een playing, but cheap
cynicism was not in the Colonel's line. He knew the awful pinch of life
up here, and he thought no less of his comrades for asking that last
service of getting them home. But it was the day of the final
"clean-up" for the Colonel; he must not leave misapprehension behind.

"I wanted Maudie to have my Minook claim----"

"Got a Minook claim o' my own."

"So I've left it to be divided----"

They all looked up.

"One-half to go to a little girl in 'Frisco, and the other half--well,
I've left the other half to Kaviak. Strikes me he ought to have a
little piece o' the North."

"Y-yes!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Good idea!"

"Mac thought he'd go over to the other tent and cook some dinner. There
was a general movement. As they were going out:

"Boy!"

"Yes?" He came back, Nig followed, and the two stood by the camp-bed
waiting their Colonel's orders.

"Don't you go wastin' any more time huntin' gold-mines."

"I don't mean to."

"Go back to your own work; go back to your own people."

The Boy listened and looked away.

"It's good to go pioneering, but it's good to go home. Oh-h--!" the
face on the pillow was convulsed for that swift passing moment--"best
of all to go home. And if you leave your home too long, your home
leaves you."

"Home doesn't seem so important as it did when I came up here."

The Colonel fastened one hand feverishly on his pardner's arm.

"I've been afraid of that. It's magic; break away. Promise me you'll go
back and stay. Lord, Lord!" he laughed feebly, "to think a fella should
have to be urged to leave the North alone. Wonderful place, but there's
Black Magic in it. Or who'd ever come--who'd ever stay?"

He looked anxiously into the Boy's set face.

"I'm not saying the time was wasted," he went on; "I reckon it was a
good thing you came."

"Yes, it was a good thing I came."

"You've learned a thing or two."

"Several."

"Specially on the Long Trail."

"Most of all on the Long Trail."

The Colonel shut his eyes. Maudie came and held a cup to his lips.

"Thank you. I begin to feel a little foggy. What was it we learned on
the Trail, pardner?" But the Boy had turned away. "Wasn't it--didn't we
learn how near a tolerable decent man is to bein' a villain?"

"We learned that a man can't be quite a brute as long as he sticks to
another man."

"Oh, was that it?"

* * * * *

In the night Maudie went away to sleep. The Boy watche