"Why, the girl of course. What is a story without a girl?" she laughed
merrily.
To which the Doctor answered, "I reckon Dan will tell you about that
himself."
At this they all joined in a hearty laugh.
The next day Dan arrived and after a brief time, given up to the joy of
family reunion, he took up the story where the Doctor had left off.
From Corinth Dan had gone directly to the president of the big steel
works, whom he had met at the time of the convention. With the assistance
and advice of this man of affairs he had been visiting the big mines and
smelters and studying zinc and lead. He had worked out his plan and had
interested capital and had come home to consult with his parents
concerning the opening and development of the mine on Dewey Bald.
Then he talked to them of the power of wealth for good, of the sacredness
of such a trust--talked as they had never heard him talk before of the
Grace Conners, and the crippled Dennys, who needed elder brothers willing
to acknowledge the kinship.
When he had finished his mother kissed him and his father said, "It is
for this, son, that mother and I have held the old hill yonder. It is a
part of our religious belief that God put the wealth in the mountains,
not for us alone, but for all men. So it has been to us a sacred trust,
which we have never felt that we were fitted to administer. We have
always hoped that our first born would accept it as his life work--his
ministry.
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