took away the crude shabbiness of its detail and
brought it into harmony with the rugged landscape about it. Beyond the
town lay the creek, and over it all floated the heavy pall of thick
white smoke, which seemed to be supported on the tall red chimneys of
the smelter buildings. The sun was dropping behind the mountains, and
already the town lay in shadow, while the last beams lingered upon the
cloud of smoke which flushed to a pale pink, then deepened to a rosy
glow. The girl's eyes rested on the scene below her; then, surprised at
the continued silence of her escort, she glanced at him once more. He
was still groping about underneath his hat, with the same strained,
upward roll to his eyes; but, as she looked at him, a new light burst in
upon Louise's mind, for two long locks of tawny hair had straggled down
over his right ear, and lay in a feeble ringlet against the top of his
tall collar. The Reverend Gabriel's wrist brushed against them; he felt
of them inquiringly; then he deliberately took off his hat to show the
top of his head shorn of the glory of his curl, and the long ends of
hair hanging in elf-locks about his face.

"Miss--um--Miss Everett," he began hesitatingly, while a dark flush rose
on his weather-beaten cheeks; "Miss Everett, I am exceedingly sorry to
trouble you, but"--he paused; then went on desperately; "in fact, could
you be good enough to lend me a hairpin? The exertion of my climb has
removed mine from its accustomed place, and I fear that my hair may be
slightly disarranged."

The silence that followed was unbroken while Louise felt about among her
braids and drew out a long, slender pin; but when the doctor put his hat
down on the ground by his side, carefully rolled up his hair over his
two forefingers, spread it into the usual long curl, and fastened it
into its place, Allie and Ned fell into an uncontrollable fit of
giggling. But, for the once, Grant's attention was distracted, for he
was gazing steadily towards the engine house at the mouth of the mine.

"Say, Lou," he exclaimed; "what's going on down there? Everybody's
rushing over to the mine; something must be wrong."

Louise's eyes followed the direction of his hand.

"There 's some trouble, down there," she said, rising abruptly. "Will
you excuse us, Dr. Hornblower, if we go down without waiting to get
rested? I am always a little anxious about my father." And she hurried
away down the hill, leaving the Reverend Gabriel to adjus