"No, you don't," rejoined the cowman. "After what you've done you can't make me believe you're afraid of anything. You'll come and face it out before you go." The misery in Ashton's eyes deepened, and his lips tightened. "Very well. Since you put it that way, I shall do as you wish, sir." When he followed Knowles around to the door of the tent, Isobel, who was hastily braiding her loose hair, drew back into the far corner and averted her face from him. But Genevieve met him with a radiant smile and motioned him to kneel down beside her husband. Blake, with one thick arm crooked about his sleeping son, lay with his eyes closed. His big square face was drawn and pallid, but there was a smile lurking in the corners of his mouth. As Ashton knelt beside him he looked up and lifted his free hand. "You wouldn't take it--down there," he said. Ashton flushed. "You know why." "You'll take it now," said Blake, with quiet confidence. "I will. I am going away," replied Ashton as he held out his bandaged hand. The big palm closed over it in a clasp as gentle as it was strong. "No, Lafe. I've got hold of you now. I can't let you go. I need you in my business. We're organizing the Belle Mesa Irrigation and Development Company.--How do you like my new name for Dry Mesa? Mr. Knowles puts in the reservoir site in exchange for water on his other land, a tenth share in the company, and a royalty of half the gold we placer out of the reservoir bed. As Jenny is to put up all the capital, she and I will take the lion's share. That will leave a tenth for you and a tenth for Belle." Ashton sought to draw his hand away. "It is very good of you, Mr. Blake. But I cannot accept--" "Yes, you can. You can't help yourself. Besides, I've an idea a man always does better by his work when he has a stake in the undertaking. You're to be our Resident Engineer, you know." "Resident Engineer?" repeated Ashton, paling and flushing. "Mr. Blake, I--I--It's impossible that you can mean--" "Make it 'Tom'! You'll have to brush up on mining engineering, too. There's the bonanza." "Oh, yes, Tom!" exclaimed Genevieve. "Tell him about the gold mine." "I was going to keep still about it till I had the apex located," he said. He looked full at Ashton. "But there's no one here that the secret will not be as safe with as it is with me. Besides, it's all in the family. I found the vein a thousand feet up the chute of Dry Fork Gulch. We will name it the Genevieve Lode. There are six of us here, counting Tommy. Each of us gets a sixth interest." Ashton was now pale. "Mr. Blake--Tom, I cannot! If I were fit to stay and work for you--as an axman--anything!--" Blake's eyes twinkled. "Then your sixth will have to go to Belle." "Mine too, Tom," hastily put in Knowles.