o the spot where the visitors were
being greeted by Mr. Fabian, and the other girls, laughing at the
repartee, followed. In the first group to arrive were Tom Latimer and his
younger brother Jim; Kenneth Evans, Jim's chum; Paul Stewart; and John
Brewster with Anne, his bride.
Happy welcomes were exchanged between everyone, but Polly purposely
avoided any extra favor being shown Tom Latimer, although he looked as if
he deserved it more than Jim and his friend Kenneth. Eleanor quite openly
showed her preference for Paul, when they separated from the others for
the evening.
"Where is Mr. Dalken and the others?" asked Polly, gazing around at the
small group that had arrived on board.
"The boat is going back for the second installment," explained Anne,
keeping an arm about Polly's waist. "We-all were too impatient to see you
to accept the suggestion of waiting for the second trip, so the older
ones sent us off first."
To Polly's surprise and joy, the second boat-load brought her father and
mother, Mrs. Stewart, the Latimers, the Evans, and Mr. Dalken, the owner
of the yacht. When the family circle was complete, on board the steamer,
they proved to be a happy party, and many of the passengers wished they
were included in that merry group.
The steamer rolled gently with the swells from the ocean, while the full
moon shone mistily through a fog that veiled its brightness enough to add
romance to the meeting of the various young people on deck. Eleanor and
Paul had been genuinely delighted to see each other again, and neither
cared _who_ knew just how much they liked each other.
Polly watched them for a time, then smiled as they walked away to
discover a cozy retreat behind one of the giant smoke-stacks, where they
could enjoy a tete-a-tete without interruption. When she turned to
hear what her brother John was saying, she found Tom Latimer just at her
elbow.
"Suppose we find a nice sheltered spot where you can tell me all about
your trip abroad?" suggested Tom, his eyes speaking too plainly how
anxious he was to get Polly away from the others.
"Oh, I'd far rather be with the crowd and hear all that is being said,"
said Polly, nervously.
"Very well, then," said Tom, moodily. "I only thought you'd like to hear
all about Grizzly Slide and how it's been cutting up this summer. The
gold mine has had several adventurers trying to jump the claim, too; and
Rainbow Cliffs has had an injunction served on it so that we
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