"Gold!"
"What—real gold?" she cried rapturously, "gold from a mine? Oh, I'd like——"
She stopped short and Rimrock chuckled as he scooped up the elusive dust.
"All right," he said as he rose to his feet, "I'll make you a present of it, then," and held out the cartridge of gold.
"Oh, I couldn't!" she thrilled, but he only smiled encouragingly and poured out the gold in her hand.
"It's nothing," he said, "just the clean-up from a pocket. I run across a little once in a while."
A panic came over her as she felt the telltale weight of it, and she hastily poured it back.
"I can't take it, of course," she said with dignity, "but it was awful good of you to offer it, I'm sure."
"Aw, what do we care?" he protested lightly, but she handed the corked cartridge back. Then she stood off and looked at him and the huge man in overalls became suddenly a Croesus in her eyes.
"Is that from your mine?" she asked at last and of a sudden his bronzed face lighted up.