The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-05


And with an assuring nod he releas-
ed the fence. and trotted off. He re-
turned cautiously in the direction of
the cave; he was by no means sure
that the robbers might not return that
day, and his mysterious rendezvous
with Medley yelled a certain prudence.
And it was well! For as he stealthily
crept around the face of the outcrop,
hidden in the ferns, he saw from the
altered angle of the tree that the cav
ern was opened. He remained mo-
tionless with bated breath. Then he
heard the sound of subdued voices
from the cavern, and a figure emerged
from the opening. Johnny grasped the
ferns rigidly to check the dreadful
cry that rose to his lips at it's sight.
For that figure was mis- own brother!
There was no installing that weak,
wicked face. even then flushed with
liquor! Johnny had seen it too often
thus. But never before as a thiefs
face! He gave a little gasp and fell
back upon that strange reserve of
apathy and reticence, in which chill
dren are apt to hide their emotions
from us a. such a moment. He watch
ed impassively the two other men
who followed his brother out to give
him a small bag and some instructions,
and then returned within their cave,
while his brother walked quickly
away. He watched him disappear:
he did not move, for even if he had
followed him he could not bear to face
MIN in his shame. And then out of
his sullen despair came a boyish idea
of revenge. 1t was those two men who
had made his brother a thief
He was very near the tree. He crept
stealthily on his hands and knees
through the bracken, and as stealthily
climbed the wedge of out-crop, and
then leaped like a wild cat on the
tree. With incredible activity he lift
ed the balancing stone, and as the
tree began to move, in a flash of per-
ception transferred it to the
other side of it's 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 unknowingly he over
took a figure, who, turning, glanced at
him, and then disappeared in the wood.
1t was his second and last view of his
brother-as he never saw him again!
But now, strange to say, the crucial
and most desparing moment of his
days experience 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. 1t was the only way to save
his brother now! His small wits, and
alas! his smaller methods, were equal
to the despairing task. As soon as he
saw her waiting under the tree he
fell to capering and dancing with an
extravaganza in which hysteria had no
small part. Sold! Sold! Sold again
and got the money!" he laughed, shril-
ly.
-3-Y IL
ishment, which changed gradually to
scdrn, and then to anger. Johnny's
heart sank, but he redoubled his an
tics.
who's sold?" she said, disdainful-
ly.
You be. You swallered all that
stuff about Ali Baba! You wanted to
be Morgy Anna! Ho Ho! And I've
made you play hookey-from home!"
You hateful, horrid, little liar!"
Johnny accepted his punishment
meekly-in his heart gratefully. II
reckoned you'd laugh, and not get
mad" he said. submissively. The girl
turned, with tears of rage and vexa-
ton in her eyes and walked away
Johnny followed at a humble distance
Perhaps there was something instinc-
lively touching in the boys remorse,
for they made it up before they reach
eu 0eF renee.
Nevertheless Johnny went home mis-
cradle. Luckily for him, his father
was absent at a Vigilance Committee
called to take cognizance of the late
sluice robberies, and although this
temporarily concealed his offense of
truancy, the news of the vigilance
meeting determined him to keep his lips
sealed. He lay all night wondering
how long it would take the robbers to
Il L. II
whether they suspected their impris-
onment was the work of an enemy
or only an accident. For several days
he avoided the locality, and even fear
ed the vengeful appearance of Span
ish 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 immovable, and
great quantity of fresh debris at the
mouth of the cave convinced him the
robbers, after escaping. had abandon
ed it as unsafe. His brother did not
return, and either the activity of the
Vigilance Committee or the lack of a
new place of rendezvous seemed to
have dispersed the robbers from the
locality, for they were not heard of
again.
The next ten years brought an i'm
Johnny Starlight, then a student at
San Jose, one morning found news
paper clipping in a letter from Miss
Amelia Stryker. 1t read as follows:
THE excavators in the new tunnel in
HeaVystone Ridge lately discovered the
skeletons of two unknown men, whd
had evidently been crushed and en-
tombed some years previously by the
falling of a large tree over the mouth
of their temporary refuge. From some
river gold found with them. they were
supposed to be part of the gang of
sluice robbers who infested the locality
some years ago, and were hiding from
the ViSilants."
For a few days thereafter Johnny
Starlight was thoughtful and reserved,
but he did not refer to the paragraph
in answering the letter. He decided to
keep ii for later condolences, when
Miss Stryker should become Mrs. Star
leigh.
CTHE END.0
-"Alice says that book she's reading