contained a request for the mining engineer to come and see her at his first opportunity. That was all that was said, and he pondered over it deeply. W

ell him what she thought of him in coolly considered, cold-measured terms? Or was she penitently striving to make amends for the unmerited

titude being strictly non-committal against the moment she should disclose hers. But without beating about the bush, in that way of hers which he had come already to admire, she a

t peace with myself until I had seen you and told you h

r. "I assure you I can appreciate your side of it; and though, looking at it theoretically, it was the

es

ot leave the social stand-point out of our reckoning. But so far as I may

not true. You know that you acted for the best; you know that I hurt you, insulted

as though to ward from her

hat I was close to weeping. Then you came on the scene,-you know what you did,-and the sorrow for her bred an indignation against you, and-we

ither of us

uch so then as now. But do be seated. Here we stand as though

hed, adroitly pulling his chair into posi

I-I almost struck you. And you were certainly brave when the whip hung ov

lls among come nevertheless to

queried, a

depends," he

hstanding, I

e to be f

r flare. Ah! I have it," clapping her hands in delight, "I was not angry with you yesterday; nor did I behave rudely to you, or even threaten you. It was utterly impersona

o-day. You make me out all that is narrow-minded and mean and despicable, which is very unjust. Only a few minutes past

tter. Though I deplore it, I grant it; for the human is so made. But I grant it socially only. I, as an individual, choose to regard such things differently. And as between individuals so minded, why should

for the herd? You would be a democrat in theory and an aristocrat in practice?

qual, with a bundle of natural rights thrown in? You are going to have Del Bishop work

ve to modify somewhat the que

f my position, which is neither so Jesuitical nor so harsh as you have defined it. But don'

teful topic," C

seek kn

be wholesome

foot impatiently,

beautiful," she suggeste

utiful

eautiful," s

nd she is as cruel, and hard, a

of her to which you are blind. And so strongly did I see it, that when you appeared my mind was blank to all save the solitary wail, Oh, t

thousand of Jack Dorsey's dust,-Dorsey, with two mortgages already on his dump!

ately thrust her finger into the flame. Then she held it up t

The fire is very good, but I

obedience to natural law. Lucile is a free agent.

get, for just as surely

Is that her name? I w

't! You hurt me when

why,

se-bec

es

by it. It hurts me because of the honor in which I hold you, because I cannot bear to see taint approach

ips which he did not notice, and a just per

ome things which it were not well for a good woman to un

name was Lucile; you display a knowledge of her; you have given me facts about her; you doubtless re

t I

ontamination. Because I am a woman, I may not. Contamination contami

e too much for me with your formal logic. I can only fall

ich

n wills for woman,

men, have willed since the beginning of time. So poor Dorsey willed. You cannot answer, so let me speak something that occurs

n

matter, you did not know it was uppermost. But the expression on your face, I imagine, was very like tha

ur pardon. I d

you for it. Don't you remember, I, too, was a

ed out of the battle." Her eyes were sparkling mischievously, and the w

ds of the potter,"

e and apologetic, you made it easier for me by saying that you could on

ss no

cal, I turned the conversation to Lucile, s

he n

n relation to me. There are your two propositions, sir. You may only stand on one, and I feel sure that you stand on the last one. Yes, I

l further analysis, with your help, put me straight. Say what you will, F

e as gods, knowi

gods," he shook

the me

" he frowned. "Equal rights

ent with myself, you choose to misunderstand it all and to lay wrong strictures upon me. I do try to be consistent, and I think I fairly succeed; but you can see neither rhyme nor reason in my consistency. Perhaps it is because you are unused to consistent, natu

mebody enter the hall, and a heavy,

ded hurriedly, and Corli

ned broad insinuation and looked about po

we were pining for some one to come along. If you hadn't, w

on fairly," she smiled back. "In fac

ticised, dropping his loose-jointed frame

rliss asked. "Any publ

and the market's loosened some considerable. Jest what Welse figgered on, everybody speculated on a rise and held all the grub they could lay hand to. That helped scare the shorts, and away they stampeded fer Salt Water, the whole caboodle, a-t

ink

down into the Lower Country next week to buy up five hundred of the best huskies they

ng. "But you got pinch

ch reminds me. I've got a noospaper, an' only f

ited States

d his arms for silence, cutting off Frona's ques

read it?" they

line, advertis

l me," Frona

ifty dollars-caught the man comin' in round the bend above Klondike City, an' bought it on

does it

s. So I invited a select number of 'em to come here to yer parlors to-night, Miss Frona, ez the only likely place, an' they ki

y are welcome. And y

er's son and daughter that gits a squint at that paper to-night got to pony up five cups of sugar. Savve? Five cups,-big cu

ter came back into it. "Won't it be jolly? I'll do it

plimentary, you know, fe

s five cups. You must

reciatively. "I'll git i

she promised, "at the tail

a cup'll be about the right thing, I reckon." He sat up and cracked his huge knuckles boastfully. "I ain't ben a-burnin' daylight sence naviga