In the Sunk Lands — page 274: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

IN THE SUNK LANDS. PAS ‘At any rate, we will not remain idle on -any such hearsay.” And we did nothing that morning but pace off the distance every five minutes and examine tree stumps. We were beginning to think of dinner, when I waded out through the snow. ‘The twentieth step would bring me right in the center of an immense stump. We poked around the bottom and scratched away the bark in a listless sort of way, for we were beginning to feel dis- appointed. I thrust my hand into a heap of crumbling bark in a little cavity between two roots, and struck something that felt smooth. With my heart trying to choke me, for fear it might be only a piece of bark, I drew forth—the wallet ! Eat “T’ve gotit! TPve gotit! ” I shouted. And then, with the others crowding around, I sat down on a snow-covered — stump and counted it, Patty’s eyes open- ing like saucers at the sight of so much money. ‘Ten dollars gone, or I made a mistake.”’ But subsequent counting on all sides 17 Eomichbooks:c