第63章 THE YOUNGEST PROSPECTOR IN CALAVERAS(3)

On arriving at the store, it was plain even to his boyish perceptions that the minister had circulated his miserable story.

Two or three of the customers spoke to each other in a whisper, and looked at him.More than that, when he began his homeward journey he saw that two of the loungers were evidently following him.Half in timidity and half in boyish mischief he once or twice strayed from the direct road, and snatched a fearful joy in observing their equal divergence.As he passed Mr.Staples's house he saw that reverend gentleman sneak out of his back gate, and, without seeing the two others, join in the inquisitorial procession.But the events of the past day had had their quickening effect upon Johnny's intellect.A brilliantly wicked thought struck him.As he was passing a perfectly bare spot on the road he managed, without being noticed, to cast his glittering flake of gold on the sterile ground at the other side of the road, where the minister's path would lie.Then, at a point where the road turned, he concealed himself in the brush.The Reverend Mr.Staples hurried forward as he lost sight of the boy in the sweep of the road, but halted suddenly.Johnny's heart leaped.The minister looked around him, stooped, picked up the piece of gold, thrust it hurriedly in his waistcoat pocket, and continued his way.When he reached the turn of the road, before passing it, he availed himself of his solitude to pause and again examine the treasure, and again return it to his pocket.But, to Johnny's surprise, he here turned back, walked quickly to the spot where he had found it, carefully examined the locality, kicking the loose soil and stones around with his feet until he had apparently satisfied himself that there was no more, and no gold-bearing indications in the soil.At this moment, however, the two other inquisitors came in sight, and Mr.

Staples turned quickly and hurried on.Before he had passed the brush where Johnny was concealed, the two men overtook him and exchanged greetings.They both spoke of "Johnny" and his crime; of having followed him with a view of finding out where he went to procure his gold, and of his having again evaded them.Mr.Staples agreed with their purpose, but, to Johnny's intense astonishment, SAID NOTHING ABOUT HIS OWN FIND! When they had passed on, the boy slipped from his place of concealment and followed them at a distance until his own house came in view.Here the two men diverged, but the minister continued on towards the other "store"and post-office on the main road.

He would have told his mother what he had seen, and his surprise that the minister had not spoken of finding the gold to the other men, but he was checked, first by his mother's attitude towards him, which was clearly the same as the minister's, and, second, by the knowledge that she would have condemned his dropping the gold in the minister's path,--though he knew not WHY,--or asked his reason for it, which he was equally sure he could not formulate, though he also knew not why.But that evening, as he was returning from the spring with water, he heard the minister's voice in the kitchen.It had been a day of surprises and revelations to Johnny, but the climax seemed to be reached as he entered the room; and he now stood transfixed and open-mouthed as he heard Mr.Staples say:--"It's all very well, Sister Medliker, to comfort your heart with vain hopes and delusions.A mother's leanin's is the soul's deceivin's,--and yer leanin' on a broken reed.If the boy truly found that gold he'd have come to ye and said: 'Behold, mother, Ihave found gold in the highways and byways; rejoice and be exceedin' glad!' and hev poured it inter yer lap.Yes," continued Mr.Staples aggressively to the boy, as he saw him stagger back with his pail in hand, "yes, sir, THAT would have been the course of a Christian child!"For a moment Johnny felt the blood boiling in his ears, and a thousand words seemed crowding in his throat."Then"--he gasped and choked."Then"--he began again, and stopped with the suffocation of indignation.

But Mr.Staples saw in his agitation only an awakened conscience, and, nudging Mrs.Medliker, leaned eagerly forward for a reply.

"Then," he repeated, with suave encouragement, "go on, Johnny!

Speak it out!"

"Then," said Johnny, in a high, shrill falsetto that startled them, "then wot for did YOU pick up that piece o' gold in the road this arternoon, and say nothin' of it to the men who followed ye? Ye did; I seed yer! And ye didn't say nothin' of it to anybody; and ye ain't sayin' nothin' of it now ter maw! and ye've got it in yer vest! And it's mine, and I dropped it! Gimme it."Astonishment, confusion, and rage swelled and empurpled Staples'

face.It was HIS turn to gasp for breath.Yet in the same moment he made an angry dash at the boy.But Mrs.Medliker interfered.

This was an entirely new feature in the case.Great is the power of gold.A single glance at the minister's confusion had convinced her that Johnny's accusation was true, and it was Johnny's MONEY--constructively HERS--that the minister was concealing.His mere possession of that gold had more effect in straightening out her loose logic than any sense of hypocrisy.

"You leave the boy be, Brother Staples," said Mrs.Medliker sharply."I reckon wot's his is hisn, spite of whar he got it."Mr.Staples saw his mistake, and smiled painfully as he fumbled in his waistcoat pocket."I believe I DID pick up something," he said, "that may or may not have been gold, but I have dropped it again or thrown it away; and really it is of little concern in our moral lesson.For we have only HIS word that it was really his!

How do we KNOW it?"