The Prospector

ail. Loon Lake

soul. It was a kindly face withal, and with humour lurking about the eyes and mouth. During the day and night spent with him Shock had come to feel that in this man there was anchorage for any who might feel themselves adrift, and somehow the great West, with its long leagues of empty prairie through which he had passed, travell

the Convener; "follow that; i

a tug at his heart and a qu

e his heart is, and his he

face. Did he suspect, Shock wondered, the

preted aright the thrill in the voice that told of the old lady left behind. But now, as Shock glanced at his Convener's face, there was nothing to indicate any hidden meaning in his words. The sp

t's Mr. McIntyre's manse, and proud of it they all are, I can tell you. You will stay with him over night-a fine fellow you will find him, a Nova Scotian, very silent; and better than himself is the little brave woman he has for a wife; a really superior woman. I sometimes won

he call of the new land was ever ringing in his heart

ve back before the spirit of high courage and enterprise which breathed through

nd cowboys I told you of last night. Some good men, and some of them devils-men good by nature, devils by circumstance, poor fell

tant flowing hills. Then he turned to Shock a

d. "To me!

ll come across him, unless he has gone to the mountains. For thirteen years that man has hunted the gulches for mines. There are y

em apart. "Well, what that chap grips he'll hold until he wants to le

d looked after the buckboard heading toward the southe

ve him a time, I fear," and again the Convener smiled to himself. As he came to the brow of the hill, where the trail dipped into the river bottom in which the little town lay that constituted the nucleus of his parish, he paused and, once more turning, looked after

ries of his missionaries, rendered necessary by the disproportio

ce more after Shock in case there should be a final

old problem with the Convener, whose solution lay not with

A horrible fear had been growing upon him ever since his failure, as he considered it, with the Convener's congregation the night before. It helped him not at all to remember the kindly words of encouragement spoken by the Convener, nor the sympathy that showed in his wife's voice and manner. "They felt sorry for me," he groaned aloud. He set his jaws hard, as men had seen him when going into a scrim on the football field. "I

egiments, then in outpost pickets, and last of all in lonely rigid sentinels. But far above the loneliest sentinel pine, cold, white, serene, shone the peaks. The Highland blood in Shock's veins stirred to the call of the hills. Glancing around to make sure he was quite alone-he had almost never been where he could be quite sure that he would not be heard-Shock raised his voice in a shout

ast been our

eratio

ever hadst b

ins, great

nobler self. To all true appeal they give back answer, but to the heart regarding iniquity, like God, they make no response. They never obtrude themselves, but they smile upon his joys, and in his sorrow offer silent sympathy, and ever as God

e of God, and at night while he slept keeping unslumbering guard like Jehovah himself. All day as he drove up the interminable slopes and down again, the mountains kept company with him, as friends might

, low-roofed building, which seemed to have been erected in sections

d against the jam

" said Sho

then answered as if making a concession of some impo

remains of dinner on a table, determi

t was a matter of supreme indifference to him, to Shock it migh

ce Creek?" en

old man with slow deliberation, adding after a few m

ch heartiness that the old man deigne

?" he e

N

po

little,

land's pretty well taken u

fe beyond cattle, sport, and prospecting that could

hock, "prospecti

was obviou

de, anyway. Pretty chilly wind

. The old man dr

juice?" he enquired i

" said

" winking and lowering his

ain I guess I'll take a littl

t to the corner of the room, pushed back a table, pul

police fellers, instead of attending to their business,

the plank that did for a counter, too

satisfaction, "you'll find

and smelt it. "Why, it's whisk

ld man. "You're a dandy;

f humour. Shock hesitated a moment or two, loo

" he said

fty cents to you," said

s glass slowly, carried it to the d

blank do you mean?" The old man

e," said Sh

de himself with rage; "I aint goin

sul

matter with

as I know, but I w

ent somewhat subdued his anger. "L

ed for," replied S

d man. "But what in blank, bl

lse could I

nity isn't more than twenty-five persons, but every last one of 'em twe

't know the ways of your country, but where I

t upon the subjec

rk to yourself that while there may be a few things you might do with it, there's just one you can't. There's only one sp

hock's face as if he found

, "you see, I couldn't dri

on the chest, "if I could only be sure you'd keep fresh I'd put you in a

disgust were giving

u, anyway?"

ector." Shock's mind reverted, as he spoke,

d the old man. "Wha

, m

ooked as if he could

ck again simply

uzzled. He tried to g

he enquired. "I mean wh

ooking far past Bill down the tr

rprise. Was the man mad? Putting the incident of the w

squarely. "That's my business. I am after men." He drew from his pocket

le he looked relieved

now! You're a

I'm cut out for that, somehow." Here Bill brightened slightly. "I tried last night in town," continued Shoc

eagerly, "Because if you are, I know a goo

n make up in some other ways. I may be able to help some fellows a bit." The

in his gruff voice. "There's the blankest l

t. He was on the

g with them?

up with cattle, horses, and outfit to beat creat

th them?" persisted S

whisky they are like a lot of hogs in a swill trough, and they won't quit while

this a Prohib

permit for all he wants to use, besides all that the

or chaps. It must be pre

reason for a man's bein' a fool. I a

seen lots of men that don't, and they're the fel

med a litt

the fools unless you round '

re of a little tickling in his stomach t

lied Bill, "every fellow's

little after the other fel

'," interrupted Bill ea

is not ver

of c

along that is already sliding toward a precipice is pretty mean busin

ess," said

n down who is already on the incline. I think I'd feel mean, and if I can

frank, respectful, and sincere, and at the same time he was sharp enough to see th

man sliding down one of those rocks there," pointing to the great mountains in the distan

ve I'd try," s

it for you," continued Shock,

Bill indignantly, "wh

wn fast about here, you say. What are you doing abou

d, so come right on. You're line aint mine, but you're white. I say, though," continued Bill, unhitching the cayuse, "it's a pity you've taken up that preachi

d and then

only once, and nothing else seeme

preac

he fact is," and, Shock looked over the cayuse's back into Bill's eyes, "e

aint much in anything, anyway. When your horse is away at the front leadin' the bunch and everybody yellin' for you, you're happy, but when

s vanity,'" quoted Shock. "

e a gait, too. Had them all lookin' dizzy, I re

had so far broken through the barriers of reserve as to venture mutual confidences about the past. After Shock had told the uneventful story of his life, in which his mother, of course, was the central figure, Bill sat a few moments in silence, and then began: "Well, I never knew my mother. My father was a devil, so I guess I came naturally by all the devilment in me, and that's a few. But"-and here Bill paused for some little time-"but I had a sweet

u had no one else to l

old a little, ranched a little, Just like now, gambled a little, sold whi

y old man whose life lay in the past, grey and colourless, except for that single bright spot where love had made its

k, fierce grip, his hard, withered

ard to keep his voice steady,

about mine," sa

has got into me, anyway? How'd he git me on to that line? Say, what a bunco steerer he'd make! And with that face and them eyes of his! No, 'taint th

uld be loath to lose. He stood at his door a moment, looking in upon the cheerless jumble of boxes and furniture, and then turning, he gazed across the sunny slopes to where