Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-02

turned, creaking loudly as it did so,
and in stalked no less q person than
Sir Guy Hilierton-the exact counter
part of his portrait.
The Pickering freight played over
his rich cavalier costume, toyed with
his fine features, and cast, With Wild
antics, his shadow along the glossy
floor. As he stood facing me. and fully
revealed by the fire opposite, 1 was en-
abled to take more accurate note of his
person than l had while looking at his
picture.
noticed for the first time. as he came
close to my bedside and artly extended
his right hand, that one of the fingers
was encircled by a plain gold band,
bearing an emblem slightly raised upon
it, whose import l very we'll under
stood. 1t was an ancient Masonic sign.
well known to the craft in all ages. but
entirely unintelligible to an outsider.
The old knight seemed to emphasize
this ring and its emblem; for three
times he extendedi it toward me, point
ing to it with his left forefinger. Then
making q sign, which as a Mason 1
thoroughly understood, he turned alb
ruptly and stalked out of the apart
ment. Thus far l was as one Witness
ing a play, who finds himself interested
in the leading actor, and is content to
sit quietly until called upon to applaud.
Even the clanking of Sir Guys boots
and the iingling Of his spurs, as he
strobe down the hall, did not arouse me
to an assertion of my will, for an ire
sistible drowsiness fell upon me and ]
slept.
1 awohe at sunrise, feeling very much
depressed, and, making q hasty toilet,
joined the family at breakfast. A set
tied melancholy restedupon all present;
Hillerton in particular, looked alb
stracted, pale and careworn. The meal
over we retired to the library, there to
found upon thorough investigation that
nothing would be left for the HITLER
tons should certain foreclosures be
made. and 1 shared keenly in my
friends distress.
80, Ned!' exclaimed Hillerton, ris-
ing and pacing restlessly up and down
the room. "Would that l might find
Sir Guys treasure. You may well look
surprised to hear ME talking in earnest
this way. Don't think, however. my
troubles have turned my head. when I
tell you l am firmly convinced there is
wealth hidden somewhere on this es-
tate. Financial trouble never yet
threatened the family, but its shadow
brought Sir Guy.
"Look at this ;" he said, turning sud-
denly to a secretary and producing a
leather-bound book; "see here on these
faded pages of Ralph Hillerton's Jour-
nal-he was my great-grandfather-
proof of what l say" and Hillerton
read excitedly:
Ion yestern mite, bein' in my private stu
die at late hour Of ye clock, thare come rap.
pin We dore. an Sir Guye come in, holdin'
maxim divers sondrie sfknes, most cureus, y J,
dreem at beginnin', an goin' out Of same
"There, that happened when my
fathers grandfather was in great finan-
cial distress. He was saved only
by selling off half the property, which
his son in old age purchased back. Then,
during my fathers life, when he in
dorsed for the Midgeleys of Caroline.
and they went under, Sir Guy appeared
a ter the same manner.
"Here is the record" and Hillerton
read from a Well-worn diary:
NOV. Il, 1881. The failure of Midgeley, of
Caroline, to meet his obligations, again en-
tails loss upon us, and again brings Sir Guy
chair, being weary and weighed down with
care, and cleaning no hope from the severe
financial crisis the coIuntryis passing through,
seeing Sir Guy, exactly as he appears in the
picture, standing near the door. Three times
he extended towards me his right hand; three
times he made some peculiar signs, not Mt all
comprehended by me, and before l could fully
realize all that had occurred, the phantom, or
Saes ey1 tbi II m was, vd as il fl,a Tr Msat, indeed
"Here you OBSERVE" said Hillerton,
carefully wrapping up the journals and
locking them in their proper receptacle,
sis the proof Of something strange hap
pening to two of our family, of which
we have record. Now, / always thought
it resulted from an overworKed
brain, borne down by great anxiety and
trouble; from the seeds implanted by the
tradition itself and the almost daily
sight OF the picture Of Sir Guy as well as
the senselcss verse beneath tor, that
the whole thing was a mere dream. But,
my dear friend, [ was visited last night
by Sir Guy, and I know it was neither
an illusion nor q dream-no more than
was DR.. tonnes experience, our COM
mon favorlte, 1zaak Walton, tells us of.
"After bidding you good night, I inn
mediately retired and fell into a sound
sleep. lido not know how long ! slept,
for / was suddenly awaked BY some
thing press ng heavily upon my b beast
and I beheld Sir Guy with upfifted
hand, standing erect and m%otionless by
the bedside. His singularly stern eyes
were riveted upon m~e-looking me
through and through-while L was con-
scious that he made the very same signs
indicated by my father. 1 saw him
turn and pass from the room-the ring
of his step is still in my ears. Hay for
the rest of the night a restless victim of
p%erplexing thoughts.
.'Now, what do you say to this? 1t
must mean something-iti is worth Took
ing into-it is worth following up and
tracing out. My opinion is formed. 1
believe a t easure exists!!"
[ have mentioned that Hillerton was
possessed of great ersonalmagnetism. I
now experienced its power. l felt that
his position was ten Bile.
Nv adyenture with Sir Guy-the