The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-09
90 r E S S "
BY BRET HARTE.
AUTHOR OF THE LUCK OF ROARING
CAMP TALES OF THE ARGoNAUTs,"
"IN THE CARoUINEz WOODS"
''MARUJAM," ETC.

CAMP, lALES Or HE AhuONAOio,
"IN THE CARoUINEz WOODS"
''MARUJAM," ETC.
copyrighted 1888 bu the Author.
CHAPTER VI
Utterly oblivious of this artistic shadow
ing in the insignificant person of the
small boy who once or twice even crossed
their path with affected timidity, they con-
tinued an apparently confidential previous
interview. The words "stocks" and
shares" were alone ineligible. Johnny
had heard them during the day. but he was
struck by the fact that Uncle Ben seemed to
he seeking information from the paragon
and was perfectly submissive and humble
But the boy was considerably mystified
when after tramp of half an hour they
arrived upon the debatabls ground of the
Harrison-McKinstry boundary. Having
been especially warned never to go there,
Johnny as matter of course was perfectly
familiar with it. But what was the incom-
prehensible stranger doing there. Was he
brought by Uncle Ben with a view of
parayzing both of the combatants with
the spectacle of his projections? Was he a
Youthful sheriff, a young judge, or maybe
The son of the governor of California. Or
was it that Uncle Ben was SILLY" and didn't
know the localitys Here was an opportunity
for him, Johnny, to introduce himself and
exulain and even magnify the danger, with
perhaps a slight allusicn to his own fearless
familiarity with it. Unfortunately, as he
was making up his small mind behind a
tree, the paragon turned and with the easy
disiain that SO well became him. said:
well, I wouldn't offer dollar an acre
for the whole ranch. But if you choose to
give q fancy price-that's your lookout
Tos.Jbh npy's already prejudiced mind,
A-.HA -, .f1t,x ,,Ns-, II
missivefy,S as he ought, but nevertheless he
muttered something ''silly"in reply, which
Johnny was really too disguised to listen to.
Ought he not to step forward and inform
the paragonfthat he was wasting his time
on anNtho couldn't even spell barker"
ard who was taught his letters by his, John
nys, brothers -
The paragon continued:
Ard of course you know that merely
your buying the title to the land don't give
vou possession. You'll have TO fight these
squatters, andejnmpers just the same. It'll
be three instead of two fghting-that's
allm
Uncle Ben's imbecile reply did not trouble
Johnny. He had ears now only for the
superior intellect before him. 1t continued
coolly:
Now let's take look at that yield of
yours / haven't much time to give you as
| expect some men to be looking for me
here-and | suppose you want this thing
still kept a secret | don't see how you've
managed to do 1t SO far. Is your claim near!
You live on til think you said!"
But that the little listener was so preoc-
cupie with the stranger, this suggestion of
Uncle Ben's having a claim worth the at
teution of that distinguished presence
would have set him thinking the little tn
he understood he set down TO Uncle Ben's
gassin'." As the two men moved forward
ba followed thau1 until IIncla Rams
house was reached.
1t was a rude shanty of boards and rough
bouldcrs. half burrowing in one of the
largest mounds of earth and gravel, which
had once represented the tailings or refuse
of the abandoned Indian Spring Placer. In
toct it was casually alleged by some that
Uncle Ben eked out the scanty grub
wages" he made by actual mining, in re-
vo KING and sitting the taIlings at odd times
a degrading work hitherto practiced only
by Chinese, and unworthy the Caucasian
ambition. The mining code Of honor held
that man might accept the smallest re-
suits of his daily labor, as long as he was
sustained by the prospect of larger
strike" but condemned his conteatment
with a modest certainty. Nevertheless a
little of this suspicion encompassed bis
dwelling and contributed to its loneliness,
even as long ditch, the former tail race of
the claim, separated him from his nelghbors.
Johnny saw his Respondent vision cross the
strip Of barren fiat, and enter the cabin with
Uncle Ben like any other mortal. he sal
down on a stump and awaited It's return,
whic1 he fondly hoped might be alone! AT
tho end of half an hour he made q short ex-
cursion to examine the condition Of q black
berry bramble and returned to his post of
observation. But there was neither sound
nor motion in the direction of the cabin.
When another ten minutes had elapsed, the
door opened and to Johnny'S intense dis
comfture, Uncle Ben appeared alone and
walked leisurely toward the woods. Burning
with anxiety Johnny threw himself in Uncle
Ben's way. But here occurred one OF those
surprising inconsistencies known only to
children. As Uncle Ben turned his small
gray eyes upon him in a half astonlshed,
half questioning manner, the potent spirit
Of. childish secretiveness suddenly took pos
session of the boy. Wild horses could not
now have torn from him that question
Which only moment before was on his
lips. O.,
.'Hullo, Johnny What are ye doin' here!"
said Uncle Ben, kindly.
''Nothin'.n After a pause, In which he
walked all round Uncle Ben's large figure,
gazing up at him as if he were monument,
he added "Huntin' blackberrieth."
why amt you over at the collation.
"Ruperth there be answered, promptly.
He lued OL DelLl& lllS ploochu
in the person of his brother seemed a suf-
hcient excuse. He leap-frogged over the
stump on which he had been sitting as an
easy unemharrassing pause for the next
question. But Uncle Ben was apparently
perfectly satisfied with Johnny's reply, and
nodding to him, walked away.
When his figure had disappeared in the
bushes, Johnny cautiously approached the
cabin. At certain distance he picked up
stone and threw it against the door, imme-
diately taking to his heels and the friendly
copse again. No one appearing he repeated
the experiment twice and even thrice with
larger stone and at a nearer distance.
Then he boldly skirted the cabin and
dropped into the race way at its side. Fol-
lowing it a few hundred yards he came upon
long disused shaft opening into it, which
had been covered with a rough trap of old
planks, as il to protect incautious way
farers from falling in. Here sudden and
lnexplicable fear overlook Johnny, and he
ran away. When he reached the hotel al
most the first sight that met his astounded
ewes, was the spectacle of the paragon, APP
pa-ently still in undsturbed possession of
al his perfections-driving coolly off in
buggy with a fresh companion.
Meantime Mr.. Ford, however, touched by
the sentimental significance of the celebra-
ton, became slightly wearied of its details.
As his own room In the Eureka hotel was
actually thrilled by the brass band without,
- II. halo and