Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-12-29

mtfoSic, SooS ieSst ~ e'n6s w.
thing, but the truth; and he would
turn fiercely to the quesioner with a
"what's that to you?-Nobody's bu-
siness but mine:" and then he would
coaxingly add the implied bribe TO Sc
cresy, in his accustomed invitation
l"And now. what'll you take?"-a
magical phrase, which could suffice to
lquell murmers for the time. and post
Iponed curiosity to appetite. Thus the
fact was still unknown, and weighed
on Rogers mind as q guilty conceal
ment. an oppressive secret. What il
any found it out? 4" -
For immediate safety-the evening
after his first memorable first fifteen
hours of joy-he buried the crock
deeply in a hole in his garden, filing
lall up hard with stones and brick-bats;
land when he had smoothed it straight
land workmanlike, remembered that he
surely hadn't enough to last him; so
Iup it had 10 come again-fye more ta-
ken out, and the crock was restored to
its unquiet grave. r
Scarcely had he done this, than IL
became dark. and he began to fancy
some one might have seen him hide it;
those low mean tramps (never before
had he refused the wretched wayfarers
his sympathy were always sneaking
Iabout. and would come and dig il up
in the night: so he went out in the dark
and the rain, got at II with infinite
trouble and a broken pickaxe, and ex-
ulting,y brought the crock indoors;
where he buried it third time. more
securely, underneath the groutcd floor
close beside the FIRE in the chimney
corner: it was now nearly midnight,
and he went to bed. aa f
Hardly had he tumbled in, after
pulling on nightcap Of the fagon,
than the dread idea overlook him that
his treasure might be meltedl Was
there ever such q fool as he? Well,
well, 10 think he could fling his purse
on the firel What q horrid thought
Metallurgy was science quite un-
known to Roger; he only considered
Igold as heavy as lead, and therefore
probably as fusible; sodown he hustled.
made another hole, deeper one too
this time, in the floor under the dress
er. where, exhausted with his toll and
care, he deposited the crock by four
in the morning so retired once
more.
Allinvain-nobody ever knew when
Black Burke might be returning from
his sporting expeditions-and that
beast Of lurcher would be sure TO be
creeping in this ,porning, and would
scratch Il up, and his brute Of mas
ter would get il ALI This fancy was
the worst possible; and Roger rose
again, quite sick at heart, pale, worn,
and trembling with a miser's haggard
ljoys. Where should he hide that crock
-the epithet "cursed" crock escaped
him this time in his vexed impatience.
In the house and in tn, garden II was
equally unsafe.
Hal bright thought indeed; the
hollow in the elm-tree, creaking over
head, Just above the second arm; so
the poor, shivering wretch. almost un-
clad, swarmed up that shiny elm, and
dropped his treasure in the hollow
Confusionl how deep II was; he never
thought Of that; here was indeed
something too much Of safety; and
then those boys Of neighbor Goodies
were bird's-nesting continually. spe-
cially round the lake this SPRING
What an idiot he was not TO have re-
membered thisl And up he climbed
again, thrust in his arm to the. shoul-
der, and managed to re-possess him
self fifth time Of that blessed crock,
Would that the elm had been hol-
low to its root, and beneath the root
a chasm bottomless. and that Plutus
in that Narbonne jar had served as a
supper to Pluto in the shades Better
had il been for thee, My Roger.
But he had not hid It yet; so, that
night, or rather that cold morning a.
bout six, the drenohed, half-frozen
Fortunatus carried IL to bed with him;
and precious warming pan 1t made;
for nothing would satisfy the finder Of
its presence but perpetual bodily con-
tact:--accordingly, he placed 1t in his
bosom, and it chilled him TO the back
bone.
Yes; that was undoubtedly the safe
est way: to carry the spoil about with
him; 50, next noon--how could he get
up before noon after such a woful
night?-next noon he emptied the jar,
and tying up its contents in a hand
kerchief. proceeded TO wear it as a
girdle; for an hour he clattered about
the premises, making as much jingle
as a waggoner's team Of bells; but he
soon found this would not do at all:
for, independently Of all concealment
at an end, so long as his secret store
was rattling as he walked louder than
military spurs or sabre-tackle. he So
berly reflected that he might-possibly
possibly. though not probably,-get a
glass too much again, by some mere
accident or other; and then to be rob-
bed Of his golden girdle, this cincture
Of all his joys! o terrible thought
as well-this is my fancy, not Rogers
deprive Venus Of her zone. and see
how the beggared Queen Of Beauty
could exist without her treasury, the
Cestus. -tp sf
CHAPTER XVIII.
| Investment.
| Next day the wealthy Roger had
higher aspirations. Why should not