d, maybe, but kind and big-hearted underneath. I dare say
that incident made him feel so good that he went out and shot a
Greaser."

"Oh, I hope not!" laughed Eve. "But he looked as though he might have
shot dozens of them, one every morning for breakfast! The flowers lasted
me all the way to Chicago. The porter put them in the ice-water tank and
I picked fresh lilacs every day."

Wade wondered whether she had forgotten another incident, which must
have happened on the evening of that same day. He hoped she had, and
then he hoped she hadn't. If she recalled it she made no mention of it,
nor did the smiling unconsciousness of her face suggest that she
connected him with her trip in the remotest degree. He felt a little
bit aggrieved. It wasn't flattering to be forgotten so completely.

"You said your father was interested in some mines in Nevada. Do you
mind telling me the name?"

"The New Century Consolidated, they were called."

"Oh, that was too bad," exclaimed Wade, regretfully. "That property
never was any good. The whole thing was a swindle from first to last.
Was your father very badly hit?"

"Ruined," answered Eve, simply. "He had to sell everything he had. They
had made him a director, you see, and when the exposure came he paid up
his share. The lawyer said he didn't have to, but he insisted. He was
right, don't you think, Mr. Herrick?"

"No--well, perhaps. I don't know. It depends how you look at it, I
reckon."

"There was only one way to look at it, wasn't there? Either it was right
or it was wrong. Father believed it was right."

"So it was! But plenty of men would have hidden behind the law. I wish
your father might have bought into our property instead of the New
Century. I wanted Ed to write to him; we needed money badly at first,
and I'd heard Ed speak of him once; but he wouldn't do it; said his
uncle wouldn't have anything to do with any schemes of his."

"I'm afraid he was right," said Eve, sadly. "When I was a little girl my
father and Ed's father had some sort of a misunderstanding and would
never have anything to do with each other afterwards. It made it very
hard for mamma, for she and Aunt Mary were very fond of each other.
Please tell me about Cousin Edward, Mr. Herrick. I think I only saw him
once or twice in my life, but he was my cousin just the same, and now
that he's dead I suddenly realize that all the time I was unconsciously
taking a sort of comfort out of the knowledge that