He expected the road to cross the old St. Vrain and Laramie Trail, but if it did cross he could not find the place. It was easy to lose bearings in these hills. Neale had to abandon the hunt for that day, and turning back, with some annoyance at his failure, he decided that it would be best to take Larry and Slingerland into his confidence.
Allie was waiting for him at the brook ford.
“Oh, it was gone!” she cried.
“Allie, I couldn’t find the place. Come, ride back and let me walk beside you.... We’ll have fun telling Larry and Slingerland.”
“Neale, let me tell them,” she begged.
“Go ahead. Make a strong story. Larry always had leanings toward gold-strikes.”
And that night, after supper, when the log fire had begun to blaze, and all were comfortable before it, Allie glanced demurely at Larry and said:
“Reddy, if you had known that I was heiress to great wealth, would you have proposed to me?”
Slingerland roared. Larry seemed utterly stricken.
“Wealth!” he echoed, feebly.