, and this
rough class of people?"

Miss Gladden laughed; "Did you see any very rough people to-day at
dinner?"

"Why no, to be sure, I did not, but then, there must be many of them
out here in this neighborhood."

"I never see them," said Miss Gladden, "I associate only with the
people you met to-day; no one here knows that I have wealth; so
really, I am safer here than at home, where I am known."

"But there is no society here," protested the old gentleman.

"I came here to get away from society; there is plenty of refined and
pleasant companionship, and if I have friends here, I know they are
sincere friends, not money worshipers, or fortune hunters."

"Oh, I see," said Mr. Winters, "the princess is out here in disguise,
seeking some knight who will love her for herself alone, and not for
her fortune."

"No," said Miss Gladden gravely, "I have not come out here seeking for
any knight, but to escape from a base, dishonorable and cowardly
knave."

"Has your cousin Humphrey been annoying you again?"

"Yes, he and his mother made life a burden to me, that was my reason
for leaving home as I did. Humphrey has sunk nearly every dollar of
their property by his profligacy, and now, he and his mother are
determined to have my fortune. Aunt exhausted all her stock of
melodramatic and sentimental language and her tears in trying to get
me to fulfill what she called my father's 'dying wish,' by marrying
that debauchee and libertine; then she tried threats, and finally
became so wild with rage, that she reminded me of the will, and told
me I should never marry any one else; that Humphrey should have the
property, as my father intended, sooner or later, if not with me, then
without me. I knew Helen intended to come west, and I went to her and
asked to let me travel with them. Now, you know my reason for leaving
so suddenly, and for not writing. We have all enjoyed our trip very
much; you know George came out on business, and when he was occupied,
of course it was pleasanter for Helen that I was with her. While we
were at St. Paul, George met some mining men, and he immediately began
to have symptoms of mining fever, and hearing of the mines out here,
he brought us out, among the mountains and miners. We came out when
the weather was warm and delightful, and Helen and I roamed over the
mountains while George explored the mines. Then he decided to go to
Denver, and I would probably have accompanied them, though I had
be