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"I promised him never ter speak to the child, an' I've kept my word; but he let me make her things. That was kind of him very kind." "Very kind, indeed," said Ajax. "I followed 'em ter Californy, an' worked out, an' sold books an' peddled fruit, but I've kep' track o' little Miriam." "You have never spoken to her, you say?" "Never. Doctor Standish kin trust me. He's posted me, too.
Three hundred fer a gallon o' likker! A ounce for a box o' pills! Eight hundred fer a barrel o' flour! Same fer pork, same fer sugar, same fer coffee! Damn yer picayune hides, we'll show ye what prices is! What's money to us? We can git the pure gold that money's made out of, an' git it all we want! Hooray fer Californy!" He broke into song.
"When I came back from Californy ..." he murmured, "I came back, so I ded.... No, I'd forgot all about her then, sure enough; she was but a soft lil' thing. But he'd got her, him as had taken all of mine, got the wench as had been mine, that I might ha' wanted again, and I was mad as fire.
The driver looked up, and ejaculated his disgust and his tobacco juice at the same moment. "I reckon they're everywhar in Californy whar you want 'em and whar you don't; you take my word for it, afore long Californy will hev to reckon that she ginerally DON'T want 'em, ef a white man has to live here.
"How far away is Californy?" inquired Sam Stone. "By way of the isthmus, it must be as much as six thousand miles, and it's twice as fur, I reckon, round the Horn. I don't exactly know the distance." "Then it's farther away than Europe," said Joe, who had been listening with eager interest. "Of course it is," said Seth. "Why, that's Joe Mason, isn't it? How you've grown since I saw you."
First about myself: You see, Hannah, that day as you slammed the door in my face I felt so distressed in my mind as I didn't care what on earth became of me; first I thought I'd just 'list for a soldier; then I thought I'd ship for a sailor; last I thought I'd go and seek my fortun' in Californy; but then the idea of the girls having no protector but myself hindered of me; hows'evar, anyways I made up my mind, as come what would I'd leave the neighborhood first opportunity; and so, soon after, as I heard of a situation as overseer at Judge Merlin's plantation up in the forest of Prince George's County, I sets off and walks up there, and offers myself for the place; and was so fort'nate as to be taken; so I comes back and moves my family, bag and baggage, up there.
When I was about to leave Californy, Willum told me first of all to go and find you out, and give you that letter and bag of nuggets, which I've done. `Then, says he, `Wopper, you go and find out my brother Jim's widow, and give 'em my love an' dooty, and this letter, and this bag of nuggets, said letter and bag, ma'am, bein' now in my chest aboard ship. `So, says I, `Willum, I will trust me. `I do, says he; `and, Wopper, says he, `keep your weather eye open, my boy, w'en you go to see 'em, because I've my suspicions, from what my poor brother said on his deathbed, when he was wandering in his mind, that his widow is extravagant.
Why, child, it takes mints and mints of money to pay for a passage out yonder to Californy! and it takes nine months to go the v'y'ge they have to go all around Cape Cape Hoof, no, Horn Cape Horn! I knowed it wor somethin' relating to cattle.
Tarwater coughed and shivered for a space, ere he could get freedom of breath for speech. "Son," he said, "I just want to tell you one thing. I drove my four yoke of oxen across the Plains in Forty-nine and lost nary a one. I drove them plumb to Californy, and I freighted with them afterward out of Sutter's Fort to American Bar. Now I'm going to Klondike.
They were made welcome, and in turn furnished us news of the outer world, and distributed worn copies of American and foreign newspapers, which our hungry-minded pioneers read and re-read so long as the lines held together. Those light-hearted newcomers, who danced and gayly sang, O Susannah, don't you cry for me! I'm bound to Californy with a tin pan on my knee,
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