The sun., 1902-10-05
An ALI BABA
~ OF THE SlERRAS.
One Of the Arabian Night Tales
Repeatej With Mining Camp
Variations.
Copyright. 1922. BY Bret Hdrt,

NIX II Stulttl W br NiNi Wv
process OF going TO school at all.
And it was no fault 20 his" Something
was always ocCirring-some eccentriclt,
OF nature or circumstance was invariably
starting up 10 his daily path TO the school
room
He may not have been "thinkin OF squir'
rels," and yet the rarest and most evasive
OF that genus were always crossing his
TRAIL he may not have been "huntin honey.
and yet a wild bees nest in tho hollow OF an
oak absolutely olh Iuded itself before him
he wasn't bird cat,hin'." and vet there was
a yellow hammer always within stones
throw
He had heard how grown men hunters
always saw the most wonderful animals
when they hadn't got a gun with 'em,
and 1t seemed TO be- his lot TO meet them
in his restricted possibilities on the way
10 school If nature was thus capricious
with his elders, why should folk think il
strange il she was mischevous with a
small boy?
On this particular morning Johnny had
been beguiled bv the unmistakable foot
prints-so like his own-of a bears cub,
What chances he had of ever coming up
II he had he did not know.
He only knew that at the end OF an hour
and a half he found himself two miles from
the shoolhouse, 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
10 accept II, and by way of irrevocability,
at once burnt his ships behind him-in
devouring part'of his dinner,
Thus fortified in his outlawrv, he began
70 look about him. He was on thickly
wooded terrace with blank wall OF 'out-
CROP on one side nearly "a high as the
pines which pressed close against it,
He had never seen it before: ii was two
or three miles from the high road and
seemed to be virgin wilderness. But on
close examination he could see, with the
eve Of a boy bred in mining district, that
the wall Of oMCrop had not escaped the
attention OF the mining prospector.
There we're marks Of his pick in some at
tractive quartz seams OF the wall, and
further on a more ambitious attempt. cvi-
IDENTIFY by party Of miners to begin a tun e,
shown in an aband oned excavation and the
heap OF debris before it.
1t had evidently teen abandoned for some
time. az ferns already forced their green
fronds through the stones and gravel, and
the yerba buena vine was beginning TO
mat the surface Of the heap. But the boys
fancy was quickly taken by the traces Of a
singular accident, and one which had per-
haps arrested the progress Of the e1cavators.
The roots Of a large pine tree growing
close to the wall, had been evidently loos-
ened by the excavators and the tree had
fallen, with one of its largest roots still
In the opening the miners had made, and
apparently blocking the entrance The
large tree lay as il fell midway across
another but much smaller outcrop of rock
which stood sharply about fifteen feet
above the level Of the terrace-with It's
eaunt dead limbs in the air az a low angle
To Johnnys boyish fancy il seemed
so easily bala need on the rock that. but for
its imprisoned root. II would have made a
capital seesaw. This he felt must be looked
to hereafter.
But here his attention was arrested by
something more alarming. His quick ear.
attuned like an ANIMALS TO all woodland
sounds. detected the cracking Of under
wood in the distance His equally sharp
eyes saw the figures Of two men
approaching
But as he recognized the features Of one
Of them he drew back with beating heart
hushed breath and hurriedly hid himself
In the shadow. For he had seen that figure
once before flying before the Sheriff and
an armed posse and had never forgotten
II! II was the figure Of Spanish Pete, a
notorious desperate and suice robber!
Finding he had been unobserved, the
boy took courage, and his small faculties
became actively alive. The two men came
on together cautiously. and at little dis
tance the second man, whom Johnny did
not know, parted from his companion
and began 10 oiter up and down, looking
around as II acting a. a sentinel for the
desperate, who advanced directly to the
fallen tree
Suddenly the sentinel uttered an ex-
clamation, and Spanish Pete paused. The
sentinel was examining the ground near
the heap Of debris
What's up?" growled the desperate.
"Foot-tracks, Weren't here before. And
Johnny's heart sank It was where he
had just passed
Spanish Pete hurriedIy Joined his com
panion.
-Foot-tracks he !" he said scorn-
fully. What fool would be crawlin round
here barefooted; It's young bar"
Johnny knew tho footprints we're his
own. Yet he recognized the truth Of the
resemblance it was uncomplimentary,
but he felt relieved
The desperate came forward and 10
the boys surprise began TO climb the small
ridge Of outcrop until he reached the
fallen tree. Johnny saw that he was carry
ing heavy stone.
Whats the blamed fool goin' to do?-
he said TO himself, the mans evident
ignorance regarding footprints had les
eened the boys awe OF him.
But the strangers next essay took
Johnny's breath AWAY. Standing on the
fallen tree trunk at it, axis on the out crop
he began to rock IL gently.
To Johnny's surprise it began 10 move.
The upper end descended slowly. lifting the
root in the excavation at the lower end.
and with IL mass Of rock, and revealing
cavern behind large enough to admit a
man.
Johnny gasped. The desperate cooly
deposited the heavy stone on the tree be-
yond it's axis on the rock So that il would
keep the tree In position 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 proceeded to the opening thus
miraculously disclosed, and disappeared
In IT,
Johnny sat breathess. wondering, ex-
pectant but not daring to move. The
men might come out at any moment; he
had seen enough 10 know that their en-
Anr- ,.n . l.tr