Elam Storm, the Wolfer: or, The Lost Nugget

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Castlemon Harry. Elam Storm, the Wolfer: or, The Lost Nugget

CHAPTER I. SOMETHING ABOUT THE NUGGET

CHAPTER II. TOM MASON AGAIN

CHAPTER III. TOM BEGINS HIS WANDERINGS

CHAPTER IV. THE WRONG BOAT

CHAPTER V. TOM'S LUCK

CHAPTER VI. TOM ADMIRES THE COWBOYS

CHAPTER VII. A TEMPERANCE LECTURE

CHAPTER VIII. A HOME RANCH

CHAPTER IX. LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS

CHAPTER X. THE CAMP OF ELAM, THE WOLFER

CHAPTER XI. UNWELCOME VISITORS

CHAPTER XII. TOM FINDS SOMETHING

CHAPTER XIII. ELAM INTERVIEWS THE MAJOR

CHAPTER XIV. ELAM UNDER FIRE

CHAPTER XV. UNCLE EZRA PUTS HIS FOOT DOWN

CHAPTER XVI. A NEW EXPEDITION

CHAPTER XVII. THE NUGGET IS FOUND

CHAPTER XVIII. CONCLUSION

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"Well," said Ben interrogatively, "the nugget that Elam had to do with wasn't any relation to this one, was it?"

"Wait till I tell you. I don't reckon there is any one thing in the world that has been the cause of so much misery and mischief of all kinds as that there nugget," continued Uncle Ezra reflectively. "The man who found it, whose name was Morgan, and who was working with two pardners, share and share alike, was about as honest as a man ever gets to be, but the sight of the small fortune which he unearthed one day by a single stroke of his pick, while working a little apart from the others, was too much for him. He was as poor as a man ever gets to be, and, worse than all, he had a sweetheart off in the States who was waiting for him to raise a stake and come home and marry her. He didn't like the idea of dividing with his two pardners, who would drop their roll at the faro table as soon as they got the chance, and so he took and buried his find and worked on as if nothing had happened. That is to say, he tried to; but with a big chunk of gold within easy reach of his hand it don't stand to reason that he could act just as he did before. He was uneasy all the time, and his pardners noticed it and suspected something. He took to visiting his nugget's hiding-place every night, to make sure that no one had dug it up, and his pardners found it out on him; and when at last he grew desperate and tried to carry it away secretly, there was some shooting done, and Morgan and one of his pardners were killed."

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We shook hands heartily with Tom Mason, and although we were considerably surprised at Elam's statement that his outfit had been broken up by thieves, we were a good deal more surprised to learn that the youth at his side had got into "trouble" in Mississippi. After hitching their horse where he could graze we went into the cabin with them, and gathered about them with the idea of hearing an exciting story; for although I had been in the far West nearly all my life, I had not got over my fondness for a story yet.

"Howdy, Elam?" said Uncle Ezra, removing his pipe from his mouth with one hand and extending the other. "You got into trouble, I hear, all on account of your furs. How did it happen? And you, too, Tommy." You will remember that the door of the cabin was open, and that Uncle Ezra heard every word of our conversation. "You didn't steer clear of all trouble by coming out here, did you? Well, never mind. Troubles will come to everybody, no matter what they do. Sit down and tell me all about it. Haven't had any breakfast, have you?"

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