oon, Dad, when the farmers were filing into the bank to
put their money into your hands." The girl, turning back to smile at
Madeira, was the cause of Steering's turning back, too, and he was
surprised to see a patriarchal, benign expression on Madeira's face, as
though a reflection of the girl's illusions about his character lay
warm upon him.

"Oh, I don't mind my job as nurse for the Canaanites, Pet," said Madeira
softly, and then waved one hand out toward the city and changed the
subject. "Pretty good for a lazy semi-southern State, eh, Steering?" He
nudged the girl next and added: "Before we are through with him we'll
have convinced the New Yorker that a good deal happens outside New York.
Won't we, Pet?"

"Yes, sirree," said the girl, imitating her father's manner adroitly, as
she put her horses through the crowded thoroughfare, "the United States
of America has more than one way of living the life strenuous, and
Broadway, New York, doesn't begin to be the only place where she lives
it. Look abroad, look abroad!" She was altogether fascinating as she
pointed out to Steering little typical features that he would have
missed without her humourous, boastful sallies.

As they continued on their way, Madeira and the girl bowed and smiled to
acquaintances, and once the horses were stopped at the curb to enable
Madeira to talk to some man whom he knew well. While waiting, with the
road-cart drawn up close to the curb, Steering and the girl could hear
talk all about them,--zinc and lead, jack, jack, jack! Flying chips of
conversation assailed their ears as the people scurried by; references
to old companies and their latest projects, and to new companies and new
finds; talk about the menace of the runs pinching out, and talk about
the danger of over-stocking the world's zinc markets; grumbling talk
about the wildcat exploitation going on at every corner, and envious
talk about a report that some wildcat promoter had just succeeded in
selling a face of ore that had cut blind under the drill of the buyer in
a few lamentable days; condemnatory talk about what an extremely
gold-brick country this was, and awed talk about the remarkable prices
that some of the gold bricks fetched. All the talk was frankly of
millions. The scale was gigantic. Even poor men seemed to have acquired
a familiarity with the sound of great sums that made them take
themselves as somehow richer and bigger. Voices shook with eagerness and
avidity; ha