Part 16 (1/2)

”Frank answered, 'As Mark Twain told those wild friends of his who perpetrated the bogus robbery upon him, ”You did a marvelous sight too well for a mere amateur.” But now, Judge, mum is the word about this business.'

”'Mum is the word,' was the reply.

”That evening Carey called at the home of his betrothed. A servant showed him into the parlor, but for the first time the young lady did not put in an appearance. In her stead her mother came. The elder lady, without sitting, in a severe tone said: 'Mr. Carey, my daughter has heard something to-day from Mrs. Cady. Until you explain that matter to my satisfaction my daughter will beg to decline to see you.'

”Carey replied: 'Since your daughter has heard of the matter, it does concern _her_, and I shall very gladly explain to her; but I cannot to any one else, not even to you.'

”'You could easily impose upon a silly girl who is in love, but I am no silly girl, and am not in love, especially not with _you_, and you will have to explain to _me_,' said the lady.

”'My dear madam,' said Carey, mildly, 'in one sense there is nothing in all that gossip. In another sense so much is involved that I would not under the rack whisper a word of it to any soul on earth save she who has promised to give her happiness into my keeping. When your daughter becomes my wife your authority as mother in our home shall never be questioned by me. Until then my business is not with you.'

”'It is not worth while to prolong this discussion,' said the old lady, excitedly. 'If you have nothing more to say, I will bid you good evening.'

”'Good evening, madam,' said Carey, and went out into the night.

”A year later the young lady married the wildest rake on the Comstock, but Carey never married, and died last year.

”When Cady saw how things were going, he went to Carey and said: 'Carey, let me go and explain to those ladies. It kills me to see you as your are.'

”'It will never do,' was the reply. 'They would not keep the secret, especially the elder one never would. It would kill her not to get even with your wife. It worried me a little at first, for I feared that ---- might grieve some and be disappointed; but she is all right. I watched her covertly at the play last night. She will forget me in a month. She will be married within the year. We will take no chance of having your home made unhappy. Dear friend, it is all just as I would have it.'”

”It was too bad,” said Harding.

”That Carey was a right n.o.ble fellow,” was Wright's comment.

Miller thought if he had been right game he would have seen that girl, old woman or no old woman.

”He was punished for his falsehood. He had to atone for his own and his friend's sins,” was Brewster's conclusion.

”O, murther! I think he had a happy deliverance from the whole family intoirely,” said Corrigan.

Carlin, addressing Brewster, said: ”You say he was punished for the sins of himself and his friend; how do you dispose of the wickedness of the postmaster?”

”Possibly,” was the response, ”he is wicked by habit, and it may be he is being reserved for some particular judgment.”

”All that I see remarkable about Carey's case,” said Ashley, ”is that he made the money in the first place. Had that stock been carried for me, the mine would have been flooded the next week and my work would have been mortgaged for a year to come to make good the loss.”

”It was a hard case, no doubt,” said Strong, ”but I think with Corrigan, that the punishment was not without its compensations.”

”He had his mirage and it was worse than wild Injuns, was it not, Wright?” asked Corrigan.

”Or worse, Barney,” said Wright, ”than a blacksmith, a foine mon and a mon of property.”

”O, murther, Wright,” said Corrigan; ”stop that. There go the whistles.

Let us say good night.”

CHAPTER XI.

About this time Virginia City was visited one day by a heavy rain storm accompanied with thunder. But as the sun was disappearing behind Mount Davidson, the clouds broke and rolled away from the west, while at the same time a faint rainbow appeared in the East, making one of those beautiful spectacles common to mountainous regions.