by the long
trail," Virginia explained.

"Is it occupied?" Champers put the question in a careless tone.

Pilot's bristles, that had fallen at the sound of Virginia's voice, rose
again with the query. It is well to be wary of one whom a dog distrusts.
But the woman's instinct in Virginia responded little to the dog's
uneasiness, and she replied courteously:

"Yes, Mr. Shirley is there, very sick."

"Um, who have I the honor of addressing now?" Champers asked awkwardly, as
if to change the subject.

"Mrs. Asher Aydelot."

"Well, now, I've heard of Aydelot. Where is your man today? I'd like to
meet him, Mrs. A."

It was the man's way of being friendly, but even a duller-fibred man than
Champers would have understood Mrs. Aydelot's tone as she said:

"You will find him at Shirley's, or on the way. Only the long trail winds
around some bluffs, and you might pass each other without knowing it."

"How many men in this settlement now?" Champers asked.

"Only two," Virginia replied, patting Pilot's head involuntarily.

"Only two! That's sixteen more'n'll ever make it go here," Darley Champers
declared. "Excuse me for saying it, Mrs. Aydelot, but I've been pretty
much over Kansas, and this is the poorest show for settlement the Lord
ever left out of doors. I've always heard this valley was full of claims
you simply couldn't give away, but my friend, who has no end of money and
influence fur developin' the country, wanted me to look over the ground
along the Grass River, It's dead desolation, that's all; no show on earth
in fifty year out here, and in fifty year we won't none of us care for
more'n six feet of ground anywhere. I'm sorry for you, Madam. You must be
awfully lonely here, but you'll be gettin' away soon, I hope. I must be
off. Thank you, Madam, for the information. Good day," and he left the
cabin abruptly.

The sunshine grew pallid and the prairies lay dull and endless. The
loneliness of solitude hung with a dead heaviness and hope beat at the
lowest ebb for Virginia Aydelot, trying bravely to deny his charge against
the future of the land she had struggled so to dream into fruitfulness.
She was only a woman, strong to love and brave to endure, but neither by
nature nor heritage shrewd to read the tricks of selfish trade. And she
believed that while Asher and Jim Shirley were hopeful dreamers like
herself, here was an ill-mannered but unprejudiced man who saw the
situation as they could not see it.

"