excruciating.

Jim nodded, and Peter's smiling eyes continued to watch him.

"But it wasn't exactly that," the former went on in his straightforward
way. "Yet it's so blazing hard to put it so you can understand. You
see, I've been doing very well, and--you know I've got a big bunch of
cattle running up in the foot-hills now--I thought, maybe, seeing Will
isn't working, money might be a bit tight with you. You see, we're
folks of the world, and there's no fool sentiment about us in these
things; I mean no ridiculous pride. Now, if I was down, and you'd
offered to help me out, I'd just take it as a real friendly act. And I
just thought--maybe----"

How much longer he would have continued to flounder on it was
impossible to tell, but Peter saw his trouble and cut him short.

"You see, Eve," he said, "Jim wants to help you out. Some folks have
got busy, and he's heard that you're hard pushed for ready dollars.
That's how it is."

Jim frowned at his bluntness, but was in reality immensely relieved.
Eve had been listening with closed eyes, but now opened them, and
they were full of a friendliness.

"Thanks, Peter; thanks, Jim," she said softly. "You're both very good
to me, but--don't worry about money. If things go right we have
enough."

"That's it, Eve," Jim exclaimed eagerly. "If things go right. Are they
going right? Will they go right? That's just it. Say, can't you see it
hurts bad to think you've got to pinch, and that sort of thing? You
can surely take a loan from me. You----"

But Eve shook her head decidedly.

"Things will go right, believe me. Will has got something up--in the
hills. He says it's going to bring us in a lot." She turned wistful
eyes upon Peter's rugged face. "It's something in your line," she
said. "Gold. And he says----" She broke off with a look of sudden
distress. "I forgot. I wasn't to say anything to--to anybody.
Please--please forget about it. But I only wanted to show you that--we
are going to do very well."

"So Will's struck it rich." It was Peter's astonished voice that
answered her. The news had a peculiar interest for him. "Placer?" he
inquired.

"Yes--and easy to work. But you won't say a word about it, will you?
He told me not to speak of it. And if he knew he would be so angry.
I----"

"Don't worry, Eve," broke in Jim, gently. "Your secret is safe with
us--quite safe."

Peter said nothing. The news had staggered him for a moment, and he
was vainly trying to digest