proved to contain silver--in small quantities. I still have a few of
them--mementos of youthful hopes that faded early in the light of
greater knowledge.

We followed the ledges off to the northeast over several craggy hills.
At one place we found many exfoliating lumps of mica; we cleaved out
sheets of it nearly a foot square, which Addison believed might prove
valuable for stove doors.

While pottering with the mica, I accidentally broke into a kind of
cavity, or pocket, in the ledge, partly filled with disintegrated rock;
and on clearing out the loose stuff from this pocket we came upon a
beautiful three-sided crystal about two inches long, like a prism, green
in color, except at one end, where it shaded to pink.

It was a tourmaline crystal, similar to certain fine ones that have been
found some miles to the eastward, at the now world-famous Mount Mica. At
that time we did not know what it was, but, thinking that it might be
valuable, we searched the pocket for other crystals, but found no more.

We had both become so much interested in searching for minerals that we
had quite forgotten our luncheon. The sky, I remember, was overcast and
the sun obscured; it was also very smoky from forest fires, which in
those days were nearly always burning somewhere to the north of us
during the summer.

But presently, as Addison was thumping away with the hammer, I noticed
that it was growing dark. At first I thought that it was merely a darker
cloud above the smoke that had drifted over the sun, and said nothing;
but the sky continued to darken, and soon Addison noticed it.

"Another shower coming, I guess," he said, looking up. "Don't see any
particular clouds, though. I wonder what makes it so dark?"

"It seems just like night coming on," said I. "But it isn't so late as
all that, is it?"

"No!" exclaimed Addison. "It isn't night yet, I know!" And he hastily
took out Theodora's watch, which she had intrusted to him to carry that
day, so that we should know when to start for home. "It's only half past
three, and the sun doesn't set now till after seven o'clock."

We hammered at the ledge again for a while; but still it grew darker.

"Well, this beats me!" Addison exclaimed; and again he surveyed the sky.

"That watch hasn't stopped, has it?" I said; for night was plainly
falling.

Addison hastily looked again.

"No, it's ticking all right," he said. "Theodora's watch never stops,
you know." It was a fine watch