darkness as well, bolted Charley,
donning cap and scarf and mittens as he went. The adventure was
growing more exciting. What a shame if the man should not recover and
they would have to guess all about him!

Old Doctor Paulis, the Adams family doctor, lived but three blocks
away, and through the snow and the night Charley ran the whole
distance. The doctor said that he'd be along immediately, or as soon
as he had finished his supper; and arrive he did, when Charley had been
home only a few minutes.

He examined the stranger very carefully.

"It's a case of fever--a kind probably contracted on the Isthmus or on
shipboard, if he returned that way," at last pronounced the doctor.
"I'm afraid, after his exposure to the cold, that I may not pull him
through; but I'll do what I can. Meantime if you can get in
communication with any of his relatives or friends, you'd better do so."

The doctor left a quantity of medicine, to be given at such frequent
intervals that somebody must be up all night. However, Charley went to
bed and slept, and dreamed that the mysterious stranger was sitting on
the sofa and was telling them that in California gold dust was shaken
from the trees and shoveled into flour-sacks.

But the mysterious stranger was by no means sitting up, when after
breakfast Charley saw him. He was quieter, to be sure, and he seemed
to be partially conscious; he even appeared to recognize Charley;
still, he was terribly weak.

It was Charley's turn to stay with him. Mrs. Adams went out to do some
marketing; Mr. Adams lay down, to rest. Charley sat near the sofa, to
give the medicine, and keep up the fire, and between times to pick out
interesting news about California, in the papers that he had brought
home. Gold, gold, gold! That was it--gold! Everybody out there was
finding gold, and everybody else was making ready to start.

One item told about a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama, too--that
it probably would be begun soon, by Americans; and with that completed
there would be an easy way to California.

The man on the sofa was making a strange sound; and looking over at
him, Charley was astonished to see himself beckoned. Up he jumped, and
crossed.

"Paper," whispered the man, in Charley's ear. "Paper----" and he
feebly signed that he wanted to write.

Charley flew to the desk in the corner and got a writing pad and
pencil. But the man was so weak that he made only a few wavy,
uncertain l