“No, I was not aware that Tom is expected to join us again,” replied Mr. Dalken. “I thought his huff seemed to be permanent.”
“I am not aware of his intentions either,” admitted Polly, “but I heard him telling my brother that he’d love to go with the men who would visit Colombia to take up the options on that land.”
“Well, if that is so, I’ll write and invite him to come on and meet us in Los Angeles, and then he can join Fuzzier and Alexander on their trip,” remarked Mr. Dalken. But he wondered what Polly meant by this unusual reference to Tom. Had he dreamed that she had been peeved by Jack, when he had said the girls could not find any wise young man to propose to them, he would have laughed at her. Polly had been spoiled during the past two years, by having so many admirers wait upon her; and now, barring Jack’s indifferent attentions, having no young man hovering about, made her miss her faithful beau. Perhaps this lack of attention caused her to write an unusually kind letter to Tom. But she did not mention the possibility of his coming to join the two men who planned to go on to South America—she left that to Dalky, because she had no desire to be held responsible for Tom, after he should arrive in California.
Eleanor had received a letter that day, too, but she had not mentioned it to any one. It had been forwarded from New York, the day after the tourists left that city for the west. Then it went to Oak Creek, and there it was sent on to the Denver hotel. Again it had been forwarded to Santa Fé, and then to Albuquerque. It reached Gallup the same day Eleanor left there, but it was not forwarded to Flagstaff for several days, and when it did arrive at the latter place, Eleanor had just gone to Grand Canyon. Now it reached her with its envelope covered with postmarks, and the original address almost obliterated. But the girl flushed as she recognized Paul Stewart’s scrawly writing.
Slipping the letter inside her blouse, she waited an opportunity to get away where she might read it undisturbed by others. Now she had this opportunity, and she made the most of it.
She hastily opened the sealed envelope and smiled as she found the familiar scrawl that covered a double sheet of paper. As she read how Paul had succeeded in his engineering work in the Rockies of Southern Colorado, she felt proud of him and his fight against poverty. He went on to say that all he needed now was the big opportunity to prove what was in him. When that chance came, he was ready to take it by the forelock, and as soon as he had made good his claims, he would be making tracks in the direction of a certain girl he knew—one who thought nothing of money, but a lot of a real man! “Still,” wrote Paul, “I cannot ask that girl to have me unless I have something more than brag to prove what I am capable of doing. In case you hear our old friend Dalken mention any plans he may have on the board where a wide-awake mining engineer is needed, I trust you will not forget to recommend your devoted lover and soon-to-be husband.”
Eleanor gasped at this daring signature, but she rather enjoyed such a high-handed manner. Now she remembered that Mr. Fuzzier and Dodo’s father were planning to go to South America as soon as they reached California. And she lost no time in driving a wedge for Paul to accompany them on this trip.
She opened the subject nearest her heart that evening, and began by asking Mr. Dalken how many men might be allowed to go with the two men.
“Why do you ask? Polly wants to get rid of one admirer, and I suppose you have another one to get rid of, eh?” laughed he.
“Yes, that’s it!” retorted Eleanor. “But this one is a wonderful engineer, and he has an exceptional position in South Colorado at the present time. However, I might persuade him to give that up, if we could show him any advantage in going to South America with our friends.”