The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-10-19

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and the roses made the place glow
with their spiendor, as they rioted
everywhere. Later came larkspur
and sweet-pea, sweet-william and
mignonette, hollyhocks, stately and
tall, dusky wall-fowers, purple
pansies, stock-gillies, and all the rest
of the dear old floral friends. No
modern plants were ever allowed in
Uncle Hugh'sdomain.
There was n spot which always
excited our curiosity. 1t lay exactly
in the center of the garden, and
equalled in space four or five of the
flower beds. For years no spade had
touched it, and it was a mere uangle
OF weeds, in curious contrast with the
rest of the trimly-kept garden.
Every one wondered about it, of
curse. A few were even oldenough
to ask questions, but met only a
stony stare or at best polite evasion
from Uncle Hugh.
Ny 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 a garden of our own.
Philip was Philip Graham, Uncle
Hugh's great-nephew, who, with his
brother and sister, was also spending
the summe at Mount Graham. This
uncultivated spot struck me as en-
tirely suitable for u garden, and we
went to work at it with a will.
"How pleased Uncle Hugh will be
when he sees it'll" said Philip, as we
paused a moment to rest.
Just then Uucle Hugh camein 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. 1t was a mix
ture of surprise, Indignation, and in
c~redulity, curiously blended with
what seemed almost like terror.
what are you doing there, chill.
dren?" 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 andI were
deeply hurt, 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 looked 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 within-doors. A game of
hide-and-seek was in progress, and
Philip was the seeker. Nanny and [
went off together, and the place in
which we elected to hide was under
Uncle Hugh's great four-post bed
stead. Nannylifted theruffiad valance
carefully, and l crept in, %whacking my
head violently as | did so against
some long black object thickly stud
ded with brass nails.
"a treasure-box," said Nanny, who
always romantic.
Just then a flash of lightning lit up
the room. Through the chink in the
valance the light fell upon the box,
and | scrambled out with a yell of
terror. Had it been ghost | should
have thought little of it, but a coffin
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 overpowering gravity OF his
twelve years.
"It's queer enough" he said when
we had ~finished;bu I'll tell you what
it is, you'd better not talk about it.
People say now that Uncle Hugh is a
little cracked, and if they knew this
whew! how they would go on! He's a
bully old uncle to us, and we're
bound to stand by him through
thick and thin. So mind, not a word
to anybody"
Nanny and l promised faithfully,
and [ believe we kept u word.
"Uncle Hugh" said Philip, a 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 digthem 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 iii
that place in the garden, they're
lust cock-sure it's there"
"What!" cried Uncle Hugh, in a
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