adopt a thousand children if I wanted to, for there's that Tennessee

Land, you know--enough to make an army of them rich. A whole army,

Nancy! You and I will never see the day, but these little chaps will.

Indeed they will. One of these days it will be the rich Miss Emily

Hawkins--and the wealthy Miss Laura Van Brunt Hawkins--and the Hon.

George Washington Hawkins, millionaire--and Gov. Henry Clay Hawkins,

millionaire! That is the way the world will word it! Don't let's ever

fret about the children, Nancy--never in the world. They're all right.

Nancy, there's oceans and oceans of money in that land--mark my words!"

The children had stopped playing, for the moment, and drawn near to

listen. Hawkins said:

"Washington, my boy, what will you do when you get to be one of the

richest men in the world?"

"I don't know, father. Sometimes I think I'll have a balloon and go up

in the air; and sometimes I think I'll have ever so many books; and

sometimes I think I'll have ever so many weathercocks and water-wheels;

or have a machine like that one you and Colonel Sellers bought; and

sometimes I think I'll have--well, somehow I don't know--somehow I ain't

certain; maybe I'll get a steamboat first."

The same old chap!--always just a little bit divided about things.--And

what will you do when you get to be one of the richest men in the world,

Clay?"

The Gilded Age