The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-12-15

My first special remembrance OF
this plot went back to the day when
Philip and decided that our happi-
ness and well-being required that we
should have n garden of our own.
Philip Was Philip Graham, Uncle
Hugh's great-nephew, who, with his
brother and sister, was also spending
the summer at Mount Graham. This
uneultiVated spot struck me as en-
tirely suitable for a garden, and we
went to work at it with a wills
"How pleased Uncle Hugh will be
when he sees it!' said Philip, as we
paused a moment to rest. g.
Just then Uucle Hugh came in sight
"a stately figure in the dress of his
youth, to which he still chung. He
was walking with his head bent down,
and his little queue stuck out Curl
ously above his high stock. AS he
came near us he looked up, and at
sight of our occupation an express
ion which we had never Seen before
flashed over his face. It was a mix
ture of surprise, Indignation, and in
credulity, curiously blended with
what seemed almost like terror.
"What arc you doing there, chill
dfen?'' he cried, in a stern voice, such
as we had never heard from him be-
fore. "Come away this instant. New
er set foot in that spot again, DO
you hear?"
"But why, Uncle Hugh?" asked
Philip, standing his ground boldly,
"Never mind why" said the old
man, stamping his foot: 'Come
away this instant, and never go
there again-never.
We came away, too thoroughly
frightened at Uncle Hugh's most I'M
wonted outburst to think ofrebelling.
Two days later a stout fence sur
rounded the place. Philip and we're
deeply hGrt, for it was the first time
that Uncle Hugh had ever, by word
or deed, shown the slightest distrust
of any one of us. We heard him
murmur as he booked at the fence:
"The children could hardly have
found out yet. But they will grow
older, and Yes, it was safer,
The next scene in that visit which |
remembered well was the rainy day
When we children had to amuse our
selves &ithin-doors. A game OF
hide-and-see!L. was in progress, and
Philip was the seeker. Nanny and I
went off together, and the place in
which we elected to hide was under
Uncle Hugh's great four-pQst bed
stead. Nanny lifted th6ruffled valance
carefully and 1crept in, whacking my
head violently as / did SC. against
some long black object thickly stud
ded with Brass nails.
GA treasure-box,"' said Nanny, who
was always romantic. e..
just then q fash Of lightning lit up
the foom. Through the chink in the
valance the light fell upon the box,
and 1 scrambled out with d yell of
terror, Had it been ghost I should
have thought little oft, but a coffin
was a real tangible, blood-curdling
horror. We flew downstairs, our
eyes starting from our heads, and
plunged into the very arms of Philip.
Our story burst at, once from our
trembling lips, and Philip listened
with The 0verpowering gravity OF his
twelve years.
cts queer enough" he said when
we had finished;but I'll tell you what
it is, you'd better not talk about it..
People say now that Uncle Hugh is q
little cracked, and if they knew this
whew! how they would go onI He's a
bully old uncle to us, and we're
bouhd to stand by him through
thick and thin. So mind not a word
to anybody"
Nanny and promised faithfully,
and 1 believe we kept our word.
"Uncle Hugh" said Philip; d few
days later; ':do you know there are
chicken thieves about?"
Chicken thieves?" said Uncle Hugh
"And pray how do you know that,
Master Philip"
81 reckon you'd know it too if
you'd been out this morning." said
Philip. "There are tracks all over
the place, and holes dug"
"Chickens don't grow underground
like potatoes" put in Charley, con-
temptuously. "They're no chicken
thieves. But I'll tell you what it is,
Uncle Hugh. It's some good-for-
nothing loafer digging for treasure.
It's all over the country that Capt.
Kidd's treasures are buried here. Or
else that the old Grahams buried
their plate and jewels in the revolu-
ton and forgot to dig them up again
People don't seem quite sure which,
but they'll take their oath it's one or
the other. And since you fenced in
that place in the garden, they're
just cock-sure it's there"
"What!" cried Uncle Hugh, in a
voice which made us all jump in our
seats.
Charley knew nothing of Philips
and my attempt at gardening. We
had been too much ashamed to speak
of it, and he had DO idea that there
was anything taboo in the subject.
Now he was too much scared to speak,
but simply stared at Uncle Hugh,
who recovered himself slowly.
$50 they say there are buried
do they?" he said, with a
queer, constrained sort of smile
"Welll well! There is no limit to what
people will say and believe. But lam
glad you told me, Charley, boy-yes,
very glad, must see about it,
Ten days later the fence was taken
away. Andrew, the gardener, and
John, the coachman, had kept watch
with loaded guns since the first alarm.
A substantial summer house, which
had been made in the neighboring
village and brought over piecemeal,
was put up on the spot. Uncle Hugh,
and John did the whole of
the work, and no one else was al
lowed even to look on. 1t was set so
low that no one could possibly creep
under it, and Uncle Hugh rubbed his
hands when it was done.
"There!" he said'"I think that will
puzzle them. l defy them to pull it
1oun ood tboy con hardly bI1rp II