The Winning of Barbara Worth

trees, sadly civilized Indians sold Kansas City and New Jersey-made curios--stopped and went on again along the rim of The King's Basin, through San Antonio P

lain; from prospecting trip, mine or ranch; the adventurer, the promot

y was changed but little since that day when Texas Joe brought the outfit with the child safely out of the Desert, the people came and went always as is the manner of their moving kind. T

e words of admiring comment; the townspeople with cheerful greetings--a wave of the hand or a nod when they caught her eye

t. "Look, George, she is wearing a divided skirt and riding a man'

xas and Pat; and though ornamental was not for ornament. The girl often went alone, as she was going to

. The khaki-clad figure was so richly alive--there was such a wealth of vitality; such an abundance of young woman's strength; such a glow of red blood expressed in e

hat made her, on horseback, so good to look at. Every movement and gesture expressed perfect health. The firm flesh of her rounded cheeks and full throat was warmly browned and glowing with the abundance of red blood in her veins. Though framed in a mass of waving brown hair under a wide sombrero, her features were not pretty. The mo

hursday afternoon at Miss Colson's? We had a perfectly l

iss Colson didn't like it a bit. She had an exquisite luncheon, and yo

t doesn't care at all for afternoon parties, do you old boy?"--with another pat--"so what could I do? I didn't like to hurt Miss Colson's feelings, of course, but I didn't like to hurt Pilot's feelings either; and the day was so perfect and Pi

"I guess it was possession all right. Could anything on ear

rmer's property. Personally Mr. Worth would be glad to accommodate him. But the loan had already been extended three times and there were good reasons why the bank must call it in. T

ured. He could not blame Mr. Worth, of course. He understood that it was business, but still--The farmer searched that cold, mask-like face for a ray of hope as a man might hold out his hands for pity to a machine. He was

us power that looked out of her eyes and spoke in every movement of her body, came through the bronze grating at the window and carried down the room. Jefferson Worth paused. With the farmer he faced the open door of his apartment. Every man in

alone. How do you do, Mr. Wheeler? And how

y. "Fine, Miss Barbara, fine, thank you. All we need in the world now is

ked at him now the banker felt a little as he had felt that night in the Desert, when

't you father? You know how hard Mr. Wheeler works and what trouble he has

ed loudly. Jeffe

at poor Mexican family down by the wagon yard--the Garcias. Pablo's leg was broken in the mines, y

o handed a paper to the banker. "Th

dically he affixed his name to the document. Then to the

s he answered: "Yes,

l Mrs. Wheeler I'm going to ride out to see her soon

d-by! I'll tell the wife. W

in tone as they turned again to the business in hand. "I guess we can fix you out this time, Wheeler.

were scattered in careless disorder to the very edge of the barren Mesa. Beyond the wagon yard Barbara turned Pilot toward a whitewashed house that stood by itself on the extreme outskir

lady's horse. You Juanita, drive that dog away. This is not the manner to receive a lad

orderly, while the manner of the woman, though quietly respectful and warmly grateful, s

he bedside, spoke, still in the soft, musical tongue of the South, to th

on of dumb devotion. "Yes, I think it gets better right along. But it is slow and it is hard to lie here doing nothing for the mother an

them every few days, caring for their wants as indeed she helped many of Rubio City's worthy poor. For this work Jefferson Worth gave her without question all the money that she asked and often expressed his interest in h

ouragingly, with understanding asking after their needs. Then, placing a gold

y her friends to Jefferson Worth's home. But where the old road crosses the railroad tracks, and leads northwest

lors. Nearer ahead were the hills, brown and tawny, with blue shadows in the canyons shading to rose and lilac and purple as they stretched their long lengths away toward the lofty, snow-capped sentinels of the Pass. Free from the city with its many odors, the dry air was invigorating like wine and ca

ooking away over La Palma de la Mano de Dios. It was to this point that Barbara so often came, and as she looked now over the miles and miles of that

manhood, and the Seer, whose work after the completion of the S. and C. called him to many parts of the West, managed every few months a visit to the girl he loved as his own. To Mr. Worth who, as far as it was possible for him to be, was in all things a father to her, Barbara gave in return a daughter's love, but she had never been able to enter into the life of the banker as she entered into the life of the engineer. So it was the Seer who became, after Mrs. Worth, the dominant influence in forming the character of the motherless girl. His dreams of Reclamation, his plans and effor

was she? Who were her people? What was the name to which she had been born? What was the life from whic

hat loosely fastened together with sinews almost as hard as the frame-work. His face, thin and rugged, was burned to the color of saddle leather. He was dressed in corduroy trousers, belted and tucked in high-laced boots, a soft gray shirt and slouch hat

om his feet, stretched away miles and miles to the purple mountain wall on the west. So still was he and so intent in his study of the landscape, that a horned-toad, which had dodge

coat a field glass, while at his movement the horned-toad and the lizard scurried to cover. Adjusting his glass he easily made out the figure of the girl on horseback, who was coming

w he forgot the scene that had so interested him and continued to gaze at her, until, as the girl turned her face in his direction and apparently looked straight at him, he dropped the glass in embarrassed confusion, forgetting for the instant that at that distance, with his gray and yell

led and fallen. After a few struggling efforts to rise the animal lay still. The girl did

e looked slowly around, striving to collect her scattered senses. She knew the place but could not remember how she came there. And where was her horse-- Pilot? And how came that can

eached for her gun.

ve gesture, halted; then, coming nearer, sile

nt before, Barbara caught the weapon from the out-stre

w back a few paces and stretched

?" asked the

ically, adding as if it were an

did I get here? Wher

fall and went to you the quickest way. You were u

free hand to her forehead and found it wet. Her eyes fell on the canteen and the color came back into her face wi

xpecting to find the Chief, who wrote me from New York to meet him here with an outfit. He has not arrived

e financial possibilities of the reclamation work. At the stranger's explanation of his presence she regar

that it was you," he answered. "You are th

h Barbara, eagerly--"

might take my hands down now? I'm unarmed you know and

him. She dropped the gun with a confused laugh. "I beg your pardon, A--Mr. Lee. I did not

e sharp blue eyes of the surveyor.

about you and I have thought about you so much. But I did not realize, though, that you were a big, grown-up man. The Seer always speaks of you as a boy and so I have always called you my

banker's home? He was more alone in the world than Barbara. Save for the Seer he had no one. Texas and Pat he had met at intervals when they came together on some construction work, and always they had talked about her; while the engineer had often told him of Barbara's interest in her "brother"; and sometimes the Seer even shared with him her letters. But all this had only served to emphasize the d

of the reason and gently sought to relieve the situation. "I thi

was filled with sympathy as he replied:

ot? Oh! you don't

up. There was nothing that could possibly be done for him. He

and taking from the pocket of his flannel shirt tobacco and papers, rolled a cigarette. A deep inhalation and the gray cloud rose slowly from his lips and nostrils. Stooping he carefully gathered a handful of sharp pebb

be going now"--he h

ank you--Abe. Can we go back over the hill there

ping her eyes fixed ahead so as not to see the dead horse on the plain below. When the top of the hill was between them an

aiting for some one. Sometimes I think it must be for me. I fear it--hate it--love it so." Her voice vibrated with strong passion

here often?" he

the finest place to see it. The Seer always comes out here with me when he can.

you know," he answered slowly.

ll be. Listen! Don't you hear it calling? I think

would humor a child. "Perha

you shall see! I believe, though, that the Seer thinks that I am right, only he always says as you do that th

ened their eyes. The great James Greenfield himself had read an article of the Seer's on "Reclamation from the Investor's Point of View" and had written him. As a result of their correspo

was a little gray, and to a close observer, his face in repose revealed a touch of sadness--that indescribable look of one who is beginning to feel less sure of himself, or rather who, from many disappointments, is beg

nd he had some work to do. When he was gone Barbara joined her father and the engineer on the porch. "Here

a pleased tone, helping himself to a cool,

ve his evening smoke on the porch and that Barbara should be the keeper of supplies. She liked to see her friend's strong face

ra?" the big engineer asked when his cigar was go

idn't have a chance. I always d

ke an oyster and the rest of the time he was so mad at himself for be

did!" retorted Barba

ger, cold, thirst, heat, wet, seem to make no impression on him. He can out-walk, out-work, outlast and out-guess any man I ever met. He has the instinct of a wild animal for finding his way and the coldest nerve I ever saw. His honesty and loyalty amount almost to fanaticism. But he is diffident and shy as a school girl and as sensitive as a bashful boy. I verily believe he knows more to-day about the great engineering projects in the West than nine-tenths of the school men but I've seen him sit fo

s the match went out she drew a long breath. "I'm glad you said th

at the very air was electric with the coming of a mighty age when the race would direct its strength to the t

she said wistfully, as she stood with him a moment at the gate,

swered: "Some day, perhap

will," she

the Seer felt that sweet, mysterious power of her personality--felt it with a fa