orthwest portion of it, the only part where there would be any
possibility of finding gold, is pretty well deserted most of the
time--absolutely so at night----"

"Then you think," Betty burst forth, "that these people, whoever they
are, may have made actual tests? That they are sure there is gold here?"

Allen nodded.

"That is my theory," he said gravely. "But of course the only way to
prove the truth of it is to keep my eyes open and catch them, if that is
possible, in the act."

"But how could one conceal such a thing?" Grace objected. "A big thing
like a mine can't be hidden away in the daytime like a rag doll. There
must be some signs about the place to show that people have been
here----"

"Exactly," said Allen. "There probably are signs--only nobody has had
the incentive--or the interest, maybe--to hunt for those signs up to
this time. Although," he added thoughtfully, "there are many ways of
camouflaging the entrance to a mine so that a casual observer, even an
interested one, possibly, would be fooled--branches, leaves, a rock or
two."

"But wouldn't there be noise?" It was Amy who put the objection this
time. "I should think they would make enough disturbance to rouse
suspicion at least."

"They might not," Allen contended. "Remember, they are right in the
mining territory, so that if any of the miners heard an unusual noise
they would think it was one of their neighbors working late. Anyway,"
he finished, "their operations would necessarily have to be small, and
they might be so small as not even to arouse suspicion. Sometimes," he
added, and the girls hung on his words as though they were prophetic,
"there need be no actual digging to ascertain that there is gold in a
certain region. Sometimes the bed of a spring if sifted to get rid of
pebbles and other debris will reveal gold enough to make the finder
certain that there is a rich gold vein close by."

"Goodness, let's go and hunt up some springs!" cried Mollie
irrepressibly. "What's the use of leaving all this gold finding to Mr.
Peter Levine?"

"I remember seeing an old broken sieve around the ranch house
somewhere," Grace suggested helpfully. "Don't you suppose we can go back
and get it?"

"But, Allen," Betty asked anxiously, "how do you expect to find out
about these men? I suppose you intend to show them up?"

"I most certainly do," responded Allen cheerfully. "It would give me the
greatest delight to land Mr. Peter Levine and his assoc