had ever seen, and they were surrounded
by a network of prepossessing wrinkles.

He came directly in to greet his visitor, then said: "I never expected
you'd come 'way out here an' bring your plunder with you. Ma says you
got a hull gripful o' di'mon's."

"I have, indeed." Gray pointed to the glittering display still spread
out upon the varicolored counterpane.

Briskow approached the bed and gazed curiously, silently down at the
treasure, then his face broke into a sunshiny smile. He wiped his hands
upon his trousers legs and picked up a ring. But instead of examining
the jewel, he looked at the price mark, after which his smile broadened.

Ozark had entered behind his father, and his sister introduced him now.
He was a year or two younger than Allegheny, but cast in the same
heroic mold. They formed a massive pair of children indeed, and, as in
her case, a sullen distrust of strangers was inherent in him. He stared
coldly, resentfully, at Gray, mumbled an unintelligible greeting, then
rudely turned his back upon the visitor and joined his father.

The elder Briskow spoke first, and it was evident that he feared to
betray lack of conservatism, for he said, with admirable restraint:

"Likely-lookin' lot of trinkets, eh, Bud?"

Bud grunted. After a moment he inquired of Gray, "How much is that hull
lot wuth, Mister?"

"Close to a hundred thousand dollars."

Brother and sister exchanged glances; the father considered briefly,
smilingly, then he said, "With oil at three an' a quarter, it wouldn't
take long for a twelve-hundred bar'ler to get the hull caboodle, would
it?"

"Is your well producing twelve hundred barrels a day?"

"Huh!" Briskow, junior, grinned at his sister, exposing a mouth full of
teeth as white and as sound as railroad crockery, but his next words
were directed at Gray: "We got _four_ wells and the p'orest one is
makin' twelve hundred bar'l."

The guests' mental calculations as to the Briskow royalties were
interrupted by an announcement that dinner was ready, whereupon the
father announced:

"Mister, it looks like you'd have to stay overnight with us, 'cause I
got important business after dinner an' I wouldn't trust Ma to pick out
no jewelry by herself--them prices would skeer her to death. We're
ignorant people and we ain't used to spendin' money, so it'll take time
for us to make up our minds. Kin you wait?"

"I'll stay as long as you'll keep me," Gray declared, heartily.

A moment l