One of the party,
more humane than the rest, protested against more extreme measures; so
that, after searching the cabin, they gave up their enterprise, baffled
by that indomitable man. Before leaving him one of the men asked:
"Mr. Palmer, do you know us?"
Realizing that such knowledge meant death, he replied:
"No, I don't know any of you."
And so they left him. The lone miner no doubt had suspicions concerning
several of his worthless neighbors; but to the day of his death he kept
such suspicions to himself.
Is it any wonder, living in that lawless country, that Robert Palmer
became almost a recluse? But why should he work so? He was working
unselfishly for others, as you will see when you read his will, for his
twenty-nine nephews and nieces. As if a heap of double eagles would be
of any particular use to relatives who had well-nigh forgotten him! No,
they had not forgotten. For one nephew borrowed money, which was,
however, repaid, and one niece secured five hundred dollars by sharp
practice worse than robbery. Robert Palmer made the mistake that many an
unselfish man has made, the mistake that insurance companies insist is
wisdom: he labored to provide others with gold, as though gold were a
substitute for thrift, prudence, and self-reliance.
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