The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-11-30
CHAPTER III

Jarvis Dean stood before the great
windows in the hall, looking out
upon the world where the light of
early morning was afame above the
spires of the pines. He moved away
once and called up the stairs to as
sure himself that Autumn was get
ting ready for the ride she had in
sisted on taking with him into the
sheltered ravine where the Landing
was in progress. When she replied,
he strobe back to the window and
looked out upon the softly lighted
mosaic of the world that was his.
AS he stood, weary and haggard
from a sleepless night, it came to
him that it had been better had he
sold it last winter when he had had
substantial offer for it. Why had
he not sold it? He was getting old.
Pride, pride! Pride and vanity. Van
ity of possession, of power, of tri-
umph! Yes-that had been it-tri-
umphl The triumph, as he had
thought, of his own conscience over
catastrophe of twenty years ago.
That was why he had stayed on
here, stubbornly, bitterly, when his
world had seemed ready to crash
about his ears after the death of
Godfrey Lander, and then-Milli-
cent.
All, Mil1icent, forever loved, for
ever lost! Her slender red smile,
red still as she died in fever, red in
the undying love of another, slender
in hatred of himself, seemed to
pierce the brooding east now as he
stared at it with vacant eyes.
Fool, fool!" he muttered to him.
self. ''I might have Known might
have known!"
He turned as Autumn, dressed for
the ride, came down the stairs.
Lets go!" she sang out, and
stood before him slapping her boots
with her quirt.
Two horses stood before the door,
Jarvis Deans big black and Hector
Cardigan's hunter. In a moment
they were in the trail and heading
eastward over the way that Autumn
had come the night before.
They were on their way to visit
old Absolom Peek at his camp in
the ravine When they turned at
last from the main trail and took
winding path that led toward the
camp, Autumn remembered
roundabout and more picturesque
way to the place, down through
gully where tiny creek ran and
where the white birch grew in a
dense wall up either slope. Landor's
Gulch it was called locally, partly
because one-haf of its length marked
the boundary between the Lander
and the Dean acres; partly, too, be-
cause it was down there beside the
creek among the birches that the
body of Godfrey Lander had been
found years ago by one of his own
men. The years had dimmed the
details of that tragic story, though
they had served only to deepen the
legendary color that invested it.
Years ago, old Hannah had told Au-
tumn that sheep herders had en-
countered Geoffrey's ghost among
the white birches there, of moon
Lit night in spring, and had heard his
voice calling to his sheep-dogs when
the wind came up from the river.
Autumn had all but forgotten the
legend, but its memory smote her
now as she drew rein and turned
her horse toward the gully.
"Come on, Dai" she called. Lets
60 down this way"
Jarvis drew up short and looked
at her.
There's quicksand along that
creek" he replied. Don't you re-
member"
Autumn laughed. "Come onI I
used to find gold pebbles down there.
I want to see if there are any left"
Jarvis exclaimed under his breath.
Damn it, my girl, have no time
for such fooling! Are you riding with
me or are you not?"
Autumn held her horse for a mo-
ment in perplexity, then followed
her father along the trail of his own
choosing. One of these days, she
thought to herself, it would be neces-
sary to warn Jarvis Dean that his
daughter was grown up and would
not be spoken to as If she were no
more than child. But there would
be time for that.
ITO BE CONTINUEDJ