The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-22
By Bret Harte

men reappeared Johnny stared He would have rubbed
eyes he had dared They were not the same men.
Did the contain others been all while
shut up in it's dark recesses? Was there band? Would
they all swarm out upon him? Should he for his
life
But for the illusion only momentary. longer
look at them convinced him that they the
men in clothes and disguised, remounted
the outcrop Johnnys keen recognized him Span
sh Pete. He merely kicked away stone, the root
again descended gently the opening, and the
recovered it's former angle The hurried away
Johnny noticed that they handed The bags
had been left behind.
The boy waited atiently, listening with his
the ground like Indian for the last rustic
crackle of underbrush, and then emerged stiff and
cramped from his concealmen But he longer thought
of flight, curiosity and ambition
fallen stone, spite weight it to the
PROSTATE tree Here he paused, and from coign
vantage looked and listened The solitude profound
Then mounting the tree and standing it's
tried to rock the others had Alas!
stout, his unlimited, his perception
bracing, his ambition boundless but his
dupois only that Of boy of 10. The did
move But Johnny had played before and quietly
moved towards its highest part 1t slowly
under the changed center of gravity the
disclosing the opening before. Yet here the little
paused. waited with eyes fixed on the opening
ready fly sallying out of anyone who had re-
manned concealed. He then placed the he
had stood, leaped down, and to the opening.
change dazzling sunlight to the darkness
confused him at first and he could nothing.
tering he stumbled something which proved be
matches, evidently used by the two Lighting the
candle he could now discern that the cavern only
cdent to the tree had stopped In one corner lay the
clothes that the men had left, and which for
seemed all that the contained but removing
them, Johnny saw that they were thrown rifle,
revolver and the two chamos leather that the
could scarcely lift them His face flushed his hands
trembled with excitement. To boy whose
erings had given him fair knowledge of mining, he
knew that weight could have but meaning. Cold
He hurredy united the nearest bag but it not the
gold of the locality of the tunnel of the bed rock'
It flake god, the gold of the river 1t had been
taken from the miners suices in the distant streams
The bags before him spoils
spols that could not be sold shown in the dis
trict without dangerspois kept until they could be
taken to Marysville Sacramento for disposal All
this might have occurred the mind any boy
locality who had heard gossip his elders.
but to Johnny's fancy idea kindled peculiarly
own. Here was cavern like that of the "Forty
story book and he was the Ali Bahia who
knew it's secret! He not obliged to say "Open
sesame" but he could liked he was show
ing it off to anybody.
Yet alas! he also knew it a secret must keep
to himself He had nobody to trust to. His father
was charcoal burner of small means; widower with
two children, Johnny and his elder brother
latter, fragrant incorrigible of %, with tendency
dissipation and low had lately abandoned his
fathers roof only at intervals hilarious
maudlin intoxcation He had always been held up to
Johnny a warning, with the gloomy prognoss
he, Johnny, already following ortuous
steps, Even if he here he not be thought
of confdant. Still less could father
would be to bungle the secret with shers
stables, and end by bringing down the
the family AS for himself, he could dis
pose of the gold If he to take it. The exhibition
of single flake of it to the adult public
suspicion, and it Johnnys hard fate be always
doubted he might be connected with the gang. AS
truant he knew he had moral standing also
had the superstition-quite of childhood
that being in possession Of secret he participant
in its crminality-and bound, were, by terrible
oaths And then idea seized carefully put
back everything he had found it, extinguished the
candle left the cave reounted the tree and closed the
oepnng again, he had the others it, the
addition of murmuring Shut sesame" to himself and
then fast his legs could carry
Well clear of the dangerous vicinity, he proceeded
more leisurely for about mile, until he to
low whiteashed fence enclosing cultivated
and neat farmhouse beyond. Here he paused and
erng behind the fence with extraordinary facial
tons, produced not unlike the scream of blue
jay Repeating it at intervals he presently relieved
by observing the approach
the enclosure above the line of the Stopping
fore him, the sunbonnet revealed rosy little face
than usually plump side and a enormously
wrapped in scarf. It Nicely (Amea) Stryker, a
schoolmate, detained at home by 'mumps,' Johnny
previously For, with the famous ndiscre-
ton of other great heroes, he about
trust his secret and his destiny the