CHAPTER IV.
TOM ASKS LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Tom walked home slowly, but the distance seemed short, for he was absorbed in thought. In a way very unexpected he seemed to be likely to realize what he had regarded as a very pleasant, but impossible, dream. Would his father consent to the squire's proposal, and, if so, ought Tom to consent to expose him to the risk of losing so considerable a sum of money? If he had been older and more cautious he would probably have decided in the negative; but Tom was hopeful and sanguine, and the stories he had heard of California had dazzled him. There was, of course, an element of uncertainty in his calculations, but the fact that there seemed to be no prospect before him in his native village had an important influence in shaping his decision.
To ask his father the momentous question, however, was not easy, and he delayed it, hoping for a favorable opportunity of introducing the subject. His thoughtful manner excited attention, and secured him the opportunity he sought.
"You seem deep in thought, Tom," said his mother.
"Yes, mother, I have a good deal to think about."
"Anybody would think Tom overwhelmed with business," said Walter, next to Tom in age, with good-humored banter.
"I am," said Tom gravely.
"Won't you take me in partnership, then?" asked Walter.
Tom smiled.
"I don't think I could do that," he answered. "Not to keep you waiting, Squire Hudson has made me a business proposal this afternoon."
All were surprised and looked to Tom for an explanation.
"He offers to advance me two hundred dollars for a year, to help me out to California."
"Squire Hudson makes this offer to a boy of your age?" said his father slowly.
"Yes, or rather he makes the offer to you."
"To me?"
"Perhaps you will think me selfish for even mentioning it," said Tom rapidly, in a hurry to explain fully now that the ice was broken. "He will advance the money, on condition that you increase the mortgage on the farm to twenty-two hundred dollars."
Mr. Nelson looked blank.
"Do you know, Tom," he said, "how hard I find it now to pay the interest on the mortgage, and how hopeless I am of ever paying it off?"
"I know all that, father; but I want to help you. If I keep my health, and have a chance, I think I can help you. There's no chance for me here, and there is a chance in California. You remember what we have read in the
Weekly Messenger
about the gold-fields, and what large sums have been realized by miners."
"They are men, and you are a boy."
"That's true," said Tom, "but," he added, with natural pride, "I am pretty strong for a boy. I am willing to work, and I don't see why I can't dig gold as well as a man. I may not make as much, but if I only do half as well as some that we have read about, I can do a good deal for you."
"How far off is California?" asked Mrs. Nelson.
"Over three thousand miles, across the continent," answered her husband. "By sea it is a good deal more."
"Why, it is as far off as Europe," said Walter, who was fresh from his lesson in geography.
"It is farther than some parts of Europe – England, for example," said his father.
"And a wild, unsettled region," said Mrs. Nelson soberly.
"I don't think so much of that," said Mark Nelson. "Tom is no baby. He is a boy of good sense, not heedless, like some of his age, and I should feel considerable confidence in his getting along well."
"What, Mark, are you in favor of his going so far – a boy who has never been away from home in his life?"
"I don't know what to say. I have not had time to consider the matter, as it has come upon me suddenly. I have a good deal of confidence in Tom, but there is one difficulty in my mind."
"What is that, father?" asked Tom anxiously.
"The expense of getting to California, and the method of raising the money; I don't like to increase the mortgage."
"I suppose you are right, father," said Tom slowly. "I know it is more than I have any right to ask. I wouldn't even have mentioned it if I hadn't hoped to help you to pay it back."
"That is understood, Tom," said his father kindly. "I know you mean what you say, and that you would redeem your promise if fortune, or rather Providence, permitted. It is a serious matter, however, and not to be decided in a hurry. We will speak of it again."
Nothing more was said about Tom's plan till after the children had gone to bed. Then, as Mark Nelson and his wife sat before the fire in the open fireplace, the subject was taken up anew.
"Mary," said Mark, "I am beginning to think favorably of Tom's proposal."
"How can you say so, Mark?" interrupted his wife. "It seems like madness to send a young boy so far away."
"Tom can't be called a young boy; he is now sixteen."
"But he has never been away from home."
"He must go some time."
"If it were only to Boston or New York; but to go more than three thousand miles away!" and the mother shuddered.
"There are dangers as great in Boston or New York as in California, Mary, to a boy of Tom's age. He can't always be surrounded by home influences."
"I wish we could find employment for him in town," said Mrs. Nelson uneasily.
"That is a mother's thought, and it would be pleasant for all of us; but I doubt if it would be better for Tom."
"Why not?"
"A boy who is thrown upon his own guardianship and his own resources develops manliness and self-reliance sooner than at home. But we need not take that into consideration; there is nothing to do here, nor is there likely to be. He must go away from home to find employment. To obtain a place in Boston or New York requires influence and friends in those places; and we can hope for neither. In California he will become his own employer. The gold-mines are open to all, and he may earn in a year as much as he could in five years in the East."
"Do you favor his going, then, Mark?"
"Not against your will, Mary. Indeed, I should not feel justified in increasing the mortgage upon our little property against your wish. That concerns us all."
"I don't think so much of that. I am so afraid Tom would get sick in California. What would become of the poor boy in that case?"
"That is a mother's thought. I think Tom would find friends, who would not let him suffer. He is a manly, attractive boy, though he is ours, and I think he is well calculated to make his way."
"That he is," said his mother proudly. "No one can help liking Tom."
"Then you see he is likely to find friends. Were he such a boy as Sinclair Hudson, I should feel afraid that he would fare badly, if he stood in need of help from others. Sinclair is certainly a very disagreeable boy."
"Yes, he is; and he isn't half as smart as Tom."
"A mother's vanity," said Mark Nelson, smiling. "However, you are right there. I should consider it a misfortune to have such a cross-grained, selfish son as Sinclair. Squire Hudson, with all his wealth, is not fortunate in his only child. There is considerable resemblance between father and son. I often wish that some one else than the squire held the mortgage on our farm."
"You don't think he would take advantage of you?"
"I don't think he would be very lenient to me if I failed to pay interest promptly. He has a grudge against me, you know."
"That is nonsense," said Mrs. Nelson, blushing, for she understood the allusion.
"I am glad he doesn't ask me to give him a mortgage on you, Mary."
"He has forgotten all that," said Mrs. Nelson. "I am no longer young and pretty."
"I think you more attractive than ever," said the husband.
"Because you are foolish," said his wife; but she was well pleased, nevertheless. Poor as her husband was, she had never dreamed of regretting her choice.
"Be it so; but about this affair of Tom – what shall I say to him in the morning?"
Mrs. Nelson recovered her gravity instantly.
"Decide as you think right, Mark," she said. "If you judge that Tom had better go I will do my best to become reconciled to his absence, and set about getting him ready."
"It is a great responsibility, Mary," said Mark slowly; "but I accept it. Let the boy go, if he wishes. He will leave our care, but we can trust him to the care of his heavenly Father, who will be as near to him in California as at home."
Thus Tom's future was decided. His father and mother retired to bed, but not to sleep. They were parting already in imagination with their first-born, and the thought of that parting was sad indeed.
CHAPTER V.
TOM RAISES THE MONEY
Tom got up early the next morning – in fact, he was up first in the house – and attended to his usual "chores." He was splitting wood when his father passed him on the way to the barn with the milk-pail in his hand.
"You are up early, Tom," he said.
"Yes," answered our hero.
Tom could not help wondering whether his father had come to any decision about letting him go to California; but he did not like to ask. In due time he would learn, of course. He felt that he should like to have it decided one way or the other. While his plans were in doubt he felt unsettled and nervous.
At an early hour the family gathered about the breakfast table. Tom noticed that his father and mother looked grave, and spoke in a subdued tone, as if they had something on their minds; but he did not know what to infer from this, except that they had his prospects still in consideration.
When breakfast was over, Mark Nelson pushed back his chair, and said: "How soon can you get Tom ready to start, Mary?"
"Am I going, father?" asked Tom, his heart giving an eager bound.
"Is Tom really going?" asked the younger children, with scarcely less eagerness.
"If Squire Hudson doesn't go back on his promise. Tom, you can go with me to the squire's."
"How soon?"
"In about an hour. He doesn't breakfast as early as we do. I think he will be ready to receive us in about an hour."
"Thank you, father," said Tom. "You are doing a great deal for me."
"I can't do much for you, my boy. I can probably get you to California, and then you will be thrown upon your own exertions."
"I mean to work very hard. I think I shall succeed."
"I hope so, at least, Tom. When the time comes to start the other boys, I shall be glad to have your help in doing it."
Tom was pleased to hear this, though it placed upon his shoulders a new and heavy responsibility. He was assuming the responsibility not only for his own future, but for that of his brothers. But it made him feel more manly, as if the period of his dependent boyhood were over, and he had become a young man all at once.
"I hope I sha'n't disappoint you, father," he said.
"If you do, I don't think it will be your fault, Tom," said his father kindly. "Fortune may be against you, but we must take the risk of that."
"I don't know what to think about it, Tom," said his mother, in a tone of doubt and mental disturbance. "I feel as if you were too young to go out in the wide world to seek your fortune."
"I am not so very young, mother. I am old enough to make my way."
"So your father says, and I have yielded to his judgment; but, Tom, I don't know how to let you go."
There were tears in Mrs. Nelson's eyes as she spoke. Tom was moved, and if he needed anything to strengthen him in the good resolutions he had formed, his mother's emotion supplied it.
"You sha'n't regret giving your consent, mother," he said manfully, and, rising from his seat, he went to his mother and kissed her.
"Mary," said Mr. Nelson, "you haven't answered my question. How long will it take to get Tom ready? If he is to go, he may as well start as soon as possible."
"Let me see," said Mrs. Nelson, "how many shirts have you got, Tom?"
"Five."
"Are they all in good order?"
"I believe one needs mending."
"I don't know whether that will be enough," said Mrs. Nelson doubtfully.
"Mary," said her husband, "don't provide too large a supply of clothing. Tom may find it a burden. Remember, in California, he will have to travel on foot and carry his own baggage."
"Then I think he is already pretty well provided. But some of his clothes may need mending. That won't take long, and I will attend to it at once."
"Perhaps Squire Hudson will go back on you, after all," said Walter.
Tom's face was overcast. That would be a disappointment he could not easily bear.
"I shall soon know," he said.
An hour later Tom and his father set out for Squire Hudson's residence. Tom felt nervous; he could not well help it.
"Tom," said his father, "this is an important visit for you."
"Yes, sir," said Tom.
"You are feeling nervous, I see. Try to take it coolly, and don't feel too low-spirited if things don't turn out as you hope."
"I will try to follow your advice, father, but I am not sure as I can."
"If you are disappointed, try to think it is for the best. A boy of your age had made all arrangements to visit Europe with a party of friends. The day before starting something happened which made it impossible for him to go. For weeks he had been looking forward with eager anticipation to his journey, and now it was indefinitely postponed."
"What a terrible disappointment!" said Tom.
"Yes, it seemed so, but mark the issue. The steamer was lost, and all on board were drowned. The disappointment saved his life."
"It might not always turn out so," objected Tom.
"No, that is true. Still, if we are willing to think that our disappointments are not always misfortunes, we shall go through life with more cheerfulness and content."
"Still, I hope I shall not be disappointed in this," said Tom.
"You are perhaps too young to be philosophical," said his father.
Mark Nelson had enjoyed only the usual advantages of education afforded by a common school; but he was a man of good natural capacity, and more thoughtful than many in his vocation. From him Tom inherited good natural abilities and industrious habits. It would not be fair, however, to give all the credit to his father. Mrs. Nelson was a superior woman, and all her children were well endowed by nature.
As they turned into Squire Hudson's gravel-path, the squire himself opened the front door.
"Were you coming to see me?" he asked.
"We would like to speak with you a few minutes, squire, if you can spare the time."
"Oh, yes, I have nothing pressing on hand," said the squire, with unusual affability. "Walk in, Mr. Nelson."
He led the way into the room where Tom had had his interview with him the day before.
"Your son did me a good turn yesterday," he said graciously. "He behaved in a very creditable manner."
"He told me that he found your pocketbook, Squire Hudson."
"Yes; it contained a large sum of money. Some boys would have kept it."
"None of my boys would," said Mark Nelson proudly.
"Of course not. They're too well brought up."
"Tom told me that you offered to advance money enough to get him to California," said Mr. Nelson, coming to business.
"On satisfactory security," added the squire cautiously.
"You proposed to increase the mortgage on my place?"
"Yes," said the squire. "I wouldn't have done it, though, Neighbor Nelson, but for the good turn the boy did me. I am not at all particular about increasing the amount of the mortgage, but, if by so doing it I can promote Tom's views, I won't object."
"Thank you, sir," said Tom gratefully.
"It is a serious step for me to take," continued Mr. Nelson, "for I feel the incumbrance to be a heavy one already. In fact, it is with difficulty that I pay the interest. But the time has come when Tom should start in life, and in this village there seems to be no opening."
"None whatever," said the squire, in a tone of decision.
"What do you think of the prospects in California?" asked Mark Nelson. "You are a man of business, and can judge better than I. Are the stories we hear of fortunes made in a short time to be relied upon?"
"As to that," said the squire deliberately, "I suppose we can't believe all we hear; we must make some allowances. But, after all, there's no doubt of the existence of gold in large quantities; I am satisfied of that."
"Then about the wisdom of sending out a boy like Tom, alone; do you think it best?"
"It depends altogether on the boy," responded the squire. "If he is honest, industrious, and energetic, he will make his way. You know your own boy better than I do."
"He is all you say, Squire Hudson. I have a great deal of confidence in Tom."
Tom looked at his father gratefully. Sometimes it does a boy good to learn that the older people have confidence in him.
"Then let him go," said the squire. "I stand ready to furnish the money. I think you said you needed two hundred dollars."
This question was put to Tom, and the boy answered in the affirmative.
"Very well," said the squire. "As soon as the necessary writings are made out, the money shall be ready."
"It's all settled!" thought Tom triumphantly.
At that moment Sinclair Hudson, the squire's only son, opened the door and looked into the room.
"Hello, Tom Nelson," said he, rather rudely. "What brings you here?"
CHAPTER VI.
TOM ARRIVES IN PITTSBURG
"I came on business, Sinclair," answered Tom, smiling.
"Thomas is going to California, Sinclair," explained Squire Hudson.
Sinclair opened wide his eyes in amazement. "What for?" he asked.
"To dig gold and make my fortune," answered Tom complacently.
"Come out and tell me all about it."
"You can go, Thomas," said Squire Hudson graciously. "Your father and I will settle the business."
"Is it true that you are going to California?" asked Sinclair, when they were out in the front yard.
"Yes."
"How soon do you go?"
"I want to get away in a week."
"What has my father to do with it?" inquired Sinclair.
"He is going to lend me the money to get there."
"How much?"
"Two hundred dollars."
"Then he is a greater fool than I thought," said Sinclair, with characteristic politeness.
"Why do you say that?" demanded our hero, justly nettled.
"Because he'll never see the money again."
"Yes, he will. My father is responsible for it."
"Your father is a poor man."
"He is able to pay that, if I don't; but I hope he won't have to."
"Do you really expect to find gold?" asked Sinclair curiously.
"Certainly I do. Others have, and why shouldn't I? I am willing to work hard."
"Do you think you'll come home rich?"
"I hope so."
"I have a great mind to ask father to let me go with you," said Sinclair unexpectedly.
"You wouldn't like it. You haven't been brought up to work," said Tom, rather startled, and not much pleased with the proposal, for Sinclair Hudson was about the last boy he wished as a companion.
"Oh, I wouldn't go to work. I would go as a gentleman, to see the country. Wait a minute; I will run in and ask him."
So Sinclair ran into the house, and preferred his request.
"That's a wild idea, Sinclair," said his father quickly.
"Why is it? I'm as old as Tom Nelson."
"He is going because it is necessary for him to earn his living."
"He will have a splendid time," grumbled the spoiled son.
"You shall travel all you want to when you are older," said his father. "Now you must get an education."
"I want to travel now."
"I will take you to New York the next time I go."
"Give me five dollars besides."
The money was handed him.
He went out and reported to Tom that he was going to travel all over the world when he was a little older, and had decided not to go to California now.
"If you have money enough you can go with me," he added graciously.
"Thank you," said Tom politely, though the prospect of having Sinclair for a traveling companion did not exhilarate him much.
For a few days Mrs. Nelson was very busy getting Tom ready to go. It was well, perhaps, that so much needed to be done, for it kept her mind from the thought of the separation.
The question of which route to take, whether by steamer or across the plains, demanded consideration. It was finally decided that Tom should go overland. It was thought he might join some company at St. Joseph – or St. Joe, as it was then, and is now, popularly called – and pay his passage in services, thus saving a good share of the two hundred dollars. That was, of course, an important consideration.
"How shall I carry my money?" asked Tom.
"It will be best to take gold, and carry it for safety in a belt around your waist," said his father. "You must be very prudent and careful, or you may be robbed. That would be a serious thing for you, as I could not forward you any more money."
"I will be very prudent, father," said Tom. "I know the value of money too well to risk losing it."
Well, the days of preparation were over at length, and Tom stood on the threshold, bidding good-by to his parents and his brothers and sisters. He had not realized till now what it was to leave home on a long journey of indefinite duration. He wanted to be heroic, but in spite of himself his eyes moistened, and he came near breaking down.
"I don't know how to part with you, my dear child," said his mother.
"Think that it is all for the best, mother," said Tom, choking. "Think of the time when I will come back with plenty of money."
"God bless you, Tom!" said his father. "Don't forget your good habits and principles when you are far away from us."
"I won't, father."
So Tom's long journey commenced.
Tom's plan was to go to St. Louis first. His father made some inquiries about the route, and recommended going to Pittsburg by cars, then to take the boat on the Ohio River for Cincinnati. This seemed to Tom to afford a pleasant variety, and he gladly accepted the suggestion.
As they were approaching Pittsburg, Tom occupied a whole seat on the left-hand side of the car. A brisk, plausible young man, of twenty-five, passing through the aisle, observed the vacant seat, and, pausing, inquired, "Is this seat engaged?"
"No, sir," answered Tom.
"Then, if you have no objection, I will occupy it."
"Certainly, sir."
The young man was nicely dressed. In his bosom sparkled a diamond pin, and he wore three or four rings on his fingers.
"He must be rich," thought Tom, who was of an observant turn.
"A pleasant day to travel," remarked the young man affably.
"Yes, it is," said Tom.
"Do you go farther than Pittsburg?"
"Yes, I am going to California," answered Tom proudly.
"Is it possible? Are you alone?"
"Yes, sir."
"You are young to travel so far."
"I am sixteen; that is, I shall be in two or three weeks."
"Still, you are young to take such a journey alone. Are you going to join friends there?"
"No; I am going to seek my fortune."
Once more the young man looked surprised, and scanned Tom curiously.
"I presume you are from the city," he observed, with a smile which Tom would not have understood if he had noticed it. The truth is, that Tom bore evident marks of being a country boy. I