"Oh, it isn't too rough for me," she declared immediately. "I am an
excellent climber," and together they started to explore the now
narrowing valley, following the stream over steep rocks and fallen
trees, and pushing through tangled undergrowth and among briers and
bushes and around slippery banks until they came to another tortuous
turn, where a second spring, welling up from under a flat, overhanging
rock, tumbled down to augment the supply for the future lake; and here
they stopped and had a drink of the cool, delicious water, Sam making
the girl a cup from a huge leaf which she said made the water taste
fuzzy, and then showing her how to get down on her hands and
knees--spreading his coat on the ground to protect her gown--and drink
_au naturel_, a trick at which she was most charming, and probably knew
it.

The valley here had grown most narrow, but they followed the now very
small stream around one sharp curve after another until they found its
source, which was still another spring, and here there was no more
valley; but a cleft in the hill to the right, which they suddenly came
upon, gave them an exquisite view out over the beautiful low-lying
country, miles in extent, which lay between this and the next range of
hills; a delightful vista dotted with green farms and white farm-houses
and smiling streams and waving trees and grazing cattle. They stopped
in awe at the beauty of it and looked out over the valley in silence;
and unconsciously the girl slipped her hand within the arm of the man!

"Just imagine a sunset out over there," he said. "You see those fleecy
clouds that are out there now. If clouds like those are still there
when the sun goes down, they will be a fleet of pearl-gray vessels,
with carmine keels, upon a sea of gold."

She glanced at him quickly, but she did not express her marvel that
this man had so many sides. Before she could comment, and while she
was still framing some way to express her appreciation of his gentler
gifts, he returned briskly to practical things.

"Our lake will scarcely come up to this point," he judged. "I don't
think that at any point it will be high enough to cover the springs.
We don't want it to if we can help it, for that would destroy some of
the beauty of it. Have you noticed that our lake will be much like a
kite in shape, with this winding ravine the tail of it. We'll have to
take in a lot of acreage to cover this property, but it will be worth
it.