"When we were out of earshot, she asked without looking up: "'Well, old coolness, are you all right?' "'You bet! darling.' "'Papa has sold out his half and we are going away for good. I think if we get rid of the dust without trouble, we may go to England. Just as soon as all is safe, you shall hear from me; can't you trust me, Joe?' "'Yes, Rachel, darling; now and forever.' "'Where's the gold?' "'Within one hundred feet of you, in those willows; when it is dark, I will go and get it and put it on that stump by the big tree; go then and get it. But where will you put it?' "'I'm going to pack it in the bottom of a jar of butter.' "'Good idea, little girl! I think you'd make a good thief yourself. How's my friend, Sanson?' "'He's gone to Mexico; says yet that papa robbed him, but he knows as well as you or I that all his bluster was because he only found _half_ that he expected; I pride myself on getting ahead of a wicked man once, thanks to our hero, by the name of Hogg.' "It was getting dusk and we were out of sight, so I sat down the pail and asked: "'Do I get a kiss, this evening?' "'If you want one.' "'There's only one thing I want worse.' "'What is that, Joe?' "My arm was around her waist now, and the sunbonnet was shoved back from the face. I took a couple of cream-puffs where they were ripe, and answered: "'That message to come and have that talk about matrimony.' "Here a man's voice was heard calling: 'Rachel! Rachel!' and throwing her arms around my neck, she gave me one more kiss, snatched up her pail and answered: "'Yes; I'm coming.' "Then to me, hurriedly: "'Good-by, dear; wait patiently, you shall hear from me.' "I went back and put the dangerous dust on the stump and returned to the bunk-car. The next morning when I turned out, the outlines of the wagon were dimly discernible away on a hill in the road; it had been gone an hour. "I walked down past my stump--the gold was gone. "Well, John, I settled down to work and to wait for that precious letter that would summon me to the side of Rachel Rokesby, wherever she was; but it never came. Uncle Sam never delivered a line to me from her from that day to this." Joe kicked the burning sticks in our fire closer together, lit his pipe and then proceeded: "I was hopeful for a month or two; then got impatient, and finally got angry, but it ended in despair. A year passed away before I commenced to _hunt_, instead of waiting to be hunted; but after another year I gave it up, and came to the belief that Rachel was dead or married to another. But the very minute that such a treasonable thought flashed through my mind, my heart held up the image of her pure face and rebuked me.