The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1870-10-13
PARrI-TREAsURE TRovE,
CHAPTER i-+
THE FINDING OF THE TRElsUEB.

put out III small rOW>OOdL Oh 10 Tue
bosom of New York Bay, just then rip.
pling and dimpling at the rosy touch Of
dawn.
Oliver Grey was an artist by profess
sion; a fine looking person-twenty-
FIVE, perhaps--with dark, restless eyes,
q broad forehead, and swarthy skin.
At this moment his mood was one of
fierce discomfort. Being an artist he
was poor-being poor he could not
have what he wantsI What he de-
sired most on earth was the heart Of
Camilla CatherwoOd, sister Of his
friend George Catherwood, at whose
fathers house he was staying, having
been invited to spend portion of the
summer at "fhe Poplars," to take his
case and sketch the beautiful scenery
ofthe bay, He had accepted this hos
pitality-even while he felt humiiiated
by it-not so much to escape his gar
ret as to 'bask in the dangerous joy Of
Camilla's presence. This morning he
came ont to sketch, but he only dream.
ed Of her, until half,wild at thoughts Of
his own poverty. ,f.y...I +.r.f ,
, Urged by his discontented mood he
fell to rowing vigorously for relief
soon finding himself close in to the hi b
sLores of a certain island, near ia
miliar spot to which George and him'
self frequently came. w..
II, the face of the rocky bluff there
was an ocean cave. A very small cave,
which the fishermen and other COM
mon people dubbed a hole. IL may
have been larger once, butat this time
twas filed nearly to the mouth, with
deep sand, In high water it was COW
cred entirely by the waves. But al
low tide small boat could push its
way in; and as it afforded q cool shell
ter from the summer sun, tho two
friends often cast anchor there for an
hour or so, while they ate their lun-
cheon, or skctched the opposite hills.
The tide then at its EXTREMIST ebb,
left the farther end Of the sand-cavern
quite bare and dry. 1t was the first
time that the visitor had ever found it
so. lie wds thinking of Tanning his
boat aground, and getting out, although
there seemed TO be nothing more inter-
esting than Cam shells strewn about,
when suddenly something sparkled in
the level sunrays His eyes were
drawn to the glimmcling point. What
was it? lie looked again more ear
nestly. twas the end Of a brass bound
wooden chest, protruding from the
sand. The glittering Of a brass mai
had drawn his attention TO :he object
The color rushed in;o Oliver Crews
moody face. lie thought Of Captain
Kid, of shipwrecked merchantmen,
and t,e Arabian Nights, all in one
flash Of his vivil Imagination. 'na
Then he laughed AT himself, pushing
his'hat-shello OF a skiffc close tothis bur-
led chest, and leaping lightly out
l ''At least | will see what it is. The
dirty garment Of sumo poor sailors kit
| suppose"
W'ith his oar he wenAo work to dig
away the sand. IL was hard work, and
the pcrspiratiun soon stood on his fore
head; but lie had brought to light
enough of the quaint, foreign looking
box to show that it was 40 comaor
sailors chest.
1t was nf strips Of some costly orien-
tai woods, in dark and light, very solid
and heavy, banded together SO as to he
almost covered with its brass fasten
ings, In half ah hour be had uncov-
cred NE whole lid The box proved t.
be about four feet long, by two wide
and two deep.
At FIRST nc despOired of opening th,
chest without further implements; fol
the hard wood was well preserved, and
the clasps scarcely rusted. 1t had evi-
IDENTIFY been buried in dry sand-not
exposed to the actiun, of water, or ever
moisture, to any great extent. with
the blade ola stout knife, which the
artist carried with him for use of var
iOus kinds on his little expeditions, he
succeeded, after q few minutes, in push
ing back the simple, old-fashioned
lock, which sprang out of its place with
q click Then; for q moment, Oliver
hesitated. ig10 -'ilyrF-.v7
As soon as he could command him,
self he cautiously but eagerly raised
the lid. a ,,-.-...r
A corpse which looked as if it might
have been placed there yesterday, SC
perfect was its preseryation-jammed
down into this impromptu coffin, so
much too short for it. 1t was that of q
noble and handsome man, not many
years older than himself, whose jet
black hair, fell down in long ringlets
about the velvet collar and ruffled shirt
front. The dress was that of 1900, OF
hefors when rich gentlemen yet i'm
dulged in velvet and thread>lace. In
the forehead was a deep wound, as o.
q hatchet and there were blood-stains
over the garment Who could the
murdered stranger be2
Ahl while, he asked himself the
question-iwhile he gazed with lips
apart, and concentrated looks Of inter
Q st and dread--a change crept over the
inmate OF the chest. The or ayish hue
deepened over the face; the features
sunk fell; the yellow lace rufIles, the
silken vostments faded out of color
out of shape-melted away. The lin>
eaments dissolved as if they had been
but dream Of his feverish fancy; and
as his hand which grasped the edge ol
the, box, with nervous surprise, this
slight impulse, aiding the action Of the
atmosphere completed the ruin. The
corpse and its clothing dropped to the
bottom of the chest, little more than a
handful Of dry dust ll1' s,o
Oliver Gray gazed blankly at the
Darkness, 'a ~. ~, a., al','.5 las 80 2
A skull-a handful Of bones
some dshesl 2 913AtI
Never in his life had anything oc,
curred which gaze him SO strange and
dreadful, o sensation as-, when he saw
that vivid figure moulder into nothing.
a a u.