Polly and Eleanor

ipping, sliding, or jolting down the steep side of the mountain where the timber-line

there," she cried, trying to find

cave, when they heard shouts and saw three weary riders

man!" exclaimed Polly, jumping

" cried Anne, the moment sh

more recent excitement had quite driven the story of Hank and his c

they will be all right, as Mike is gone to meet them. Then your mother and Jeb

ld have to tell Polly's father about the drunken me

cessary danger; but father always wants to save everybody and everything from di

e young man who had accompanied the city girls. "No one is allowed t

ll keep father in bo

at where the fire raged, so the girls knew not how matters fared until late in the afternoon

ce where the pine trees had been blown down the day of the blizzard. Here she could see the di

she saw Mike riding up behind the party and then g

as fast as the down-trail would permit. When they rode near enough for Polly to see their faces, she recognized her mother and Jeb in the

old out of your mine; got it tied in bags for

old as long as there is something worse t

when she talks like this, it's a sure sign s

the grizzlies," added Mr. Brewster, forc

men? Is there any danger fro

ope on the other side. You know it won't

men? Did those drunken miners sh

et us get some supper before we think

im to give any assistance he might need. Polly went over to her father to try a

came up ahead of us to-day w

tell you-all that they are shipped safe

n the Trail with the

wn-trail to watch in ca

secret! What are you-all keeping

wearing day and with nothing to eat, without his women-fol

went out to the ledge where her mother wa

usual concerns you-all, so y

g up those wretched miners who must have accidentally set the f

at Mrs. Brewster and the inquis

are fencing with me. Now treat me as if I were sen

erything. If those girls know they will go clean daffy," s

o over the ledge-and what did I do up on Grizzly when t

Ah want you-all to go with me to ketch a grizzly afore it is too dark to

almly took the ladle and continued stirring the soup that th

much better for me to know what may happen than to h

upper, and I'll tell you. Don't exclaim, or show any shock. It is important for us

saw the forms of the other two. But the panic-stricken horses that had been hobbled and left to graze, were so frightened at the cloud

the flames. They could see the two drunken miners just beyond the fire-line down the trail, but they seemed so overco

a distance behind them. Bill's man was far in advance of the other two rescuers, and perhaps, the crackl

shouted to Bill and tried to warn the man. But a fit of coughing from inhaling t

g down from the peak of Grizzly Slide. He turned, screamed at Bill and waved his arms to warn them out of the

a scream. They turned and saw the horse had stumbled and fallen. He tried to scramble to his feet before the on

lming ever-growing stream. Had it not been for Mike who had heard the rumble and knew what it meant, both Bill and father would have been lost. But Mike threw out a rope that

ital of the awful ordeal the men had pas

's well that ends well' and fat

r down this side, you see. The men who had taken care of the horses when the others were fighting the fire were left stationed at the timber-line to watch. If they notice the faintest sign of another serious break on the peak, they ar

she could bear the rest of the story. Finding P

this side of the peak. Of course, the fire and smoke added to the horror on the other side, but the actual avalanche was not as tremendous because

the peak, with nothing to break a snow-sli

wful thaw going on under the surface-ice of the Slide, as the yawning chasm where you discovered the crevice the other day was frightful. It made even their courageous spirits tre

voice, so she whispered: "Why don't we-all start down-trail to-night? Why lo

the dark it is forbidding. He says this cave is high enough up on the ledge and near enough to the crest to escape most of the drift. The trash will be swept clear over t

at her daughter could bear such awesome news without a tremor. So the two complet

for a bowl of hot soup!" calle

and followed the brave example set her. "Yes, Sam, if Simms wants to chase

the unsuspecting girls. As the meager supper was almost finished, however, Mr. Brewster mentioned in a cas

dventures to tell him!" exclaimed Anne

thought you gals would like to ride down, too, instead of sitting

p to-day, down to-morrow, and up again the next day! No horse c

is is no sort of life for women-folk, anyway. When John and Tom Latimer get h

t cave, where I followed after Polly the day we discovered the g

ything, Ah've had a full day. Besides, it looks as if we-all are going to have

m-jumpers coming up, Mr. Brews

such a time, if we remain here, that we may not have another good

ver want to see any claim-jumpers aga

s Mr. Brewster says, but your whi

that I'm willing to ride down with Mike and

leave the gold mine, but I want y

over? A lot of good the mine would do either one of us if a dozen claim-jumpers p

f all the rest of you do!" cried E

decided that every one should be ready to star

ls slept, while Polly and her mother rested even as they waited for the first warning

rt. The girls demurred about getting up at that hour, but Polly was too energetic to give them any peac

I thought it was only the womenfolk who had to g

there left to stop them?" added Anne, suspiciously, when she saw the

staking your land if Old Grizzly knows anything about it. Thar war a turrible avalanche yesterday and a leetle one at suppertime; it looks li

e to hurry!"

razy to git down as you kin be, y

t and cook their breakfast, and feed the horses. From a certain spot on the clearing on this mou

cal is still up th

rts will whisk and send down the trash

rom its pinnacle, spreading out and obscuring the sun for a time. Then an ominous rumble echoed along the crest, and rolled down the slop

ered along their sensitive nerves and nosed the air questioningly. Several of the highbred animals pulled

it hit us?"

in getting away this morning and we would have been caught in the drif

che was on the side of our gold min

ko's Find, Polly dea

ne dis time!" added

say that, Mike

!" added Eleanor,

! Mike t'

same thought passed through their minds: "If that slide buried Choko's F