handsome saffrona rose, which he gravely presented to her. Having
thus reestablished his position, he sank elegantly into a tete-a-tete
ottoman. Finding the position inconvenient to face Christie, who had
seated herself on a chair, he transferred himself to the other side of
the ottoman, and addressed her over its back as from a pulpit.

"Is this really a fortunate accident, Mr. Hall, or did you try to find
us?" said Christie pleasantly.

"Partly promiskuss, and partly coincident, Miss Christie, one up and
t'other down," said Dick lightly. "Work being slack at present at
Devil's Ford, I reck'ned I'd take a pasear down to 'Frisco, and dip into
the vortex o' fash'nable society and out again." He lightly waved a
new handkerchief to illustrate his swallow-like intrusion. "This yer
minglin' with the bo-tong is apt to be wearisome, ez you and me knows,
unless combined with experience and judgment. So when them boys up
there allows that there's a little too much fash'nable society and San
Francisco capital and high-falutin' about the future goin' on fer square
surface mining, I sez, 'Look yere, gentlemen,' sez I, 'you don't see the
pint. The pint is to get the pop'lar eye fixed, so to speak, on Devil's
Ford. When a fash'nable star rises above the 'Frisco horizon--like Miss
Carr--and, so to speak, dazzles the gineral eye, people want to know
who she is. And when people say that's the accomplished daughter o' the
accomplished superintendent of the Devil's Ford claim--otherwise known
as the Star-eyed Goddess o' Devil's Ford--every eye is fixed on the
mine, and Capital, so to speak, tumbles to her.' And when they sez that
the old man--excuse my freedom, but that's the way the boys talk of your
father, meaning no harm--the old man, instead o' trying to corral rich
widders--grass or otherwise--to spend their money on the big works for
the gold that ain't there yet--should stay in Devil's Ford and put all
his sabe and genius into grindin' out the little gold that is there, I
sez to them that it ain't your father's style. 'His style,' sez I, 'ez
to go in and build them works.' When they're done he turns round to
Capital, and sez he--'Look yer,' sez he, 'thar's all the works you
want, first quality--cost a million; thar's all the water you want,
onlimited--cost another million; thar's all the pay gravel you want
in and outer the ground--call it two millions more. Now my time's too
vally'ble; my professhun's too high-toned to WORK min