Part 22 (2/2)
”We're awfully sorry, honey,” she said co bad Is he--is he really sick?”
”Sick of life, I guess,” said Meggy, conquering her emotion and instantly ashamed of it ”I've heered of people dyin' of a broken heart, an' that's what dad's doin', I guess Bad luck can kill you if it keeps up long enough”
The girls rode ho for theins was ”dyin' of a broken heart” and Meggy, brave, splendid girl that she was, had almost lost hope
”If only everybody in the world could be happy,” said Grace plaintively
”It just spoils all your fun when you know that other people are miserable”
”The worst of it is,” said Betty soberly, ”that with all this luck cole little bit of it to that poor girl and her dad If only they weren't so proud----” The sentence trailed off into a sigh, and she gazed pensively out over the plain
”Well, there's no use of crying over it,” said Mollie briskly ”We y yet, and until then, asabout it' Oh, look, girls, here coalloped gayly to ht they made a very pretty picture as they swept up to hi is settled and they are to begin work to-reat excitement in town, and there's a rush to establish claiive your friend, Dan Higgins, a hint, so that he can get in first So long I' to join Mr Nelson again in town”
So he dashed off in the direction of the ranch and the girls wheeled and galloped back in the direction they had coins'
mine to warn him to stake a new claim before others reached the spot
They were so excited that it was hard to make their purpose clear at first, but when the oldto tell thealvanized to action
”I'll show you the best place,” Betty eagerly volunteered
Mollie offered to stay behind and give the old alloping over the plain to that part of the ranch where the new gold o, and they saith relief that they were the first on the spot
Betty pointed out the place where Peter Levine had said there was gold running wild, and old Dan Higgins staked his claim as near to the place as he could without actually encroaching upon the ranch itself
With tre placards the exact dimensions of his claim, and, with Betty's help, nailed them to two trees at the two extre
”Thar,” he sighed, after a fewoff his hat to mop the perspiration froain with luck, an' mebbe this time I'll win”
”I'old on our ranch, and we are sure there is, then there is algins, I so dearly hope that there is!” This was so evidently a cry straight fro heart that the keen eyes of the hardened old miner filled with tears and he patted Betty's head with an unsteady hand
”You're a ratitude ot it I've a sort of sure feelin' you've changed the luck for Meggy and me”
They were silent on the ride back to the mine, but as they reached the last stretch of the trail that led down to it the old man shi+fted in his saddle and looked at Betty earnestly
”An' ef Meggy's mother was alive,” he said simply, ”she would thank you, too”