The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
]. BUNYAN MEDLIKER,
The Youngest Prospec-
tor in
ny BRET
Copurfoht. 1928. bu Bret Rarte.

Dub 10 uoNoT ulu nc Wdh III 10y, lnJtnsely
frecklod to the roots of his tawny hair, with
even a suspicion of freckles in his almond.
shaped but somewhat full eyes. which we're the
greenish hue of n ripe Rooseberry. All this wat
vsrS unlike his parents. from whom he diverged
In resemblance in that fashion so often seen IN
the Southwest of America, as IL the youth Of the
boundless West had struck a new note of indie
pendonce and originality, overriding all conser.
vative and established rules of heredity. Some
thing of this was also shown In q singular and
remarkable reticence and frmness of purpose,
quite unlike his family of schoolfellows
His mother was tho wife of a teamstcr
who had apparently once dumped" his family,
consisting of a boy aud two girls, on the road
aide at Burnt Spring, with the canvas roof OF
his wagon to cover them, while he proceeded to
deliver other freight not SO exclusively his own
at other stations along the road. returning to
them on distant and separate occasions with
slight additions TO their stock, habitation, and
furniture. In this way the canvas roof was
finally shingled and the hut enlarged, and.
under the quickening of q smiling California
sky and the forcing of a teeming California soil,
the chance-sown seed took root and became
known as Medliker's Ranch. or "Medliker's.'
with its bursting garden patch and its three
sheds or "lean-to's."
The girls helped their mother in n childish
initiative way; the boy. John Bunyan. after n
more desultory and original fashion-wnen he
was not going TO" or ostensibly coming from
school. for he was seldom actually there. Some
thing of this fcar was in the mind of Mrs. Med
liker one morning as she looked up from the
kettle she was scrubbing. with premonition Of
more vorriting." to behold the Rev. Mr..
Staples, the local minister, haul John Bunyan
Med!iker into the shanty with one hand. Let
ting Johnny go. he placed his back against the
l.Nr n~l -t,nI hia fn,o ,r,tl n SAl hn,lln.
chief. Johnny dropped into a chair. ~furtively
Glancing At the arm by which Mr.. Staples had
dragged him. and feeling It with the other hand
to see II IL was really longer.
"Tve been requested by the oolmast
said the Rev. Mr.. Staples, putting his handker-
chief back into his broad felt hat with a gasp
ing smile. to bring our young friend before you
for a matter of counsel and discipline. l have
done so. Sister Medliker. with some difficulty 3"
he looked down at John Bunyan, who again
felt of his arm and was satisfied that it was
l~onger-"but we must do our dooty even with
difficulty to ourselves, and, perhaps, to others.
Our young friend, John Bunyan. stands on q
Eiddy leighton slippery places, and" contin-
ued Mr.. Staples. with a lofty disregard to con-
%secutive metaphor, Ibis feet are taking fast
hold Of destruction" Here the child drew a
breath of relief, possibly at the prospect of be-
ing on firm ground of my kind at last: but
Sister Medliker. to whom the Staples style Of
exordium had only a Sabbath significance,
turned to her offspring abruptly.
And what's these yer doin's now. John. and
me a slavin' to send ye to school? 2"
Thus appealed TO, Johnny looked for a reply
at his feet, at his arm. and at the kettle. Then
he said: /" I amt done nothin'. but he"-indicat-
ing the Rev. Mr.. Staples" hez been nigh onter
pullin' off my arm!"
Its now almost n week ago." continued Mr..
Staples, waving aside the interruption with q
smile of painful Christian tolerance, " or per-
haps ten days-I won't be too sure-that the
schoolmaster discovered that Johnny had in his
possession two or three fakes of fine river gold.
each OF the value of half a dollar, or perhaps
62IE cents. Un being questioned where he got
them he refused to say: although subsequently
be alleged that he had found them. 1t
being a single instance. he was given the ben
eft OF the doubt. and nothing more was said
about 1t. But a few days after he was found
trying 20 pass Off, at Mr.. Smiths store. two
other flakes of n different size and a small mug
get OF the value OF four or five dollars. At this
pO.at l was called in; he repeated to me, I
gcieve to say, the same untruthfulness. and
VIXEN ! suggested to him the obvious fact that
he had taken 1t from one of the miners sluice
boxes and committed the grievous sin of theft,
he wickedly denied it-so tina, we are prevented
NAt. iIS u Iht SlIIsllhl U l
restoring it even one fold. instead of four OF five
fold. as the Mosaic law might have required.
We were, alas. unable to ascertain anything
from the miners themselves, though | grieve
to say they one ana all agreed that their
take that week was not at all what
they had expected. l even went so far
ms to admit the possibility OF his own
statement, and besouGht him at least to
show me where he had found II. He at first re-
fused with great stabbornness of temper. but
later consented to me privately this
afternoon to the spot" Mr.. Staples paused.
anu. sinking his voice, gloomily. and with his
eyes fixed upon johnny. continued slowly:
lyhen / state that, after several times trying
TO evade me on the way. he finally led me to the
top OF Bald Hill, where there is not n scrap Of
persisted that he found it there, you will UNDER
stand. Sister Medliker. the lncorrigibility of his
witness to his breaking of the Eighth Com
mandment. But | leave him to your Christian
the vengeance Of mah's law. he vii not escape
I'VE kin leave him 10 me-" said Mrs. Medli-
ker in her anxiety to get rid of the parson, as
snm sn be q eG e. sist"y '4 Ms TrT far from sa9a fe stanie..
drawing a long. satisfactory breath; and let
us trust that when you have ras,led with his
10 Wednesdays Mothers Meeting"
He clapped his soft hat on his head. cast an
door with his hand behind him, and backed
himself into the road.
Now, JOHNNY" said Mrs. Medliker. setting
her lips as the door closed, look me in the face,
and say where you stole that gold"
But Johnny evidently did not think that his
mothers face at that moment offered any moral
support. for he didn't look Mt her; but, after
gazing ut the kettle. said slowly: "1didn't steal
Then" said Mrs. Medliker. "if ye didn't steal
1t, you'ld say right off how ye got it,"
Children are often better logicians than their
elders. To John Bunyan the stealing OF gold
and the mere refusal to say where he got 1t
were two distinct and separate things: that the
negation of the second proposition meant the
affirmation of the first he could not accept. But
then children are also initiative and fearful of
the older intellect. 1t struck Johnny that his
mother might be right. and that to her 1t really
meant tho same thing. So. after a moments
silence. he replied more confidently: Il suppose
/ st0led it,"
enIng change in his mothers face. and her
furious accents. You stole it?I,you stole #;
me! Who did you steal 1t from Tell me
quick. afore ! wiring It out OF your
Completely astounded and bewildered Mt this
new turn Of affairs. Johnny again fell back upon
"You don't know. you devil. Did you take II