Tabitha's Vacation

and the days which followed that memorable night were full of misery for the unhappy boy. His cousins avoided him, Tabitha ignored him, Toady tormented him, and even Glori

as really sincere in his desire to do better; and was as surprised as he was disappo

nt tune then! Maybe a coyote would have got me, or I'd have stepped into a rattlesnake's nest and been stung to death. Bet they'd have felt sorry when they found me-," he hesitated. His picture was too vivid, and he shuddered as he

n, now that my 'lowance has come. Mercy says it takes twelve dollars, and I've got ten. 'T any rate, I could ride as far as that wo

transportation. Before he had arrived at any satisfactory conclusion, he heard the tramp of feet close by, and the lively chatter of voices, and around the bend of the path came Toady with his six cousins. They did not see him at f

either, although he was consumed with curiosity as to where they were bound; but a chance remark of Susie'

?" Inez flung back with

d Toady, without so t

ba's cave," suggested

, relenting as she glanced back

d if we let him c

or a long time," gent

ng out Billiard, more hurt by their manner than he care

across town to that hill over there where is a-a 'bandoned mine. Toady's never seen what

shook h

Silver Legion mine before the summer is over; but to-day we're just going to show Toady how the

red promptly, though the wistful

somehow seemed to understand that Bil

et?" he could not

es

water

only b

the miners w

our head down inside, or you'll be killed by the big beans-" she meant beams-"which are bu

e, and hurried with her after the others, now a considerable distance in advance; but the little group had reached t

rom the yawning mouth of the hole. "It smells like liza

pebble over the brink and listening to the hollow

wn there?" asked

of the men here when

lliard, testing the weather-stained rope st

couldn't make the other ore pay, so they shut down, and

sent another pebble spinning after the first

des impressively, glad of a chance to air her m

," finished Ine

manded Billiard, mystified. "A

ll boarded up, and no one can go down it any more. This was dug later. Someone t

sed Billiard, boyishly ea

Mercedes. "With all th

ards won't h

o," said Rosslyn, hastily b

promptly. "Susie has fired enough rocks at

like it," suggested Ir

er say you

-o

your m

-o

at's to

e should bu'st,"

's half as big as m

, long time. Ever since I ca

d Billiard. "There's nothing rotten about i

snakes?" demanded Susie, whose love of adven

ise honor brigh

r eyes dancing with excitement and

wn? I'll bet it takes some work to

descending into that black, musty hole did not appeal to her in the l

rest of us be? No, I've got a better plan than that. You and Toady and Irene let Susie and Inez and me dow

Toady readi

," quavere

panted as the rope slowly unwound, and Billiard, scrooched low in the bucket, disappeared from view. It was hard work and slow, to pay out the rope evenly, but Billiard did not seem at all inclined to be critical, and accepted his rough, jolting descent without a murmur. Had

o his queer elevator. Billiard beheld a row of black, shadowy heads hovering over the brink of the aperture, and heard Toady's

ish nothing. Then as he grew more accustomed to the blackness, he could see before him the mouth of a still blacker cavern, which to

?" demanded an impati

s and lizards?"

anything stirring about him. "Naw!" he yelled back, trying to make his voice sound brave and scornful. "Guess not.

tches?" inq

through his pockets.

s a candle.

rprise and pain, he tumbled out of the bucket against a timber, which shivered and splintered under his weight. But in some mysterious manner, he found himself in possession of the candle when he had righted himself on

ejaculate. "I was sure

ed the indignant Billiard. "What do

the head, could I?" protested the younger

'm a cat with eyes t

curbing to take an occasional peep down into the blackness.

ed to sputter and flicker uncertainly, but burned with a steady light, and with a thrill of exultation Billiard looked curiously about him, relieved to find no snakes or crawly things in the aband

cut and staring at the rocky walls which here and there glistened alluringly. "And th

up. It's Susie and In

thusiastically. "Pull up

ely at the bottom, the little group above became all impatience for their turn. Mercy's courage had returned as she saw how simple an operation it was to let down the loaded bucket, and even Irene began to feel a desire to explore the mysteries of the abandoned m

tion no longer. "I'm going, too,"

illiard c

dded

heavy for just Irene an

rather do that than have you dro

you?" Merce

down there,

d bars and all sorts of things. It oughtn't to be

aft, with legs wrapped tightly about his slender, swaying support, and hands grasping the rough strands with a desperate grip,

but before Mercedes could frame a reply, there was a crash from below, a

the girls in frenz

I'm all right, but we have knocked

ut!" they re

dle has gone out and it's

danced frantically around the shaft and wrung her hands as sh

n the disaster had uttered not a sound since their first wild scream, a

the distracted girls had recovered their senses enough to be of any aid to the prisoners, the little fellow stumbled across

e pan of potatoes which she was peeling went

shaft of the abandoned Selfridge mine, flew to the rescue of her brood, pausing only to

le in a distracted undertone, while tears of fright trickled down her dirty face. So busy was she that she never heard the patter of Tabitha's feet behind her, and the first intim

vy rope with both hands, and preparing to descend as Toady ha

r bruises, and almost unaware that her hands were cruelly burned and torn from her too rapid descent, the black-eyed girl had scarcely touched the bottom of the s

ed a voice from b

itha, working with renewe

ame the chee

you h

op

are the

er

af

an feel 'em, but t

position, and revealed a narrow aperture into the crosscut, through which Tabit

wl through?"

es

another landslide. There! Now, can

from the town had arrived and the rescue of the quin

nd looked down into the still, white faces of Billiard, Susie and Inez. How could she

id, practised fingers. "See, the girls are coming to their senses. I

ed the child faintly; "just qua

ine, but I got a pocketful of-" His sentence ended in a groan of pain, and

octor. "Let's see

questioned

an out of mischief for one while. Are your legs al

thankfulness that all her brood was safe and sound, fell into a fit of bitter weeping as

ie tearfully. "I lo

ther sisters in great distres

cried Toady contritel

ruly repentant. "I dared 'em to go. Honest, Tabby, I was to blame! Will

not fail to be convinced of his earnestness of purpose, and drying her eyes, she took Billiard's pr

t of the brood; and th