ss of it, as a management usually does, and it
fizzled out. It was believed that the thing was chock-full of gold,
but they couldn't get it out."

Polly was beginning to be interested; she usually did find things
interesting when she gave her mind to them.

"Well, what did they do?" asked Dan.

"They gave it up for a bad job, and tried to forget all the money they
had put into it."

"Then where did your money come from?"

"Out of the 'Big Bonus Placer Gold Mine!' We scoop it right out
to-day."

"I wish you'd go ahead!" said Dan, for the guest had paused, and was
examining the _Cicero_.

"Well, hydraulic mining improves, like every thing else, and three
years ago a new company was formed. Luckily the old company had not
gone into debt; perhaps they could not borrow money on their elephant.
However that may be, they agreed to put half their stock back into the
treasury, and it was sold at fifty cents a share, which gave us money
to work with."

"And it was a howling success!" cried Dan. "I remember; I've heard all
about it."

"Yes, we've paid out two dollars a share in dividends in the last six
months, and the stock is held at fifteen or sixteen dollars a share
to-day. The beauty of it is," Mr. Horace Clapp added, glancing quietly
from Dan to Polly, "I am convinced that you are both stockholders."

"We?" they cried in a breath.

"Yes! For Jones tells me that your father was a doctor; that his name
was Daniel Reddiman Fitch, and that he once lived in Bington, Ohio."

"Yes," said Polly; "that was when he was first married; before old
Doctor Royce died, and left an opening in Fieldham, so that Father
came back home again."

"The name of such a stockholder stands on our books, but we haven't
heretofore been able to trace him."

"That's why old Jones pumped me so," Dan remarked, giving his mind
first to the more familiar aspects of the case.

"What a pity he never knew!" said Polly, with glistening eyes. "He was
always so poor."

"Your father's original holdings were five thousand shares, so that
you are the possessors of twenty-five hundred shares. If you sell it
pretty soon, as I think you may as well do, you will have something
over forty thousand dollars to invest; for there is, in addition to
the stock, five thousand dollars in back dividends due you."

Dan and Polly looked at each other almost aghast; but that was only
for a moment.

"Why, Dan, you can have a saddle-horse of your own!" cried Poll