le United
States would have done a thing like that. Won't Beth be glad you saved
her when I tell her that!"

"Please don't say any more about that," pleaded Harry. "Tell me about
the gold mine."

"Shake hands once more first," said Bill. "Think of having that to tell
Mr. Dewey! Oh, well, I won't say any more! About the gold mine. Oh, yes!
The man, after he had said there were no gold mines, told how some
Easterners had been let in for a salted mine, and how it was called Tiny
Hill Gold Mine even now, when it was as certain as fate that it had
nothing but silver in it. Well, I didn't need to be told that name
twice. I knew it was my mine, and I got the direction and went straight
for it; and there I found my man smoking a cigar in front of the cabin,
with a tough-looking specimen sitting on the door-sill."

"Little Dick," observed Harry.

"Little! Well, I wouldn't want him to get hold of me."

"He did get hold of me," said Harry; and he related his recent adventure
with him.

"Ah!" cried Bill; "now I understand! I followed them after a while, and
I was puzzled to know why Hoyt kept back all the time and let the other
man take the lead. It looked so much like some sort of mischief then
that I was wondering all the while what on earth it could be. But I
never suspected you had anything to do with it. If I'd only known you
and Gent were the same person! I wouldn't have had the courage even to
have thought of that thing, Harry; but if I could, I'd--"

"You said you wouldn't speak of it again, Bill."

"Well, where was I? Oh, yes! I kept well behind Hoyt, and when he sat
down and let the other man go on ahead, there was nothing for me to do
but to sit down, too. So I did, and we waited that way for a good while.
Then Little Dick, as you call him, came back and took Hoyt away with
him, and I could see that he was half-mad about something. I began to
have a hard time after that, for we left the trees and got among the
rocks, and, in fact, I lost them and lost my way, and I don't suppose I
should ever have found it again if I had not seen Little Dick going down
the mountain. I watched where he went, and then took the up road after
Hoyt; and that brought me here, and that's all. But if I never do it
again, Harry, I want to shake hands with you."

Harry shook hands laughingly, for there was something whimsical in Bill
that put him in a laughing mood. He had never supposed Bill had so much
fun in him; and, perhaps, in the