Ruth Fielding In the Saddle; Or, College Girls in the Land of Gold

by Alice B. Emerson

  CHAPTER XVI--NEW ARRIVALS

  "'The lone horseman riding into the purple dusk,' a la the sensationalnovelist," chuckled Jennie Stone. "Who do you suppose that was, Min?"

  "Dunno," declared the Yucca girl. But it was plain she was somewhatdisturbed by the appearance of the horseman. And so was Flapjack.

  They whispered together over their own fire, and Flapjack warned TomCameron to be sure that his automatic was well oiled and that he kept ithandy during his turn at watching the camp that night.

  Morning came, however, without anything more threatening than the almostcontinuous howling of a coyote.

  Ruth, who wandered about a little by herself the second day atFreezeout, saw Flapjack go over to the ridge where they had seen thelone horseman. He came back, shaking his head.

  "Who was the man, Mr. Peters?" she asked him curiously.

  "Dunno, Miss. He ain't projectin' around here now, that's sure. His ponydone took him away from there on a gallop. But there ain't many singlemen that's honest hoverin' about these parts."

  "What do you mean?" asked the surprised Ruth. "That only married men areto be trusted in Arizona?"

  He grinned at her. "You're some joker, Miss," he replied. Then, seeingthat the girl was genuinely puzzled, he added: "I mean that 'nless aman's got something to be 'fraid of, he usually has a partner in theseregions. 'Tain't healthy to prospect round alone. Something might happento you--rock fall on you, or you git took sick, and then there ain'tnobody to do for you, or for to ride for the doctor."

  "Oh!"

  "Men that's bein' chased by the sheriff, on t'other hand," went onFlapjack, frankly, "sometimes prefers to be alone. You git me?"

  "I understand," admitted the girl of the Red Mill. "But don't let MissCullam hear you say it. She will be determined to start back for therailroad at once, if you do."

  Flapjack promised to say nothing to disturb the rest of the party, andRuth knew she could trust Min's good judgment. But she began to worry inher own mind about who the strange horseman could be, and about hisbusiness near Freezeout Camp. She naturally connected the unknown withthe traces she had seen of recent placer washings and with the campfirethe ashes of which had been warm when her party arrived.

  With these suspicions, those that had centered about Edith Phelps inRuth's mind, began to be connected. She could not explain it. It did notseem possible that the Ardmore sophomore could have any real interest inthe making of this picture of "The Forty-Niners." Yet, why had Edithcome into the Hualapai Range?

  Why Edith had kept Ann Hicks from meeting her friends as soon as theyarrived at Yucca was more easily understood. Edith wished to get aheadof Ruth's party on the trail without her presence in Arizona being knownto the freshman party.

  But why, _why_ had she come? The perplexing question returned to RuthFielding's mind time and again.

  And the man who had met Edith and with whom she had presumably riddenaway from Handy Gulch--who could _he_ be? Had the two come to FreezeoutCamp, and were they lingering about the vicinity now? Was the strangeron horseback revealed against the skyline the evening before, EdithPhelps' comrade?

  "If I take any of the girls into my confidence about this," thoughtRuth, "it will not long be a secret. Perhaps, too, I might frighten themneedlessly. Surely Edith, and whoever she is with, cannot mean us anyreal harm. Better keep still and see what comes of it."

  It bothered her, however. And it coaxed her mind away from the importantmatter of the scenario. However, she was doing pretty well with that andRebecca had several scenes of the first two episodes ready for Mr.Hammond.

  That afternoon, while she was absorbed in sketching out the thirdepisode of her scenario, and Rebecca was beating the typewriter keys inbusy staccato, Helen came running from the far end of the camp and burstinto the sanctum sanctorum in wild disorder.

  "What do you mean?" demanded her chum, almost angry at Helen'sthoughtlessness. "Don't you know that I am supposed to be 'dead to theworld'?"

  "Oh, Ruthie, forgive me! But I had to tell you at once. There's astrange woman about the camp. Miss Cullam and I both saw her."

  "A strange woman!" repeated Ruth. "I'm sure Miss Cullam didn't send youhotfoot to tell me."

  "No-o. But I had to tell you--I just _had_ to," Helen declared. "Don't bemean, Ruthie. Do take an interest in something besides your old moviepicture."

  "Why, I am interested," admitted Ruth. "But who is this strange woman?"

  "Goodness!" exclaimed Helen. "That's just what's the matter. We don'tknow. We didn't see her face. She had a big shawl--or a Navajoblanket--around her."

  "An Indian squaw!" exclaimed Rebecca who could not help hearing. "I'dlike to see one myself."

  "We-ell, maybe she was an Indian squaw," admitted Helen, slowly. "Butwhy did she run from us?"

  "Afraid of you," chuckled Ruth. "I expect to the eyes of the untutoredsavage you and Miss Cullam looked perfectly awful."

  "Now, Ruth!"

  "But why bring your conundrums to me--just when I am busiest, too?"

  "Well, I never! I thought you might be interested," sniffed Helen.

  "I am, dear. But don't you see that your news is so--er--_sketchy?_ Imight be perfectly enthralled about this Indian squaw if I really mether. Capture her and bring her into camp."

  Helen went off rather offended. As it happened, it was Ruth herself whowas destined to learn more about the mysterious woman, as well as thelone horseman. But much happened before that.

  Before the end of the week Mr. Hammond rode into Freezeout with anondescript outfit, including a dozen workmen prepared to put the oldcamp into shape for the making of the great film.

  The old camp became a busy place immediately. Flapjack Peters "came outstrong," as his daughter expressed it, at this juncture. His memory ofold times at these very diggings and at similar mines proved to be keen,and he became a valuable aid to Mr. Hammond.

  Four days later the wagons appeared and the girls got their trunks. Thatvery night there was a "regular party" in one of the old saloons anddancehalls that chanced, even after all these years, to be habitable.

  One of the teamsters had brought his fiddle, and at the prospect of adance, even with the paucity of men, the Ardmore girls were delighted.But, to tell the truth, the "party" was arranged more for the sake ofMin Peters than for aught else.

  "She's got to get used to wearing fit clothes before those movie peoplecome," Ann Hicks said firmly. "You leave it to me, girls. I know how tocoax her on."

  And Ann proved the truth of her statement. Not that Min was not eager tosee herself "all dolled up," as Jennie called it, in one of the two bigmirrors the wagons had brought along for use in the actresses' dressingcabins. But she was fiercely independent, and to suggest that she acceptthe college girls' frocks and furbelows as gifts would have angered her.

  But Ann induced her to "borrow" the things needed, and from the trunksof all were obtained the articles necessary to make Min Peters appear atthe party as well dressed as any girl need be. Nor was she so awkward assome had feared.

  "And pretty was no name for it."

  "See there!" cried Helen, under her breath, to her chum. "The girl iscutting you out, Ruth, with old Tommy-boy. He's asked her to dance."

  Ruth only smiled at this. She had put Tom up to that herself, for shelearned from Ann that the Yucca girl knew how to dance.

  "Of course she can. There is scarcely a girl in the West who doesn'tdance. Goodness, Ruthie! don't you remember how crazy they were fordancing around Silver Ranch, and the fun we had at the schoolhouse danceat The Crossing? Maybe we ain't on to all those new foxtrots and tangos;but we can _dance_."

  So it proved with Min. She flushed deeply when Tom asked her, and shehesitated. Then, seeing the other girls whirling about the floor, twoand two, the temptation to "show 'em" was too much. She accepted Tom'sinvitation and the young fellow admitted afterward that he had dancedwith "a lot worse girls back East."

  Before the evening was over, Min was supremely happy. And perhaps the
effect on her father was quite as important as upon Min herself. For thefirst time in her life he saw his daughter in the garb of girls of herage--saw her as she should be.

  "By mighty!" the man muttered, staring at Min. "I don't git it--notright. Is that sure 'nuff my girl?"

  "You should be proud of her," said Mr. Hammond, who heard the old-timersay this. "She deserves a lot from you, Peters. I understand she's beenyour companion on all your prospecting trips since her mother died."

  "That's right. She's been the old man's best friend. She's skookum. ButI had no idee she'd look like that when she was fussed up same's othergirls. She's been more like a boy to me."

  "Well, she's no boy, you see," Mr. Hammond said dryly.

  Out of the dance, however, Ruth gained her desire. She explained to Minthat she needed just her to make the motion picture complete. And Min,bashfully enough but gratefully, agreed to act the part of the "lookout"in the "palace of pleasure" afterward appearing in a girl's garb in thehotel parlor.

  Ruth was deep in her story now and could give attention to little else.Mr. Grimes and the motion picture company would arrive in a week, and bythat time the several important buildings would be ready and the mainstreet of Freezeout appear as it had been when the placer diggings werein full swing.

  Something happened before the company arrived, however, which was of anastounding nature. Ruth, riding with Helen and Jennie one afternoon eastof the camp, came upon the ridge where the lone horseman had beenobserved. And here, overhanging the gorge, was a place where the quartzledge had been laid bare by pick and shovel.

  "See that rock, girls? Look, how it sparkles!" said Helen. "Suppose itshould be a vein of gold?"

  "Suppose it _is!_" cried Jennie, scrambling off her horse.

  "'Fools' gold,' more likely, girls," Ruth said.

  "What is that?" demanded Jennie.

  "Pyrites. But we might take some samples and show them to Flapjack."

  "Do you suppose that old fellow actually knows gold-bearing quartz whenhe sees it?" asked Helen, in doubt.

  They picked up several pieces of the broken rock, and that evening aftersupper showed Peters and Min their booty. Flapjack actually turned palewhen he saw it.

  "Where'd you git this, Miss?" he asked Ruth.

  "Well, it isn't two miles from here," said the girl of the Red Mill."What do you think of it?"

  "I think this here is a placer diggin's," said Peters, slowly. "But it'ssure that wherever there's placer there must be a rock-vein where thegold washed off, or was ground off, ages and ages ago. D'youunderstand?"

  "Yes!" cried Helen, breathlessly.

  "Oh! suppose we have found gold!" murmured Jennie, quite as excited asHelen.

  "The rock-vein ain't never been found around here," said Flapjack. "Iknow, for I've hunted it myself. Both banks of the crick, up an' down,have been s'arched----"

  "But suppose this was found a good way from the stream?"

  "Mebbe so," said the old prospector. "The crick might ha' shifted itsbed a dozen times since the glacier age. We don't know."

  "But how shall we find out if this rock is any good?" asked Jennie,eagerly.

  "Mr. Hammond's goin' to send a man out to Handy Gulch with mailto-morrow," said the prospector. "He'll send these samples to theassayer there. He'll send back word whether it's good for anything ornot. But I tell you right now, ladies. If I'm any jedge at all, thatore'll assay a hundred an' fifty dollars to the ton--or nothin'."