41 Lure O Gold 1904

"
The Lure o
Gold
Take all
you can carry. I guess by
to-morrow the
Captain will order the lot of it
piled into the furnaces."
It was a strange sight,
and one I had never thought
to see aboard ship, this gathering up
to make steam.
of loose lumber
But each man took his load and car
ried it forward into the fire-room. In the light
of the
engine-room door I saw in the arms of one of the men
a lot of short blocks, and among them an object that
struck me as oddly familiar.
"
Excuse me,"
I said, going up to the man,
look at that thing you have there ?
"
may I
"You mean this box?" said the man. He handed
it to me, and I looked at it carefully.
The box was a small one, and the top was splintered
a little, but on looking at the flat cover I saw painted
upon it in black lettering, "John Morning, San Fran
cisco."
"That s
my box," said I. "Will
you
let me have
it?"
me.
"
"
Your box ?
said Mr. Nason, who had overheard
"Yes; the box that held the gold."
"Where did you pick it up?"
asked the officer of
the deckhand.
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