"--And his soul? Well, he believed as Palmer did, that all
is well with the soul of a brave man. Was he, Keeler, on a fool's errand
to San Francisco? Well, he had determined on his own account to do a
little investigating in Nevada City that very day. So had Mat Bailey.
Hence his unusual taciturnity. So had "Bed-bug Brown," and he kept the
secret to himself.
Arrived at Nevada City, with its steep streets, compactly built up at
the centre of the town, church and county court-house on the hillside,
the traveler finds himself fairly out of the mountains, the luring fatal
mountains, whose very soil has now the color of gold and now the color
of blood. Mat Bailey's first concern was the care of his horses. Keeler
went to look up his friend Sheriff Carter. And "Bed-bug Brown" partook
of a frugal dinner at the moderate cost of two bits. He sat where he
could observe the movements of Mat, and lingered in the neighborhood
until the stage-driver had disposed of his own dinner and set out to
call upon Mamie Slocum.
This young lady now spent most of her time at home. She had hardly
recovered from the shock of the tragedy; and her imagination had
conjured up a visit from the sheriff for her part therein.
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