For if common scoundrels are to be executed what severer
punishment is left for the more crafty villain? But he could see that a
sensitive nature like that of Francis was capable of infinite suffering;
and he thought of the words of Scripture, "Verily they have their
reward."
CHAPTER XIX
The Home-Coming of Another Dead Man
"The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small."
For example, there was Robert Palmer, who after thirty years spent in
the gold fields had accumulated considerable treasure. But choosing to
dig for gold and to live among adventurers, thieves, and speculators, he
had come to distrust human nature. He became so secretive that even at
the approach of death, when the kindly French doctor had given him fair
warning, he would confide in only one man. Verily, he had his reward.
Incidentally, the three Californians whom he had named as his executors
prospered. They may not all be included among the forty-one thieves of
this story, but it may not seem unreasonable to suppose that Henry
Francis made it worth while for Hintzen and Haggerty to keep quiet. The
point is that all three executors prospered--and then died penniless.
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