Anne and Barbara went to the store where they could buy candy, while Polly and Eleanor ran to the post office. To their surprised delight, they found Kenneth Evans there. He was reading a telegram and did not see the girls until he had finished.
"Oh--hullo! I never expected to see you here," exclaimed he, seemingly too excited to remember that he had not met them since Sunday.
"I wired mother last Monday--sent it in by Jake, you know. And told her to reply so I could get her answer to-day. The Boss let me off because I finished my work on the old line yesterday. So I came to town myself for the message."
Kenneth acted so elated that Polly and Eleanor wondered what news he had received to make his eyes sparkle like stars and his face to flush in a way that made him positively handsome.
"Isn't it great, though? And just think, if it hadn't been for you girls, I never would have known it!"
"Known what? What have we done that is so great?" asked Eleanor, laughingly.
"What about it?" cried both girls at once, thinking that news of some moment from the engineers had reached Oak Creek before they arrived there.
"Why, the mine--you know, my uncle's mine!"
"Your uncle's!" again the girls gasped in astonishment.
"Of course--didn't Polly tell me all about her old friend Montresor? Here, read my mother's night letter to me." And Kenneth placed the yellow sheet in Eleanor's hand.
She read aloud to anxious Polly: "One branch of family has a Montresor--two generations back the name was used as surname. Brother was christened Peter Miles Montresor Amesbury. Disliked name Montresor, dropped it when young. Every one forgot about it. Am sending letter with photograph of Peter. Show Polly. Wire results. Father may come west. Love, Mother."
"Oh, oh! how wonderful!" cried Polly, catching Kenneth's hands delightedly.
"I'm glad, too, Ken, but I shall have to contest any of your claims to my mine," laughed Eleanor.
"Your father ought to be told about the land-slide. Maybe he is coming west to look over the claim, but he won't be able to see anything," remarked Polly.
"No, I think Dad plans to come west to look at your Cliffs. I told him in my telegram just what they were, and sent on the box of jewels. When he gets them he will try out his invention and if it cuts them properly, then he may come here to see your family."