The Girl from Keller's

A row of sandhills glimmered faintly against the blue haze in the east, but the western edge of the plain ran in a hard black li

when he threw a handful into the stove a blaze streamed out and the light shone upon the wall. Festing noted that the portrait that had hung there had gone, and looking round in se

u doing, Bob

he sat down among the litter. "Proper thing when you mean

k. Stooping down, he began to pick up the papers, which, for the most part, looked like bills. There were, however, a few le

to be burne

on't want them about to

ed. They had, no doubt, once been valued for the giver's sake; dainty hands had touched them; the locket had rested on somebody's whit

er if you used a b

somewhere. Can't remember where I put anything to-night.

urned it with the other truck, but I got that from Sadie, and there'll be trouble if sh

give you

tless brute. But there's something else I w

ed a small white square laying half hidden by the stove. Picking it up, he saw it was the portrait of the English girl, and resolv

ow of the burning paper flickered about the room and touched his face. His hair was ruffled, his eyes were dull, and his mouth had a slack droop. Festing felt some pity for the man, though he was also sensible of scornful impatience. The smell of burned paper di

something I couldn't find. Suppose I

Festing, who felt guilty. "Wh

to begin again with what they call a clean slate. Beside

of the debts by b

grin. "Unfortunately obvious, in fac

e how that

amuse themselves by fi

"A rather childish trick! It

you might be a bit sympathetic, because I've had a nasty knock.

nd Charnock's manner seemed to indicate that

p unless you came to terms with them, but one would

a way, one thing depended on the other. Perhaps I oughtn't to have said so,

e you going t

u any reason t

Festing. "Sadie's ra

die's charm. Moreover, he imagined that the girl liked him and consciously used her power, although with a certain reserve and modesty. For all that, he fought agai

we are, and doesn't expect too much; not the kind of girl to

ion of the girl. For all that, Sadie might not be so willing to make al

ing has advantages," he

that you're expected to keep on a high plane soon gets tiresome; be

g assented. "Anyway, i

ough there was a touch

ve had a knock and am not quite sober, so I can't argue the po

you going to do when your

I'm going to help Keller

e stopped longer than I me

nd. Then he paused and gave Festing a suspicious look. "It's curious about that

e had enough. In fact, it might have been better when you were

was that he was throwing away his opportunities of rising to a higher plane; while Bob was satisfied with his present level Sadie was good enough for him, perhaps too good. Life together might be hard for both, and there was a touch of pathos in his burning all

lt that they were friends. She was calm and fearless and would face trouble with the level glance he knew, although now and then, when the lamp flickered in the draught, he had thought she smiled. They had been companions on evenings when Charnock wanted to read the newspap

ovement. He had it! When he was in British Columbia, engaged on the construction of a section of the railroad that was being built among the mountains, he met a young Englishman at a mining settlement. The lad had been il

when Festing went to the prairie he lost touch with the lad. The latter wrote to him once or twice, but he was too busy to keep up the correspondence. Now he knew it was something in Dalton's fa

they were related. He pushed back his chair and got up. It looked as if he was in some danger of becoming a romantic foo

said. "Probably you haven't heard that I've got orders where to

s his superior in the company's se

ard. I'm anxi

and Festing's

Since they want the best men on the difficult work

n a sense,"

He had courage and decision, and it was his habit to face a crisis boldly. "Now,"

e of a post, so long as there's

t kind, where a man would have

ersonally, and judge by a man's training and the certificates he's got. Of course, in sp

to trust to luck. In fact, my only recommendations are a kind of practical ability a

"It's your strong point, but I've

there's not a man on my section does that kind of thing better. Still, I'm not sure you always see quite far enough. You miss what lies ahead and sometimes, so to

content with a second or third best post, I can stop; if I want to go as far as my power of concentration m

ion when it's likely to be of use, but you said something t

mpty formalities, and much general stupidity in organized effort, and good work is often wasted. When you see things that demand to be do

n," Kerr remarked. "But what are you

ad to make a momentous choice, but had kno

ad building; up to now I've got on rather by determination than knowledge. Then, i

ed doors in oth

y to let you through, and unless you have a properly stamped ticket,

outside with badly jarred hands. Frost and r

st and can overcome them, if you're stubborn enough. What I really mean is, you don't

choice, but hope you won't forget me when you leave us. You'll h

a suitable piece of land. Living in camp, he had saved the most part of his pay, and had inherited a small sum from an English relative. I

years, for the most part at camps where no amusement was possible, and resolved to take a holiday. He would go back to England, where he had a few friends, although his relatives were dead. This was