TO-MORROW IT IS ST. VALENTINE'S DAY.
Mr. Hart, then, had spoken to William Smith about Philip's golden
reef, and what a capital chance there was for a crushing machine. His
words did not fall upon listless ears. The same day William Smith
walked to the reef, examined the stone, went down the shaft, chipped
here and there, putting two, or three bits of gold and stone in his
pocket, as treasure-trove, came up from the hole, strolled about the
locality, Argus-eyed, and made up his mind. He spoke it to Philip and
his mate. Said he: "In three weeks I will have a machine erected here,
with twelve heads of stampers, which shall be working day and night,
and which shall crush forty tons of quartz every twenty-four hours.
You have raised, I should say, about one hundred and fifty tons of
stone. You shall put a dozen men at work in your claim--I will provide
the money for their wages, and for powder and fuse--and in three weeks
you shall raise another hundred tons. I will do all this on the
following terms: You shall contract to give me the first two hundred
tons of quartz to crush, and I will contract to crush it at the rate
of three ounces of gold per ton." (The shrewd speculator had seen
clearly enough that there was plenty of gold in the stone to pay him,
and leave a handsome margin; indeed, he calculated that the quartz
already raised from the bowels of the earth, and lying on the surface
of the claim, would yield not less than ten or twelve ounces to the
ton.) "The next two hundred tons I will crush for two and a half
ounces of gold per ton; the next two hundred for two ounces per ton."
Some men are born with a genius for figures: William Smith was one;
and he had already totted up in his own mind that the crushing of
these six hundred tons of quartz would bring him in no less than
£6000; and that it could all be done in fifteen days. His £6000 would
pay all expenses of labour and the purchase and erection of the
machine, which in little more than a fortnight after it was put up
would stand him in nothing. There were many chances of this kind in
the goldfields for enterprising men.
"After that," concluded William Smith, "we can make fresh
arrangements."
Philip and his mate jumped at the offer. Then, practical William
Smith, to their astonishment and admiration, told them that although
he had been but a short time on the range--it could not have been more
than three hours altogether--he had settled on the very spot where the
machine was to be erected. He showed them the place. It was on the
slope of a natural basin, which, with a little labour, could be made
into a splendid reservoir for the rain. Here the machine was to be
erected; here the dam was to be built; here the sheds for the furnace
and for the washing-out and retorting of the gold were to be put up.
All was arranged. The only thing that would be wanted was water. "Pray
for rain," said William Smith; and fancying that he saw in Philip's
face an intention to fall on his knees that instant, cried out, in a
fright, "Not now, not now! In a fortnight, when the dam is ready." So
Philip deferred his prayer for two weeks.
Now, it was manifestly impossible to get a crushing-machine from the
capital of the colony in time. But William Smith, when he made his
offer, knew what he was about. He knew of a machine on a neighbouring
goldfield not many miles away, which had been erected in a foolish
spot, where it was practically useless, for the quartz would not yield
sufficient gold to pay expenses of labour. Those who had bought and
erected the machine had done so on the credit of a small patch of gold
which they had found, and which they thought would lead them to
precious deposits. They found no more gold, or not sufficient to pay.
They built castles in the air--which practical William Smith never
did; he always went upon solid ground, and seldom made a mistake.
Before he was two days older he had bought the machine for a quarter
of its value, and fifty men were set to work on it, so that it was
almost literally torn down. But he had an experienced man at the head
of his workers, and everything was done right. Fifty more men were
working at the reservoir, digging out the earth, and piling up the
banks, and on the very day succeeding the scene which had taken place
between Philip and Mr. Hart the first portion of the crushing-machine
arrived on the ground. This kept Philip busy, and although he was
burning to get away to his Margaret, he could not do so until the
night. The first thing that he saw when he went behind the scenes was
one of the flowers he had bought the night before. He raised his eyes
from the flower to Margaret's face, for the flower was in her bosom.
"Ah!" he sighed, flushing with delight.
Of such simple thing are life's sweetest pleasures born.
The bunch of flower's had, as a matter of course, formed a fruitful
subject of conversation among the members of the dramatic company, and
Margaret, being a woman, and womanly, was obliged to make a confidante
of some one of her own sex. The Leading Lady was out of the question;
so the First Old Woman, the mother of the baby who had proved such a
hit, on the first night, received Margaret's confidences, and being a
good-hearted, unselfish creature, and delighted at the opportunity of
indulging in a little bit of match-making, and also of revenging
herself upon the Leading Lady for her objection to baby being a
shareholder in the Star Dramatic Company, she listened, and smiled,
and congratulated the young girl.
"To-morrow it is Saint Valentine's Day!" she sang.
"You've come to silver Creek for something. Here, my dear, nurse my
baby, and get your hand in."
Which caused Margaret to blush furiously.
"O," cried Margaret, "but there's been nothing said between us!"
"Nothing, my dear!" exclaimed the First Old Woman, with a mischievous
laugh. "Really nothing!"
"Well, nothing _very_ particular."
"Indeed!" said the First Old Woman, with good-humoured sarcasm. "Is
coming behind the scenes every night saying nothing? Was throwing you
the flowers saying nothing? Was standing outside your window last
night for a full hour and a half--I saw him with my own eyes, my dear!
I did; and envied you--was that saying nothing? I declare, then, I
shall set _my_ cap at him; I may as well take a chance in the lottery.
He's as handsome a young fellow as ever walked in two shoes, and if
you intend to disappoint him----"
"O, but I don't," interrupted Margaret, apprehensively.
Whereupon they fell to kissing one another, and baby came in for her
share.