ng for a moment on the
sidewalk, he turned on his heel and went briskly to his own apartments,
where he performed an unusual feat.

First he read the letter from Kent. It was dated from the newest camp
in the desert and was filled with glittering generalities concerning
riches about to be discovered. It urged him, in case he had arrived in
Goldite, to hasten southward forthwith--"and bring a bunch of money."
Glenmore's letters always appealed for money--a fact which Bostwick had
remembered.

The man sat down at his table and wrote a letter to himself. With
young Kent's epistle for his model, he made an amazingly clever forgery
of the enthusiastic writer's chirography, and at the bottom signed the
young man's name.

This spurious document teemed with figures and assertions concerning a
wonderful gold mine which Glenmore had virtually purchased. He needed
sixty thousand dollars at once, however, to complete his remarkable
bargain. Only two days of his option remained and therefore delay
would be fatal. He expected this letter to find his friend at Goldite
and he felt assured he would not be denied this opportunity of a
lifetime to make a certain fortune. He would, of course, appeal to
Beth--with certainty of her help from the wealth bequeathed her by her
uncle--but naturally she was too far away,

Glenmore was unaware of the fact that his sister had come to the West.
Bostwick overlooked no details of importance. Armed with this
plausible missive, he went at once to Mrs. Dick's and found that Beth
was at home.

CHAPTER XVI

INVOLVING BETH

Goldite to the Eastern girl, who had found herself practically
abandoned for nearly a week, had proved to be a mixture of discomforts,
excitements, and disturbing elements. Fascinated by the maelstrom of
the mining-camp life, and unwilling to retreat from the scene until she
should see her roving brother, and gratify at least a curiosity
concerning Van, she nevertheless felt afraid to be there, not only on
account of the roughness and uncertainty of the existence, but also
because, despite herself, she had attracted undesirable attention.
Moreover, the house was full of "gentlemen" lodgers, with three of whom
Elsa was conducting most violent flirtations.

There were few respectable women in the town. It was still too early
for their advent. Beth had been annoyed past all endurance. There was
no possibility of even mild social diversions; there was no one to