her head away so he would not see
them.

"Here we are!" cried Fred suddenly, as he came in with a platter of
bacon and eggs in one hand, and some nicely browned toast, on a plate,
in the other.

"Grub call!" he added, in imitation of the camp cry.

"Well, you did get up a nice breakfast," complimented his mother.

"I'll bring the coffee in a minute," added the boy as he went back to
the kitchen. "You dish out, mother."

The little family gathered around the table, and soon Mr. Stanley had
temporarily forgotten about the pain in his leg, while he told Fred
something of how to drive an ore cart.

"Perhaps I'll not get a chance at one, dad."

"Oh, yes, you will. If you see any old miners there, at the new
diggings, just mention my name, and they'll help you. They all know me,
for I've prospected with a number of them, and grub-staked lots of 'em.
Yes, and some of them have grub-staked me."

Grub-staked, it may be explained, means that a man with money provides a
poor miner with food or "grub" and an outfit to hunt and dig for gold.
If the miner finds a good lead, or mine, a large share of it goes to the
man who grub-staked him.

Mrs. Stanley placed two eggs and some toast on her husband's plate, and
was about to help Fred to the same quantity, when she noticed that her
son was engaged on a big dish of oatmeal.

"Don't you want some eggs?" she asked.

"Don't care for 'em," replied Fred quickly. "I'd rather have oatmeal. It
will stick by me longer, if I get a job to-day."

The truth was there were only four eggs in the house, and no money to
send out and buy more. And Fred wanted his mother to have the remaining
two. So he took oatmeal, though he did not like it.

"Why, Fred!" exclaimed his mother. "You always used to like eggs. Why
don't you take them? I don't feel very hungry."

"Those eggs were cooked especially for you, mother," said the boy. "If
you don't eat them I'll think you don't like my way, and I'll leave."

His mother laughed, but, once more, there came a mist of tears to her
eyes. Slyly she tried to put one of the eggs on Fred's plate, but he
would not let her.

"This toast is fine, if I did make it myself," said Fred, "and the bacon
isn't half bad," he added as he took several slices, for there was
plenty of that. "Guess I'll take some along for my dinner, as I'll not
come back until night--if I get a job."

"That's so, Fred, I must see if there is anything in the house for your
lunch. I