Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-24
the top was but shallow cutting in great
 block of stone, or the kist had a false bot

the top was but shallow cutting in great block of stone, or the kist had a false bot | tcNl.
 He literally sprung at it, and seizing the giant skeleton by the spine, jerked it out of the kist and dropped it in bristling, bony heap on ono side. Just as he did so there came gust of wind so furious that, buried as they ware in the earth, they literally felt tho mound rock beneath it. Instantly it was followed by frightful crash overhead
 George collapsed in terror, and for a mo- ment Harold could not for the life of him think what had happened. He ran to the hole and looked up Straight above him he could see the sky, in which the first cold lights of dawn were quivering. Mrs Mas seys summer house had been blown bodily away, and the ''ancient British dwelling | place. was once more, as it had been for centuries, open to the sky.
 ''The summer house has gone, George" he said ''Thank God that we were not in it, or we should have gore toor'
 ''Oh, Lord, sir!' groaned the unhappy George, "this is an awful business. It's like a judgment"
 ''It might havo been if we had been up above instead of safe down heren he an- swered. "Come, bring that other lantern.n
 George reused himself, and together they bent over the now empty kist, and examined | it closely.
 The stone bottom was not of quito the same color as the walls of tho kst, and there | was a crack across it. Harold felt in his pocket and drew out his knife, which had at l the back of it one of those strong iron hooks | that are used to extract stones from the l hoofs of horses. This hook he worked into the crack, and managed, before it broke, to pull up fragment of stone. Then, looking hn the wall had fallen in, q long sharp flint. This he inserted in the hole, and they both | levered away at it.
 l Half of the cracked stone came up few inches, far enough to allow them to get their fingers underneath it. So it was false bot tom.
 Catch hold," gasped the colonel, land pull for your life"
 George did as he was bid; and setting their knees against the hollowed stone, they tugged till their muscles cracked. Its a-moving," said George. ssNow, then, colonel!'
 Next second they both found themselves on the flat of their backs. The stone had given with a run.
 Up sprung the colonel like Q kitten. The broken stone was standing edgeways in the kIst. There was something soft beneath it. ''The light, George!" he said hoarsely.
 Beneath the stone were some layers of rot ten linen.
 Was it a shroud, or what!
 They pulled the linen out by handfuls. Onel twoI three!
 Oh, great heavenl
 There, under the linen, was row on row of shining gold coins set edgeways.
 For moment everything swan before Harold's eyes, and his heart stopped beating. As for George, he muttered something in audible about it's being q master one," and collapsed.
 With trembling fingers Harold managed to pick out two pieces of gold which had been disturbed by tho upheaval of the stone, and held them to the Egkt. He was a skilled numismatologist, and had no difficulty ir recognizing them. One was a beautiful three pound piece of Charles I, and the other spur royal of James l.
 That proved it. There was no doubt that this was the treasure hidden by Sir James de Ia Molle, and he it must have been also who had conceived the idea of putting a false bottom to the kist, and setting up the skele- ton to frighten marauders from the treasure II by any chance one should enter.
 For minute or two the men stood staring at each other over the great treasure which they had unearthed in that dread place, shaking with the reaction of their first ex- ClCeIueuU duu SCdTCely aDle to speak.
 "How deep du it gog' said George
 Harold got his knife and loosed some of the top coins, which were very tightly packed, till he could move his hand in them freely. Then he pulled out handful after handful of every sort of gold coin. There was q rose noble of Edward "; double sovereigns of Henry VIII; triple sovereigns and gold crowns of Edward VI; double rials, rials and angels of Mary; rose royals, spur royals, angels, large sovereigns and laurels of James l; double rials and rials of Elizabeth; three pound pieces, breads and half breads of Charles l, some in greater quantity and some ill less, but all were represented Handful after handful did he pull out, and yet the bottom was not reached. At last he came to it. The layer of gold pieces was about thirty inches thick by three feet six long,
 We must get this into the house. George, before any one is about" gasped the colonel
 'Yes, sir, yes; but how be wo a-going to carry it?"
 Harold thought for minute, and then acted thus: Bidding George stay in the vault with the treasure, which he was with diffi- culty persuaded to do, he climbed the impro- 1 v1sed rope ladder, and got in safety through 1 the hole. In his excitement he had forgot l ten about the summer house having beinp carried away by the gale, which was still l blowing, though with not so much fury as before, and the wind swept Gssolation that met his view as he emerged into the dawning light broke upon him with Q shock The 1 summer house was clean gone; nothing but a l few uprights remained of it; and fifty yards away he thought he could make out the | crumpled up shape of the roof. Nor was that l alL Quite quarter of the great oaks which l were the glory of the place were down, or 1 splintered and ruined. But what did he care l for the summer house or the oaks now? For l getting his exhaustion, he ran down the | slope and reached the house, which he en- | tered as softly as he could by the side door. Nobody was about yet, or would be for an- other hour. It was Christmas day and not a | pleasant morning to get up on, so the ser wants would be sure to lie abed. On his way to his bedroom he peeped into the dining room, where he had fallen asleep on the pre- vious evening. When he had woke up, it | may be remembered, he lighted a candle. This candle was now faring itself to death, for he had forgotten to extinguish it, aud by its side lay the paper from which he had made the great discovery. There Mns uoth=