"Yes, she's tough," said the affectionate son carelessly. "I'll go in and see whether she's got supper ready."
He entered the house, leaving Dean and his old employer together.
"Come here, boy, and sit down," said Kirby smiling, and eying Dean very much as a cat eyes the mouse whom she proposes soon to devour. "You must be tired."
"Thank you," said Dean calmly, as he went forward and seated himself on the settee beside Peter Kirby.
"What brought you so far West as Colorado?" proceeded Kirby, giving vent to his curiosity.
"I kept coming West. Besides I heard there were mines in Colorado, and I thought I might find profitable work."
"So you gave up playing on that harmonica of yours?"
"Yes."
"Couldn't you make it pay?"
"I needed a partner like the one I started with—Mr. Montgomery. I couldn't give an entertainment alone."