Thorp
is there, and she would shamelessly exult over his abject devotion. She
respects neither innocent youth nor gray hairs, as witness myself and
Colonel Thorp."

"Isn't he a silly boy, auntie?" said Kate, "and he is not much improving
with age."

"But what's this about Colonel Thorp?" said Mrs. Murray. "Sometimes
Ranald writes of him, in high terms, too."

"Well, you ought to hear Thorp abuse Ranald. Says he's ruining the
company with his various philanthropic schemes," said Harry, "but you
can never tell what he means exactly. He's a wily old customer."

"Don't believe him, auntie," said Kate, with a sagacious smile. "Colonel
Thorp thinks that the whole future of his company and of the Province
depends solely upon Ranald. It is quite ridiculous to hear him, while
all the time he is abusing him for his freaks."

"It must be a great country out there, though," said Harry, "and what a
row they are making over Confederation."

"What do you mean, Harry?" said Mrs. Murray. "We hear so little in the
country."

"Well, I don't know exactly, but those fellows in British Columbia are
making all sorts of threats that unless this railway is built forthwith
they will back out of the Dominion, and some of them talk of annexation
with the United States. Don't I wish I was there! What a lucky fellow
Ranald is. Thorp says he's a big gun already. No end of a swell. Of
course, as manager of a big concern like the British-American Coal and
Lumber Company, he is a man of some importance."

"I don't think he is taking much to do with public questions," said
Kate, "though he did make a speech at New Westminster not long ago. He
has been up in those terrible woods almost ever since he went."

"Hello, how do you know?" said Harry, looking at her suspiciously; "I
get a fragment of a note from Ranald now and then, but he is altogether
too busy to remember humble people."

"I hear regularly from Coley. You remember Coley, don't you?" said Kate,
turning to Mrs. Murray.

"Oh, yes, that's the lad in whom Ranald was so interested in the
Institute."

"Yes," replied Kate; "Coley begged and prayed to go with Ranald, and so
he went."

"She omits to state," said Harry, "that she also 'begged and prayed' and
further that she outfitted the young rascal, though I've reason to thank
Providence for removing him to another sphere."

"How does it affect you?" said Mrs. Murray.

"Why, haven't you heard, Aunt Murray, of the tremendous height