They were seated rather close together upon the steep hillside, gazing
silently down upon squalid Glencaid. At such considerable distance all
the dull shabbiness of the mining town had disappeared, and it seemed
almost ideal, viewed against the natural background of brown rocks and
green trees. All about them was the clear, invigorating air of the
uplands, through which the eyes might trace for miles the range of
irregular rocky hills, while just above, seemingly almost within touch
of the extended hand, drooped the blue circling sky, unflecked by
cloud. Everywhere was loneliness, no sound telling of the labor of man
reached them, and the few scattered buildings far below resembling mere
doll-houses.
They had conversed only upon the constantly changing beauty of the
scene, or of incidents connected with their upward climb, while moving
slowly along the trail through the fresh morning sunshine. Now they
sat in silence, the young girl, with cheeks flushed and dreamy eyes
aglow, gazing far off along the valley, the man watching her curiously,
and wondering how best to approach his task. For the first time he
began to realize the truth, which had been partially borne in upon him
the previous evening by Wynkoop, that this was no mere child with whom
he dealt, but a young girl upon the verge of womanhood. Such knowledge
began to reveal much that came before him as new, changing the entire
nature of their present relationship, as well as the scope of his own
plain duty. It was his wont to look things squarely in the face, and
unpleasant and unwelcome as was the task now confronting him, during
the long night hours he had settled it once for all--the preacher's
words were just.
Observing her now, sitting thus in total unconsciousness of his
scrutiny, Hampton made no attempt to analyze the depth of his interest
for this waif who had come drifting into his life. He did not in the
least comprehend why she should have touched his heart with generous
impulses, nor did he greatly care. The fact was far the more
important, and that fact he no longer questioned. He had been a
lonely, unhappy, discontented man for many a long year, shunned by his
own sex, who feared him, never long seeking the society of the other,
and retaining little real respect for himself. Under such conditions a
reaction was not unnatural, and, short as the time had been since their
first meeting, this odd, straightforward chit of a girl had found an
abiding-place in his heart, had furnished him a distinct motive in life
before unknown.
Even to his somewhat prejudiced eyes she was not an attractive
creature, for she possessed no clear conception of how to render
apparent those few feminine charms she possessed. Negligence and total
unconsciousness of self, coupled with lack of womanly companionship and
guidance, had left her altogether in the rough. He marked now the
coarse ragged shoes, the cheap patched skirt, the tousled auburn hair,
the sunburnt cheeks with a suggestion of freckles plainly visible
beneath the eyes, and some of the fastidiousness of earlier days caused
him to shrug his shoulders. Yet underneath the tan there was the glow
of perfect young health; the eyes were frank, brave, unflinching; while
the rounded chin held a world of character in its firm contour.
Somehow the sight of this brought back to him that abiding faith in her
"dead gameness" which had first awakened his admiration. "She's got it
in her," he thought, silently, "and, by thunder! I 'm here to help her
get it out."