Thurston of Orchard Valley

ne morning, Geoffrey Thurston limped painfully out of a redwood forest of British Columbia. The boom of a hidden river set the pine sprays qui

the grandeur of vast shadowy aisles, with groined roofs of red branches and mighty colonnades of living trunks, were partly lost upon the traveler who, most of the preceding night, ha

ng, but looking grimmer than ever, Geoffrey had continued his weary journey in search of sustenance. He frowned as he flung himself down beneath a fir, for, shimmering like polished

eavoring to sell the strength of his body for daily bread. Sometimes he had been successful, more often he had failed, but always, when he would accept it, the kindly bush settlers gave him freely of their best. As he basked in the warmth and brightness, he took from his pocket a few cents' worth of crackers. When he

torn, and an essential portion of one boot was missing. The stranger's face had been almost blackened by the snow-reflected glare of

tractor, Julius Savine, and a descendant, through her mother, from Seigneurs of ancient French descent who had ruled in patriarchal fashion in old-world Quebec. Jean Graham, whos

its there munching those crackers, instead of walking straight up and striking us

hat country where men from many different walks of life turned their often ill-fitted hands to the rudest labor that promised them a livelihood

what purpose the two girls had sought him. One he recognized as a type common enough throughout the Dominion-kindly, shrewd, somewhat hard-featured and ca

ork, perhaps?" said Helen Savine. Geoffrey lifted h

earn it. Yonder rock, which I believe is a loose boulder, obstructs our wagon trail. If yo

ty, and the words "If you would care to earn it," left a sting. Nevertheless, he reflected that any superfluous sensitiveness would be distinctly out of place in one of his position, a

, as far as possible in the rear, that they might not observe the condition of his at

lever, and spent another thirty minutes focusing his full strength on the opposite end. The rock, however, refused to move an inch, and, because a few crackers are not much for a hungry man to work on after an all-night march, Thurston became conscious that he had a headache and a distressful stitch in his side. Still, being obstinate a

ing all this trail up if you're doing nothi

e recollection of the summary manner in which the speaker had rejected his proffered services. "There are, however, folks in this country more wil

as figuring that I might help you. I thought you were a hobo after my chickens, or trying to b

n to laugh or to assault the rancher, who perhaps

y don't you British dukes stop right back in your own country

e two men tugged and panted. Th

no more time to spare. Say, Graham's a hard man, and has been playing it low on you. W

going to stay here until I do it," answered Geoffrey;

e said to Jean Graham in t

has put two good dollars' worth of work into that job al

asked Helen, and she drew her own

that way, and he di

ton restrained him from begging for a meal. His own dislike to acknowledge defeat also prompted him to decide that where weary muscles failed, mechanical power might succeed, and he determined to tram

wdered all over with dust and very weary, Thurston came in sight of the little wooden store, he noticed Bransome's hor

ey as indifferently as he could. "I have only two bits at present to pay for them, but if they do

e he cast at the applicant was not reassuring, and it is possible he might have refused h

t them special, and will pay me what they're worth to-morrow, I'll oblige you, and even lend you

l, and not a favor I'm asking," asserted Geoffrey gr

ng me? That's the crank who wanted to run your lake down, isn

; I'll go bail for him. He's just the man you mention, but I'm considerably less sure abo

strolled down the trail to ascertain how he was progressing. They looked at

by the river thinking poetry. This country's just thick with reposeful Britishers nobody at home has any use for,

said Helen, smiling. "Still, I am somewhat

t wonderful. Said he was a baronet or something, if he had his rights, and made love to Sally. Old fool Peters believed him, and lent him three hundred dollars to start a lawsuit over his English property with. Dessa

e of this morning, but I am disappointed, though I'm

ry still and cool. The life-giving air was heavy with the breath of dew-touched cedars, while the hoarse clamor of the river accentuated the hush of the mountain solitude. Strange to say, both of the girls were thinking about the vagrant, and Helen Savine, who considered herself a judge of character, had been more impressed by him than she would have cared to admit. There was no doubt, she ref

hat drew nearer up the valley, and a cloud of yellow smoke curling abo

powder from. Well, daddy's found his cattle, and the swearing will have made him hungry. I'l

more solid viands on the snowy tablecloth. Geoffrey found it difficult to refrain from glancing wolfishly at the good things until his eyes rested upon Miss Savine, and then it cost him an effort to turn them away. Helen reclined on an ox-hide lounge. An early rose rested among the glossy clusters of he

ck, and have brought t

ives cost you?" asked He

e the question? I engaged to remove the b

nterested in many enterprises in the neighborhood and she was prepared to be interested in whatever occurred. Few of her wishes ever had been thwarted, so, naturally, s

ovenanted wages, and

tion of his head. "Our bargain was one dollar, madam, and I

e warmer in her cheek and her eyes brighter, but she utt

r's generous hospitality, and a feeli

going to get it," she declared. "Sit right down t

the food. Then, remembering his frayed and tattered garments and the hole in his boot

d still, stupidly holding out the dainties at arm's length, while flavored syrup dripped from them. It was equally impossible to return them without flagrant discourtesy or to retire w

have known better than to play that trick with the dollar, but the poor man looked as if he needed it. He is ce

results, as trifles often do, because, if he had not satisfied his hunger, he would have limped back through the settlement towards the railroad and probably never would have re-entered the valley. As it

utting to run the water clear of my meadows," said the rancher,

l, just then I had my doubts about you; now I figure that if you say you can do a thing, you ca

usiness at the settlement first. Will you advance me a dollar, on a

But didn't you get a dollar from

n. "I want two," an

our country I've met over here," he observed with a smile. "But come

of superstition in his nature, he intended to keep Helen Savine's dollar. It was the first coin that he had earned as hi