“Because, daddy dear, I’ve been foraging around for something to do, for a month past,” said the girl, frankly. “You know I am nothing if not up to date. I expected to be somebody’s secretary, thanks to my good, clear handwriting. But the blessing of Mrs. Rushmore’s work is that I can do most of it just here, and at the same time ‘boss’ the maid, who might get tired and bolt if she were left too much to herself.”
“Poor Rushmore died just while he was deciding to go into San Miguel with me,” remarked Mr. Foljambe. “He was one of the careful, conservative kind—while I—”
“Don’t be ashamed of your spirit of daring—don’t, papa; you share it liberally with me!” said Olive, gayly. “I haven’t the vaguest idea of what San Miguel was or is, but I’m perfectly sure I’d have gone into it and left Mr. Rushmore trembling on the brink.”
“It was one of my failures, dear—a mining speculation that promised everything, and flattened out in a year or two. If I had the money now that my holdings in that stock represent to me, it wouldn’t be long before I should be out of this pit, I tell you. Until I was failing, I hardly counted the cost of it. What it has cost me amounted to a fortune in itself; and I hold—or rather my assignee for the benefit of my creditors now holds—a strong majority of the whole capital stock. But within the last few years there has been no work done in the mine except what the sale of ore extracted would pay for—which has not been much—and the stock cannot now be sold for even a penny a share. Indeed I advised the assignee to-day to sell the shares to anybody who will offer anything whatever for them, and to do it quickly, before the chap can change his mind. Olive, my child, whether you succeed or not in your Rushmore business, I’m proud of you for taking up the first work that comes to hand. But there’s one thing I ought to ask—how long is Luttridge going to be satisfied to do without you?”
“Of course, papa, he was deadly foolish,” said Olive, crimsoning. “He wanted to be married right away, and come in here, the saucy fellow. But I’ve stuck to my ultimatum of last autumn. When he gets enough to keep us without my being a drag on him, I’ll say ‘yes.’ Just now I wouldn’t leave you for all the world. Every minute of this day I’ve been thinking of your getting home and finding everything so nice.”
Foljambe’s heart reproached him for his contempt of her poor devisings. He caught his brave little woman in his arms and kissed her as he had not done in years.
Olive’s interest in deciphering the Rushmore hieroglyphics grew with the continuance of her work, which daily opened out into new channels of discovery and information. Mrs. Rushmore, rejoiced to find she had not misplaced her confidence in the girl’s ability, went off to Europe, leaving the whole charge of the book in Miss Olive’s hands, together with a very liberal sum to be paid her in weekly installments in remuneration, and the promise of more to follow when the work should be finished. Foljambe himself, in better health and spirits for his daughter’s guardian care, found that, on the whole, his enjoyment of life was rather increased than diminished. His younger son rejoiced his family by finding employment as secretary to one of his father’s old friends, who was primarily to take him off for a summer of travel through the wonders of the far West. Letters from Mrs. Foljambe, while giving gratifying assurance of her physical improvement and of the usual impression made by Lilian’s beauty upon casual grandees, did not now touch a sore spot in Martin’s heart, for the simple reason that the wound was healing under Olive’s influence.
Summer came, and Olive, at her desk heaped with dictionaries, encyclopedias, and works of reference, transferred from Mrs. Rushmore’s library, had hardly time to wonder if she were herself. While all the other young women of her acquaintance were preparing gowns for their holiday campaign, going off to lovely country homes with keen zest for the outdoor life that had previously been her greatest joy, or taking wing for Europe, she in her trim cotton gown sat down by nine o’clock to spend all the morning hours in close devotion to her task in hand.