Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-12-29
SsI.ttsS GaIe.
THE CROCK OF GOLD.
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.asther ef 'PrsverSSi Phi'eseehy."
CHAPTER XVII.
Care.

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soon became apparent. II Acton in
his tipsy state was mad, in his inter-
walls of soberness he was thoroughly
miserable. And this not merely on
the score Of sickness, exhaustion, pros
trated spirits, blue devils, OF other the
long catalogue Of drunkard's joys;
not merely from a raging wife, and a
wretched home; not merely from the
stings, however sharp, however barb
ed, of n conscience i'll at case, that
would rise up fercely like Kissing
snake, and strike the black apostate
to the earth: these all doubtless, had
their pleasant influences, adding TO the
lucky finders bliss: but there was an
other root Of misery most unlocked
for. and, TO the poor who dream Of
gold. entirely paradoxical.
The possession Of that crock was
the heaviest of cares. Where on
earth was he to hide il? how to keep
il safely, secretly? What if he were
robbed Of II in some sly wayl Oh
thouget Of utter VOL il made the for
tunate possessor quiver like an aspen.
Or what, IL some Of those clustering
boon companions were to come by
night with a bludgeon and II knife,
and-and cut his throat, and find the
treasure? or worse still, were TO tor
ture him, set him on the fire like a
saucepan The had heard Of Dick Tur-
pin having done so with rich old
woman, and make him tell "where"
in his extremity of pains, and give up
all, and then, and then,-murder him
at last, outright, and afterwards burn
the hovel over his head, babes and all ,
that none might live to tell the taleY
These fears set him on the rack, and
furnished one melting cause to that
uninterrupted orgy; he must either be
mad or miserable, this lucky finder.
Also, even in his tipsy state, he
could uot cast off care; he might in
his cups reveal the dangerous secret
of having found a crock Of gold. A
secret still il was; Grace, his wife, and
himself were the only souls who knew
it. Dear Grace feared to say a word
about the business: not in apprchen-
sion of the law, for she never thought
Of that too probable intrusion on the
finder; but simply because her un-
sophisticated piety believed that God,
for some wise end, had allowed the
Evil One TO tempt her father; she, in
deed, did not know the epigram-
Tho Devil now Is wiser than OF yore-
He tempu BY making rich, not making poor,
but she did not conceive that notion
in her mind; she contrasted the veal
thy patriarch Job tried by poverty and
pain, but just and patient in adversely
with the poor laborer Acton, tried
by luxury and wealth, and proved to
be apostate in prosperity; so she held
her tongue, and hitherto had been ST.
lent on matter Of so much local won
der as her fathers sudden wealth, in
the midst of urgent curiosity and ex-
traordinary rumors.
Mary was kept quiet, as we know,
by superstition Of lower grade, the
dread Of having money Of the MUIR
dered, thought she never breathed
TO any but her husband; and to poor
uninitiated Grace (who had not heard
word Of Ben's adventure, her an
swer abou. Mrs. Quarles and Mr.. Jen-
nings in the dawn Of the crooks first
blessing, had been entirely unintelli-
gible; Mary, then, said never word,
but looked on dreadingly to see the
end,
As for Roger himself. he was too
much in apprehension Of landlords
claims, and task-master's extortions.
to breathe syllable about the busi-
ness. So he hid his crock as best he
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