ink there was gold hidden there, and
you thought me crazy."

"Well--I--I--come in, come in," cried Mr. Parsons. "I must hear that
story from beginning to end. And are you sure he found the nugget?
Wasn't it something else that he found?"

There were five men standing around who had been ordered to go away on
some work or another, but they all quit and came into the cabin to hear
the story. I took the part of spokesman upon myself, for I did not think
that Tom would care to dwell too minutely on his meeting with the Red
Ghost or his getting lost in the mountains, and I do not think I left
out anything. I never saw a lot of men so confounded as they were. To
suppose that a lot of gold had been hidden there in the mountains, which
had come from some place a hundred miles away from there, and that Mr.
Parsons had sent a dozen tender-feet into the hills to find it, was more
than they could understand. When I got through they looked upon Tom with
a trifle more of respect than they did before. They couldn't find words
with which to express their astonishment.

"Now, perhaps, you are willing to talk to me about that bronco," said
Tom. "How much do I owe you for him?"

"Not a red cent," said Mr. Parsons. "Not a single, solitary copper. I
kept him for the sake of such fellows as you are, and now that he has
got through with his business, I say let him rest. I shall never have
any more chances to send him into the mountains with tender-feet. But,
Tom, I owe you more than I can pay you."

"You let up on one debt and I will let up on the other," said Tom, with
a laugh. "If Elam wasn't such a hot-headed fellow, I should be glad of
it. He wants me to take half that nugget, and I don't want to do it."

"Take it and say nothing to nobody," said Mr. Parsons. "You will find
means to make it up. How much will it pan out?"

"Between $5000 and $8000," I answered. "But it is my opinion it will be
nearer $5000. Elam has got that story in his head about the sum of money
that Spaniard put upon it, and he kinder leans to that sum."

"That's a larger amount of money than most of us can make. Now, I hope
that nobody will knock him in the head for it."

That was just what I was afraid of, and I made all haste to get back to
Elam. I went up to Denver with him and Uncle Ezra, and there we sold the
nugget for $6500. The money was all placed in the bank, with the
exception of $2000, $1000 of which he took back to give to Tom. I sold
my stock f