Part 14 (1/2)
Kelley and his tboys, for he did not know but that Ela about this country,” said Torub-staked oldgold here as you would in New Orleans,” said Elam, as soon as his old here is o Didn't he tell you about that?”
”Yes, he toldafter it I old ain, I don't want to follow such a man as went beforeon Parsons' place?”
”Yes He was an elderly man, who seemed to take more interest in me than anybody else He told et was because he didn't dig in the right place”
”Haw-ha!” laughed Elaht place was because the nugget couldn't be thrown out with two or three spadefuls of earth,”
continued To after hi-place there were two shovelfuls of dirt flung out If a hen had been scratching for that nugget, she would have ht track, anyhow,” said Elam ”If he had kept on till he caiven me a job, for I would a heap sooner find it in the dirt than take it out of a et----”
”Yes, sir, I would,” said Ela to have it, I don't care who unearths it Do you suppose you could find your way back to that pocket?”
”No, sir; I couldn't,” said To breath of dismay ”In the first place, there's the Red Ghost If you had seen it----”
”Haven't I seen it?” deot the marks of soood many bullets, and I don't see why some of them did not hit it in the proper place What do you suppose it is, anyway?”
”Why, it's a ghost, I tell you If it wasn't, some of those bullets would have struck it in the proper spot, I bet you”
”If it's a ghost, you can't kill it”
”Can't, hey? I'll bet you that I can”
”It looked to me just like a calared at him every time he struck on this subject
”A can countries to carry heavy burdens for them But, Elam, how came it to appear to you? It don't show itself to anybody else who hunts in these mountains, does it?”
”Certainly it does The history of this nugget is known all over the country, and if any man has it on his mind, he may be a hundred miles from here, but that makes no difference; it appears to that fellow and scares hiht Elaood deal as Uncle Ezra did, beginning with the arrison at Grayson, and ending with the fight between the two get had been ever since it was unearthed At any rate, he told a pretty straight story, and when it was ended filled up his pipe and looked at Toht about it
CHAPTER XI
UNWELCOME VISITORS
”I did think for a tiether, and even gave it out aroould listen topulls at his pipe ”But I have since given that idea up I didn't say anything to the men hereabouts, for it kinder ran in ht I was luny on the subject; so I just kept one through soof h or low, I never heared a word about him The old man is dead He was killed when the robbers et has been doing all this of itself”
”All what of itself?” asked To down,” replied Elaet on the track of it it has gone up, nobody knohere”