Notch the following
morning, and it was decided that Jeb should go for Mike early, and
secure his services as before.

"If such a crowd of men are going, I don't see why the owners of the
mine can't go, too. We are as safe there, as here," grumbled Polly.

"Because we are going to make a three days' trip of this, Poll, and
women-folk would not feel comfortable with such a lot of mixed men,"
explained John, pulling his sister's hair, lovingly.

"Well, Polly and I are as good riders as any one of you, and seeing it
is _our_ mine, we ought to have _some_thing to say about it," added
Eleanor, poutingly.

"I suppose you-all have forgotten that we invited that nice young
stranger and his friend, Jim Latimer, over to spend this Sunday with
us," now ventured Mrs. Brewster.

"Oh, that's so! The boy Kenneth who looks like Montresor!" Anne now
added, understanding Mrs. Brewster's idea and abetting it.

"Kenneth Evans! Is it _this_ Sunday he is coming?" asked Eleanor
eagerly.

"We might be back on time for that; this is only Friday night, you
know," persisted Polly, clinging to the hope of riding to Top Notch.

"No girl or woman is going--let that end the argument!" now said Mr.
Brewster, with finality.

There was silence for a moment, then Polly laughingly said to Eleanor:
"Nolla, you and I will ride over to visit some old friends of mine
to-morrow. We will take our lunch and spend the day with them. As it is
half-way on the Bear Forks road we might as well ride with our boys when
they go."

"Polly, we plan to leave here before dawn so we can be on the climb
when day breaks. Nolla and you will please remember to be fast asleep at
that time. Good-night!"

With these words, Sam Brewster got up and started to go to his room, but
Polly would not allow her daddy to leave her in that frame of mind. So
she ran over and jumped up to throw her arms about his neck in her usual
fashion. What she whispered in his ear no one knew but he smiled and
nodded his head in meek acquiescence.

"Poll--did he say we might go?" whispered Eleanor.

"No--he won't give in that far, but he said we could ride with them as
far as Bear Forks, if we were up in time. I'm bound to wake up, so now
I'm going right to bed," said Polly.

But Polly and Eleanor did not wake up in the morning until seven
o'clock. The riders were far up along the trail by that time, so the
girls had to make the best of the day.

When the men riders were well along the