hnny's
pocket.

"When I found myself without a cent, I _was_ mad, I reckon. It warn't
the first time, nor the hundredth, that I had lost money. Many bigger
sums than that--ay, hundreds and thousands of dollars had I played
away--but they had none of them cost me the hundredth or thousandth part
of the trouble to get that these twenty dollars fifty had; two full
months had I been slavin' away in the woods and prairies to airn them,
and I caught the fever there. The fever I had still, but no money to
cure it with. Johnny only larfed in my face, and rattled my dollars. I
made a hit at him, which, if he hadn't jumped on one side, would have
cured him of larfin' for a week or two.

"Presently, however, he came sneakin' up to me, and winkin' and
whisperin'; and, 'Bob!' says he, 'is it come to that with you? are you
grown so chicken-hearted that you don't see the beltful of money round
his body?' said he, lookin' at it. 'No end of hard coin, I guess; and
all to be had for little more than half an ounce of lead.'"

"Did he say that?" asked the judge.

"Ay, that did he, but I wouldn't listen to him. I was mad with him for
winning my twenty dollars; and I told him that, if he wanted the
stranger's purse, he might take it himself, and be d----d; that I
wasn't goin' to pull the hot chestnuts out of the fire for him. And I
got on my horse, and rode away like mad.

"My head spun round like a mill. I couldn't get over my loss. I took the
twenty dollars fifty more to heart than any money I had ever gambled. I
didn't know where to go. I didn't dare go back to you, for I knew you'd
scold me."

"I shouldn't have scolded you, Bob; or, if I had, it would only have
been for your good. I should have summoned Johnny before me, called
together a jury of twelve of the neighbours, got you back your twenty
dollars fifty, and sent Johnny out of the country; or, better still, out
of the world."

These words were spoken with much phlegm, but yet with a degree of
feeling and sympathy, which greatly improved my opinion of the worthy
judge. Bob also seemed touched. He drew a deep sigh, and gazed at the
Alcalde with a melancholy look.

"It's too late," muttered he; "too late, squire."

"Perhaps not," replied the judge, "but let's hear the rest."

"Well," continued Bob, "I kept riding on at random, and when evenin'
came I found myself near the palmetta field on the bank of the Jacinto.
As I was ridin' past it, I heard all at once the tramp of