HE SNATCHED UP A BURNING BRAND AND SENT IT WHIZZINGTHROUGH THE AIR
Frank Allen at Gold Fork Frontispiece (Page 121)
FRANK ALLEN AT
GOLD FORK
OR
Locating the Lost Claim
BY
GRAHAM B. FORBES
Author of "Frank Allen and his Motor Boat,"
"Frank Allen at Rockspur Ranch," etc.
GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
GARDEN CITY PUBLISHING CO., INC.
1926
THE FAMOUS FRANK ALLEN SERIES
BY GRAHAM B. FORBES
See back of book for list of titles
COPYRIGHT, 1926, BY
GARDEN CITY PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.
Frank Allen at Gold Fork
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
FRANK ALLEN AT GOLD FORK
CHAPTER I
AT THE HORSE CORRAL GATE
"There he is again, Frank! The same queer chap we saw before!"
"That's a dead certainty, Lanky. But lower your voice a bit or he mighttake the alarm and vamoose."
"I sure wonder what he's prowling around Rockspur ranch-house for, andon a moonlight night, at that. But, Frank, it isn't our old enemy, NashYesson, is it?" cried Lanky Wallace explosively.
"No. And I'm just as sure it isn't Lef Seller," came from Frank Allen,referring to the bully of Columbia, Frank's home town.
The scene was the living room of Rockspur Ranch in the far West, whereso many exciting things had already happened to Frank Allen and hischums, Lanky Wallace—whose folks owned the ranch—and[Pg 2] Paul Bird. Paulwas slumbering peacefully, totally unaware of what was taking placeoutside.
"There! You can see him plainer now, Frank!" went on Lanky. "Heseems to be a runt of a man, with a big head and bushy hair. An uglycustomer, I'd say. Do you reckon he's mixed up with the Yesson crowd?"
"Looks that way to me. See him wriggling along now, like a snake in thegrass. He's up to some mischief, all right."
"He's wearing a cowboy hat, you can see now, Frank; must belong overwith that tough gang at the Double Z Ranch."
"Whatever his game is, he'd better watch his eye or he'll find LigeSmith and his punchers hustling after him. Right now they're all radiohounds, and bunched inside the bunk-house, listening to jazz dancemusic."
"Say, I wonder, Frank!"
"What's struck you now, Lanky? Don't move, for that fellow's staringstraight at this window! Gee, I'm glad our fire's died down! There!he's moving off again. What were you wondering about?"
Lanky Wallace snickered, as though amused by his thoughts.
"Why, don't you see, Frank? he's trying to find some way of gettinghold of the map we grabbed,[Pg 3] along with the gold nuggets when wewatched Nash Yesson and Lef Seller dig up that rusty iron chest in theunderground cellar."
Frank Allen considered the suggestion seriously, waiting a full minutebefore replying.
"Sounds reasonable, I must admit," he finally agreed. "We know thatit was the crude map Josh Kinney left hidde