ck alone remained stolid and impassive in a desperate attempt
to pull himself once more together. Eventually he succeeded, even to the
ambitious achievement of mounting a chair and lifting his tin cup with a
dangerously unsteady hand, which did not, however, affect his precision
of utterance, and said:--

"Order, gentlemen! We'll drink success to--to"--

"The next strike!" said Barker, leaping impetuously on another chair
and beaming upon the old locators--"and may it come to those who have so
long deserved it!"

His sincere and generous enthusiasm seemed to break the spell of silence
that had fallen upon them. Other toasts quickly followed. In the general
good feeling Barker attached himself to Van Loo with his usual boyish
effusion, and in a burst of confidence imparted the secret of his
engagement to Kitty Carter. Van Loo listened with polite attention,
formal congratulations, but inscrutable eyes, that occasionally wandered
to Stacy and again to the treasure. A slight chill of disappointment
came over Barker's quick sensitiveness. Perhaps his enthusiasm had bored
this superior man of the world. Perhaps his confidences were in bad
taste! With a new sense of his inexperience he turned sadly away. Van
Loo took that opportunity to approach Stacy.

"What's all this I hear of Barker being engaged to Miss Carter?" he
said, with a faintly superior smile. "Is it really true?"

"Yes. Why shouldn't it be?" returned Stacy bluntly.

Van Loo was instantly deprecating and smiling. "Why not, of course? But
isn't it sudden?"

"They have known each other ever since he's been on Heavy Tree Hill,"
responded Stacy.

"Ah, yes! True," said Van Loo. "But now"--

"Well--he's got money enough to marry, and he's going to marry."

"Rather young, isn't he?" said Van Loo, still deprecatingly. "And
she's got nothing. Used to wait on the table at her father's hotel in
Boomville, didn't she?"

"Yes. What of that? We all know it."

"Of course. It's an excellent thing for her--and her father. He'll have
a rich son-in-law. About two hundred thousand is his share, isn't it? I
suppose old Carter is delighted?"

Stacy had thought this before, but did not care to have it corroborated
by this superfine young foreigner. "And I don't reckon that Barker is
offended if he is," he said curtly as he turned away. Nevertheless, he
felt irritated that one of the three superior partners of Heavy Tree
Hill should be thought a dupe.

Suddenly the con