and a resolute character. She would not flirt with anybody who
was, so to speak, not worth powder and shot.

Festing did not know how Miss Keller rated his value, but he was
satisfied to remain a bachelor, and had perhaps allowed her to
understand this, because she had since treated him with cold politeness.
Now it looked as if she had thrown Bob some favor, which was ominous,
because Sadie had generally an object. Of course, if Bob were free and
content to marry a girl from the settlement, Sadie would not be a bad
choice. She certainly had some virtues. But Bob was not free, and it was
unthinkable that a man who had won the love of the girl whose portrait
Festing knew should be satisfied with another of Sadie's type.

Then Festing pulled himself up. He could not warn Bob to be cautious,
or interfere with the girl's plans, supposing that she had made some.
Besides, it was Charnock's affair, not his. By and by he dismissed the
matter and thought about a troublesome job that must be undertaken in
the morning.

CHAPTER II

THE PICNIC

The picnic at Long Lake was an annual function, held as soon as the
weather got warm enough, to celebrate the return of spring. Winter is
long and tedious on the high Western plains, where the frost is often
Arctic and little work can be done, and after sitting by the red-hot
stove through the dark, cold months, the inhabitants of the scattered
homesteads come out with joyful hearts to greet the sunshine. There is,
however, no slow transition. Rushing winds from the North-west sweep
the sky, the snow vanishes, and after a week or two, during which the
prairie trails are impassable, the bleached grass dries and green blades
and flowers spring from the steaming sod.

Moreover, the country round Long Lake has some beauty. To the east,
it runs back, bare and level, with scarcely a tree to break the vast
expanse; but to the west low undulations rise to the edge of the next
tableland. Sandhills mark the summits, but the slopes are checkered with
birches and poplars, and creeks of clear water flow through the hollows
in the shadow of thick bluffs. There are many ponds, and here and there
a shallow lake shines amidst the sweep of grass. The clear air and the
distance the view commands give the landscape a distinctive charm. One
has a sense of space and freedom; all the eye rests upon is clean-cut.

It was a bright morning when Charnock drove up to the door of Keller's
hotel. The street wa