went to file, I noticed the clerk said something about
havin' neighbors on the claim next, but I was scared of answerin' too
many questions, so I give him some cigars and beat it."

"Who owns our claim, then?"

"That's the queer part of it. You know the guy we give the water to--the
one that died out there. _He_ owns the claim, or he did. It belongs by
rights to his girl now. His name was Andre Lacharme."

"Lacharme!"

"Yes, Louise's pa. Recollect your boss tellin' us as how the Rose Girl's
daddy was missin' out in the Mojave? Then they was a letter--old and
'most wore out--from Walter Stone himself. It was to him--her
pa--tellin' him about the little Louise baby and askin' him to come to
the Moonstone and take a job and quit prospectin'. That's where we
stand."

Louise, breathless, listened and could not believe that she was real,
that this was not a dream. Andre Lacharme! Her father!

"I seen a lawyer about it," resumed Overland. "He said it was plain
enough that the claim belonged to the dead prospector or his girl, now.
You see, we worked the claim and kep' up the work accordin' to law. What
we made ain't ours, but I'm mighty glad it's hers. 'Course, we earned
what dust we dug, all right. Now I'm leavin' it up to you. Do we tell
her or do we say nothin', and go on gettin' rich?"

"Why do you put it up to me?" asked Collie.

"Because, kid, you got the most to lose. Your chance is about gone with
the Rose Girl if you let go the gold. Sabe? The little Rose Girl is
wise. She don't give two cents for money--but she ain't foolish enough
to marry a puncher that's workin' for wages on her uncle's ranch. And
when she gets all me and Billy made and your share, she'll be rich. That
won't be no time for you to go courtin' _her_. It ain't that you ain't
good enough for any girl. But now'days things is different. You got to
have money."

"Do you think Louise would take the money?" asked Collie.

"I don't know. But that ain't it. We either give it up--or we don't.
What do you say?"

"Why--to tell Louise, of course. I meant that right along. You ought to
know that."

"You givin' it up because you had some fuss with her, or anything like
that?"

"No, Red. I say tell her, because it's square. Did she stop to ask
questions when I was in trouble? No. She went to work to help me, quick.
I guess we care more for her than a whole carload of gold."

"Well, I guess. Once I wouldn't 'a' stopped to worry about whose gold it