The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
The writer of "stony Lonesome"

the cave said Spot to Shorty one
: "Where you goin' to get. your
paint?'
OF dunno
I MINIS got some paints in her
room that she makes flowers out Of.
Let's look at EN-
1.-THE boys Hclattered up the back
stairs. Mrs Hitchcock glanced at
them with suspicion, but she was too
busy. to investigate, and the quiet
that settled on the house made her
forget them. Chingachgook and
Uncas,> streaked with .ochre and YER
million, were soon creeping cautiously
down the hall.
Ssh! We can't go down the stairs;
mall nab us.
Lets climb down the porch
"'Bully!'.f
=" Where's the guns?'
" They're out on the back fence
Having secured the guns, marvel
GUS instruments sawed or Whitfield out
of wood, they slipped thru the fence to
the village negro, face to face.
:''Fo' God!' exclaimed the aston
ished colored man. What's you all
done got on yo' count-nances? Yah,
yah, yah'*
1.-THE boys started and ran.
Say, Spot, shall we drop im?'
% Won't the noise of the. guns bring
the Hurons down on us?'
g we can walk backwards in the
water and cover our trail
g All right, you drop i'm
'Chingachgook rested his rifle
against a tree and drew a long bead
on the unsuspecting negro, who was
now far down the street.
'Bang!!
:" Shall we slip back an scalp i'm %
= g No, the Hurons are all around us.
Sh! Drop, for your life!' -
If this isn't being boy, then here's
one who is so old he has forgotten
how boys played Indian, and there is
more of it, too.
The Plot Thickens.
These Indians make their way down
to the cave. Once in that, Spot be-
gins prying around, and is soon puff
ing away to dislodge rock at the
farther end of the cave.
= g Say, she's sloose!'"
Hope sprang up like a fountain in
the hearts of the boys. Here was, if
not a. mystery, at least something to
work on.&tA boy is not satisfied if he
is not expending his energy, provided
only this energy is not expended on
chores, Or what is considered work in
the technical sense: That is utter
WEAKNESS, even before it is begun
The rock rolls away after much
work, revealing a hidden cave. Now
comes the question, who shall enter ?
80 Y ou crawl in, Shorty you're the
slimmest,' said Spot
After much bantering, Spot goes in
and makes "a find. It consists Of in
delible pencils in glass cases. Spot
got out after much effort to examine
"the treasure. ~ The stone is rolled
back and the boys swear secrecy and
then leave.
"As they were making their way
home, laden with this dark, mysterious
secret the bushes were pushed eau
tiously aside and the conspirators were
watched by a pair of stealthy eyes.
"Ha! 1t was Pewee Jackson, the
Avenger!''
"The pencils were divided and
Shorty hid. his in the haymow.
The hidden pencils, reposing SO
quietly in their. glass cases.: became a
tremendous. burden on Shorty's mind
1t was not until after he had gone to
bed that the terrible situation flashed
upon him. He wondered that he had
not thought of it before. He had
read in the paper that i Spaulding's
stationery. store. had been entered by
burglars. Shorty felt sure that they
had planted their plumber in the cave
and that he, and Spot and Slim had
found it"
In other words, they had stoler
property in hand. This was a crimina
thing. Here was damning thing