Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-10-11

the handwriting on the box than he knew
what it meant. He had read it backward
But he never said SO to Nick. When he
went home he quietly put the box in his
| pocket. Nick did not notice it, He was
too honest himself TO suppose any one
| else thief.
| When the neighbor got into his cottage
he Immediately got chisel and ham,
mer and smashed the box open. Inside
he found o piece of paper, which was
wrapped around a tiny little silver key.
On the paper he read these lines:
In the forest by tho brook,
Where the silver maple growB
You will find little nook
That with solid silver flows.
These lines were signed, "Your Crate
full Goblin"
The man at once understood ALL He
knew where the box came from, and he
knew that the goblin who had been in the
oak had intended this for Nick. 'sNiek
is fool" the man said to himself. II
am going to lift the treasure. Why did
he not keep the box for himself?"
He accordingly went into the forest.
He found the little nook, just as he was
told, beside the silver maple tree. Ex-
aiming the ground, he noticed tiny key
hole. He had already put the key into
the hole ;!he turned it around and he saw
the shining silver in the nook, when his
hand was suddenly arrested by the gob-
lin.
"You are not the man who liberated
mo from the oak treep said tho little
man.
The thief then had to confess that he
got hold of the box because his neighbor
Nick could not read backward.
"Well, you had no business to be a
nd frIx ho1 III
take that box which did not belong to
you"
81 am sorry" replied the man; "if
you will forgi me will go homo and
tell Nickson all about this silver treasure
and he can come and get it himself"
"No, there Is no necessity for tha;.
Anyhow, [ do not believe you would keep
your word. But now that you have
found this silver treasure. take il and
carry it to your home; il shall be yours. 5"
Then the goblin vanished.
The man at onco began to fill his
pockets with silver. When they were
filled he took his cap, then his handkey-
chief, then he took off his coat and used
it as q bag. But when all was filed he
could not carry the load; 1t was too
heavy So he had TO leave some bohind
He hurried home and gave the silver TO
his wife. then he took u wheelbarrow AMI
returned to the work by the brook He
loaded the wheelbarrOw to its utmost
capacity before he left for home.
On his way to his cottage, however, he
had to cross O small bridge, which led
over stream. and when he was in the
center of this bridge tho boards broke
under him, and the wheelbarrow the
silver and the man fell down into the
deep. The load had been too heavy. The
man was too greedy; he wanted too
much, and now he was drowned and he
had nothing at all.
Now we will return to Nick Nickson,
the wood-chopper. He never missed
the little black box at all. Next morn
ing he returned TO the forest and worked
away at chopping down trees as hard as
ever. Sometimes he would think about
the goblin, and then Nick would mur-
mur:
1.-The world is very ungrateful The
next goblin find in tree has to stay
there for all l cafe."
After he had chopped down one tree he
was astonished to find again little
black box at the roots. He picked it up
again, and on the top these words could
be read again: "Open me-" But this
tme the writing was straight, and not
backward 50 Nick read it at once, and OF
course, understood.
"Open yur All right, that is easily
done" He put the box on the ground,
took his axe, hit it one stroke and the
box was smashed. Inside Nick found a
''iece of paper wound round beautiful
golden key of the finest workmanship.
Nick took the paper, and looking at it
close he saw that it contained the follow
ing verse:
at the castle on the mount
Is golden treasure
Where golden rod is often found
Waiting tor your measure
The slip of paper was signed, "Tho
Grateful Goblin" Nick looked at the