“My idea,” he added, unable to lift his eyes from the treasure. “See this, too.”
I looked, and there was the word “Neighbor” engraved on it.
“Her idea,” said he.
“A good one!” I murmured.
“It's on both, yu' know. We had it put on the day she settled to accept the superintendent's proposition.” Here Lin fired his small exchanged weapon at a cotton-wood, striking low. “She can beat that with mine!” he exclaimed, proud and tender. “She took four days deciding at Edgeford, and I learned her to hit the ace of clubs.” He showed me the cards they had practiced upon during those four days of indecision; he had them in a book as if they were pressed flowers. “They won't get crumpled that way,” said he; and he further showed me a tintype. “She's got the other at Separ,” he finished.
I shook his hand with all my might. Yes, he was worthy of her! Yes, he deserved this smooth course his love was running! And I shook his hand again. To tonic her grief Jessamine had longed for some activity, some work, and he had shown her Wyoming might hold this for her as well as Kentucky. “But how in the world,” I asked him, “did you persuade her to stop over at Edgeford at all?”
“Yu' mustn't forget,” said the lover (and he blushed), “that I had her four hours alone on the train.”
But his face that evening round the fire, when they talked of their next day's welcome to the new agent, became comedy of the highest, and he was so desperately canny in the moments he chose for silence or for comment! He had not been sure of their ignorance until he arrived, and it was a joke with him too deep for laughter. He had a special eye upon the Virginian, his mate in such a tale of mischiefs, and now he led him on. He suggested to the Southerner that caution might be wise; this change at Separ was perhaps some new trick of the company's.
“We mostly take their tricks,” observed the Virginian.
“Yes,” said Lin, nodding sagely at the fire, “that's so, too.”