, suh, to tell yo&rsquo; that afteh all the trials and delays we have
+      had, that finally we are down to the 500 foot level. There&rsquo;s a
+      little matteh, Mr. Gilder, that I want to speak to yo&rsquo; about. I&rsquo;m
+      goin&rsquo; to be a little short of money. I think, possibly, suh, I have
+      enough fo&rsquo; about three or fou&rsquo; days&rsquo; work yet. We have
+      about fo&rsquo;ty men workin&rsquo;, and I am anxious to keep them until
+      we finish cross-cuttin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was aghast. He knew not what to do, and he frankly confessed to the
+      Colonel that the $6,000 which he had given him was, practically, every
+      cent he had in the world of ready money; that he had written to Judge
+      Patton, who had charge of his estate in New York city, and the judge
+      interpreted his father&rsquo;s will to require his residence in New York
+      city in order to enjoy the annuity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel thought a moment, and then said: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t bother yo&rsquo;self,
+      Mr. Gilder, it&rsquo;s a matteh of vehy little importance, anyway, I
+      assure yo&rsquo;, suh; I know my men. Most of them have been workin&rsquo;
+      fo&rsquo; me oveh a year, and I feel perfectly confident they will stand
+      by me until we finish the work, even if I haven&rsquo;t the ready money
+      with which to pay them. They&rsquo;re a grand lot of fellows, I assure yo&rsquo;
+      they are, and between yo&rsquo; and me, every one of them has great
+      confidence in Gray Rocks; wonde&rsquo;ful confidence, yes, suh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel <span class="pagenum">213</span><a name="link213" id="link213"></a>bade
+      Vance good-day and started for his mine, and Vance turned to his case with
+      a heavy heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The winter was late in coming; though it was the first of November, yet
+      the air was comparatively mild, and the breezes soft, yet invigorating.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening, Rufus Grim walked back and forth on his wide porch
+      contemplating his own importance. After a little, he walked down through
+      the village and followed a by-path along the mountain side, up toward the
+      old prospect shaft on the Peacock. The night was still and beautiful. The
+      moon was in the last quarter; but her rays were obscured by lazy, drifting
+      clouds, that hung idly in the heavens.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arriving at the old prospect shaft, he took off his hat, and pushed his
+      fat fingers through his heavy hair. He <span class="pagenum">214</span><a
+      name="link214" id="link214"></a>even unbuttoned his coat and leaned
+      against the low wall about the old shaft. Far below him were the lights of
+      Gold Bluff shining from many windows. He looked toward his home and
+      thought of Bertha.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, she loves me,&rdquo; he mused aloud, &ldquo;she is a darling
+      little angel. I always thought she returned my love, and now I know it.
+      What a coy way she has about her! What slender hands! Gad; but it was an
+      ordeal, the declaring of my love for her, but I fancy no one could have
+      done better. No, sir, Rufus Grim is always equal to any occasion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have made myself what I am. After we are married, we will go to
+      New York city and Washington. They will say I have the loveliest little
+      wife in America&mdash;they cannot say otherwise. The men will envy me for
+      owning such a jewel. How different she is from other women!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bertha!&rdquo; he mused, &ldquo;the loveliest name in the world!
+      The little minx! Yes, she suspected that I loved her. She refused &lsquo;em
+      all for me; that scoundrel J. Arthur Boast, among the rest. He is a clever
+      dog, though, and I rather feared him, but now it is all over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish my law-suit was settled; that is the only speck on my
+      horizon, but the decision in the courts above, I feel sure, will be the
+      same as in the lower courts. Yes, I am lucky; there&rsquo;s none luckier
+      on the whole face of the earth. I came into this camp with nothing&mdash;now
+      look at my possessions.&rdquo; He chuckled to himself, and in an absent
+      way kicked his foot against the old wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the place I made the discovery. I presume I ought not to
+      blame the dogs of war for being on my track, of course, they want a share
+      of this rich mine, but d&mdash;&mdash;&mdash; &lsquo;em, they can&rsquo;t
+      have it. No, sir, it belongs to Rufus
+<span class="pagenum">215</span><a name="link215" id="link215"></a>
+Grim!
+      The gold I have will protect the unmined millions in the Peacock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither court nor jury shall stand before my ambition. My first,
+      yes, my abiding ambition, is for gold, but with it has come a love that
+      knows no brooking for Bertha. God bless her! She is so tender and so
+      refined&mdash;-my cup is full to overflowing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say I am successful. Whom shall I thank but <span
+      class="pagenum">216</span><a name="link216" id="link216"></a>myself? No
+      one. I have climbed the rugged and uneven path alone, unaided. I have bent
+      men to my way of thinking; I am greater than all of them; yes, greater
+      than all. I&rsquo;ll make my marriage a success too, and with my gold and
+      my beautiful wife, I will commence living. No, I have never lived; I have
+      merely slaved and existed, but now I am getting ready to commence.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus Rufus Grim fed himself on his own egotism, and recounted life&rsquo;s
+      victories, resulting from his own exertions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0097" id="linkimage-0097"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0223.jpg" alt="0223 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0223.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      A dark form crouched near him, dimly outlined in the uncertain light.
+      Presently it crept stealthily up behind him. There was a hurried rush, a
+      whistling noise cut sharply through the air; a stifled cry, a heavy fall,
+      and Rufus Grinds body plunged forward into the yawning mouth of the old
+      prospect shaft, and his life&rsquo;s work was over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His anticipated happiness, his pompous joy, his earthly prosperity, his
+      vanity and vain-glory, all were over. Had he died by any other method, it
+      might have been said that it was well that his death occurred before he
+      discovered that Bertha Allen, to whom he had given all that was tender in
+      his coarse and pompous life, had cruelly deceived him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It mattered not now, the decision of the higher courts of earth, but
+      rather the decision of that higher court in heaven. A sounding splash from
+      murky waters far below resounded back to the outer world like a farewell
+      echo, and Rufus Grim&rsquo;s mangled remains rested near the gold he loved
+      so well. Yes, in the vault where his manhood had been bartered for gold,
+      he slept. There was gold on <span class="pagenum">217</span><a
+      name="link217_rdquo_________id_" id="link217_rdquo_________id_"></a>every
+      side&mdash;gold above him and gold beneath him&mdash;a priceless
+      mausoleum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, at last, all that was mortal of the man of inordinate worldly
+      ambition and restless energy, reposed in the monotonous sleep of unbroken
+      stillness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV.&mdash;CROSS-CUTTING IN THE MINE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0098" id="linkimage-0098"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9226.jpg" alt="9226 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9226.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      HE next<span class="pagenum">218</span><a name="link218" id="link218"></a>
+      day Rufus Grim was missed from the Peacock. His manager could not
+      understand it. Never before had he absented himself from his office
+      without giving the most detailed instructions in regard to work in the
+      mine. When the following morning came and he was still absent, the manager&rsquo;s
+      fears ripened into genuine alarm and soon all the people of Gold Bluff
+      were discussing the mystery of Rufus Grim&rsquo;s disappearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A vigorous search was instituted, which resulted a few days later in
+      finding his lifeless body at the bottom of the old prospect shaft. At the
+      coroner&rsquo;s inquest it was decided that he had been murdered, as was
+      evidenced by peculiar wounds on the back of his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was laid to rest by the side of his deceased wife, with a demonstration
+      that far excelled any funeral that had ever taken place in Gold Bluff.
+      Such a cowardly murder excited the sympathy of all who knew him. They
+      forgot the pompous, over-bearing owner of the Peacock, in listening to the
+      minister&rsquo;s pious words of commendation over the mangled remains of
+      Rufus Grim, the citizen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mystery surrounding his demise appealed to all law-abiding citizens to
+      help hunt down the assassin. In <span class="pagenum">219</span><a
+      name="link219" id="link219"></a>the feverish excitement it was remembered
+      that Hank Casey and Steve Gibbons were sworn enemies of the rich mine
+      owner; indeed, the latter had even threatened his life in the presence of
+      numerous witnesses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sheriff who had so ignominiously failed in running down the stage
+      robbers, took the lead in trying to ferret out the murderer and bring him
+      to justice. A few days after this, warrants were sworn out for the arrest
+      of Steve Gibbons and Hank Casey, charging them with the crime. Gibbons was
+      arrested, but Hank Casey could not be found. He had disappeared a few days
+      after the murder, and no one knew where he had gone. Gibbons maintained a
+      dogged silence and seemed much subdued and humiliated that not one of his
+      many supposed friends came forward to sign his bond. Handcuffed and
+      accompanied by the sheriff, heavily armed, he appealed in vain to many,
+      but without success. Vance made himself quite unpopular by offering to
+      sign Steve Gibbons&rsquo; bond. The people were indignant and said it was
+      carrying his ill-feeling toward Rufus Grim entirely too far. As he had no
+      property excepting an interest in Gray Rocks mine, which was undeveloped,
+      he was considered incompetent as a bondsman and promptly rejected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening Vance worked very late setting type on the <i>Prospector</i>.
+      It was past midnight when he went to his sleeping room. He was about to
+      retire when he heard some one knocking at the printing office door. He
+      admitted the visitor and found it to be J. Arthur Boast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good evening, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I have come to see
+      you on a little matter of great importance to myself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I have no light in this room;
+      come on into my bedroom.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">220</span><a name="link220" id="link220"></a>"You
+      will remember a conversation we had,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;some time
+      ago at the hotel.&rdquo; Vance assented that he did. &ldquo;Well, I have
+      come tonight to claim a little of the reciprocal friendship which you
+      promised me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Circumstances,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;indeed, shape the destiny
+      of man. Of this I am more and more convinced. To think of us sitting down
+      together as friends a month ago would have been preposterous, and yet I am
+      happy to know we meet as such to-night. What impelled me to send for you
+      the night you visited me at the hotel, I am unable to explain; an impulse
+      that I was not strong enough to overcome, compelled me to do it. I feel,
+      Mr. Gilder, that I have much to be thankful for in your friendship, and
+      yet it has all been brought about by a circumstance over which I had no
+      control. It was not the result of a premeditated judgment, but the outcome
+      of an impulse.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope,&rdquo; said Vance, as he reached Boast a cigar and lit one
+      himself, &ldquo;that you have no regrets in regard to our late friendly
+      understanding.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, indeed,&rdquo; replied Boast, &ldquo;on the contrary I feel
+      that I am one of the most fortunate men living. By the way,&rdquo; he
+      continued, &ldquo;this is an excellent cigar.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;I received a box from one of my
+      New York friends. It is a luxury that I am not able to indulge in very
+      freely, unless some old chum happens to remember my isolation in these
+      Western mountains and takes pity on me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have I told you,&rdquo; asked Boast, &ldquo;that I have quit
+      drinking?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; replied Vance, in some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have given up red liquor altogether. The habit got a pretty
+      strong hold on me and I was going down hill at a very rapid pace; indeed,
+      I had quite given up any hope of ever being anything but a hard drinker.
+      Scarcely had I reconciled myself to that belief, than a whim, a caprice,
+      an impulse, or whatever you may call it, took hold of me and said, &lsquo;No
+      more <span class="pagenum">221</span><a name="link221" id="link221"></a>liquor,
+      J. Arthur Boast; not another drop,&rsquo; and from that day to this I have
+      not tasted the abominable stuff.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0099" id="linkimage-0099"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9229.jpg" alt="9229 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9229.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Vance assured him he was glad to hear of the reformation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am in love; desperately so,&rsquo;.rdquo; said Boast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In love?&rdquo; repeated Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I am in love with my cousin, Bertha Allen, and she
+      reciprocates my own tender affection. On her account, if not for my own, I
+      am indeed glad the red liquor craze has been overcome, and that reminds me
+      of the object of my visit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bertha is such <span class="pagenum">222</span><a
+      name="link222_rdquo_________id_" id="link222_rdquo_________id_"></a>a
+      stickler on formalities and so sensitive that I have had hard work to
+      convince her our marriage should take place so soon after her mother&rsquo;s
+      death. Our arrangements were made to be married the day after to-morrow.
+      Her step-father&rsquo;s death, of course, complicated matters a little,
+      and she thought we ought to postpone the affair. As usual, however,&rdquo;
+      continued Boast, &ldquo;I have convinced her that she is wrong and I am
+      right, and have finally gained her consent, on one condition, that you and
+      Miss Louise will favor us with your presence and act as groomsman and
+      bridesmaid.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was non-plussed at Boast&rsquo;s remarks, and for a moment did not
+      know what to say.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be a very quiet affair,&rdquo; continued Boast, &ldquo;immediate
+      relatives and all that&mdash;she has none, and neither have I, save my
+      father and mother. We are to be married at my father&rsquo;s. There&rsquo;s
+      no one Bertha thinks so much of as Louise. They have been chums for many
+      years, and since you profess friendship for me, I feel sure you&rsquo;ll
+      not refuse my request.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance promised to consider the matter and let him know the next day, after
+      consulting Louise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; said Boast, &ldquo;I will call to-morrow. It&rsquo;s
+      really too bad,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;that a weak little woman like
+      Bertha should have had so much suffering during the last few months.
+      Actuated by sympathy as well as love, I feel it my duty to set formalities
+      aside, marry her, and thus insure to myself the privilege of protecting
+      and caring for her as she deserves.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said <span class="pagenum">223</span><a name="link223"
+      id="link223"></a>Vance, &ldquo;she has had a great deal to endure. By the
+      way, Mr. Boast, do you believe Steve Gibbons guilty of Mr. Grim&rsquo;s
+      murder?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Boast relit his cigar before answering. &ldquo;Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he,
+      after deliberating, &ldquo;I hope Mr. Gibbons is innocent. I have tried to
+      look calmly at his case, shrouded in mystery as it is. I have tried to
+      blunt my ears to whisperings and prejudices and not jump with the
+      multitude toward a hasty conclusion Of course, the circumstantial evidence
+      against Mr. Gibbous is rather damaging. Mr. Casey&rsquo;s disappearance
+      and Gibbon&rsquo;s continued silence as to his whereabouts, makes it look
+      still worse. The probabilities are that nine out of ten of the people of
+      Gold Bluff believe him to be guilty. They have built up a wall of
+      circumstantial evidence that seems to be impregnable, and unless the
+      public pulse is permitted to cool before his trial comes off, they very
+      likely will convict him, To me, mercy seems much more preferable than a
+      hasty judgment, Well, good-night, Mr. Gilder. I am sorry to have been
+      compelled to call on you at such a late hour, but you know,&rdquo; said
+      he, with a jocular laugh, &ldquo;it is an urgent case, and when you are as
+      near to your nuptials as I am, I&rsquo;ll forgive you if you should rout
+      me out of bed at all hours of the night.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A strange man!&rdquo; said Vance to himself when Boast was gone,
+      &ldquo;he talks like a philosopher. His judgment is seasoned with mercy.
+      How could I have misunderstood him as I did? It&rsquo;s rather odd that he
+      and Bertha Allen are to be married. I know Louise will be surprised. After
+      all, it&rsquo;s best that he should marry Miss Allen, and the very fact
+      that he makes her his wife at this time when she is left completely alone,
+      really ennobles the fellow to me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following day a favorable answer was given to Boast, and the marriage
+      took place the next evening. It was indeed a quiet affair. Whether Colonel
+      Boast and his wife approved of their only son marrying his cousin or not,
+      Vance was unable to satisfactorily decide in his own mind; but he and
+      Louise both acknowledged that they felt freed from an indescribable
+      restraint after taking their departure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost simultaneously with the announcement of J. Arthur Boast&rsquo;s
+      marriage was the discovery that Bertha Allen was the heiress of all the
+      vast possessions of the murdered mine owner. Rufus Grims attorney became
+      Arthur Boast&rsquo;s trusted adviser. Work in the great Peacock mine
+      continued, and within a week J. Arthur Boast was in control of affairs;
+      indeed, he seemed a changed <span class="pagenum">224</span><a
+      name="link224" id="link224"></a>man. His responsibilities seemed to subdue
+      without irritating him. The people were quick to discover new elements of
+      strength in the controller of the Peacock, and vied with each other in
+      giving him encouragement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Work on Gray Rocks had not been progressing so smoothly. Old Colonel
+      Bonifield, fired with the enthusiasm of a Ponce de Leon, believed the
+      forty odd men employed in cross-cutting the drift shaft from the 500 foot
+      level would remain with him, although his finances were exhausted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was on Saturday night that he called his men about him and explained
+      his temporary embarrassments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0100" id="linkimage-0100"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8232.jpg" alt="8232 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8232.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      He paid them off in full, and assured them that three or four more days&rsquo;
+      work with their united assistance, was all that was necessary to reach the
+      gold he had been looking for so many weary years, and expressed
+      confidence, in his chivalrous way, that all his employes would report the
+      next Monday morning for work, and stay with him until the drift was
+      finished. The following Monday morning, however, found but a half dozen
+      men reporting for work, much to Colonel Bonifield&rsquo;s surprise and
+      disappointment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old Colonel went into the mine with his faithful adherents, and
+      encouraged them by his undaunted energy. What could have been accomplished
+      by forty men in the space of three days, would require fifteen or twenty
+      days with his half dozen assistants. They lessened the size of the drift
+      shaft, however, and this would make quite a saving of time. Throughout the
+      week, the Colonel, with his handful of assistants, labored incessantly.
+      When the next Monday morning came around, he found that only three
+      reported for duty. This was indeed discouraging, but with a determination
+      that knew no brooking, he went on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two days later, <span class="pagenum">225</span><a
+      name="link225_rdquo_________id_" id="link225_rdquo_________id_"></a>his
+      three assistants advised him that their families were in want of the
+      necessities of life, and while they still had unbounded faith in Gray
+      Rocks, yet they owed a duty to their families first and before all else,
+      and could not remain with him any longer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After this, the engineer and fireman took turns in helping the Colonel.
+      One man remaining in the engine room performed the work of both. After a
+      couple of days of monotonous drilling and blasting, the Colonel one
+      evening told Louise of his great discouragement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My deah daughter,&rdquo; said the Colonel, &ldquo;they have all
+      dese&rsquo;ted me; I am left alone to finish the work in the mine as best
+      I can. It&rsquo;s pow&rsquo;ful humiliatin&rsquo; to be dese&rsquo;ted
+      just when I am reachin&rsquo; fo&rsquo; the last round in the laddeh.&rdquo;
+      Louise had slipped her arms around his neck while he was speaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear father,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;why not go to Mr. Gilder;
+      he has been so true to you, and I am sure, now that you are so near
+      finishing your work, he will give you what assistance is needed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man stroked his daughter&rsquo;s hair affectionately. &ldquo;Yes,
+      suh, yo&rsquo; are right; he would help me if he could. No one seems to
+      undehstand me, Louise, my deah child, except&rsquo;n&rsquo; yo&rsquo;self
+      and Mr. Gilder. I may as well tell yo&rsquo; that I called on Mr. Gilder
+      sev&rsquo;al days ago fo&rsquo; a little mo&rsquo; money, and he told me
+      the $6,000 which he had given us was practically every dollar he had in
+      the world. It made my old heart bleed to see the pained expression on the
+      <span class="pagenum">226</span><a name="link226_rdquo_________id_"
+      id="link226_rdquo_________id_"></a>noble young fellow&rsquo;s face&mdash;pained
+      because he couldn&rsquo;t help me mo&rsquo;. I explained to him that it
+      made no diff&rsquo;ence; that my men&mdash;the rascals who have so
+      shamefully dese&rsquo;ted me&mdash;had confidence in Gray Rocks, and that
+      they would stand by me fo&rsquo; a few days longeh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Colonel walked back and forth in an agitated way, and held his head
+      between his hands. &ldquo;My God, it will drive me crazy,&rdquo; he
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;if the work is not finished.&rdquo; Louise was startled
+      at his manner. She noticed that he appeared older than ever before, and
+      condemned herself for not giving him more encouragement and help.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, how can I help you?&rdquo; she asked, imploringly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no way, my precious little child; come here to me.&rdquo;
+      He seated himself and she nestled on his lap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow morning, father,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;now listen, for
+      I am going to have my way&mdash;to-morrow morning I am going with you down
+      to the 500 foot level and help you with the work. I&rsquo;m not afraid,
+      and I&rsquo;m very strong, too.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, what <span class="pagenum">227</span><a name="link227"
+      id="link227"></a>would Mr. Gilder say if he knew my little girl was down
+      in a mine workin&rsquo;.&rdquo; said the Colonel, half amused at her
+      earnestness, while he pressed her close and closer to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder?&rdquo; repeated Louise, looking dreamily into the bed
+      of red coals in the open grate, &ldquo;we won&rsquo;t tell him. How heroic
+      it was of him to give you every dollar he had in the world! Tell me,
+      father, do you think any one else would have done so much?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, suh,&rdquo; replied the Colonel, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s betteh
+      blood cou&rsquo;sin&rsquo; through his veins than any man I eveh saw. To
+      be sure, he&rsquo;s a nawth&rsquo;n man&mdash;that is, he was bawn in the
+      nawth; but even the old state of Virginia neveh produced a manlier man.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      True to her promise, the next morning found Louise with her father in the
+      drift shaft, 500 feet underground. They had carried with them a
+      well-filled lunch basket, and worked with a determination born of despair.
+      Holes were drilled deep in the solid rock and filled with giant powder,
+      then after lighting the fuse, they would retreat until the blast resounded
+      in hollow mockery through the caverns of the earth. No sooner would the
+      smoke clear away than they would drill again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While Louise was drilling and putting forth all her strength in work that
+      would have tried the courage of the hardiest miner, her father would take
+      turns with her, and again he would measure the distance from the shaft to
+      see how much farther they had to drift.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late in the evening, and <i>they</i> had been working on some time
+      in silence, when the Colonel, after making a last measurement, shouted out
+      in the stillness, &ldquo;Well finish it to-night! Bring the powdeh, while
+      I drill!&rdquo; and presently another blast resounded like a death knell
+      to hope, tearing away great sections of the adamantine rock. On, on they
+      worked&mdash;drilling and blasting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise had become well-nigh exhausted, and rested for a moment, when the
+      Colonel shouted: &ldquo;Drill on! Drill on! There&rsquo;s no time to lose!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father,&rdquo; cried Louise, &ldquo;the powder is all gone.
+      Shall we not send the engineer for more? There&rsquo;s hardly enough for
+      more than another blast.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; yelled the Colonel, almost like a maniac in vehemence,
+      &ldquo;I have no money fo&rsquo; mo&rsquo; powdeh.
+<span class="pagenum">228</span><a name="link228" id="link228"></a>
+Let us
+      use what we have. Scrape the cans and put it all in one great blast. I
+      will drill.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0101" id="linkimage-0101"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0236.jpg" alt="0236 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0236.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Louise was frightened. She feared her father was losing his mind. It might
+      be, after all, that instead of benefitting him by her constant
+      encouragement and belief in Gray Rocks, she had but added to his vain
+      hallucination, and the shock of another failure might dethrone his reason.
+      While she was thinking, she industriously applied herself to gathering
+      from the different cans that had contained the giant powder all that was
+      left into one. Yes, there was enough for one more blast, but not enough
+      for two.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is the powdeh?&rdquo; cried the Colonel. She looked at her
+      father, whose face was almost as white as the disheveled hair of his
+      uncovered head. He had thrown aside his hat and coat, and was wrought up
+      to the highest pitch of excitement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A moment, father,&rdquo; said Louise, laying her hand on his arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me alone, I have no time to wait,&rdquo; he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But listen, father, won&rsquo;t you? Listen to me just a moment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what is it?&rdquo; said he, impatiently, wiping the
+      perspiration from his brow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For thirteen years, father, you&rsquo;ve been striving and striving
+      to find gold in Gray Rocks; what if you are no nearer now than you were
+      thirteen years ago? Will you be so terribly disappointed, father? Come,
+      tell me you will not.&rdquo; She had her arms about his neck and was
+      looking pleadingly up into his face. He pushed her from him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; talk as if yo&rsquo; <span class="pagenum">229</span><a
+      name="link229_rdquo_________id_" id="link229_rdquo_________id_"></a>doubted,&rdquo;
+      said he. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thirteen years nearer success to-night than the
+      day I commenced. It&rsquo;s vehy humiliatin&rsquo; to me to think that yo&rsquo;,
+      Louise, should doubt yo&rsquo;r old father&rsquo;s judgment. Have yo&rsquo;
+      forgotten that my blood cou&rsquo;ses in yo&rsquo;r veins? Are yo&rsquo;,
+      too, turnin&rsquo; against me at the vehy last?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father,&rdquo; cried Louise, as she clung to him and buried her
+      head on his breast, sobbing wildly, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t speak to me so
+      harshly! It will kill me! Have I not,&rdquo; said she, between her sobs,
+      &ldquo;stood by you and believed <span class="pagenum">230</span><a
+      name="link230" id="link230"></a>with you, though all others, unless it was
+      Mr. Gilder, turned against you? I believe now that you are right, father,
+      but it may be deeper down, and I was only trying to make the
+      disappointment less hard in case disappointment should again be the result
+      of our efforts.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, there, little girl,&rdquo; said the Colonel, stroking her
+      head affectionately, &ldquo;I do forgive yo&rsquo;, and yo&rsquo; must
+      forgive yo&rsquo;r old, excitable father. Let us put in the powdeh; let us
+      make the last blast, and let its resoundin&rsquo; peals tell the whole
+      world that we&rsquo;ve done our best!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; that we have indeed done our utmost; and after this
+      blast we will go home and still have faith in Gray Rocks, though the whole
+      world disbelieves.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have plenty of powdeh here,&rdquo; said the old Colonel, picking
+      up the can, &ldquo;to tear ten tons of rock into shreds.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fuse was lighted and they retired for protection until the powder
+      should ignite. Presently there was a deafening roar, as if the mountains
+      were being split asunder. The Colonel grasped his daughter&rsquo;s hand
+      with such a vise-like grip that it almost made her cry out with pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The last blast!&rdquo; shouted the old Colonel, when the
+      reverberations had ceased, &ldquo;the smoke will soon clear away, and then
+      we shall see, yes, suh, we shall see!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI.&mdash;A STARTLING EDITORIAL.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0102" id="linkimage-0102"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9239.jpg" alt="9239 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9239.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      ANCE knew<span class="pagenum">231</span><a name="link231" id="link231"></a>
+      nothing of Colonel Bonifield&rsquo;s discouraging labors in the mine.
+      Indeed, he had been so busy with other matters that he had not found time
+      to call on the Bonifield&rsquo;s for over a week&mdash;a very unusual
+      occurrence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days prior to Louise&rsquo;s experience in her father&rsquo;s mine,
+      Vance had been routed up by some one knocking on his window in the middle
+      of the night. It proved to be none other than the missing Hank Casey,
+      accompanied by Marcus Donald of Waterville. A consultation that lasted
+      several hours followed. An understanding was finally reached, and it was
+      agreed that Hank Casey should remain concealed during the daytime in Vance&rsquo;s
+      room, and await developments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I may be laying myself liable to the law,&rdquo; said Vance,
+      laughingly, &ldquo;in concealing a man for whom a warrant has been issued,
+      but, nevertheless, I believe what you tell me, and on our mutual friend,
+      Marcus Donald&rsquo;s advice, I shall act my part unflinchingly.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; said Marcus Donald, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s none of my
+      affairs in one sense of the word, but when Mr. Casey came to Waterville,
+      having walked all the way from Gold Bluff by a circuitous route, in order
+      to avoid meeting any <span class="pagenum">232</span><a name="link232"
+      id="link232"></a>one, and told me that Mr. Gibbons was about to be
+      unjustly arrested for murder, I at once became interested, especially with
+      Mr. Casey&rsquo;s knowledge of the affair.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ye see, pardner,&rdquo; said Hank Casey, addressing Vance, &ldquo;I
+      &lsquo;lowed things was goin&rsquo; to be pipin&rsquo; hot in these
+      &lsquo;ere diggin&rsquo;s, fer I heered a rumour that Steve an&rsquo; I
+      was both to be arrested. I knowed&rsquo; t&rsquo;wan&rsquo;t no use fer
+      both of us to lay &lsquo;round here till our hands an&rsquo; feet were
+      tied, so, sez I to Steve Gibbons, sez I, &lsquo;Steve, you make your perch
+      here in Gold Bluff, an&rsquo; don&rsquo;t you run nary an inch, and I&rsquo;ll
+      scoot out an&rsquo; try an&rsquo; scare up some help an&rsquo; turn the
+      tables on these &lsquo;ere chaps. Of course, nuther of us liked Rufus Grim
+      any too well; that is, we had no hankerin&rsquo; love for him; but I
+      &lsquo;low were not quite low enough down to commence murderin&rsquo;
+      people, even if they did cheat us out of a rich mine like the Peacock.
+      This game ain&rsquo;t out yet,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;the higher courts
+      may reverse the decision of the court below, and in that event Steve an&rsquo;
+      I will yet have justice, though it s been dangnation slow &lsquo;bout
+      comin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am greatly astonished,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;at your
+      revelation. It is entirely contrary to my theory of the case. I am
+      beginning to feel, however, that my judgment amounts to but very little in
+      this western country, though I must say I have received great
+      encouragement from your words, Mr. Donald, in regard to Waterville
+      property. I will throw a bomb into the enemy&rsquo;s camp by writing an
+      editorial for the <i>Prospector</i> that will touch a tender place, if Mr.
+      Casey is correct in his statement.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It so happened that on the very day that Louise and her father were
+      working in the mine, the <i>Prospector</i> was issued, and contained the
+      following editorial: <span class="pagenum">233</span><a
+      name="link233_rdquo_________id_" id="link233_rdquo_________id_"></a>
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      THE RUFUS GRIM MURDER.
+    </h3>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>
+        The history of Rufus Grim&rsquo;s demise, though still shrouded in
+        mystery, will doubtless, when the facts are known, startle the people of
+        Gold Bluff even more than the murder itself. It is true that Steve
+        Gibbons is accused and languishes in the county jail, and that a warrant
+        is out for the arrest of his old associate, Hank Casey. In the
+        excitement of the hour, our people may have interpreted circumstantial
+        evidence as proof of guilt. As a matter of fact, not one jot or tittle
+        of damaging evidence, in the <i>Prospector&rsquo;s</i> judgment, can be
+        produced against these men.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        The idea of suicide has been effectually set aside by the findings at
+        the coroner&rsquo;s inquest. No one doubts that it was a cold-blooded,
+        cowardly murder. We believe the murderer is in Gold Bluff to-day, and
+        like the wolf of old, is clad in sheep&rsquo;s raiment.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Our people should understand the difference between circumstantial and
+        real evidence. It is probably true that both Steve Gibbons and Hank
+        Casey were on anything but friendly terms with Rufus Grim, but they were
+        not his only enemies; indeed, there is one in Gold Bluff who was
+        secretly, if not openly, a much greater enemy to the rich mine owner
+        than either of the suspected parties.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        It is time that prejudice gave way to reason, and that others, who <i>profited</i>
+        much more by Rufus Grim&rsquo;s removal, should not only be suspected,
+        but subjected to the crucial test of a thorough investigation.
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      This article set the people of Gold Bluff agog. The entire camp, from
+      center to circumference, seemed startled by the boldness of Vance Gilder&rsquo;s
+      double-leaded editorial. When J. Arthur Boast read the article, he was
+      dazed by its audacity. He sent for his attorney, and throughout the
+      afternoon a consultation that lasted far into the night was held.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Work on the Peacock was shut down the following <span class="pagenum">234</span><a
+      name="link234" id="link234"></a>morning at Boast&rsquo;s request, and the
+      men assembled at the company&rsquo;s office. Boast, addressing the miners,
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, doubtless, have read the editorial in yesterday&rsquo;s <i>Prospector</i>,
+      written by a stranger and interloper in our midst, Mr. Vance Gilder, who
+      foully accuses me of murdering Rufus Grim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0103" id="linkimage-0103"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9242.jpg" alt="9242 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9242.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      I am now going down to the office of the <i>Prospector</i>, and shall
+      demand an <i>amende honorable</i>. So many of you as see fit may accompany
+      me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, ay!&rdquo; the crowd shouted, &ldquo;we are ready!&rdquo;
+      Indeed, the citizens of Gold Bluff almost to a man, sided with Boast, and
+      said Vance was showing a cowardly venom at J. Arthur Boast&rsquo;s
+      unexpected success and good fortune, that was neither dignified nor just.
+      Boast led the way to the <i>Prospector</i> office, and was followed by a
+      throng of determined miners and angry citizens, who were in a frame of
+      mind that boded no good for Vance Gilder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise Bonifield had just come over to the Prospector office with a
+      message from her father, and met Arthur Boast at the office door. Louise
+      tripped lightly into the office and saluted Vance with a cheery smile and
+      good morning, while Boast paused in the doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said he, savagely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good morning,&rdquo; replied Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who wrote this editorial?&rdquo; asked Boast, striking vigorously a
+      copy of the <i>Prospector</i> which he held in his hand. &ldquo;I tell
+      you,&rdquo; continued Boast, &ldquo;I never murdered Rufus Grim, and any
+      man that says I did is a liar, abase scoundrel, and a contemptible whelp!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">235</span><a name="link235" id="link235"></a>"That&rsquo;s
+      right! Ay, ay!&rdquo; exclaimed the mob that was standing behind Boast,
+      ready at a moment&rsquo;s notice to loot the printing office.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was cool and collected. He noticed that Boast spoke in his old-time
+      thin, piping voice, and his eyes were restless and glittered like a fiend&rsquo;s.
+      The element of manhood and of the philosopher had wholly disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Louise stepped quickly forward before Vance could make a reply, and laying
+      her hand on Boast&rsquo;s arm, said: &ldquo;Arthur, you know I have always
+      been your friend. I am sure Mr. Gilder has never accused you of murdering
+      Mr. Grim. What do you mean?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he has accused me,&rdquo; retorted Boast. &ldquo;Read this!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance stepped hurriedly from behind the case, and drawing Louise gently
+      back, stood face to face with Arthur Boast. He was calm and determined.
+      &ldquo;Where,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;where have I accused you of murdering
+      Rufus Grim? Point out the sentence in the article where your name even
+      appears?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you haven&rsquo;t used my name, but you might as well have
+      done so.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Vance, as his eyes gleamed with fiercest
+      indignation and anger, &ldquo;I have not accused you, Arthur Boast, but
+      you, by this act, with your mob of hirelings behind you, have accused
+      yourself. Now you must, and by the eternals, shall answer to the law. A
+      guilty conscience,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;needs no accuser, and it is
+      your accusing conscience that has prompted you to come here and publicly
+      charge yourself with the crime. Neither you, nor your host of admirers on
+      full pay, can intimidate me. If you can pass through the test of a
+      thorough investigation, and can be proved innocent, then I will have
+<span class="pagenum">236</span><a name="link236" id="link236"></a>
+no more to say, but until you do this,
+      I shall publicly accuse you and denounce you as the murderer of Rufus
+      Grim!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance towered up like a giant before the writhing and shriveling form of
+      J. Arthur Boast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0104" id="linkimage-0104"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0244.jpg" alt="0244 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0244.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I don&rsquo;t know that you have accused me in this
+      editorial,&rdquo; whined Boast, &ldquo;and I don&rsquo;t know as I need to
+      take any steps of revenge until you dare to use my name in your paper. I
+      guess I&rsquo;ll wait and see what my <span class="pagenum">237</span><a
+      name="link237" id="link237"></a>lawyer advises. Fall back, boys, I have
+      nothing farther to say at this interview.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have,&rdquo; said Vance, in thundering tones, &ldquo;and
+      before long I shall have much to say.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you won&rsquo;t say it through the columns of the Gold Bluff
+      <i>Prospector</i>. It is my property; I have the bill of sale in my
+      pocket.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;yours is the weapon of a coward; the
+      unholy use of the power of money, but your plan of securing possession of
+      the Prospector has no terrors for me. The copy of the <i>Prospector</i>
+      that you hold in your hand contains the last editorial I ever expect to
+      write for the paper. It may please you to know that my last dollar is
+      gone; I am penniless, and without interference from you the <i>Prospector</i>
+      has been issued for the last time under my management. I have been typo,
+      managing editor, devil, form setter, city editor, publisher and everything
+      else, trying hard to make an honest living. I am now through. You and your
+      host of satellites will oblige me by leaving the premises. Come to-morrow
+      morning and take possession. You&rsquo;ll not find me in the way.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Boast turned, and facing his mob of backers said, with the forced laugh of
+      a whipped man:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought I would squelch him, boys; he had to cave in, you bet.&rdquo;
+      His voice was shrill and squeaky, and his braggadocio air, as he led his
+      admirers away, hid but poorly his nervousness and agitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance and Louise were alone. Louise had stood by during the interview,
+      startled and alarmed. She marvelled at Vance&rsquo;s strength; at his
+      grandeur; at his nobleness; and when she heard him say that now he was
+      penniless, she remembered the sacrifices he had made to help her father.
+      He turned toward her and their eyes met. It came to her like an
+      inspiration, that her respect and admiration for him in times past had
+      been but a prelude to the pulsing love she now felt for him. She reached
+      out both her hands toward him; he took them, and a moment later she was
+      sobbing on his breast. No word had been spoken, but volumes had been
+      interchanged in that one look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The doorway was darkened. They quickly looked up, Louise through her
+      tears, and Vance with a beaming countenance. Colonel Bonifield was
+      surveying the situation with a look of genuine surprise on his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; almost pa&rsquo;lyze me, suh,&rdquo; said the Colonel,
+      &ldquo;indeed yo&rsquo; do. Why, Mr. Gilder, I sent my little girl oveh
+      here to tell yo&rsquo; that I had a matteh of vehy great impo&rsquo;tance
+      to talk oveh with yo&rsquo;, but she was gone so long, suh, <span
+      class="pagenum">238</span><a name="link238" id="link238"></a>that I became
+      impatient and came oveh myself.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, papa,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;Mr. Gilder and Arthur have had
+      a terrible quarrel!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A quarrel, suh; why, how is that?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am always ready to talk with you, Colonel,&rdquo; said Vance, in
+      a confused way, and unconsciously retaining one of Louise&rsquo;s hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, now, if my little girl,&rdquo; said the Colonel &ldquo;God
+      bless her! will go oveh home and see about preparin&rsquo; dinneh and lay
+      an extra plate fo&rsquo; yo&rsquo;, we&rsquo;ll have our talk and come
+      oveh a little lateh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While no word had been spoken between Vance and Louise, yet he believed
+      that his great love had been understood and rewarded. He lifted her hand
+      to his lips as she started to go, with that chivalrous respect so becoming
+      in the knights of old. When she was gone, Vance turned and thought he saw
+      a smile chasing rapidly over the Colonel&rsquo;s face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait a moment, Colonel,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I have some
+      choice cigars that were sent me from New York. Here, try this one.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank yo&rsquo;,&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">239</span><a
+      name="link239" id="link239"></a>said the Colonel, &ldquo;I neveh felt mo&rsquo;
+      like smokin&rsquo; in my life than I do this mawnin&rsquo; As they lit
+      their cigars, they walked out in front of the printing office. The morning
+      sun mellowed the crisp and invigorating mountain air. Vance narrated his
+      interview with Boast. The Colonel&rsquo;s face clouded with a troubled
+      expression. Presently he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Gilder, we have at last finished our work on Gray Rocks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am very glad,&rdquo; was Vance&rsquo;s reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; fo&rsquo;ced me, suh, at one time,&rdquo; said the
+      Colonel, &ldquo;to make a promise. When I pledge my word of honor, suh, as
+      I did to yo&rsquo;, it is sacred. Heretofore yo&rsquo; most naturally, Mr.
+      Gilder, have asked me what I advised. I now come to yo&rsquo; and ask,
+      what do yo&rsquo; advise?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Colonel Bonifield,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I am glad you ask me
+      what I advise. You know, Colonel, when you first came to New York city,
+      you thought that if you could only get to the 300 foot level you would
+      cross-cut into a mine of untold wealth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, suh,&rdquo; replied the Colonel, &ldquo;that is so, and yo&rsquo;
+      freely gave me the money to push the work.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Vance, and unconsciously with the toe of his boot
+      he dug in the sand as if he was seeking the 300 foot level, &ldquo;at the
+      300 foot level your efforts were not rewarded. Then you started for the
+      400 foot level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">240</span><a name="link240" id="link240"></a>"Yes,
+      suh,&rdquo; said the Colonel, &ldquo;and again you gave me the money.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; said Vance, as the toe of his boot dug still
+      deeper in the sand, &ldquo;but again you failed. Then I gave you the last
+      dollar of ready money I had in the world to sink the shaft on down to the
+      500 foot level.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vehy true,&rdquo; said the Colonel, &ldquo;and would have given me
+      mo&rsquo; if yo&rsquo; had had it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most assuredly,&rdquo; said Vance, as his boot struck the rock that
+      lay beneath the sand. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said he, planting his heel firmly
+      on the rock, &ldquo;you have at last reached the 500 foot level.
+      Heretofore, I have listened to your advice, and now I hope you will be
+      guided by mine. I have been away from New York over two years. I have not
+      left Gold Bluff for more than a year. I have remained close to Gray Rocks,
+      alternately hoping and doubting that you would be successful. Colonel
+      Bonifield, I have no regrets. You have been earnest and sincere, though
+      sadly mistaken, in regard to this mining venture.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well, suh,&rdquo; said the Colonel, as he waited for Vance to
+      go on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have something <span class="pagenum">241</span><a
+      name="link241_rdquo_________id_" id="link241_rdquo_________id_"></a>to say
+      to you, Colonel&mdash;I love your daughter with my whole heart, and more
+      devotedly, it seems to me, than ever man loved woman before. I have a
+      beautiful home in New York city, with ample means to care for her and you.
+      My advice is that you and your lovely daughter, with those dependent upon
+      you, come with me and we will leave these western wilds, so associated
+      with disappointment, and go to my city home. This morning, for the first
+      time, I have had reason to believe that your daughter reciprocated the
+      great love I bear her. You are now an old man, Colonel, and while I have
+      not a doubt in the world that if you would sink your shaft to the 600 foot
+      level, say, or, perhaps to the 700 foot level, you would strike the vein
+      of gold you have been looking for so many years; yet, what is the use,
+      Colonel Bonifield, what is the use? My love for your daughter is very
+      great, and I believe it is unselfish. A home of plenty awaits us.
+      Hardships and disappointment alone have been the reward of our earnest
+      efforts. Why not go away from it all? Yes, let us go and forget the
+      trials, hardships, and hopes deferred of a frontiersman&rsquo;s life, and
+      let me help you spend the remaining years of your life in quiet, peace,
+      and contentment.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; do me honor, suh,&rdquo; replied the Colonel, as he
+      brushed a mist from his eyes, &ldquo;bawn in the nawth, yet yo&rsquo;
+      possess the true chivalry of a southern gentleman. Yes, suh, yo&rsquo; do,
+      indeed. It is true we sunk the shaft to the 300 foot level, and finally,
+      to the 500 foot level, and you, suh, have fu&rsquo;nished the money fo&rsquo;
+      this great work. I thought my men would stay with me and help cross-cut
+      into the vein, but I found, when I spoke to them about the matteh, that
+      they only had confidence in Gray Rocks so long as there was money in my
+      purse to pay their wages every Saturday night. When they dese&rsquo;ted
+      me, suh, I worked away alone, and finally that little girl, Louise, went
+      down with me yeste&rsquo;day early in the mawnin&rsquo;, and we didn&rsquo;t
+      get home until after nine o&rsquo;clock last night.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">242</span><a name="link242" id="link242"></a>"What!&rdquo;
+      said Vance, &ldquo;Louise been working down in the mine?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, suh, the hardest day&rsquo;s work I eveh put in on Gray Rocks
+      was yeste&rsquo;day.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you not let me know?&rdquo; asked Vance, &ldquo;I would
+      have come and helped you most cheerfully, rather than have let her do the
+      work of a man, and 500 feet under ground at that.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, hold on, Mr. Gilder, let me tell yo&rsquo;. We had a goodly
+      portion of giant powder yeste&rsquo;day mawnin&rsquo;, and yo&rsquo;ve no
+      idea how much assistance Louise gave me. I took the measu&rsquo;ments a
+      dozen times, suh, durin&rsquo; the day, and it seemed to me that by workin&rsquo;
+      a little late, we might finally blast through into the vein.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Colonel, &lsquo;where the vein might have been,&rsquo;.rdquo;
+      said Vance, with a merry twinkle in his eye, while he struck his heel in
+      an absent way against the rock. The Colonel paid no attention to the
+      interruption.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Finally, suh, we made our last, drill, and filled it up with every
+      grain of powdeh we had left. My little Louise had to dust every powdeh can
+      in ordeh to have enough to make the last blast. We retired, suh, as usual,
+      afteh I had lit the fuse, and yo&rsquo; ought to have heard that last
+      blast go off! My daughter, suh, God bless her, tried to dull the
+      disappointment that she felt sure was awaitin&rsquo; our effo&rsquo;ts by
+      gettin&rsquo; me to promise not to be too much disappointed; but I had
+      confidence; yes, suh, right up to the last. Well, suh, the smoke finally
+      cleared away, and my God! suh, my old eyes wept for joy!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; exclaimed Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look at this piece of ore, Mr. Gilder; richer, yes, suh, richer
+      than anything ever discovered in the Peacock. <span class="pagenum">243</span><a
+      name="link243" id="link243"></a>Yes, suh, my deah Gilder, we have made our
+      last blast, and Gray Rocks is worth two million dollars. The agent of a
+      rich minin&rsquo; corporation of Butte City made me an offer of that sum
+      this mawnin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII.&mdash;AT LAST!
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0105" id="linkimage-0105"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9252.jpg" alt="9252 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9252.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      EFFECT <span class="pagenum">244</span><a name="link244" id="link244"></a>on
+      the people of a mining camp of one of those fabulously rich &ldquo;strikes&rdquo;
+      like Gray Recks mine proved to be, may be imagined but cannot be described
+      in words. Shopkeeper, citizen and miner alike, go wild with enthusiasm
+      over so important a discovery. Congratulations were showered upon Colonel
+      Bonifield and Vance from every quarter. Every one in Gold Bluff felt it
+      his privilege to call at Colonel Bonifield&rsquo;s home and pay his
+      respects to one who had lived so long in their midst, and who had so
+      persistently and so patiently maintained unbounded confidence in a
+      proposition that was looked upon by others as a money-losing venture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Independent of the fortune left him by his father, Vance was now a
+      millionaire. In his prosperity he did not forget his old friends. He
+      called on the sheriff and again offered himself as bondsman for Steve
+      Gibbons. The bond was accepted, and a half hour later, Gibbons was
+      released. Hank Casey surrendered himself, and was also immediately bailed
+      out of custody.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening the stage coach brought to Gold Bluff Homer Winthrop and his
+      young bride, <i>nee</i> Virgie Bonifield. It was a great surprise to the
+      Bonifield household.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">245</span><a name="link245" id="link245"></a>"And
+      this accounts,&rdquo; said Vance to Homer, after he had congratulated him,
+      &ldquo;this accounts for Marcus Donald hastening away from Gold Bluff.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Homer, &ldquo;I could not think of having the
+      ceremony take place without my old friend and associate, Marcus Donald,
+      being present. We have traveled together so long, in adversity as well as
+      in prosperity, that we are quite inseparable.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is a great character,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;his
+      disinterested assistance and help I have recently seen demonstrated in a
+      marked degree.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is one of the &lsquo;salt of the earth,&rsquo;.rdquo; replied
+      Winthrop, enthusiastically, &ldquo;he is not only a sunny day friend, but
+      one in the hour of need&mdash;indeed, he is a man among men. By the way,&rdquo;
+      he continued, &ldquo;I want to congratulate you with all my heart on the
+      great Gray Rocks strike.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;the prosperity could never
+      have come at a more opportune time. My finances was reduced to the last
+      dollar when Colonel Bonifield broke the news to me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I received your letter, written some ten days ago,&rdquo; said
+      Winthrop, &ldquo;and have sold those twenty-five lots your New York
+      friends purchased.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank God for that!&rdquo; ejaculated Vance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I sold them for $800 apiece, or $20,000. As they only paid
+      $2,500 for them, I hardly think they can complain at the profits. Oh, you
+      have no idea what a city Waterville has become. The great waterpower has
+      been effectually harnessed, the streets are paved; electric car lines,
+      planing mills, and scores of other manufacturing concerns are in full
+      operation. Our population is now <span class="pagenum">246</span><a
+      name="link246_rdquo_________id_" id="link246_rdquo_________id_"></a>numbered
+      by thousands, instead of hundreds, while busy activity and prosperity are
+      apparent on every hand.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You quite astonish me, old fellow,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;indeed
+      you do; but I needed no greater proof of Waterville&rsquo;s prosperity
+      than your report of the sale of lots belonging to my New York friends.
+      Once, old fellow, I gave you my promise to wait five years before passing
+      judgment on your enterprise. Hardly half that time has elapsed, yet it
+      gives me pleasure to assure you that I am already better satisfied with
+      Waterville than I ever dared hope for.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; said Homer, &ldquo;your &lsquo;Two Honorable
+      Exceptions&rsquo; article in the New York <i>Banner</i> was indeed
+      prophetic.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;while the prophecies of Col.
+      Alexander, B. Webster Legal, Gen. Ira House, and other members of your
+      Waterville Town Company, have been more than realized.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My associates,&rdquo; said Homer, &ldquo;in the great work of
+      building up Waterville, have at last met with a compensation which I
+      cannot but feel is a just one. Taking it all and all, they are a grand lot
+      of fellows, each one a study within himself; nevertheless, collectively a
+      phalanx of strength.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the way,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;it was my noble little
+      wife, Virgie, that started the boom last spring. She learned in some
+      mysterious way that a private school fund had been created for her special
+      benefit, and in order to return the money, purchased the first lots that
+      we had sold for months and months, and from that day the boom started,
+      until now&mdash;well, you&rsquo;ll have to see the place to realize the
+      wonderful changes and improvements.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <span class="pagenum">247</span><a name="link247" id="link247"></a>"Hers,&rdquo;
+      said Vance, &ldquo;is certainty a sweet and noble character.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, indeed,&rdquo; replied Winthrop, laughingly, &ldquo;I still
+      think she is the most practical member of the Bonifield family.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;I remember the allusion, and I
+      beg to assure you that my opinion remains unchanged in regard to Louise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I notice,&rdquo; said Winthrop, &ldquo;that our old acquaintance,
+      J. Arthur Boast, has had quite a rise in the world&mdash;at the head of
+      the Peacock mine, I understand.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Vance, while a sorrowful expression swept over
+      his face, &ldquo;I fear his rise preceeds a mighty fall. Gibbons and Casey
+      have been arrested for the Grim murder, but have given bonds, and are
+      waiting for their attorney, B. Webster Legal, and to use one of Steve
+      Gibbons&rsquo; expressions, &lsquo;Things are liable to be sizzlin&rsquo;
+      hot for Boast before long. &lsquo;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; interrupted Winthrop, &ldquo;you cannot mean&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; continued Vance, &ldquo;I do mean that J. Arthur Boast
+      murdered Rufus Grim. I have the evidence. Hank Casey saw the act.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you astonish me!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Casey,&rdquo; continued Vance, &ldquo;was at first afraid to report
+      the matter, nor did he until he went to Waterville. You were away at the
+      time, and he confided to Mr. Donald. His own and Steve Gibbons&rsquo; long
+      years of warfare with Grim over the Peacock, he was afraid, would cause
+      people to suspect them of the crime. He divined rightly. There is a great
+      prejudice against both of them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never was more surprised in my life!&rdquo; said Winthrop, <span
+      class="pagenum">248</span><a name="link248" id="link248"></a>"and while I
+      never liked the fellow, yet I had no idea he would commit murder.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day a warrant was issued for the arrest of J. Arthur Boast,
+      charging him with the murder of Rufus Grim. A most diligent search was
+      made, but the officer was unable to find him. His wife was in tears and
+      prostrated with grief, declaring she had no idea of his whereabouts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the morning before Thanksgiving that Vance received a certain
+      letter. It was from Arthur Boast, and read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>
+        At Home.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Dear Sir:
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Why I write to you above all others, is more than I can tell. An
+        impulse, actuated by some wandering spirit from the regions of darkness
+        and the damned, forces me to it. The things I want to do, I am unable to
+        accomplish. The acts I loathe and abhor, I am made a cat&rsquo;s-paw of
+        to perform by some unknown impelling force.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        It may be that some men can shape their own destiny&mdash;mine has been
+        shaped for me.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        I have never seen the time I did not fear you, and cannot remember the
+        time I did not hate and despise you. I sought your friendship for
+        protection. When I needed your support, you turned against me.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Rufus Grim was my evil genius in this life, and he is more unbearable
+        dead than living. Every night since I murdered him&mdash;yes, it was I
+        who did the deed&mdash;he has visited me in my dreams All night long he
+        walks up and down my bed-room&mdash;back and forth&mdash;and curses me.
+        Sometimes I pull the covers well over my head, and try to sleep, but he
+        pulls them off and rubs his cold, clammy hands threateningly over my
+        face. He has found out also that I robbed the stage coach and bribed the
+        sheriff.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        I am tired of it all. I have not slept for ten nights. My brain <span
+        class="pagenum">249</span><a name="link249" id="link249"></a>is on fire.
+        You want vengeance, but I intend to cheat you&mdash;yes? I will cheat
+        you&mdash;and in this way I find my only consolation.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        An hour ago my attorney came to my hiding-place, and told me the higher
+        courts had reversed the decision. When this is known all Gold Bluff will
+        turn against me. Even now I can hear them hissing the words. Scoundrel!
+        scoundrel! murderer! murderer! in tantalizing scorn.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        My ambition has always been to be wealthy. Now I am so poor that if I
+        continued to live and was not hunted down and sent to prison, I would
+        not even have a crust of bread to eat.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        Yes, Gibbons and Casey are now the owners of the Peacock mine&mdash;the
+        higher courts have so decided. With their money, they&rsquo;ll join you
+        in persecuting me&mdash;but I&rsquo;ll cheat them as well as you. Your
+        longing for revenge shall not be satisfied.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        At the old prospect shaft on the Peacock, where I struck the fatal blow
+        that hurled Rufus Grim into eternity, you will find all that remains of
+        the persecuted, despised and hated.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        J. Arthur Boast.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        To Vance Gilder.
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      A search was at once made, and his lifeless body found near the old
+      prospect shaft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0106" id="linkimage-0106"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figleft" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/9257.jpg" alt="9257 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/9257.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      A bullet wound in his temple, and the weapon still clutched in his hand,
+      told of the maniac&rsquo;s suicide.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The people of Gold Bluff were astonished at the rapidity with which
+      history was being made. The sheriff was missing, and his absence gave
+      color to Boast&rsquo;s statement about the sheriff being an accomplice in
+      the stage robbery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The undisputed owners of the Peacock mine, Casey and Gibbons, the
+      multi-millionaires, were entirely vindicated by Boast&rsquo;s letter, and
+      not <span class="pagenum">250</span><a name="link250" id="link250"></a>a
+      shadow of suspicion rested against them; indeed, the citizens of Gold
+      Bluff suddenly remembered that Mr. Henry Casey and Stephen Gibbons, Esq.,
+      were most excellent gentlemen. It was astonishing to find how many &ldquo;friends&rdquo;
+      flocked around them to tender their congratulations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Thanksgiving night, and Vance, with the members of the Bonifield
+      household, was seated before the open grate, where a cheerful fire burned
+      brightly. <span class="pagenum">251</span><a name="link251" id="link251"></a>They
+      had been talking it all over, and the Colonel, in a subdued but satisfied
+      way, thanked God that he had been permitted to live long enough to see a
+      fulfillment of his life&rsquo;s dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0107" id="linkimage-0107"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="figright" style="width:15%;">
+      <img src="images/8258.jpg" alt="8258 " width="100%" /><br /><a
+      href="images/8258.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Both Louise and Virgie were animated and happy, and Homer Winthrop had
+      been dilating upon Waterville&rsquo;s wonderful prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently the door opened, and Aunt Sally came in. &ldquo;Good evenin&rsquo;,
+      Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said she, in her rich Southern accent, &ldquo;I &lsquo;low
+      this is the happiest day of our lives.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, indeed,&rdquo; replied Vance, &ldquo;we owe many apologies to
+      your brother for our seeming lack of confidence in Gray Rocks.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She looked at him quickly over her spectacles, and replied, &ldquo;Lack of
+      confidence, Mr. Gilder? I&rsquo;d like to know who lacked confidence in my
+      brother Benjamin&rsquo;s mine! Fo&rsquo; myself, I have believed from the
+      first that Benjamin would strike it if I could only keep him workin&rsquo;
+      away long enough.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance was non-plussed, and was about to reply, when the Colonel
+      interposed. &ldquo;Yo&rsquo; see, suh,&rdquo; said he, with a knowing
+      twinkle in his eye, &ldquo;I have often obse&rsquo;ved to yo&rsquo; that
+      my sisteh is a most ext&rsquo;ao&rsquo;dina&rsquo;y person; yes, suh, most
+      ext&rsquo;ao&rsquo;dina&rsquo;y indeed. She has been a powehful support to
+      me, suh, in my effo&rsquo;ts.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This seemed to partially pacify Aunt Sally. Presently she said, &ldquo;I
+      &lsquo;spect, Mr. Gilder, yo&rsquo; are thinkin&rsquo; &lsquo;bout a
+      convehsation we had a few months ago in regard to sinkin&rsquo; the shaft.
+      Of cou&rsquo;se yo&rsquo; didn&rsquo;t know how much strategy I had to
+      resort to that I might keep Benjamin from getting disheartened. Of cou&rsquo;se
+      I won&rsquo;t allow nobody to say anythin&rsquo; against my brother, but I
+      &lsquo;low he is the contrariest man livin&rsquo;, I do indeed, suh. Time
+      and again I have been fo&rsquo;ced to pretend that I was opposin&rsquo;
+      him, just to make him go on work in&rsquo; and sinkin&rsquo; that shaft,
+      but at last it is all over with, and I&rsquo;ve much to be thankful fo&rsquo;
+      that I was spared so that I could keep on naggin&rsquo; at Benjamin and
+      spurrin&rsquo; him up, until finally his effo&rsquo;ts were rewa&rsquo;ded.&rdquo;
+      Soon after, she embraced Louise and Virgie tenderly, and retired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When she was gone, the Colonel looked up from the crackling fire, into
+      which he had been gazing long and earnestly, and said, &ldquo;I presume,
+      Mr. Gilder, my sisteh is without question one of the greatest characters
+      that ever lived, I do indeed, suh. I&rsquo;m discoverin&rsquo;, even to
+      this day, new traits of superio&rsquo;ity and strength in her. Indeed,
+      suh, she is no o&rsquo;dina&rsquo;y woman. Though bawn in the South, and
+      possessin&rsquo; in a high degree the very great refinement peculiar to
+      our Southern ladies, yet at the same time her diplomacy in accomplishin&rsquo;
+      great results equals the shrewdest Nawthe&rsquo;n Yankee. Indeed, suh, she
+      is a most rema&rsquo;kable character; yes, suh, most rema&rsquo;kable.&rdquo;
+      <span class="pagenum">252</span><a name="link252" id="link252"></a>A
+      little later Homer and Virgie retired, pleading weariness. &ldquo;Do you
+      know,&rdquo; said Colonel Bonifield, looking up from the fire again,
+      &ldquo;since our great discovery was made, I seem to want to do all my
+      sleeping in the mawnin&rsquo;.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Papa,&rdquo; said Louise, &ldquo;is too busy thinking over and over
+      again his great good fortune to get sleepy; but my! how late he does sleep
+      in the morning!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has justly earned,&rdquo; said Vance, &ldquo;the rest he claims.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed he has,&rdquo; replied Louise, approaching her father and
+      pushing gently back his long white locks, &ldquo;you are my darling old
+      papa,&rdquo; she continued in a caressing way, &ldquo;and may sit up as
+      late as you like, and sleep until noon every day if it is your wish.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell yo&rsquo;, Mr. Gilder,&rdquo; said the Colonel,
+      rising and standing before the fire, &ldquo;this little girl of mine is
+      bound to spoil me; yes, suh; she always did humor me eveh since I can
+      remembeh, and she is worse now than eveh befo&rsquo; Well, well, you&rsquo;ll
+      have to excuse me until I have another pipe of tobacco.&rdquo; His elegant
+      suit of black of the latest pattern added to his dignified appearance, and
+      made a strange contrast, Vance thought, with the miner&rsquo;s garb he had
+      worn for so many years. He pushed through the portieres that opened into
+      the library, and Louise and Vance were left alone, for the first time
+      since the rich discovery had been announced.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A doubt came into Vance&rsquo;s mind whether he was glad of it or not.
+      Heretofore this noble girl whom he had loved so long and patiently had
+      been in a measure dependent upon him&mdash;now she was an heiress. He
+      fancied he detected a restraint in her conversation that was embarrassing.
+      His own unworthiness rose up before him, and he was engulfed in the
+      cowardice of a lover! What if she should refuse him? Cross-cutting into a
+      pinched-out vein would be nothing in comparison with such a
+      disappointment. Presently, at his request, she went to the piano, and sang
+      for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She sang <span class="pagenum">253</span><a name="link253" id="link253"></a>with
+      far more feeling than ever before. Her heart was filled with a maiden&rsquo;s
+      dearest happiness&mdash;a deep, reciprocal, unspoken love of limitless
+      depth. Yes, with the unerring divination of a woman, she knew that Vance&rsquo;s
+      love was wholly hers. There was a love song before her, and under its
+      cover, she would declare her own without restraint. She sang with the
+      rapture of a mountain thrush, in notes so rich, so innocent, so
+      plaintively low, so delightfully thrilling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vance listened with bated breath. There are pleasures so keen as to be
+      painful. &ldquo;I am so inferior to her,&rdquo; he thought, with unselfish
+      humility, &ldquo;but to live without her is impossible.&rdquo; Finally she
+      ceased playing and turned toward him with the music of her soul radiant
+      upon her face. A momentary silence followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Louise,"<span class="pagenum">254</span><a name="link254"
+      id="link254"></a> said Vance, and there was a tremulous rhythm in his
+      voice, notwithstanding he tried to crush it into naturalness, &ldquo;it
+      may be news to you, but I can no more help loving you than I can help
+      breathing.&rdquo; He walked back and forth before the open grate. &ldquo;Please
+      do not look away from me,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;as if I were so
+      unworthy&mdash;I know that well enough. I would rather love you without
+      hope than have the unselfish devotion of all the other women of the earth
+      at my feet.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She had lifted her hands and covered her face. Her happiness was very
+      great. She fears he would see it, vet he must know it, else she would be
+      miserable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have said,&rdquo; Vance went on, &ldquo;may be nothing to
+      you, but it is either life or death to me. To-morrow I shall leave Gold
+      Bluff for ever unless you wish me to remain.&rdquo; Vance stood before the
+      open grate still and motionless, and when she looked up, she saw his face
+      was white as marble. She rose from the piano with tear-stained cheeks,
+      flushing pink as La France roses with morning dew-drops upon them. She
+      came forward a few steps, and then paused. Her golden wealth of hair <span
+      class="pagenum">255</span><a name="link255" id="link255"></a>reflected the
+      forelight, and made a halo about her girlish face and form. Her full red
+      lips were parted with the tender smile of youth, purity and love. She was
+      thinking, &ldquo;I am certain of his love; I am sure of mine for him, and
+      I will give myself entirely, yes, wholly into his keeping.&rdquo; With one
+      hand over her beating heart, she held the other toward Vance. In a moment
+      he was by her side, and raising her hand, pressed it passionately to his
+      lips. In the deliciousness of love&rsquo;s dream, he led her to a divan
+      and seated himself beside her. His arms stole about her, her head rested
+      on her breast, and there a devout lover&rsquo;s affection was sealed with
+      love&rsquo;s first kiss.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A moment <span class="pagenum">256</span><a name="link256" id="link256"></a>later
+      the portieres parted, and in the doorway stood the Colonel. His long white
+      hair fell back from his temples, and there was a look of gladness upon his
+      countenance. He lifted up his face toward Heaven, and in tones that were
+      scarcely audible, said: &ldquo;Such tender and sacred things of earth are
+      sanctified in Heaven.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, again the Shuttle of Fate wove into the web of Destiny the better
+      attributes of a manly man and the ennobling love of a gentle woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0108" id="linkimage-0108"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0261.jpg" alt="0261 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0261.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0109" id="linkimage-0109"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
+      <img src="images/0263.jpg" alt="0263 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/0263.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
+    </h5>
+    <div style="height: 6em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg&rsquo;s My &ldquo;Pardner&rdquo; and I, by Willis George Emerson
+
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+</pre>
+  </body>
+</html>
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author	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-02-06 01:18:01 -0800
committer	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-02-06 01:18:01 -0800
commit	325cbf32fef4d028bfca1b4f29c05e837bfbaabe (patch)
tree	b2c68b31ca009c845b4705e2632da9c22714b81c