Year: 1877

+ know pain and sorrow, and they woulc
all have enough te eat, and to drink
and to wear, and would live happily
ever after.


/ In his excitement he worked very
hard. until bis clio, hes were dripping
with perspiration, and his limbs trem.
bled. and the blood in bis ody mounted
to his head, and his breath came thick
and fast But he saw that he had sue
ceeded in making q hole through I'll,
mass. and he persevered until he ef
/ fected an entrance into the passage
whose mouth was closed by the pile Of
| rock.


As be pulled out the last large stone
it fell upon his lamp, extinguishing and
crushing it.


This seemed a dreadful calamity to
Pepito. as he could not hope to explore
the passage without q light, and as il
would even be difficult for him, with
the helr Of the yarn. to trace his way
back to daylight.


But when he was about to burst into
tears. a bright light appeared in the
passage, and the path before him was
plain.


Catching up the ball of yarn. and
unwinding it as he went, he followed
the light IS it led him along the pas
sage, farther into the heart of the noun
tain, until it rested against the rock in
just such cavern as he had seen in his
sleep.


Before him was q stream Of water
that came from some hidden spring in
the mountain, and found its way
through the caves and crevices of the
rock, no one knew whittier. Beyond
the stream was the rocky wall of the
cavern. flashing and cleaning with
crystals Of quartz and Jumps of silver
and with big vein running through it,
in which the silver lay in masses like
lead


This, then, was the bonanza. The
lost vein was found, and untold wealth
lay almost within the boys reach. The
Murieto family might bid farewell
to poverty, and would thenceforth be
happy If riches could make them so.


Pepito stood still for few seconds.
trembling all over with excitement A
strange heat filled his body, breaking
out In intermittent flashes, and fire
seemed to flow in his arteries. instead
of blood His head sw-in, anj there
was mist before his eyes, but through
the mist he saw the silver shining in
the creyices of the rock. He had found
the lost vein, and he wished only to
secure nugget of the silver and
hasten back to his parents. to delight
them with the story of his treasure.


He started to cross the stream. al
though his knees shook beneath him,
and he was growing more dizzy. and
the fever fiushes came hotter and faster
than ever.


The shining water into which he
stepped was deathly cold. His fever
fed i'll an instant, and was succeeded
by mortal chilliness. The fire in his
veins was at once cxtinguished, and
they were filled with ice. He gasped
vainiy for breath, and his head weighed
him down as if he had been lump of
lead.


1t needed but two steps to cross the
little brook, an | he took only one Of
then. Then he sank down. rather
than fell. and lay like crushed flower,
his feet in the water, and his body on
the sand. with his outstretched hand
grasping great lump Of silver.


Manuel and Zsponeta Murieto waited
long time for Pepito's return. They
were so anxious and eager. that the
hours seemed to be longer than they
really were. The wife was particularly
uneasy aud restless. She could not
keep still. She tried to attend to some
small duties about the hut, but found
herself unable to do anything. The
husband sat near the door, looking and
listening. They glanced st each other
now and then, and understood each
Others thoughts. though they seldom
spoke.


ut is not possible" said Zsponsta,
"that anything can harm him while
the. good angels have him in their
charge"


They might be angry if we should
find him and interfere with them, re-
piled Manuel.


+ But we must GEEK Pepito, for.I can
endure this no longer. said the mot t,er,
after q while. and they went out 20
gether.
With the aid Of the yarn they traced
his course into the old mine. until they
came to the hole in the rock which he
had opeaed They called him. but re-
ceived no answer The lamp which
they carried showed them the way into
. narrow and dark passage, at the end
of which was chamber of silver.
There lay Pepito. partly in and partly
out of the water, dead.
When their grief bad subsidized, they
came away. and replaced the stones
which the boy had pulled down. The
silver chamber Was Pepito's splendid
tomb His parents were never heard
of in those parts again. The lost vein
was untouched.


ANEOUS.