am of hope irradiated it: the letter had bridged over that gulf which
seemed to yawn between them at the post-office. His old partner had
accepted his visit to San Francisco without question, and had alluded to
a renewal of their old intimacy. For Uncle Billy, with all his trustful
simplicity, had been tortured by two harrowing doubts: one, whether
Uncle Jim in his new-fledged smartness as a "city" man--such as he
saw in the streets--would care for his rough companionship; the other,
whether he, Uncle Billy, ought not to tell him at once of his changed
fortune. But, like all weak, unreasoning men, he clung desperately to
a detail--he could not forego his old idea of astounding Uncle Jim by
giving him his share of the "strike" as his first intimation of it, and
he doubted, with more reason perhaps, if Jim would see him after he
had heard of his good fortune. For Uncle Billy had still a frightened
recollection of Uncle Jim's sudden stroke for independence, and
that rigid punctiliousness which had made him doggedly accept the
responsibility of his extravagant stake at euchre.

With a view of educating himself for Uncle Jim's company, he "saw the
sights" of San Francisco--as an overgrown and somewhat stupid child
might have seen them--with great curiosity, but little contamination or
corruption. But I think he was chiefly pleased with watching the arrival
of the Sacramento and Stockton steamers at the wharves, in the hope
of discovering his old partner among the passengers on the gang-plank.
Here, with his old superstitious tendency and gambler's instinct, he
would augur great success in his search that day if any one of the
passengers bore the least resemblance to Uncle Jim, if a man or woman
stepped off first, or if he met a single person's questioning eye.
Indeed, this got to be the real occupation of the day, which he would on
no account have omitted, and to a certain extent revived each day in
his mind the morning's work of their old partnership. He would say to
himself, "It's time to go and look up Jim," and put off what he
was pleased to think were his pleasures until this act of duty was
accomplished.

In this singleness of purpose he made very few and no entangling
acquaintances, nor did he impart to any one the secret of his fortune,
loyally reserving it for his partner's first knowledge. To a man of
his natural frankness and simplicity this was a great trial, and was,
perhaps, a crucial test of his devotion. Whe