rden, and now they are going to root that up."

"Do you think that the sight of a little money would appease her?" I
inquired, anxious for an excuse to drop a word into the ear of Mr.
Gryce.

"Perhaps," said Hannah. "She dearly loves money, but it will not take
away her fright."

"It will if she has nothing to be frightened about," said I; and turning
to the girls, I asked them, somewhat mincingly for me, if they thought I
would make myself conspicuous if I crossed the road on this errand, and
when Loreen answered that that would not deter her if she had the money,
and Lucetta added that the sight of such misery was too painful for any
mere personal consideration, I took advantage of their complaisance, and
hastily made my way over to the group, who were debating as to the point
they would attack first.

"Gentlemen," said I, "good-morning. I am here on an errand of mercy.
Poor old Mother Jane is half imbecile and does not understand why you
invade her premises with these implements. Will you object if I endeavor
to distract her mind with a little piece of gold I happen to have in my
pocket? She may not deserve it, but it will make your task easier and
save us some possible concern."

Half of the men at once took off their hats. The other half nudged each
other's elbows, and whispered and grimaced like the fools they were. The
first half were gentlemen, though not all of them wore gentlemen's
clothes.

It was Mr. Gryce who spoke:

"Certainly, madam. Give the old woman anything you please, but--" And
here he stepped up to me and began to whisper; "You have something to
say. What is it?"

I answered in the same quick way: "The mine you thought exhausted has
possibilities in it yet. Question Lucetta. It may prove a more fruitful
task than turning up this soil."

The bow he made was more for the onlookers than for the suggestion I had
given him. Yet he was not ungrateful for the latter, as I, who was
beginning to understand him, could see.

"Be as generous as you please!" he cried aloud. "We would not disturb
the old crone if it were not for one of her well-known follies. Nothing
will take her over forty rods away from her home. Now what lies within
those forty rods? These men think we ought to see."

The shrug I gave answered both the apparent and the concealed question.
Satisfied that he would understand it so, I hurried away from him and
approached Mother Jane.

"See!" said I, astonished at the regularity