I. Tom’s choice
II. Finding friends
III. On the plains
IV. Leaping horse
V. In danger
VI. United
VII. Chased
VIII. In safety
IX. A bad time
X. An avalanche
XI. Winter
XII. The snow fort
XIII. A fresh start
XIV. An Indian attack
XV. The Colorado
XVI. Afloat in canoes
XVII. The grand canon
XVIII. Back to Denver
XIX. A fortune
ILLUSTRATIONS
Hunting Dog Saves Jerry From The Rapids
Carry Reads Uncle Harry’s Letter
Jerry Gives Tom A Lesson In Shooting
Leaping Horse Mounted, And Rode Across The Stream
A Moment Later The Indian Fell Forward On His Face
“There Is Another Avalanche, Keep Your Backs
To The Wall, Boys”
They Went Out To Look At The Indian The Chief Had
Shot
“No Good Fight Here,” Said Leaping Horse.
TOM’S CHOICE
“I can be of no use here, Carry. What am
I good for? Why, I could not earn money enough
to pay for my own food, even if we knew anyone who
would help me to get a clerkship. I am too young
for it yet. I would rather go before the mast
than take a place in a shop. I am too young even
to enlist. I know just about as much as other
boys at school, and I certainly have no talent anyway,
as far as I can see at present. I can sail a
boat, and I won the swimming prize a month ago, and
the sergeant who gives us lessons in single-stick
and boxing says that he considers me his best pupil
with the gloves, but all these things put together
would not bring me in sixpence a week. I don’t
want to go away, and nothing would induce me to do
so if I could be of the slightest use to you here.
But can I be of any use? What is there for me
to look forward to if I stay? I am sure that
you would be always worrying over me if I did get
some sort of situation that you would know father and
mother would not have liked to see me in, and would
seem to offer no chance for the future, whereas if
I went out there it would not matter what I did, and
anything I earned I could send home to you.”
The speaker was a lad of sixteen. He and his
sister, who was two years his senior, were both dressed
in deep mourning, and were sitting on a bench near
Southsea Castle looking across to Spithead, and the
Isle of Wight stretching away behind. They had
three days before followed their mother to the grave,
and laid her beside their father, a lieutenant of
the navy, who had died two years before. This
was the first time they had left the house, where
remained their four sisters—Janet, who came
between Carry and Tom; Blanche, who was fourteen; Lucie,
twelve; and Harriet, eight. Tom had proposed
the walk.
