rwards and--oh, I wonder if I've got any mail." She broke
away and dashed into the house and the Colonel brushed back his hair.

"A Huff!" he murmured. "My God, what a blow! And Wiley, how can we ever
repay you?"

"Never mind," answered Wiley as he took the old man's hand. "I don't
care about the money."

"No, but the wrong, the disgrace," protested the Colonel, brokenly, and
then he flared up at Blount.

"You scoundrel, sir!" he cried. "How dared you induce my daughter to
violate her sacred trust? By the gods, Sam Blount, I am greatly
tempted----"

"It's come!" called Virginia, running gayly down the steps, but at sight
of her father she stopped. "Well, there it is," she said, putting a
paper in his hand. "It shows that I was sorry, anyway."

"What is this?" inquired the Colonel, fumbling feebly for his glasses,
and Virginia snatched the paper away.

"It's a letter from my lawyers!" she said, smiling wickedly. "And we'll
show it to Mr. Blount."

She took it over and put it in Blount's hands, and as he read the first
line he turned pale.

"Why--Virginia!" he gasped and then he clutched at his heart and reached
out quickly for the fence. "Why--why, I thought that was all settled! I
certainly understood it was--and what authority had you to interfere?"

"Wiley's power of attorney," she answered defiantly, "I fired that
crooked lawyer, after you'd got him all fixed, and hired a good one with
my stock."

"My Lord!" moaned Blount, "and after all I'd done for you!" And then he
collapsed and was borne into the house. But Wiley, who had been so calm,
suddenly leapt for the letter and read it through to the end.

"Holy--jumping--Judas!" he burst out, running over to the Colonel who
was standing with lack luster eyes. "Look here what Virginia has done!
She's bought all Blount's stock, under that option I had, and cleaned
him--down to a cent. She's won back the mine, and we can all go in
together----"

"Virginia!" spoke up the Colonel, beckoning her sternly to him. "Come
down here, I wish to speak to you."

She came down slowly and as her father began to talk the tears rose
quickly to her eyes, but when Wiley took her hand she smiled back
wistfully and crept within the circle of his arm.

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Shadow Mountain, by Dane Coolidge

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SHADOW MOUNTAIN ***

***** This file should be named 30574.txt or 30574.zip *****
This a