the stuff right
over the counter.

"'How's that?' says my friend, when we got outside.

"'All right,' says I. 'And here's my plunder.' I let him heft the
bag.

"'Heavy truck, ain't it?' he said. 'But we can always stand the
weight, can't we?' He picked out one of them glitterin' Chinese
works of art and regarded it real lovin'. 'Yes,' says he, 'it's
sure nice stuff. Hurry along and we'll close the dicker.'

"Up-stairs the old gent had the money ready for me to count.

"'Correct?' says he.

"'Ya-a-as,' says I.

"'Well, I'll put 'em in a neat bundle for you,' says he. When that
was done I handed my precious gold over.

"'Now, come here and have one last drink of satisfaction,' says my
friend. I turned to the table and imbibed my last tonic at his
expense.

"'Here you are, sir,' says the little old man, handin' me my
package. 'And much obliged to you; only remember this: Secret
Service men is all about; don't open her till you get safely in
your room--mind that, now! Good-day.'

"Down the steps I goes, ker-thump, ker-thump. But when I reached
the street I begun to wonder to myself if I hadn't better just see
what those fellers would do next--no harm in ketchin' on to as many
city ways as possible--so I hid under the stoop till they come out,
glancin' sharp this way and that, but missin' Ezekiel George
Washington.

"Up the street they skips; me after 'em, soon's I could, safe.
Round the corner they goes. Me, too. And then they sasshays into
a joolry shop. Here I thought I'd stay outside.

"My friend, after some talk, passes a big nugget over the counter.
The joolryman he bores into it with a file and hands it back. You
never see a face more contemshus than his'n. Then some kind of
argyment broke out, arms a-wavin'; windin' up by the joolryman
raspin' pretty near every nugget in the heap. Each pass his face
got more contemshus yet. Finally he swept the whole business back
in the bag, throws it at 'em and intimates they can leave at any
time.

"They left. I never heard such language in my life! It ortn't be
allowed in a large city. Why, that friend of mine, he heaved the
bag of nuggets in the gutter and he raised up his hands, and just
as sure as I sit here tellin' you about it, friends and brothers,
he made a Fourth-of-July speech five minutes long, and never
repeated himself once! I wouldn't go near him, feelin' in his
excited state of mind it might lead to trouble. The little old