“It ought to make us the best of friends,” said Ruth heartily, and it struck at her warm heart to see how the two girls brightened at her words.
“Mr. Knowles has been here,” Mary volunteered.
A look of doubt and sadness came into her eyes as she added:
“He is very good, but I’m afraid he won’t be able to help us very much. He seemed more bewildered than we are when we tried to explain to him. I don’t know—I don’t know,” in a half-whisper, as though she were speaking to herself, “what is going to become of us!”
Ruth leaned toward the girl impulsively.
“Don’t you think you could trust me enough to tell me about it, Mary?” she said. “I don’t know that I should understand any better than Mr. Knowles. But I should like to try.”
“You are very good!” said Mary, reaching out a hand to Ruth.
“Indeed you are!” said Ellen. “It is so long,” she added softly, “since we have had another woman to talk to.”
“It is that man Lieberstein who is making all the trouble,” said Mary, her face flushing with indignation as she mentioned the name of her enemy. “He says he located the claim before Dad did.”
“Which is perfectly silly!” Ellen broke in swiftly. “He never came here until after Dad had taken out his papers and started to work the mine.”