she ran in debt. When her
investment was sold out, she came to us for help. She and Cousin Gail
lived with us for two years; then Aunt Ada had pneumonia and died. She
begged us to adopt Gail as she had never heard from Uncle after he wrote
to her to send him money to get out of Nome. But she had none, so she
never told mother about this letter; we would have helped poor Uncle.

"As it was a year since he wrote that letter, and he was in wretched
health while in the far North, mother felt sure that he had succumbed to
the cold and his discouragement. Aunt Ada left a note in which she said
that Gail and I were to share like brother and sister in anything Uncle
Peter left us.

"But mother always laughed at the idea that there would be any wealth
coming to us from the Klondike. She said the only precious legacy we
could claim in the gold-fields of Alaska was the untiring energy and
earnestness Uncle was sure to use wherever he went or whatever he did.
But she wrote to the postmaster at Nome and received word that her
brother was dead.

"Gail was always delicate, and a year after her mother died, she, too,
took sick and was gone in a week's time. So mother tried to forget her
dear brother after these sad experiences, and it is only at rare
intervals that any one mentions his name to her."

When Kenneth finished telling his story, Polly asked eagerly: "But you
haven't told us your uncle's name--nor your mother's maiden name. Was it
Montresor?"

"Oh no! Just a plain New England name--mother is called Priscilla
Amesbury, and my uncle was Peter Amesbury. I never heard of a Montresor
in our family, either. But that doesn't say the old gentleman couldn't
have chosen an assumed name, you know."

Eleanor and Polly were plainly disappointed that the names of the
Klondike uncle and the hero of Polly's life, were not the same. Jim
laughed when he saw the girls' evident regret.

"Any one would think you two girls were anxious to share your gold-mine
with the heir of old Montresor. Now what is there to hinder me from
claiming the old man as _my_ uncle and telling you he is a twin-brother
of my father's? That will make me the heir to that mine."

"We wouldn't believe you, because you haven't one bit of resemblance to
this friend Polly knew, but Kenneth has. That is why it may turn out
that Montresor really was his uncle," said Eleanor.

As the sun went down back of Rainbow Cliffs, the two boys regretfully
said good-by. Mrs. Br