The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-17

heaved genuine sigh. ''well, I'll try
my hand here 4 little while longer. I'll
put UP q notice Of claim don't suppose
your father would object. You know he
couldn't legally"
II reckon ye might do It ef ye wanted
ef ye was that keen on gettin' gold" said
Tinka, looking away There was some
thing In the girls tone which this bud
ding lover resented, He had become SEN
sitve.
"oh, WELL" he said, TT see that 1t might
make unpleasantness with your father I
only thought" he went on, with tenderer
tentativeness, that it would be pleasant
to work here near YOU"
"Ye'd be only wastln' yer time" she
said, darkiy
Fleming rose gravely. Perhaps you're
/ right" he answered, sadly, and little
| bitterly, land I'll got at once
He walked to the spring and gathered
up his tools, THANK you again for your
kindness, and good-by."
He held out his hand. which she took
| passively, and he moved away.
But he had not gone far before she call
ed him. He turned to find her still stand
ing where he had left her. her little hands
eltnched at her side and her widely opened
eyes staring at him. Suddenly she ran
| at him, and, catching the lapels Of his
coat In both hands, held him rigidly fast.
mo! no! ye shan't go-ye mustn't go!'
she said, with hysterfeaI intensity. Il
want to tell ye something! Listen!-you-
you-Mr. Fleming! I've been a wicked.
wicked girll Pve tod lies to dad-to mann
my-to you'll I've borne false witness
I'm worse than Sapphira-Ive acted big
lie, oh, Mr.. Fleming. I've made you come
back here for noth1ngi Ye didn't find no
gold the other day. There wasn't any.
1t was all me! II salted that PAM
'tSalted it!'' echoed Fleming, in amaze
ment.
Yes, 'salted It." she faItered: that's
what dad says they call tt-what those
wicked sons OF Mammon do to their claims
to sell them. I-put gold in the pan my
self; it wasn't there before"
But why?" gasped Fleming.
She stopped Then suddenly the foun-
tains in the deep of her blue eyes were
broken up: she burst into sob and buried
her head IN her hands and her hands on
his shoulder. "Because-because"-
sobbed against him-'I wanted you to
come back!''
He folded her in his hands, He kissed
her lovingly, forgivingly. gratefully. tear
fully, smitngiy-and paused; then he kiss
her sympathetically, understandingly.
apologetfcally, explanatoriIy, In lieu of
other conversation. Then, becoming CO.
herent, he asked:
Dot HH0Io 0lO you get In6 BOIQ
"Oh," she said. between fftfuI and de-
spatring sGbs, ''somewhere!-I don't know
out of the old Run-long ago-when
was little! L didn't never dare say any
thing to dad-he'd have been crazy mad
at his own daughter diggin'-and I never
cared nor thought single bit about it
until l saw you.
And you have never been there s!nce2"
Never"
Nor anybody else?''
mo"
Suddenly she threw back her head: her
ship hat fell back from her face. rosy
with dawning Inspiration! "Oh, say,
Jack!-yeu don't think that-after all this
time-there might" She did not finish
the sentence, but, grasping his hand,
cried, "Come!"
She caught up the pan. he seized the
shovel and pick, and they raced like boy
and girl down the hill. When within a
few hundred feet Of the house she turned
at right angles into the clearing and say
ing Don't be skeered; dads away" ran
boldly on, still holding his hand, all ng
the little valley. At it's farther ex remfty
they came to the Run" a half-d1ied
watercourse whose rocky sides were
marked by the erosion of winter torrents.
1t was apparently as wild and secluded as
the forest spring Nobody ever came
here" said the girl. hurrfedly, latter
dad sunk the Well at the house" ..
One or two pools sti remained in the
Run from the last seasons flow. water