Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) TWO WYOMING GIRLS And Their Homestead Claim A Story for Girls BY MRS. CARRIE L. MARSHALL Author of "The Girl Ranchers," Etc. ILLUSTRATED BY IDA WAUGH THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY PHILADELPHIA MDCCCXCIX COPYRIGHT 1899 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY [Illustration: THE FLAMES REACHED TOWARD ME GREEDILY (Page 63)] CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I I GO ON AN ERRAND 7 II THE WILL OF THE WATERS 23 III AT THE MOUTH OF THE SHAFT 37 IV A PLOT FOILED 44 V AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE 57 VI A VISIT FROM MRS. HORTON 68 VII SURMISES 77 VIII "BEST LAID PLANS" 92 IX AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 108 X RALPH AND I GO BLACKBERRYING 118 XI THE CATTLE BRAND 130 XII ON THE TRAIL OF A WILDCAT 145 XIII JOE DISAPPEARS 158 XIV AT THE STORAGE RESERVOIR 172 XV CHASED BY WOLVES 183 XVI A SLEEPLESS NIGHT 194 XVII A QUEER BANK 207 XVIII A VITAL POINT 227 XIX MR. HORTON MAKES US A VISIT 240 XX GUARD MAKES A MISTAKE 253 XXI A FRIEND IN NEED 261 XXII AN OPEN WINDOW 273 XXIII ALONE ON THE CLAIM 284 XXIV HUNTING FOR GUARD 294 XXV GUARD'S PRISONER 304 XXVI MR. HORTON CAPITULATES 316 TWO WYOMING GIRLS CHAPTER I I GO ON AN ERRAND A fierce gust of wind and rain struck the windows, and Jessie, on her way to the breakfast table, dish in hand, paused to listen. "Raining again!" she exclaimed, setting the dish down emphatically. "It seems to me that it has rained every day this spring. When it hasn't poured here in the valley, it has more than made up for it in the mountains." "You are more than half right," father said, drawing his chair up to the table. "Is breakfast ready, dear? I am going to work in the mines to-day, and I'm in something of a hurry." "Going to work in the mines!" Jessie echoed the words, as, I am sure, I did also. I was sitting in the corner dressing little Ralph, or, to be strictly accurate, trying to dress him. No three year-old that ever lived could be more exasperating than he sometimes was during that ordeal or could show a more pronounced distaste for the bondage of civilized garments.