"How much did you spend, lad?" asked Josiah Socket, as they rode along.
"Sixty-four dollars."
"And I spent an even hundred. Putty expensive living, eh? But we'll be a heap sight more comfortable for the rest of the cold weather than we have been."
"That is true—even if we didn't invest in luxuries," said Mark.
"We can buy luxuries after we've gathered a little heap o' nuggets."
"Mr. Socket, what do you really think of our prospects?"
"Can't tell, Mark. One day I think we'll get rich, an' the next I think it was a fool move for me to pull up stakes an' come away out here."
"I can hardly wait for spring to come—I am so anxious to try my luck."
"I am the same way. But we have got to be patient."
"Do you think we had better stay where we are, when the season opens?"