E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 27522-h.htm or 27522-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/7/5/2/27522/27522-h/27522-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/7/5/2/27522/27522-h.zip) VIRGINIA OF ELK CREEK VALLEY by MARY ELLEN CHASE Author of "The Girl from the Big Horn Country," etc. [Illustration: "DONALD PULLED IN MACDUFF, AND YELLED TO CARVER TO JUMP"] A. L. Burt Company Publishers New York Published by arrangement with The Page Company Printed in U. S. A. Copyright, 1917 by The Page Company All rights reserved Made in U. S. A. TO MY MOTHER A REAL ONE CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. The Joy of Anticipation 1 II. The Arrival 11 III. The Getting-Acquainted Trip 23 IV. The Bear Canyon Bear 33 V. Jean Macdonald--Homesteader 49 VI. Miss Green Again 68 VII. The Vigilantes Homestead 88 VIII. Aunt Deborah Hunter--Pioneer 109 IX. Mr. Crusoe of Cripple Creek 126 X. A Letter from Dorothy 146 XI. "Ever Vigilant" 161 XII. The Roman Emperor 180 XIII. On the Mesa 198 XIV. The New School-teacher in Bear Canyon 202 XV. Mr. Benjamin Jarvis Entertains 216 XVI. The Cinnamon Creek Forest Ranger 237 XVII. The Winthrop Coat-of-Arms 251 XVIII. A Good Sport 262 XIX. Carver Standish III Fits In 277 XX. Comrades 286 VIRGINIA OF ELK CREEK VALLEY CHAPTER I THE JOY OF ANTICIPATION