" replied Faxton; "but principally because there had been, as he
told me this afternoon, an unfortunate quarrel between them, which drove
him to the mines. A few days ago he heard from her, for the first time
in three years, and they've patched up matters, and are very happy."

"Well," said the lady, with considerable decision, "Hardhack will never
forgive him."

Hardhack did, however, for Crewne and his two friends drew about them a
few of their old comrades, who took unto themselves wives from the
people about them, and made of Hardhack one of the pleasantest villages
in the State.

THE CARMI CHUMS.

The Carmi Chums was the name they went by all along the river. Most
other roustabouts had each a name of his own; so had the Carmi Chums for
that matter, but the men themselves were never mentioned
individually--always collectively.

No steamboat captain who wanted only a single man ever attempted to hire
half of the Carmi Chums at a time--as easy would it have been to have
hired half of the Siamese Twins. No steamboat mate who knew them ever
attempted to "tell off" the Chums into different watches, and any mate
who, not knowing them, committed this blunder, and adhered to it after
explanation was made, was sure to be two men short immediately after
leaving the steamer's next landing.

There seemed no possible way of separating them; they never fell out
with each other in the natural course of events; they never fought when
drunk, as other friendly roustabouts sometimes did, for the Carmi Chums
never got drunk; there never sprang up any coolness between them because
of love for the same lady, for they did not seem to care at all for
female society, unless they happened to meet some old lady whom one
might love as a mother rather than as a sweetheart.

Even professional busybodies, from whose presence roustabouts are no
freer than Church-members, were unable to provoke the Carmi Chums even
to suspicion, and those of them who attempted it too persistently were
likely to have a difficulty with the slighter of the Chums.

This man, who was called Black, because of the color of his hair, was
apparently forty years of age, and of very ordinary appearance, except
when an occasional furtive, frightened look came into his face and
attracted attention.

His companion, called Red, because his hair was of the hue of the
carrots, and because it was occasionally necessary to distinguish him
from his friend, seemed of