12 THE OMAHA HTCE : ATt'HDA V , P ICC EM IVKtt 20 , 18JXU
THE YOUNGEST PROSPECTOR IN CAbAVERAS.
nv mi .T ii\r < TR-
crnti ) right 1SW , by llret Ilatl )
IIo wnn tcarcoly vlglit when It was believed
( lint lie could have reasonably laid claim I
the above title. Hut be never did. lie \vaa
n Hinsll boy. Intensely frerklcd to the rooto
of liU tawny hair , \\lth even n suspicion of It
In hla nlmond-cbarrd but noinowhat full
. which were ihc Rrepnlsh liurt of n rlpo
All this was vciy unlike bin
parents , fioin whom ho diverged In resem
blance In that fashion KO often BOCII In the
emithwost of Anierlcn , ns If the youth of the
w * t had Kli'Mck a new note of In-
and arlRlnillty , overriding nil
i otiRrrvntlvp and established rules of heruil-
Ity. Somcihlng of this wcs also ohown In
n kItiBiilai and remarkable reticence nnil
MnnnCMa of put prate , quite \inllkc his family
ill nrlmol follow a. Hlo mother was the wlfo
of n teamster , who had apparently onro
"diimiiul" Ills family. ennalHtliiR of n boy and
two KitIfi , on the roadside nt llurnt SIIHK. | |
with the camaa ronf of bla waion to eovnr
Ihein , while he proceedrd to deliver other
freight not KO exclusively bin own at other
hint Ions along the road , returning to them
on intnnt ) ! and pp.irate oeoaslons with Kllnht
additions to their ntork , habltntlou. and fur
niture. In IhlH uny the canvas roof ur.n
finally MiliiKlul and the but enlarged , and ,
under the < | illrl < ctilnj ; of a RinllliiK California
, ky and ihe forclni ; of a tec-mini ; California
i oil. Iho chaiipe noxvn heed took root and be-
riinii. ' known an Medllker's ranch , or "Mcd-
llker'fl , " with Its burntlng garden pateh and
UK Ilitco Hhed.s or "Icnu-toa. "
The Rlrln lirljrd their mnther In a cblldlnb
Irnltailre unj ; the boy , John Ilunynn , after
n more desultory and orlRlnal fashion when
M XvfiH not "Roln to" or ostensibly "comliiK
.fiom" school , for ho was seldom actually
'theic Soim tltlnK nf this fear woe In the
.liiJiiil .df.Mi . .Medllker one morning n she
look til up from Ihe kettle he was scrubbing ,
with iiruinonltlon of "more worriting , " to be
hold Kov. Mr Staples , the local mlnlttur ,
haul Jnhirliiinyan Mi'dllker Into the shanty
v tth ono hand Letting Jnhnny go. he placed
"lift ? bark"agnlti.st the door and wiped his
face wllh.a red bnndkerehfcr. Johnny dropped
Into a chair furtively glancing nt Ihc arm
Jiy which Mr. Staples had dragged him , and
feeling It with the other hand to see If It
was really loucer.
"I've been rcn.matu.il by the schoolmas
ter , " said Hev. Mr. Staples , putting lih
handkerchief back Into his broad felt hat
with n gn > | ilng Hmllc , "to bring our young
frlen I before you for n matter of counsel and
< llm-lillni | > . I have done no. Slater Medllker ,
with floine dllllciilty"-he looked down at
John Uunyan , who as.iin full of his arm
and was flallsflcd that It was longer "but
we must do our dooty even with diniculty
to out selves , and. perliara. to others. Our
young friend , John Hunyan. stands on a
Kiddy helcht on slippery places , and. " con-
1,1'cutlvc metaphor , "his feet are taking fast
bold of destruction " Here the child drew n
breath of relief , possibly at the prospect
of being on firm ground of any kind at last ;
but Slater Medllkor , to whom the Staple *
Btyle of exordium bad only a Sabbath Blgnltl-
cance , turned to her offspring abruptly.
"And what's these yer cloln'a now , John ,
nud mo n-slavln' to send ye to school ? "
Thus appealed to. Johnny looked for a re
ply at bis feel , at his arm and at the Ket
tle. Thru he said : "I ain't done nothln' , but
bo" Indicating Staples "he < s been nigh
outer pullin' off my arm ! "
"It's now almost a week ago , " cotitlnncc.
Mr. Staples , waving aside the Interruption
with a smile of painful Christian tolerance ,
"or perhaps ten days I won't bo too sure-
thai tli schoolmaster discovered that Johnny
had In his possession two or three Makes of
fine river gold , each of the value of half a
dollar , or perhaps B2V4 cents. On being ques
tioned where he got them ho refused to say.
although subsequently bo alleged that he
had 'found' them. It being n single In
stance , ho was given the benefit of thf
doubt , and nothing more was said about It.
Hut a few days after he was found trying to
pass off at Mr. Smith's store two other
Hakes of a different slzo and a small nugget
of the value of $1 or $5. At this point
I was called In ; bo repeated to me , I grieve
to say , the same untruthfulncss , and when I
( iiiggcstcd to him the obvious fact that ho
bad taken It from ono-of the miner's sluice
boxes and committed the grievous sin of
theft , ho wickedly denied It so that we nro
prevented from carrying out the Christian
command of restoring It even one fold , lu-
RtEiul of four or five fold , as Ihc Mosaic law
might have required.Vu were , alas ! unable
to ascertain anything from the miners tlicin-
Hulves. though I grieve to say they one and
nil agreed that their 'take' that week was
not at all what they had expected. I even
wont so far as to admit the possibility of
) : ls own statement , and besought him at
least to show mo where bo had found It.
Ho at first refused with great stubbornness
of temper , but later consented to accom
pany mo privately thk afternoon to the
opot. " Mr. Staples paused and. sinking his
voice , gloomily and with his eyrs fixed upon
JAKE WHISTKi.NI ) . "TIIKN IT'S ONLY
* . * , YOU YOURSELF. "
Johnny , continued slowly ; "When I state
that , after several times trying to evade mo
on the way , he finally led mo to the top of
Itahl hill , where thcro Is not a scrap c- soil
anil not the slightest Indication , and utlll
persisted that ho found It thcro , you will
understand , Sister Medllker , the lucorrlgl-
blllty of bis conduct and how he has added
Iho sin of 'falsa witness' to his breaking of
the eighth commandment. Dut I leave htm
to your Christian discipline ! Let 'us hope
that If. through his stiff-necked ob-
tluracy. ho has haply escaped the vengeance
of man's law , ho will net escape the rod of
thii domestic tabernacle. "
"Ye kin leave him to me , " said MM.
Medllker In her anxiety to get rid of the
parson , assuming a confidence she was far
from feeling.
"So be It. Sister Medllker , " said Staples ,
drawing a long , satisfactory breath ; "ami
let us trust that when you have raatlcd
n lib'his llesli and spirit you will bring us
joyful tidings to Wednesday's Mothers'
Meeting. "
IIu clapped his soft hat on his head , coat
another glantx at the wicked Johnny , opened
the door with his hand behind him , and
backed himself Into the road.
"Now , Johnny1 ' said Mrs. Medllker. mil
ling her ll | together aa the door cloaed ,
"look mo right In the face , and say where
you stole that gold , "
Hut Johnny evidently did not think that
his mother's face at that moment offered any
mural support , for ho didn't look at her ; but
after gazing at the kettle , said slowly : "I
didn't Hteal no gold. "
"Then.'said Mrs. Medllker triumphantly.
"If yo didn't Btcal It , you'd say right off
bow yu got It. "
Children arc often better logicians than
their ciders. To John Hunyan the Bteallns
of gold and the mcro refusal to say where
ho got It wcro two distinct and separate
things ; that the negation of the dccond pro
position meant the afllrmatlon of the first
ho could not accept , Hut then children arr
also Imitative and fearful of the older In
tellect , It struck Johnny that bin mother
might bo right , and that to tier it really
nier.nt the same thing. So , after a montcr.t' ' .
dllcnee. he replied more confidently : "I
inppose I stoled It. "
Hut ho was utterly unprepared for the
darkening change In bin mothers face , and
her furious accents. "You stole It ? you
stole It , joti limb ! And you sit thc.-c nn.l
brazenly tell me ! Who did yon steal It
from ? Tell me quick , afore I wring It out
of you ! "
f'omplelely astounded and bewlld'-rod at
thl new turn of affairs , Johnny again fell
back upnn the dreadful truth and gaspc-d ,
"I don't hnow. "
"You don't know , you devil ! Did you tul c
It from Krazcr's ? "
No. "
Prom the Simmons Drainers ? "
' "Co. "
Kroni thn Hlazlng Star company ? "
No. "
Prom a store ? "
Xo. "
Then. In created goodness ! where did
you get II ? "
Jnhnny raised his brown , gooseberry e > es
for a single Instant to his mother's and said :
" 1 found It. "
Mis. Medllker gasped again and stared
hopelessly at the celling. Yet flic wns con
scious of n certain relief. After nil , It was
possible that he had found It liar as ho un
doubtedly was.
"Thin , why don't you say whe'.e , you aw
ful child ? "
"Don't want to ! "
Johnny would have liked to add Mint ho
saw no reason why ho should tell. Other
people who found gold were not obliged to
tell. Thei' was Jim Iliody , who had struci ;
n lend and kept the locality secret. Kolody
forced him to toll. Nobody cal'cd him a
Ihlef ; nobody had dragged him r.bout by the
arm until he showed It. Why was It wroi.g
that a little boy should find gold ? It wasn't
nglu the commandments. Mr. Staples bad
never got up and salil : "Thou shall not find
gold ! " Ills mother bad never made 1.1 in
pray not to (1ml ( It ! The bjhoolmnster bud
never read him awful stories of boys who
found gold and never said nnj thins about
It , and bo came to n horrid end. All this
crowded his small bov's mind , and , crowdIng -
Ing , choked his small bov's utterances.
"You Jest wait till your father conies
homesaid Mrs. Medllker. "and he'll see
whether you 'want to' or not And now get
yourself off to bed and stay there. "
Johnny knew that hla father whose learns
bad Increased to flvo wagons , and wbosu
i onto extended forty miles further wao not
due for a week , and that the catastrophe was
yet remote. Ills present punishment be bad
expected. He went Into Iho adjoining bed-
loom , which ho occupied with his sister , and
began to undress. Ho lingered for Eomo
time over one stocking and finally cautiously
removed from It a small piece of flake gold
which he bad kept concealed all day under
his big toe to the great discomfort of lhat
member. Hut this was only a small , ordi
nary , flelf-martyrdom of boyhood. 'He '
scralcbed a boyish hieroglyphic on the
metal , and when his mother's back was
turned scraped a small hole In the adobe
wall. Inserted the gold In It , covered ll up
with a plaster made of the moistened debris.
It was .safe so was bis secret for It need
not perhaps , be stated bore that Johnny had
told the truth and had honestly found Ihe
gold ! But where ? yes , that was his own
secret ! And now , Johnny , with the Instinct
of all yoi.ng animals , dismissed the whole
subject from his mind , and reclining com
fortably upon his arm , fell Into an InterestIng -
Ing study of the habits of the red anl , an
exempllllcu in a crack of the adobe wall , nud
with the aid of a burnt match succeeded in
diverting for Iho rest of the afternoon the
attcn'lon of a whole laborious colony.
The next morning , however , brought
trouble to him In the curlcalty of his sisters ,
heightened by their belief thai he could at
any moment be taken off to prison which
was their understanding of thUr mother's
story. I grieve to bay that to them tills In
vested him with a certain romantic heroism ,
from the gratification of which the hero
himself wad not exempt. Nevertheless , ho
successfully evaded their questioning , and on
broader Impersonal grounds. As girls , It wca
none of their business ! He wasn't a-goln'
to tell them Ills hi-creta ! And what did they
know about gold , any way ? They couldn't
tell It from brats ! The attitude of his
mother waa. however , still perplexing. She
was no longer actively Indignant , but treated
him wub a mysterious rcservo that was the
more appalling. The fact wan that she no
longer believed In bis thefl Indeed , she had
never seriously ncccpled 11 bill hla strange
reticence and sccrellvcness piqued her curl-
cell ) , and even made/ her a little afraid of
him. The capacity for keeping a secret she
believed was manlike , and reminded her
far no reason In the world of Jim Medllker ,
her husband , whom she feared. Well , she
would lot them fight It out between them.
More Ihan thai , she wan finally obliged to
sink her reserve In employing him In the
neecwsary "chores" for the house , and be was
sent on an eifand lo the country store at the
cro&t roads. Hut he flrsl extracted his gold
Hake from the wall and pul 11 In his pocket.
On arriving at the store , It was plain
even to his boyish perception that the min
ister bad circulated bis miserable story.
Two or three of the customers spoke to
each other In whisper , and looked at him.
More Ihan that , when ho began his home
ward journey bo saw that two of Iho loung
ers wcro evidently following him. Half In
timidity and half In boyish mischief ho
once or twice strayed from Ihc direct road ,
and snatched a fearful joy In observing
their equal divergence , AH he passed Mr.
Staples' house bo saw thai reverend genlle-
man sneak out of his back gale , and , with
out seeing the Iwo others , join In Iho In-
qulsltorlal procession. Hut the events of
the past day bad had their quickening effect
upon Johnny's Intellect. A brilliantly
wicked Ihoughl struck him. As be was
passing a perfectly bare spot on the road
lie managed , without being noticed , to cast
bis glitleilng llukn of gold on the sterllo
ground at the other side of the road , where
theminister's path would lie. Then , at
a point where the road turned , ho concealed
himself In Ihe brush. The Hev. Mr. Staples
hurried forward as he lost sight of the boy
In the sweep of the road , but halted sud
denly. Johnny's heart leaped , The min
ister looked uround him , stopped , picked
up the piece of iold , thrust It hurriedly In
his waistcoat pocket and continued his way.
When he reached the turn of the roid. before
fore- passing It bo availed himself of hla
solitude. * to pause and again examine the
treasure , and again return It to his pocket.
Hut. to Johnny's surprise , bo hero turned
back , walked quickly to the spot where
ho nail found it , carefully examined the
locality , kicking the loose soil and stones
around with his feet until ho had appar
ently satisfied himself that there was no
more , and no gold-bearing Indications lu
the toll. At this moment , however , the two
other Inquisitors came In sight , and Mr ,
Staples turned quickly and hurried on. He-
fore hn had passed the brush where Johnny
wn concealed the Iwo men overtook him and
exchanged greetings. They both npoku of
"Johnny" ami his crime , of having followed
htm with a view of finding out where ho
wciit to procure bin gold , and of bin having .
ngnln evaded them Mr. Staples agreed
with their purpose , hut , to Johnny's In *
tense astonishment , aald nothing about his
own find' When they bad passed on the
boy slipped from his place of concealment
and followed them at a distance until his
own house came In view. Here the two
men diverged , but the minister continued
on toward the other "store" and poslolHco
on the nuln road.
I Ho would ha\i told hl mother what be
I had scon and his turprlso that the minister
i had not spoken of II ml I tig the gold to the
I other men , but he was checked first , by
' liU mother's attitude toward him , which was
clearly the same ta the minister's , and , second
end , by the knowledge lhat she would have
condemned his dropping the gold In the
minister's paih , though be knew not why
or nsked his reason for It , which he waa
equally sure he could not formulate , though
he also knew not why. Hut lhat evening
as ho was returning from the spring with
water he heard the minister's voice lu the
kitchen. II had been a day of surprises
and revelations to Johnny , but the climax
deemed to be reached ns ho entered Ihe roon
and he now stood transfixed and openmouthed -
mouthed ns he beard Mr. Staples say :
"It's all very well. Sister Medllker , to
comfort your heart with vain hopes and de
lusions. A mother's leanln's Is Ihc soul's
dccelvln's. and ytr leanln' on n broken reed
If Iho boy truly found that gold he'd have ,
come to ye and said : 'Deltoid , mother ,
have found gold In Ihe highways and by
ways rejoice and be exccedln' glad ! ' am
hcv poured It Inter yer lap. Yes. " contin
ued Mr. Staples aggressively to the boy , as
ho saw him stagger back with bis pall I )
hand , "yes , nlr , that would have been the
course of a Christian child ! "
For n moment Johnny fell the blood bellIng -
Ing In his cars , and a thousand words sccmci
ciowdlng In his throat. "Thou ! " ho gaspct
and choked. "Then ! " bo began again am
stopped with Iho suffocation of Indigna
tion.
tion.Hut
Hut Mr. Staples saw in his agitation only
"YOU INGIN , " SAID JOHNNY.
an awakened conscience , and , nudging Mrs ,
i Medllker , leaned eagerly forward for a re
ply. "Then , " ho repeated , with ounvo en-
couragemcul , "go on , Johnny ! Speak It
out ! "
"Then , " said Johnny. In n high , shrill
falsctlo lhat starlled them , "then what for
did you pick up lhat piece o * gold In : he
road this arternoon , and say nolliln' o ! It to
j the man who follcred yo ? Ye did ; I reed
' yer ! And yo didn't say nothln' of It to anybody -
[ body ; and ye ain't sayin" nothln' of H : iow
tcr maw ! And > c've got It In yercst !
And It's mine ; and I dropped it ! Ulmme
It. "
Astonishment , confusion and rage swelled
and empurpled Staples' face. It was I.ls
turn to gasp for bicath. Yet , In the came
moment he made an angry dash at 'he boy.
But Mrs. Medllker Interfered. This was an
entirely new feature In the case. Great 's '
the power of gold. A single glance at ( bo
minister's confusion had convinced her that
Johnny's accusation woe true , and It was
Johnny's money constructively hers 'hat
the minister was concealing. Ills mere pen-
session of that gold bad more etc : * In
straightening out her loose logic than any
sense of bis hypocrisy.
"You leave the boy be. Brother Stoplci , "
said Mrs. Medllker , sharply. "I reckon wot's
his is hls'n , splto of whar ho got It. "
Mr. Staples saw his mistake and Minted
painfully as ho fumbled In his wnlxtroat
pocket. "I hi'llcvoJ did pick up something. "
lie said , "that may or may not have be en
gold , but I have dropped It again or tin own
It away , and really It Is of little concern
In our moral lesson. For we have only Ms
word that ll was really his ! How do we
know ll ? "
' "Cos II has my marks on It , " said Johnny
quickly : "It bad a criss-cross I scratched
on It. I kin tell It good eiiuf. "
Mr. Staples turned suddenly pale and
rose. "Of course , " he snld lo Mrs. Medllker
with painful dignity , "If you set so much
value upon a mere worldly trifle I will en
deavor to find It. It may be In my other
pocket. " lie backed out of the door In bis
usual fashion , but instantly went over to
the poslolllcc , where , as ho affcrward al
leged , ho had changed Iho ore for coin In
a moment of Inadvertence. Hut Johnny's
hieroglyphics were found on it , and In some
mysterious way the story got about. It
hud two effects lhat Johnny did not dream
of. It bad forced bis mother Into an attl-
tudo of complicity with him ; It had raised
up for him a single friend. Juke Stlclltzer ,
quartz miner , had declared that Hurnt
Spring was "playing It low down" on
Jell liny ! Thai If they really believed that
the boy took gold from their sluice boxes
It was their duty to watch their claims and
not the boy. That It was only their excuse
for "snooping" after him , and they only
wanted to find his "strike , " which was as
much bis as their claims were their own !
All this with great proficiency of epithet ,
but also a still more recognized proficiency
with Iho revolver , which made Ihe former
rcspeclcd.
"Thai's Iho real nigger In the fence ,
Johnny , " said Jake , twirling his hugo mus-
Ucho ; "and they only want to know where
jour lead Is and don'l you tell 'cm ! Lei
'cm bllo over with waltln' flrsl , and lhat'll
put Ihe fire oul. Does yer pop know ? "
"No , " said Johnny.
"Nor yer mar ? "
"No. "
Jake whistled. "Then It's only you , your
self ? "
Johnny nodded vlolenlly and his brown
eyes L'llstcncd.
"It's n heap of Information to be packed
away In a chap of your slzo. Johnny. Makes
you feel kinder crowded Inside eh ? Must
keep It to yourself , eh ? "
"Havo to , " said Johnny with a gasp that
was .1 llttlo Ilko a sigh.
It caussd Jake to look ut him attentively.
"Seo hero , Johnny , " ho said , "now of yo
wanted to tell somebody aboui It somebody
as was a friend of yours me , f'r'lnstanco ? "
Johnny slowly withdrew the freckled ,
warty llttlo hand that had been resting con
fidingly In Jake's and gently sidled away
fiom him. Jakt ; hurst Into a loud laugh.
"All right , Johnny boy , " he said with a
hearty slap upon the bov's back , "keep yer
head abut ef yer wanler ! Only of anybody
else comes bunimln' round ye , Ilko this , jesl
turn htm over to mo and I'll lift htm outer
his boots ! "
Jake kept bis word and his distance there
after. Indeed. It WR after bis first and
lu.st conversation with him lhat the Influence
of hU powerful protection was so atrong
that all active criticisms of Johnny ceased ,
and only a r ; < ipcclful surveillance of his
movements lingered In the settlement. I
do not know that this was altogether dls-
tasl ful to the child ; It would have been
strange , Indeed , If ho had not felt at tlmcH
exalte ) over thU mysterious Influence that
he seemed to have acquired over his fellow
creatures , If ho werj merely hunting
blackberries In the brush , ho was always
cure , sooner or later , to find a ready hand
offered fo help and accompany him ; If ho
trapped a squirrel or tracked down a
wild bees' heard , ho generally found a mull
ing face watching him , I'rospectora nome-
tlinca stopped him with : "Well , Johnny !
as a chipper and far-minded boy , now
wliar would you odvtie ua to dig ? " I
Krlovo to say that Johnny wcs not above
giving hla advlcu and that It was Invariably
of not the smallest use to the recipient.
And an the days passed , Mr. Mcdlllier't
absence waa protracted , and the hour of
retribution aud funlsbmcutt utlll uecmcd
fat nwny The bUikberrlcn ripened am
dried Upon the hillside , anl the nqulrrcl ,
bid gathered their hoards ; the bcca ro lonic
i ante a id went through the thicket , bu
Johnny was Mill In dally , mysterious pos
ecRslun of bin gratctt of gold ! And then on
day after the fatC'Of all heroic humanity-
hla secret Imperilled by the blandishment
and machinations of the U-powerful sex.
Klorry Kraser wa a lltllo playmate o
Johnny's. Why , with hla doubts of his clde
Bister's Intelligence and IntcRrlly. ho ahoub
have selected a child two years younger am
of nlngular simplicity was. like his othc
Kccret , bis own. What she Raw In him ti
attract her was equally Htrangc ; possibly 1
may have been hla brown gooseberry eye
or bis warts , but ehc was quite conlen
to trol after him like n young squaw , carry
Ing his "bowarrow" or his "trap , " supreme ! :
satisfied to share his woodland knowledge o
h'u scantier confidences. Kor nobody win
know Johnny suspected lhat she was prlv ;
to his great secret. Howbelt , wherever hi :
ragged slraw hat , thatched with his lawn ;
hair , \vi8 dcteclcd In the brush Ihc lllth
nankeen sunbonnct nf Klorry was euro ti
bo discerned not far behind. For two week !
they bad not seen each other. A fell ilia
case , nurtured In Ignorance , dirt and care
IcMiitfls , was striking right and left througl
Iho valleys of the foothills , and Klorry , whcai
slsler had Just recovered from an atlack
had been scqueslered with her. Hut om
morning , as Johnny was bringing his woot
from the stack behind the bouse , he saw
to his Intense delight , a picket of the roai
fence slipped aside by a small red hand
and a moment otter Klorry squeezed her
self through the narrow opening. Her roum
checks were slightly flushed , and Iherc wai
a scrap of red flannel around her plumi
throat that heightened the whiteness of hoi
skin. _
"My ! " said Johnny , with half real , hal
affected admiration , "how splendiferous ! "
"Soro throat , " said Klorry , In a whisper
trying lo Insert her two chubby ( Ingen
between the bandage and her chin. "I nuts
sent go outer the garden patch ! I immson
slay long , for they'll ketch mo outer bed ! "
"Outer bed ? " repeated Johnny , with Intense
tense- admiration , as ho perceived for tin
first tlmo that Klorry was In a llanncl night
ROWII , with bare legs and feet.
"K.ss. "
Wheicupon these two delightful Imp ;
chuckled and wagged their heads with i
sincere enjoyment that this mere worh
could not give. Johnny slipped off his shoe :
and stockings and hurriedly put them on tin
Infant Klorry , securing them from falllni
off with a thick cord. This added to theli
enjorment.
"V.'o can play cubby house In the stone
heap , " whispered Klorry.
'Hoi' on till I tote In this wood , " sab
Johnny. "You hide till I conic back. "
Johnny swiftly delivered his load with at
alacrity bo had never shown before. Ther
they played "cubby house" not fifty feel
from the cabin , with a hushed but gulllj
satisfaction. Hut presently It palled. Thcb
domain was lee circumscribed for variety
"Hoblnsoi Crusoe up the tree" was Impossl
ble , as being visible from the house win
dows. Johnny was at his wit's end. Klorrj
was fretful and fastidious. Then a grcal
thought struck him and left him cold.
"If I show you a show , you won't tell ? '
he said suddenly.
' Xo. "
"Wish "
ycr-ma-die ?
"Kss. "
"Got any penny ? "
"Xo. "
"Got any slate pencil ? "
"No. "
"Alu'l got any pins nor nothln' ? You klr
go In for n pin. "
Hut Klorry had none of childhood's flue-
fuallng currency with her , having , BO to
speak , no pockets.
"Well , " said Johnny , brightening up , "ye
kin go In for luv. "
The child clipped him with her small
arms and smiled , and , Johnny leading Ihe
way , they crept ou all fours through the
thick ferns until they paused before ) a deep
fissure In the soil half overgrown with bram
ble. In Its depths Ihey could hoar Iho
monotonous trickle of water. H was really
the source of the spring that afterward
reappeared fifty yards nearer Ihe road , and
trickled Into nn unfailing pool known ns the
Hurnt Spring , from Iho brown color of Ihe
surrounding brno'sen. It was the water
supply of the. ranch , and Iho reason for
Mr. Medllker's original selection of that site.
Johnny lingered fcr an Instant , looked care
fully around and then lowered himself Into
the fissure. A moment later bo reached up
his arms to Klorry , lowered her also , and
both disappeared from view. Yet from lime
lo llmo Ihclr voices came faintly from be
low with the guigle of water as of festive
gnomes at play.
At thn end of ten minutes they reappeared
a llttlo muddy , a llttlo bedraggled , but
flushed and happy. There were two pink
spots on Klorry's checks , and she clasped
something tightly In her llttlo red fist.
"There , " said Johnny , when they were
seated In the straw again ; "now mind you ,
don't tell. " '
Hut hero suddenly Klorry's lips began to
quiver , and she gave vent to a small bowl
of anguish.
"You ain't bit by a tranl'ler nor nothln' ? "
said Johnny , anxiously. "Hush up ! "
"N o o ! Hut "
"Hut what ? " said Johnny.
"Mar sahl I must tell ! Mar said I was to
fin' oul where you gel the truly gold ! .Mar
said I was lo get you to take mo , " howled
Klorry , In an agony of remonse.
Johnny gasped. "You InJIn ! " ho began.
"Hut I won't Johnny ! " said Klorry , clutchIng -
Ing his leg frantically. "I won't and I
shan't ! I ain't no Injin ! "
Then , between her sobs , she told him. how
her mother and Mr. Staplco had said that she
was to ask Johnny the next time they met
lo take her where he found the "truly gold , "
and she waa to remember where It was and
to tell them. And they were going to give
her U now dolly and a hunk of gingerbread.
"Hut I won'l and I shan't ! " she said pas
sionately. She was quite pale again.
Johnny was convinced , but thoughtful.
"Tell 'cm , " he said hoarsely , "tell 'cm a big
whopper ! They won't know no heller.
They'll never guess where. " And ho briefly
recounted the wild goose cbaso he had given
the minister.
"And get the dolly and Iho cake. " said
Klorry , her cyeo shining through her tears.
"In course , " eald Johnny. "They'll get
the dolly hack , but you kin have eatcd Iho
cake flrsl. " They looked at each oilier , and
their danced logclher over Ihls heaven-sent
Inspiration. Then Johnny look off her shoes
and stockings , rubbed her cold feet with bla
dirty handkerchief .and said : "Now you trot
over to your mar ! " '
Ho helped her through the loose picket of
.ho fence and was turning away when her
faint voice again called to him ;
"Johnny ! "
Ho turned back ; she was standing on the
ither aide of the fence holding out her arms
: o him. Ho wcnl to her with shining e > es ,
lifted her up , and from her hot but loving
little lips look u fatal kiss.
Kor , only au hour later , Mrs. Krnser
ouml Klorry In her .bed , losslng with a high
fever mid a light head. She was tnlk'ng
at "Johnny" and "gold , " and had a llaku
af metal In her tiny fist. When Mr. Staples
was sent for , ; id with the mother und
'fllher , bung anxiouslynbovo har bed , (
their eager questioning they could only fln-1
out that Klorry had been ( o a high mnun-
ulii , over so far away , and on the top of It
.hero was gold lyliifi around , anl u shining
giiro was giving It away to llu people.
"Ai.J who were Ibo people. Klorry , dear ? "
said Mr. Staples , persuasively ; "anybody yo
irow here ? "
"They wonnguli , " said I'lnrry , with a
'rightened Glance over her shoulder.
I grieve lo Hay that Mr. Scaplcu did not
t.ok as pleased an the celestial vision ns bo
night have , and poor Mrs. l-Vanar jrohnbly
3i-w thai In her child's fac- which drove
Jlher things fioin br mind. Yet Mr. Staples
"And who led you lo this beautiful moun
tain ? Was It Johnny ? "
"No. "
Who then ? "
Klorry opened her eyes on the speaker.
'I fink It won Doil , " she said , mid closed
hem cgaln.
Hut hero Dr. Diiclironi' hurried In , and
after a alnglo glance at the child hustled
Mr , Staples from the room , for there wcie
throve complications thai puzzled him. Klorry
germed easier and quieter under his kindly
voice and touch , but did not speak again
anil so , blowly sinking , passed away thai
light In a ilreamles.i sleep , ThU was fol-
OUIH ! by a mad panic at Hurnt Spring
the next day , and Mrs , Medllker fled with
icr two girls to Sacramento , leaving Johnny ,
Htcnslbly ntrong and active , lo keep hoimu
mill his father's return. Hut .Mr , Mcdll-
ter's return was again delayed , and In the
epidemic , which had now taken a fast hold
jf the settlement , Johnny's secret and In-
lecd tbo boy himself was qulto forgotten.
t was only ou Mr. Mcdllker'H arrival that
It wan known he had been lying duiigirously
111 alone In the abandoned bouse. In hi *
strange retire-lire and llttnncM nf purpose
he had kept bin sufferings In hlmiu'lf as
he had his other u-crct--and they weio re
vealed only In the wasted , hollow figure
that feebly opened the door to his father.
On which Intclllgenre Mr. Staples wan ns
usual , promptly nn the spot with hi * ! ry of
Johnny's rocret lo his father , and his usual
eager questioning to the fiat slnkl.ig . 1n >
"And now , Johnny" he nald. leaning over
the bed , "tell ua nil. There Is one from
whom no secrets are hid. Remember , too ,
thit dear Klorry , who ls now with the an
gels , has nlrcadv confe. frd. "
Perhaps It was because Johnny , even at
that moment , hated the man ; perhaps It
vt ! < i because at that moment he loved and
believed In Klorry. or perlup * It was only
Dial because at that moment he was neater
the greater truth than his questioner , but he
said In n lu.sky volco , "You lie ! "
Staples drew back with u flushed fa > "o , but
lips that writhed In n pained and still per
sistent eagerness. "Hut , Johnny , at least ,
tell us where wh wow wow. "
I am obliged to admit that these undigni
fied accents came from Mr Staples' own
HIM , and were duo to the sudden pnssure
of Mr. Medllker's arm nro.iml bin thro.it
The teamster was Irascible and promp
through much mule driving , and Ms am
was , from the same reason , slrong am
sinewy. Mr. Staples felt himself garrote
and dragged from the room , and only cam
lo under the stars outside , with the boars
volco of Mr. Medllker In his ears :
"You're n minister of Ihe gospel , I know
bui cf yo say another word to my Johnny
I'll knock Iho gcopel stullln' out of ye. Y
hear mo ! I've driven mules nfore ! "
Ho then strode back Into the room. "Y
needn't answer , Johnny he's gone. "
Hut so , too. had Johnny , for ho never an
awcred the question In this world nor
please God , \vaa ho required to In the next
lie lay sllll and dead. The community wa
scandalized the next day when Mr. Mini like
sent for a minister from Sacramento t
ofllelalc at his child's funeral In place o
Mr. Staples , and then tbo subject wa
dropped ,
But the Influence of Johnny's hidden treas
tire sllll remained as a supcrsllllon In the
locality. Prospecting parties were eon
tlmmlly made up to discover the unknowi
claim , but always from evidence and data
altogether apocryphal. It was even nllegei
thai n miner bad ono night seen the llttlt
figures of Johnny and Klorry walking over
Ihe hilltop , hand In band , but that the )
had vanished among Iho stars at the vcr ;
moment ho thought he had discovered their
secret. And then It was forgotten ; the prosperous -
porous Mr. Medllker , now the proprietor o
a slngp coach roule , moved away lo Sacramento -
mento ; Medllker's ranch became a station
for changing hoiscs , and , ns the new rail
way In time superseded even that , sunk
Into a blacksmith's shop on the outsklrls
of Ihe new town of Hurnt Spring. And then
ono day , six years after , news fell as a
bolt from the blue !
It was thus recorded In the county paper
"A piece of rare good fortune , Involving. II
Is said , the development of n lead of ex
traordinary value , has lately fallen to the
lot of Mr. John Sllsheo , the popular black
smith , on Ihe site of Iho old Medllker ranch.
In clearing out Ihc falling watercourse
known as Hurnt Spring , Mr. Sllsbee came
upon a rich ledge or pocket nt the actual
source of the spring a fissure In the ground
a few rods from the road. The present ylchl
has been estimated to be from eight to ton
thousand dollars. But the event Is consid
ered as one of the most remarkable In
stances of Ihe vagaries of 'prospect'lng' ever
known , as Oils valuable 'pot-hole' existed
undisturbed for elgbt'years not fifty yards
from the old cabin that was In former time
the residence of J. Medllker , csq. , and the
slatlon of the I'lonccr Stage company , and
was utterly unknown and unsuspected by
the previous Inhabitants ! Verily , truth Is
stranger than fiction ! " HURT HAHTK.
The king of pills Is Heccham's Ueccham's
DDK TolU Time by the Clock.
II. C. I'cteivon , a workman at the cotton
seed mill of Paris , Ky. , owns n dog. Nick
that can tell the time of day. It Is Nick's
duty to lake his master's dinner to him In a
little pall , and should Mrs. Peterson by any
mischance overlook the matter the dog Is
sure lo remind her In proper time by bring
lug the bucket and urging her to nil It. At
first It wcs supposed to bo the dog's In
tuition merely that enabled him to know the
hour , but ho has many times been seen
watching the clock , and once , when Mrs.
Pelerson set tl'c hands ahead to test Ihc
matter. Nick brought the dinner pall
promptly on the stroke of 12 , though In
reality It was only 11.
Nick Is as familiar with the whistles as
Peterson is himself and always sees to It that
his master H awake at Ihc proper lime each
mornlus to begin his work. If Peteruon
oversleeps himself Nick Is sure to be on the
alert and nt the first sound of the early
whistle runs lo Ihe bedside and barks until
his master Is awake.
There are thousands of
sickly school-girls all over
this broad land that are
dragging their way through
school-life who might enjoy
that abundant life which be
longs to youth by simple at
tention to hygienic laws and
a proper course of treatment
with Scott's Emulsion. This
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and quicken the appetite by
strengthening the digestion.
Our book tells more about
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I lill DoJce BC. Omaha , Nrc. *
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