he
received a short note from Uncle Jim; it was couched in his usual
sanguine but brief and business-like style. He was very sorry, but
important and profitable business took him out of town, but he trusted
to return soon and welcome his old partner. He was also, for the first
time, jocose, and hoped that Uncle Billy would not "see all the sights"
before he, Uncle Jim, returned. Disappointing as this procrastination
was to Uncle Billy, a gleam of hope irradiated it: the letter had
bridged over that gulf which seemed to yawn between them at the
post-office. His old partner had accepted his visit to San Francisco
without question, and had alluded to a renewal of their old intimacy.
For Uncle Billy, with all his trustful simplicity, had been tortured by
two harrowing doubts: one, whether Uncle Jim in his new-fledged
smartness as a "city" man--such as he saw in the streets--would care
for his rough companionship; the other, whether he, Uncle Billy, ought
not to tell him at once of his changed fortune. But, like all weak,
unreasoning men, he clung desperately to a detail--he could not forego
his old idea of astounding Uncle Jim by giving him his share of the
"strike" as his first intimation of it, and he doubted, with more
reason perhaps, if Jim would see him after he had heard of his good
fortune. For Uncle Billy had still a frightened recollection of Uncle
Jim's sudden stroke for independence, and that rigid punctiliousness
which had made him doggedly accept the responsibility of his
extravagant stake at euchre.

With a view of educating himself for Uncle Jim's company, he "saw the
sights" of San Francisco--as an over-grown and somewhat stupid child
might have seen them--with great curiosity, but little contamination or
corruption. But I think he was chiefly pleased with watching the
arrival of the Sacramento and Stockton steamers at the wharves, in the
hope of discovering his old partner among the passengers on the
gang-plank. Here, with his old superstitious tendency and gambler's
instinct, he would augur great success in his search that day if any
one of the passengers bore the least resemblance to Uncle Jim, if a man
or woman stepped off first, or if he met a single person's questioning
eye. Indeed, this got to be the real occupation of the day, which he
would on no account have omitted, and to a certain extent revived each
day in his mind the morning's work of their old partnership. He would
say to himself