s to find her--an' Grit done
that. The dawg ought to have a gold collar an' we might accept a gold
plated collar-button, apiece, that's the way it sizes up to me."

"The gal w'udn't promise to go to school 'less we shared even-Steven,"
said Mormon.

"She didn't know how much money she c'ud use then," demurred Sam. "Now
she's bein' shown how to spend it. It ain't that she'd kick, but some
might think we'd taken advantage of her. Darn me if I don't feel
thataway myse'f."

"I see it this way," said Sandy. "I've done a heap of thinkin' over the
matter. I don't believe that Molly has changed--still she might be
influenced by folks who w'ud look at it that she made the deal when she
was a minor an' we c'udn't enfo'ce it. Bein' her guardeen, I'm
responsible fo' what she makes an' what she loses. Jim Redding fixed up
things in that line He an' Ba'bara Redding understand it all but others
mightn't. I'm plumb sure that if we-all didn't take the money Molly 'ud
pull out her picket-pin an' say we wasn't playin' fair an' square with
her. It was a deal an', at the time, I had no mo' idee the mines w'ud
pan out than I have that Sam's laigs'll grow straight. I figger we can
do this. We can use the money, keepin' account of it, puttin' it into
stock an' improvements that'll pay fo' themselves long befo' Molly comes
of age an' my guardeen papers play out. That way we'll have the benefit
of the capital an' keep it ready to turn over to her if she ever needs
it. I don't believe she'll ever take one red cent of it. It was a gamble
with her an' she's a thoroughbred sport. To my mind, she'd sooner be
slapped in the face by us than have us try an' wiggle out of the deal.
But, in case anything ever turns up, or she gits married, we'll have it
handy."

"Figger she's goin' to marry that young Keith? She writes a heap of
Donald's this an' Donald doin' that. I'd like to take a slant at him. I
sure hate to think of Molly hitchin' up with a tenderfoot."

"What put that in yore head?" Sam asked Mormon.

"Mirandy was wonderin' whether Ma Keith 'ud like to keep Molly's money
in the family. Mirandy's allus 'spicioned a motive to that invite."

"Shucks! She asked her befo' the mine made a showin'. An' every dollar
Molly makes, Keith makes five or six, out of the sale of them shares.
But I subscribe to Sandy's scheme on these here dividends of ours."

"'Count me in," said Mormon. And so the affair was settled.

* * * *