he mistake of your life in not making
friends with me again, for I can get even with you in more ways than
one, and I don't know but that I'll try."

These were the words Ruth thought she heard, but she gave them little
heed beyond wondering idly why the impudent tramp called Jim by the
wrong name.

These events in the lives of Ruth Drew and Jim Colter took place on the
same day that Jack and Frank Kent had their experience by the waters of
Rainbow Creek. They had been at home several hours when Frank Kent
appeared to disclose the startling news of the discovery of gold
deposits on the ranch. It was not until then that Jim Colter guessed why
Mr. Harmon had wished to purchase all or a portion of the Rainbow Ranch
before its owners could find out the secret of their hidden wealth, and
for this same reason had kept the first discoverer of the gold, "Gypsy
Joe," lurking about the ranch all summer and had refused to give up the
Lodge to the Ralston girls and let them come home when they wished.

CHAPTER XXII

A PARTY AT THE RANCHO

Ralph Merrit arrived in two days at the Rainbow Ranch, and he, Frank and
Jim worked continuously in the vicinity of the muddy creek. Soon there
was little doubt of the wonderful value of the diggings, for the miners,
even with primitive methods of gold washing, found lumps of pure gold
varying in size from a pea to a marble.

Jim was distracted. News of the find began to spread about the
neighborhood and the ranch to be crowded with curiosity seekers of every
kind, miners looking for jobs, tramps and ne'er-do-wells, besides kind
and officious neighbors. Sternly as the ranch girls were ordered to
remain in the house, Jean and Olive and Frieda had ways of stealing down
to the creek on remarkably plausible errands; a message for Jim from
Ruth, an inquiry from Jack to Frank Kent as to how things were going,
and if Jean appeared with a pot of hot coffee for the workmen, she used
to manage to find Ralph and sit and talk to him, until Jim scolded and
made her go back to the ranch house.

It was pretty hard on Jack, who would have been the leading spirit in
everything, to remain all day on the little porch without stirring, but
Ruth rarely left her and there was a new bond of sympathy between them.
Jack had guessed that her old and dearest friend had asked their
chaperon to marry him and that Ruth was waiting to come to a decision,
but Jack felt little doubt of her answer. Most of the time