The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-03-31

suppose, however, you don't sleep
with'them2q i a.se6
"ay hed chamber is up stairs =
answered eottlob, rather gruffiy,
"but my goodwife.s abed, aud she
would die setherthan be seen by a
gentleman in her nightgown."
sshe must die, then, replied the
stranger ior it strikes noe the on
ly safe place in your howell is the
slesping-lolt not many Rouldtake
trouble q climb that break.neck
ladder and that / presume, is your
staircase7p
Without Kailing for a response,
he hoppeduIi as himbly as a bird,
the old man tollowiag in great dis,
may.
The p'oF 0ldladgsf ffiEhtnaa BE
easily conc ed She covered het
head dwitRthe bedclothes, and shook
like leaf hardly daring 10 breathe
much less 10 ask the occasion Of
this visit.
"We must SOW it up in the mat
tfess,p said the banker in a decid
ed tone; "out with your knife and
thread"
Leather and shavings are hard
enough to lie on, but Napolgons
and Louis dor are harder still, and
old GOttlob demonstrated long and
earnestly, but to no avail; the mon.
ey must be hid, and hid in the saf.
est place; so the mattress was rip.
ped open to admit it. Having
promised to reward the old folks
for the inconvenience he had caus.
ed them, the gentleman then left
as quickly as he had come. You
may we'll suppose that Gattlob and
his wife slept no more that night
A fortnight passed without their
hearing anything more Of the bag
of treasure or its owner. Now,
though they had neighbors within
reach, with whom they lived on
most friendly terms, they never
once mentioned to any one of them
the affair of the hidden money
firstly, because the stranger had re.
quired a promise Of secrecy; and
secondly, because robbers were so
numerous in the Black Forest mon.
ey was too dangerous possession to
talk of even among its own inhab.
itants.
"0h, neighbOr GottlobI another
audacious robbery, and the robber
fed and gonel Count de Roucolles,
a French gentleman, had an en-.
counter with a couple of bandits
more than fortnight ago, and was
left for dead in the snow. He man.
aged, however, to crawl to a cot.
tage where he is now lying in sad
state, aud to day the news was
brought to our village by the sold.
iers. They are searching the for
est in earnest, but bless you, those
fellows burrow under ground like
moles, and will never be found
The poor count, they tell me, lost
a heap of money-gold, silver and
notes-in leather bag, One had
far better be poor in the Black For.
est nOwadaysl"
The poor old man sat trembling
in silence, not daring to breathe a
word Of his secret-not knowing
which way to look, 1t was evi.
dent to him that Count de Rou.
COLES money lay at at that moment
in his mattress upstairs, and that
the robber, and not the owner, had
put it there. When his neighbor,
had gone, he told old RiCkell, his
wife, the whole story, and asked
her advice.
"Give up the money to the au.
Ihoritios," she said at once; 1--WE
shall have no peace while its
here"
"Ye', 'tis very we'll to talk that
way, Rickell, but supposing the
rObber should come and murder US
would that be plcasantR"
pheasant, no, only we should
have done our duty, and if we give
up the counts money, Of course he
would protect US like a gentleman
"But don't you see, my dear
soul, said the old man, testify,
"that he is a French nobleman,
leaving his country because Of the
bad times there, and is not more
able to protect US than our cat,
Feekin."
"What are we to do, then, in
Heavens name2" asked the poor
woman,
1--WE must consider, dear wife;
meantime go and pray to God to be
enlightened"
H. wns nerto;rl, I;l.,,,,,, H.