Jimmy, Lucy, and All | Page 7

are so queer up here that you
can believe almost anything."
"Really it is a lake. It's all right in the winter, and swells tremendously
then; but this is a dry year, you know, and it's all dried up." Kyzie
forgave the lake for drying up, but pitied the fishes. Edith thought
Castle Cliff was "a funny place anyway."
"What little bits of houses! Did they dry up too?"
"Oh, those are just the cabins and bunk-houses that were built for the
miners, ever so long ago when the mine was going. Fixed up into
cottages now for summer boarders. Do you want to see the mine?"
They went around behind the shaft-house and beyond the old saw-mill.
"O my senses!" cried Edith, "is that the old gold mine, that monstrous
great thing? Isn't it horrid?"
They all agreed that it was "perfectly awful and dreadful," and that it
made you shudder to look into it; and that they were glad baby Eddo
was safely out of the way. The mine was a deep, irregular chasm, full
of dirty water and rocks. It had a hungry, cruel look; you could almost
fancy it was waiting in wicked glee to swallow up thoughtless little
children.
"It doesn't seem as if anybody could ever have dug for gold in that
horrid ditch," exclaimed Kyzie.

"You'd better believe they did, though," said the young guide. "They
used to get it out in nuggets, cart-loads of it."
He was not quite sure of the nuggets, but liked the sound of the word.
"Yes, cart-loads of it. I tell you 'twas the richest mine in the whole
Cuyamaca Mountains."
"Too bad the gold gave out," said Kyzie, gazing regretfully into the
watery depths.
"But it didn't give out! Why, there's gold enough left down there to buy
up the whole United States! They lost the vein, that's all"
"The vein? What's a vein?" asked Edith.
"Well, you see," replied the guide, "gold goes along underground in
streaks; they call it veins. The miners had to stop digging here because
they lost track of the streak. But they'll find it again."
"How do you know?" asked Jimmy-boy, who thought Nate was putting
on too many airs.
"Because Mr. Templeton said so. They've sent for Colonel Somebody
from I--forget where. He's a splendid mining engineer, great for finding
lost veins. He'll be here next week and bring a lot of men."
"Whoop-ee!" cried Jimmy, "he'll find the vein and things, and we'll be
having gold as plenty as blackberries!"
"Just what I was talking about yesterday when you laughed," broke in
Lucy. "I said I'd go down in a bucket; don't you know I did?"
Edith was gazing spellbound at the yawning chasm.
"Look at those rickety steps! The men will get killed! 'Twill all cave
in!"
"No danger," said Nate, "there are walls down there, stone walls, papa

says, that keep it all safe."
He meant "galleries," but had forgotten the word.
"Well, I don't care if there are five hundred stone walls, I guess the men
could drown all the same!" said Edith. "That water ought to be let out,
Nate Pollard! If the colonel is coming next week why don't they let out
the water this very day and give the place a chance to dry off."
She spoke in a tone of the gravest anxiety, as if she understood the
matter perfectly, and felt the whole care of the mine. Indeed, the mine
had become suddenly very interesting to all the children. It certainly
looked like a rough, wild, frightful hole; nothing more than a hole; but
if there were gold down there in "nuggets," why, that was quite another
matter; it became at once an enchanted hole; it was as delightful as a
fairy story.
"I hope it's true that they've sent for that colonel," said Kyzie.
"Of course it's true," replied Nate, who did not like to have his word
doubted.
"I s'pose there are buckets 'round here. Oh, aren't you glad we came to
Castle Cliff?" said Lucy, pirouetting around Jimmy.
"Bab will be glad, too," she thought. For Lucy never could look
forward to any pleasure without wishing her darling "niece" to share it
with her.
"Well, I guess we've seen everything there is to see," remarked Nate,
who had now told all he knew and was ready to go.
While they still wandered about, talking of "tailings" and "nuggets,"
they were startled by the peal of a bell.
"Twelve o'clock! Two minutes ahead of time though," said Nate, taking
from his pocket a handsome gold watch which Jimmy had always
admired.

"What bell is that? Where is it?" they all asked. "And what is it ringing
for?"
"It's on top of the schoolhouse and it's ringing for noon. 'Twill ring
again