And make a clean breast of it Reynolds did. He was surprised at
himself for talking so freely as he told about his indifference to life
until he first saw Glen Weston. It was easy to talk there in the
silence of the great forest, with the shadows of evening closing around
and such a sympathetic listener nearby. He felt better when his story
was ended, for he had shared his heart feeling with one worthy of his
confidence, so he believed.

Frontier Samson remained silent for a few minutes after the confession
had been concluded.. He looked straight before him off among the trees
as if he saw something there. Reynolds wondered what he was thinking
about, and whether he considered him a fool for becoming so infatuated
over a mere girl.

"I must seem ridiculous to you," he at length remarked. "Would any man
in his senses act as I have?"

"Ye might do worse," was the quiet reply. "I am sartinly interested in
what ye've jist told me, an' I thank ye fer yer confidence. Me own
heart was stirred once, an' the feelin' ain't altogether left me yit.
But ye've got a difficult problem ahead of ye, young man. Ye want that
lass, so I believe, but between you an' her stands Jim Weston."

"And the girl, why don't you say?"

"Sure, sure; she's to be considered. But a gal kin be won when she
takes a fancy to a man of your make-up. The trouble'll be with her
dad, an' don't fergit that. But thar, I guess we've talked enough
about this fer the present. I'm dead beat an' want some sleep. We