Thurston of Orchard Valley

t on two handfuls of crackers and one of hot corn cakes. When the meal was finished and pipes were lighted, the two men surveyed e

ch, though foreign to his real nature, the Canadian bushman occasionally adopts for diplomatic purposes. Thurston, h

freshet harvests my timothy grass for me. Now cutting down three-hundred-foot redwoods is good as exercise, but it gets monotonous, and a big strip of natural p

ned to think that a series of heavy charges fired simultaneously along the natura

culations with Bransome's pencil. A humming-bird, resplendent in gold and purple, blundered in between the roses shrouding the open window, and ho

e rancher said. "Let's get down to business. How much are you asking, no cure

ashion before, but he could adapt himself to circu

hat I can trust you, and my word's good enough in this locality. Run that pond down a fathom and you'll get your money. Any particular reason wh

ions, a blanket, and a litter of tools, outside a ruined shack on the edge of the

e of waters had set a limit to the all-encroaching bush. The wail of a loon rang eerily out of the shadow, and was answered by the howl o

t this place. Five years he tried to drain it, working night and day, and pouring good money into it, and five times the freshets washed out his crops for him. The creek just laughed at his ditches. Then when he'd no more money he we

was the hardest way. He should have cut the mother rock instead of trenching the forest." When Bransome drove away Thurston rolled himself in the thick brown

gs and passed the other way, and the pale green points of luminescence that twinkled in the surrounding bush, and were the eyes of timber wolves, faded again. Neither did the d

, is a difficult operation, damaging to the knuckles of the man attempting it. He waded waist-deep in water, learned to carry heavy burdens on his shoulder, and found his interest in the task growing upon him. He felt that much depended upon the successful completion of his contract. It was not, however, all monotonous labor, and there were compensations, for, after each day's toil was done, he lay prone on scente

ermination still remained. But he was not wholly cut off from human intercourse, for at times some of the scattered ranchers would ride over to offer impracticable advice or to predict his failure, and Geoffrey listened quietly, answering that in time it would be proved which was right. Sometimes, he tramped through scented shadow to Graham's homestead and discu

ically tested arrived, and most of the ranchers drove ov

talking with the experimenter. The rich wet meadows were heavy with flag and blossom to the edge of the driftwood frieze, and the

w you are going to spoil it a

spection. Her thin summer dress, with the cluster of crimson roses tucked into

's lips as she recognized that the general tribute to the picturesque was as far as Bransome dared venture in

what has a man brains given him for, unless it's to turn the wilderness into cheese and butter. It has broken one man's heart, and

better say-a simple fool," Helen answered mischie

en, but to-day I'm ready to back that man to pu

changed to advantage since she first saw him. His keen eyes, which she had noticed were quick to flash with anger, had grown more kindly and the bro

e with a bow that was significant. "You appear interested, Miss Savine. We are trusting to the shock of a number of charges fired simultaneously, and perhaps you had better retire near

re enterprising laborer, she was too proud to assume any air of condescension. S

the gorge. The rancher halted discreetly when his companion, taking a brand from a fire near it, clambered over the bo

broke into a smart trot. They were heading for the bush until Geoffrey, halting near it, ran back at full speed towa

f you will be," and the eyes of the spectators grew wide as they watched the two running figures, for the ranc

nd him before he took up the chase again. Single cries sharper than the rest rose out of the clamor, "Blown to glory bo

elen Savine fancied she could hear the assembly breathing unevenly, and felt a pricking among the roots of her hair, while she struggled with an impulse which prompted her to cry aloud or in any wild fashion to break the torturing

" said the hoarse voice of a

an, twining her brown fingers together, cried,

long swinging strides, gaining steadily on the one before him. They were near enough for those who watched to see that the fear of sudden death was stamped upon their perspiring faces. Then, as they passed a spur of rock out-crop, Thurston leaped upon the leader, hurled him forwa

was mingled with a loud splashing, or a heavy crash as some piece of greater weight drove hurtling through the trees or plunged into the lake.

is garments, turned to his compan

ight have spoiled the whole blast if the two bad fuses had failed to fire their shots. Of course, I'm grate

ared at the speaker with some wonder

ne back to stir up those two charges. What took me?-well, I figured you had turned suddenly crazy, and I was in a

but it meant the recognition of a bond between them

us seconds looking for? If I wasn't too scared to notice any

but I would not like to lose it, and-I had one eye on the fuses-there seemed a second or two to sp

watching the released waters thunder down the gorge,

erstand what happe

ed out, and sooner than risk anything he must light them again. I don't quite understand all the rest of it, either, for he's not a mean man, and why he should stay fooling on top of a

y a man should risk his life for the sake of a silver coin. She could

ranch and by degrees he and Miss Savine gravitated away from the others. They were interested in subjects

young. The pines were black on their lower slopes, and white mists filled the valley, out of which the song of the river rose in long reverberation

d, if there had been, the results would have justified it," Geoffrey replied. "The failure of two charges might have spoiled all my work for m

Have you no further ambition, and do you like

, one is glad to earn a living as one can," he said. "I am afraid I am a somewhat ambitious person. I consider this

yes. "That is hardly fair or civil. You

of his eyes as he noticed, for the moon was high, the

out of gentle compassion, you offered me a dollar. Well, I earned that dollar, an

it judicious to watch a gray blur of shadow moving across the snow. She had sometimes wondered what he wore at one end of that cross-pattern chain, for rock cutters do not usually adorn themselves with such trinkets, but, rememberi

, is only the beginning. It appeared impossible to move the boulder from your wagon trail, and I did it. The neighbors declared nobody coul

somewhat egotistica

may ask you to admit that I have made it good. I'm not avaricious, and desire money only as means to an end.

erred Helen. "But will the end or

answere

to judge that,

s man it was different. What he meant she would not at the moment ask herself, but, though she rather admired his quietly confident tone, it nettled her, and yet, without begging an awkw

ing," she told him rather unsteadily. She paused a second, and, with an