"Oh, no; but I thought I would just like to know."
"There must be, because I have often been called upon to pass judgment on stones coming from there. At least I took it for granted that they came from that stream, because I never heard of many pearls being found about here. He says there are between twenty-five and thirty scattered around, but of course he is mistaken in that. There is probably not another pearl on that stream that is worth as much as the one Bob Nellis sold me to-day. At any rate, it wouldn't pay anybody to look for them."
"And you don't know where the stream is, either?"
"No, I don't; and if I did I wouldn't tell. Bob Nellis told me that Hank didn't even tell him where it was."
"I don't care for that," said Sam to himself. "If Joe Lufkin is as expert at trailing things as he claims to be he will soon find that pearl-mine. If they are worth ten or fifteen dollars to Hank, as I think I heard Bob remark, they are worth a fortune to me. At any rate, I am going to try it early to-morrow morning, if I can find Joe Lufkin."
Sam did not do much work that day. He shut up the store at ten o'clock and took a stroll around the streets in the vain hope of meeting Joe, and then went home and tumbled into bed. The more he thought of his prospects the brighter they seemed to become to him, and when at last he arose from his couch, after passing an almost sleepless night, he resolved that his plan should prove successful.
"You see, I have not yet decided to possess myself of any portion of Hank's two hundred dollars, which he has doubtless given into Bob's keeping, but of the pearls that are left on the shores of that stream I am determined to have my share," he exclaimed, as he pulled on his clothes. "The idea that that boy can go around all day doing nothing—I don't see it! Here I have to work and slave from morning until night, and have done so for almost two years, and never a body has said to me, 'Sam, here's a little more money than I have thus far been able to offer you. Take that, with my compliments.' Has anybody said that to me? I am done with the store now."
Filled with such thoughts as these, and growing more and more angry the oftener they came into his mind, Sam went down and opened the store, but saw no signs of Joe Lufkin. He was getting his breakfast at home before starting out to see how his piratical scheme would work, and Hank was just about setting out for Bob Nellis's to see about depositing his money. So Sam saw nothing of them that day, not even when he closed the store at night and took a walk around the streets. The next day was the same, for Joe did not appear. He was at home building air-castles on the strength of certain schemes he had worked the night before; but Sam saw somebody else that was almost as good. It was Hank Lufkin, who was hurrying along as if his very life depended upon the use he made of the next few minutes. He was tired of running, and had settled into a rapid walk toward Mr. Gibbons's house.
"Halloo, Hank!" exclaimed Sam. "Where are you going in such haste? Hold up a minute. I would like to talk to you."
"You have not got anything interesting that I want to hear, unless you can tell me what has become of Bob Nellis and Ben Watson," replied Hank, coming to a standstill in front of the clerk and fanning himself with his hat. "Bob was to have gone fishing this morning, but now he has gone off, and I can't find a thing of them."