pen air and sun for weeks. I'm only
here now by chance."

"A happy chance for us, Richard. Where have you been of late?" asked
Bertrand.

"Out on the plains--riding and keeping a gang of men under control,
for the most part, and pushing the work as rapidly as possible." He
tossed back his hair with the old movement Mary remembered so well.
"Tell me about the children, Martha and Betty; both grown up? Or still
ready to play with a comrade?"

"They're all here to-day. Martha's teaching in the city, but Betty's
at home helping me, as always. The boys are getting such big fellows,
and little Janey's as sweet as all the rest."

"There! That's Betty's laugh, I know. I'd recognize it if I heard it
out on the plains. I have, sometimes--when a homesick fit gets hold of
me out under the stars, when the noise of the camp has subsided. A
good deal of that work is done by the very refuse of humanity, you
know, a mighty tough lot."

"And you like that sort of thing, Richard?" asked Mary. "I thought
when you went to your people in Scotland, you might be leading a very
different kind of life by now."

"I thought so, too, then; but I guess for some reasons this is best.
Still, I couldn't resist stealing a couple of days to run up here and
see you all. I got off a carload of supplies yesterday from Chicago,
and then I wired back to the end of the line that I'd be two days
later myself. No wonder I followed you out here. I couldn't afford to
waste the precious hours. I say! That's Betty again! I'll find them
and say you're hungry, shall I?"

"Oh, they're coming now. I see Martha's pink dress, and there's Betty
in green over there."

But Richard was gone, striding over the fallen leaves toward the spot
of green which was Betty's gingham dress. And Betty, spying him,
forgot she was grown up. She ran toward him with outstretched arms,
as of old--only--just as he reached her, she drew back and a wave of
red suffused her face. She gave him one hand instead of both, and
called to Peter Junior to hurry.

"Well, Betty Ballard! I can't jump you along now over stocks and
stones as I used to. And here's everybody! Why, Jamie, what a great
man you are! I'll have to take you back with me to help build the new
road. And here's Bobby; and this little girl--I wonder if she
remembers me well enough to give me a kiss? I have nobody to kiss me
now, when I come back. That's right. That's what Betty used to do.
Why, hello! here's Clara Dean, and