ss suit would fill the State coffers." Mr. Latimer
laughed at the picture of such a thrilling law-tangle for his
unraveling.

"But we are not going to law, and if that gold is mine so that no one
else has any right to say what I can, or cannot do with it, I shall do
what I always planned to do with it--even before Nolla and I found it
again. I made up my mind that if ever one of dear old Montresor's
relatives appeared I would go halves. And if they wanted the whole
thing--then they could take it, rather than fight for it. So now I am
going to give half to your wife, right off, Doctor, and my other half I
will divide with the girls who were with me when we located it again."
Polly was magnificent in her earnest generosity.

"Why, Miss Polly, my wife would never accept half of it. Ken wrote
something of what you told him, and Mrs. Evans told me to be sure to
tell you that you _cannot_ give half away. Besides, the fact that I will
have so many friends willing to invest money in this device of mine, is
better than all the gold in the Rockies. The jewel-cutter is now an
assured success, and it will turn out dollars like a sausage grinder
turns out that toothsome breakfast meat."

Every one laughed at the doctor's funny comparison, and he continued:
"However, let us hear from Tom and the others, how they managed to get
down into the cave if it was buried under such mountains of trash."

"Oh, yes, John! You promised to tell us the moment Mr. Latimer and the
doctor arrived," cried Eleanor, eagerly.

So without preamble, John began: "When Mike had made a temporary camp
for us on Top Notch, he tried to show Tom and me just where the cave had
been. But none other than a clever Indian scout could ever have found
one familiar sign anywhere. Even Mike had to hunt and dig and trail
around, again and again, before he gave a war-whoop.

"To cut it short, I will say, we found that the ravine upon which the
cave opened, was completely filled with trash and, in fact, there were
many feet of earth and timber on top of the ledge so that it would need
a great deal of digging and blasting before we could hope to enter that
cave again.

"But Tom and I had not been lazy during the time Mike was seeking for
some sign to locate the cave. And after we learned how impossible it was
to enter the mine at that side where the girls had gone in, Tom and I
took scientific observations with our instruments, and finally, after
tiresome days, found a