CHAPTER XIX
THE NEW MINE
The next day much excitement filled the ranch house. Betty declared thatshe had not slept a wink the night before, worrying for fear her fatherhad not meant what he said.
But Mr. Nelson had meant what he had said, and there was Mrs. Nelson aseager as the girls to keep him to his word.
"The ranch is mine, you know," she laughingly reminded the girls. "Andif there are gold mines on it I certainly intend to find them."
It was settled, and Mr. Nelson and Allen set out for town to makearrangements for the enterprise. The girls wanted to go too, but Mr.Nelson pointed out that he and Allen could probably do the work morequickly if they were alone, and it was upon this point and this pointonly that the girls consented to let them go.
"But that needn't keep us from the saddle," Mollie decided, as theywatched the two men canter swiftly away. "I don't know about the restof you, but I'm just longing for action."
"Ditto," cried Betty, then added with bright eagerness: "Girls, I knowwhat we can do! Let's go down to the place where Allen found those twomen last night. That's where the mines are, you know, and we might stakeout claims or something."
"Your mother might have something to say to that," said Grace, making afunny face. "It isn't quite the thing to stake out claims on somebodyelse's property."
"Oh well, you needn't be so particular," cried Betty airily. "Come on,girls, who's with me?"
It seemed they all were, and, fairly dancing with excitement, they madetheir way to the corrals where Andy Rawlinson saddled their horses forthem.
The horses seemed to catch some of the girls' excitement, and it was allthat the latter could do to hold the animals in.
"It must be in the air," laughed Grace, as she pulled in Nabob sharply."We've all got the gold fever."
"Let's give them their heads," said Mollie suddenly. "I'd like a regulargallop this morning."
"All right, let's go," sang out Betty, and in another minute they wereoff, the horses galloping like mad and the girls laughing and shoutingin utter abandonment to their high spirits.
At this rate it took them only a few minutes to reach the spot whereAllen had had his adventure the night before.
They reined in sharply, and Betty jumped down, throwing the reins overNigger's neck and giving him a fond little pat on the flank.
"There, old boy," she said. "Go and eat some grass for yourself while wedo a little prospecting. Girls," she added as they in turn dismountedand ran up to her, "from Allen's description, it must have been justabout here that he stood." She indicated the bent tree with the greatbowlder behind it that Allen had described to them. "And the two menmust have stood in there among that heavy shrubbery somewhere."
"Then this is where they will begin work," cried Amy, a faint flushwarming her face. "Oh, Betty, it all seems like a fairy story."
"Fairy story, nothing!" exclaimed Mollie. "This is a real,honest-to-goodness adventure story. My, it's a wonder Allen didn't getshot up last night," she added thoughtfully. "It must have taken nerveto stand here, listening to those old scoundrels and not knowing whatminute they might find him out and fire upon him."
"I think Allen is perfectly wonderful, anyway," said Grace, and Bettythrilled at the tribute. "He never seems to know what it is to beafraid. And he always gets what he wants, too."
"And to think that 'John Josephs' never existed!" chuckled Betty. "PeterLevine must have quite a good deal of imagination."
"Well, what's the use of standing here?" said Amy, after a moment ofsilent musing. "Let's look around a little bit and see what we can see."
So for a while they thrashed around in the bush, accomplishing verylittle besides scaring some rabbits and woodchucks into their holes.They found the tiny creek Peter Levine had spoken of, and they gazedwith interest at its muddy, sluggish water.
"Who would ever think there was gold in the bottom of that?" whisperedMollie.
When they finally became convinced that there was nothing more to beseen they started reluctantly home again.
"Let's go around by the mine and see how Meggy and her dad are comingon," suggested Betty, and so they changed their course a little toinclude the mine.
Meggy was glad to see them as usual but they could tell by the wearinessof her bearing that there was no good news as far as she was concernedand they had not the heart to tell her their own.
"Can't you come over to the ranch for a little while?" asked Betty,eager to do some little thing toward cheering the girl. But Meggy shookher head.
"I can't leave father--even for a little while," she said sadly. "Heain't feeling well, and I'm afraid if his luck doesn't change prettysoon I--I--won't have any dad----" she choked and turned away. Betty wasbeside her in a moment, her arm about the girl's shoulders.
"We're awfully sorry, honey," she said compassionately. "We didn't knowthat your father was feeling bad. Is he--is he really sick?"
"Sick of life, I guess," said Meggy, conquering her emotion andinstantly ashamed of it. "I've heered of people dyin' of a broken heart,an' that's what dad's doin', I guess. Bad luck can kill you if it keepsup long enough."
The girls rode home saddened by this brief encounter. It seemed almostwrong for them to be happy when Dan Higgins was "dyin' of a brokenheart" and Meggy, brave, splendid girl that she was, had almost losthope.
"If only everybody in the world could be happy," said Grace plaintively."It just spoils all your fun when you know that other people aremiserable."
"The worst of it is," said Betty soberly, "that with all this luckcoming our way we can't pass on a single little bit of it to that poorgirl and her dad. If only they weren't so proud----" The sentencetrailed off into a sigh, and she gazed pensively out over the plain.
"Well, there's no use of crying over it," said Mollie briskly. "We mayfind a way of being useful to Meggy yet, and until then, as my mothersays, 'let's be canty with thinking about it.' Oh, look, girls, herecomes Allen. I wonder what kind of news he has."
They galloped gayly to meet him, and Allen thought they made a verypretty picture as they swept up to him.
"Well," he said as they surrounded him, "everything is settled and theyare to begin work to-morrow morning. Our news has aroused greatexcitement in town, and there's a rush to establish claims near that endof our ranch. Better give your friend, Dan Higgins, a hint, so that hecan get in first. So long. I'm on to the house for the map, and then I'mgoing to join Mr. Nelson again in town."
So he dashed off in the direction of the ranch and the girls wheeled andgalloped back in the direction they had come--back toward Dan Higgins'mine to warn him to stake a new claim before others reached the spot.
They were so excited that it was hard to make their purpose clear atfirst, but when the old man and Meggy comprehended what they were tryingto tell them, they were immediately galvanized to action.
"I'll show you the best place," Betty eagerly volunteered.
Mollie offered to stay behind and give the old man her horse, and in aminute Betty and Dan Higgins were galloping over the plain to that partof the ranch where the new gold mines were to be. They had not far togo, and they saw with relief that they were the first on the spot.
Betty pointed out the place where Peter Levine had said there was goldrunning wild, and old Dan Higgins staked his claim as near to the placeas he could without actually encroaching upon the ranch itself.
With trembling fingers he printed on two big placards the exactdimensions of his claim, and, with Betty's help, nailed them to twotrees at the two extreme ends of his new property, and began to dig.
"Thar," he sighed, after a few moments, taking off his hat to mop theperspiration from his forehead, "I've made another bargain with luck,an' mebbe this time I'll win."
"I'm sure you will," cried Betty, with conviction. "If there is gold onour ranch, and we are sure there is, then there is almost certain to besome on your property also. Oh, Mr. Dan Higgins, I so dearly hope thatthere is!" This was so evidently a
cry straight from her earnest youngheart that the keen eyes of the hardened old miner filled with tears andhe patted Betty's head with an unsteady hand.
"You're a mighty fine little gal," he said finally. "Ef an old man'sgratitude means anything to you, you sure have got it. I've a sort ofsure feelin' you've changed the luck for Meggy and me."
They were silent on the ride back to the mine, but as they reached thelast stretch of the trail that led down to it the old man shifted in hissaddle and looked at Betty earnestly.
"An' ef Meggy's mother was alive," he said simply, "she would thank you,too."