" said Betty, gently. "We think
you're wonderful, and you deserve every bit of the splendid luck that
has come to you. And I expect," she finished gayly, "that you will have
the most beautiful horse in all Gold Run."

Meggy's eyes lighted with joy. Then they misted suddenly as she looked
at the girls.

"It's jest like dad said," she murmured. "We wouldn't 'a' had nothin' ef
it hadn't been fer you girls. You don't know how we feel about you,
'cause we jest never could tell you."

The days that followed seemed like a beautiful fairy tale to the happy
girls. Peter Levine had known what he was talking about when he had
asserted that "gold was running wild" about the northern end of the
ranch and its environs.

It was as though the finding of gold in the new Higgins' mine had been
the key that unlocked the door to a steady stream of it.

Every day brought glad tidings of a new find, and, as some of these were
on the ranch, Betty began to realize that the Nelson family was becoming
very wealthy. They had always been well-to-do, for her father had
prospered in his business, that of carpet manufacturer in Deepdale. But
now it seemed that they were to know what it felt like to be really
rich.

The girls realized this, and once Mollie put the new idea into words.

"This is a wonderful thing for you, Betty dear," she said soberly. "You
can have about anything in the world that you want now. I--I--hope you
won't forget your old friends." She said the last laughingly, but Betty
was deeply hurt and showed that she was.

"If--if you ever dare say such a horrid thing to me again, Mollie
Billette," she cried, half way between tears and anger, "I'll never,
never forgive you! You--you--ought to know me better."

And Mollie, heartily ashamed of herself, succeeded in placating the
Little Captain only after having apologized most abjectly.

Then one day something happened that amused them all mightily. They had
all turned out to the gold diggings, Mrs. Nelson, Mr. Nelson, the four
girls, and Allen. Mrs. Nelson and Allen were engaged in the joyful
pursuit of trying to figure out how much her profits would be, when
Betty edged up to Allen and, pulling his sleeve, pointed out a man some
distance from them. The latter was standing alone, and he seemed to be
regarding the operations rather morosely.

"Peter Levine, by all that's holy!" murmured Allen. "Just hold tight for
a minute, folks, and watch me chase him."

With an elaborate