San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-29

No, sir. You said that gold plate was an
incubus, and such it is, for it's always a sit
ting on me, so as i can't sleep O. nights. It's
killing me, that's what it is. Some night
shall be murdered, and all that plate taken
away. 1t amt safe, and it's cruel to a man
to ask him to take charge Of it."
He did not speak for a few minutes.
"What am to do then, Burdonp
"Some people send their plate to the bank,
Sir John"
"Yes," he says, "some people do a great
many things that l do not intend to do.
There, shall not take any notice Of what
you said"
"But you must, please, Sir John: I couldn't
stay like this"
'Bs patient for few days, and I'll have
something done to relieve you"
Invent down stairs very uneasy, and Sir
John went out, and next day, feeling quite
poorly, after waking up ten times in the
night, thinking I heard people breaking in,
as there'd been deal Of burglary in Blooms
bury about that time, got up quite thank
full was still alive, and directly after break
fast the wine merchants cart came from ST.
James street with fifty dozen of sherry, as
we really didn't want. Sir John came down
and saw to the wine being put in bins, and
then he had all the wine brought from the
inner cellar int the outer cellar, both being
next my pantry, with door into the pas
sage Just at the foot of the kitchen stairs.
"That's neat job, Burden" said Sir John,
as we stood in the far cellar all among the
sawdust, and the place looking dark and
damp, with its roof like the vaults of a
church, and stone flag floor, but with every
bin empty.
"Going to lay down some more wine here,
Sir John9" said but he didn't answer; only
stood with candle in the arched doorway,
which was like passage six feet long, OPEN
ing from one cellar into the other. Then he
went up stairs, and locked up the cellar and
put the keys in my drawer.
''He always was eccentric before her lady
ship died. said to myself; land now he's
getting worse"
saw it again next morning, for Sir John
gave orders, sudden like, for everybody to
pack off to the country house down by Dor
king, and of course everybody had to go,
cook and housekeeper and all; and just as
was ready to start got word to stay.
Sir John went off to his club, and stayed
alone in that old house in Bloomsbury, with
the great drops of perspiration dripping of
me every time l heard a noise, and feeling
sometimes as if could stand it no longer;
but Just as it was getting dusk he came back,
and in his short abrupt way he says: "Now,
Burden, we'll go to work"
I'd no idea what he meant till we went
downstairs, when he had the strong room
door opened and the cellar too; and then he
made me help him carry the old plate chests
right through my pantry into the far wine
cellar, and range them one after the other
along one side.
wanted to tell him that they would not
be so safe there; but daren't speak, and it
was not till what followed that l began to
understand: for, as soon as | had gone
through the narrow arched passage back to
the outer cellar, he laughed, and he says:
"Now we'll get rid of the incubus, Burden.
Fix your light up there, and I'll help"
He did help, and together we got heap of
sawdust aud hundreds of empty wine bottles,
and these we built up at the end of the arched
entrance between the cellars from floor to
ceiling, just as if it had been a wine bin, till
the farther cellar was quite shut of with
empty bottles. And then, if he didn't make
me move the sherry that had just come in and
treat that the same, building up full bottles
in front of the empty ones till the ceiling was
reached once more and the way in to the
chests of gold plate shut up with wine bottles
two deep, one stack full, the other empty.
He saw me shake my head as if didn't
believe in it; and he laughed again In his
strange way and said, "Wait bit"
Next morning found he'd given orders,
for the men came with load of bricks and
mortar, and they set to work and built up a
wall in front Of the stacked up bottles, regu-
larry brickng up the passage, just as If it
was bin of wine that was to be left for so
mauy years to mature, after which the wall
was whitewashed over, the men went away,
and Sir John clapped me on the shoulder.
There, Burden" he said, we've buried the
incubus safely. Now you can sleep in peace.
Yes, Sir John"
Il ought by rights to kill you now, and
bury you in the sawdust, to make you keep
the secret. But I'll let you off, for don't
think YOU will tell"