Part 17 (1/2)
”You seeht to have happened,” said To as you have, and had seven hundred dollars' worth, I would beas I have, and been in my circus as a matter of course,” answered Elao to theit”
”But you never toldat you so many times,”
answered Tom
”Well, he did; and once he caround,” said Elaed e!” exclai you have there,” continued Elaht ot fooled for once in his life He thought I had a et”
”Did you have a map of any kind with you?”
”Nary a h
”Well, there's one here now, and I should like to have you look at it
The loss of that map made Aleck think he was ruined”
Elam became all attention now, and watched Tom as he took out the piece of buckskin and carefully unfolded it Finally he took out the paper and handed it to Ela pains to smooth it out as he did so
”He said he had to shoot a et it,” said Tom
”What man was it?”
”I don't know He didn't describe hiard to that nugget that he took the paper with a slanced at it before a look of intense earnestness took the place of the smile He laid down his rifle, rested his hands upon his knees, and studied the paper long and earnestly
”Do youout of it?” asked To I want,” declared Ela like this, and have never found it The nugget is ive you half if you will stand by ain,” replied Tom, and to sho very much in earnest he was he offered to shake hands with Elaain All the years of waiting Ela, but it was all he could do to stand it
”There is only one thing I can't see into,” said he, when he had recovered his power of speech, ”and that is where that line begins You don't knohere in the world it is”
”Do you see all these little dots here at the beginning of the line?
Well, those are springs There's a dozen springs break out inside of half an acre, and there's only one place in the country where you can find them”
”How far is it froht line”
”Then ere those ive it up”
”And here's so the piece of buckskin that contained it ”There's forty dollars here”
”I aht them in here, unless they cahty well to find hiet in the first place”
”Well, you had better keep this ot up and threw the skins over his shoulder and picked up his rifle