liver gravely, so gravely that the
other two raised their heads and cast silent glances at her.

Caroline read aloud: "Dear Ruth, I figure that I'm overdue back at
Bill's place by about a month--"

"By two months," corrected Ruth soberly.

"And I've got to apologize to them and you for being so late. Matter of
fact I started right pronto to get back on time, but something turned
up. You see, I went broke."

Caroline dropped the letter with an exclamation. "Do you think he's gone
back to gambling, Ruth?"

"No," said the girl. "He gave me his promise never to play for money
again, and a promise from Ronicky Doone is as good as minted gold."

"It sure is," agreed Bill Gregg.

Caroline went on with the letter: "I went broke because Pete Darnely was
in a terrible hole, having fallen out with his old man, and Pete needed
a lift. Which of course I gave him pronto, Pete being a fine gent."

There was an exclamation of impatience from Ruth Tolliver.

"Isn't that like Ronicky? Isn't that typical?"

"I'm afraid it is," said the other girl with a touch of sadness. "Dear
old Ronicky, but such a wild man!"

She continued in the reading: "But I've got a scheme on now by which
I'll sure get a stake and come back, and then you and me can get
married, as soon as you feel like saying the word. The scheme is to find
a lost mine--"

"A lost mine!" shouted Bill Gregg, his practical miner's mind revolting
at this idea. "My guns, is Ronicky plumb nutty? That's all he's got to
do--just find a 'lost mine?' Well, if that ain't plenty, may I never see
a yearling ag'in!"

"Find a lost mine," went on Caroline, her voice trembling between tears
and laughter, "and sink a new shaft, a couple of hundred feet to find
where the old vein--"

"Sink a shaft a couple of hundred feet!" said Bill Gregg. "And him
broke! Where'll he get the money to sink the shaft?"

"When we begin to take out the pay dirt," went on Caroline, "I'll either
come or send for you and--"

"Hush up!" said Bill Gregg softly.

Caroline looked up and saw the tears streaming down the face of Ruth
Tolliver. "I'm so sorry, poor dear!" she whispered, going to the other
girl. But Ruth Tolliver shook her head.

"I'm only crying," she said, "because it's so delightfully and
beautifully and terribly like Ronicky to write such a letter and tell of
such plans. He's given away a lot of money to help some spendthrift, and
now he's gone to get more money by finding a lost mine!'