Evening star., 1896-12-26

| upon a mere worldly trife will endeavor
to find 1t. 1t may be in my other pocket.
fashion, but instantly went over to the
post office, where, as he afterward alleged
he had changed the ore for coin in a mo-
ment of inadvertence. But Johnny's hero
glyphics were found on 1t, and in some
Mysterious way the story got about. 1t
had two effects that Johnny did not dream
OF. 1t had forced his mother into an atti-
I tude of completely with him. it had raised
| up for him single friend. Jake Stielitzer
quartz miner, had declared that Burnt
Spring was playing 1t low down" on
Johnny! That If they really believed that
the boy took gold from their sluice boxes
| 1t was their duty to watch their claims and
| not the boy. That 1t was only their excuse
| for 'snooping' after him, and they only
wanted to find his strike" which was as
] much his as their claims were their own!
All this with great proficiency of epithet,
| but also still more recognized proficiency
with the revolver, which made the former
| respected.
That's the real niger is The fence,
Johnny" said Jake, twiriing his huge mus,
| tache. land they only want to know where
your lead is-and don't you tell 'em! Let
EN- bile over with waitin' first, and that'll
put the fire out Does yer pop know?"
| Mo- said Johnny.
No Nor yer mar?'
| Jake whistled. "Then it's only you your
| self"
Johnny nodded violently and his brown
| eyes glistened
IT'S a heap Of information to be packed
away In a chap Of your size. Johnny.
Must keep it to yourself, eh?''
Have to-" said Johnny with a gasp that
was little like q sigh.
| 1t caused Jake to look at him attentively.
| ''See here. Johnny" he said, NOW eff We
| wanted to tell somebody about it-some-
body as was a friend Of yours-me, f'r in
| stance?"
/ UoI
warty little hand that had been resting
| col fdingly In Jake's, and gently sidled
away from him. Jake burst into loud
| laugh
AN right, Johnny boy" he said with a
hearty Slap upon the boys back, keep
| yer head shut eff yer wanter! Only eff any
body else comes bummin' round ye. like
this. Jest turn him over to me, and I'll lift
Jake kept his word and his distance
| thereafter. Indeed, 1t was after his first
| and last conversation with him that ehe
influence OF his powerful protection was so
| strong that all active criticisms of Johnny
| ceased, and only a respectful surveillance
| of his movements fingered in the settle
| ment. l do not know that this was alto
| gether distasteful to the child; it would
| have been strange, indeed, If he had not
| felt at times exalted over this mysterious
| infrenoe that he seemed to have acquired
| over his fellow creatures. If he were
| merely hunting blackberries in the brush
| he was always sure, sooner or later, to
| find a ready hand offered to help and ac-
| company him; IL he trapped q squirrel or
| tracked down a wild bees hoard, he gener-
| ally found a smiling face watching him.
Prosrectors sometimes stopped him with:
We'll, Johnny! as a clipper and far
minded boy, now whar would you advise
US to dig?" l grieve to say that Johnny
| was rot above giving his advice-and that
1t vas invariably of not the smallest use
| to the recipient.
And SO tine days passed. Mr. Medfiker :
absence was protracted, and the hour Of
| far away. The blackberries ripened and
dried upon the hillside; and the squirrels
/ had gathered their boards; the bees no
| longer came and went through the thicket
| but Johnny was still in daily, mysterious
possession Of his grains Of gold! And theu
one day-after the fate Of all heroic hu-
| manity-his secret was imperiled by the
Establishments and Vaccinations of the ali.
powerful sex.
| Florry Fraser was little playmate OF
Johnnys. Why, with his doubts of his
elder sisters Intelligence and integrity. me
| should have selected a child two years
| younger and Of singular simplicity was. Ike
him to attract her was equally STRANGE:
possibly 1t may have been his brown goose.
berry eyes or his warts, but she was quite
content to trot after him like q young
squaw carrying his ''bowarrow'' or his
trap" supremely satisfied to share kis
dences. For nobody who knew Johnny sus-
pected that she was privy to his great Sc.
cret. Howbeft, wherever his ragged stra y
| hat, matched with his tawny hair, was de-
tected In ahe brush the little nankeen sun
bonnet OF Florry was sure to be discerned
not seen each other. A fen disease. nur-