The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-03-01
CHAPTER XII.
Sheba Says "Perhaps."

Obeying the orders of the general
in command, Peter took himself to his
den with the excuse that he had blue
prints to work over. Presently Diane
said she thought she heard one of the
children crying and left to investigate.
The Scotsman strobe to the fireplace
and stood looking down into the glow
ing Goals. He seemed in no hurry to
break the silence and Sheba glanced
at his strong brooding face little ap-
prehensively. She knew Of only one
subject that would call for so formal
a private talk between her and Mac
donald, and any discussion of this she
would very much have liked to post
pOne.
He turned from the fire to Sheba. 1t
was characteristic of him that ne
plunged straight at what he wanted
to say.
'Tve asked to see you alone, Miss
O'Neill, because want to make con-
fession and restitution-to begin
WITH" he told her abruptly.
She had sense Of suddenly stilled
pulses. "That sounds very serious"
The young woman smiled family.
His face of chiseled granite masked
all emotion. 1t kept under lock and
key the insurgent impulses that moved
him when he looked into the sloe eyes
charged with reserve. Back of them,
he felt, was the mystery Of purity, OF
tinaidenhood. He longed to know her
better, to find out and to appropriate
for himself the woman that lay behind
the fine veil of flesh. She seemed to
him delicate as a flame and as vivid.
There would come day when her in
| nocent, passional nature would re-
| spond to the love of man as wait
ing harp does to skillful fingers.
'My story goes away back to the
Klondike days. 1 told you that /
knew your father on Frenchman creek,
but 1 didn't say much about knowing
| him on Bonanza"
"Mr. Strong has told me something
about the days on Bonanza, and knew
you would tell me more some day
when you wanted to speak about it.
"Your father was among the first OF
those who stampeded to Bonanza. he
and Strong took claim together.
bought out the interest Of your ia
Their"
"You told me that"
His masterful eyes fastened to hers
81 didn't tell you that I took advan.
tage of him. He was-nOt well.
used that against him in the bargain
ing. He wanted ready money, and
tempted him."
''Do you mean that ,you-wronged
him?"
"Yes. I cheated him." He resolved
to gloss over nothing, to offer no ex
cuses. 81 didn't know there was golG
in the claim, but I had what we cal
bunch. 1 took the claim without
giving value received"
"But-I don't understand" He
brave, steady eyes looked directly int
those of Macdonald. 'If he felt yOl
had-done him wrong-why did hi
come to you when he was ill?'
''He was coming to demand justic,
of me. On the way he suffered ex
posture and caught pneumonia. TIL,
word reached us, and Strong and
brought him to our cabin"
"You faced blizzard to bring hin
in. Mr.. Strong told me how yol
risked your life by carrying hin
through the storm-how you wouldn'
give up and leave him, though yol
were weak and staggering yourself
| oil on
through"
SIN not heartless," said Macdonald
impatiently. "Of course 1 did that.
had to do it. / couldn't do less"
"Nor more" she suggested. ''Yol
may have made a hard bargain will
him, but you wiped that out later"
''That's just what didn't do. Dom
think my conscience is troubling me
, I'm not such mush-brained fool. l
. it had not been for you would neve
have thought of it again. But you ar
his daughter. What cheated him GU
! of belongs to you-and you are m.
! friend"
''DOn't use that word about what yo1
, did, please. He wasn't child.
you got the best of him in bargain
don't think father would think of
, that way"
The difficulty was that he could no
tell her the truth about her father
weakness for drink and how he ha
played upon it. He bridged all expla
nations and passed to the thing h
) meant to do in reparation.
"The money l cleaned up from tina
claim belongs to you, Miss O'Neill. 70
I will oblige me by taking it,"
:, From his pocket he took a folde
paper and handed it to her. Sheb
y opened it doubtfully. The paper COZ
t tanned a typewriter statement and t
Y it was attached check by means of
t clip. The check was made out to he
and signed by Colby Macdonald. Th
!. amount it called for was $1S3, 431.
:. "Oh, / couldn't take this, Mr.. Ma
:. donald couldn't. 1t doesn't belon
r to me-" she cried.
e "It belongs to you-and you're goin
h to take it."
It II wouldn't know what to do wit
O so much"
"The bank will take care Of 1t fl