s. Are you going to let them
go to destruction without an attempt to prevent it?"

The silence deepened.

"Now, listen to me. This will cost money. How much can you give to send
a man to look them up? Two hundred and fifty dollars?"

"Count me," said Ike.

"Me, too," echoed Perault. "And me, and me," on all sides. In ten
minutes the thing was arranged.

"Now, there is something else," said the Superintendent, and his voice
grew deep and solemn. "Can you spare me your man?"

"No, sir!" said the Kid, promptly.

"Not much!" echoed Perault, and in this feeling all emphatically agreed.

"Do you know where we can get such a man?" said the Superintendent,
"such a prospector?"

There was no answer. "I do not either. Now, what are you going to do?"

Then Sinclair spoke up.

"Do you mean, Doctor, to remove Mr. Macgregor from us? That would seem
to be very hard upon this field."

"Well, perhaps not; but can you spare him for six months, at least?"

For some minutes no one made reply. Then Ike spoke.

"Well, I surmise we got a good deal from our Prospector. In fact, what
we aint got from him don't count much. And I rather opine that we can't
be mean about this. It's a little like pullin' hair, but I reckon we'd
better give him up."

"Thank you, sir," said the Superintendent, who had learned much from
Ike throughout the day. "Your words are the best commentary I have ever
heard upon a saying of our Lord's, that has inspired men to all
unselfish living, 'Freely ye have received, freely give.'"

XX

THE NEW POLICY

It was still early spring when Shock received a letter from Brown, a
letter full of perplexity, and love and wrath.

"Something has gone wrong," he wrote. "You have got to come down here
and straighten it out. I can plainly see that Mrs. Fairbanks is at the
bottom of it, but just what she is at I cannot discover. Helen I do not
now see much. The changes in our life, you see, have been very great. I
cannot bear to go to the house now. The associations are too much for
me. Besides, Lloyd seems to have taken possession of the whole family.
The old lady flatters and fondles him in a manner that makes my gorge
rise. It is quite evident she wants him for her son-in-law, and more
than evident that he entirely concurs."

"Just what Helen thinks of it I am at a loss to know, but I cannot
believe she can stand Lloyd any more than I can. Up till recently she
was very open with me and very loyal to you