Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-11

ubbed his eyes II he had dared. They were
not the same men! Did the cave contain
Others who all the while had been shut up
in Its dark recesses7 Was there a band ?
Would they all swarm out upon him ?
Should he run for his life?
But the illusion was only momentary?
A longer look at them convinced him that
they were the sam men In new clothes
and disguised, and as one remounted the
outcrop, Johnny's keen eyes recognized him
as Spanish Pete. He merely kicked away
the stone, the root again descended gently
over the opening and the tree recovered it's
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 I'M
derbrush, and then emerged stiff and
cramped from his concealment. But he no
longer thought Of flight; curiosity and ambi-
tion burned in his small veins. He quickly
climbed up the %outcrop, picked up the fallen
stone and In spite Of its weight lifted 1t
to the PROSTATE tree. Here he paused and
from his coign Of vantage looked and lis
tened. The solitude was profound. Then
mounting the tree and standing over its
NNAH NC NAASh ~ AbCk II as the others naQ.
Alasl J%ohnny's heart was stout, his cour-
age unlimited. his perception all embrac-
ing, his ambition boundless, but his actual
a~yoirdupois was only that Of a boy Of 10.
The tree did not move. But Johnny had
played see-saw before. and quietly moved
toward it's highest part. II slowly de-
seended under the changed center Of gray
lily and the root arose, disclosing the open
Ing as before. Yet here the little hero
paused. He waited with his eyes fixed on the
opening, ready to fly on the sallying out Of
anyone who had remained concealed. He
then placed the stone where he had stood
leaped down and ran to 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 to be a bot
tie In which a candle was fitted, and a bon
Of matches. evidently used by the two men.
Lighting the candle, he could now discern
that the cavern was only a few yards Ions
the beginning OF a tunnel which the &C.
cident TO the tree had stopped. In one
corner lay the clothes that the men had
left, and which for a moment seemed al
that the cavern contained, but, on remoy.
ing them. Johnny saw that they were
thrown over a rife. a revolver and the two
channels leather bags that the men hal
brought there. They we're so heavy tina
the boy could scarcely lift them. His fac,
flushed; his hands tremhled with excite
ment. To a boy whose truant wandering
had given him a fair knowledge Of mining
he knew that weight could have but on
meaning, Gold! He hurriedly united tn,
nearest bag. But 1t Was not the gold o
the locality, OF the tunnel. Of the 'beC
rock!" 1t was flake gold" the gold o
the river. IL had been taken from IN,
miners sluices in the distant streams. Thu
bags before him were the spells Of IN,
sluice robber-spoils that could not be solo
or even shown 10 the district without DANCE
-spoils kept until they could be taken L
Marysvilie or Sacramento for disposal. Al
this might have occurred 70 the mind o