is friends, the poor German's
spirits sank; and while he was in this state, he was prevented from
rallying by a severe attack of dysentery which ended in his death.

"I trust that he was not pressed by poverty at the last," said Frank.

"He would have been," replied the Yankee, "if he had been allowed to
have 'is own way; for, being unable to work, of course he ran out o'
gold-dust, and nothing would persuade him to touch the nugget you left
in my charge. I hit upon a plan, however, which answered very well. I
supplied him all through his illness with everything that he required to
make him as comfortable as could be, poor fellow, tellin' him it was
paid for in full by a friend of his, whose name I couldn't and wouldn't
mention. `Jeffson,' says he, startin' up like a livin' skeleton, and
lookin' at me so serious with his hollow eyes; `Jeffson, if it bees
_you_ dat give me de tings, I vill not have dem. I vill die first. You
is poor, an' ve cannot expect you keep all de dyin' miners vor noting.'

"`Well,' says I, `I won't go for to say I'm over rich, for times _air_
raither hard just now; but it ain't _me_ as is the friend. I assure you
I'm paid for it in full, so you make your mind easy.'

"With that he lay down an' gave a long sigh. He was exhausted, and
seemed to have dismissed the subject from his mind, for he never spoke
of it again."

"I rather suspect," said Frank, "that you did not tell him the exact
truth."

"I guess I did," replied the Yankee.

"Who, then, was the friend?"

"Yourself," said Jeffson, with a peculiar smile. "I intend to keep
payment of it all off your nugget, for you see it _is_ a fact that we
ain't in very flourishing circumstances at present; and I knew you would
thank me for not deserting your friend in his distress."

"You did quite right," said Frank earnestly; "and I thank you with all
my heart for your kindness to poor Meyer, as well as your correct
estimate of me."

Frank did not forget that his own resources were at a low ebb just then,
and that he had been counting on the nugget for the payment of his
expenses to the coast, and his passage to England, but he made no
mention of the fact. His comrade, Joe Graddy, however, could not so
easily swallow his disappointment in silence.

"Well," said he, turning his quid from one cheek to the other--for Joe
was guilty of the bad habit of chewing tobacco,--"well, it's not for the
likes o' me to put my opinion contrairy to yo