oes like
'G. H.'"

And so it did. However, that mattered little now, and the feebly
scrawled assignment of the Golden West claim also was of small
importance; for the Golden West had been found at last, and everything
had turned out all right. Here on Gold Hill, as at the Shirt-tail
Diggin's, "the goose hung high."

Now, with everybody busy, it remained to develop the Golden West lode,
which under the hurried operations of the bevy of workers could be
traced for a mile.

"I suppose," remarked Charley's father, "that the next thing for us to
do is to form a company and to lay plans for development, and to name
our property."

"If your party have no objections," spoke young Mr. Motte, hesitantly,
coming forward, "my wife and I would be very willing to combine our
claim with yours, under the name Golden West, and work all together.
We are able to do our part, of course."

Certainly there were no objections. Thus the agreement was drawn up,
and the Golden West Mining Company was formed from the two parties.

At the base of the ridge there almost immediately sprang into being the
town of Gold Hill, for which Mr. Adams himself was elected _alcalde_,
or mayor, and Mrs. Motte clerk. But the development of the Golden West
mine went ahead much more slowly. Paying mines, especially lode mines,
do not grow up in a day, or a week, or a month. The surface rock could
be loosened with pick and crow-bar, and pulverized and washed, to get
some gold, but the hard rock below the surface required special
machinery, for treatment.

So pending the arrival of the machinery the work was all development
work: picking here and there, digging a few tunnels, and much exploring
and planning. Hard work it was, too. However, the weather continued
to hold fine and sunny and crisp, in the early fall a light snow fell
but soon disappeared, and an Indian summer set in. There was hunting
for deer and elk, and fun, evenings, in the camp--but something seemed
lacking. What that was, Charley found out, when one morning Billy
hailed him excitedly.

"Say! Hurrah! Do you know it?"

"No," admitted Charley.

"My father and yours are going to send for my mother and yours! They
might be out here with us as well as not. See? They'll be company for
Mrs. Motte. She's having a great time, and loves it. If she can stand
it, they can--and besides, we want 'em."

Want 'em? Want his mother! Charley let out a wild whoop, and rushed
for his