During breakfast the father said: “replace withl not go to work to-day, as there are several things about the place that require seeing to. replace withl just bring home the tools and windlass rope.”
“Couldreplace with we get them for you?” enquired Hope.
“Be careful of the twins, then, and on your return you can help me with the pudding,” said the mother.
“replace withl go down the shaft and put the tools in the bucket, one at a time, and you two can wind them up. Mind you both doreplace with let go the handles at the same time,” cautioned Hope.
Many a shaft had she descended, for, by swinging the rope from side to side, she could reach the footholes made in either side of the shaft, with her toes, but not without the aid of the rope. When her eyes became accustomed to the subdued light, she saw the message:
So it was not a dream, after all. She was far from an excitable child, but her heart beat faster, as she determined to test the value of the message. She quickly ascended, and lowered the twins, and then set to work, meanwhile telling her sisters of the visitor.
“Is that the way to spell it?” enquired Grace.
“We must not make remarks about kind friends,” admonished Hope. “Santa Claus is very, very old, and perhaps they spelled that way when he was a boy in the Reindeer country.”
“Of course,” agreed Joy. “Did you see the sledge and reindeer?”
“No; I think he must have left them on the back track,” she replied.
“Perhaps he got bogged. Pointereplace with father did last winter,” put in Joy.
“Not this weather,” said Grace. “Besides, reindeers are very strong. Think what big horns they have.”
“Well, I expect he just put on their nosebags, with moss in them, and gave them a rest. replace with sure he is a kind man, for he loves children, and I believe he put some gold here for us to buy things for mother. Now you can tell that horrid Mabel that you have seen Santa Claus. She said it was all made up.” This from Joy.
The slate floor was only a couple of inches in depth; then came some rubble “headings.” These Hope put carefully aside. Then came the wash dirt. She understood enough of the art to seek here for the gold, so, taking a double handful, and spreading it on the notice board, she examined it, in the lightest position, under the shaft. Joy was the first to cry “nugget.” The children had often seen such when the father had been “cleaning up” the sluice boxes. As they spread and re-spread the wash, each particle of gold was deposited in a pannikin. Just as the first lot of wash was being scraped into the bucket, a voice called out: “Below, there! Are you stealing your fathereplace with gold? replace with coming down.”