he knew. Everywhere from the time he had left
home, he had found friends to help him. They gladly gave him advice,
and in the case of The Merriweather Girls, they would have been happy
to serve him in every way. They were quite indignant when the old man
pitched his tent far from the ranch where they could not see him so
often.

"It will never do," thought the professor. "I'll get soft if they wait
on me and give me the idea that I can't do things for myself."

But the invitation from Virginia Breckenridge was another thing. These
visits he loved. They were always helpful. The Judge was as
interested in the finding of the ruins now as the old man himself. It
was his only way to help the independent professor, who refused all
financial aid, and the two men were often seen riding the hills
together, speculating on the prospect of an ancient village there.

But still they had not found it, after a week of search.

Someone else was anxious to accompany the old man on his trips. It was
Kie Wicks.

And while Professor Gillette enjoyed the daily visits of the girls and
the occasional calls from Judge Breckenridge or Dad Patten, he found
the storekeeper very trying. Kie arrived at the tent early and stayed
late.

"That man acts as if he were spying on me. I wonder what he's afraid
of. There is nothing here to steal that I can see."

This continued for a week and then ended abruptly. After that Kie
Wicks came only once in a long time. This had been Maude's doing.

"You ain't getting no where at all, Kie. You keep that old book-worm
from hunting or doing whatever he wants to do. Now if I were you, I'd
let old Booky do his searching, then cook up a plan to do him out of
whatever he finds."

"Maude, you're a wonder! Why didn't I think of that myself? I
couldn't have found a better wife anywhere than you."

So Kie did not appear the next morning.

But it was not until noon that the professor knew that he had been
deserted. His patience was at an end so he had risen before dawn and
left the tent, striking off over the hills where Mrs. Patten had
indicated. He returned at noon with arrowheads and a stone axe but
there was no sign of ruins.

But the old man was not discouraged. These signs of Indians merely
gave him the necessary urge to investigate.

Before he had finished lunch the girls arrived.

"Where's your bosom friend today?" they asked mockingly. "You and Kie
Wicks are almost inseparabl