Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-08-17

! On the southern point of the island, there
grows a huge elm. At midnight precisely,
on the 18th of August, the shadow of the
first great crotch of that tree will lie exactly
oVer the spot where rests the iron chest. If
then the evening should be fair, its locality
may be at once determined. Take your
tools and proceed thither-better if alone
Fortify your heart strongly, for the expert
ment Is not without peril. Sights you will
see which might almost blister your eye
balls; sounds you will hear unlike any
within your remembrance; but fear not; toll
on, and If not an utterance escapes your
lips, you shall, before morning dawns, OBJ
tain your hearts desire. But stood you
even on the iron lid, rnurmured word shall
make you return as empty as yohr going.
Be steady, be strong, be heedful, be silent
and Plutus, with the illustrious Mammon
| and his seven compeers, shall, at your sue
cess, lower their sceptres and dof their
crowns !"
Equipped with this information, the Dea-
con wended bis way hOmewards, and visions
of affiuence danced before him and abbrevIa-
ted the hours and miles of his lonely ride.
and then; the seeming ease with which
they flight all be realiEed Silence Was
that all? Pooh wheh be had expected
hosts Of ,Eifhcsl lEies, % say nothing of satsnIe
emissaries of every description, the whole
gist of the matter consisting in his merely
holding his tonguei Couldn't be do 1t
Wouldn't he even if muffler of pitch, or
needle and twine should be called into re-
QUESTION. To be sure; those unearIhy
sights and sounds were not so pleasant ies1
lures in his prospect, hut it was not asserted
that they were to do him bodily harm, and
the results of his experiment would, he was
confident, render him bold enough To face
the grinning devil himself for the nOnce.
Two months were yet to elapse before the
e1entful trial; and as they wore along, the
hope that hsd prompted his early courage
began TO ebb, and a retGrn tide ot doubt
surged strongly against the barriers OF ns-
ture never stamp with superhuous hrm
ness. Obstacles which, through the halo OF
blissful ticipation. bad appeared like NOTES
in the sunbeam, now loomed up IN formlda-
ble proportions through the mists OF doubt
I that becIouded his musings IL WINS no en-
vIable task to 20 alone at midnight TO that
| solitary isle ~ invade tie domains of ques-
tionable proprietor, with the declared necessI-
ty OF enc .unterIng tokens OF spiritu op-
position, dIsquietIng the shades Of the dead,
and ell IN iurtherance of a scheme Tor the
recovery of the wages of blOod-stained crime
The attempt wore at times, TO hIs thoughts,
the aspect OF utter eelfshpess, whose demerit
repelled the strong, innate greed of his ma
ture, and made him dlstrust the means on
which he relied for success. The more he
pondered hIs situation, the more he was IN
clined TO seek comfort in paTtneI ship OF
his secret and desirable confederate he at
length found in his younger brother, possess
! ed of more physical courage, to whom be
communicated all be knew him>eli, and whom
having secured to aId him, his heart grew
stronger again for the dubious enterprise.
Long, close and particular were the com
munings they held with each other, and
: earnest their determination TO preserve that
imperative silence which was the very tai
isman of success.
The time of trial at length arrived. The
: night of August 18th proved as fair night
as ever shone. The full moon rode through
cloudless sky, and slight mist that lay
upon the river looked like halo over the
waters. As the old ball clock struck eleven.
the deacon rose, and having seized the huge
family Bible to bear safeguard against
the spirits of evil, himself and brother, pro
p periy eq-Sp ppe& wsEh tcol-s wouS~d ths'~7 way
E TO the river bank, where previously pre-
E pared skif lay moored for the expedition
? few minutes vigorous rowing landed them
e on the southern point of the island, and
making fast to the OVerhanging shru0oery ,
{ they climbed the bluff shore, and waited
/, until the hour of midnight should indicate
the precise spot where they were to break
q pronnd Not word had been uttered since
e tbey entered The boat, brief signs being the
{ only means of communication. AT length
: the pocketing of his watch by the deacon
s was the signal of the destined hour walk
V ing with a pace in which tear struggle ed with
q confidence. he struck the iron bar into the
: earth where, according to directions, the
: shadow of the junction of the first great
q bough With the main trunk OF the specIheo
|, elm, lay upon the mellow soil. Then, tax
y ing each a spade, they commenced removing
% the earth for an excavation of about hve iee'
&c square They labored with VIII, ant
IT through the loan rapidly neared the oDjec
Z of their aspirations. They had thus peer
r nlving their spades for busy while, wher
r, a noise, resembling terrible scream OF dis
of tress, though altogether unearthly, cause'
l. the dieyers to drop their tools and look a
1f each other with countenances paid with al
y fright. Once and again the sound was re
l. neated. and seemed to run with startlln!
d rapidity along the opposite shore, dying ava
Z in faint but clear echoes far up among TO-
is windings of the river. The closest scrutlh.
lie of eve and ear gave not the slightest clue =
r the cause of the hideous disturbance. IheI
re exchanged glances of intelligence told tha
IS each recognized its accordance with the de
a elarations of the wizard, and at length, WIT
Sc a look at the Bible that lay upon the slde Q
n the pit they resumed their work. But no
w lnn0 thereafter another and still more tryln
lis interruption caused the perulIar sensatlo
a. EXPRESSED by VIrgIl's Oft repeated = sfeferuh
g, corn9" and set their hearts playing agains
Is their ribs the audible dead-oeat oi terror
~ Daring an interval of rest upon their sp tde
nd there Slowly rounded the point of the isan
q. a phantom whaleboat of jet black. with oal
manned by headless men, from whose truni
NJ, the blood bubbled and spouted as they go
"a, emnly and synchrIn iusly performed the M
,r- tions Of rowing Yet not ripple oi tl
,e CLASSY river marked the dip of the shadow
10 oar, or broke beneath the prov, as tine .
. parition passed, and ere long mingled va
ed the Inists on the water beyond and aoo
,,r them. Nor was this all anon, ioiio"h
IN It's srecsral pioneer, appeared the full-arm'
he frigate of the monster pirate, on WI"
20 frowning decks stood the counterpart, gor
i'm spout,nS trunks which had popled the boa
80 .aIemnly and silently that. too, without
I'd bill1w at stem or stern passed their horrln
lie review, and gradually vanished IN the
tance. Frightened out OF measure, Dut =
eat out of silence, and expecting next to see
Iou fend himself with a bevy of lmps aho ogl
% from Tartarus, the diggers once more, WI
in an extra twist upon their rciaADS
be piled their toll
,aD Nearly six feet had they progressed dow
- w.rd and both became certain that u
lie had not much farther to go. In ORDER
, 20 sound the probabilities beneath, the youn
,ed brotber took the bar and thrust 1t downw'
ced in the center of the cavity. AT the sn
hall plunge u struck ON on ~ =. ~ cnicke
me of metalic pai - ,,-,s ,,,;ni,led W
the deadened thud of the probing instrumt
T, yas the crisis moment the long ag
q of IL was sno Their months of anxious exl
tter tations. their nights of supernatural CON
pro- and fearful toll were about to be consummf
he anu leehart leei success. Another foot
All ln ,iiuSS 10y ,he treasure was their own
vhen car car --sat too sudden denouement
sure "ae ~ s,ronolv braced. so powerf
allied nerves &c fesrful tensions. Can er