HE had
never abandoned that belief, whatever the others had done. He dwelt
somewhat indignantly to himself on this circumstance, and half
unconsciously faced defiantly towards the plain below. But it was
sleeping peacefully in the full sight of the moon, without life or
motion. He looked at the stars; it was still far from midnight. His
companions had no doubt long since returned to the cabin to prepare for
their midnight journey. They were discussing him, perhaps laughing at
him, or worse, pitying him and his bargain. Yet here was his bargain! A
slight laugh he gave vent to here startled him a little, it sounded
so hard and so unmirthful, and so unlike, as he oddly fancied, what he
really THOUGHT. But WHAT did he think?
Nothing mean or revengeful; no, they never would say THAT. When he had
taken out all the surface gold and put the mine in working order, he
would send them each a draft for a thousand dollars. Of course, if they
were ever ill or poor he would do more. One of the first, the very first
things he should do would be to send them each a handsome gun and tell
them that he only asked in return the old-fashioned rifle that once was
his.
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