As the quondam class-mates disappeared together down the winding road,
Houston gave his friend, as succinctly as possible, an explanation of
his presence there in the capacity of clerk, briefly outlining his
plans, and stating what he had been able so far to accomplish.
Van Dorn was intensely interested, and through his own practical
knowledge and experience, was able to give Houston some valuable
information, and to make some important suggestions.
Houston was quick to see that here was just the help he would need a
little later; he also knew that opportunities for seeing his friend
would be limited, he must act promptly.
"Arthur," he asked rather abruptly, "how soon do you go east?"
"In about two weeks."
"Any special engagements for this summer?"
"Nothing particularly important at present."
"You remember my uncle, don't you?"
"I remember Mr. Cameron perfectly, though I have not seen him for a
number of years."
"I suppose, for a sufficient consideration, you would come out here on
business for us, at any time?"
"Like Lindlay, 'just to accommodate,' I suppose," laughed Van Dorn,
and continued, "Everard, old boy, I am at the service of yourself and
your uncle, and we'll say nothing about 'considerations' until
afterward; then arrange it between yourselves."
"We will not require your time and services without ample compensation,"
returned Houston, "but you will be just the man I will need later; an
expert, familiar with this locality, in whom my uncle will repose perfect
confidence, and whom the company here will not suspect."
"But Mr. Cameron may not place much confidence in the harum-scarum
sophomore that visited his home a few years since, if he remembers him
at all," said Van Dorn, with a little laugh.
"My word will be enough for that," said Houston, "I will write a
letter this afternoon for you to take to him. There are the gentlemen
now, coming down the road; I will see you again this evening, and
probably to-morrow. I wonder what has become of Mr. Winters?"
"Probably he is taking his afternoon smoke," said Van Dorn. "I think
the old gentleman would throw up the whole mining deal rather than
sacrifice that. After what you've told me of this mining concern out
here, I've considerable curiosity to see this famous mine they've been
writing about. I've got an idea just about how it will pan out, but
I'll say nothing till I've seen it."
"Let me know your impressions, later," said Houston.
"Agreed," answered Van Dorn, and the party outside having nearly
reached the door, the subject was dropped.
Meanwhile, Mr. Winters, seated in the rustic porch, his attention
divided between the picturesque scenery surrounding him, and the
spirals of blue smoke which he loved to watch, was in no hurry to
exchange his present enjoyment for subterranean explorations; the rest
and solitude seemed doubly welcome after the last few weeks of
travel.
Rutherford, who lingered a few moments after the others had gone, did
not find him very socially inclined, and picking up his magazine from
the floor, where it had reposed since Van Dorn's appearance, he
started up the canyon for a stroll among the rocks by the lake.
It is to be feared that Mr. Winters, under the combined influence of
his pipe and the warm sunshine, was very nearly asleep. It is certain
that he never heard the sound of soft, trailing garments beside him,
nor did he appear to be in full possession of all his faculties, until
two arms rested lightly on his shoulders, and a pair of small, white
hands were clasped across his eyes.
Such a proceeding, under such circumstances, naturally had the effect
of very quickly restoring his faculties to their normal condition, but
on trying to turn his head, he found it held as firmly as in a vise,
by the hands which had been quickly removed from his eyes, while a
mischievous voice announced imperiously:
"Guess who it is, and you are free!"
"Guess!" exclaimed the old gentleman in some perplexity, "why, if I
were at home, I would know this was one of my little girl's tricks,
but I cannot imagine who it is here."
There was a musical, rippling laugh, as the hands were withdrawn,
and Mr. Winters, turning quickly, came near losing his pipe in
astonishment.
"Bless my soul, Leslie! what does this mean? Well, well! so it was my
little girl after all, up to her old tricks; but, child, how came you
out here, in such a place as this?"
At that moment, Houston or Rutherford would scarcely have recognized
Miss Gladden, could they have seen her seated beside Mr. Winters with
all the careless abandon of a child, laughing merrily in answer to his
numerous questions, while he playfully pinched her cheek, or pulled
her ear. To Mr. Winters, however, she seemed like one of his own
children, for Leslie Gladden was an orphan, and Mr. and Mrs. Winters,
having been deeply attached to her parents, and having no daughter of
their own, had always regarded her as a daughter, and much of her life
had been passed in their home.
"Well, puss," said Mr. Winters, having answered her inquiries
regarding his family, "seems to me it's about time you gave an account
of yourself; what are you doing here? and what have you been doing
since last Easter? and where are Helen and her husband?"
"One question at a time, if you please, sir," said Miss Gladden.
"That's right, giving the old man orders, as usual; we always spoiled
you, Leslie. Well, in the first place, what possessed you to leave us
in the way you did? We understood you had gone to spend Easter with
Helen; and the next we heard, Helen wrote her sister that they were
going to spend the summer traveling in the west, and that you were to
accompany them."
"I will explain that a little later; what is the next in order?"
"Is Helen here with you?"
"No, sir, she and George are in Denver."
"And who is stopping here with you?"
"No one; do you think I need a guardian, or a chaperon?"
The old man's eyes twinkled; "You always were an independent sort of a
girl, and pretty level-headed, too, I must admit; but, my dear child,
is it safe for you to be out here alone among the miners, and this
rough class of people?"
Miss Gladden laughed; "Did you see any very rough people to-day at
dinner?"
"Why no, to be sure, I did not, but then, there must be many of them
out here in this neighborhood."
"I never see them," said Miss Gladden, "I associate only with the
people you met to-day; no one here knows that I have wealth; so
really, I am safer here than at home, where I am known."
"But there is no society here," protested the old gentleman.
"I came here to get away from society; there is plenty of refined and
pleasant companionship, and if I have friends here, I know they are
sincere friends, not money worshipers, or fortune hunters."
"Oh, I see," said Mr. Winters, "the princess is out here in disguise,
seeking some knight who will love her for herself alone, and not for
her fortune."
"No," said Miss Gladden gravely, "I have not come out here seeking for
any knight, but to escape from a base, dishonorable and cowardly
knave."
"Has your cousin Humphrey been annoying you again?"
"Yes, he and his mother made life a burden to me, that was my reason
for leaving home as I did. Humphrey has sunk nearly every dollar of
their property by his profligacy, and now, he and his mother are
determined to have my fortune. Aunt exhausted all her stock of
melodramatic and sentimental language and her tears in trying to get
me to fulfill what she called my father's 'dying wish,' by marrying
that debauchee and libertine; then she tried threats, and finally
became so wild with rage, that she reminded me of the will, and told
me I should never marry any one else; that Humphrey should have the
property, as my father intended, sooner or later, if not with me, then
without me. I knew Helen intended to come west, and I went to her and
asked to let me travel with them. Now, you know my reason for leaving
so suddenly, and for not writing. We have all enjoyed our trip very
much; you know George came out on business, and when he was occupied,
of course it was pleasanter for Helen that I was with her. While we
were at St. Paul, George met some mining men, and he immediately began
to have symptoms of mining fever, and hearing of the mines out here,
he brought us out, among the mountains and miners. We came out when
the weather was warm and delightful, and Helen and I roamed over the
mountains while George explored the mines. Then he decided to go to
Denver, and I would probably have accompanied them, though I had
become attached to this place, but just then I heard that my cousin
had traced me to St. Paul, and was in pursuit, to renew his attentions
to me, so I decided to remain here where he will be less likely to
find me. Helen and her husband are in Denver, sworn to secrecy
regarding my whereabouts."
"Well, well!" exclaimed the old gentleman, meditatively, "I wouldn't
have thought your aunt would so far have forgotten herself. It was
unfortunate that your father made such a will, leaving everything to
Humphrey in case of your dying unmarried, but that was when you were
both children, and he was very fond of the little fellow. Leslie, my
dear, I wish you were married."
"But I am not, and perhaps never likely to be," Miss Gladden answered
merrily.
"Yes, and you might have been married twenty times over," said Mr.
Winters, shaking his head, "and my own boy, Harry, among the lot."
"Once is enough for me, papa dear," said Miss Gladden lightly, yet in
a more tender tone, "when the right one comes; but it could never have
been Harry, any more than his brother, Richard; you and mamma were
like parents to me, and the boys both seem like brothers."
"Have you found the right one, yet?" asked the old gentleman, watching
her keenly.
"As I told you, I am not looking for a knight," she answered brightly,
but the color deepened on her cheek, "if he ever comes, he must find
me."
Mr. Winters noted the telltale flush, and slowly shaking his head,
remarked, "I don't know, Leslie, about the advisability of leaving you
here; you were always inclined to be very philanthropic, and it would
be like you to adopt some young man out here, thinking you had money
enough for yourself and him, too; that clerk down at the office, for
instance, or this kid that was prancing around in eye-glasses."
"The 'kid' as you call him," Miss Gladden answered demurely, "has
plenty of money of his own, and Mr. Houston seems abundantly able to
take care of himself; if I adopt any one, it will be that beautiful
girl who waited on you at dinner."
"What is that, my dear?" said the old gentleman, brightening, "I
noticed that girl at the table to-day; she is remarkably fine looking,
and seemed to conduct herself like a perfect lady; who is she?"
Miss Gladden, in her enthusiastic manner, began telling him of Lyle,
and of the interest she had taken in her, but before she had proceeded
very far, the team appeared at the junction of the roads, the men
calling Mr. Winters.
"Bless my stars, if there isn't the team!" he exclaimed, "well my
little girl, good-bye for the present, you will see us both this
evening," and having given Miss Gladden a promise that neither he nor
his son would betray her secret, he hastened down the road to the
waiting team.
"Well, boys," he said, stopping to carefully empty the ashes from his
pipe on a projecting ledge of rock, "I will have to give you credit
for being on hand very promptly; that was about the shortest half hour
that I can remember."
A loud, ringing laugh greeted this remark, which caused Mr. Winters,
who was replacing his pipe in its case, to look up in mild wonder.
"That's one on you, father," called his son, while Mr. Blaisdell
remarked, "The time evidently has passed very pleasantly."
"What is the origin of all this mirth?" demanded Mr. Winters, as he
seated himself with considerable dignity.
"It seems," said Mr. Rivers, in explanation, "to be because you were
so unconscious of the lapse of time; we were delayed in getting
together our papers, and it is over an hour since we left the house."
"I looked for you at every turn of the road," said his son.
"I didn't," said Van Dorn, "I thought he had fallen asleep over his
pipe; I never dreamed he was disgracing the whole crowd of us by such
open flirtation as that,--I wish we had brought along a chaperon."
"Well, gentlemen," said Mr. Winters very deliberately, "all I have to
say is, that had you been in my place, the time would have seemed
equally short to you, and I don't think there's one of you but would
have been mighty glad to have been in my place."
"Mr. Winters," said Mr. Blaisdell, "I begin to think you're the
youngest man of our party."