“Then,” said Harry, “the trouble was to get here yourself.”

“You bet!  But I got here last night.  The very first places I went to were the gambling-houses, and mighty surprised I was to find he hadn’t been to any of them.  I couldn’t understand that.”

“Afraid I’d see him,” suggested Harry.

“Of course that was it.  I couldn’t find him last night, and I was afraid he hadn’t come here, after all; for there wasn’t a sign of him having been here.  The next thing that occurred to me was the mine; but, to save me, I couldn’t remember the name, having only half heard it through the window.  All I could think of was that it was some kind of a gold mine, and I groaned at that, for I’d been out here long enough to know that they don’t find much but silver here generally.  However, I asked a man if there were any gold mines around here, and he said no, and never was and never would be.”

“That is true, I know, for my partner, Missoo—­”

“Your partner, Missoo!” cried Bill, his eyes starting in amazement.

“Yes, my partner, Missoo,” repeated Harry, wondering what was the matter.

“They don’t happen to call you Gent out here, do they?”

“That’s my name.”

“Harry,” said Bill, actually winking away a tear.  “I’m the proudest chap that ever walked to think that I know you.  Will you shake hands?”

Harry blushed as he gave him his hand, knowing that Bill must have heard the story of the burning mine.

Bill shook his hand as if he had never had such a treat before.

“And you,” said he, his eyes shining, “are Gent, that went down that shaft.  Harry, I don’t believe there is another boy in the whole United States would have done a thing like that.  Won’t Beth be glad you saved her when I tell her that!”

“Please don’t say any more about that,” pleaded Harry.  “Tell me about the gold mine.”

“Shake hands once more first,” said Bill.  “Think of having that to tell Mr. Dewey!  Oh, well, I won’t say any more!  About the gold mine.  Oh, yes!  The man, after he had said there were no gold mines, told how some Easterners had been let in for a salted mine, and how it was called Tiny Hill Gold Mine even now, when it was as certain as fate that it had nothing but silver in it.  Well, I didn’t need to be told that name twice.  I knew it was my mine, and I got the direction and went straight for it; and there I found my man smoking a cigar in front of the cabin, with a tough-looking specimen sitting on the door-sill.”

“Little Dick,” observed Harry.

“Little!  Well, I wouldn’t want him to get hold of me.”

“He did get hold of me,” said Harry; and he related his recent adventure with him.

“Ah!” cried Bill; “now I understand!  I followed them after a while, and I was puzzled to know why Hoyt kept back all the time and let the other man take the lead.  It looked so much like some sort of mischief then that I was wondering all the while what on earth it could be.  But I never suspected you had anything to do with it.  If I’d only known you and Gent were the same person!  I wouldn’t have had the courage even to have thought of that thing, Harry; but if I could, I’d—­”