"No, indeed, child! Aren't you cured with what happened this time?"
"'Lightning never strikes in the same place twice,' Mrs. Brewster," said Eleanor, hopefully.
"And you know, Maw, such a terrible slide has not occurred here-abouts in twenty years," quickly added Polly, dropping back into her ranch vernacular in her anxiety. "It may be another twenty years before such another slide happens."
"And we can get all the gold out of the cave that we need in a short time," Barbara reminded them.
This made the men laugh, as the girl's words showed how little she really understood the situation up on the peak.
"Well, we can talk things over better when the boys are present to advise us. Meantime, you-all ride home and rest up. Ah'll bring the boys along about night-fall," said Mr. Brewster.
The inhabitants of Oak Creek had felt the trembling of the ground caused by the huge land-slide on Grizzly, and knowing that so many of their prominent citizens were there at the time, they were grouped about the public house anxiously talking over the chances for escape that might be had on the mountain-top.
At first sight of the returned men, a wild welcome rang out, not only from the families who feared their men-folks might never return, but also from the citizens who were genuinely glad to see Bill and his possé, and Simms and his boy, safely back.
After having had his hand shaken as if it were a pump-handle, Sam Brewster continued on to the station to await the train from Denver. As he sat on the edge of the horse-trough thinking over the recent thrilling experiences, he suddenly realized that if Polly had lost her mine again, she might also lose her desire to go away to school in the Fall. This seemed a happy thought, for he sat beaming at the old box-car until the whistle announced the over-due local.
Two handsome young men jumped from the rear platform the moment the train slowed down, and soon Mr. Brewster had one of them by both hands giving him a hearty welcome.