Chapter 47. Silver
That is to say, he had gone down to the boathouse and embarked in his skiff. He had no notion of leaving the north country, but was willing to pull up stakes and proceed a few miles up the river, where he would negotiate with Ojeeg for Keego.
Since she had accused him of selling his conscience, it was about time she knew who employed him. In fact it was about time that Chase Mahan should get acquainted with his future daughter.
He would write to his father that the silica belonged to a Miss Rich, who preferred to deal with principals rather than with subordinates. That might bring his father north. And there could be no harm in leaving the age of Miss Rich to be discovered by the grizzled engineer himself.
Some day she would be no longer young, and as he meditatively made his way across the water he lifted up his voice and sang about it—about silver threads among the gold. He knew only one stanza, but it was not really necessary that he should know more than the first word. That happened to be “Darling,” a word which can be sung by any voice and at any pitch. Marvin sang it at a pitch of about a hundred and fifty-five, and as the wind happened to be right it reached a certain girl and made her cry.
Meanwhile the doctor, having finished his weeding, had come down to the river to wash his hands.
As he bowed his white head beside the dock he heard the sound of oars, and perceived that an old friend was coming in.
“Bo-jou, Black Hawk. How is the Red Leaf this morning?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since yesterday. But I stopped for your mail on the way down.”
Dr. Rich carried the mail up to the house unopened. As he entered, his keen ear caught a sound, muffled and piteous.