"Sam, Ah reckon it is the same!"
"The ledge, the canyon, the trails _and_ the river!" added Mr.
Brewster, convincingly.
"You-all just wait here till Ah get my papers from the Bank vault!"
excitedly cried the lawyer, snatching his cap and running out of the
office.
"Simms keeps his valuable papers in the masoned safe at the bank, you
know. If the town burns down during a miners' celebration some night,
his papers will be safe, anyway," explained Mr. Brewster.
The lawyer soon returned with a package held closely under his arm. He
sat down and opened the papers before his visitors.
"Here's th' rough plan of the claim and here's Montresor's letter that
was found after he was buried--you know, Sam."
"What letter is that, Father?" wondered Polly.
"We never told you about it, as it wouldn't have helped any one then,
but now you shall read it."
"Where was it found?"
"In the pocket of an old hunting coat when we tried to find some clew
to his family and home address. But the top of the letter had been torn
away so we never knew for whom it was meant."
Polly took the closely written sheet and read the letter penned by her
old friend on the mountains.
"At last I can say to you all, that my education was not wasted as you
claimed. I have made good! I am a rich, rich man, as I write these
words. I have discovered a gold mine that will prove to be worth
millions. I refrained from writing as you had requested, until I had
_good_ news.
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