Page:J Allan Dunn--The Girl of Ghost Mountain.djvu/287

Rh It belongs to Thorn. She doesn't know it yet, but the papers are all in her name. I did it yesterday in Pioche. So you'll have to look on it as Thora's dowry."

"Gosh!" said Red as Mary turned to hear her lover.

"I hoped they might want it together," she said. "If I went East I wouldn't need it. I was afraid that Thora might not want to leave me and I was sure that she loved Red. And—I thought that if—if you asked me to stay—I might have to live closer to Chico Mesa."

"Red has a share in this gold," said Sherman, "enough to buy them the finest goats and queen bees that leap and fly. Kid meat and honey and music. They'll have an idyllic existence."

"I hope so. I'll have to whistle for you, Peter."

"You'll never find me far away, Mary."

It was all delicious nonsense, but it could not last long and it was the only medium for present love making. The three riders were waking up. They heard voices and the rest appeared, coming in from the main canyon, Quong and the sheriff walking ahead together. Quong's face was serene, unvexed by lack of sleep.

"We've got it," said the sheriff. "Warn't such a hard job. But I'm glad to get shet of that cave with that crowd of seventy-year old mummies. Quong here 'lows he'll get breakfast. An' we sure can do justice to it."

Mary and Thora departed towards the stream and Sheridan and the sheriff strolled towards the mouth of Bonanza Canyon.