{"product_id":"2940013296046","title":"Digging For Gold","description":"CHAPTER ONE.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBEGINS WITH DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf ever there was a man in this world who was passionately fond of\u003cbr\u003epainting and cut out for a painter, that man was Frank Allfrey; but\u003cbr\u003efate, in the form of an old uncle, had decided that Frank should not\u003cbr\u003efollow the bent of his inclinations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe introduce our hero to the reader at the interesting age of eighteen,\u003cbr\u003ebut, long before that period of life, he had shown the powerful leaning\u003cbr\u003eof his spirit.  All his school-books were covered with heads of dogs,\u003cbr\u003ehorses, and portraits of his companions.  Most of his story-books were\u003cbr\u003eillustrated with coloured engravings, the colouring of which had been\u003cbr\u003ethe work of his busy hand, and the walls of his nursery were decorated\u003cbr\u003ewith cartoons, done in charcoal, which partial friends of the family\u003cbr\u003esometimes declared were worthy of Raphael.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the age of thirteen, his uncle--for the poor fellow was an orphan--\u003cbr\u003easked him one day what he would like to be.  This was an extraordinary\u003cbr\u003econdescension on the part of Mr Allfrey, senior, who was a grim,\u003cbr\u003ehard-featured man, with little or no soul to speak of, and with an\u003cbr\u003eenormously large ill-favoured body.  The boy, although taken by\u003cbr\u003esurprise--for his uncle seldom addressed him on any subject,--answered\u003cbr\u003epromptly, \"I'd like to be an artist, sir.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A what?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An artist.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Get along, you goose!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis was all that was said at the time, and as it is the only\u003cbr\u003econversation which is certainly known to have taken place between the\u003cbr\u003euncle and nephew during the early youth of the latter, we have ventured,\u003cbr\u003eat the risk of being tedious, to give the whole of it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrank was one of those unfortunates who are styled \"neglected boys.\"  He\u003cbr\u003ewas naturally sharp-witted, active in mind and body, good-tempered, and\u003cbr\u003ewell disposed, but disinclined to study, and fond of physical exertion.\u003cbr\u003eHe might have been a great man had he been looked after in youth, but no\u003cbr\u003eone looked after him.  He was an infant when his father and mother died\u003cbr\u003eand left him to the care of his uncle, who cared not for him, but left\u003cbr\u003ehim to care for himself, having, as he conceived, done his duty towards\u003cbr\u003ehim when he had supplied him with food, clothing, and lodging, and paid\u003cbr\u003ehis school fees.  No blame, therefore, to poor Frank that he grew up a\u003cbr\u003ehalf-educated youth, without fixed habits of study or thought, and with\u003cbr\u003elittle capacity for close or prolonged mental exertion.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47163924611312,"sku":"2940013296046","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013296046_p0.jpg?v=1763579444","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013296046","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}