She turned to Buffalo Bill and he dropped a roll of bills into the basket; Surgeon Powell did the same, and then the employees of the Frying Pan and Devil’s Den followed, after which the miners came forward in a steady stream, while, not to be outdone, the Chinese servants “clubbed in” for the mother of the dead “’Melican man.” “Surgeon Powell, will you please count this contribution and state to the donors just what it amounts to?” asked Bonnie Belle. The Surgeon Scout obeyed, and answered: “Gold-dust valued at five hundred dollars, bills amounting to four hundred and fifty; gold pieces, one hundred and sixty, and silver one hundred and forty, with a score of I. O. U.’s amounting to a hundred dollars.” “I will cash those I. O. U.’s, and that makes a most generous contribution of thirteen hundred and fifty dollars,” said Bonnie Belle. This ceremony over with, the pall-bearers were called, the body was taken up, and the cortège started for Sunset Hill, Bonnie Belle escorted by Surgeon Powell and Buffalo Bill, and the miners following in fours, while the organ led the way with “The Campbells are Coming,” and “John Brown’s Body.” Arriving at the grave the hymn was sung by the quartet, all joining in the original chorus written by the miner-poet, with a will that sent a roar of melody down the valley to rebound from the distant cliffs with many an echo. Then the body was lowered into the grave, while Surgeon Powell took up a shovel and said in his deep, sympathetic voice: “We commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Then as all stood with bowed, uncovered heads, there arose upon the air a voice full of melody and pathos singing: “Nearer my God to Thee.” From beginning to end in her superb, rich tones, Bonnie Belle sang the beautiful hymn, and when the last word was uttered, tears rolled across faces furrowed and brown which had not been thus wet since childhood. Manly hearts heaved convulsively with emotions which overwhelmed them, and many a miner went to his cabin home from Sunset Hill a better man for the burial he had witnessed of poor Shuffles. CHAPTER XVII. A SISTER OF MERCY. Let us now return to the fort, after the departure of Ruth Arden. It has been seen how the coach was held up on the trail, at Deep Dell Brook, and that the road-agent quickly met his punishment at the hands of Ruth, whose shooting was the admiration of Horseshoe Ned, for he told the story over and over again at the station. Buffalo Bill, it has also been seen, followed the trail until convinced that Ruth had gone East, and yet, to make sure, he had gone to Pocket City, where he had saved Deadshot Dean’s cabin from being broken into, and got Tom and Jerry into trouble for their lawless housebreaking.