Moses now wisely determined to pass away without any unnecessary suffering. He supposed that on the shelves of the apothecary, in Mapleton, were potent drugs which would put him in a condition of somnolency, during which he could easily glide out of this sublunary state of existence. So he proceeded to the town, and having procured the proper material for his purpose, was hurrying homeward with deadly intent, when he inadvertently ran against a man who was standing in the street reading a newspaper to a crowd of people. The rapidity with which Moses was walking caused him to collide with great force, and nearly overthrew the reader of the paper. The man turned round, and, grasping Moses by the collar, shook him fiercely. "I beg pardon!" exclaimed Moses, aroused, by the rude shaking he had received, to a consciousness of his surroundings,--"I beg pardon! I did not see." "Did not see!" said the man. "Where are your eyes that you can't see a whole crowd of people?" "I beg pardon!" reiterated Moses, meekly. "It is granted; but mind how you walk next time!" And with this admonition, the man resumed the reading of the paper, as follows: "Immense discoveries in the placers! Captain M. reported to have already fifteen barrels buried!" "Fifteen barrels of what?" asked Moses of a man standing near him, and who happened to be M. T. Pate. "Fifteen barrels of gold!" said Pate. "Of what?" "Of gold." "Have they discovered gold near Mapleton?" "No--no--not here." "Where, then?" "In California. Have you not heard the news? The papers have been full of the accounts for the last three weeks. Where have you been living?" "At home." "And not heard of the gold discoveries! People are digging out gold-dust by the barrel. In a week a man can become as rich as John Jacob Astor. We have formed a company and are going to California as soon as the ship is ready to sail." "I would like to go," said Moses. "You can join our company." "I will go," said Moses. "Come along with me," said Pate. And he conducted his recruit to a room where several members of his company were assembled. Here Moses was introduced to Wiggins, Love, and Dove, and a long and earnest conversation ensued; after which Moses signed a paper purporting to be the constitution of a mining association; to which were already subscribed the names of the persons present, and also of Messrs Botts, Perch, and Bliss. "When does the ship sail?" asked Moses. "In about a week," said Wiggins. "We leave Mapleton to-morrow," said Pate. "We must be in the city to make arrangements for the voyage." "I wish we were off," said Moses. "I will go home and bid my father farewell, and come here to-night."