ance from him in entertaining themselves, Tom gave his
full attention to the banker from Chicago.

Hence, by the time they reached Rainbow Cliffs, Mr. Maynard was like the
blood-hound when he scents a new trail--he was more than anxious to join
these energetic men in financing the vast projects so well described by
young Latimer.

At the Cliffs Mr. Maynard placed a hand on the lines in order to stop
the horses. He gazed and gazed, as if he saw the great walls covered
with gold dollars instead of colored stones. Then he sighed and smiled
at Tom.

"This promises to be the luckiest thing I ever did--sending Nolla to
Pebbly Pit for her health!"

"And wait until you see Nolla! My, but she is rosy and roly now. And
besides, Mr. Maynard, she is a born financier. I _love_ to listen to her
plan and then see her work out her own schemes. She has one on the
carpet at present, and I verily believe she will pull it off!" exclaimed
Tom, very much interested in his subject.

"Yes, that girl of mine is worth more to me than any gold-mine or other
treasure in the world."

"Oh, really! Well, this time 'listening fools heard some good of
themselves'," laughed a merry voice from a crevice in the wall, and
immediately afterwards, Eleanor sprang out, with Polly close upon her
heels.

The horses were stopped until Eleanor and her father had done with their
hugging, and then she remembered to introduce him to Polly.

"The very best chum in the world, Daddy, and so we have sworn never to
be separated--not even for money, business, or love!" cried the happy
girl, maternally patting Polly on the head as she spoke.

Eleanor sat upon her father's knee and Polly sat upon the floor of the
wagon, as they proceeded on their way, but when John called to his
sister and asked what had been doing in his absence, she jumped up
suddenly and exclaimed.

"Oh! we forgot all about the two men who came this morning and fell over
the edge of the gulch!"

Then followed an excited and graphic description of the two New York
lawyers who came to Pebbly Pit to buy the Cliffs. When John heard the
names, he whistled and looked at Tom.

"Well, even providence is on your side, Polly, for those two men are the
rascals who tried to steal Evans' patent rights in the little machine
that cuts the jewels. So this is the way they were received at Pebbly
Pit, eh?" Tom mused silently after that, but John and Mr. Maynard asked
all sorts of questions until they reache