第7章

”Ididn’thavethatquiteinmind，butitwilldo。I’dpreferdoingthebrazenthingandhavingeverybodyknowit，todoingthefurtivethingandbeingfoundout。NotthatI’maskingtobeinvitedtolunch，”sheadded，withasmile；”butI’msureyouunderstandmyposition。””Thenwhynotrideopenandaboveboardwithmeinthehills？”heurged。Sheshookherheadwithwhatheimaginedwasjustthefaintesthintofregret，andhewentsuddenlyandalmostmaddeninglyhungryforher。”Lookhere，MissMason，Iknowyoudon’tlikethistalkingoverofthingsintheoffice。NeitherdoI。It’spartofthewholething，Iguess；amanain’tsupposedtotalkanythingbutbusinesswithhisstenographer。WillyouridewithmenextSunday，andwecantalkitoverthoroughlythenandreachsomesortofaconclusion。Outinthehillsistheplacewhereyoucantalksomethingbesidesbusiness。Iguessyou’veseenenoughofmetoknowI’mprettysquare。I-Idohonorandrespectyou，and……andallthat，andI……”Hewasbeginningtoflounder，andthehandthatrestedonthedeskblotterwasvisiblytrembling。Hestrovetopullhimselftogether。”Ijustwanttoharderthananythingeverinmylifebefore。I-I-Ican’texplainmyself，butIdo，that’sall。Willyou？——JustnextSunday？To-morrow？”

Nordidhedreamthatherlowacquiescencewasdue，asmuchasanythingelse，tothebeadsofsweatonhisforehead，histremblinghand，andhisalltoo-evidentgeneraldistress。BurningDaylight:PartII:ChapterXIVPartIIChapterXIV”Ofcourse，there’snowayoftellingwhatanybodywantsfromwhattheysay。”DaylightrubbedBob’srebelliousearwithhisquirtandponderedwithdissatisfactionthewordshehadjustuttered。Theydidnotsaywhathehadmeantthemtosay。”WhatI’mdrivingatisthatyousayflatfootedthatyouwon’tmeetmeagain，andyougiveyourreasons，buthowamItoknowtheyareyourrealreasons？Mebbeyoujustdon’twanttogetacquaintedwithme，andwon’tsaysoforfearofhurtingmyfeelings。

Don’tyousee？I’mthelastmanintheworldtoshoveinwhereI’mnotwanted。AndifIthoughtyoudidn’tcareawhooptoseeanythingmoreofme，why，I’dclearoutsoblamedquickyoucouldn’tseemeforsmoke。”

Dedesmiledathiminacknowledgmentofhiswords，butrodeonsilently。

Andthatsmile，hethought，wasthemostsweetlywonderfulsmilehehadeverseen。Therewasadifferenceinit，heassuredhimself，fromanysmileshehadevergivenhimbefore。

Itwasthesmileofonewhoknewhimjustalittlebit，ofonewhowasjusttheleastmiteacquaintedwithhim。Ofcourse，hecheckedhimselfupthenextmoment，itwasunconsciousonherpart。Itwassuretocomeintheintercourseofanytwopersons。

Anystranger，abusinessman，aclerk，anybodyafterafewcasualmeetingswouldshowsimilarsignsoffriendliness。Itwasboundtohappen，butinhercaseitmademoreimpressiononhim；and，besides，itwassuchasweetandwonderfulsmile。Otherwomenhehadknownhadneversmiledlikethat；

hewassureofit。

Ithadbeenahappyday。Daylighthadmetherontheback-roadfromBerkeley，andtheyhadhadhourstogether。Itwasonlynow，withthedaydrawingtoacloseandwiththemapproachingthegateoftheroadtoBerkeley，thathehadbroachedtheimportantsubject。

Shebeganheranswertohislastcontention，andhelistenedgratefully。”Butsuppose，justsuppose，thatthereasonsIhavegivenaretheonlyones？——thatthereisnoquestionofmynotwantingtoknowyou？””ThenI’dgoonurginglikeSamScratch，”hesaidquickly。”Because，yousee，I’vealwaysnoticedthatfolksthatinclinetoanythingaremuchmoreopentohearingthecasestated。Butifyoudidhavethatotherreasonupyoursleeve，ifyoudidn’twanttoknowme，if——if，well，ifyouthoughtmyfeelingsoughtn’ttobehurtjustbecauseyouhadagoodjobwithme……”

Here，hiscalmconsiderationofapossibilitywasswampedbythefearthatitwasanactuality，andhelostthethreadofhisreasoning。”Well，anyway，allyouhavetodoistosaythewordandI’llclearout。

Andwithnohardfeelings；itwouldbejustacaseofbadluckforme。

Sobehonest，MissMason，please，andtellmeifthat’sthereason——Ialmostgotahunchthatitis。”

Sheglancedupathim，hereyesabruptlyandslightlymoist，halfwithhurt，halfwithanger。”Oh，butthatisn’tfair，”shecried。”Yougivemethechoiceoflyingtoyouandhurtingyouinordertoprotectmyselfbygettingridofyou，orofthrowingawaymyprotectionbytellingyouthetruth，forthenyou，asyousaidyourself，wouldstayandurge。”

Hercheekswereflushed，herlipstremulous，butshecontinuedtolookhimfranklyintheeyes。

Daylightsmiledgrimlywithsatisfaction。”I’mrealglad，MissMason，realgladforthosewords。””Buttheywon’tserveyou，”shewentonhastily。”Theycan’tserveyou。

Irefusetoletthem。Thisisourlastride，and……hereisthegate。”

Ranginghermarealongside，shebent，slidthecatch，andfollowedtheopeninggate。”No；please，no，”shesaid，asDaylightstartedtofollow。

Humblyacquiescent，hepulledBobback，andthegateswungshutbetweenthem。Buttherewasmoretosay，andshedidnotrideon。”Listen，MissMason，”hesaid，inalowvoicethatshookwithsincerity；”Iwanttoassureyouofonething。I’mnotjusttryingtofoolaroundwithyou。Ilikeyou，Iwantyou，andIwasnevermoreinearnestinmylife。There’snothingwronginmyintentionsoranythinglikethat。WhatImeanisstrictlyhonorable-”

Buttheexpressionofherfacemadehimstop。Shewasangry，andshewaslaughingatthesametime。”Thelastthingyoushouldhavesaid，”shecried。”It’slikea——amatrimonialbureau:intentionsstrictlyhonorable；object，matrimony。Butit’snomorethanIdeserved。ThisiswhatIsupposeyoucallurginglikeSamScratch。”

ThetanhadbleachedoutofDaylight’sskinsincethetimehecametoliveundercityroofs，sothattheflushofbloodshowedreadilyasitcreptuphisneckpastthecollarandoverspreadhisface。Norinhisexceedingdiscomfortdidhedreamthatshewaslookinguponhimatthatmomentwithmorekindnessthanatanytimethatday。Itwasnotinherexperiencetobeholdbiggrown-upmenwhoblushedlikeboys，andalreadysherepentedthesharpnessintowhichshehadbeensurprised。”Now，lookhere，MissMason，”hebegan，slowlyandstumblinglyatfirst，butacceleratingintoarapidityofutterancethatwasalmostincoherent；”I’maroughsortofaman，Iknowthat，andIknowIdon’tknowmuchofanything。I’veneverhadanytraininginnicethings。I’venevermadelovebefore，andI’veneverbeeninlovebeforeeither——andIdon’tknowhowtogoaboutitanymorethanathunderingidiot。Whatyouwanttodoisgetbehindmytomfoolwordsandgetafeelofthemanthat’sbehindthem。

That’sme，andImeanallright，ifIdon’tknowhowtogoaboutit。”

DedeMasonhadquick，birdlikeways，almostflittingfrommoodtomood；

andshewasallcontritionontheinstant。”Forgivemeforlaughing，”shesaidacrossthegate。”Itwasn’treallylaughter。Iwassurprisedoffmyguard，andhurt，too。Yousee，Mr。Harnish，I’venotbeen……”

Shepaused，insuddenfearofcompletingthethoughtintowhichherbirdlikeprecipitancyhadbetrayedher。”Whatyoumeanisthatyou’venotbeenusedtosuchsortofproposing，”

Daylightsaid；”asortofon-the-run，’Howdy，glad-to-make-your-acquaintance，won’t-you-be-mine’proposition。”

Shenoddedandbrokeintolaughter，inwhichhejoined，andwhichservedtopasstheawkwardnessaway。Hegatheredheartatthis，andwentoningreaterconfidence，withcoolerheadandtongue。”There，yousee，youprovemycase。You’vehadexperienceinsuchmatters。

Idon’tdoubtyou’vehadslathersofproposals。Well，Ihaven’t，andI’mlikeafishoutofwater。Besides，thisain’taproposal。It’sapeculiarsituation，that’sall，andI’minacorner。I’vegotenoughplainhorse-sensetoknowamanain’tsupposedtoarguemarriagewithagirlasareasonforgettingacquaintedwithher。AndrighttherewaswhereIwasinthehole。Numberone，Ican’tgetacquaintedwithyouintheoffice。Numbertwo，yousayyouwon’tseemeoutoftheofficetogivemeachance。Numberthree，yourreasonisthatfolkswilltalkbecauseyouworkforme。Numberfour，Ijustgottogetacquaintedwithyou，andIjustgottogetyoutoseethatImeanfairandallright。Numberfive，thereyouareononesidethegategettingreadytogo，andmehereontheothersidethegateprettydesperateandboundtosaysomethingtomakeyoureconsider。Numbersix，Isaidit。Andnowandfinally，Ijustdowantyoutoreconsider。”

And，listeningtohim，pleasuringinthesightofhisearnest，perturbedfaceandinthesimple，homelyphrasesthatbutemphasizedhisearnestnessandmarkedthedifferencebetweenhimandtheaveragerunofmenshehadknown，sheforgottolistenandlostherselfinherownthoughts。Theloveofastrongmaniseveraluretoanormalwoman，andnevermorestronglydidDedefeelthelurethannow，lookingacrosstheclosedgateatBurningDaylight。Notthatshewouldeverdreamofmarryinghim——shehadascoreofreasonsagainstit；butwhynotatleastseemoreofhim？Hewascertainlynotrepulsivetoher。Onthecontrary，shelikedhim，hadalwayslikedhimfromthedayshehadfirstseenhimandlookeduponhisleanIndianfaceandintohisflashingIndianeyes。Hewasafigureofamaninmorewaysthanhismeremagnificentmuscles。Besides，Romancehadgildedhim，thisdoughty，rough-hewnadventureroftheNorth，thismanofmanydeedsandmanymillions，whohadcomedownoutoftheArctictowrestleandfightsomasterfullywiththemenoftheSouth。

SavageasaRedIndian，gamblerandprofligate，amanwithoutmorals，whosevengeancewasnevergluttedandwhostampedonthefacesofallwhoopposedhim——oh，yes，sheknewallthehardnameshehadbeencalled。Yetshewasnotafraidofhim。Therewasmorethanthatintheconnotationofhisname。BurningDaylightcalledupotherthingsaswell。Theywerethereinthenewspapers，themagazines，andthebooksontheKlondike。

Whenallwassaid，BurningDaylighthadamightyconnotation——onetotouchanywoman’simagination，asittouchedhers，thegatebetweenthem，listeningtothewistfulandimpassionedsimplicityofhisspeech。Dedewasafterallawoman，withawoman’ssex-vanity，anditwasthisvanitythatwaspleasedbythefactthatsuchamanturnedinhisneedtoher。

Andtherewasmorethatpassedthroughhermind——sensationsoftirednessandloneliness；tramplingsquadronsandshadowyarmiesofvaguefeelingsandvaguerprompting；anddeeperanddimmerwhisperingsandechoings，theflutteringsofforgottengenerationscrystallizedintobeingandflutteringanewandalways，undreamedandunguessed，subtleandpotent，thespiritandessenceoflifethatunderathousanddeceitsandmasksforevermakesforlife。Itwasastrongtemptation，justtoridewiththismaninthehills。Itwouldbethatonlyandnothingmore，forshewasfirmlyconvincedthathiswayoflifecouldneverbeherway。Ontheotherhand，shewasvexedbynoneoftheordinaryfemininefearsandtimidities。Thatshecouldtakecareofherselfunderanyandallcircumstancessheneverdoubted。

Thenwhynot？Itwassuchalittlething，afterall。

Sheledanordinary，humdrumlifeatbest。Sheateandsleptandworked，andthatwasaboutall。Asifinreview，heranchoriteexistencepassedbeforeher:sixdaysoftheweekspentintheofficeandinjourneyingbackandforthontheferry；thehoursstolenbeforebedtimeforsnatchesofsongatthepiano，fordoingherownspeciallaundering，forsewingandmendingandcastingupofmeagreaccounts；thetwoeveningsaweekofsocialdiversionshepermittedherself；theotherstolenhoursandSaturdayafternoonsspentwithherbrotheratthehospital；andtheseventhday，Sunday，herdayofsolace，onMab’sback，outamongtheblessedhills。

Butitwaslonely，thissolitaryriding。Nobodyofheracquaintancerode。

SeveralgirlsattheUniversityhadbeenpersuadedintotryingit，butafteraSundayortwoonhiredliveryhackstheyhadlostinterest。TherewasMadeline，whoboughtherownhorseandrodeenthusiasticallyforseveralmonths，onlytogetmarriedandgoawaytoliveinSouthernCalifornia。

Afteryearsofit，onedidgettiredofthiseternalridingalone。

Hewassuchaboy，thisbiggiantofamillionairewhohadhalftherichmenofSanFranciscoafraidofhim。Suchaboy！Shehadneverimaginedthissideofhisnature。”Howdofolksgetmarried？”hewassaying。”Why，numberone，theymeet；

numbertwo，likeeachother’slooks；numberthree，getacquainted；andnumberfour，getmarriedornot，accordingtohowtheylikeeachotheraftergettingacquainted。Buthowinthunderwe’retohaveachancetofindoutwhetherwelikeeachotherenoughisbeyondmysavvee，unlesswemakethatchanceourselves。I’dcometoseeyou，callonyou，onlyI

knowyou’rejustroomingorboarding，andthatwon’tdo。”

Suddenly，withachangeofmood，thesituationappearedtoDederidiculouslyabsurd。Shefeltadesiretolaugh——notangrily，nothysterically，butjustjolly。Itwassofunny。Herself，thestenographer，he，thenotoriousandpowerfulgamblingmillionaire，andthegatebetweenthemacrosswhichpouredhisargumentofpeoplegettingacquaintedandmarried。Also，itwasanimpossiblesituation。Onthefaceofit，shecouldnotgoonwithit。Thisprogramoffurtivemeetingsinthehillswouldhavetodiscontinue。

Therewouldneverbeanothermeeting。Andif，deniedthis，hetriedtowooherintheoffice，shewouldbecompelledtoloseaverygoodposition，andthatwouldbeanendoftheepisode。Itwasnotnicetocontemplate；

buttheworldofmen，especiallyinthecities，shehadnotfoundparticularlynice。Shehadnotworkedforherlivingforyearswithoutlosingagreatmanyofherillusions。”Wewon’tdoanysneakingorhidingaroundaboutit，”Daylightwasexplaining。”We’llridearoundasboldifyouplease，andifanybodyseesus，why，letthem。Iftheytalk——well，solongasourconsciencesarestraightweneedn’tworry。Saytheword，andBobwillhaveonhisbackthehappiestmanalive。”

Sheshookherhead，pulledinthemare，whowasimpatienttobeoffforhome，andglancedsignificantlyatthelengtheningshadows。”It’sgettinglatenow，anyway，”Daylighthurriedon，”andwe’vesettlednothingafterall。JustonemoreSunday，anyway——that’snotaskingmuch——tosettleitin。””We’vehadallday，”shesaid。”Butwestartedtotalkitovertoolate。We’lltackleitearliernexttime。Thisisabigseriouspropositionwithme，Icantellyou。SaynextSunday？””Aremeneverfair？”sheasked。”Youknowthoroughlywellthatby’nextSunday’youmeanmanySundays。””ThenletitbemanySundays，”hecriedrecklessly，whileshethoughtthatshehadneverseenhimlookinghandsomer。”Saytheword。Onlysaytheword。NextSundayatthequarry……”

Shegatheredthereinsintoherhandpreliminarytostarting。”Goodnight，”shesaid，”and——””Yes，”hewhispered，withjustthefaintesttouchofimpressiveness。”Yes，”shesaid，hervoicelowbutdistinct。

Atthesamemomentsheputthemareintoacanterandwentdowntheroadwithoutabackwardglance，intentonananalysisofherownfeelings。

Withhermindmadeuptosayno——andtothelastinstantshehadbeensoresolved——herlipsneverthelesshadsaidyes。Oratleastitseemedthelips。Shehadnotintendedtoconsent。Thenwhyhadshe？Herfirstsurpriseandbewildermentatsowhollyunpremeditatedanactgavewaytoconsternationassheconsidereditsconsequences。SheknewthatBurningDaylightwasnotamantobetrifledwith，thatunderhissimplicityandboyishnesshewasessentiallyadominantmalecreature，andthatshehadpledgedherselftoafutureofinevitablestressandstorm。Andagainshedemandedofherselfwhyshehadsaidyesattheverymomentwhenithadbeenfarthestfromherintention。BurningDaylight:PartII:ChapterXVPartIIChapterXVAmongothergoodthingsresultingfromhisgrowingintimacywithDede，wasDaylight’snotcaringtodrinksomuchasformerly。Therewasalesseningindesireforalcoholofwhichevenheatlastbecameaware。Inawaysheherselfwastheneededinhibition。Thethoughtofherwaslikeacocktail。

Or，atanyrate，shesubstitutedforacertainpercentageofcocktails。

Fromthestrainofhisunnaturalcityexistenceandofhisintensegamblingoperations，hehaddriftedontothecocktailroute。Awallmustforeverbebuilttogivehimeasementfromthehighpitch，andDedebecameapartofthiswall。Herpersonality，herlaughter，theintonationsofhervoice，theimpossiblegoldenglowofhereyes，thelightonherhair，herform，herdress，heractionsonhorseback，hermerestphysicalmannerisms——all，picturedoverandoverinhismindanddweltupon，servedtotaketheplaceofmanyacocktailorlongScotchandsoda。

Inspiteoftheirhighresolve，therewasaverymeasurabledegreeofthefurtiveintheirmeetings。Inessence，thesemeetingswerestolen。

Theydidnotrideoutbrazenlytogetherinthefaceoftheworld。Onthecontrary，theymetalwaysunobserved，sheridingacrossthemany-gatedbackroadfromBerkeleytomeethimhalfway。Nordidtheyrideonanysaveunfrequentedroads，preferringtocrossthesecondrangeofhillsandtravelamongachurch-goingfarmerfolkwhowouldscarcelyhaverecognizedevenDaylightfromhisnewspaperphotographs。

HefoundDedeagoodhorsewoman——goodnotmerelyinridingbutinendurance。

Thereweredayswhentheycoveredsixty，seventy，andeveneightymiles；

nordidDedeeverclaimanydaytoolong，nor——anotherstrongrecommendationtoDaylight——didthehardestdayevertheslightestchafeofthechestnutsorrel’sback。”Asureenoughhummer，”wasDaylight’sstereotypedbuteverenthusiasticverdicttohimself。

Theylearnedmuchofeachotherontheselong，uninterruptedrides。

Theyhadnothingmuchtotalkaboutbutthemselves，and，whileshereceivedaliberaleducationconcerningArctictravelandgold-mining，he，inturn，touchbytouch，paintedaneverclearerportraitofher。Sheamplifiedtheranchlifeofhergirlhood，prattlingonabouthorsesanddogsandpersonsandthingsuntilitwasasifhesawthewholeprocessofhergrowthandherbecoming。Allthishewasabletotraceonthroughtheperiodofherfather’sfailureanddeath，whenshehadbeencompelledtoleavetheuniversityandgointoofficework。Thebrother，too，shespokeof，andofherlongstruggletohavehimcuredandofhernowfadinghopes。Daylightdecidedthatitwaseasiertocometoanunderstandingofherthanhehadanticipated，thoughhewasalwaysawarethatbehindandunderallheknewofherwasthemysteriousandbafflingwomanandsex。There，hewashumbleenoughtoconfesstohimself，wasachartless，shorelesssea，aboutwhichheknewnothingandwhichhemustneverthelesssomehownavigate。

Hislifelongfearofwomanhadoriginatedoutofnon-understandingandhadalsopreventedhimfromreachinganyunderstanding。Dedeonhorseback，Dedegatheringpoppiesonasummerhillside，Dedetakingdowndictationinherswiftshorthandstrokes——allthiswascomprehensibletohim。ButhedidnotknowtheDedewhosoquicklychangedfrommoodtomood，theDedewhorefusedsteadfastlytoridewithhimandthensuddenlyconsented，theDedeinwhoseeyesthegoldenglowforeverwaxedandwanedandwhisperedhintsandmessagesthatwerenotforhisears。Inallsuchthingshesawtheglimmeringprofunditiesofsex，acknowledgedtheirlure，andacceptedthemasincomprehensible。

Therewasanothersideofher，too，ofwhichhewasconsciouslyignorant。

Sheknewthebooks，waspossessedofthatmysteriousandawfulthingcalled”culture。”Andyet，whatcontinuallysurprisedhimwasthatthisculturewasneverobtrudedontheirintercourse。Shedidnottalkbooks，norart，norsimilarfolderols。Homelymindedashewashimself，hefoundheralmostequallyhomelyminded。Shelikedthesimpleandtheout-of-doors，thehorsesandthehills，thesunlightandtheflowers。Hefoundhimselfinapartlynewflora，towhichshewastheguide，pointingouttohimallthevarietiesoftheoaks，makinghimacquaintedwiththemadronoandthemanzanita，teachinghimthenames，habits，andhabitatsofunendingseriesofwildflowers，shrubs，andferns。Herkeenwoodseyewasanotherdelighttohim。

Ithadbeentrainedintheopen，andlittleescapedit。Oneday，asatest，theystrovetoseewhichcoulddiscoverthegreaternumberofbirds’nests。

Andhe，whohadalwayspridedhimselfonhisownacutelytrainedobservation，foundhimselfhardputtokeephisscoreahead。Attheendofthedayhewasbutthreenestsinthelead，oneofwhichshechallengedstoutlyandofwhichevenheconfessedseriousdoubt。Hecomplimentedherandtoldherthathersuccessmustbeduetothefactthatshewasabirdherself，withallabird’skeenvisionandquick-flashingways。

Themoreheknewherthemorehebecameconvincedofthisbirdlikequalityinher。Thatwaswhyshelikedtoride，heargued。Itwasthenearestapproachtoflying。Afieldofpoppies，aglenofferns，arowofpoplarsonacountrylane，thetawnybrownofahillside，theshaftofsunlightonadistantpeak——allsuchwereprovocativeofquickjoyswhichseemedtohimlikesomanyoutburstsofsong。Herjoyswereinlittlethings，andsheseemedalwayssinging。Eveninsternerthingsitwasthesame。WhensherodeBobandfoughtwiththatmagnificentbruteformastery，thequalitiesofaneaglewereuppermostinher。

Thesequicklittlejoysofhersweresourcesofjoytohim。Hejoyedinherjoy，hiseyesasexcitedlyfixedonherasbearswerefixedontheobjectofherattention。Alsothroughherhecametoacloserdiscernmentandkeenerappreciationofnature。Sheshowedhimcolorsinthelandscapethathewouldneverhavedreamedwerethere。Hehadknownonlytheprimarycolors。Allcolorsofredwerered。Blackwasblack，andbrownwasjustplainbrownuntilitbecameyellow，whenitwasnolongerbrown。Purplehehadalwaysimaginedwasred，somethinglikeblood，untilshetaughthimbetter。Oncetheyrodeoutonahighhillbrowwherewind-blownpoppiesblazedabouttheirhorses’knees，andshewasinanecstasyoverthelinesofthemanydistances。Seven，shecounted，andhe，whohadgazedonlandscapesallhislife，forthefirsttimelearnedwhata”distance”was。Afterthat，andalways，helookeduponthefaceofnaturewithamoreseeingeye，learningadelightofhisowninsurveyingtheserriedranksoftheupstandingranges，andinslowcontemplationofthepurplesummermiststhathauntedthelanguidcreasesofthedistanthills。

Butthroughitallranthegoldenthreadoflove。AtfirsthehadbeencontentjusttoridewithDedeandtobeoncomradelytermswithher；butthedesireandtheneedforherincreased。Themoreheknewofher，thehigherwashisappraisal。Hadshebeenreservedandhaughtywithhim，orbeenmerelyagiggling，simperingcreatureofawoman，itwouldhavebeendifferent。Instead，sheamazedhimwithhersimplicityandwholesomeness，withhergreatstoreofcomradeliness。Thislatterwastheunexpected。

Hehadneverlookeduponwomaninthatway。Woman，thetoy；woman，theharpy；woman，thenecessarywifeandmotheroftherace’soffspring，——allthishadbeenhisexpectationandunderstandingofwoman。Butwoman，thecomradeandplayfellowandjoyfellow——thiswaswhatDedehadsurprisedhimin。Andthemoreshebecameworthwhile，themoreardentlyhisloveburned，unconsciouslyshadinghisvoicewithcaresses，andwithequalunconsciousnessflaringupsignalfiresinhiseyes。Norwassheblindtoityet，likemanywomenbeforeher，shethoughttoplaywiththeprettyfireandescapetheconsequentconflagration。”Winterwillsoonbecomingon，”shesaidregretfully，andwithprovocation，oneday，”andthentherewon’tbeanymoreriding。””ButImustseeyouinthewinterjustthesame，”hecriedhastily。

Sheshookherhead。”Wehavebeenveryhappyandallthat，”shesaid，lookingathimwithsteadyfrankness。”Irememberyourfoolishargumentforgettingacquainted，too；butitwon’tleadtoanything；itcan’t。Iknowmyselftoowelltobemistaken。”

Herfacewasserious，evensolicitouswithdesirenottohurt，andhereyeswereunwavering，butinthemwasthelight，goldenandglowing——theabyssofsexintowhichhewasnowunafraidtogaze。”I’vebeenprettygood，”hedeclared。”IleaveittoyouifIhaven’t。

It’sbeenprettyhard，too，Icantellyou。Youjustthinkitover。NotoncehaveIsaidawordaboutlovetoyou，andmelovingyouallthetime。

That’sgoingsomeforamanthat’susedtohavinghisownway。I’msomewhatofarusherwhenitcomestotravelling。IreckonI’drushGodAlmightyifitcametoaraceovertheice。AndyetIdidn’trushyou。IguessthisfactisanindicationofhowmuchIdoloveyou。OfcourseIwantyoutomarryme。HaveIsaidawordaboutit，though？Naryachirp，naryaflutter。

I’vebeenquietandgood，thoughit’salmostmademesickattimes，thiskeepingquiet。Ihaven’taskedyoutomarryme。I’mnotaskingyounow。

Oh，notbutwhatyousatisfyme。Isureknowyou’rethewifeforme。Buthowaboutmyself？Doyouknowmewellenoughknowyourownmind？”Heshruggedhisshoulders。”Idon’tknow，andIain’tgoingtotakechancesonitnow。

You’vegottoknowforsurewhetheryouthinkyoucouldgetalongwithmeornot，andI’mplayingaslowconservativegame。Iain’ta-goingtoloseforoverlookingmyhand。”

Thiswaslove-makingofasortbeyondDede’sexperience。Norhadsheeverheardofanythinglikeit。Furthermore，itslackofardorcarriedwithitashockwhichshecouldovercomeonlybyrememberingthewayhishandhadtrembledinthepast，andbyrememberingthepassionshehadseenthatverydayandeverydayinhiseyes，orheardinhisvoice。Then，too，sherecollectedwhathehadsaidtoherweeksbefore:”Maybeyoudon’tknowwhatpatienceis，”hehadsaid，andthereattoldherofshootingsquirrelswithabigriflethetimeheandElijahDavishadstarvedontheStewartRiver。”Soyousee，”heurged，”justforasquaredealwe’vegottoseesomemoreofeachotherthiswinter。Mostlikelyyourmindain’tmadeupyet——””Butitis，”sheinterrupted。”Iwouldn’tdarepermitmyselftocareforyou。Happiness，forme，wouldnotliethatway。Ilikeyou，Mr。Harnish，andallthat，butitcanneverbemorethanthat。””It’sbecauseyoudon’tlikemywayofliving，”hecharged，thinkinginhisownmindofthesensationaljoyridesandgeneralprofligacywithwhichthenewspapershadcreditedhim——thinkingthis，andwonderingwhetherornot，inmaidenmodesty，shewoulddisclaimknowledgeofit。

Tohissurprise，heranswerwasflatanduncompromising。”No；Idon’t。””IknowI’vebeenbrashonsomeofthoseridesthatgotintothepapers，”

hebeganhisdefense，”andthatI’vebeentravellingwithalivelycrowd。””Idon’tmeanthat，”shesaid，”thoughIknowaboutittoo，andcan’tsaythatIlikeit。Butitisyourlifeingeneral，yourbusiness。Therearewomenintheworldwhocouldmarryamanlikeyouandbehappy，butIcouldn’t。AndthemoreIcaredforsuchaman，themoreunhappyIshouldbe。Yousee，myunhappiness，inturn，wouldtendtomakehimunhappy。I

shouldmakeamistake，andhewouldmakeanequalmistake，thoughhiswouldnotbesohardonhimbecausehewouldstillhavehisbusiness。””Business！”Daylightgasped。”What’swrongwithmybusiness？Iplayfairandsquare。There’snothingunderhandaboutit，whichcan’tbesaidofmostbusinesses，whetherofthebigcorporationsorofthecheating，lying，littlecorner-grocerymen。Iplaythestraightrulesofthegame，andIdon’thavetolieorcheatorbreakmyword。”

Dedehailedwithreliefthechangeintheconversationandatthesametimetheopportunitytospeakhermind。”InancientGreece，”shebeganpedantically，”amanwasjudgedagoodcitizenwhobuilthouses，plantedtrees——”Shedidnotcompletethequotation，butdrewtheconclusionhurriedly。”Howmanyhouseshaveyoubuilt？Howmanytreeshaveyouplanted？”

Heshookhisheadnoncommittally，forhehadnotgraspedthedriftoftheargument。”Well，”shewenton，”twowintersagoyoucorneredcoal——””Justlocally，”hegrinnedreminiscently，”justlocally。AndItookadvantageofthecarshortageandthestrikeinBritishColumbia。””Butyoudidn’tdiganyofthatcoalyourself。Yetyouforceditupfourdollarsatonandmadealotofmoney。Thatwasyourbusiness。Youmadethepoorpeoplepaymorefortheircoal。Youplayedfair，asyousaid，butyouputyourhandsdownintoalltheirpocketsandtooktheirmoneyawayfromthem。Iknow。Iburnagratefireinmysitting-roomatBerkeley。

AndinsteadofelevendollarsatonforRockWells，Ipaidfifteendollarsthatwinter。Yourobbedmeoffourdollars。Icouldstandit。Buttherewerethousandsoftheverypoorwhocouldnotstandit。Youmightcallitlegalgambling，buttomeitwasdownrightrobbery。”

Daylightwasnotabashed。Thiswasnorevelationtohim。HerememberedtheoldwomanwhomadewineintheSonomahillsandthemillionslikeherwhoweremadetoberobbed。”Nowlookhere，MissMason，you’vegotmethereslightly，Igrant。Butyou’veseenmeinbusinessalongtimenow，andyouknowIdon’tmakeapracticeofraidingthepoorpeople。Igoafterthebigfellows。They’remymeat。Theyrobthepoor，andIrobthem。Thatcoaldealwasanaccident。

Iwasn’tafterthepoorpeopleinthat，butafterthebigfellows，andIgotthem，too。Thepoorpeoplehappenedtogetinthewayandgothurt，thatwasall。”Don’tyousee，”hewenton，”thewholegameisagamble。Everybodygamblesinonewayoranother。Thefarmergamblesagainsttheweatherandthemarketonhiscrops。SodoestheUnitedStatesSteelCorporation。Thebusinessoflotsofmenisstraightrobberyofthepoorpeople。ButI’venevermadethatmybusiness。Youknowthat。I’vealwaysgoneaftertherobbers。””Imissedmypoint，”sheadmitted。”Waitaminute。”

Andforaspacetheyrodeinsilence。”IseeitmoreclearlythanIcanstateit，butit’ssomethinglikethis。Thereislegitimatework，andthere’sworkthat——well，thatisn’tlegitimate。Thefarmerworksthesoilandproducesgrain。He’smakingsomethingthatisgoodforhumanity。Heactually，inaway，createssomething，thegrainthatwillfillthemouthsofthehungry。””Andthentherailroadsandmarket-riggersandtherestproceedtorobhimofthatsamegrain，”——DaylightbrokeinDedesmiledandheldupherhand。”Waitaminute。You’llmakemelosemypoint。Itdoesn’thurtiftheyrobhimofallofitsothathestarvestodeath。Thepointisthatthewheathegrewisstillintheworld。Itexists。Don’tyousee？Thefarmercreatedsomething，saytentonsofwheat，andthosetentonsexist。Therailroadshaulthewheattomarket，tothemouthsthatwilleatit。Thisalsoislegitimate。It’slikesomeonebringingyouaglassofwater，ortakingacinderoutofyoureye。Somethinghasbeendone，inawaybeencreated，justlikethewheat。””ButtherailroadsroblikeSamScratch，”Daylightobjected。”Thentheworktheydoispartlylegitimateandpartlynot。Nowwecometoyou。Youdon’tcreateanything。Nothingnewexistswhenyou’redonewithyourbusiness。Justlikethecoal。Youdidn’tdigit。Youdidn’thaulittomarket。Youdidn’tdeliverit。Don’tyousee？that’swhatImeantbyplantingthetreesandbuildingthehouses。Youhaven’tplantedonetreenorbuiltasinglehouse。””Ineverguessedtherewasawomanintheworldwhocouldtalkbusinesslikethat，”hemurmuredadmiringly。”Andyou’vegotmeonthatpoint。Butthere’salottobesaidonmysidejustthesame。Nowyoulistentome。

I’mgoingtotalkunderthreeheads。Numberone:Weliveashorttime，thebestofus，andwe’realongtimedead。Lifeisabiggamblinggame。

Somearebornluckyandsomearebornunlucky。Everybodysitsinatthetable，andeverybodytriestorobeverybodyelse。Mostofthemgetrobbed。

They’rebornsuckers。”Fellowlikemecomesalongandsizesuptheproposition。I’vegottwochoices。Icanherdwiththesuckers，orIcanherdwiththerobbers。Asasucker，Iwinnothing。Eventhecrustsofbreadaresnatchedoutofmymouthbytherobbers。Iworkhardallmydays，anddieworking。AndIain’tneverhadaflutter。I’vehadnothingbutwork，work，work。Theytalkaboutthedignityoflabor。Itellyouthereain’tnodignityinthatsortoflabor。Myotherchoiceistoherdwiththerobbers，andIherdwiththem。

Iplaythatchoicewideopentowin。Igettheautomobiles，andtheporterhousesteaks，andthesoftbeds。”Numbertwo:Thereain’tmuchdifferencebetweenplayinghalfwayrobberliketherailroadhaulingthatfarmer’swheattomarket，andplayingallrobberandrobbingtherobberslikeIdo。And，besides，halfwayrobberyistooslowagameformetositin。Youdon’twinquickenoughforme。””Butwhatdoyouwanttowinfor？”Dededemanded。”Youhavemillionsandmillions，already。Youcan’trideinmorethanoneautomobileatatime，sleepinmorethanonebedatatime。””Numberthreeanswersthat，”hesaid，”andhereitis:Menandthingsaresomadethattheyhavedifferentlikes。Arabbitlikesavegetariandiet。Alynxlikesmeat。Ducksswim；chickensarescairtofwater。Onemancollectspostagestamps，anothermancollectsbutterflies。Thismangoesinforpaintings，thatmangoesinforyachts，andsomeotherfellowforhuntingbiggame。Onemanthinkshorse-racingisIt，withabigI，andanothermanfindsthebiggestsatisfactioninactresses。Theycan’thelptheselikes。Theyhavethem，andwhataretheygoingtodoaboutit？

NowIlikegambling。Iliketoplaythegame。Iwanttoplayitbigandplayitquick。I’mjustmadethatway。AndIplayit。””Butwhycan’tyoudogoodwithallyourmoney？”

Daylightlaughed。”Doinggoodwithyourmoney！It’slikeslappingGodintheface，asmuchastotellhimthathedon’tknowhowtorunhisworldandthatyou’llbemuchobligedifhe’llstandoutofthewayandgiveyouachance。ThinkingaboutGoddoesn’tkeepmesittingupnights，soI’vegotanotherwayoflookingatit。Ain’titfunny，togoaroundwithbrassknucklesandabigclubbreakingfolks’headsandtakingtheirmoneyawayfromthemuntilI’vegotapile，andthen，repentingofmyways，goingaroundandbandaginguptheheadstheotherrobbersarebreaking？Ileaveittoyou。That’swhatdoinggoodwithmoneyamountsto。Everyonceinawhilesomerobberturnssoft-heartedandtakestodrivinganambulance。That’swhatCarnegiedid。HesmashedheadsinpitchedbattlesatHomestead，regularwholesalehead-breakerhewas，heldupthesuckersforafewhundredmillion，andnowhegoesarounddribblingitbacktothem。funny？Ileaveittoyou。”

Herolledacigaretteandwatchedherhalfcuriously，halfamusedly。

Hisrepliesandharshgeneralizationsofaharshschoolweredisconcerting，andshecamebacktoherearlierposition。”Ican’targuewithyou，andyouknowthat。Nomatterhowrightawomanis，menhavesuchawayaboutthemwell，whattheysaysoundsmostconvincing，andyetthewomanisstillcertaintheyarewrong。Butthereisonething——thecreativejoy。Callitgamblingifyouwill，butjustthesameitseemstomemoresatisfyingtocreatesomething，makesomething，thanjusttorolldiceoutofadice-boxalldaylong。Why，sometimes，forexercise，orwhenI’vegottopayfifteendollarsforcoal，IcurryMabandgiveherawholehalfhour’sbrushing。AndwhenIseehercoatcleanandshiningandsatiny，IfeelasatisfactioninwhatI’vedone。Soitmustbewiththemanwhobuildsahouseorplantsatree。Hecanlookatit。Hemadeit。It’shishandiwork。Evenifsomebodylikeyoucomesalongandtakeshistreeawayfromhim，stillitisthere，andstilldidhemakeit。Youcan’trobhimofthat，Mr。Harnish，withallyourmillions。It’sthecreativejoy，andit’sahigherjoythanmeregambling。Haven’tyouevermadethingsyourself——alogcabinupintheYukon，oracanoe，orraft，orsomething？

Anddon’tyourememberhowsatisfiedyouwere，howgoodyoufelt，whileyouweredoingitandafteryouhaditdone？”

Whileshespokehismemorywasbusywiththeassociationssherecalled。

HesawthedesertedflatontheriverbankbytheKlondike，andhesawthelogcabinsandwarehousesspringup，andallthelogstructureshehadbuilt，andhissawmillsworkingnightanddayonthreeshifts。”Why，dog-goneit，MissMason，you’reright——inaway。I’vebuilthundredsofhousesupthere，andIrememberIwasproudandgladtoseethemgoup。I’mproudnow，whenIrememberthem。AndtherewasOphir——themostGod-forsakenmoose-pastureofacreekyoueverlaideyeson。ImadethatintothebigOphir。Why，IranthewaterintherefromtheRinkabilly，eightymilesaway。TheyallsaidIcouldn’t，butIdidit，andIdiditbymyself。Thedamandtheflumecostmefourmillion。ButyoushouldhaveseenthatOphir——powerplants，electriclights，andhundredsofmenonthepay-roll，workingnightandday。IguessIdogetaninklingofwhatyoumeanbymakingathing。ImadeOphir，andbyGod，shewasasurehummer——I

begyourpardon。Ididn’tmeantocuss。ButthatOphir！——Isureamproudofhernow，justasthelasttimeIlaideyesonher。””Andyouwonsomethingtherethatwasmorethanmeremoney，”Dedeencouraged。”NowdoyouknowwhatIwoulddoifIhadlotsofmoneyandsimplyhadtogoonplayingatbusiness？Takeallthesoutherlyandwesterlyslopesofthesebarehills。I’dbuytheminandplanteucalyptusonthem。I’ddoitforthejoyofdoingitanyway；butsupposeIhadthatgamblingtwistinmewhichyoutalkabout，why，I’ddoitjustthesameandmakemoneyoutofthetrees。Andthere’smyotherpointagain。Insteadofraisingthepriceofcoalwithoutaddinganounceofcoaltothemarketsupply，I’dbemakingthousandsandthousandsofcordsoffirewood——makingsomethingwherenothingwasbefore。Andeverybodywhoevercrossedontheferrieswouldlookupattheseforestedhillsandbemadeglad。WhowasmadegladbyyouraddingfourdollarsatontoRockWells？”

ItwasDaylight’sturntobesilentforatimewhileshewaitedananswer。”WouldyouratherIdidthingslikethat？”heaskedatlast。”Itwouldbebetterfortheworld，andbetterforyou，”sheanswerednoncommittally。BurningDaylight:PartII:ChapterXVIPartIIChapterXVIAllweekeveryoneintheofficeknewthatsomethingnewandbigwasafootinDaylight’smind。Beyondsomedealsofnoimportance，hehadnotbeeninterestedinanythingforseveralmonths。Butnowhewentaboutinanalmostunbrokenbrownstudy，madeunexpectedandlengthytripsacrossthebaytoOakland，orsatathisdesksilentandmotionlessforhours。Heseemedparticularlyhappywithwhatoccupiedhismind。Attimesmencameinandconferredwithhim——andwithnewfacesanddifferingintypefromthosethatusuallycametoseehim。

OnSundayDedelearnedallaboutit。”I’vebeenthinkingalotofourtalk，”hebegan，”andI’vegotanideaI’dliketogiveitaflutter。AndI’vegotapropositiontomakeyourhairstandup。It’swhatyoucalllegitimate，andatthesametimeit’sthegosh-dangdestgambleamaneverwentinto。

Howaboutplantingminuteswholesale，andmakingtwominutesgrowwhereoneminutegrewbefore？Oh，yes，andplantingafewtrees，too——sayseveralmillionofthem。YourememberthequarryImadebelieveIwaslookingat？

Well，I’mgoingtobuyit。I’mgoingtobuythesehills，too，clearfromherearoundtoBerkeleyanddowntheotherwaytoSanLeandro。Iownalotofthemalready，forthatmatter。Butmumistheword。I’llbebuyingalongtimetocomebeforeanythingmuchisguessedaboutit，andIdon’twantthemarkettojumpupoutofsight。Youseethathilloverthere。

It’smyhillrunningcleardownitsslopesthroughPiedmontandhalfwayalongthoserollinghillsintoOakland。Andit’snothingtoallthethingsI’mgoingtobuy。”

Hepausedtriumphantly。”Andalltomaketwominutesgrowwhereonegrewbefore？”Dedequeried，atthesametimelaughingheartilyathisaffectationofmystery。

Hestaredatherfascinated。Shehadsuchafrank，boyishwayofthrowingherheadbackwhenshelaughed。Andherteethwereanunendingdelighttohim。Notsmall，yetregularandfirm，withoutablemish，heconsideredthenthehealthiest，whitest，prettiestteethhehadeverseen。Andformonthshehadbeencomparingthemwiththeteethofeverywomanhemet。

Itwasnotuntilherlaughterwasoverthathewasabletocontinue。”TheferrysystembetweenOaklandandSanFranciscoistheworstone-horseconcernintheUnitedStates。Youcrossoniteveryday，sixdaysintheweek。That’ssay，twenty-fivedaysamonth，orthreehundredayear。Nowlongdoesittakeyouoneway？Fortyminutes，ifyou’relucky。I’mgoingtoputyouacrossintwentyminutes。Ifthatain’tmakingtwominutesgrowwhereonegrewbefore，knockoffmyheadwithlittleapples。I’llsaveyoutwentyminuteseachway。That’sfortyminutesaday，timesthreehundred，equalstwelvethousandminutesayear，justforyou，justforoneperson。

Let’ssee:that’stwohundredwholehours。SupposeIsavetwohundredhoursayearforthousandsofotherfolks，——that’sfarmingsome，ain’tit？”

Dedecouldonlynodbreathlessly。Shehadcaughtthecontagionofhisenthusiasm，thoughshehadnoclewastohowthisgreattime-savingwastobeaccomplished。”Comeon，”hesaid。”Let’srideupthathill，andwhenIgetyououtontopwhereyoucanseesomething，I’lltalksense。”

Asmallfootpathdroppeddowntothedrybedofthecanon，whichtheycrossedbeforetheybegantheclimb。Theslopewassteepandcoveredwithmattedbrushandbushes，throughwhichthehorsesslippedandlunged。Bob，growingdisgusted，turnedbacksuddenlyandattemptedtopassMab。Themarewasthrustsidewiseintothedenserbush，whereshenearlyfell。Recovering，sheflungherweightagainstBob。Bothriders’legswerecaughtintheconsequentsqueeze，and，asBobplungedaheaddownhill，Dedewasnearlyscrapedoff。DaylightthrewhishorseontoitshaunchesandatthesametimedraggedDedebackintothesaddle。Showersoftwigsandleavesfelluponthem，andpredicamentfollowedpredicament，untiltheyemergedonthehilltoptheworseforwearbuthappyandexcited。Herenotreesobstructedtheview。Theparticularhillonwhichtheywere，out-juttedfromtheregularlineoftherange，sothatthesweepoftheirvisionextendedoverthree-quartersofthecircle。Below，ontheflatlandborderingthebay，layOakland，andacrossthebaywasSanFrancisco。Betweenthetwocitiestheycouldseethewhiteferry-boatsonthewater。AroundtotheirrightwasBerkeley，andtotheirleftthescatteredvillagesbetweenOaklandandSanLeandro。

DirectlyintheforegroundwasPiedmont，withitsdesultorydwellingsandpatchesoffarmingland，andfromPiedmontthelandrolleddowninsuccessivewavesuponOakland。”’Lookatit，’saidDaylight，extendinghisArminaSweepingGesture””Lookatit，”saidDaylight，extendinghisarminasweepinggesture。”Ahundredthousandpeoplethere，andnoreasonthereshouldn’tbehalfamillion。There’sthechancetomakefivepeoplegrowwhereonegrowsnow。Here’stheschemeinanutshell。Whydon’tmorepeopleliveinOakland？

NogoodservicewithSanFrancisco，and，besides，Oaklandisasleep。It’sawholelotbetterplacetoliveinthanSanFrancisco。Now，supposeI

buyinallthestreetrailwaysofOakland，Berkeley，Alameda，SanLeandro，andtherest，——bringthemunderoneheadwithacompetentmanagement？SupposeIcutthetimetoSanFranciscoone-halfbybuildingabigpierouttherealmosttoGoatIslandandestablishingaferrysystemwithmodernup-to-dateboats？Why，folkswillwanttoliveoveronthisside。Verygood。They’llneedlandonwhichtobuild。So，firstIbuyuptheland。Buttheland’scheapnow。Why？Becauseit’sinthecountry，noelectricroads，noquickcommunication，nobodyguessingthattheelectricroadsarecoming。I’llbuildtheroads。Thatwillmakethelandjumpup。ThenI’llsellthelandasfastasthefolkswillwanttobuybecauseoftheimprovedferrysystemandtransportationfacilities。”Yousee，Igivethevaluetothelandbybuildingtheroads。ThenI

sellthelandandgetthatvalueback，andafterthat，there’stheroads，allcarryingfolksbackandforthandearningbigmoney。Can’tlose。Andthere’sallsortsofmillionsinit。

I’mgoingtogetmyhandsonsomeofthatwaterfrontandthetide-lands。

TakebetweenwhereI’mgoingtobuildmypierandtheoldpier。It’sshallowwater。Icanfillanddredgeandputinasystemofdocksthatwillhandlehundredsofships。SanFrancisco’swaterfrontiscongested。Nomoreroomforships。Withhundredsofshipsloadingandunloadingonthissiderightintothefreightcarsofthreebigrailroads，factorieswillstartupoverhereinsteadofcrossingtoSanFrancisco。Thatmeansfactorysites。Thatmeansmebuyinginthefactorysitesbeforeanybodyguessesthecatisgoingtojump，muchless，whichway。Factoriesmeantensofthousandsofworkingmenandtheirfamilies。Thatmeansmorehousesandmoreland，andthatmeansme，forI’llbetheretosellthemtheland。Andtensofthousandsoffamiliesmeanstensofthousandsofnickelseverydayformyelectriccars。Thegrowingpopulationwillmeanmorestores，morebanks，moreeverything。

Andthat’llmeanme，forI’llberighttherewithbusinesspropertyaswellashomeproperty。Whatdoyouthinkofit？”

Thereforeshecouldanswer，hewasoffagain，hismind’seyefilledwiththisnewcityofhisdreamwhichhebuildedontheAlamedahillsbythegatewaytotheOrient。”Doyouknow——I’vebeenlookingitup——theFirthOfClyde，whereallthesteelshipsarebuilt，isn’thalfaswideasOaklandCreekdownthere，whereallthoseoldhulkslie？Whyain’titaFirthofClyde？BecausetheOaklandCityCouncilspendsitstimedebatingaboutprunesandraisins。

Whatisneededissomebodytoseethings，and，afterthat，organization。

That’sme。Ididn’tmakeOphirfornothing。Andoncethingsbegintohum，outsidecapitalwillpourin。AllIdoisstartitgoing。’Gentlemen，’

Isay，’here’sallthenaturaladvantagesforagreatmetropolis。

GodAlmightyputthemadvantageshere，andheputmeheretoseethem。

DoyouwanttolandyourteaandsilkfromAsiaandshipitstraightEast？

Here’sthedocksforyoursteamers，andhere’stherailroads。Doyouwantfactoriesfromwhichyoucanshipdirectbylandorwater？Here’sthesite，andhere’sthemodern，up-to-datecity，withthelatestimprovementsforyourselvesandyourworkmen，tolivein。’””Thenthere’sthewater。I’llcomeprettyclosetoowningthewatershed。

Whynotthewaterworkstoo？There’stwowatercompaniesinOaklandnow，fightinglikecatsanddogsandbothaboutbroke。Whatametropolisneedsisagoodwatersystem。Theycan’tgiveit。They’restick-in-the-muds。

I’llgobblethemupanddelivertherightarticletothecity。There’smoneythere，too——moneyeverywhere。Everythingworksinwitheverythingelse。Eachimprovementmakesthevalueofeverythingelsepumpup。It’speoplethatarebehindthevalue。Thebiggerthecrowdthatherdsinoneplace，themorevaluableistherealestate。Andthisistheveryplaceforacrowdtoherd。Lookatit。Justlookatit！Youcouldneverfindafinersiteforagreatcity。Allitneedsistheherd，andI’llstampedeacoupleofhundredthousandpeopleinhereinstwoyears。Andwhat’smoreitwon’tbeoneofthesewildcatlandbooms。Itwillbelegitimate。Twentyyearsfornowthere’llbeamillionpeopleonthissidethebay。Anotherthingishotels。Thereisn’tadecentoneinthetown。I’llbuildacoupleofup-to-dateonesthat’llmakethemsitupandtakenotice。Iwon’tcareiftheydon’tpayforyears。Theireffectwillmorethangivememymoneybackoutoftheotherholdings。And，oh，yes，I’mgoingtoplanteucalyptus，millionsofthem，onthesehills。””Buthowareyougoingtodoit？”Dedeasked。”Youhaven’tenoughmoneyforallthatyou’veplanned。””I’vethirtymillion，andifIneedmoreIcanborrowonthelandandotherthings。Interestonmortgageswon’tanywhereneareatuptheincreaseinlandvalues，andI’llbesellinglandrightalong。”

Intheweeksthatfollowed，Daylightwasabusyman。HespentmostofhistimeinOakland，rarelycomingtotheoffice。HeplannedtomovetheofficetoOakland，but，ashetoldDede，thesecretpreliminarycampaignofbuyinghadtobeputthroughfirst。SundaybySunday，nowfromthishilltopandnowfromthat，theylookeddownuponthecityanditsfarmingsuburbs，andhepointedouttoherhislatestacquisitions。Atfirstitwaspatchesandsectionsoflandhereandthere；butastheweekspasseditwastheunownedportionsthatbecamerare，untilatlasttheystoodasislandssurroundedbyDaylight’sland。

Itmeantquickworkonacolossalscale，forOaklandandtheadjacentcountrywasnotslowtofeelthetremendousbuying。ButDaylighthadthereadycash，andithadalwaysbeenhispolicytostrikequickly。Beforetheotherscouldgetthewarningoftheboom，hequietlyaccomplishedmanythings。Atthesametimethathisagentswerepurchasingcornerlotsandentireblocksintheheartofthebusinesssectionandthewastelandsforfactorysites，Daywasrushingfranchisesthroughthecitycouncil，capturingthetwoexhaustedwatercompaniesandtheeightornineindependentstreetrailways，andgettinghisgripontheOaklandCreekandthebaytide-landsforhisdocksystem。Thetide-landshadbeeninlitigationforyears，andhetookthebullbythehorns——buyingouttheprivateownersandatthesametimeleasingfromthecityfathers。

BythetimethatOaklandwasarousedbythisunprecedentedactivityineverydirectionandwasquestioningexcitedlythemeaningofit，DaylightsecretlyboughtthechiefRepublicannewspaperandthechiefDemocraticorgan，andmovedboldlyintohisnewoffices。Ofnecessity，theywereonalargescale，occupyingfourfloorsoftheonlymodernofficebuildinginthetown——theonlybuildingthatwouldn’thavetobetorndownlateron，asDaylightputit。Therewasdepartmentafterdepartment，ascoreofthem，andhundredsofclerksandstenographers。AshetoldDede:”I’vegotmorecompaniesthanyoucanshakeastickat。There’stheAlameda&；

ContraCostaLandSyndicate，theConsolidatedStreetRailways，theYerbaBuenaFerryCompany，theUnitedWaterCompany，thePiedmontRealtyCompany，theFairviewandPortolaHotelCompany，andhalfadozenmorethatI’vegottorefertoanotebooktoremember。There’sthePiedmontLaundryFarm，andRedwoodConsolidatedQuarries。Startinginwithourquarry，Ijustkepta-goingtillIgotthemall。Andthere’stheship-buildingcompanyIain’tgotanameforyet。SeeingasIhadtohaveferry-boats，Idecidedtobuildthemmyself。They’llbedonebythetimethepierisreadyforthem。Phew！Itallsurebeatspoker。AndI’vehadthefunofgougingtherobbergangsaswell。Thewatercompanybunchesaresquealingyet。Isuregotthemwherethehairwasshort。TheywerejustaboutallinwhenIcamealongandfinishedthemoff。””Butwhydoyouhatethemso？”Dedeasked。”Becausethey’resuchcowardlyskunks。””Butyouplaythesamegametheydo。””Yes；butnotinthesameway。”Daylightregardedherthoughtfully。”WhenIsaycowardlyskunks，Imeanjustthat，——cowardlyskunks。Theysetupforalotofgamblers，andthereain’toneinathousandofthemthat’sgotthenervetobeagambler。They’refour-flushers，ifyouknowwhatthatmeans。They’realotoflittlecottontailrabbitsmakingbelievethey’rebigrip-snortingtimberwolves。Theysetouttoeverlastinglyeatupsomepropositionbutatthefirstsignoftroubletheyturntailandstampedeforthebrush。Lookhowitworks。WhenthebigfellowswantedtounloadLittleCopper，theysentJakeyFallowintotheNewYorkStockExchangetoyellout:’I’llbuyalloranypartofLittleCopperatfiftyfive，’

LittleCopperbeingatfifty-four。Andinthirtyminutesthemcottontails——

financiers，somefolkscallthem——bidupLittleCoppertosixty。Andanhourafterthat，stampedingforthebrush，theywerethrowingLittleCopperoverboardatforty-fiveandevenforty。”They’recatspawsforthebigfellows。Almostasfastastheyrobthesuckers，thebigfellowscomealongandholdthemup。Orelsethebigfellowsusetheminordertorobeachother。That’sthewaytheChattanoogaCoalandIronCompanywasswallowedupbythetrustinthelastpanic。Thetrustmadethatpanic。Ithadtobreakacoupleofbigbankingcompaniesandsqueezehalfadozenbigfellows，too，anditdiditbystampedingthecottontails。Thecottontailsdidtherestallright，andthetrustgatheredinChattanoogaCoalandIron。Why，anyman，withnerveandsavvee，canstartthemcottontailsjumpingforthebrush。Idon’texactlyhatethemmyself，butIhaven’tanyregardforchicken-heartedfour-flushers。”BurningDaylight:PartII:ChapterXVIIPartIIChapterXVIIFormonthsDaylightwasburiedinwork。Theoutlaywasterrific，andtherewasnothingcomingin。Beyondageneralriseinlandvalues，Oaklandhadnotacknowledgedhisirruptiononthefinancialscene。Thecitywaswaitingforhimtoshowwhathewasgoingtodo，andhelostnotimeaboutit。Thebestskilledbrainsonthemarketwerehiredbyhimforthedifferentbranchesofthework。Initialmistakeshehadnopatiencewith，andhewasdeterminedtostartright，aswhenheengagedWilkinson，almostdoublinghisbigsalary，andbroughthimoutfromChicagototakechargeofthestreetrailwayorganization。Nightanddaytheroadgangstoiledonthestreets。Andnightanddaythepile-drivershammeredthebigpilesdownintothemudofSanFranciscoBay。Thepierwastobethreemileslong，andtheBerkeleyhillsweredenudedofwholegrovesofmatureeucalyptusforthepiling。

Atthesametimethathiselectricroadswerebuildingoutthroughthehills，thehay-fieldswerebeingsurveyedandbrokenupintocitysquares，withhereandthere，accordingtobestmodernmethods，windingboulevardsandstripsofpark。Broadstreets，wellgraded，weremade，withsewersandwater-pipesreadylaid，andmacadamizedfromhisownquarries。Cementsidewalkswerealsolaid，sothatallthepurchaserhadtodowastoselecthislotandarchitectandstartbuilding。ThequickserviceofDaylight’snewelectricroadsintoOaklandmadethisbigdistrictimmediatelyaccessible，andlongbeforetheferrysystemwasinoperationhundredsofresidencesweregoingup。

Theprofitonthislandwasenormous。Inaday，hisonslaughtofwealthhadturnedopenfarmingcountryintooneofthebestresidentialdistrictsofthecity。

Butthismoneythatflowedinuponhimwasimmediatelypouredbackintohisotherinvestments。Theneedforelectriccarswassogreatthatheinstalledhisownshopsforbuildingthem。Andevenontherisinglandmarket，hecontinuedtobuychoicefactorysitesandbuildingproperties。

OntheadviceofWilkinson，practicallyeveryelectricroadalreadyinoperationwasrebuilt。Thelight，oldfashionedrailsweretornoutandreplacedbytheheaviestthatweremanufactured。Cornerlots，onthesharpturnsofnarrowstreets，wereboughtandruthlesslypresentedtothecityinordertomakewidecurvesforhistracksandhighspeedforhiscars。

Then，too，therewerethemain-linefeedersforhisferrysystem，tappingeveryportionofOakland，Alameda，andBerkeley，andrunningfastexpressestothepierend。Thesamelarge-scalemethodswereemployedinthewatersystem。Serviceofthebestwasneeded，ifhishugelandinvestmentwastosucceed。Oaklandhadtobemadeintoaworth-whilecity，andthatwaswhatheintendedtodo。Inadditiontohisbighotels，hebuiltamusementparksforthecommonpeople，andartgalleriesandclub-housecountryinnsforthemorefinickyclasses。Evenbeforetherewasanyincreaseinpopulation，amarkedincreaseinstreet-railwaytraffictookplace。Therewasnothingfancifulabouthisschemes。Theyweresoundinvestments。”WhatOaklandwantsisafirstglasstheatre，”hesaid，and，aftervainlytryingtointerestlocalcapital，hestartedthebuildingofthetheatrehimself；forhealonehadvisionforthetwohundredthousandnewpeoplethatwerecomingtothetown。

ButnomatterwhatpressurewasonDaylight，hisSundayshereservedforhisridinginthehills。Itwasnotthewinterweather，however，thatbroughttheserideswithDedetoanend。OneSaturdayafternoonintheofficeshetoldhimnottoexpecttomeethernextday，and，whenhepressedforanexplanation:”I’vesoldMab。”

Daylightwasspeechlessforthemoment。Heractmeantoneofsomanyseriousthingsthathecouldn’tclassifyit。Itsmackedalmostoftreachery。

Shemighthavemetwithfinancialdisaster。

Itmightbeherwayoflettinghimknowshehadseenenoughofhim。

Or……”What’sthematter？”hemanagedtoask。”Icouldn’taffordtokeepherwithhayforty-fivedollarsaton，”Dedeanswered。”Wasthatyouronlyreason？”hedemanded，lookingathersteadily；forherememberedheroncetellinghimhowshehadbroughtthemarethroughonewinter，fiveyearsbefore，whenhayhadgoneashighassixtydollarsaton。”No。Mybrother’sexpenseshavebeenhigher，aswell，andIwasdriventotheconclusionthatsinceIcouldnotaffordboth，I’dbetterletthemaregoandkeepthebrother。”

Daylightfeltinexpressiblysaddened。Hewassuddenlyawareofagreatemptiness。WhatwouldaSundaybewithoutDede？AndSundayswithoutendwithouther？Hedrummedperplexedlyonthedeskwithhisfingers。”Whoboughther？”heasked。Dede’seyesflashedinthewaylongsincefamiliartohimwhenshewasangry。”Don’tyoudarebuyherbackforme，”shecried。”Anddon’tdenythatthatwaswhatyouhadinmind。””Iwon’tdenyit。Itwasmyideatoatee。ButIwouldn’thavedoneitwithoutaskingyoufirst，andseeinghowyoufeelaboutit，Iwon’tevenaskyou。Butyouthoughtaheapofthatmare，andit’sprettyhardonyoutoloseher。I’msuresorry。AndI’msorry，too，thatyouwon’tberidingwithmetomorrow。I’llbeplumblost。Iwon’tknowwhattodowithmyself。””NeithershallI，”Dedeconfessedmournfully，”exceptthatIshallbeabletocatchupwithmysewing。””ButIhaven’tanysewing。”

Daylight’stonewaswhimsicallyplaintive，butsecretlyhewasdelightedwithherconfessionofloneliness。Itwasalmostworththelossofthemaretogetthatoutofher。Atanyrate，hemeantsomethingtoher。Hewasnotutterlyunliked。”Iwishyouwouldreconsider，MissMason，”hesaidsoftly。”Notaloneforthemare’ssake，butformysake。Moneydon’tcutanyiceinthis。

Formetobuythatmarewouldn’tmeanasitdoestomostmentosendabouquetofflowersoraboxofcandytoayounglady。AndI’veneversentyouflowersorcandy。”Heobservedthewarningflashofhereyes，andhurriedontoescaperefusal。”I’lltellyouwhatwe’lldo。SupposeIbuythemareandownhermyself，andlendhertoyouwhenyouwanttoride。There’snothingwronginthat。Anybodyborrowsahorsefromanybody，youknow。”

Aginhesawrefusal，andheadedheroff。”Lotsofmentakewomenbuggy-riding。There’snothingwronginthat。

Andthemanalwaysfurnishesthehorseandbuggy。Well，now，what’sthedifferencebetweenmytakingyoubuggy-ridingandfurnishingthehorseandbuggy，andtakingyouhorse-back-ridingandfurnishingthehorses？”

Sheshookherhead，anddeclinedtoanswer，atthesametimelookingatthedoorasiftointimatethatitwastimeforthisunbusinesslikeconversationtoend。Hemadeonemoreeffort。”Doyouknow，MissMason，Ihaven’tafriendintheworldoutsideyou？

Imeanarealfriend，manorwoman，thekindyouchumwith，youknow，andthatyou’regladtobewithandsorrytobeawayfrom。HeganisthenearestmanIgetto，andhe’samillionmilesawayfromme。Outsidebusiness，wedon’thitch。He’sgotabiglibraryofbooks，andsomecrazykindofculture，andhespendsallhisofftimesreadingthingsinFrenchandGermanandotheroutlandishlingoes——whenheain’twritingplaysandpoetry。There’snobodyIfeelchummywithexceptyou，andyouknowhowlittlewe’vechummed——onceaweek，ifitdidn’train，onSunday。I’vegrownkindoftodependonyou。

You’reasortof——of——of——””Asortofhabit，”shesaidwithasmile。”That’saboutit。Andthatmare，andyouastrideofher，comingalongtheroadunderthetreesorthroughthesunshine——why，withbothyouandthemaremissing，therewon’tbeanythingworthwaitingthroughtheweekfor。Ifyou’djustletmebuyherback——””No，no；Itellyouno。”Dederoseimpatiently，buthereyesweremoistwiththememoryofherpet。”Pleasedon’tmentionhertomeagain。Ifyouthinkitwaseasytopartwithher，youaremistaken。ButI’veseenthelastofher，andIwanttoforgether。”

Daylightmadenoanswer，andthedoorclosedbehindhim。

HalfanhourlaterhewasconferringwithJones，theerstwhileelevatorboyandrabidproletarianwhomDaylightlongbeforehadgrubstakedtoliteratureforayear。Theresultingnovelhadbeenafailure。Editorsandpublisherswouldnotlookatit，andnowDaylightwasusingthedisgruntledauthorinalittleprivatesecretservicesystemhehadbeencompelledtoestablishforhimself。Jones，whoaffectedtobesurprisedatnothingafterhiscrushingexperiencewithrailroadfreightratesonfirweoodandcharcoal，betrayednosurprisenowwhenthetaskwasgiventohimtolocatethepurchaserofacertainsorrelmare。”HowhighshallIpayforher？”heasked。”Anyprice。You’vegottogether，that’sthepoint。Driveasharpbargainsoasnottoexcitesuspicion，buther。ThenyoudeliverhertothataddressupinSonomaCounty。Theman’sthecaretakeronalittleranchIhavethere。

Tellhimhe’stotakewhackinggoodcareofher。Andafterthatforgetallaboutit。Don’ttellmethenameofthemanyoubuyherfrom。Don’ttellmeanythingaboutitexceptthatyou’vegotheranddeliveredher。

Savvee？”