The Prescott daily news., 1918-04-18

1 playing lone hand. and generally let the future take care of itself. It was always easy to dig up money enough to buy books and grub or anything wanted. Now that I've assumed . cer- tain responsibility, 1t has begun to dawn on me that we'd enjoy life bet ter if we were assured of . compe- tence. We won't stay here always I'm pretty much contented just now. So are you. But l know from past ex- pcrience that the outside will grow more alluring as time passes. You'll get lonesome for civilization. It's the most natural thing in the world. And when we go out to mix with our fellow humans we want to meet them on terms of worldly equality. Which Is to say with good clothes on, and a fat bank roll in our pocket. And last, but not least, old girl. while love to loaf, l can only loaf about so long in con- tentment. Sabef I've got to be doing something; whether 1t was profitable or not has never mattered, just so 1t was action"
 'T sabe. as you call it," Hazel smiled. "Of course do. Only lazy people like to loaf all the time. love this place, and we might stay here for years and be satisfied. But"
 But we'd be better satisfied to stay If we knew that we could leave 1t whenever we wanted to-" he inter- rupted. That's the psychology of the human animal. all right. We don't like to be coerced. even by circumstances"
 "H you made lot of money mining, we could travel-one could do lots of things" she reflected. "I don't think I'd want to live in a city again. But 1t would be nice to 90 there, some times"
 "Yes. dear girl. 1t would" Bill agreed. with chum to help you en- joy things. We can dc things together that l couldn't do alone, and you couldn't do alone. Remains only to get the wherewithal. And since I know how to manage that with a minimum amount of effort. I'd like to be about It before somebody else gets ahead of me. Though there's small chance of that"
 "We1l be partners," said she. How will we divide the profits, Billumr"
 "We'll split even," he declared
 That is. I'll make the money. and you'll spend it."
 They chuckled over this conceit. and as the dusk closed in slowly they fell to planning the details. Hazel lit the lamp. and in its yellow glow bored over maps while Bill idly sketched their route on sheet of paper. His objective lay east of the head of the Naas proper, where amid a wild tangle of mountains and mountain torrents three turbulent rivers, the Stikine, the Skeena and the Naas, took their rise. A God-forsaken region. he told her. where few white men had penetrated The peaks fiirted with the clouds. and their sides were scared with glaciers lonesome, breeding land, the home of vast and seldom-broken silence.
 But there's all kinds of game and fur in there" Bill remarked thought fully. And gold. Still, It's a fierce country for man to take his best girl into. l don't know whether I ought to tackle it."
 We couldn't be more isolated than we are here," Hazel argued. If we were in the Arctic. Look at thst poor woman at Pelt House. Three babies born since she saw doctor or another woman of her own colorl Whats a winter by ourselves compared to that. And she didn't think 1t SO great a hardship. Don't you worry about me, MT. Bill. I think 1t will be fun. I'm real pioneer at heart. The wild places look good to me-when you're along"
 She received her due reward for that, and then, the long twilight hay ing brought the hour to lateness that