be done fur yer. Good-mornin', marm."

Toledo raided his hat again, the other committee-men bowed profoundly to
all the windows and seats, and then the whole retired, leaving Miss
Brown in the wondering possession of an entirely new experience.

"Well?" inquired the crowd, as the committee approached the creek.

"Well," replied Toledo, "she's just a hundred an' thirty pound nugget,
an' no mistake--hey, fellers?"

"You bet," promptly responded the remainder of the committee.

"Good!" said the judge. "What does she want?"

Toledo's countenance fell.

"By thunder!" he replied, "we got out 'fore she had a chance to tell
us!"

The judge stared sharply upon the young man, and hurriedly turned to
hide a merry twitching of his lips.

That afternoon the boys were considerably astonished and scared at
seeing the schoolmistress walking quickly toward the creek. The
chairman of the new committee was fully equal to the occasion. Mounting
a rock, he roared:

"You fellers without no sherts on, git. You with shoes off, put 'em on.
Take your pants out uv yer boots. Hats off when the lady comes. Hurry
up, now--no foolin'."

The shirtless ones took a lively double-quick toward some friendly
bushes, the boys rolled down their sleeves and pantaloons, and one or
two took the extra precaution to wash the mud off their boots.

Meanwhile Miss Brown approached, and Toledo stepped forward.

"Anything wrong up at the schoolhouse?" said he.

"Oh, no," replied Miss Brown, "but I have always had a great curiosity
to see how gold was obtained. It seems as if it must be very easy to
handle those little pans. Don't you--don't you suppose some miner would
lend me his pan and let me try just _once?_"

"Certingly, marm; ev'ry galoot ov'em would be glad of the chance. Here,
you fellers--who's got the cleanest pan?"

Half a dozen men washed out their pans, and hurried off with them.
Toledo selected one, put in dirt and water, and handed it to Miss Brown.

"Thar you are, marm, but I'm afeared you'll wet your dress."

"Oh, that won't harm," cried Miss Brown, with a laugh which caused one
enthusiastic miner to "cut the pigeon-wing."

She got the miner's touch to a nicety, and in a moment had a spray of
dirty water flying from the edge of the pan, while all the boys stood in
a respectful semicircle, and stared delightedly. The pan empty, Toledo
refilled it several times; and, finally, picking out some pebbles and
hard pieces of earth, poin