ounty Recording
Office.

"Why, that's funny!" said the clerk, giving them a searching look.
"Those same claims were recorded not more than an hour ago. Man by the
name of Ramon Salazar. What are you trying to do, jump his claims?"

"Why, we wouldn't do such a thing," exclaimed Bet indignantly.

"Was Ramon here in person?" asked Kit.

"No, he sent the papers in by a neighbor," returned the young man. "A
fellow by the name of Kie Wicks."

"Kie Wicks!" That explained everything.

The girls suddenly wilted. All their sparkle was gone as they watched
the clerk checking over the descriptions with the ones already recorded.

"You have one here that has not been recorded," the clerk announced
when he had finally finished the checking.

"Wonder how he happened to leave out that one?" snapped Kit.

Bet held out her hand for the blank. "Let's see which one it is. Oh,
girls, what a shame! It's the most unpromising claim of all. That's
the last one we located, the one we called, 'Little Orphan Annie.'
It's too mean for anything." There were tears of disappointment and
anger in Bet's eyes.

"Do you want it recorded?" The girls heard the clerk's voice but it
seemed to come from far away.

"What's the use of one claim? You can't make a mine out of just one
miserable claim!"

"I don't care, I want it anyway!" Bet shrugged her shoulders defiantly.

"I told you there was a hoodoo on those claims," Joy spoke cheerfully,
as much as to say, "I told you so."

Joy's pessimism was all that was needed to decide Bet.

"Yes, we'll record it, and we'll be locating some more soon," she
announced with determination. "We are not going to let Kie Wicks and
Ramon Salazar beat us. We'll get even with them somehow."

"They wouldn't have dared to do this if we were men. Just because we
are girls, they think they'll get away with it."

"Oh, by all means!" Joy taunted provokingly, "Be sure to locate some
more claims and let that man take them away from us again."

Bet turned her back on Joy and watched the clerk as he put the blank
through the usual routine and then turned to leave the office. The
Merriweather Girls were the owners of one very unpromising copper claim.

They dragged wearily out into the fierce sunlight. There was a
discouraged droop to their shoulders, but Bet suddenly straightened.
Her eyes were flashing as she said:

"I have a hunch! Something tells me that we are not down and out on
this deal."