Bible pap.'

"'Ye may be right,' says I; 'but we'll see.'"

"Oh, if only Mr. Steadman could be here when they return!" exclaimed
Constance. "I know he could handle them better than any one else."

"Ay, ay, miss, there's no doubt about that. But, poor chap, I'm
thinkin' he'll have enough to attend to out on the hills by this time."

"Is there much talk about him at the store?" asked Mr. Radhurst.

"No, sir. He's seldom mentioned. Once Pritchen made a remark about
the trial, but, gittin' no encouragement, he shet up. The men are
feelin' purty sore over the whole bizness. I begin to gather they
think there's somethin' crooked about the affair, though they say
nothin' open. Pritchen seems to be the most unsettled one of the
bunch. Not only is he dead scart of the Injuns, but he sees that the
miners are turnin' agin 'im fer gittin' 'em into sich a scrape. The
strange thing is that he's been mighty friendly with me of late, an'
axed me a number of questions about you folk."

"About us?" cried Constance in surprise. "Why, what did he want to
know?"

"Oh, nothin' much in perticular, only what yez were here fer, how long
yez were goin' to stay, an' questions like that. I didn't give 'im
much satisfaction, 'cept that yez were lookin' fer a relative, a young
chap that come up here some time ago."

"And what did he say?"

"Seemed kinder surprised an' mighty interested when I told 'im yez were
on the right track good an' hot; had discovered the lad's fiddle an'
found out that the old chief has a picter of 'im."

"'Do they know whar the Injun got the picter?' says he, sudden like.

"'Not yit,' says I, 'but I'm thinkin' they'll find out.'

"'How?' says he.

"'I don't know,' says I, 'but sich things ginnerly come out in time.'
At that he laughed as if it was a huge joke. He's a deep one that, fer
sure, an' sometimes I think he knows more about the whole bizness than
he lets on. Thar's somethin' fishy, too, about his havin' that book,
an' knowin' about them letters on that rock. It's mighty curious, an'
I can't savvy it at all."

During the days that followed, Constance's mind was seriously
perplexed. She longed to go to the old chief, and question him about
the picture, but dreaded the undertaking, knowing nothing of the native
language. If only Old Pete would come, he would go, for she had great
confidence in the worthy prospector. She wondered why the delay, for
he had expected to return in a short t