ing, and she will stop by
the post box at the gate and bring us the last mail. Yes, Frieda, dear,
I will help you in a minute, but please don't crowd any more treasures
into that box or you will have everything smashed to bits."

For a moment Frieda ceased her occupation of jamming odd-shaped pieces
of Indian pottery into a packing trunk filled with blankets, shawls,
beadwork, dolls, Indian carvings, everything known to Indian
manufacture, and surveyed the older girls reproachfully. "Olive, I
thought you and Jean said that the one thing that would give you
pleasure and keep us from just dying of homesickness would be to fix up
an Indian sitting room at that horrid old boarding school we are going
to in New York," she protested.

Riches, like everything else in this world, brings its responsibilities.
The ranch girls and Ruth Drew were to leave the Rainbow Ranch soon after
daylight next morning for the long trip across the country which was to
land them in New York City. Now that the gold supply of Rainbow Creek
was increasing day by day until no one could guess how vast the amount
would be, Jim Colter had decided it would be best for the girls to
leave the ranch. Jack was to see a famous surgeon, hoping that he would
be able to restore her to health, for she had not improved to any extent
and was still unable to walk or to sit up for any length of time. The
other girls were to be placed in a fashionable boarding school near a
village on the Hudson River, not far from New York City, and Jack was to
join them when she got well. No one ever said "if" Jack got well; it was
always "when," and she always talked of herself in this way, for her
courage was yet undaunted.

Frank Kent was to act as escort to the travelers, as he was returning
soon to his home in England, and Ralph Merrit was to be left as one of
the engineers in charge of the Rainbow Mine. Jim Colter had not been at
the ranch except once and then only for a few days since the night of
his ride with Ruth.

"Goodness, children, you do look comfortable," Ruth announced, coming in
the door at this minute, with her coat and hat heavy with rain. "Here,
Jack, is a letter in Jim's handwriting. It is a pretty thick one, so I
suppose he has written to say why he is letting you girls go away from
home without coming to say good-by to you."

Ruth looked older and a little worn, but her expression was cold and
reserved. She could not understand why Jim had hardly seen or