all the way through; and then only
to have put somebody else in possession of the mine.

"Thar's the place--straight ahead on top the ridge," directed the miner
Eph, who was leading with the red-shirt. And following these two, up
the slope trooped the company.

The heads of the three men in the hollow poked up over the rim, as
their owners surveyed, probably in amazement, the onslaught. The
muzzles of the guns protruded, also, but the big red-shirt made no
account of them.

"Come out o' thar!" he roared, in a voice that might have been heard a
mile. "Drop those weapons; they'll do you no good. So come out o'
thar, an' come quick. Don't you know enough to make room for a lady?"

Up slowly rose the long-nosed man, and emerged, glowering but
weaponless, his hands in the air; and emerged likewise his two
partners. The long-nosed man tried to bluff his way.

"What's the meaning of this attack?" he demanded. "Where's your
warrant for it? Would you drive three honest men off ground to which
they've got rights according to evidence? Won't you consider our
documents in this matter?"

"Shot-gun rights don't go any longer in Grass Valley, mister," roared
the red-shirt. "If you'd had the right sort o' rights you'd have
proved 'em peaceable. Besides, with yore docyments--which you
stole--you're barkin' up the wrong tree. Here's the true an'
ondisputed owner of this claim--the heiress of the Golden West, not to
speak of bein' the only woman in this district an' entitled to the best
that goes. See? Get down in thar, lady; Eph, you do yoreself the
honor of escortin' her, an' read what it says on that thar stake. If
it says Golden West an' is signed Tom Jones, that settles the matter,
pronto."

"But the claim was abandoned. It hasn't been worked for a year," spoke
up one of the long-nosed man's companions.

"Then you lose out thar, too, stranger," retorted the red-shirt.
"'Cause in that case, barrin' better rights, it belongs to these two
boys by right o' rediscivvery. So don't argue with me; I'm a reg'lar
lawyer in argufyin'."

The miner Eph had very politely helped the little woman to the stake,
and stooping had traced with his gnarled finger the words on the notice.

"This is the claim," he announced. "Shore as shootin'."

"Hooray!" cheered the Rough and Ready crowd. Said the red-shirt, to
the Jacobs trio: "You git! An' I app'int the camp o' Rough an' Ready,
here assembled, as a committee of the who