Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-11-22


to be found; that was the second time he
disappeared from me in the one day.
searched high and low, but sorrow sign
of him could see. Twas Just giving
up the hunt for him when was towld
by man from Tallow that if ] wished
to recover him I'd have to trudge over
to the pound again. "Wish'd, then, We
thievin' donkey" says l to myself, "if
this goes on much longer all my profits
will be spent in payin' fines" Ihad him
released, however, an put him up for
the night at q respectable house of enter
tainment for man and haste. and then
lsa6e up my mind to visit Carrickabrick
castle. So, without broachin' a word to
any one, / went in search of pick,
spade an lanthern. From Milkmarket
lane l walked straight down the Mill
road, and after crossin the first field
was soon within view of the ovid paper
mill, and after pickin' my steps over the
plank that crossed the mill race, as good
luck would have it, the first Twin Great
ure l met was young Jenny Madden, a
clever boy that knew every hole an cor
ner o the mill.
When towld him what / wanted he
bst no time in hunting up the necessary
implements, an in less than five minits /
had q spade and pickax, a stable lanthern
and coil Of rope. The reason 1 tuck
the rope was because had to climb a
rock by the Blachwater, about thirty
feet high, before gettin' on q level with
the castle grounds. Well, sir, back
went to the field with my mining tools
under my arm, sayin' nothin, but smok.
in my pipe and studyin' the stars until
I got to the big rock overlookin' the
river / then tied the implements to-
gether, an tuck the other end o the
rope in my hand and made my way ur
the best way could. Some o the foot
holds wor as slippery as glass, but kept
q tight how'd by the crevices, for knew
that by one false move I'd be smashed to
atoms. When l landed safe at the TOP
o the rock pulled up the rope and I'M
tied the tools. then sat down near the
edge O the rock to ketch my breath
when all at once my eye tuck in at q
single glance the charmin scene spread
out before me.
There was the beautiful summer moon
dancin' on the face O the Blackwater.
could also see her bright bames fallin
over the glorious fields O yallow grain
and from the ruined castle behind my
back could hear the noise o the bat
the owl an the jackdaws, that were
goin to roost for the night in the hooks
and crannies O the broken walls. Their
| thought l could hear the strauges
music comm from the purity greer
grove, but found out that it was only
the light summer winds singin' theil
way through the trees. At last l rose
I'D, lighted my lanthern, and set out like
another Columbus on my voyage of dis
covery around the castle ruins. After
gropiu' my way for few minits, what
dye think tripped me up, but the round
white stone mentioned in the quare
drames O my three friends. There ii
was as plain as pike staff beside BIZ
O brushwood within about yard o
Carrickabrick castle.
So without losin a mint 1 threw of
my coat and to work l went. After
diggin' for awhile my pick KEN in con
tact with a substance that didn't seen
to be as hard Us q rock nor as soft as
sponge either. If you could see me thai
moment you'd be astonished, for lep
ped sky high, was SO full O JOY at the
thought O my good luck. When l ken
to myself, l threw away the pick an be
gan to shovel tho loose soil from arounc
the crock as l thought it, but begorra
sir, twas only a common ovid butthei
tub covered over at the top with musty
ovid newspapers. Nov for my goolder
discovery" says to myself as tore of
the paper cover. By the light O the
moon an my lanthern as well, ther
took peep at the precious treasure ]
thought was goin' to make man O. me
for life.
"What does this name, at all:' says l.
'eI was always of the opinion that goold
was yallow, but if my eyes doesn't
decave me the contints of this tub has q
greenish hue" 1t was then l put down
my hands an lifted up what the butthel
tub contained, an what dye think ]
found for my trouble: Why, sir, moth.
ing less than the three big heads o cab
bage that were takin' out O my car on
Nlilkmarket lane that very same morn
in.
Twas then began to find out l was
the victim Of hoax. So | left the min
ing implements to take care o them
selves, showldered the butther tub with
its cargo O cabbages, left the castle by o
short cut, an, after gettin' my donkey
an car, went straight home by way o
the Balinafana' road. In the coorse of a
few days the whole sacret leaked out.
The three drames-the takin' O the cab
bages and the poundin' O the donkey
was nately planned that mornin' by Pat
Howe, and his friends Cox an Dennehy:
an now you have the whole of it, fo
twas on account of that nights adven-
ture that got the name o the Goolc
Seeker.-Barry O'Connor in New York
News.