and to have withdrawn from the contest. At any rate, he was nowhere to
be seen. Willis was visibly disappointed. He pushed his chair back
restlessly and went to the window. The heavy, black clouds hung low on
the ridge, and Pike's Peak was entirely hidden in the mists. Willis was
thinking of the conversation he had had with his uncle that morning at
the breakfast table.

"Mother," he turned to Mrs. Thornton, who was still seated at the
breakfast table, "why is Uncle Joe so positive about it being a mistake
for me to take this trip? Either he just wants to show his authority or
he has some special reason. According to his talk, there isn't a more
dangerous place on this earth of ours than around an old prospector's
cabin. Rats! I don't believe a word of it. It's all bosh and, as far as
cabins go, how could disease live in an old, open mountain shanty?
Anyhow, you might go for weeks in the mountains without even seeing a
cabin. He thinks I'm a child and haven't any judgment of my own. My! I'm
glad he isn't my father. He's just a blamed old hypocrite, that's what I
think about him, anyway."

"Well, you won't be going if it stays so stormy, will you?" asked his
mother.

"No, but it's going to clear up, mother; this is just a little summer
shower--we weren't counting on starting until after dinner, though,
anyway," replied Willis. Toward noon the clouds broke and melted away as
if by magic. Their lifting was like the raising of some majestic curtain
on a wonderful stage. The moisture from the recent storm still glistened
on every twig and leaf, and the fresh-bathed air was as clear as crystal.
The summit of Pike's Peak was decked in a new covering of snow which
sparkled like beautiful gems. The robins chirped gayly as they fed on the