The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1870-10-13

story he should have to tell. lie
almost expected that the tale would be
iidiculed as one Of his many ardent
dreama Yet here was the chest
They could not gainsay that And
there we're the bones and the dim out.
side Of the figure, the skull, with its
mute story Of crime--and-
What was thatf
Something glowed and glimmered
like coal at the bottom Of the chest
Again the poor artists pulse drum.
med in his ears, while every atom oil
blood in bis body seemed rushing to
and fro in the widest confusion.
After a little hesitation he reached
down with his dread>bladed pallette~
knife, and gingerly and daintily, with
thrills Of reluctance running through
his eagerness, fshed up the burning
coal, and, and blew from it the ashes,
the ashes Of the dead. f'.~f''
The coal was a large ruby.-It was
without setting, but had been cut and
polished by q jeweler. 1t was as red
as fire, and as lucid as sunshine
Oliver rubbed it with his handkerchief,
opened his almost empty purse, and
dropped the jewel within for safe keep
ing. Then he examined the chest
farther There were more gems glim>
mcring and quivering like. live things
amid that human dust.
1t was not long until the young man
forgot to be too particular. The pal
lette>knife was no longer swift and
certain enough. With his trembling
fingers he pushed about the poor bones,
finding plenty Of treasure now; and
there, right under where the heart
must have been, small gold lOcket'
With something Of awe and reverence
overcoming the greed which had taken
possession of him, he opened the case.
A weman's likeness, young and
sweet, smiled out upen him, as bright
ly as if it had not lain in that dark
prisOnhouse for. fifty. years. Tears
came into divers sharp eyes as he met
the laughing glance Of the soft blue
eyes shining beneath the ripples oil
yellow hair. But those tears soon
dried in tina exultation Of his new pos
sessions. .... :a,.-.. -:
When certain that the chest had
yielded the last Of its jewels'he empti>
cd them into his handkerchief, and
tried to compute their value. The hor,
ror of his first impressions gave way
to triumph. . e.. - 81 3e.,,
The treasure was his own by right
of discovery, There was no clue u
the name Of there long.perished owner
lie would keep the gcns; and he
would say nothing, even to George, oi
his adventure :,
Thinking thus he again looked al
the miniature; and this time observed
name, formed by setting brilliants
around the inside Of the case, in Ger
man text-ETHELDA. -i !! -.
An Uld>fashioned English, name
Oliver did not reflect that the poor
! cousin of Camilla, dependaht on her
uncle Catherwood, bore the name, uu'
usual as it was,
Burying the strange coffin again in
/ the shifting sand, he rowed bark to the
little landing at the foot Of the lawn in
front of the Pophrs, his heart Burning
with intense pleasure at has pnexpect'
ed good fortune A group OF three
awaited him as lie sprans 90 ufgdpoh the
each--his friends George syith his
sister and cousin.
After on ca .er glance at Miss Gathers
wood, the artist darteda lboRIf- sur
prise at the young girl in white, just
behind her. 1t only then Occurred to
him that Miss Asbleish's name, was
ETHELDA.. -, IT,. H..
He put away the singular feeling
which arose at, this coincidence, and
at breakfast was the life Of the party
AlI'that day he was gay, briHimt, viv'
acious Not oven. the appearance OI
Mr.. I,ytton, Camilla's most ,favoritc
snitor-a fOp of the first wbter, rich,
aristocratic, and egotistical--whn drove
out from the city in the morning, and
idled away the long, bright summer
day at the Poplars, could dis:oucert
him. He had despised the dandy, and
now he felt that he might yet hope tc
rival him. .- Ir,.,
Camilla, as proud as she was ccquet'
tish, knew very well that her brother s
artist>friend worshiped her with pas,
sion before which the languid admira
ton of her other admirer was like Q
star to the sun; and that day she firt'
ed with both most cunningly; but fol
once Oliver was beyond her compre'
hension. She Oould neither mortify
nor depress him. He was even good
natured to Mr.. Lytton. His dark eye
glittered with the consciousness O
secret power. --
And yet he was troubled with GER
tain fear.
All day it had been growing upor
him that there was q resemblance be:
tween the Ethelda Of the miniature
and the living Ethelda, who moved be-
fore him, golden haired and blue-eyed
the quiet, almost sad, compinion Of hel
naughty and brilliant cousin,
| At dinner that evening he suddenly
asked Mr. Catherwood if Ethelda wa;
a family name. In answer he wa,
told The following brief story:
| - UHAPTER II.
THE TRAGEDY OF ROBERT cATHERwooD
"Ethelda, is a name which so ap,
pears. here and there in our family
said Mr.. Catherwood, rehectively, al,
lowing his coffee to cool in its tfans'
lucent cup. 1--WE are of English de
scent, you know, Mr.. Gray. 0ui
Ethel's grandmother was named Eth
elda-poor ladyl Hers was a sad, 9
terrible fatel" .t-.. ,-Ls ..
"Oh, tell me about herr' almost
gasped Oliver. b.
ut was always believed that she was
taken captive BY the pirates" Da
I, "Ah! murmured Oliver, his black
eyes enlarging.
"Yes. Did you ever hear of any