CHAPTER XIII.
STARK TAKES A HAND IN THE GAME The old man greeted the Lieutenant affably, but as his glance fell on his daughter he stopped stock-still on the threshold.
"I told you never to wear that dress again," he said, in a dry, harsh voice.
The girl made no answer, for her heart was breaking, but turned and went into her room.

Burrell had an irresistible desire to tell Gale that he wanted his daughter for his wife; it would be an unwonted pleasure to startle this iron-gray old man and the shawled and shambling mummy of red, with the unwinking eyes that always reminded him of two ox-heart cherries; but he had given Necia his promise.

So he descended to the exchange of ordinary topics, and inquired for news of the creek.
"Necia's ground is getting better every hour," the trader said.
"Yesterday they found a sixty-dollar pan." "Have you struck pay on yours ?" "No; Poleon and I seem to hold bad hands.

Some of his laymen are quitting work.

They've cross-cut in half a dozen places and can't find a color." "But surely they haven't fully prospected his claims yet; there must be plenty of room for a pay-streak somewhere, mustn't there ?" "It looks like he had drawn three blanks," said Gale, "although we can't tell for sure.