"

What treachery to Heart's Desire was here! Dan Anderson, a man who had
come to stay, shaking hands on terms of old acquaintanceship,
apparently, with Eastern Capital itself; and not content with that,
advancing easily and courteously, hat in hand, to greet the daughter of
Eastern Capital as though it were but yesterday that last they met.
Moreover, and bitterest of all for a loyal man of Heart's Desire, was
there not a glance, a word between them? Did Dan Anderson whisper a
word and did she flush faint and rosy? or was it a touch of the light?
Certain it was he reached up his hand to take hers, shaking it not too
long nor too fervently.

"I do remember Miss Ellsworth very well, of course, Mr. Ellsworth,"
said he. "We are all very glad to see you."

"And we're very glad to _see_ you!" echoed the girl. "Oh! the dust,
the dust!" She spoke in a full, sweet voice, excellent even for
outlanders to hear. If there were agitation in her tones, agitation in
Dan Andersen's heart, none might know it. This meeting, five years and
two thousand miles from a parting, seemed the most natural and ordinary
thing in all the world. Mr. Ellsworth was of the belief that he
himself had planned it so far as himself and Dan Anderson were
concerned.

"My daughter was on her way out to California, you see," Ellsworth
began again; "down at El Paso she took a sudden freak for coming up
here to see about the climate--lots of folks go West nowadays, you
know, even in the spring. I'll warrant she's sick of the trip by now.
A good climate has to have dust to season it. One of the mules went
lame--thought we would never get here. And now tell me, where'll she
stop?" The personification of Eastern Capital looked about him
dubiously at the only hotel of Heart's Desire, before which the coach
had pulled up as a matter of course. "Any women folks in town,
anywhere?" he inquired, bringing his roving eye to rest upon Dan
Andersen's impassive face.

"I was upon the point of saying, Mr. Ellsworth," replied Dan
Anderson--and vaguely one felt that his diction was once more that of
Princeton--"that my friend here, a prominent member of the bar, will go
with Miss Ellsworth to the house of a nice little woman, wife of--er--a
cow gentleman of our acquaintance. That will be best for her. I'll
try to take care of you myself, sir, if you like, while the Learned
Counsel goes with Miss Ellsworth."

There were introductions and further small talk,