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Jack stooped to pick it up. His fingers closed over a sizeable green stone. He stared in amazement.

“Look at this!” he exclaimed. “An emerald!”

The others studied the gem which he held up.

“A chunk of green glass,” insisted Willie.

“No, Willie,” Mr. Livingston corrected him.

“You mean it’s a real emerald?”

“Yes, Willie,” the Scout leader soberly confirmed. “This letter and the gem are from an old friend of mine. Give me a moment to scan his message, and I’ll tell you what it’s all about.”

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Their curiosity whetted by sight of the green stone, the Scouts eagerly waited as Mr. Livingston skimmed through the letter.

“Just as I thought,” he remarked when he had finished reading. “This is from Appleby Corning, an old college classmate, now an engineer in Colombia. The emerald is a sample from the Last Chance mine.”

“Quite a sample!” Jack commented. “Is the mine in Colombia?”

“Yes, not too far from Bogota. Appleby believes that the Last Chance can be made to produce handsomely for her American lessees. But he seems to have run into difficulties. He writes that a former manager, McClellan Rhodes, has caused him trouble. He needs help.”