A Romance of South Dome [pp. 57-74]

fU6 X~~A Roiimance of Soutli Donie. [Ju,
toward Chinese Camp, and his thoughts were "Dear Uncle John, this is all a joke of mi
something like this: "By Jove, suppose I and you must not blame Grace. The f
should choose to take home an American is, I thought you needed a little lesson in
wife! Oh, mother and the girls would like management of girls," (stroking his face w
it well enough. How could they help it?" her small hand) "and I undertook to tea
and he glanced shyly at Frank, half fearful it. I am engaged to Mr. Roberts, and ha
lest she should read his thoughts. been for two years. We are to be marr
That young lady was fast coming to a de- in the fall, so you see there is no need of
vision which seemed to her a possible safe- ing afraid of him."
guard, although it proved to be but the pro- She said this with the prettiest little blu
verbial straw at which the drowning grasp. and he, at first inclined to be angry, was
The next time her uncle showed uneasiness relieved at the state of affairs, just as Fra
about Ted, she would just go and confess had conjectured, that he gave them bo
that she was engaged to him, and that they some advice about trifling with sober thin
had been playing a little trick, and beg his and let them go.
forgiveness. She trusted to the relief that Frank did not feel so happy as she thoug
her uncle would feel at this state of affairs she would after this confession, but she
to keep him in good humor with her and fected her usual gaiety, and the party, n
Grace, and she thought that having her un- day, seemed not to have a sorrow in
cle as a witness to her obligations to Rob- world.
berts would help her to be strong. They passed deserted mining towns, wh
An opportunity soon came. The last the wind blew through the windowless hous,
night before entering the Valley was another and the doors hung distractedly from a
moonlight night. The moon had much to hinge. For miles around, the kindly ea
answer for in the trials of our young people. had been gashed and gutted by greedy han
At supper, a little bunch of wild forget-me-.in the search for gold. There is no me
nots lay at Grace's plate. She whispered to practical comment upon the futility of hum
Frank with a sickly pretense of keeping up hopes than a deserted mining town. El
their farce, "I'm going to give these to Mr. where, the search for gold is indirect. Y
Roberts and see if papa will notice them on preach, and lecture, and write, and buy a
his coat." sell, in exchange for gold; but the miner d
She quickly slipped them near his plate, directly, and clutches the nugget before
with a smile that included Frank and him- yet bears the stamp of subservience to
self, and he arranged them as a buttonhole passions of men.
bouquet. This did not escape Mr. Hatha- Now they began to meet snow, for
way, who said sternly, "Grace, I will see season was late, and they were obliged