by H. A. Cody
CHAPTER XXX
THE UNMASKING
Frontier Samson was sitting before an open fire as Glen and Reynoldsentered. The flames were licking around the big sticks, lighting upthe room, and playing fantastic tricks upon the walls and ceiling.They fell, too, upon the prospector's face, and had not the youngcouple been so full of their own happiness they would have noticed thesad, far-away look in the old man's eyes. He was huddled in his chair,but straightened himself suddenly up at the first sound of approachingfootsteps. By the time the young people were at his side, he was thesame genial companion as of old.
"Having pleasant dreams?" Glen asked, as she took a seat by his side,while Reynolds sat opposite.
"Evenin' dreams, Miss," Samson thoughtfully replied, as he looked intothe girl's bright, animated face, and intuitively divined the meaningof her happiness. "They're different from day-dreams, ye know,'specially when yer settin' before a fire like this. Things come to yethen which ye imagined ye had forgotten long ago."
"You must have had some wonderful experiences in this land," Reynoldsremarked. "And what scenes you have witnessed, especially in winter.If only you were an artist or a poet, what masterpieces you couldproduce."
Samson reached for his pipe, filled and lighted it in thoughtfulsilence. Glen and Reynolds gazed into the fire, fascinated by theleaping, curling flames. Their hearts were so filled with joy thatthey could think of little but their own overflowing happiness.
"Yes," Samson at length began, "I have seen some wonderful sights, an'no mistake. I ain't no artist nor poet as fer as puttin' things onpaper or canvas is consarned. But it's all here," and he tapped hisbreast with the fingers of his right hand. "When I hear the greatmountains a-roarin' at night when the wind is abroad, an' at timeslisten to the breezes purrin' down their sides, I tell ye I'm a poetthen. An' at night, 'specially in winter, when the moon is full an'ridin' aloft above the highest peaks, an' the hull land is lit up witha wonderful glory, then I'm an artist. I s'pose them things are allright in their way," and the old man gave a deep sigh, as he lookedwistfully into the fire. "But they don't altogether satisfy the soul.One needs the touch of human nature, the bond of fellowship, an' thewarm fire of love to make life really worth livin'. Now, I could tellye about a man--but thar, you two don't want to hear a yarn from meto-night. You've got other things to think about."
"Indeed we do," Glen declared. "I'm just in a mood for a story. Itwill help to pass the time until daddy returns. I wonder what in theworld is keeping him."
"Oh, he'll be here shortly, so don't worry," Samson told her. "He'llcome so suddenly, mebbe, that ye'll be surprised. I find that it'sginerally the unexpected that happens in this world. An' so ye want tohear me little yarn, eh?"
"Certainly we do," and Glen settled herself comfortably in her chair.
"Well, I warn ye at the outset that it's about some of the deepestthings of life; of love an' sich like. But it's true as the Gospel."
"That should make it all the more interesting," Reynolds replied. "Weare both young, remember, and are fond of such things."
"Sure, sure, I'm well aware of that," and the prospector's eyestwinkled. "Now, this story of mine goes back quite a number of years.It is about a man who was carryin' on a very prosperous bizness in asartin city, the name of which I shall not mention jist now. He hadeverything that his heart could desire, sich as money, friends, a goodhome, a wife who was one in a million, an' a little child who made thathome full of joy. Then suddenly a great change took place. His wifedied, an' the man was left dazed an' helpless. He no longer took anyinterest in his bizness, an' his one object was to git away frompeople, far off into the wilderness that he might be alone with hissorrow. The day at last came when he was missed in the city, an' hisfriends an' acquaintances did not know what had become of him. Butthar was one thing that made them think he was not dead, an' that wassomething which appeared in one of the papers. I remember the exactwords:
"'I go from the busy haunts of men, far from the worry an' bustle ofbizness life. I may be found, but only he who is worthy will find me,an' whoever finds me, will, I trust, not lose his reward. From theloopholes of retreat I shall watch the stress an' fever of life, butshall not mingle in the fray."
Before Samson had ended, Reynolds was on his feet, standing excitedlybefore him.
"That man is Henry Redmond!" he exclaimed. "Did you know him? Haveyou any idea where he is?"
"Set down, young man, set down," the prospector ordered. "Don't gitexcited. Yes, I'm speakin' of Henry Redmond. No doubt ye've heard ofhim."
"Indeed I have, and if you know where he is, tell me quick."
Samson's eyes twinkled with amusement as he waved Reynolds back to hischair.
"Jist be patient until I git through with me yarn, will ye? I'm mightyglad that yer so interested in the story. Yes, the man was HenryRedmond, an', as I told ye, he suddenly lit out to parts unknown. ButI know what happened to him. He did leave the busy haunts of men, an'went far off into the wilderness, takin' with him his little child. Helived alone fer a time in a cabin that he built. He thought that hecould be happy with nature, an' find comfort fer his great heart-achein the loneliness of the wild. But he soon found out his mistake. Heneeded human companionship more'n he could git from his little child.After a while he jined himself to a band of Injuns, became theirleader, an' ruled 'em with a strong hand. Fer a time this gave himsome comfort, an' he believed that sich a life was all that he coulddesire. He had his books, an' when he wished he could talk with thenatives, whose lingo he soon larned."
Samson paused and gazed for a few minutes steadfastly into the fire.Reynolds had listened to every word and he could not tolerate the leastdelay. A startling thought had come suddenly into his mind whichstirred him to a high pitch of excitement.
"Go on," he ordered. "Finish your story."
Samson aroused from his reverie, and looked keenly into the young man'seager eyes.
"Whar was I?" he asked. "Oh, yes, I remember. It was jist wharRedmond had settled down among the Injuns. Me mind was wanderin' abit, due, no doubt, to old age. Well, Redmond tried to find peace an'contentment in the little village. From the loopholes of retreat hedid watch the ways of civilization, an' the more he watched, the moredissatisfied he became. He longed fer the companionship of people ofhis own kind, fer between him an' the Injuns thar was too wide a gap.He needed the company of white people, an' that he did not have. Hedid not care to visit the outside world fer fear of bein' recognized.Then something happened which made a great change."
"What was it?" Glen eagerly asked, for she, too, was intenselyinterested.
"It was the discovery of gold in the very region whar Redmond thoughthe was secure from all contact with civilized life. The miners flockedinto the place, pokin' their noses into every hole an' corner, untilRedmond found it necessary to keep them at arm's length an' at the sametime strike terror into their hearts, that he might protect his Injunsfrom their evil influence."
"Why, that's just like daddy," Glen remarked. "He won't allow theminers to come to Glen West."
"Sure, sure. Any man would have done the same as Redmond did. Tharwas nuthin' else fer him to do. But after the miners came, he had agreat longin' to meet 'em, an' talk to 'em in a friendly way. At firsthe didn't know how to manage this without bein' found out. But by alucky chance he came across an old Injun, who had once been a greatmedicine-man, an' was a mighty good hand at makin' disguises. So hefixed up Redmond in sich a way that no one could tell but what he was areal old sourdough prospector who had spent most of his life lookin'fer gold."
A half suppressed exclamation from Reynolds caused Samson to turnquickly in his direction.
"Hey, anything wrong?" he asked. "Ye seem to be somewhat excited.Nuthin' serious, I hope?"
"Yes, there is," was the emphatic reply. "But go on. Never mind me."
"I s'pose I might as well git along with me yarn," the old mancontinued. "Yes, Redmond got
all fixed up as a prospector, an' then hevisited the minin' camps fer miles around. No one suspected who hewas, an' so he used to come an' go in a most mysterious manner, totheir way of thinkin'."
"What did he call himself?" Reynolds asked.
"I'll come to that later, young man," and Samson slyly tipped him awarning wink. "We'll jist call him Redmond fer the present. Hesartinly did have a great time of it, an' no one was the wiser. An' heuster travel to the outside, too, an' everybody put him down as an oldprospector hardly worth considering Say, it was great fun fer Redmond."
"But where was his child all this time?" Reynolds questioned.
"Oh, she jist stayed at home with a housekeeper Redmond got, an' grewup to be a fine slip of a gal. Then when she was old enough, her daddecided to send her outside to school. But when she came home fer theholidays she was somewhat unsettled, an' didn't want to stay in thenorth. She longed fer society, fine dresses, an' sich things. Thisworried her dad a great deal. But one day she happened to come acrossa chap who took her fancy, an' that made all the difference in theworld. He saved her from a grizzly on Crooked----"
Samson never finished the sentence, for with a startled cry, Glen wason her feet, her body trembling with emotion, and her eyes wide withwonder.
"Are you Henry Redmond?" she demanded. "Are you my father?"
For an instant only did the old man look at the girl, then with aswift, deft movement he swept the long beard from his face, and thewhite hair from his head.
"Daddy!" It was all that Glen could say. She trembled, and would havefallen had not her father caught her in his arms, and held her close tohis breast. For a time no one spoke, and Glen's sobs were the onlysound heard.
"There, there, dear, don't feel so badly," her father at length toldher. "Come, let me brush away your tears. One would think that I hadcommitted some terrible deed."
"But I can't help it, daddy," the girl replied. "This is all sosudden, and such a great surprise. But I feel better now, so we cantalk it all over. There are so many questions I want to ask."
The storm had now passed, and once more they resumed their seats.Glen, however, kept her eyes fixed intently upon her father's face.
"And to think that you have deceived me all these years," sheupbraided. "Don't you feel thoroughly ashamed of yourself?"
"I suppose I should," was the laughing confession. "But I have had somuch innocent fun out of it that my conscience doesn't trouble me inthe least."
"And it was you all the time who travelled on the same steamer as Idid," Glen mused. "I thought it strange that you should be going up ordown the coast whenever I did."
"Yes, I was keeping a good watch over you. I must confess that youbehaved yourself very well."
"Was it not difficult to play your part as a prospector?" Reynoldsasked.
"Not after I got used to it, though at first it was a little awkward.But I threw myself so gladly and heartily into the character I hadassumed that I really believed for the time that I was Frontier Samson.I might explain that he was a prospector I knew years ago, and was oneof the finest men I ever met. So you see, it was quite easy for me toimitate him."
"How did you happen to lay claim to me, sir, on the _Northern Light_?"
"Oh, that is easily explained. I was always on the lookout for youngmen different from the ordinary miners who come to this country, and sospotted you at once. I surmised from the first that you were not onyour way up here for gold alone, and so I was anxious to learn thestory of your life."
"And did you?"
"Don't you think I did?" and a humorous expression shone in Redmond'seyes. "Didn't I listen to your words and study you as you were neverstudied before, unless it was by your mother? But when I found thatyou were in love with a girl beyond the Golden Crest I became doublyinterested, and determined to prove your soul and find out your worth.The final test was made that night you faced me in my study at GlenWest. Had you faltered then or shown the white streak, you would havebeen dumped beyond the pass."
The speaker paused and gazed thoughtfully into the fire. There was anexpression of sadness in his eyes, and his face was somewhat strainedand drawn. Both Glen and Reynolds noted this as they watched him insilence. At length he turned sharply to Reynolds, and spoke in a rapidand agitated manner.
"Young man," he began, "you have found me. I had given up all hope ofanyone doing so. I was not easily found, as I wrote in that note Ileft behind. You have found more than my mere body--you have found mysoul, my real self, and that was what I meant. And you have foundsomething else, which is more important in your eyes--you have foundyour reward--the treasure of all treasures to me. Take her; she isyours, and may God bless you both."
Outside, the wind howled through the trees and over the lake. It beatupon the cabin and drove the rain lashingly against the smallwindow-panes. But within the cabin all was peace and happiness. Theflames from the burning sticks illumined the faces of the men and thegirl as they sat and talked far on into the night. Many were thequestions asked and answers given. They opened their hearts to oneanother, and as they talked and planned, all the disagreeable events ofthe past were forgotten, and the future looked rosy and bright. It wasespecially so to the young lovers as they sat close to each other, handin hand, heart responding to heart, each thrilled with a love, deep,pure and tender--a love which transformed the commonplace into a realmof enchantment, beauty, and peace.