ted and stick to that, at a regular salary. I told him he was
missing a good thing, but nothing that I could say would make any
difference."

"Well," said Mr. Britton, slowly, "I'm not sure but his is the wiser
plan. You must remember, Dave, that his stay with us will probably be
but temporary. Whenever that portion of his brain which is now dormant
does awaken, you can rest assured he will not remain here long. He no
doubt realizes this and wishes to be absolutely foot-loose, ready to
leave at short notice. And as to the financial side of the question, if
you give him the place in your mill for which he is eminently fitted, it
will be fully as remunerative in the long run as the interest in the
business which you intended giving him."

"What place in the mill do you refer to?" Mr. Underwood asked, quickly.

"Oh, I'm not making any 'suggestions,' Dave; you don't need them." And
Mr. Britton smiled quietly into the fire.

"Go ahead and say your say, Jack," said the other, his own face relaxing
into a grim smile; "that was only a bit of my crankiness, and you know
me well enough to know it."

"Give him the position of assayer in charge."

"Great Scott! and fire Benson, who's been there for five years?"

"It makes no difference how long he's been there. Darrell is a better
man every way,--quicker, more accurate, more scientific. You can put
Benson to sorting and weighing ores down at the ore-bins."

After a brief silence Mr. Britton continued, "You couldn't find a better
man for the place or a better position for the man. The work is
evidently right in the line of his profession, and therefore congenial;
and even though you should pay him no more salary than Benson, that,
with outside work in the way of assays for neighboring camps, will be
better than any business interest you would give him short of twelve or
eighteen months at least."

"I guess you're right, and I'll give him the place; but hang it all! I
did want to put him in Harry's place. You and I are getting along in
years, Jack, and it's time we had some young man getting broke to the
harness, so that after a while he could take the brunt of things and let
us old fellows slack up a bit."

"We could not expect that of Darrell," said Mr. Britton. "He is neither
kith nor kin of ours, and when once Nature's ties begin to assert
themselves in his mind, we may find our hold upon him very slight."

Both men sighed deeply, as though the thought had in some way