Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-24

the thlng.
 He was there now, and holding the lantern straight against the thing, examined it. It was a skeleton of enormous size, and the skull was fixed to the vertebra with rusty wire
 At this evidence of the handiwork of man his fears almost vanished. Even in that company he could not help remembering that it is scarcely to be supposed that spirit ual skeletons carry about wire with which to tie on their skulls
 With a sigh of relief he held up the lan- tern and looked around. He was standing in good sized vault or chamber built of rubble stone. Some of this rubble had fallen into his left; but otherwise, though the workman ship showed that it must be of extreme anti quity, the stone lining was still strong and good. He looked upon the floor, and then for the first time perceived that the nodding skeleton before him was not the only one. Allround lay remnants of the mighty dead There they were, stretched out in the form of circle, of which the stone kist was the center. One place in the circle was vacant; evidently it had once been occupied by the giant frame which now sat within the kist. Next he looked at the kist itself It had all the appearance of ono of those rude stone chests in which the very ancient inhabitants of this island buried tho ashes of their ere mated dead. But if this was 50, whence came the uncremated sleletonsa
 Perhaps subsequent race or tribe had found the chamber ready prepared, and used 1t to bury some among them who had fallen i'll battle It was impossible to say more es- peclally as, with one exception, there was nothing buried with the skeletons which would assist to identify their race or age. That exception was dog. A dog had been placed by one of the bodies. Evidently from the position of the bones of its masters arms, he had been left to his last sleep.with his hand resting on his hounds head.
 Bending down, Harold examined the seated skeleton more closely. It was, he discovered, accurately joined together with strong wire Cleary this was the work of hands which were born into the world long after the flesh on those mighty bones had crumbled into dust.
 But where was the treasure? He saw none His heart sunk as the idea struck him that he had made an interesting archaeological dis covery, and that was all Before undertaking a closer search, he returned to the hole and hallooed to George to come down, as there was nothing but some bones to frighten him.
 This the worthy George was at length, with much difficulty, persuaded to do.
 When at last he stood beside him in the vault, Harold explained to him what the place was and how ridiculous were his fears, without, however, succeeding in allaying them to any considerable extent.
 And really when one considers the position shut up as they were in the bowels of a place which had for centuries owned the reputa- tion of being haunted, faced by nodding skeleton of almost superhuman size, and sur rounded by various other skeletons, all Every fine and large," with the most violent tenn pest that had visited the country for years signing away outside, it is not wonderful that George was scared.
 "Well," he said, his teeth chattering, Eff this ain't the masterest one that iver did see!" But here he stopped; language was not equal to the expression of his feelings.
 Meanwhile Harold, with a heart full of anxiety, was turning the lantern this way and that, in the hope of discovering some traces of Sir James treasure, but naught could be see. There to the left the masonry was fallen in. He went to it, and pulled aside some of the stones. There was cavity behind, apparently a passage, leading, no doubt, tothesecret entrance to the vault but he could see nothing in it. Once more he searched round. There was nothing. Unless the treasure was buried somewhere or hidden away in the passage, it was non-existent, that was all.
 And yet what was the meaning of that jointed skeleton sitting in the stone batha It must have been put there for some purpose, probably to frighten would be plunderers away. Could he be sitting on the money9 He rushed to the chest, and looked through the bony legs. No; his pelvis rested on the stone bottom of the kist.
 Well, George, it seems we're done," said Harold, with ghastly attempt at a laugh. "There's no treasure here"
 6May he it,s ,,p1erraatl, fhot fba,.a ctopo corn bin," suggested George, whose teeth were still chatterins. 'It should be here or hereabouts, surely"
 This was an idea. Helping himself to the shoulder blade of son1s deceased hero, Harold, using it as a trowel, hegan to scoop away the soft sand upon which the stone chest stood He scooped and scooped manfully, but he could not come to the bottom of the kist.
 He stepped back and looked at it. It must be one of two things-either the hollow at