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"Never mind," answered Wiley as he took the old man's hand. "I don't care about the money."
"No, but the wrong, the disgrace," protested the Colonel, brokenly, and then he flared up at Blount.
"You scoundrel, sir!" he cried. "How dared you induce my daughter to violate her sacred trust? By the G.o.ds, Sam Blount, I am greatly tempted----"
"It's come!" called Virginia, running gayly down the steps, but at sight of her father she stopped. "Well, there it is," she said, putting a paper in his hand. "It shows that I was sorry, anyway."
"What is this?" inquired the Colonel, fumbling feebly for his gla.s.ses, and Virginia s.n.a.t.c.hed the paper away.
"It's a letter from my lawyers!" she said, smiling wickedly. "And we'll show it to Mr. Blount."
She took it over and put it in Blount's hands, and as he read the first line he turned pale.
"Why--Virginia!" he gasped and then he clutched at his heart and reached out quickly for the fence. "Why--why, I thought that was all settled! I certainly understood it was--and what authority had you to interfere?"
"Wiley's power of attorney," she answered defiantly, "I fired that crooked lawyer, after you'd got him all fixed, and hired a good one with my stock."
"My Lord!" moaned Blount, "and after all I'd done for you!" And then he collapsed and was borne into the house. But Wiley, who had been so calm, suddenly leapt for the letter and read it through to the end.
"Holy--jumping--Judas!" he burst out, running over to the Colonel who was standing with lack l.u.s.ter eyes. "Look here what Virginia has done!
She's bought all Blount's stock, under that option I had, and cleaned him--down to a cent. She's won back the mine, and we can all go in together----"
"Virginia!" spoke up the Colonel, beckoning her sternly to him. "Come down here, I wish to speak to you."
She came down slowly and as her father began to talk the tears rose quickly to her eyes, but when Wiley took her hand she smiled back wistfully and crept within the circle of his arm.
THE END
