NOTICE.

The entire mining and milling plant of Camp Bird is closed down for

an indefinite period. All employees are requested to call at the

superintendent's office and receive their wages up to and including

Saturday, the 10th inst.

D. K. UNDERWOOD.

The miners found the hoist-house and the various shaft-houses closed and

deserted, with notices similar to the above posted on their doors.

Darrell, upon going to breakfast, learned that Mr. Underwood and the

superintendent had breakfasted at an early hour. A little later, on his

way to the mill, he observed groups of men here and there, some

standing, some moving in the direction of the office, but gave the

matter no particular thought until he reached the mill and was himself

confronted by the placard. As he read the notice and recalled the groups

of idlers, certain remarks made by Mr. Underwood came to his mind, and

he seemed struck by the humorous side of the situation.

"The old gentleman seems to have got the 'drop' on them, all right!" he

said to himself, as, with an amused smile, he walked past the mill and

out in the direction of the hoist. The ore-bins were closed and locked,

the tram-cars stood empty on their tracks, the hoisting engine was

still, the hoist-house and shaft-houses deserted. After the ceaseless

noise and activity to which he had become accustomed at the camp the

silence seemed oppressive, and he turned and retraced his steps to the

office.

A crowd of men was gathered outside the office building. In single file

they passed into the office to the superintendent's window, received

their money silently, in almost every instance without comment or

question, and passed out again. Once outside, however, there they

remained, their number constantly augmented by new arrivals, for the men

on the night shift had been aroused by their comrades and were now

streaming down from the bunk-houses. A few laughed and joked, some

looked sullen, some troubled and anxious, but all remained packed about

the building, quiet, undemonstrative, and mute as dumb brutes as to

their reason for staying there. They were all prepared to march boldly

out of the mill and mines on the following Monday, on a strike, in

obedience to orders; even to resort to violence in defence of their

so-called "rights" if so ordered, but Mr. Underwood's sudden move had

disarmed them; there had been no opportunity for a conference with their

leaders, with the result that they acted more in accordance with their

own individual instincts, and the loss of work for which they would have

cared little in the event of a strike was now uppermost in their minds.

They eyed Darrell furtively and curiously, making way for him as he

entered the building, but still they waited. For a few moments Darrell

watched the scene, then he passed through the office into the room

beyond, where he found Mr. Underwood engaged in sorting and filing

papers. The latter looked up with a grim smile:

"Been down to the mill?"

"Oh, yes," Darrell answered, laughing; "I went to work as usual, only to

find the door shut in my face, the same as the rest."

"H'm! What do you think of the 'strike' now?"

"I think you are making them swallow their own medicine, but I don't see

why you need give me a dose of it; I haven't threatened to strike."

Mr. Underwood's eyes twinkled shrewdly as he replied, "You had better go

out there and get your pay along with the rest, and then go to your room

and pack up. You may not be needed at the mill again for the next six

months."

"Will it be as serious as that, do you think?" Darrell inquired.

Before Mr. Underwood could reply the superintendent opened the office

door hastily.

"Mr. Underwood," he said, "will you come out and speak to the men? They

are all waiting outside and I can't drive them away; they say they won't

stir till they've seen you."

With a look of annoyance Mr. Underwood rose and passed out into the

office; Darrell, somewhat interested, followed.

"Well, boys," said Mr. Underwood, as he appeared in the doorway, "what

do you want of me?"

"If you please, sir," said one man, evidently spokesman for the crowd,

and whom Darrell at once recognized as Dan, the engineer,--"if you

please, sir, we would like to know how long this shut-down is going to

last."

"Can't tell," Mr. Underwood replied, shortly; "can't tell anything about

it at present; it's indefinite."

"Well," persisted the man, "there's some of us as thought that mebbe

'twould only be till this 'ere trouble about the meals is settled, one

way or t'other; and there's some as thought mebbe it hadn't nothing to

do with that."

"Well?" said Mr. Underwood, impatiently.

"Well, sir," said Dan, lowering his voice a little and edging nearer Mr.

Underwood, "you know as how the most of us was satisfied with things as

they was, and didn't want no change and wouldn't have made no kick,

only, you see, we had to, and we felt kinder anxious to know whether if

this thing got settled some way and the camp opened up again, whether we

could get back in our old places?"

"Dan," said Mr. Underwood, impressively, and speaking loudly enough for

every man to hear, "there can be no settlement of this question except

to have things go on under precisely the same terms and conditions as

they've always gone; so none of your leaders need come to me for terms,

for they won't get 'em. And as to opening up the mines and mill, I'll

open them up whenever I get ready, not a day sooner or later; and when I

do start up again, if you men have come to your senses by that time and

are ready to come back on the same terms, all right; if not," he paused

an instant, then added with emphasis, "just remember there'll be others,

and plenty of 'em, too."

"Yes, sir; thank ye, sir," Dan answered, somewhat dubiously; then one

and all moved slowly and mechanically away.

Mr. Underwood turned to Darrell. "Get your things together as soon as

you can. I'm going to send down three or four of the teams after dinner,

and they can take your things along. And here's the key to the mill; go

over and pick out whatever you will want in the way of an assaying

outfit, and have that taken down with the rest. There's no need of your

going to the expense of buying an outfit just for temporary use."

By two o'clock scarcely a man remained at the camp. Mr. Underwood and

Darrell were among the last to leave. Two faithful servants of Mr.

Underwood's had arrived an hour or so before, who were to act as

watchmen during the shut-down. Having taken them around the camp and

given them the necessary instructions, Mr. Underwood then gave them the

keys of the various buildings, saying, as he took his departure,--

"There's grub enough in the boarding-house to last you two for some

time, but whenever there's anything needed, let me know. Bring over some

beds from the bunk-house and make yourselves comfortable."

He climbed to a seat on one of the wagons, and, as they started, turned

back to the watchmen for his parting admonition:

"Keep an eye on things, boys! You're both good shots; if you catch

anybody prowling 'round here, day or night, wing him, boys, wing him!"

The teams then rattled noisily down the canyon road, Darrell, with Trix,

bringing up the rear, feeling himself a sort of shuttlecock tossed to

and fro by antagonistic forces in whose conflicts he personally had no

part and no interest. However, he wasted no moments in useless regrets,

but rode along in deep thought, planning for the uninterrupted pursuit

of his studies amid the new and less favorable surroundings. Thus far he

had met with unlooked-for success along the line of his researches and

experiments, and each success but stimulated him to more diligent study.

On their arrival at Ophir, Mr. Underwood gave directions to have the

assaying outfit taken to the rooms in the rear of his own offices, after

which he and Darrell, with the remaining teams, proceeded in the

direction of The Pines. Trix, on finding herself headed for home,

quickened her steps to such a brisk pace that on reaching the long

driveway Darrell was considerably in advance of the others. He had no

sooner emerged from the pines into the open, in full view of the house,

than Duke came bounding down the driveway to meet him, with every

possible demonstration of joyous welcome. His loud barking brought the

ladies to the door just as Darrell, having quickly dismounted and sent

Trix to the stables, was running up the broad stairs to the veranda, the

collie close at his side.

"Just look at Duke!" Kate Underwood exclaimed, shaking hands with

Darrell; "and this is only the second time he has met you! You surely

have won his heart, Mr. Darrell."

"You are the only person outside of Katherine he has ever condescended

to notice," said Mrs. Dean, with a smile.

"I assure you I feel immensely flattered by his friendship," Darrell

replied, caressing the collie; "the more so because I know it to be

genuine."

"He won't so much as look at me," Mrs. Dean added.

"That is because you objected at first to having him here," said Kate;

"he knows it, and he'll not forget it. But, Mr. Darrell, where is papa?"

"He will be here directly," Darrell answered, smiling as he suddenly

recalled the little note within his pocket; "he is returning from the

war-path with the trophies of victory."

Kate laughed and colored slightly. "Your own scalp has not suffered, at

any rate," she said.

"But he has brought me back a captive; here he comes now!"

The wagon loaded with Darrell's belongings was just coming slowly into

view, with Mr. Underwood on the seat beside the driver, the other teams

having been sent to the stables by another route.

Darrell noted the surprise depicted on the faces beside him, and,

turning to Mrs. Dean, who stood next him, he said, in a low tone,--

"I have come back to the old home, mother, for a little while; is there

room for me?"

Mrs. Dean looked at him steadily for an instant, while Kate ran to meet

her father; then she replied, earnestly,--

"There will always be room in the old home for you. I only wish that I

could hope it would always hold you."

_Chapter XIV_