e."

"Not for us!" cried Tom and Helen.

"Nor for me," said Ruth, earnestly. "It would not be right. I never
should respect myself again if I thought I had tried to find Nita for
money."

"But if it hadn't been for Ruth we'd never have sailed over there to
the Thimble," declared Tom.

The Western girl had been thinking seriously; now she seized her uncle
by the arm. "I tell you what I want, Uncle Bill!" she cried.

"Something beside the pianner and the shift-on hat?" he grumbled, but
his blue eyes twinkled.

"Those things don't count," she declared earnestly. "But this five
hundred dollars, Uncle Bill, you haven't got to pay that Crab man. So
you just spend it by taking all these girls and boys that have been so
nice to me out to Silver Ranch. They think it must be the finest place
that ever happened--and I don't know but 'tis, Uncle, if you don't
have too much of it," she added.

"Great cats! that would shore be some doin's; wouldn't it?" exclaimed
the cattleman, grinning broadly.

"You bet it would! We'll take Ruth and Helen and Tom and Heavy an--why,
every last one of 'em that'll go. We'll show 'em a right good time;
is it a go, Uncle Bill?"

And it certainly was "a go," for we shall meet Ruth and her friends
next in a volume entitled, "Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch; Or,
Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys."

Old Bill Hicks' hearty invitation could not be accepted, however, until
the various young folks had written home to their parents and guardians
about it. And the expectation of what fun they could have on Silver
Ranch did not spoil the fun to be found closer at hand, at Lighthouse
Point.

The remainder of that fortnight at the bungalow would long be remembered
by Ruth and her girl friends, especially. Mr. Hicks got board at
Sokennet; but Jane Ann (although they all called her "Nita" save
The Fox, who took some delight in teasing her about her ugly name)
remained at the bungalow. The cattleman could not do too much for
anybody who had been kind to his niece, and had the life saving men
not refused absolutely to accept anything from him, he would have
made them all a present because they had rescued Jane Ann from the wreck
of the _Whipstitch_.

Nevertheless, Mr. Hicks found out something that he _could_ do for the
life-savers, and he presented the station with a fine library--something
which all the surfmen, and Cap'n Abinadab as well, could enjoy during
the long winter days and evenings. Nor did the ra