Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04

that at the end of an hour and half he
found himself two miles from the school
house and, from the position Of the sun,
at least an hour too late for school. He
knew that nobody would believe him The
punishment for complete truancy was little
worse than for being late. He resolved to
accept it, and by way of irrevocability at
once burnt his ships behind HMM devour-
ing part of his dinner.
Thus fortified in his outlawry, he began
to look about him. He was on a thckly
wooded terrace with a blank wall of out
CROP one side nearly as high as the
pines which pressed close against 1t. He
had never seen 1t before; II was two or
three miles from the high road and seemed
to be virgin wilderness. But on close eX-
animation he could see, with the eye OF a
boy bred in mining district, that the wall
of outcrop had not escaped the attention OF
the mining prospector. There were marks
of his pick in some attractive quartz seams
of the wall, and further on more ambi-
tous attempt, evidently by party or
miners to begin a tunnel, shown In an
abandoned excavation and the heap of de-
bris before 1t. 1t had evidently been aban-
doned for some time as ferns already 1orced
their green fronds through the stones and
gravel, and the yerba buena vine was be-
ginning to mat the surface Of the heap.
But the boys fancy was quickly taken by
the traces OF a singular accident ana one
which had perhaps arrested the progress OF
the eXcaVatOrS The roots of a large pine
tree groyvng close to the wall had been evil
IDENTIFY loosened by the excavators and the
tree had fallen, with one of It's largest roots
still in the opening the miners had made,
and apparently blocking the entrance. The
large tree lay as It fell-midway across an
other but much smaller outcrop of rock
which stood sharply about fifteen feet above
the level of the terrace-with Its gaunt,
dead limbs in the air at low angle. To
Johnny'3 boyish fancyit seemed so easily bal
anced on the rock that but for its imprison-
ed root 1t would have made a capital see
saw. This he felt must be looked to here
after. But here his attention was arrested
by something more alarming. His quick
ear, attuned like an animals to all wood
land sounds detected the cracking Of I'M
derwood In the distance. His equally sharp
eyes saw the figures of two men approach
ing. But as he recognized the features of
one of them he drew back with a beating
heart. a hushed breath and hurriedly hid
himself in the shadow For he had seen
that figure once before-f1ying before the
sheriff and an armed posse-and had never
forgotten It! 1t was the figure Of Spanish
Pete. notorious desperate and sluice rob-
Der.
Finding he had been unobserved the boy
took courage, and his small faculties be-
came actively alive. The two men came on
together cautiously, and at a little distance
the second man, whom Johnny did not
know. parted from his companion and began
TO loiter up and down, looking around as II
acting as sentinel for the desperate, who
advanced directly to the fallen tree Sud
denly the sentinel uttered an exclamation
ana spanish Pete paused. The sentinel was
examining the ground near the heap of
debris.
What's up?" growled the desperado.
"Foot-tracks! Weren't here before. And
fresh ones, too"
Johnny's heart sank. It was where he
had Just passed.
Spanish Pete hurriedly Joined his COM
panion.
''Foot-tracks be-" he said scornfulIy.
What fool would be crawlln' round here
barefooted? It's young BARI
Johnny knew the footprints were his own
Yet he recognized the truth of the resem-
blance; it was uncomplmentary, but he felt
relieved. The desperate came forward and
to the boys surprise, began to climb the
small ridge OF outcrop until he reached the
fallen tree. Johnny saw that he was carry
ing a heavy stone. Whats the blamed
fool goin' to DOR he said to himself The
mans evident ignorance regarding foot
prints had lessened the boys awe OF him.
But the strangers next essay took john
ny's breath away. Standing on the fallen
tree trunk at its axis on the outcrop he be-
gan to rock it gently To Johnny's surprise
1t began to move. The upper end descended
slowly, lifting the root in the excavation
at the lower end, and with 1t a mass of
rock. and revealing a cavern behind large
enough to admit a man. Johnny gasped.
The desperate coolly deposited the heavy
stone on the tree beyond its axis on the
rock, so that 1t would keep the tree in posi-
ton. leaped from the tree to the rock, and
quickly descended At which he was Joined
by the other man. who was carrying two
heavy chamois leather bags. They both