d during the time the man worked with nimble fingers, while his brain
was intensely occupied with the question of what to do next in his
search for the Girl.

When the work was finished, he went to the deep wood to take a peep at
acres of thrifty ginseng, and he was satisfied as he surveyed the big
bed. Long years he had laboured diligently; soon came the reward. He had
not realized it before, but as he studied the situation he saw that
he either must begin this harvest at once or employ help. If he waited
until September he could not gather one third of the crop alone.

"But the roots will weigh less if I take them now," he argued, "and I
can work at nothing in comfort until I have located her. I will go on
with my search and allow the ginseng to grow that much heavier. What a
picture! It is folly to disturb this now, for I will lose the seed of
every plant I dig, and that is worth almost as much as the root. It is
a question whether I want to furnish the market with seed, and so raise
competition for my bed. I think, be jabbers, that I'll wait for this
harvest until the seed is ripe, and then bury part of a head where I dig
a root, as the Indians did. That's the idea! The more I grow, the more
money; and I may need considerable for her. One thing I'd like to know:
Are these plants cultivated? All the books quote the wild at highest
rates and all I've ever sold was wild. The start grew here naturally.
What I added from the surrounding country was wild, but through and
among it I've sown seed I bought, and I've tended it with every care.
But this is deep wood and wild conditions. I think I have a perfect
right to so label it. I'll ask Doc. And another thing I'll go through
the woods west of Onabasha where I used to find ginseng, and see if I
can get a little and then take the same amount of plants grown here,
and make a test. That way I can discover any difference before I go to
market. This is my gold mine, and that point is mighty important to me,
so I'll go this very day. I used to find it in the woods northeast of
town and on the land Jameson bought, west. Wonder if he lives there yet.
He should have died of pure meanness long ago. I'll drive to the river
and hunt along the bank."

Early the following morning the Harvester went to Onabasha and stopped
at the hospital for news. Finding none, he went through town and several
miles into the country on the other side, to a piece of lowland lying
along the river bank,