“Oh, Parker, d—­n him!  He’s the same unshakable, unchangeable, ungrow-upable Barker!  With the devil’s own luck, too!  Waltzing into risks and waltzing out of ’em.  With fads enough to put him in the insane asylum if people did not prefer to keep him out of it to help ’em.  Always believing in everybody, until they actually believe in themselves, and shake him!  And he’s got a wife that’s making a fool of herself, and I shouldn’t wonder in time—­of him!”

Demorest pressed his hand over his partner’s mouth.  “Come, Jim!  You know you never really liked that marriage, simply because you thought that old man Carter made a good thing of it.  And you never seem to have taken into consideration the happiness Barker got out of it, for he did love the girl.  And he still is happy, is he not?” he added quickly, as Stacy uttered a grunt.

“As happy as a man can be who has his child here with a nurse while his wife is gallivanting in San Francisco, and throwing her money—­and Lord knows what else—­away at the bidding of a smooth-tongued, shady operator.”

“Does he complain of it?” asked Demorest.

“Not he; the fool trusts her!” said Stacy curtly.

Demorest laughed.  “That is happiness!  Come, Jim! don’t let us begrudge him that.  But I’ve heard that his affairs have again prospered.”

“He built this railroad and this hotel.  The bank owns both now.  He didn’t care to keep money in them after they were a success; said he wasn’t an engineer nor a hotel-keeper, and drew it out to find something new.  But here he comes,” he added, as a horseman dashed into the drive before the hotel.  “Question him yourself.  You know you and he always get along best without me.”

In another moment Barker had burst into the room, and in his first tempestuous greeting of Demorest the latter saw little change in his younger partner as he held him at arm’s length to look at him.  “Why, Barker boy, you haven’t got a bit older since the day when—­you remember—­you went over to Boomville to cash your bonds, and then came back and burst upon us like this to tell us you were a beggar.”

“Yes,” laughed Barker, “and all the while you fellows were holding four aces up your sleeve in the shape of the big strike.”

“And you, Georgy, old boy,” returned Demorest, swinging Barker’s two hands backwards and forwards, “were holding a royal flush up yours in the shape of your engagement to Kitty.”

The fresh color died out of Barker’s cheek even while the frank laugh was still on his mouth.  He turned his face for a moment towards the window, and a swift and almost involuntary glance passed between the others.  But he almost as quickly turned his glistening eyes back to Demorest again, and said eagerly, “Yes, dear Kitty!  You shall see her and the baby to-morrow.”