He had certainly carried them over in the first place, and the
subsequent double transmission over the wire was his own affair.

When Harry and Tom rode over to the mica mine the next morning, and
explained their business and presented their bill, their account was
found to be correct, and the amount of the bill was promptly handed to
them.

When this little business had been transacted, Mr. Martin, the manager
of the mine, invited them to sit down in his office and have a talk.

"This line of yours," said he, "is not going to pay you."

"Why not?" asked Harry, somewhat disturbed in mind by this sudden
statement of what he had already begun to fear was an unpleasant truth.

"It _has_ paid us," said Tom Selden. "Why, we've only been working it
five days, on regular business, and we've cleared--well, we've cleared
considerable."

"That may be," said the manager, smiling, "but you can't have made very
much, for you must have a good many expenses. The principal reason why I
think it won't pay you is that you have to keep up two stations, and you
all live on this side of the creek. I've heard that one of you had a
hard time getting over the creek last week."

"That was Harry," said Tom.

"So I supposed," said Mr. Martin; "and it must have been a pretty
dangerous trip. Now it won't do to do that sort of thing often; and you