Out Of The Depths Part 55

"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 flus.h.i.+ng. "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.

Blake looked down solemnly at his youthful heir. "Hear that, Tommy?

Guess we'll have to pull out, too, and make it half and half to the ladies." He looked up at Ashton with a swift change from mock to real gravity. "We've got to begin by installing a turbine power-plant down here. Where will I find another engineer with nerve enough to go down these cliffs? I need you, Lafe."

"I am very sorry, Tom." Ashton drew his hand from Blake's wearied clasp, and rose.

Isobel slipped past him and stood with her arms outstretched across the entrance of the tent. There was a dimple in each of her blus.h.i.+ng cheeks; her eyes were radiant with tenderness and love.

"No, you can't get away!" she declared. "Don't you see how we've got you corralled?"

"That's what," confirmed Knowles. "I promised her to rope and hogtie you if you made a break."

Ashton was gazing into the girl's eyes, his own s.h.i.+ning with reverent adoration.

"Isobel?" he whispered.

"Let us go up on the ridge and look out over our mesa," she murmured.

"Wait a moment, dear," interposed Genevieve. "Lafayette, I wish to tell you that as soon as Tom and I return to Chicago, we shall go to your father. I feel certain that when he hears--"

"No, no!" begged Ashton. "You must wait. Promise that you will wait. I have only begun to make a beginning. Wait until I see if I can--" He straightened and looked at Isobel, his head well up, his eyes as resolute as his mouth. "Wait until I have proved what I am."

"Come," said Isobel. "We're going to look at our dry mesa that we are to reclaim and make into a garden with the waste waters of the depths."