"That's
what they do in gold mines. One of us must stay at the bottom and dig
the dirt and fill the pail, and the other pull it up by a rope."
"We'll take turns," said Teddy.
"And I want to help, too!" cried Jan, so the boys agreed to let her,
especially as they had seen that she could dig and toss dirt almost as
well as they could. They found an old pail and part of a clothes-line
for the rope, and the work at the "gold mine," as they called it, went
on more merrily than before.
By this time the hole was really quite deep--so deep that Hal Chester
could not see over the rim when he stood up straight on the bottom,
and only by using the ladder could the children get down and up.
"We ought to find gold pretty soon now," said Hal. as he climbed up to
let Ted take a turn at going down in the hole and digging. Just then
from the camp they heard the sound of the supper bell.
"Come on!" called Ted, not waiting to go down into the big hole. "We
can dig some more after supper and to-morrow. I'm hungry!"
"So'm I," agreed Hal.
Leaving their shovels and the hoe on the pile of dirt, the children
hastened down to the tent where Nora had supper waiting for them, and
it had a most delicious smell. "Where have you children been?" asked
Mrs. Martin.
"Oh, havin' fun," answered Ted.
"Don't forget your 'g,' Curlytop," warned his mother with a laugh.
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