"An old debt—a friend of mine—I loaned him the money a long time ago and he paid it back—that's all."
Jack took a drink of water from the olla to hide his confusion.
"Who was it?" persisted Echo.
"You wouldn't know if I told you. Now just stop talking business."
"It isn't fair," declared Echo. "You share all the good things of life with me, and I want to share some of your business worries. I want to stand my share of the bad."
Jack saw he must humor her. "When the bad comes I'll tell you," he assured her, patting her hand.
"You stand between me and the world. You're like a great big mountain, standing guard over a little tree in the valley, keeping the cold north wind from treating it too roughly." She sighed contentedly. "But the mountain does it all."
Jack looked down tenderly at his little wife. Her love for him moved him deeply.
"Not at all," he said to her. "The little tree grows green and beautiful. It casts a welcome shade about it, and the heart of the mountain is made glad to its rocky core to know that the safety of that little tree is in its keeping."
Taking her in his arms, he kissed her again and again.