“No,” replied Lenning, “I’m going to stay right here and work for Mr. Bradlaugh and Mr. Burke. The colonel has done the fine thing by me, and he’d do more, but I don’t intend to let him. From now on I shall make my own way in the world.”
And for this determination, Clancy, Ballard, and all the rest of Lenning’s friends thought more of him than ever.
It was Wednesday when Frank and his chums took their leave of Ophir. The last thing Frank did, before getting out of the town, was to send Borak to Barzy Blunt with a card. The card presented Barzy with Frank’s compliments and best wishes, and begged him to accept Borak as a present.
Borak had once belonged to Blunt. When dire necessity urged, the cowboy had been compelled to sell the famous black steed. Frank had purchased the animal, but had always intended, on leaving Arizona, to return the saddler to his former owner.
When the stage, which was to take the boys to Gold Hill, the nearest railroad point, pulled up at the door of the Ophir House, Pophagan, Woo Sing, and a host of others were gathered on the veranda to bid Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard good-by. A miner, whose regard Frank had won by coaching the Ophir football squad to victory, presented each of the lads with a nugget of placer gold to be made into a scarfpin.
“You’re sartinly the clear quill, kids,” said the miner, “and we’re a heap proud to have had ye among us. Pure gold, them nuggets is, and I reckon as how you’re all three the same. Come back to us some time. Don’t let this be the last time we see ye.”
“Maybe we will,” said Frank, shaking hands all around with a smothered feeling in his throat. “You’ve been mighty good to us, all you Ophir people.”
“That’s no jolly,” said the red-headed chap.
“We almost feel like we belonged to Ophir,” added Ballard.
The professor had gone on to Gold Hill the day before, and the boys were to meet him in that town, and they were all to proceed northward together.