“Yes sir. He just died a few days ago.”
“Well, how much did he leave old man Jonas’s wife! I hear he was powerful rich.”
“I don’t know how much he was worth, but I don’t believe he left anything.”
“Now that is mighty mean of him. He has some money somewhere, and the man what finds it is rich as Julius Caesar.”
“I thought he must be worth $5,000 dollars,” said Nat.
“Oh, my! Say $15,000 or $20,000, and you will just about hit it. You see some fellows living around here think that the rebels got it, but the old man was too sharp for them. Then they got mad and burned his house and left him out in the cold; and then Jonas took him in. Did he leave Jonas anything!”
“No, I am quite sure he did not. Are there any ghosts down here in the woods!”
“Naw. There are some fellows who have been up here a time or two, and when they came back they told wonderful stories of what they had seen back there in the timber. But there is nothing to it.”
Nat became silent after this and so did the man He began to be real uneasy now, for there was a difference in the sum the old man had left behind him. He drew a long breath every time he thought of the wide gulf there was between $5,000 and $15,000 or $20,000, so much so that the driver looked at him in surprise; but he had nothing to say for which Nat was very thankful. In due time they arrived at Manchester, and Nat, after thanking the man once more for his kindness, sprang from the wagon and went into the store.
“Well, sir, I declare, if one of them boys hasn’t come back,” said the storekeeper, hurrying forward to shake hands with Nat. “Did you see any of them ghosts and what did they say to you!”