Beyond that the country began to spread out and roll gracefully, its dark-green forest interspersed with grassy parks, until Jean headed into a long, wide gray-green valley surrounded by black-fringed hills.

His pulses quickened here.

He saw cattle dotting the expanse, and here and there along the edge log cabins and corrals.
As a village, Grass Valley could not boast of much, apparently, in the way of population.

Cabins and houses were widely scattered, as if the inhabitants did not care to encroach upon one another.

But the one store, built of stone, and stamped also with the characteristic isolation, seemed to Jean to be a rather remarkable edifice.