o be
rid of your little girl?"

"Don't talk foolishly, child," he answered, hastily; "you know I've no
wish to be rid of you, but I do want to see you settled in a home of
your own--equal to the best, and, as I said a while ago, and told Mr.
Darrell in talking the matter over with him, I know of no one in whose
hands I would so willingly place you and your happiness as Mr.
Walcott's. As for the date and other matters of that sort," he added,
playfully pinching her cheeks, "I suppose those will all be mutually
arranged between the gentleman and yourself."

Kate had started back slightly. "You have talked this over with Mr.
Darrell?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, why not?"

"What did he think of it?"

"Well," said her father, slowly, "naturally he did not quite fall in
with my views, for I think he is not just what you could call a
disinterested party. I more than half suspect that Mr. Darrell would
like to step into Mr. Walcott's place himself, if he were only eligible,
but knowing that he is not, he is too much of a gentleman to commit
himself in any way."

Mr. Underwood scanned his daughter's face keenly as he spoke, but it was
as impassive as his own. To Kate, Darrell's absences of late were now
explained; he understood it all. She kissed her father silently.

"You know, Puss, I am looking out for your best interests in all of
this," said her father, a little troubled by her silence.

"I know that is your intention, papa," she replied, with gentle gravity,
and left the room.

_Chapter XVIII_

ON THE "DIVIDE"

Summer had merged into autumn. Crisp, exhilarating mornings ushered in
glorious days flooded with sunshine, followed by sparkling, frosty
nights.

The strike at the mining camp had been adjusted; the union
boarding-house after two months was found a failure and abandoned, and
the strikers gradually returned to their work. Mr. Underwood, during the
shut-down, had improved the time to enlarge the mill and add
considerable new machinery; this work was now nearly completed; in two
weeks the mill would again be running, and he offered Darrell his old
position as assayer in charge, which the latter, somewhat to Mr.
Underwood's surprise, accepted.

Although his city business was now quite well established, Darrell felt
that life at The Pines was becoming unendurable. Walcott's visits were
now so frequent it was impossible longer to avoid him. The latter's air
of easy self-assurance, the terms of endea