think
of it that way."

The difficulty was that he could not tell her the truth about her
father's weakness for drink and how he had played upon it. He bridged
all explanations and passed to the thing he meant to do in reparation.

"The money I cleaned up from that claim belongs to you, Miss O'Neill.
You will oblige me by taking it."

From his pocket he took a folded paper and handed it to her. Sheba
opened it doubtfully. The paper contained a typewritten statement and
to it was attached a check by means of a clip. The check was made out
to her and signed by Colby Macdonald. The amount it called for was one
hundred and eighty-three thousand four hundred and thirty-one dollars.

"Oh, I couldn't take this, Mr. Macdonald--I couldn't. It doesn't belong
to me," she cried.

"It belongs to you--and you're going to take it."

"I wouldn't know what to do with so much."

"The bank will take care of it for you until you decide. So that's
settled." He passed definitely from the subject. "There's something else
I want to say to you, Miss O'Neill."

Some change in his voice warned her. The girl slanted a quick, shy
glance at him.

"I want to know if you'll marry me, Miss O'Neill," he shot at her
abruptly. Then, without giving her time to answer, he pushed on:
"I'm older than you--by twenty-five years. Always I've lived on the
frontiers. I've had to take the world by the throat and shake from it
what I wanted. So I've grown hard and willful. All the sweet, fine
things of life I've missed. But with you beside me I'm not too old to
find them yet--if you'll show me the way, Sheba."

A wave of color swept into her face, but her eyes never faltered from
his. "I'm not quite sure," she said in a low voice.

"You mean--whether you love me?"

She nodded. "I--admire you more than any man I ever met. You are a great
man, strong and powerful,--and I am so insignificant beside you. I--am
drawn to you--so much. But--I am not sure."

Afterward, when she thought of it, Sheba wondered at the direct ease of
his proposal. In the romances she had read, men were shy and embarrassed
and fearful of the issue. But Colby Macdonald had known what he wanted
to say and had said it as coolly and as readily as if it had been a
business detail. She was the one that had blushed and stammered and
found a difficulty in expressing herself.

"I'm going away for two days. Perhaps when I come back you will know,
Sheba. Take your time. Marriage is seriou