Then, before it could be realized, he was off again. He had kissed Honora and congratulated her, and he and Kate had again clasped hands.
"Sorry," he said, in his explosive way, "that we part so soon." He held her hand a second longer, gave it a sudden pressure, and was gone.
Honora shut the door behind him reluctantly.
"So like Karl!" she laughed. "It's the second time he's been in my house since I was married."
"You'd think we had the plague, the way he runs from us," said David.
"Oh," responded Honora, not at all disturbed, "Karl is forever on important business. He's probably been to New York to some directors' meeting. Now he's on his way to Denver, he says--'men waiting.' That's Karl's way. To think of his dashing up here between trains to see my babies!" The tears came to her eyes. "Don't you think he's fine, Kate?"
The truth was, there seemed to be a sort of vacuum in the air since he had left--as if he had taken the vitality of it with him.
"But where does he live?" she asked Honora.
"Address him beyond the Second Divide, and he'll be reached. Everybody knows him there. His post-office bears his own name--Wander."
"He's a miner?"