“Great credit to Jabel Blake as a representative citizen, in that his eyes have seen the glory of these fine boys, to whom he has been so fast a friend!”

Jabel’s glassy eyes shone, and his mouth unclosed like a smile in a fossil pair of jaws.

“It’s the nighest I ever come to being paid for my investment in Arty and Elk,” he said, “to get sech a compliment from Judge Dunlevy!  They are good boys, though they’ve cost me a powerful lot, and I hope they’ll save their money, stick to their church, and never forgit Ross Valley, which claims the honor of a buildin’ ’em up.”

“Get up here, Jabel, and ride!” cried Elk.  “Remember that coal-hole, old man!”

“No! no!” cried Jabel; “I can walk.  These fine carriages is expensive luxuries.  They’ll do for politicians, I ’spose, but not for business men with limited means.”

The Judge made Jabel Blake sit facing him, however, and they rattled off to the hotel, where Elk MacNair had secured a parlor and suite for his brother in the retired end of the structure, commanding a view of Newspaper Row upon one side and of the Treasury facade on the other.  The long, tarnished mirrors, the faded tapestry, and the heavy, soiled, damask curtains impressed Jabel Blake as parts of the wild extravagance of official society, and gave him many misgivings as to the amount of his bill.  He retained enough of his Scotch temperament, however, to make no ceremony about a glass of punch, which the General ordered up for the old man, Arthur MacNair only abstaining, and the beauty and amiability of the Judge’s daughter, who sat at his side and beguiled him to speak of his idolized village, his mills, his improvements, and his new bank, softened his hard countenance as by the reflection of her own, and touched him with tender and gratified conceptions of the social opportunities of his proteges.  Miss Dunlevy’s face, with the clear intellectual and moral nature of her father calmly looking out, expressed also a more emotional and more sympathetic bias.  A pure and strong woman, whose life had ripened among the families and circles of the best in condition and influence, she had never crossed to the meaner side of necessity, nor appreciated the fact, scarcely palpable, even to her father, that he was poor.  An entire life spent in the public service had allowed neither time nor propriety for improving his private fortune; and as his salary continued over the war era at the same modest standard which had barely sufficed for cheaper years, he had been making annual inroads upon his little estate, which was now quite exhausted.  His daughter might have ended his heartache and crowned his wishes by availing herself of any of several offers of marriage which had been made to her; but the soldierly bearing, radiant face, and fine intellect of Elk MacNair had conquered competition when first he sought, through her father’s influence, a lieutenancy in the army.