41 Lure O Gold 1904

"
The Lure o 9
Gold
He d never know the difference.
He d think the other
feller stole
em."
"
"
Are all the passengers on ?
"Yes, every one of em, an they re all a-lookin for
it. Wouldn t it be great
if
you an me should find it,
partner ?
"That s right; and findin is keepin , says I."
I passed along, my senses all alert and my hands
clenched in impatience in which righteous anger played
no small part. Here was a fine state of affairs.
Every
man aboard that ship
and not a few of them doubtless
as unscrupulous as Somers and Trust was eagerly
seeking for my gold.
Might not that explain some of
the zeal that had everywhere been manifest among the
busy workers who were prying off boards and planking ?
I could see them all peering under each piece
of wood
they detached searching, searching for those eight
bags of gold dust, and eagerly rushing to the next piece
and quickly uplifting
it. How they must begrudge
the loss of time occasioned by carrying
the torn-off
lumber to the chute. What if the treasure should be
pounced upon by one of those many disappointed
miners, would it
not prove too great a temptation for
him ? It made me shudder to think of the many ad-
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