broke up, and crowded around the newly-chosen young
officers with many congratulations.

"Great Scott!" ejaculated Ned, "I never was so thunder struck in my
life! Accept it? well, I should say so, Mr. Cameron, and with many
thanks; you couldn't have picked out anything that would suit me
better. I guess," he added in a confidential aside to Houston, "I
guess that will fix the old fellow down there in Boston all right."

Guy grasped his father's hand and Houston's in a manner that removed
every anxiety from their minds.

"It is more than satisfactory," he said, "more than I could wish."

The following day, Mr. Whitney, Lindlay and Van Dorn returned east,
leaving the "family party" as they laughingly styled themselves, to
follow later.

Among the pleasant surprises of those last few days of their stay, it
was discovered that Leslie Gladden, whom Mrs. Cameron and Lyle had
urged to make her home with them upon their return, was the owner of a
palatial residence not many blocks from their own city home, besides
having a snug little fortune in bonds and stocks.

Houston's surprise was unbounded, but remembering how he had won
Leslie's love, there was little he could say.

"I thought you once said you never had a home of your own," he
remarked in considerable perplexity.

"Well," she replied archly, "a residence is not necessarily a home; it
has never been a home to me since my earliest recollection, but it
will be one soon, in the truest sense of the word."

One morning a few days later, they awoke to find the mountains about
them white with snow, and a light snowfall in the canyon; and though
the latter vanished presently under the balmy breath of a "chinook,"
it had given them warning that the winter king was approaching, and
would soon seize the scepter from autumn's hand, to begin his long
reign among the mountains.

That day, the old house which had witnessed such varied scenes within
the past few months, was closed, and a very joyous party started for
Silver City, the initial point of the long eastward journey, their
hearts throbbing with delight that they were homeward bound.

In the first carriage rode Mr. and Mrs. Cameron and their newly-found
son and daughter, while following so closely that their merry jokes
and song and laughter were intermingled, were Everard Houston, Leslie
Gladden and the two brothers; and as they passed down the winding
canyon road, casting loving, farewell glances at the friendly