The Red Cloud chief., 1881-06-09

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haunted the ruins-how it was apt to
appear TO treasure hunters. LAYING its
grizzly hand upon them at the very mo-
lient OF hndIng h sought-for treasure,
until the hearts of his listeners quaked
with dread. Probably they would
willingly have sacrificed their hopes of
treasure and turned back, but neither of
them liked TO propose such a measure.
n lantern cast ghoStly fitting light
on the fence posts and trees as they
walked along, and so drew near the
ruined house, the chimney OF which
stood back against the sky.
"NOw dcrc is Won tin@s TO re-
member" said Tailor VERT, as they
stood on the shapeless pile of stones
that marked the ruin. He spoke i'm
pressively. Now dere is Won tings to
remember. From de moment de stick
pegins 10 pint, you mustn't speak Won
word, for shoost as SOC As you do-poof,
de magics all goes out OF de stick, de
silfer turns into lead, and de treasure
all melt like ice on a hot stove. If YOU
see a ghost, den mind. shoost don't pay
no notice to him. but go on workings,
and say holdings. Are YOU ready"
suppose you take the crowbar, and
I'll hold the lantern" said Billy.
mo, I've carried it all the way, and
I'm tired" said Ned.
They both thought there was less
danger from the ghost to the one that
held the lantern than to the one that
laid a hand on his buried trea,ure.
However, it was finally determined that
Ned should begin, and work until he
was tired, and then Billy should take a
turn. The tailor stepped forward,
holding the wand by the middle be-
tween his finger and thumb. In this
way the slightest movement of the fin
gers would direct it. The boys watched
him with the most intense interest. The
willow wand moved slowly this way
and that, and finally pointed toward Il
great beam that reached across the
chimney just Owe the fireplace, thus
Indicating it as the place where Il treas
ure must be. The boys approached
cautiously. Billy holding the lantern.
and Ned firmly graSping The crowbar,
both wrought up to Il high pitch of
nervous excitement, while the tailor
stood little back from them. IL was a
hopeless-looking piece of work for two
BOYS to remove such 4 beam, SO i'm
bedded in the stone and mortar. and
probably that was why the tailor had
selected it. Ned struck the crowbar
between the stones, Just under the
beam, but it was n quarter of an hour
job TO loosen the first stone, which was
very large; but finally it came, and
then another. Then Ned, whose face
was beaded with perspiration. handed
the crOwbar to Billy. BY this time they
were beginning to regain their courage.
Billy examined the chimney carefully,
and seeing a stone lOoser than the rest,
Just over the beam, determined { o begin
the attack in that quarter; so he stuck
the crowbar between that stone and the
next. and began to prize. In the mean
time, Tailor Fertz had grown tired, and
determined TO hasten matters; accord
ingiy, Just as the stone was looseninG,
he gave an unearthly groan.
"What's that" cried Billy. and let
90 of the crowbar. 1t fell clanking on
the stones. and with it fell the stone he
was loosening. The groan, and the
noise of the falling of the crowbar
and the stone, frightened Ned so that
he dropped the lantern; and the bows,
leaping over the pile of stones. fed up
the road like frightened deer. closely
followed by the tailor, who was scarce
ly less frightened than they were. At
length they stopped, and stood, pant
ing. about a hundred yards up the road.
Zach! mein I}immelr' cried Tailor
Vertz, stamping his foot, "what you
speak for? You have shpoilt all de
magic of de vitch-villow. Wy id you
not hold your tongue"
Ibid you hear that groan:?' said
Billy, in an awful voice.
alt must have been the ghost" said
Ned. Then, in a very loud voice, a..
don't want the money, anyhow" cried
he.
..But you dropped fathers lantern
back there"
We'll, you dropped myfathcr's crow
bar. 1t was you that scared me,
dropping it. so you ought to go back
for it."
Finally they concluded that all three
should go, for company's sake.
They approached the spot very eau
~tiously. the tailor. who had no further
reason for frightening them,
ing them to proceed, but himself keep
ing a little back, as he was secretly
much afraid of ghosts. Luckily for
their fears, the candle in the lantern had
not gone ont, but had burned as it fell.
guttering the tallow. and running it
over the glass of the lantern. Billy
picked it up. and the light flashed out
more brightly. Ned also picked up his
crowbar, and they turned to leave,
when Billy cast a glance at the hole
whence the stone he had been working
at had fallen.
stop" he cried. suddenly; whats
this?"
whats what?" said Ned.
There's something in there"
"Dere? where?" said the tailor,
pressing forward
They all three looked in the hole; /!
then Billy thrust in his hand. and drew
out a small wooden box. 1t was cramb-
ling with dry. rot. and without much eff
fort he broke off the lid with his fingers.
The bows could scarcely believe their
eyes. Ned sprcng from the ground and
gave a shout. The box was full of mon
They vera chiefly copper coins
and small silver pieces; still, it was n
to the boys.
All this time Tailor Vertz had been
standing with staring eyes and open
mouth. He was amazed, thunder
struck, dumbfounded, that he, who had
been deceiving the boys with Juggling
should have actually showed
them a real treasure. All of a sudden
it came over him with a rush that he
had deliberately led the boys to this
spot, and placed their very hands, as it
were. upon all this money. He felt rs
it had been taken from his own
pocket, and burst out in a sudden tor
rent of words. scolding and stamping
his feet in such a way that the boys
stood amazed.
ssWhat's the matter?:" they cried.
..Vat's de matter?n shouted the
tailor. beating his breast-.'vats de
matter? Oh, Vertz. you fool! You
fool. Oh, if I'd only known it vas
dere,-if I'd only known it "a dere:
To 90 empty it out of my pockets into |