Thurston of Orchard Valley

Miss Savine's indignation to cool. He had thought of her often since the day that she gave him the dollar, and, at first still smarting under the memory of another woman's treachery, had tried to an

ome suddenly conscious of the all-important fact, that his life would be empty without Helen Savine,

he cost, he realized that he must first bid boldly for a name and station, and with all patience bide his time. A more cold-blooded man might have abandoned the quest as hopeless at the

who desired to visit the wife of a prosperous rancher. It was towards noon of a hot day when they alighted from their horses in the mouth of a gorge that wound inland from the margin of a lake. No breath of wind ruffled the s

n Thurston before he was aware of them. Geoffrey stood with a heavy hammer in his hand critically surveying a somewhat seedy man who was just then offering his serv

said that he was an Englishman, and used to estimating quantities, would b

d. "However, if you are hard up you can earn two dollars a

ed at the prospect of wheeling rock, and Ge

t much work out of that

g in Helen's face, restrained the answer he was about to make. "You will be tired after your rough ride, a

pers on the maple desk were silver-mounted. The tall, dusty man in toil-stained jean produced thin glasses, into which he poured mineral waters and California wine. A tin of English biscuit

oung Englishman, who had grown tired of wheeling the barrow, stood outside t

m. He added, with an easy assurance that drew a frown to the contractor's face, "It's a considerable come-down for me to have t

worth it," answered Geoffrey, dryly. "Would you car

en't been trained to manual labor, and I'm not so strong as

you. I could afford to be decent? Perhaps so, but I earn my money with considerably more effort than you seem willing to make. The cook w

he contractor came in, to say that he wanted to look around the workings. He suggested that Helen should remain somewhere in the shade. When Thurston had placed a canvas lounge for her, outside the tent, the girl turned towards him a look of seve

nate' myself," Geoffrey reminded Helen, who answered quick

eclared, looking straight at her. "I was glad to work up to my waist in ice-water to make, at first, scarcely a dollar

ad never forgotten how she had failed in the attempt to double the amount for which he had bargained. She had conside

. "The poor man may not be fit for hard work-I think he said so-and I cannot help growing

le, which summoned the forem

ving his willingness to be useful by helping t

her to be gratified or angry, and Geoffrey answered,

past him, "if that was your o

his daughter part of the way to the ranch. When he rode back into camp alone an hour

have it, and don't ask questions. I shall b

Savine lay very still on a canvas lounge, gripping one of its rails hard for long, anxi

the speaker. "I'll tell you in confidence, but neither my daughter nor my rivals must hear of this," he said at length. "It is part of the pr

lly am. When one gets more than his due share of this world's good things, he must generally pay for it-see? If you don't, remember as an axiom that one can buy success too dearly. Meantime, and to come

id Geoffrey, and Savine, wh

hould tell you this, it isn't quite like me, but the seizure shook me, and I just feel that way. Besides, in return for your promise,

my daughter's mother when I'd finished it. I had risen at a bound from working foreman-she was the daughter of one of the proudest poverty-stricken Frenchmen in old Quebec. Well, it would make a long story, but I married her, and she taught me much worth knowing, besides helping me

om a workman who left the mine to serve me, so I caught the first train, made a long journey, and rode over a bad pass to reach the shaft. How I dealt with the manager doesn't greatly matter, but though I neither bribed nor threatened him he showed me what I wanted to see. I rode back over pass and down moraine through blinding snow, went on without rest or sleep to the city, borrowed what I could-I wasn't so well known then, and it was mighty little-and bought up as much of that mine's stock on margins as the money woul

nk you for your confidence, sir, and will respect it, but even yet I am not quite

d it may help you to understand me. I heard of you at your first beginning. I figured that you were taking hold as I had done be

had been waiting at a house far down the trail, rode back towards th

en?" asked Savine. "You generally have a qu

repels one-something harsh, almost sinister, though this would, of course, in no way affect his business relations w

ay want work done, comes along-or perhaps brought in by mounted messenger for Miss Savine's special benefit. Thurston lives on pork and potatoes, an

ually successful. You have rather a weakness, father, for growing enthusiastic o