at
in the presence of a group of pretty girls."

"What about that survey you were to make for me?" questioned Hippy.

"I have made it," replied Tom. "That is, I have gone far enough with it
to convince me that you have a wonderful coal deposit here. It will make
you a richer man than you ever dreamed of being, but it will be at least
two years before you can work the veins. A survey has been made for a
railroad spur that will go through your property, and I believe the
railroad people are going to begin work on it next spring. You will,
therefore, have plenty of time to mature your plans for the big splash."

"Hippy Wingate, don't you dare go and get enlargement of the head,"
warned Nora, after his companions had crowded about Hippy and
enthusiastically congratulated him.

"Never mind, Nora. If he does, just let me know. I'll con-centrate on
his head until it gets so small that he can wear a charlotte russe cup
on it instead of a sombrero. Didn't I con-centrate on everything?"
demanded Emma triumphantly.

"You did," agreed Hippy in a guttural voice.

"And didn't everything turn out just as I con-centrated that it should?"

"It did," rumbled Hippy.

"Then there is nothing more to be said," finished Emma amid the laughter
of her companions.

That night, having no tents to cover them, the Overland party slept in
the cave. Tom Gray sat with Hippy on guard at the mouth of the cave all
night, but their watchfulness was not needed. The Spurgeon gang that had
been annoying them had been soundly whipped, and, one by one, those that
were left were being arrested by revenue men. Spurgeon himself, as the
Overlanders learned later, succeeded in getting away. Lum Bangs, too,
managed to avoid the revenue agents, but was later hunted down and
driven out of the mountains by Jed Thompson's friends.

Late on the morning following the fight, Jed and some of his men rode
into the camp with the Overland ponies and also turned in one belonging
to his own outfit to take the place of the animal that the Spurgeons had
shot.

The Overland Riders spent a week longer in the mountains, during which
Tom and Hippy went over the latter's property in detail and laid plans
for the future.

Before leaving the mountains, Hippy succeeded in inducing Captain Gray
to go into partnership with him and share in Hippy's good fortune. At
the end of this happy week the Overlanders packed up what was left of
their equipment and rode away towards home,