The sun., 1902-10-05

ing and the tree recovered its former angle.
| The two hurried away, but Johnny
| noticed that they were empty handed. The
bags had been left behind.
The boy waited patiently, listening with
his ear to the ground like an Indian, for
| the last rustic Of fern and crackle OF under
brush and then emerged still and cramped
| from his concealment.
But he no longer thought Of flight: curios-
| ity and ambition burned in his small veins.
| He quickly climbed TO the outcrop. picked
| up the fallen stone. and in spite Of its
weight lifted II to the PROSTATE tree
Here he paused and from his coign Of
| vantage looked and listened. The soll-
| tude was profound
Then mounting the tree and standing
| over it, axis he tried to rock it a. the others
| had Alas Johnny's heart was stout. hiS
| courage unlimited, his perception all en-
| bracing his ambition boundless, but his
| actual avOirClupois was only that OF a boy
| Of ten The tree did not move.
But Johnny had played see-saw before.
| and quietly moved toward It's highest part
| II slowly descended under the changed
| centre Of gravity, and the root arose, dis
| closing the opening as before.
Yet here the little hero paused. He
waited with his eve fixed on the opening
! ready 10 fly on the sallying out Of any one
who had remained concealed. He then
placed the stone where he had stood, leaped
down and ran 10 the opening.
The change from the dazzling sunlight
TO the darkness confused him at first, and
he could see nothing. On entering he
stumbled over something which proved
20 be a bottle In which a candle was fitted
and box Of matches evidently used by
the two men. Lighting the candle, he
could now discern that the cavern was
only a few wards long he beginning of n
tunnel which the accident to the tree had
stopped.
In one corner Law the clothes that the
men had left. which for moment
seemed all that the cavern c ontained, f.,
but. on removing them, Johnny saw that
they were thrown over n rife, revolver
and the two ChamOis leather bags that
the mon had brought there They were so
heavy that the boy could scarcely lift
them.
His face flushed: his hands trembled
with excitement. To a boy whose truant
wanderings had given him fair knowledge
Of mining, he knew that weight could have
but one meaning gold!
He hurriedly united the nearest bag
But it was not the gold Of the locality, OF
flake gold" the gold of the river. II had
been taken from the miners sluces IN the
distant streams.
The bags before him were the spoils of
the sluce robber-spois that could not
be sold or even shown in the district with
out danger-spoils kept until they could
be taken 10 Marysville or Sacramento for
disposal
All this might have occurred to the mind
of any boy Of the locality who had heard
the common gossip Of his elders, but
TO Johnny'S fancy an idea was klndled
peculiarly his own. Here was cavern
like that of the Forty Thieves" in the
story book and he was the Ali Baba who
knew is secret, He was not obliged 10
say Open, sesame" but he could say it If
he liked II he was showing IT of 70 any
bodv
Yet. alas, he also knew il was a secret he
must keep TO himself He had nobody to
trust il 10.
His father was a charcoal burner Of small
means; a widower with two children. Johnny
and his elder brother. Sam. The latter, a
fragrant incorrigible Of %, with tendency
TO dissipation and low company, had lately
abandoned his fathers roof, only to reap
pear AZ intervals Of hilarious or maudin
intoNication.
He had always been held up to Johnny
a. a warning, or with the gloomy prognosiS
that he, Johnny. was already following in
his tortuOus footsteps. Even II he We're
here he was not 20 be thought Of az a con-
fdant
Still less could he trust his father, who
would be sure To hunge the secret with
sheriffs and COnstables and end by bringing
down the vengeance Of the gang upon the
family
A. for himself, he could not dispose of
the gold il he were 10 take il. The exhibition
Of single fake Of il 20 IN" adult public
would arouse suspicion, and a. il was
JOhnny's hard fate Ia be- always doubted,
he might bc connected with the gang As
truant he knew ne had no moral stan nding,
but he also had the superstition quite
characteristic Of childhood that being in
possession Of n secret he was participant
IN its criminality- and bound. As II were
10y terrible oaths,
And then new idea seized him He
carefully put back everything as he had
found IT. extinguished the candle, left the
cave. remounted the tree and closed the
opening again, as he had seen the Others
do it, with tho addition of murmuring
Shut. sesame, 10 himself, and then ran
away a. fast as his short legs could carry
him.
Well clear Of the dangerous vicinity,
ho proceeded more leisurrly for about a
mile, until h" came to a low white washed
fence, enclosing a small cultivated patch
aud a neat farmhouse beyon d. Here he
paused, and covering behind the fence,
with extraordinary facial contortions. pro-
duced a cry not unlike the scream of
blucJay
Repeating II AT intervals. he was presently
relieved by observing he approach nf nan
keen sunbonnet within the enclosure above
the sunbonnet revealed a rosy little face,
mora than usually plump on ono side, and
a neck enormously wrapped In a scarf
Il was Nicely" Amclia) Stryker, a school
mate. detained al home 10y "mumps' as
Johnny was previously aware. For, with
the famous indiscretion Of some other great
heroes. he was about TO intrust his secret
and his destiny TO one Of the weaker sex.
And what were he minor possibilities Of
cont aginn to this?
"Payin' hockey aRin?" said the young
lady, with a cordial and even expansive
smile, exclusively confined to one side of
her face.
"Um! Sod you be Of you'd bin whar
hev," he said, with a narrowing mystery
"No-say" said Nicely. eagerly.
Al which Johnny, clutchng at the top
Of the fence, with hurried breath told hf-
story But not all With the instinct
of true artist he withheld the manner in
which the opening ~ the cave was revealed,
said othing about the tree. and, grieye
to say. added the words open sesame"
a. the important factor to the operation.
Neither did he mention the name Of Span
ish Pete, For all Of which he was after
ward duly grateful.
Meet me at the burnt pine down the
crossroads at O'Clock" he said in concu-
sion, and I'll show We"
why not now" said Nicely, impatiently
Couldn't, Much a my life IL worth,
Must keep Watching out You come AT T."
And with an assuring nod he released the
fence, and trotted of
He returned cautiously in the direction
Of the cave he was by no means sure that
h..r r,l, mi IA hat Il