en you're making
your appeal to those horny-handed sons of toil over yonder at Ophir.
Give 'em straight facts, and back up the facts with figures--if you
happen to have the figures. When do you pull out for the mining-camp?"

"To-night, at nine-thirty. I can't get there in time if I wait for the
morning train." Then, dismissing the political topic abruptly: "What do
you hear from Professor Anners?"

"Oh, he's having the time of his life. I got him a State permit, and
scraped him up a bunch of pick-and-shovel men, and he is digging out
those fossil skeletons by the wagon-load."

"And Miss Anners?" pursued Patricia's lover.

"I shouldn't wonder if she was having the time of her life, too. I've
given her the little four-seated car to call her own while she is out
here, and she and Honoria go careering around the country--breaking the
speed limit every minute in the day, I reckon."

"I'm glad you are giving her a good time," said Evan, and he looked
glad. Then he added regretfully: "I wish I could get a chance to chase
around a little with them. I have seen almost nothing of them since they
came West. I should think Mrs. Blount might bring Patricia down to the
city once in a while."

"Well, now! perhaps the young woman doesn't want to come," laughed the
senator. "You told me you hadn't got her tag, son, and I'm beginning to
believe it's the sure-enough truth. What has she got against you,
anyway?"

"Nothing; nothing in the wide world, save that I don't fit into her
scheme for her life-work."

The senator was eating calmly through his dessert. "If you hadn't made
up your mind so pointedly to dislike Honoria, you might be getting a few
tips on that 'career' business along about now, son," he remarked, and
Evan was silent--had to be silent. For, you see, he had been charging
Patricia's continued absence from the capital to nothing less than
spiteful design on the part of his father's wife.

It was at the cigar smoking in the lobby, after the young man had made
his preparations for the journey and was waiting for the train-caller's
announcement, that the senator said quite casually: "It's too bad you're
going out of town to-night, son. Honoria 'phoned me a little spell ago
that she and Patricia would be driving down after their dinner to take
in the Weatherford reception. You'll have to miss 'em, won't you?"

The announcer was chanting the call for the night train west, and the
joint-debater got up and thrust his ha