to
hundreds of flying fragments. The lunch basket, too, toppled over, with
the contents, luckily being only sandwiches of bread and butter; and
Eyllen, as excited now as her father, ran lightly down the path to the
spring from which she had filled her drinking cup a few minutes
earlier.

"Here are the ledges, Father, here they are! Come and see for yourself!"
pointing to the rocks she had already so thoroughly investigated.

The man quickly followed. He was weak and weary no longer. His walking
stick lay neglected on the ground beside the luncheon, and he had
forgotten that weariness or hunger were possible. Eagerly he examined
the formation, the quartz, the wall rocks and surroundings, ejaculating
and questioning Eyllen in the meantime.

She replied that she was positive no one knew of her interest in the
hillside, as she had carefully kept concealed her destination when
walking so frequently here. All prospecting had been done by herself,
and now she would gladly share the work, worry, and profits with him,
she laughingly avowed.

Only one condition would she rigidly impose, and that was that
Shismakoff should be kept in ignorance of their good fortune as long as
was possible.

At this her father arose from his stooping position among the rocks and
looked keenly at Eyllen.

"You mistake if you think that Shismakoff is unable to keep a secret,"
said he earnestly. Then seeing Eyllen's blushing and downcast
countenance, the facts began to take shape in his brain.

"Oh, ho! I see it! Is that your meaning? My wit is not the keenest, else
I would sooner have caught it. Well, well, child, perhaps you are right,
although I shall sorely want his counsel and advice in this matter. I
promise to withhold the knowledge of these ledges from him until I have
your permission to tell it; so rest easy, and fret not. He is a good
fellow, and I fancy will presently remove the necessity for further
secrecy by making known his intentions to your father. With your
acceptance of his hand there need be only confidence between us."

As he finished speaking, a wave of sentiment passed over him, and his
eyes filled with tears. Approaching his daughter, he took her hand in
his own, drew her closer to him and kissed her. "You are a good child,
Eyllen, and very like your mother. It is a pity she cannot be with us!
You are worthy of a good husband, and he will be one. You will have
great happiness."

Resuming his examination of the rocks