It ain't cold to-day, anyhow." That night they discussed soberly the prospects of the claim and their responsibilities in the matter of Lovin Child's windfall.

They would quietly investigate the history of old Nelson, who had died a pauper in the eyes of the community, with all his gleanings of gold hidden away.
They agreed that Lovin Child should not start off with one grain of gold that rightfully belonged to some one else--but they agreed the more cheerfully because neither man believed they would find any close relatives; a wife or children they decided upon as rightful heirs.
Brothers, sisters, cousins, and aunts did not count.

They were presumably able to look after themselves just as old Nelson had done.
Their ethics were simple enough, surely.
Barring, then, the discovery of rightful heirs, their plan was to take the gold to Sacramento in the spring, and deposit it there in a savings bank for one Lovins Markham Moore.

They would let the interest "ride" with the principal, and they would--though neither openly confessed it to the other--from time to time add a little from their own earnings.
Bud especially looked forward to that as a compromise with his duty to his own child.

He intended to save every cent he could, and to start a savings account in the same bank, for his own baby, Robert Edward Moore--named for Bud.