a few evenings later ben and bradley were sitting just outside the cabin as the twilight deepened.

"it doesn't seem as if this was our last night in the old shanty," said jake bradley, taking the pipe from his mouth. "it ain't a palace, but i shall kinder hate to leave it."

"i've got to feel very much at home here myself, jake; still, i should like to get somewhere where it isn't quite so far out of the world."

"there's something in that, ben."

"i haven't heard anything from home for a good many weeks; i wish i knew whether my uncle's family are all well."

"how many is there in the family, ben?"

"there's uncle job and aunt hannah and cousin jennie."

[pg 101]"that's just what i thought," said jake.

"i don't understand you," said ben, puzzled. "what did you think?"

"i thought there was a cousin jennie."

our hero laughed, and, it may be, blushed a little. "what made you think that?"

"there generally is, i notice," said mr. bradley, eagerly. "is cousin jennie pretty?"

"to be sure she is."

"i thought that too, ben."

"what are you driving at, jake?"

"i was sure there was some one besides the old folks that you was anxious about."

"well, you happen to be right," said ben, laughing. "but i must tell you that jennie is only fourteen, and i am only sixteen."

"you'll both of you be older some day, ben. but there's a matter that we must settle before we go."

"what's that?"

"about the gold we have found since we've been here. we must have some arrangement about dividin' it."

[pg 102]"we sha'n't quarrel about that, jake."

"no, there's no danger of that. that'll be easy enough. we'll divide it into two piles, one for you, and the other for me."

"jake, i have no right to half of it. you ought to have two-thirds."

"i'd like to argy that matter, ben. why should i have two-thirds?"

"because you earned it. you understood mining better than i."

"we're equal partners, ben. i stick to that, and i mean to have my way. i've been making a little calculation, and i reckon there's nigh on to a thousand dollars for the two of us."

"as much as that, jake?" said ben, eagerly.

"i reckon there is, though i can't justly tell."

"it doesn't seem possible i can be worth five hundred dollars," said ben, thoughtfully. "we've only been here four weeks. that makes a hundred and twenty-five dollars a week."

"so it does. that's pretty high pay for a boy."

"before i left home," said ben, "there was an[pg 103] old farmer, deacon pitkins, who wanted to hire me for a year. what do you think he offered me?"

"how much?"

"twenty dollars a year and board," answered ben.

"i reckon you did better to come to californy."

"it looks so now. how the old deacon would stare if he knew how i had been prospering at the mines! i wish there was any way of sending part of this money home. i would like to make a present to uncle job."

"when you get to 'frisco you won't have any trouble about sendin' it."

"uncle job thought it was very risky for a boy like me to leave home and seek my fortune in california. i would like to prove to him that i didn't make a mistake."

"it's likely you haven't, ben," said bradley cautiously, "but you ain't out of the woods yet. i hope things will go on as well as they have, and you'll be able to carry a pile home. but we've got to start in good season to-morrow, and we may as well turn in and go to sleep."