f. That was a lucky day
when my horse stumbled, eh?' and he slapped me kindly on the back.

"Well, we went back to Dyea, and waited for a caravan to start on the
trail. We joined the very first one out, and Hal earned our passage and
keep all the way, as guide.

"We found the camp in excellent condition, and the new miners we had
chosen in place of the villainous Indians proved to be all that could be
desired.

"Some machinery was purchased by Hal at Dyea, and as soon as it was
delivered at our camp, all hands set to work.

"I stayed at that camp with Hal for three years before we sold out our
interests and took a vacation. The bosses had only remained until the
gold was panning out well, then they sent for experts to come and value
the entire mine.

"Hal had filed some property claims for himself and me adjoining the
Dwight mine, and after the experts had rendered their verdict on the
property we were able to sell them at a big price.

"Hal and I decided to go to Seattle for a while, and then travel a bit;
if we found the life too lazy we could easily get back to Alaska.

"We put in a year of pleasure-seeking together, but the life and climate
was too mild for the old guide who had always been accustomed to work
and cold, and one night I found him breathing hard, and he complained of
pains in his chest. In a week he had passed away, leaving me with all of
his wealth to add to my own.

"I had written father, and sent him some money several times during the
year, and now I wrote to tell him I was coming home.

"Needless to say, we were overjoyed to see each other again, and then I
told him I was going to take him on a little trip.

"We went straight to our old home town, and to his surprise I took him
to the old homestead where I was born, telling him that I had
repurchased it from the folks who had bought it from him. He trembled
with happiness as we entered the door and found all of the familiar old
furniture there, too. Above all, there stood his maiden-sister, in the
dining-room door, smiling a welcome!

"I explained how I had found Aunt Delia, and made her promise to keep
house for him, and how we had collected the old furniture that the
village-folks bought when mother died. I was always thankful that my
money enabled me to make his last days happy."

CHAPTER XIV

THE B. B. & B. B. MAGAZINE

By the fifteenth of October the Blue Birds and Bobolinks were deep in
the work of constructing a ma