to　where　the　afternoon　sun　was　beginning　to　glow　into　sunset。　　I
  gazed　for　a　moment　at　her　face；　white；　plump；　tiny；　and　implacable；
  and　gave　her　up。
  〃How　do　you　account　for　such　a　mass　of　gold　being　there？〃　I　queried
  of　Julian　Jones。　　〃A　solid…gold　meteor　that　fell　out　of　the　sky？〃
  〃Not　for　a　moment。〃　　He　shook　his　head。　　〃　It　was　carried　there　by
  the　Indians。〃
  〃Up　a　mountain　like　that　…　and　such　enormous　weight　and　size！〃　I
  objected。
  〃Just　as　easy；〃　he　smiled。　　〃I　used　to　be　stumped　by　that
  proposition　myself；　after　I　got　my　memory　back。　　Now　how　in　Sam
  Hill　…　'　I　used　to　begin；　and　then　spend　hours　figuring　at　it。　　And
  then　when　I　got　the　answer　I　felt　downright　idiotic；　it　was　that
  easy。〃　　He　paused；　then　announced：　　〃They　didn't。〃
  〃But　you　just　…　said　they　did。〃
  〃They　did　and　they　didn't；〃　was　his　enigmatic　reply。　　〃Of　course
  they　never　carried　that　monster　nugget　up　there。　　What　they　did　was
  to　carry　up　its　contents。〃
  He　waited　until　he　saw　enlightenment　dawn　in　my　face。
  〃And　then　of　course　melted　all　the　gold；　or　welded　it；　or　smelted
  it；　all　into　one　piece。　　You　know　the　first　Spaniards　down　there；
  under　a　leader　named　Pizarro；　were　a　gang　of　robbers　and　cut…
  throats。　　They　went　through　the　country　like　the　hoof…and…mouth
  disease；　and　killed　the　Indians　off　like　cattle。　　You　see；　the
  Indians　had　lots　of　gold。　　Well；　what　the　Spaniards　didn't　get；　the
  surviving　Indians　hid　away　in　that　one　big　chunk　on　top　the
  mountain；　and　it's　been　waiting　there　ever　since　for　me　…　and　for
  you；　if　you　want　to　go　in　on　it。〃
  And　here；　by　the　Lagoon　of　the　Palace　of　Fine　Arts；　ended　my
  acquaintance　with　Julian　Jones。　　On　my　agreeing　to　finance　the
  adventure；　he　promised　to　call　on　me　at　my　hotel　next　morning　with
  the　letters　of　Seth　Manners　and　the　railroad；　and　conclude
  arrangements。　　But　he　did　not　call。　　That　evening　I　telephoned　his
  hotel　and　was　informed　by　the　clerk　that　Mr。　Julian　Jones　and　wife
  had　departed　in　the　early　afternoon；　with　their　baggage。
  Can　Mrs。　Jones　have　rushed　him　back　and　hidden　him　away　in
  Nebraska？　　I　remember　that　as　we　said　good…bye；　there　was　that　in
  her　smile　that　recalled　the　vulpine　complacency　of　Mona　Lisa；　the
  Wise。
  Kohala；　Hawaii；
  MAY　5；　1916。
  STORY：　　LIKE　ARGUS　OF　THE　ANCIENT　TIMES
  IT　was　the　summer　of　1897；　and　there　was　trouble　in　the　Tarwater
  family。　　Grandfather　Tarwater；　after　remaining　properly　subdued　and
  crushed　for　a　quiet　decade；　had　broken　out　again。　　This　time　it　was
  the　Klondike　fever。　　His　first　and　one　unvarying　symptom　of　such
  attacks　was　song。　　One　chant　only　he　raised；　though　he　remembered
  no　more　than　the　first　stanza　and　but　three　lines　of　that。　　And　the
  family　knew　his　feet　were　itching　and　his　brain　was　tingling　with
  the　old　madness；　when　he　lifted　his　hoarse…cracked　voice；　now
  falsetto…cracked；　in：
  Like　Argus　of　the　ancient　times；
  We　leave　this　modern　Greece；
  Tum…tum；　tum…tum；　tum；　tum；　tum…tum；
  To　shear　the　Golden　Fleece。
  Ten　years　earlier　he　had　lifted　the　chant；　sung　to　the　air　of　the
  〃Doxology；〃　when　afflicted　with　the　fever　to　go　gold…mining　in
  Patagonia。　　The　multitudinous　family　had　sat　upon　him；　but　had　had
  a　hard　time　doing　it。　　When　all　else　had　failed　to　shake　his
  resolution；　they　had　applied　lawyers　to　him；　with　the　threat　of
  getting　out　guardianship　papers　and　of　confining　him　in　the　state
  asylum　for　the　insane　…　which　was　reasonable　for　a　man　who　had；　a
  quarter　of　a　century　before；　speculated　away　all　but　ten　meagre
  acres　of　a　California　principality；　and　who　had　displayed　no　better
  business　acumen　ever　since。
  The　application　of　lawyers　to　John　Tarwater　was　like　the
  application　of　a　mustard　plaster。　　For；　in　his　judgment；　they　were
  the　gentry；　more　than　any　other；　who　had　skinned　him　out　of　the
  broad　Tarwater　acres。　　So；　at　the　time　of　his　Patagonian　fever；　the
  very　thought　of　so　drastic　a　remedy　was　sufficient　to　cure　him。　　He
  quickly　demonstrated　he　was　not　crazy　by　shaking　the　fever　from　him
  and　agreeing　not　to　go　to　Patagonia。
  Next；　he　demonstrated　how　crazy　he　really　was；　by　deeding　over　to
  his　family；　unsolicited；　the　ten　acres　on　Tarwater　Flat；　the　house；
  barn；　outbuildings；　and　water…rights。　　Also　did　he　turn　over　the
  eight　hundred　dollars　in　bank　that　was　the　long…saved　salvage　of
  his　wrecked　fortune。　　But　for　this　the　family　found　no　cause　for
  committal　to　the　asylum；　since　such　committal　would　necessarily
  invalidate　what　he　had　done。
  〃Grandfather　is　sure　peeved；〃　said　Mary；　his　oldest　daughter；
  herself　a　grandmother；　when　her　father　quit　smoking。
  All　he　had　retained　for　himself　was　a　span　of　old　horses；　a
  mountain　buckboard；　and　his　one　room　in　the　crowded　house。
  Further；　having　affirmed　that　he　would　be　beholden　to　none　of　them；
  he　got　the　contract　to　carry　the　United　States　mail；　twice　a　week；
  from　Kelterville　up　over　Tarwater　Mountain　to　Old　Almaden　…　which
  was　a　sporadically　worked　quick…silver　mine　in　the　upland　cattle
  country。　　With　his　old　horses　it　took　all　his　time　to　make　the　two
  weekly　round　trips。　　And　for　ten　years；　rain　or　shine；　he　had　never
  missed　a　trip。　　Nor　had　he　failed　once　to　pay　his　week's　board　into
  Mary's　hand。　　This　board　he　had　insisted　on；　in　the　convalescence
  from　his　Patagonian　fever；　and　he　had　paid　it　strictly；　though　he
  had　given　up　tobacco　in　order　to　be　able　to　do　it。
  〃Huh！〃　he　confided　to　the　ruined　water　wheel　of　the　old　Tarwater
  Mill；　which　he　had　built　from　the　standing　timber　and　which　had
  ground　wheat　for　the　first　settlers。　　〃Huh！　　They'll　never　put　me
  in　the　poor　farm　so　long　as　I　support　myself。　　And　without　a　penny
  to　my　name　it　ain't　likely　any　lawyer　fellows'll　come　snoopin'
  around　after　me。〃
  And　yet；　precisely　because　of　these　highly　rational　acts；　it　was
  held　that　John　Tarwater　was　mildly　crazy！
  The　first　time　he　had　lifted　the　chant　of　〃Like　Argus　of　the
  Ancient　Times；〃　had　been　in　1849；　when；　twenty…two　years'　of　age；
  violently　attacked　by　the　Californian　fever；　he　had　sold　two
  hundred　and　forty　Michigan　acres；　forty　of　it　cleared；　for　the
  price　of　four　yoke　of　oxen；　and　a　wagon；　and　had　started　across　the
  Plains。
  〃And　we　turned　off　at　Fort　Hall；　where　the　Oregon　emigration　went
  north'ard；　and　swung　south　for　Californy；〃　was　his　way　of
  concluding　the　narrative　of　that　arduous　journey。　　And　Bill　Ping
  and　me　used　to　rope　grizzlies　out　of　the　underbrush　of　Cache　Slough
  in　the　Sacramento　Valley。〃
  Years　of　freighting　and　mining　had　followed；　and；　with　a　stake
  gleaned　from　the　Merced　placers；　he　satisfied　the　land…hunger　of
  his　race　and　time　by　settling　in　Sonoma　County。
  During　the　ten　years　of　carrying　the　mail　across　Tarwater　Township；
  up　Tarwater　Valley；　and　over　Tarwater　Mountain；　most　all　of　which
  land　had　once　been　his；　he　had　spent　his　time　dreaming　of　winning
  back　that　land　before　he　died。　　And　now；　his　huge　gaunt　form　more
  erect　than　it　had　been　for　years；　with　a　glinting　of　blue　fires　in
  his　small　and　close…set　eyes；　he　was　lifting　his　ancient　chant
  again。
  〃There　he　goes　now　…　listen　to　him；〃　said　William　Tarwater。
  〃Nobody　at　home；〃　laughed　Harris　Topping；　day　labourer；　husband　of
  Annie　Tarwater；　and　father　of　her　nine　children。
  The　kitchen　door　opened　to　admit　the　old　man；　returning　from
  feeding　his　horses。　　The　song　had　ceased　from　his　lips；　but　Mary
  was　irritable　from　a　burnt　hand　and　a　grandchild　whose　stomach
  refused　to　digest　properly　diluted　cows'　milk。
  〃Now　there　ain't　no　use　you　carryin'　on　that　way；　father；〃　she
  tackled　him。　　〃The　time's　past　for　you　to　cut　and　run　for　a　place
  like　the　Klondike；　and　singing　won't　buy　you　nothing。〃
  〃Just　the　same；〃　he　answered　quietly。　　〃I　bet　I　could　go　to　that
  Klondike　place　and　pick　up　enough　gold　to　buy　back　the　Tarwater
  lands。〃
  〃Old　fool！〃　Annie　contributed。
  〃You　couldn't　buy　them　back　for　less'n　three　hundred　thousand　and
  then　some；〃　was　William's　effort　at　squelching　him。
  〃Then　I　could　pick　up　three　hundred　thousand；　and　then　some；　if　I
  was　only　there；〃　the　old　man　retorted　placidly。
  〃Thank　God　you　can't　walk　there；　or　you'd　be　startin'；　I　know；〃
  Mary　cried。　　〃Ocean　travel　costs　money。〃
  〃I　used　to　have　money；〃　her　father　said　humbly。
  〃Well；　you　ain't　got　any　now　…　so　forget　it；〃　William　advised。
  〃Them　times　is　past；　like　roping　bear　with　Bill　Ping。　　There　ain't
  no　more　bear。〃
  〃Just　the　same　…　〃
  But　Mary　cut　him　off。　　Seizing　the　day's　paper　from　the　kitchen
  table；　she　flourished　　it　savagely　under　her　aged　progenitor's
  nose。
  〃What　do　those　Klondikers　say？　　There　it　is　in　cold　print。　　Only
  the　young　and　robust　can　stand　the　Klondike。　　It's　worse　than　the
  north　pole。　　And　they've　left　their　dead　a…plenty　there　themselves。
  Look　at　their　pictures。　　You're　forty　years　older　'n　the　oldest　of
  them。〃
  John　Tarwater　did　look；　b