to work hard, and to put by half he makes, he's sure to do well, and
he may get rich. Why, I knew a man that landed in California the
same day that I did, went up to the mines, struck a vein, and--well,
how much do you think that man is worth to-day?"

"A thousand dollars?" suggested Dan Tompkins.

"Why, I'm worth more than that myself, and I wasn't lucky, and had
the rheumatism for four months. You'll have to go higher."

"Two thousand?" guessed Sam Stone.

"We don't make much account of two thousand dollars in the mines,
Sam," said Seth.

"It's of some account here," said Sam. "I've been workin' ten years,
and I ain't saved up a third of it."

"I don't doubt it," said Seth; "and it ain't your fault, either.
Money's scarce round here, and farmin' don't pay. You know what I
was workin' at before I went out--in a shoe shop. I just about made
a poor livin', and that was all. I didn't have money enough to pay
my passage out, but I managed to borrow it. Well, it's paid now, and
I've got something left."

"You haven't told us yet how much the man made that you was talkin'
about," said Tom Sutter. "It couldn't be five thousand dollars, now,
could it?"

"I should say it could," said Seth.