The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-02-11

time enjoined me to retain the
secret inviolate until the day Of my
marriage under the old rooftree, when
was TO have II unearthed In the presence of
my husband, and present it TO him as my
unexpected dowry. He feared that might
otherwise be wooed and won solely for my
fortune. This unlocked for wealth wis to
reward the true man who should have
loved and married me for myself alone,
But now 1t Is gone, gone! Oh, who could
have guessed or betrayed the buried treas
ure's secret? alone was with my father
when he revealed it. Inever talk in my
sleep, nor have / for a single instant for
gotten his injunction to secrecy. II is in
comprehensive"
During Mabels recital, my mind was
alert and busy, as you may we'll believe,
and 1 had gradually required to the sus-
picious circumstances attending Colonel
Dearborn's death which had almost escaped
my memory.
"Well, there's no use repining," said I ut
last, with cheerfulness that surprised both
Mabel and her aunt. Remember, my
darling. that the dowry You were 10 have
brought me is not hopelessly lost until we
shall altogether have failed to find its pur-
loiner. Come, hasten with your prepare
tons, and we will be off by the forenoon
train, instead of later. as we had intended.
While you and Miss Winslow are getting
ready, L will take look through the house..
My decision of manner proved infectious.
While they were preparing for the journey
pretended to visit guest-room had oc-
casionally occupied, but in reality devoted
myself to thoroughly searching the one adj
joining, which had been Clifford Whartons
when at home. and was still filled with his
belongings.
/ found that for which / searched, and,
excusing myself TO the ladies, hurried off TO
DR.. lis office, which was not far dis
tant. II was with a feeling of yet greater
satisfaction that returned to Mabels house
a little later, and we set out upon our Jour-
ney without further delay.
We arrived at Boone Corners early in the
afternoon. Here, while waiting for con-
veyance to Glenwood, three miles distant,
/ sought an interview with Sheriff B,
whom Glanced to know personally, and
obtained permission from him to converse
with the prisoners captured on the preced-
ing day. But brief interview with them
served to convince me that the robbers had
had nothing to do with digging up the
grounds at Glenwood.
"We only ripped up two or three gardens
nearer town." said one of the fellows, "and
gained nothing by even that. 1t stands to
reason we wouldn't have bothered with
Glenwood. 1t was out of our plan, and we
knew it to have already been cleaned out
years before"
When we set out for Glenwood, an hour
later, we were accompaniedby Shift B
and several of his men.
The house and grounds were found less
devastated than l had expected, though
both Mabel and her aunt shed tears ut the
havoc that had disfgured the stately old
place.
Wharton met us in the garden. He had
two or three friends with him, young men
of the neighborhood, and l noticed that he
was haggard and ill-at-ease; though he
strove to dissipate this impression, and at
first seemed unaffectedly miserable over
the way in which the grounds had been dug
up.
"Just look, Mabel" said he at last, after
conducting us to where the laurel lay up
rooted. what an outrage! The villains
have not even spared your birthday laurell"
Having already made certain observa-
tons, L signed Mabel to let Inc reply TO
him.
1T does seem odd, Wharton" said l,
"that the villain or villains should have up
rooted this shrub over all others"
at is odd" he admitted.
"Yes." L went on; "for / noticed else
where that the grounds have only been
comparatively SCARED, without so much as
a tree or plant having been seriously dis
tuibed. One would suppose the villain or
villains had expected to unearth something
particularly valuable from under this par
ticular laurel"
"What do you mean?" he cried, for my
tone was significant.
"Villain-murderer! shouted in voice
of thunder-no stage thunder ut that 81
mean that you are the villian-that you are
the thief of the golden treasure that was
concealed under that laurel bush!"
Changing from white to red in flash,
he drew his revolver with hoarse cry, but
was quickly disar1ned by the sheriffs men.
"Oh, you have wrought cunningly, but
in vain, Clifford Wharton!" / went on; "for
the evidence that has come to light, point
ing you out as your uncle's murderer, will
be equally unerring in tracking you down
as the purloiner of his daughters buried
dowry from under the roots of that laurel
bushl Deny the charge, if you can, forger
-murderer-poisonerT
Mabel and her aunt suddenly chung to
each other, with ordinations of horror,
while Wharton's companions and others
were scarcely less affected by these startling
accusations.
Murderer! poisoner!" echoed Wharton.
in faltering voice. at is false! You can
not prove it, What mean your"
"Lookl One of the proofs, at least, is
here" cried, displaying phial of almost
colorless liquid which / had found among
other bottles and phials in small closet in
his room, and whose contents 1 had subse-
quently submitted to DIR. Is critical
analysis. Behold the poison-the hydro
cyanic acid-with which You adulterated
Colonel Dearborns composing draught,
when you secretly saw him reel into his
room under the partial apoplectic stroke
which, but for your tampering with the
draught, might not have proved fatal"
All this was mere induction and bold con-
lecture on my part, but, from the frightful
change that had taken place in the accused.
l saw l had hit the mark, and FASTENED to
push my advantage.
"Dare you deny the truth of my charger"
/ went on. "Dare you deny, either, that
after witnessing the effect of the deadly
draught, you hid behind the headboard of
your victims bed, where YOU overheard the
secret of the buried treasure impaired by
Colonel Dearborn to his daughter with his
dying words? What will you then say when
have convinced you that a recent examin-
alton of your victims remains has revealed
the presence of poison identical with the
contents of this phial, and that only this
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