immediately he and the officer returned
to the prisoner.

"It's all right, Maxley," said the officer; "let him go."

The officer removed the handcuffs, and Ethelbert Brown was free. His
first motion was to seize Jim's hand.

"Hockson, tell me why you helped those detectives," said he.

"Revenge!" replied Jim.

"For what?" cried Brown, changing color.

"Gaining Millie Botayne's love," replied Jim.

Brown looked at Millicent, and read the story from her face.

He turned toward Jim a wondering look, and asked, slowly:

"Then, why did you free me?"

"Because she loved you," said Jim, and then he walked quietly away.

V.

"Why, Miss Peekin!"

"It's a fact: Eben Javash, that went out better'n a year ago, hez got
back, and he wuz at the next diggins an' heerd all about it. 'T seems
the officers ketched Brown, an' Jim Hockson gave 'em thirty thousand
dollars to pay them an' the bank too, and then they let him go. Might's
well ha kept his money, though, seein' Brown washed overboard on the way
back.

"I ain't a bettin' man," said the deacon, "but I'd risk our white-faced
cow that them thirty thousand dollars preached the greatest sermon ever
heerd in Californy--ur in Crankett either."

Miss Peekin threw a withering glance at the deacon; it was good he was
not on trial for heresy, with Miss Peekin for judge and jury. She
continued:

"Eben says there was a fellow named Weasel that hid close by, an' heerd
all 'twas said, and when he went to the rum-shop an' told the miners,
they hooray'd for Jim ez ef they wuz mad. Just like them crazy
fellers--they hain't no idee when money's wasted."

"The Lord waste all the money in the world that way!" devoutly
exclaimed the deacon.

"An' that feller Weasel," continued Miss Peekin, giving the deacon's pet
cat a vicious kick, "though he'd always been economical, an' never set a
bad example before by persuadin' folk to be intemprit, actilly drored a
pistol, and fit with a feller they called Colonel Two--fit for the
chance of askin' the crowd to drink to Jim Hockson, an' then went aroun'
to all the diggins, tellin' about Jim, an' wastin' his money treatin'
folks to drink good luck to Jim. Disgraceful!"

"It's what _I'd_ call a powerful conversion," remarked the deacon.

"But ther's more," said Miss Peekin, with a sigh, and yet with an air of
importance befitting the bearer of wonderful tidings.

"What?" eagerly asked Mrs. Crankett.

"Jim's back," said Miss Peekin.