Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, K. Nordquist, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) [Illustration: THE MAN WAS UPON HIS FEET, NOW, BENDING TOWARDS HER WITH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED. Drawing by Monahan.] The Gold Girl By James B. Hendryx Author of "The Promise," "The Gun-Brand," "The Texan," etc. G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London The Knickerbocker Press 1920 COPYRIGHT, 1920 BY JAMES B. HENDRYX * * * * * CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I.--A HORSEMAN OF THE HILLS 1 II.--AT THE WATTS RANCH 10 III.--PATTY GOES TO TOWN 30 IV.--MONK BETHUNE 47 V.--SHEEP CAMP 65 VI.--BETHUNE PAYS A CALL 81 VII.--IN THE CABIN 98 VIII.--PROSPECTING 111 IX.--PATTY TAKES PRECAUTIONS 129 X.--THE BISHOP OF ALL OUTDOORS 146 XI.--LORD CLENDENNING GETS A DUCKING 162 XII.--BETHUNE TRIES AGAIN 180 XIII.--PATTY DRAWS A MAP 198 XIV.--THE SAMUELSONS 219 XV.--THE HORSE RAID 239 XVI.--PATTY FINDS A GLOVE 263 XVII.--UNMASKED 288 XVIII.--PATTY MAKES HER STRIKE 308 XIX.--THE RACE FOR THE REGISTER 327 * * * * * The Gold Girl CHAPTER I A HORSEMAN OF THE HILLS Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her. The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide. In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation. Her horse lowered his head and snipped at the bunch grass. Stiffly the girl dismounted. She had been in the saddle since early noon with only two short intervals of rest when she had stopped to drink and to bathe her fare in the deliciously cold waters of mountain streams--and now the trail had melted into the hills, and the broad shadows of mountains were lengthening. Every muscle of her body ached at the unaccustomed strain, and she was very hungry. She envied her horse his enjoyment of the bunch grass which he munched with much tongueing of the bit and impatient shaking of the head. With bridle reins gripped tightly she leaned wearily against the saddle.