be farther away from
the girls when he finished. He got out his favorite pipe and tenderly
snuggled the tobacco into it, and Jack saw the thought of the day's
chores fade gently from his mind and a reminiscent light come into his
eyes. Ruth was no longer overcome by household cares. The day stretched
on before them, apparently an endless chain of golden opportunities to
do nothing.

"I was around in this neighborhood once before," Jim remarked casually.
This was as near as Jim had ever gotten to being confidential, and Jean
and Jack exchanged glances.

"What were you doing here, Jim?" Jack queried, trying to make her voice
appear perfectly indifferent.

Jim hunched his big shoulders and took a long puff at his pipe. "I was
prospecting for gold, same as every other young idiot that ever came
west not knowing a lump of gold from a chunk of mud when he found it,"
he returned calmly. "There are three little pine cone hills a matter of
ten miles from here, with an ugly stream of water and a group of trees
near them, where I believe I had a claim located once, a good many moons
ago."

"And you never told us a word about it. Jim Colter, you are a pig!" Jean
declared inelegantly.

"There wasn't nothing to tell, Jean," Jim replied in his usual slow,
indifferent manner. "Just another fellow and I saw a hill with some bits
of black rock with yellow streaks in it, and we dug away for a couple of
months without getting anything out of it but trouble."

"Jim, I don't believe there wasn't gold in your mine," Jean declared
resolutely. "You just gave up too soon."

"All right, Miss Bruce," Jim agreed. "You can have my claim if you want
it. Come to find out, we weren't the first and I don't reckon we were
the last fellows to go digging in that hill. It's called 'Miner's
Folly', and is about as gloomy a looking hole as anybody ever saw."

"I'd like to see the place awfully, Jim," Jack suggested eagerly.

"Don't doubt it for a moment, Jack," Jim returned unwinkingly.

Jack whispered something in Jean's ear. "I'll do no such thing, Jack
Ralston," Jean replied firmly. "Remember, yesterday you were awfully
selfish about letting me have my turn at riding horseback with Olive. I
told you then I shouldn't do the next favor you asked me and I certainly
don't mean to wear myself out on such a tramp. Besides, Jim wouldn't
think of taking you."

"Wouldn't you, Jim?" Jack pleaded meekly.

Jim appeared to have no ears.

Jack slipped