Produced by David Garcia, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. [Illustration: POLLY AND ANNE FOLLOWED THE GUIDE. _Polly and Eleanor._ _Frontispiece--(Page 21)_] POLLY AND ELEANOR BY LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY _Author of_ POLLY OF PEBBLY PIT, POLLY IN NEW YORK, POLLY AND HER FRIENDS ABROAD, POLLY'S BUSINESS VENTURE. ILLUSTRATED BY H. S. BARBOUR NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Made in the United States of America COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY GROSSET & DUNLAP CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I ANOTHER TRIP TO TOP NOTCH 1 II THE CLAIM-JUMPERS 22 III AT CHOKO'S FIND 38 IV JOHN AND HIS FRIEND ARRIVE 55 V POLLY AND ELEANOR VISIT THE BEAVERS 81 VI THE GIRLS ENTERTAIN GUESTS 99 VII SEVERAL MOMENTOUS LETTERS 122 VIII POLLY-ELEANOR COMPANY, INC. 143 IX JEB'S SUNDAY NIGHT OFF 162 X A TRIP TO BUFFALO PARK 181 XI A WILD-WEST COUNTY FAIR 195 XII NOLLA'S PLANS DEVELOP 208 XIII RIGGLEY & RATZGER OF NEW YORK 226 XIV THE VICTORY 247 XV COMINGS AND GOINGS 262 XVI POLLY AND ELEANOR START OUT 275 POLLY AND ELEANOR CHAPTER I ANOTHER TRIP TO TOP NOTCH Six intensely interested individuals sat about the supper-table in the living room at Pebbly Pit Ranch-house, the evening of the day they rode to Oak Creek to file the claim on the gold mine. Sary, the maid-of-all-work, had the supper ready for the weary riders when they returned from their trip. Having served the dessert, Sary went out to the barn to help Jeb, the foreman on the ranch, with the horses which had just come in from the long day's work. So the group about the table felt free to talk as they liked. But Polly Brewster and her friend Eleanor Maynard were almost talked out by the time they finished the last bit of Sary's delicious dessert; and Barbara Maynard tried her best to hide a yawn behind her hand, while Anne Stewart, the pretty teacher who was the fourth member in the party that spent a night in the cave, was eager to continue planning for the future of the mine, but Nature demanded rest after the three days' excitement. Finally, Polly turned to her father and said: "I wish we could see John's face when he reads that telegram!" "If we had only dared word it plainly, there sure would be something queer to laugh at when John read it. But we had to cipher it, you know," chuckled Sam Brewster. "I can't see why such foolish fear of talking about it is entertained by all you folks," declared Barbara, loftily.