"Why did you let Jean wear the sable coat?" he asked
in return. "'Twas only to string Orcutt along, thinkin' he had me
bested till the last minute--then bring him up with a jolt. I didn't
know it would work out so lucky for me."
"How do you mean--lucky?"
"You wait an' see," grinned McNabb. "D'ye know, Orcutt offered me ten
thousand dollars for my tote-road? An' it cost me a hundred thousand!"
A long silence followed McNabb's words, during which Hedin cleared his
throat several times. The older man smoked his pipe, and cast covert
glances out of the tail of his eye. Finally he spoke. "What's on
ye're mind, lad? Speak out."
Hedin hesitated a moment and plunged into the thing he had dreaded to
say. "Mr. McNabb, I've been up here several months now--" he
hesitated, and as the other made no comment, proceeded. "I have come
to like the country. It--I don't think--that is, I don't want to go
back to Terrace City. You can understand, can't you? You have lived
in the North. I wasn't born to be a clerk. I hate it! My father was
a real man. He lived, and he died like a man. This is a man's
country. I am going to stay." Hedin had expected an outburst of
temper, and had steeled himself to withstand it. Instead, Old John
McNabb nodded slowly as he continued to puff at his pipe.
"So ye're tired of workin' for me. Ye want to quit----"
"It isn't that.
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