Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-03

| Nevertheless he insists. I done
! 1t. And I'll tell you just how 1T was
| done. Here's yore old express craw-
| lin up the road. Here I am behind
this little old rock. You know what
| happened next, l reckon-from ex-
perience.'
"I reckon I know that says l.
/ but how did you get behind that rock
| without leavin' no tracks,
| at climbed up. the cliff out of the
| canyon, and just walked up the
canyon from the Lost Dog through
the brush
"'One thing to time. Then !
ordered them dust sacks throwed out,
| and the driver to 'bout-face and re-
| treat
Sure says I. simple as a wart
a half ton of gold to fly off with!
Come again.
81 then dropped them sacks off
| the edge of the cliff where they rolled
into the brush. After a while
climbed down after them, and was
| Then I carried them home at leisure.
| What did you do with your boss ?
| asked him, mighty sarcastic. Seems
to me you overlook few bets
! I didn't have no hoss.' says he.
| But the real hold-up@
! "'You mean them tracks. Well,
! just to amuse you fellows. I walked
| in the dust up to that fiat rock. Then
I clamped a big pair of horseshoes
on hind-side before and walked back
| again."
California Johns audience had been
| listening intently. Now it could no
| longer contain itself, but broke forth
| into EXPLANATIONS indicative of vari-
] Gus emotions.
That's why them front and back
tracks was the same size" some one
| cried.
| Gee, you're bright" said California
! John. That's what I told him. !
also told; him he was a wonder. but
! how did he manage to slip out near
1 a ton of dust up that road without
(; our knowing It?
/ "sYou did know it, says he. Did
| you fellows really think there was
| any gold-bearing ore in the Lost
Dog? We just run that dust through
| the mill along with lot of worth
less rock and shipped it out open
| and aboveboard as our own mill run.
] There never was an ounce of dust
come out Of the Lost Dog. and there
never will Then he give me back
my gun-emptied-we shook hands.
and here I be-
| After the next burst of astonish-
| ment had ebbed. and had been sue
| ceeded, by a rather general feeling
of admiration. somebody asked Cali
| fornia John If Jimmy had come back
solely for the purpose of clearing up
| the mystery. California John had
| evidently been waiting for this ques-
ton. He arose and knocked the
! ashes from his pipe.
Bring candle" he requested the
storekeeper, and. led the way to the
abandoned Lost Dog. Into the tunnel
! he led them, to the very end. There
! he paused. holding aloft his light.
| At his feet was canvas, which, being
removed, was found to cover neatly a
number of heavy sacks.
Here's our dust" said California
John, every ounce of it. he said. "He
kept about six hundred thousand or
so that belonged to Bright. but he
| didn't take none of ours. He come
back to tell me So
The men crowded around for closer
| inspection.
'T wonder why he done that?" lib
belts marveled.
st asked him that" replied Cali
| fornia John, grimly. HE said his
conscience never would rest easy if
[ he robbed us babes"
Tibbetts broke the ensuing silence.
WAS babes the word he used?" he
asked, softly.
"Babes' was the word" said Cali
| fornia John.