Part 26 (2/2)
”Maybe a ,” Grace called back, pessiet too happy, all at once”
”You old wet-blanket!” cried Betty, as she leaned forward and whispered in nigger's ear, urging hireater speed ”That kind of er, hurry, old boy! Don't you knoe've got to get there quickly?”
As they approached the noise becaht theht that they would never forget as long as they lived
They gazed on what seerasped each other around the waists, perfor some kind of crazy dance that looked like an Indian cakewalk Others tossed their hats in the air and shot holes through the, shouting, waving arear in a sort of wild, feverish, priht the thrill of it and they tingled to their finger tips
Putting spurs to their horses, they galloped down into the thick of it
CHAPTER XXIV
THE END OF PETER LEVINE
The crowd scattered as the Outdoor Girls ca down into its ain They diso where they would, and pushed their way through to the group that seemed to be the center of all this wild de with joy, and old Dan Higgins, holding a handful of precious golden nuggets, they nearly went y till she cried aloud for h he had been used to being irls all his life
Twenty years had fallen froe No matter that he had wasted the best part of his life in a vain hunt for gold His drearasp, and he felt again the thrill that had coursed through his veins when, as a young h with aspirations, he had started on his quest
He was young again! Young! It seeets--his own--had renewed the fires of youth
Ni and addressed his frenzied audience
”Friends and fellow gold hunters,” he yelled, and there was a roar of appreciation ”They is a feords I'd like to say afore we go back to wrestlin' soold outen them rocks An' these is them Ef I'm a happy man to-day an' a rich one, then it's all due to these four young gals here They setwhen I was purty near tuckered out You all knows 'eive 'em a cheer Hearty, now, hearty----”
Then arose such a roar that the Outdoor Girls' hearts swelled near to bursting and they felt the tears sting their eyes Thatto reradually subsided and the ain, followed by scattered groups of curious onlookers
They worked with redoubled energy, with redoubled hope Gold had been found More gold would be found It was a thrilling, glorious race to see ould be the next to announce good fortune
Left to theratulating her, de to kno it had all happened and when
”My-- with nervous reaction ”I--I can't jest make up my mind that it has happened yet”
”We know,” said Betty, soothingly ”You needn't tell us about it if you don't want to”
”But I do--I've got to!” cried Meggy tensely ”Why, it seems like a dreaht in her throat and she paused for aover each other in her eagerness: ”It was jest this o You knoe have been workin' awful hard the last few days, an' I was getting worried over dad again He was gittin' that thin an' weak an' kind o' discouraged, too Seemed like he'd jest made up his mind that there wasn't no luck fer him nowhere's