41 Lure O Gold 1904

"
The Lure o
Gold
awaited us on the beach.
But the doctor finally per
suaded him that to go back home was the only wise
course left for him. I saw the force of this reasoning
and, much against his will, my poor, weak father was
made to see it, too, though he groaned when he thought
of leaving the fortune that seemed within his grasp.
"
You can t stay here, Mr. Morning, and drink that
water and live on pork and peans and canned stuff,
*
said the doctor with a tone of authority. "They re
almost enough to kill a well man."
"
But the mine we must wash out that sand."
Oh, leave the mine in charge of this young man,"
said the doctor. "He s tough. He ll see it
through
and bring the gold home safely."
"Do
you think you could do it, John?" asked my
father, with just a little
apprehension in his tone, which
was natural, as it
probably seemed to him that it was
only the other day when he had whaled me for some
childish folly.
Still he must have seen what bulging
muscles I was bringing to bear, shoveling on the paystreak,
and he must have seen that by this time I had
learned never to fill the rocker too full nor to let the
water splash out of it while it was in operation.
So it
was decided that he should go back home and
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