Maybe Dixon was of a wandering nature and one day announced that he was going up into the mountain back of the gulch, to do a bit of prospecting. He took with him a fair stock of provisions, a pick, and a washing pan, and said he would be back inside of three or four days.
A man from Ohio had drifted into camp, with his wife and daughter. The girl was a likely miss of seventeen, and she readily agreed to play nurse to Mark now that he was on the road to recovery. She also agreed to cook the meals for all hands, for the sum of ten dollars per week—wages that were not considered extra high during those exciting times. She came early in the morning and went away after the supper dishes were put away, and proved a great help to the boys.
"It seems more like home to have a woman around," said Mark. "She is very nice to me, too."
"First thing you know Mark will be falling in love," said Si, with a grin.
"You needn't talk," retorted Bob. "I see you making sheep's eyes at Tillie already."
"Wasn't at all," cried Si, and went off to his work with a very red face. Tillie West was the sort of a farm girl that just suited him. And she liked Si, as everybody could readily see.
Four days came and went and Maybe Dixon did not come back. In the meantime there was great excitement in a neighboring camp. Si brought in the news one night.
"Been some thieves over to Hogan's Flat," he declared. "They cleaned out Hogan's gold, and the gold belonging to a feller named Sanderfield, too."
"Did they get much?" questioned Bob, with interest.
"Dust and nuggets worth about two thousand dollars. They might have got more, only Hogan took some nuggets worth three thousand dollars to Sacramento last week."