Page:Saxe Holm's Stories, Series Two.djvu/215

Rh He had spent very few minutes looking in the vicinity of the old tree, but had climbed rapidly up the ledge, and had been out of sight for some time. "Oh, Will! Will! Doctor! Doctor! Hurry!" he cried, in tones so shrill and earnest, that I feared he was in trouble.

"He 's found them, I do believe," exclaimed the Doctor, and we ran breathlessly up the steep and slippery rocks.

On the very top of the ledge knelt Jim,—his hands clasped.

"Oh, look, look!" he exclaimed. "Was not Ally right?"

We stood still in amazement. Glistening, sparkling in the sun, there lay dozens of crystals as if they had been just thrown down by some careless hand.

"I have n't touched one," said Jim; "I did n't dare to."

Dr. Miller did not speak for some moments. Then he cried out:—

"By Jove, I 'd like to know whether we 're in Maine or in Brazil! It looks as if we 'd been living at the foot of an emerald mine all our days, and might have gone on living so if it had n't been for that blessed child. However, somebody had to find it out sooner or later. Pitch in, boys, pitch in, we 'll get all we can this trip. The whole town 'll be up here to-morrow, for I take it we