Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-11


! was those two men who had made his
brother a theft
He was very near the tree. He crept
stealthily on his hands and knees through
the bracken and as stealthily climbed the
wedge Of outcrop. and then leaped like a
wildcat on the tree. with incredible ac-
tivity he lifted the balancing stone and as
the tree began to move. in a Hash OF per-
ception transferred Il to the other side
Of its axis. and felt the roots and debris,
under that additional weight. descend
quickly with something like a crash over
the opening. Then he took to his heels.
He ran so swiftly that all u~nknowingly he
overlook a figure, who. turning. glanced at
him and then disappeared in the wood. II
was his second and last view Of his brother
AS he never saw him again.
But now, strange TO say. the crucial and
most ~despairing moment Of his days ex-
p%erienoe had come. He had to face Nicely
Stryker under the burnt pine, and the
promise he could not keep, and to tell her
that he had lied to her. II was the only
way to save his brother now. His small
wits, and, alasl his smaller methods, were
equal to the despairing task. As soon as
he saw her waiting under the tree he fell
to eapering and dancing with an e~xtrava-
gance in which hysteria had no small part.
sold! Sold! Sold again and got the
money!" he laughed, shrilly.
The girl looked at him with astonish-
ment, which changed gradually to scorn
and then to anger. Johnny's heart sank.
but he redoubled his antics.
who's sold" she said, disdaintully,
you be. You swallered all that stun
about Ali Babai You wanted to be Morgy
Anna! Ho! Hot And I've made you play
hookey-from homel"
you hateful, horrid. little Hart"
Johnny accepted his punishment meekly-
In his heart gratefully. Il reckoned you'd
laugh, and not get mad" he said. sub
missively. The girl turned, with tears of
rage and Yexation in her eyes, and walked
away. Johnny followed at a humble dis
lance. Perhaps there was something in
stinctively touching in the boys remorse,
for they made it up before they reached
her fence.
Nevertheless Johnny went home miser-
able. Luckily for him. his father was alb
sent at a vigilance committee called to take
cogniIance OF the late sluice robberies. and
although this temporarily concealed his Of
Tense OF %truancy, the news of the vigilance
meeting determined him to keep his lips
sealed. He lay all night wondering how
long 1t would take the robbers to dig them
selves out Of the cave and whether they sus-
pected their Imprisonment was the work Of
an enemy or only an accident. For several
days he avoided the locality, and even
feared the vengeful appearance Of Spanish
Pete some night at his fathers house. 1t
was not until the end of a fortnight that
he had the courage to revisit the spot. The
tree was In its normal position, but i'm
movable, and q great quantity Of fresh debris
at the mouth OF the cave convinced him the
robbers, after escaping, had abandoned it as
unsafe. His brother did not return, and
either the activity Of the vigilance commit
tee or the lack of a new place Of rendezvous
seemed to have dispersed the robbers from
The locality. for they were not heard Of
@kain.
The next ten years brought an improve
ment to Mr.. Starleigh's fortunes. Johnny
Starleigh, then a student at San Jose, one
morning found a Newspaper clipping in a
letter from Miss Amelia Stryker. 1t read
as follows: THE excavators in the new
tunnel in Heavystone Ridge lately discov-
cred the skeletons Of two unknown men,
who had evidently been crushed and en-
tombed some years previously by the falling
Of a large tree over the mouth of tns,r tenn
porary refuge. From sonS river gold found
with them they were supposed to be part
Of the gang Of slulce robbers who infested
the locality some years ago and were hiding
from the vigilants."
For a few days thereafter Johnny Star
leigh was thoughtful and reserved, but he
did not refer to the paragraph in answer
ing the letter. He decided to keep II for
later condolences, when Miss stryker should
become Mrs. Starlight.