The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1896-12-28
7 Tssaos., PROSPECTOR & csi59s,...
BRET RARTE s------

back upon the dreadful truth and gasped
! Il don't know"
You don't know. you devil! DID you take
IL from Frazer's?"
/ No"
! From simmons Bros? %
I '.No"
"From tho blazing star Companyr
Prom a store?"
I NO"
Then. IN created goodness.-where did
you GO; it,
Johnny raised his brown gooseberry eyes
for single instant TO his mothers and
7 said: Il found it."
Mrs NIcdlikeT gasned again ard stared
hope.essiy at the ceiling. Yet she was con
scious d certain relief. After ali, 4 was
possible that he had found h-liar as no IN
doubleday was.
Then. why don't you say where. you aw-
ful childT'
Don't want tor'
Johnny would have liked to add tina. no
saw nc reason why he should tell Other
People who found gold were not Obliged 20
tell There wa Jim Brody. who had struck
lead and kept tho locality secret. No
body forced him TO tell Nobody called him
thief; nobody had dragged him abou.
~ the arm until he showed it, Why was
% wrong that "A little boy should fud erola9
Staples had never got up and said: .-Thou
sh.lt not md sold"' HIS mother had never
made him pray not TO find n! The scbool-
master had never read him awful stories
OF bows who found gold and never said any
lhlns about IL. and 50 came to a horrid end.
AS us csoNHcd his small. boys mind. and
crowd inS choked his small boys utterance.
You jest wait TN YOUR father comes
home" said Airs. AIedliker. and hen sec
whether you want to- or not And roA
sci yourself on TO bed and stay there
Johnny Knew that his father-whose
teams had Increased To five wagons. and
whose route extended forty miles further
was not Cue for q week. and thar the
catastrophe was vet remote His rresent
punishment he had expected. lie went IN
10 The adjoining bcdruom which he oc-
cuped with his sister, and began 10 I'M
dress Tie fingered for some time over one
stocking and finally cautiously removed
from 10 a small piece OF lake gold which
BE- had kept concealed all dav under his
"ls toe 10 the great discomfort of that
member. tiut this was only a small orli-
mary. se.f-Inartyrdom OF boyhood lie
scratched "A boyish hieroslyphic on the
metal. and when his mothers back was
turned scr-iped small hole in the adobe
wan, inserted The gold IN Il. and covered
u Np Win plaster made % the raoisteued
debris u Was safe-so was his secret
Tor it need not, perhaps. ae stated here
that Johnny had told the truth aad had
honestly found the goldi but where
yos. tilat was his own secret And now.
Johnny with the instinct Of all young ami
mats. dismiss y the whole subject from his
mind. ami reclining comfortably anon his
arm, fell into an interesting study Of ,he
--.,.i. ~ 80. ~. l'.,l''. 90
~ /, 60. -, 80 - W" que am
-. ~. 80. - utte''l"h
80 oil. -. -. =, ~" 'iie '~''e"'lo"
~. - .., 80 0o,o'S-
--,..,,.,.. -. 49,, a. .," -. .i''''5n'
--- ,.,.,.-- = -. =. .'''
-, ~. .-''l nF th,iF pellet ''at he
,ff-- ~. $50. ~. 80 =. ,'e
-....h..-.. $685. -.
tt..,, ms ,,,.-s,.,5 30, 80, ~
rs-.rtr. r.,-f-.., So a.
-hs.h ,t $3.50, 80 s'''''.' ~. -
''i'~i' "iN H"t 'A'4ip'. I
Quest rsnin.-. ana on broader i.pTersoual (
grounds As airi~. 81 was none Of their /
sr.-s' ~. wasn't a-noiu' a. tel tlssm
Dis secrets. And what did they know /
about gold. Anyway They Couldn't ten # I
from brass, Tie attitude of his mother l
kaE. however. st'N peinieNiuS. 81" MS
no longer actively Indignant, hat 'fedird ]
him with mysterlou reserve that Was
flc more appalling. The Tact was i0ai
--,e no LONGER believed in his fhef'-intori.
Size tlI never seriously accepted il-hat ]
his strange reflcence and sccretlNen,-s
r.i.iied her curiosity. and even made her n
litfie afraid 90 Aim. The capacity for keep
ir- SECRET she believed Was inarliH,,
ari reminded her-f1r no reason 90 ihc
ssur'.-of Sim Mrliik.r. her husband.
v.rrm She feared Wen. She would Do
fh..rn n-ht " uu- between them. More
than tlat. She was Finally ohh-e3 % sink
f.- reserve. In crir loving him in the rsceS-
st-v chores" fnr tho house. and he was
SCENT ON au crraud 90 ga" country store
ar the crossroads. iut be urst extracted
hfs gold rihe r-1m tle sail and pat . 'n
hf- ranrf.-
pn nrr'.fr- at tae store n was plain
even cd hlS hatiel perceptions that enc
minister 1...f .'r.,ilrfed PASS miserable STORY.
Two or three ~ the customers =Ioke p"
...-h other in 20 whisper. ana looked ~
hIrt. sIor- flan that. when De began his
huruevr-i I"r.riey ue SASSY thaf two of
t.s loarr-rs yere evidently following hIin
IaIr i1 umiity aui half iu boE.>n n.i-
chief ha ou.c or twice str4Ted frum the
q -..cf road. and snatohct q Fearful ioy in
sf-s-t.ng tfeir ,-lua1 aiNer--ues As Doe
s,ss.,l 1rr Stainless house be saw that
r,,,.-.nd gentlemen sueaz out 81 h.s gate.
sr1. without seeing tile two others. join