“But listen, father, won’t you? Listen to me just a moment.”
“Well, what is it?” said he, impatiently, wiping the perspiration from his brow.
“For thirteen years, father, you’ve been striving and striving to find gold in Gray Rocks; what if you are no nearer now than you were thirteen years ago? Will you be so terribly disappointed, father? Come, tell me you will not.” She had her arms about his neck and was looking pleadingly up into his face. He pushed her from him.
“Yo’ talk as if yo’ doubted,” said he. “I’m thirteen years nearer success to-night than the day I commenced. It’s vehy humiliatin’ to me to think that yo’, Louise, should doubt yo’r old father’s judgment. Have yo’ forgotten that my blood cou’ses in yo’r veins? Are yo’, too, turnin’ against me at the vehy last?”
“Oh, father,” cried Louise, as she clung to him and buried her head on his breast, sobbing wildly, “don’t speak to me so harshly! It will kill me! Have I not,” said she, between her sobs, “stood by you and believed with you, though all others, unless it was Mr. Gilder, turned against you? I believe now that you are right, father, but it may be deeper down, and I was only trying to make the disappointment less hard in case disappointment should again be the result of our efforts.”
“There, there, little girl,” said the Colonel, stroking her head affectionately, “I do forgive yo’, and yo’ must forgive yo’r old, excitable father. Let us put in the powdeh; let us make the last blast, and let its resoundin’ peals tell the whole world that we’ve done our best!”
“Yes, father; that we have indeed done our utmost; and after this blast we will go home and still have faith in Gray Rocks, though the whole world disbelieves.”
“We have plenty of powdeh here,” said the old Colonel, picking up the can, “to tear ten tons of rock into shreds.”
The fuse was lighted and they retired for protection until the powder should ignite. Presently there was a deafening roar, as if the mountains were being split asunder. The Colonel grasped his daughter’s hand with such a vise-like grip that it almost made her cry out with pain.
“The last blast!” shouted the old Colonel, when the reverberations had ceased, “the smoke will soon clear away, and then we shall see, yes, suh, we shall see!”