Yet it was, for its size, already one of the most cosmopolitan places in the country.

Of course, the population was mainly American, and they were beginning to pour in--sharp-eyed men from the towns in black coats, and long-legged, quiet-looking and quiet-voiced mountaineers in rusty clothes, who hulked along in single file, silent and almost fugitive in the glare of daylight.

Quiet they were and well-nigh stealthy, with something of the movement of other denizens of the forest, unless they were crossed and aroused, and then, like those other denizens, they were fierce almost beyond belief.

A small cavil might make a great quarrel, and pistols would flash as quick as light.
The first visit that Keith received was from J.Quincy Plume, the editor of the _Gumbolt Whistle_.

He had the honor of knowing his distinguished father, he said, and had once had the pleasure of being at his old home.
He had seen Keith's name on the book, and had simply called to offer him any services he or his paper could render him.