"Worth the effort! Yes, a thousand times! What must it be to see the
sunrise here!"
Lifted out of themselves, they wandered over the rocks, picking the late
flowers which still lingered in the crevices, watching the shifting
beauty of the scene from various points, for a time forgetful of their
trouble, till, looking in each other's eyes, they read the final
farewell underlying all, and the old pain returned with tenfold
intensity.
Seating themselves on the highest point accessible, they talked of the
future, ignoring so far as possible the one dreaded subject, speaking of
Darrell's life in the mining camp, of his studies, and of what he hoped
to accomplish, and of certain plans of her own.
Duke, after an extended tour among the rocks, came and lay at their
feet, watching their faces with anxious solicitude, quick to read their
unspoken sorrow though unable to divine its cause.
At last the little that could be said had been spoken; they paused,
their hearts oppressed with the burden of what remained unsaid, which no
words could express. Duke, perplexed by the long silence, rose and,
coming to Kate's side, stood looking into her eyes with mute inquiry. As
Kate caressed the noble head she turned suddenly to Darrell: "John, would you like to have Duke with you? Will you take him as a
parting gift from me?"
"I would like to have him above anything you could give me, Kathie," he
replied; "but you must not think of giving him up to me."
"I will have to give him up," she said, simply; "Papa dislikes him
already, he is so unfriendly to Mr. Walcott, and he himself absolutely
hates Duke; I believe he would kill him if he dared; so you understand I
could not keep him much longer. He will be happy with you, for he loves
you, and I will be happy in remembering that you have him."
"In that case," said Darrell, "I shall be only too glad to take him, and
you can rest assured I will never part with him."
The sinking sun warned them that it was time to return, and, after one
farewell look about them, they prepared to descend. As they picked their
way back to the trail they came upon two tiny streams flowing from some
secret spring above them. Side by side, separated by only a few inches,
they rippled over their rocky bed, murmuring to each other in tones so
low that only an attentive ear could catch them, sparkling in the
sunlight as though for very joy. Suddenly, near the edge of the narrow
plateau over which they ran, they turned, and, with a tinkling plash of
farewell, plunged in opposite directions,--the one eastward, hastening
on its way to the Great Father of Waters, the other westward bound,
towards the land of the setting sun.