e was a fool. But he wasn't a fool by any
means. No, not by any means. What was more, before he had done with
Rocky Springs he would show some of them. He would show Mr. O'Brien.
Greenbacked cattle! The thought thoroughly annoyed him.

But, as he clambered up the hill toward the pine, his heat moderated,
and his thoughts turned upon Charlie again. He remembered that he was
collecting money, and quite suddenly it occurred to him as strange
that he should be doing so as this time of night, and in the
neighborhood of the pine. In the light of greenbacked cattle, that,
too, seemed like perfect nonsense, unless, of course, some one were
living in the neighborhood of the tree. He could not remember to have
seen a house there. Wait a minute. Yes, there was. A smallish log
building, not far from the new church.

Of course. That was it. Why hadn't that fool O'Brien said so right out
instead of leaving him guessing? Yes, he would call at that house
on----. Hallo, what was that?

A great dull yellow light was gleaming through the foliage ahead. A
beautiful golden light. Bill laughed abruptly. It was the full moon
just appearing on the horizon. For the moment he had not recognized
it.

Now it held his attention completely. What a beautiful scene it made,
lighting up the shadowy foliage. His mind went back to the Biblical
story of the burning bush. He found himself wondering if it were like
that. Much brighter, of course. But how green it looked, and how
intensely it threw the thinner foliage into relief. What a pity Helen
Seton wasn't there to see it! It would appeal to her, he was sure.
Pretty name, Helen Seton.

From this point, as he toiled up the hill, his thoughts became
engrossed with the girl who had been so angry with him at first. He
wished he could find some excuse for seeing her again that night. But,
of course, that was----

He suddenly stopped dead, and his train of thought ended. There was
the great pine ahead of him right in the back of the moonlight.
There, too, was the figure of a man standing silhouetted against the
great ball of golden light as it rose slowly above the horizon.

Charlie! Yes, of course it was Charlie. There could be no doubt. The
slight figure was unmistakable. Even at that distance he was certain
he could make out his dark hair.

In a moment he was hailing the distant figure.

"Ho, Charlie!" he cried.

But his greeting met with an unexpected result. The figure vanished as
if by mag