see, then," bade the long-nosed man. "Now's your chance."

"Shall I?" queried Charley, of his father, doubtfully, holding the coat.

"Why, yes, if you want to. Perhaps we ought to know."

"Here's the milk," announced Mrs. Adams, hurrying in bearing glass and
steaming pitcher.

Charley, with the long-nosed man peering curiously, and Mr. and Mrs.
Adams looking, as well, fished out the weight from the right-hand coat
pocket. It was a little buckskin sack, round and heavy with its
contents.

"By thunder!" exclaimed the long-nosed man. "Hooray! I suspicioned
it. This fellow's from the Californy gold mines, and that sack's
stuffed with gold dust, as they call it. Open her up and see. Where's
the other one? He's got the mate in t'other pocket, I'll bet you."

"Hold on, Charley. Don't open it," ordered Mr. Adams, as Charley
fumbled with the string tied tightly around the puckered mouth of the
little sack. "It isn't yours."

"Pass it to me and I'll open it," invited the long-nosed man. "Let me
feel. Yes, sirs; that's gold dust, all right; several hundred dollars'
worth."

"We'll not open it, just the same," insisted Mr. Adams, firmly. "Put
the sack back in the pocket, Charley, and hang coat and all away.
Wait, though. Look through the other pockets and see if there are any
letters or such things to tell who he is."

Charley sought. In the other side pocket he felt another buckskin
sack, round and heavy (just as the long-nosed man, who was watching
closely, had predicted), but the inside pockets contained nothing at
all.

The unknown murmured weakly.

"I'd better give him a little hot milk, if he can drink it, hadn't I?"
proffered Mrs. Adams; she poured a few inches into the glass and held
it to his bearded lips. He tried to sip--did sip, greedily, and sank
back.

Charley started off with the coat, to hang it over a chair.

"Here, you!" objected the long-nosed man. "What are you going to do?
Half that coat's mine, remember. I helped fetch him in. Half the
plunder comes to me."

"That's no way to talk, sir," reproved Mr. Adams, sternly. "Would you
rob a helpless stranger? Not in this house, sir!"

"He's not dead. He's only fainted," informed Mrs. Adams, indignant.

"But he gave the stuff away, didn't he?" demanded the long-nosed man.
"Sure he did. Supposing he dies on your hands, you count on getting
all he has, I reckon! But you won't."

"He told me to keep it, anyway, didn't he?" r