Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-11-13
| mysterious fruits of his expedition to the do

mysterious fruits of his expedition to the do
main Of the water kelpie.
A caldron il assurdly was not; and 1t
needed no clearer light than the cloudless
noon afforded 10 discover to our advcntnrer
, vessel of infinitely less romantic prctensions
in the form of a small strong box, well Sc
cured by hasps of iron and bolts Of oak
The hasps, which were evidently intended
to be secured by padlocks, had lost their
fastenings, which were supplied by two ske-
an duhs-the small dagger Of the Highlander
which had been thrust through the loops,
and kept the caskct perfectly water tight
With a little difficulty, because of the rust
which their immersion had produced, Eich-
en- pulled out the knives and opened tho lid
of the chest, his heart throbbing and bound
ing with the expectation Of indcntifying the
treasure of the kelpie. Folds of strong lin
covered the mouth of the casket; and
hastily removing these, he saw the pale and
quiet moon-bcams glistcn softly over the
brilliant mass-not coins or bars Of gold
but of jcwcIlcd rings, stars, buckles, and
sword -hilts and of articles of modern fncry,
and Of which poor Eichcn could not so much
as surmisc the use. He stood for a minute
in a trance of stupid bcwildcrment, as if at
a loss to account for the caprice ofthc water
spirit in so misnaming the nature ofhis trca-
sure, and then the mist of surprise end SUI
pcrstition passed slowly from the intelligent
mind Of the young Gael, and the conviction
flashed across him that he had discovered
the jewel box Of Col. Munroc the ~plundcrcr,
which it had cost himself and Hugh so much
pains 10 trace. The discovery was scarce
ly disappointment. He was grateful for
the removal of the guilt he had fancied him
self to have incurred in the appreciation of
the Kelpie's caldron; and a certain hope of
reward for his good fortune came cleaning
over him on the restoration Of the Jewels to
their proper owner. After "A few moments
inspection Of the glittcring heap, Eichcn re-
closed the lid of the srrong box, and turned
to look for the skcan-dhus which had fastcn-
ed it. On lifting them from the grass the
moonlight slonc full upon them both; and
in the size, material, and peculiar mounting
of the one nearest to him, he had not a mo-
ments difficulty in recognizing that which
had constantly been used by Colonel Mum
ro's confidential servant-svcn Hugh him
self.
Eiclren sprang to his icct with a deep en-
clamation, something between surprise and
the confirmation ola previous suspicion, and
then stopped hastily for the other little wca-
pom which he had dropped, and examined II
long and earnestly by the moonlight. Eich-
ems blood ran cold within his veins as he
identified the stout bucks horn handle and
well-worn blade OLA familiar weapon of the
stout miller of liner Vcolan.
There was no room oradoubt Of its idcn-
tity for on one side Of the half Eichcn re-
cOgniscd the impression of a wheel, which
his own eyes had seen Donald Banc scratch,
by way of crest, upon the horn. The sus-
picion that the miller participated in the gull,
which Eichcn scruplcd not in laying upon
Hugh, did not find ono moments rest in his
mind: but the appearance of the skcandhu
in a place so likely to implicatc its owner
beyond all reach of co%untcrproof, filled him
with apprehension, and already Eiclcn be-
gan to experience the evil consequence o.
little Kclpic's triumph. His first impulse
was to return the heavy box and glittcrino
treasure once more into the Deep Linn, ant
leave the future discovery of the real culpri
to some other chance or destiny !; but thu
sense of Justice to Colonel Munro, and an in.
dcGnablc apprehension of mixing himself W
with the perpetrators ofso base Il decd. res.
trained him: and after long and painful re,
Election on the best means Of proceeding
Eichcn folded the unlucky chest in his plaid
hid it carefully under the hanging icrus tina
fcstooned the face of the craig, and took hi
way, in deep and sorrowful meditation to hi
home.
SO great and terrible a secret had ncvc
before burdencd the conscience ofthc simpl,
Highlander, and he tossed all night upon hi
slcepless pillow without being able to substi
tutc one lighter image for the new and fright
ful vision that hung upon his brain. lie as
simulated again and again the goblin's pro
phccy, and the strange reading of it which
his Imagination conjured out of the circum
stances of the night :'the small skcn-dhus per
sonifed the naked swords in the minds eye
and he felt as if it were beyond a question tia
the doom of Annie's father and lover was t.
finish the PARALLEL and be wrought by thci
agency. His heart grew cold as it ponderct
on his own instrumcntality in the affair, 70
though the prediction embraced his own ulti
mate good fortune, yet Eichcn's nature re.
VOTED, with all the energy of his gcncrou
youth, from the means by which the triumph
would be gained, and so deeply did the mat
ter affect his happiness, that the early dawl
, saw him once moro on his way to the kelpie'!
craig.
The morning was yet in its first blush o
autumn ~bcauty-the air was soft and dewy-
the water slumbered under the gentle shadow
of the cloudy hills, and the mist wreath twin
ed and curled like a veil of gossamcr rount
the rugged forehead of Skian Var. As III
sprang over the face of the rock and let him
self down upon the clilf where he had dcpo,
sitcd the treasure, the hut,er OF a female gar
mcnt caught Eichen's eye, and the next mo
mcnt revealed to hm the figure of Annie
with the glittering contents of the jcwelbo
!, spread out upon her lap. She smiled an
, blushed as he approached, and as the gloom
! and anxious expression of his countenanc
became apparent, she said in a pleasant lone
and with the graceful and poetic idiom of tn
. ,u,o,tl, C,ol:c NI Enow tho p1,; III &c E:,Lo,