Bob Hampton of Placer

"I regret having spoken as I did," he began. "Such language is not my

custom. I was irritated because of your haste in rejecting my advances

before hearing the proposition I came to submit. I certainly respect

your evident desire to be of assistance to this young woman, nor have I

the slightest intention of interfering between you. Your act in

preserving her life was a truly noble one, and your loyalty to her

interests since is worthy of all Christian praise. But I believe I

have a right to ask, what do you intend for the future? Keep her with

you? Drag her about from camp to camp? Educate her among the

contaminating poison of gambling-holes and dance-halls? Is her home

hereafter to be the saloon and the rough frontier hotel? her ideal of

manhood the quarrelsome gambler, and of womanhood a painted harlot?

Mr. Hampton, you are evidently a man of education, of early refinement;

you have known better things; and I have come to you seeking merely to

aid you in deciding this helpless young woman's destiny. I thought, I

prayed, you would be at once interested in that purpose, and would

comprehend the reasonableness of my position."

Hampton sat silent, gazing out of the window, his eyes apparently on

the lights now becoming dimly visible in the saloon opposite. For a

considerable time he made no move, and the other straightened back in

his chair watching him.

"Well!" he ventured at last, "what is your proposition?" The question

was quietly asked, but a slight tremor in the low voice told of

repressed feeling.

"That, for the present at least, you confide this girl into the care of

some worthy woman."

"Have you any such in mind?"

"I have already discussed the matter briefly with Mrs. Herndon, wife of

the superintendent of the Golden Rule mines. She is a refined

Christian lady, beyond doubt the most proper person to assume such a

charge in this camp. There is very little in such a place as this to

interest a woman of her capabilities, and I believe she would be

delighted to have such an opportunity for doing good. She has no

children of her own."

Hampton flung his sodden cigar butt out of the window. "I'll talk it

over to-morrow with--with Miss Gillis," he said, somewhat gruffly. "It

may be this means a good deal more to me than you suppose, parson, but

I 'm bound to acknowledge there is considerable hard sense in what you

have just said, and I 'll talk it over with the girl."