Thereupon, Mart, with a look of reverence at his young bride, replied: "She's airned it--and more!" A sigh was in his voice and a singular appeal in his big eyes as he sank into an easy-chair. "I believe I do feel better down here; my heart seems to work aisier. I'm going to get well now, darlin'." "Of course you are," she answered, in the tone of a daughter; then added, with a smile: "I like it here. Why not settle?" To her Colorado Springs was a dazzling social centre. The beauty of the homes along its wide streets, the splendor of its private carriages, affected her almost as deeply as the magnitude and glory of Denver itself; but she was not of those who display their weaknesses and diffidence. She ate her first dinner in the lofty Antlers dining-hall with quiet dignity, and would not have been particularly noticed but for Haney, who was well-known to the waiters of the hotel. Her association with him had made her a marked figure in their mountain towns, and she was accustomed to comment. She met the men who addressed her with entire fearlessness and candor (she was afraid only of women in good clothes), speaking with the easy slanginess of a herder, using naturally and unconsciously the most picturesque phrases of the West. Her speech was incisive and unhesitating, yet not swift. She never chattered, but "you bet" and "all right" were authorized English so far as she was concerned. "They say you can't beat this town anywhere for society, and I sure like the looks of what we've seen. Suppose we hang around this hotel for a while--not too long, for it's mighty expensive." Here she smiled--a quick, flashing smile. "You see, I can't get used to spending money--I'm afraid all the time I'll wake up. It's just like a dream I used to have of finding chink--I always came to before I had a chance to handle it and see if it was real." Haney answered, indulgently: "'Tis all real, Bertie. I'll show you that when I'm meself again." "Oh, I believe it--at least, part of the time," she retorted. "But I'll have to flash a roll to do it--checks are no good. I could sign a million checks and not have 'em seem like real money. I'm from Missouri when it comes to cash." Mrs. Gilman, who had always stood in bewilderment and wonder of her daughter, was entirely subject now. She and Williams usually moved in silence, like adoring subjects in the presence of their sovereigns. They had no doubts whatsoever concerning the power and primacy of gold; and as for Haney himself, his unquestioning confidence in his little wife's judgment had come to be like an article of religious faith. After breakfast on the second day of her stay Bertha ordered a carriage, and they drove about the town in the brilliant morning sunshine, looking for a place to build. She resembled a little home-seeking sparrow. Every cosey cottage was to her an almost irresistible allurement. "There's a dandy place, Captain," she called several times. "Wouldn't you like a house like that?"