white beans which were
scarce in Denver City, as we then called Denver, and could be sold for
big money when they got there. I have no remembrance of Surajah Dowlah's
plan for mining. I declined to go with them, and they went away toward
Monterey Centre, saying that they would stay there a few days, "to kind
of recuperate up," and they hoped I would join them. What about Rowena?
They had been so mysterious about her, that I had a new subject of
thought now, and, for I was very fond of the poor girl, of anxiety. Not
that she would be the worse for losing her family. In fact, she would be
the better for it, one might think. Her older brothers and sisters, I
remembered, had been bound out back east, and this seemed to show a lack
of family affection; but the tremor in Ma Fewkes's voice, and the
agitation in which Old Man Fewkes had delivered what in books would be
his parental curse, led me to think that they were in deep trouble on
account of their breach with Rowena. Poor girl! After all, they were her
parents and brothers, and as long as she was with them, she had not been
quite alone in the world. My idea of what had taken place may be judged
by the fact that when I next saw Magnus I asked him if he knew that
Rowena and her people had had a fuss. I looked upon the case as that of
a family fuss, and that only. Magnus looked very solemn, and said that
he had seen none of the family since we had finished our work for
Gowdy--a year ago.

"What said the old man, Yake?" he asked anxiously.

"He said he was going to will his property away from her!" I replied,
laughing heartily at the idea: but Magnus did not laugh. "He said that
she ain't no longer a member of his family, Magnus. Don't that
beat you!"

"Yes," said Magnus gravely, "dat beat me, Yake."

He bowed his head in thought for a while, and then looked up.

"Ay can't go to her, Yake. Ay can't go to her. But you go, Yake; you go.
An' you tal her--dat Magnus Thorkelson--Norsky Thorkelson--bane ready to
do what he can for her. All he can do. Tal her Magnus ready to live or
die for her. You tal her dat, Yake!"

I had to think over this a few days before I could begin to guess what
it meant; and three days after, she came to see me. It was a Sunday
right after harvest. I had put on my new clothes thinking to go to hear
Elder Thorndyke preach, but when I thought that I had no longer any
pleasure in the thought of Virginia, no chance ever to have her for my
wife, no dr