Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-23

the stone work. He cleared a patch of it and examined it attentively by the light of the dark lantern. It appeared to be rubble work. built in the form of an arch. He struck it with the iron crow and it gave back hollow sound There was cavity of some sort un- derneaSa
 His excitement and curiosity redoubled By great efforts he widened the spot of stone work already laid bare. Luckily, the soil. or rather sand, was so friable that there was very little exertion required to loosen it. This done, he took the iron crow, and inserting it beneath a loose fiat stone levered it up. This was beginning, and, having got rid of the large flat stone, he struck down again and again with all his strength, driving the sharp point of the heavy crow into the rubble work beneath. It began to give-he could hear bits of it falling into the cavity below. There! 1t went with crash, more than a square foot of it.
 He leaned over the hole at his feet, de voutly hoping that the ground on which he was standing would not give way also, and tried to look down. The next second he threw his head back, coughing and gasping The foul air rushing up from the cavity or chamber, or whatever it was, had half poisoned him. Then, not without difficulty, he climbed out of the grave, and sat down on the pile of sand he had thrown up Clearly he must let the air in the place sweeten lit tle.. Clearly, also, he must have assistance if he must descend into the great hole He could not undertake that by himself
 He sat there upon the edge of the pit, wondering who there was he could trust. Not his own gardener. To begin with, he would never come near the place at night, and be- sides, such people talk. The squirrel No; he could not rouse him at this hour, and also for obvious reasons, they had not met lately An! he had it. George was the man! To be- gin with, he could be trusted to hold his tongue, and the episode of the production of the real Mrs. Quest had taught the colonel that George was person of no common powers. He could think, and he could act also.
 He threw on bis coat, extinguished the large stable lantern, and having passed out, locked the door of the summer house, and started down the mount at q trot. The wind had risen steadily during his hours of work. and was now blowing furious gale It was about quarter to in the morning, and the stars shown brightly in the hard, clear blown sky. By their light and that of the waning moon he struggled on in the teeth of the raging tempest. AS he passed under one of the oaks he heard a mighty crack overhead, aud guessing what it was ran like hare He was none too soon. A circular gust of more than usual herceness had twisted the top right out of the great tree, and down it came upon the turf with rending, crashing sound that made his blood turn cold. After this escape he avoided the neighborhood of the grooming trees.
 George lived in q neat little farm house about quarter of mile away. There was a short cut to it across the fields, and this he took, breathlessly fighting his way against the gale which swept, and roared, and howled in Its splendid might as it came leaping across the ocean from its birthplace in the distances of air. Even the stiff hawthorne fences bowed before its breath, and the tall poplars on the sky line beat like rod beneath the fresh rush of a salmon.
 Excited as he was, the immensity and grandeur of the sight and sounds struck upon him with strange and awful force. Never before had he felt so far apart from man, and so near to that dread Spirit round whose feet millions of rolling worlds rush on for ever, at whose word they are, endure, and are not.
 He struggled on until at last he reached the house. It was quite silent, but in one of the windows light was burning. No doubt its occupants found it impossible to sleep in that wild gale. The next thing to consider was how to make himself heard. To knock at the door would be useless in that turmoil There was only one thing to be done-throw stones at the window. He found a good sized pebble, and, standing underneath, threw it with such good will that it went right through the glass, lighting, as he after ward heard, full upon Mrs Georges sleeping nose, and nearly frightening that good woman, whose nerves were already shaken by the gale, into fit. Next minute a red night cap appeared at the window.
 George" roared the colonel in a lull of the gale
 ''Who's there?' came the faint answer.
 'Me-Col Quaritch Come down. want to speak to you"
 The head was withdrawn, and q couple of minutes afterward Harold saw the front door begin to open slowly He waited till there was space enough and then slipped in and together they forced it to-
 "Stop a bit, sir," said George; ''I'l light the lamp" and he did.
 Next minute he stepped back in amaze ment
 ''Why, what on 'arth hev you bin after sirs" he said, contemplating Harold's filth begrimed face, and hands, and clothes. "Is anything wrong up at the castle, or is the cottage blown down7n
 A>oN AAo, SaASA A1dA OAus lSltu Ou S6 heard tell of tho treasure that old Sir James de la Nblle buried in the times of the Round heads"
 "Yes, yes. Ihave heard tell of that Hey the gale blown it ups"
 "No, but by heaven believe that I am in fair way to find itr'
 George took another step back, remember ing the tales that Mrs. Jobson had told, and not being by any means sure that the colonel was not in a dangerous condition of lunacy.
 "Give me glass of something to drink, water or milk, and I'll tell you. I've been digging all night, and my threats like limekiln."
 Digging, why, where?'
 "Where? In Dead Mans Mount"
 "In Dead Mans Mount7" said George. "Well, blow me, if that ain't funny place to dig at on a night like this," and, too amazed to say anything more, he went off to get the milk.
 Harold drank three glasses without stop ping, and then sat down to tell as much of his moving tale as he thought desirable
 CuADrED