the show-spot of all the countryside. Having
so many unique features and winding walks made it a delightful place
for quiet little chats or tete-a-tetes.

"I never saw anything like those great masses of color," said Kenneth,
as they drew near the sparkling walls.

"I told Ken when we rode past here to-day, that Tom wanted your father
to sell out the cliffs on a royalty basis, but he refused to. Now that
Tom is here again with John, and the gold mine is caved in with that
land-slide, maybe he will listen, eh?" asked Jim, eagerly.

Polly shook her head. "I don't believe he will, but we can't find out
why he is so stubborn about it."

"Jim, I don't believe our gold mine has caved in, at all. It's only
temporarily buried, up there. If there is any way it can be located
again, I'm going to insist upon having it worked!" declared Eleanor.

"Why? You don't need the money," laughed Jim.

"How do you know what I need!" retorted Eleanor. "Polly and I need money
this Fall, as we are going to go away to school together--somewhere. And
she can't go unless she has her own money, 'cause her father won't
consent to her leaving home, but her mother will--so she will have to
have her own money to get away with, see?"

"No, I don't see that that will work," Kenneth interpolated.

"Why not? If Mr. Brewster finds Polly is going, anyway, he will soon
enough give his consent," argued Eleanor.

"I never said I would go away to school with you, Nolla, although I
should like it better than going alone. And I'm sure I couldn't _think_
of leaving home if Daddy objected to it," said Polly seriously.

"Oh, well, I know you won't, but a lot of money of your very own will
help coax him to our way of thinking," explained Eleanor.

"You seem to think your mine will turn out money in time for you to
spend it this Fall," ventured Kenneth, amusedly.

"Why, of course it will, if we can get at it through that land-slide,"
returned she.

"Other mines take from one to ten years to prepare for and operate. If
you do the thing right, and have engineers plan for the apparatus to
work the ore, you won't be spending that gold this year," added Jim.

"No! Then what good will it do Polly or me? I have a fine idea that I
want to perfect right away, and it needs money. I haven't even told
Polly a word of it, as I must see how much money we get from the mine
before I mention it."

"But once your mine begins to pay it will keep on paying for ever so
lo