Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-01-30
THE
SPENDERS|
A Tale Of the Third Generation
BY HARRY LEON WILSON
Z -
Copyright, by Lothrop Publishing Company.
CHAPTER IV.-CoSr1NUED.

poor man. l shall question you. Now
Sou are miner, and I like men of
action, men who do things; I've often
wondered about you, and seriously,
I'm glad to find you here doing some
thing. l remembered you kindly, with
real gratitude, indeed You didn't
seem like New York man either and
j decided you weren't. Honestly,
am glad to find you here at your work
In your miners clothes. You mustn't
think we forget how to value men that
work."
On the point of saying thoughtless-
~: But I'm not working here-I own
the NINE" he checked himself. In
stead he began a defense of the man
who doesn't work, but who could if
he had to. For example," he contin-
ued, here we are at place that you
must be carried over; otherwise you'd
have to wade through a foot of water
or go around that long way we've
come. I've rubber boots on, and so
pick you up this way" He held her
lightly on his arm and she steadied
herself with hand between his Shout
ders.
And staggering painfully under my
burden, l wade out to the middle of
this subterranean lake" He stopped.
You see, I've learned to do things
l could pick you from that slippery
street and put you in your carriage,
and I can pick you up now without
wasting words about it"
But you're wasting time-hurry,
please-and, anyway, you're a miner
and used to such things"
He remained standing
But I'm not wasting time, and I'm
not miner In the sense you mean.
I own this mine, and I suppose for the
most part I'm the sort of man you
seem to have gotten tired of; the man
who doesn't have to do anything.
Even now I'm this close to work only
because my grandfather wanted me to
look over the properties my father
left"
But, hurry, please, and set me
down."
Not until warn you that I'm just
as apt to do things as the kind Of man
you thought I was. This is twice I've
picked you up now. Look out for me
next time 1 may not put you down
at ALL
She gave low little laugh, denoting
unruffled serenity She was glorying
secretly in his strength, and she knew
his boldness and timidity were still
justly balanced. And there was the
rather astonishing bit Of news he had
Just given her. That needed a lot of
consideration.
With slow, sure-foOted steps he
reached the farther side of the water
and put her on her feet.
"There, thought I'd reveal the dis
tressing truth about myself while I
had you at my mercy"
Il might have suspected, but gave
the name no thought. Bines, to be
sure. You are the son of the Bines
who died some months ago. I heard
Mr.. Shepler and my father talking
about some of your mining properties.
Mr. Shepler thought the One Girl was
such a funny name for your father to
give mine.'
Now they neared the foot of the
shaft, where the rest of the party
seemed to await them. AS they came
up Percival felt himself raked by a
broadside from the maternal lorgnon
that left him all but disabled. The
father glowered at him and asked ques-
lions in the high key we are apt to
adopt in addressing foreigners, in the
instructive fallacy that any language
can be understood by anyone if it be
spoken loudly enough. The mothers
manner was crushing rebuke to the
young man for his audacity. The ia
theirs manner was meant to Intimate
that natives of the region in which
they were then adventuring were not
worthy of rebuke, save such general
rebukes as may be conveyed by dis
playing ones natural superiority of
manner. The other members of the
party, excepting Shepler, who talked
with Pangburn at a little distance,
took cue from the Milbreys and ag-
excessively ignored the abductor of an
only daughter They talked over,
around and through him, as only may
those mortals whom it hath pleased
heaven to have born within certain
areas on Manhattan Island.
81 shall see you soon above ground,
shall l not?" Miss Milbrey had asked,
at which her mother shot Percival a
parting volley from her rapid-fire
lorgnon, while her father turned upon
him a back whose sidelines were really
admirable, considering his age and
feeding habits. The behavior of these
people appeared to intensity the amuse-
ment of their child. The two solemn
young men who remained continued to
chat before Percival as they would
have chatted before the valet of either.
He began to sound the spiritual an
guish of a pariah. Also to feel trucu-
lent and, in his own phrase, "westy. "
With him "westy" meant that you
were as good as anyone else land a
shade better than whole lot If it
came to a showdown" He was not
a little mortified to find how easy it
was for him to fall back upon that old
cushion of provincial arrogance. 1t
was all right for Uncle Peter, but for
#himself-well, it proved that he was
less finely eastern than he had mag
ined.
AS the cage came down for another
ascent, he let the two solemn young
men go up with Shepler and Pangburn,
and went to search for Uncle Peter.