The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-03-01
Leonard lcatl's Fortune.
BY RBBB0OA HARDING DAVIS.
coNcIrne3 NOW orro,,y-

CONCiunE3 'Plu orr"-r .,v-
For the idea Of the treasure grew ant
grew like noxious living thing within
him. devouring all healthier natura
strength. He searched in old books fol
accounts Of recovered estates, and studied
the English law on every point thai
could help him hereafter. He was re
solved not to be altogether a tool in the
hands of Ludlow. That worthy, how.
ever, after the second year of unsuccess
ful effort, appeared to have surrendered
all hope Of success; he forwarded regu.
larly the small sum due to Heath for his
care of the hOuse-a sum sufficient to
keep alive-but ceased to even inquire
as to the progress of his search.
After a time he used to send the money
IN a blank paper This circumstance
sung Leonard with certain terrible
pain. Ludlow was the only man who
knS" his real name. These quarterly
bottgrs with their few words inside to
Leonard Heath, were the sole tie that
held his old self bound to his fellow men
Now that was cut loose he was like one
dead.
After that think he could never have
bean called a sane man, so entirely did
the one idea master and trample out of
sight all others There was. however.
method in his madness The present
house he knew had been built by the
IoAtaines on or noar the original Heath
homestead. The covered entrance. there
FORE, TO the secret vault could not be
many rods removed from it. Beginpinp
IN the cellars, he subjected every foot
Of ground within an acre of the
house to probing and digging. TIL
ground was rocky. It was ilnpos
sible TO guess how deep the en-
trance had beea covered by the fall
ing walls of lla house. Obliged TO work
secretly and much of the time at night
1t is no wonder that years passed with
his task yet unfinished.
A man does not sink into the nature
OF greedy sou'less polypus at one uu
broken fall, There were times when
Leonard Heath came up ous Of the pits
Of yellow clay in which he dug. and
stood staring with dulisd eyes down the
sunny slopes Of grass dotted with gold
en- dandelions, or into the dusky lines
OF forest trees that shut him in. He
had never, in his best moments, been a
man akin to nature, Or cognizant OF her
secrets, yet there weighed upon him
now sense of bitter loss-of having
fallen below the level Of manhood by
some unknown misstep which he could
never regain. He would walk feehly
about while, 10 though trying to grops
at some lost idea. and then 20 back to
his grubbing again.
Sometimes, on quiet Sunday after
moons, group OF young mechanics
with their sweethearts would saunter
down tine lane ana into the woods
their gay dresses all a-1utter in the sun
and wind, and their chatter and laugh
ter echoing through the trees. Now, the
old man, as they called him, was in the
habit Of following tae boys about who
came nutting there, and try very tam
idly to join in their talk or Jokes, but
when these lovers came he hid himself
in the house, out OF al sight and hear
ing of them.
One winter tho old man was missed;
there was q i.tle shop where he was
used to 80 10 buy bit of meat or can
dies; he showed himself but once OF
twice at the counter, and then it was
with 50 ghastiy and haggard face
that Mrs. Ryan, the shopkeeper, whose
heart was clean and sweet under her |
dirty wooden sacque, offered all sorts
Of womanly help to the lone creature. |
Heath refused it surliy, and crept back |
to his den, as he thought, TO die, Some |
low, intermittent fever had sapped all |
the strength out OF him. But not the /
obstinacy. lie kept his secret. would /
not summon physician. In the long. /
feverish nights he had called for Winny
and Joe; the long starved heart woke |
to torture him, But in the morning his |
purpose remained firm.
There was but one treasure in life !
wealth. II that was logt-what did death |
master?
Yet, during the ensuing summer, he
made but few efforts in his old search;
used TO sit for hours in the sun, half /
asleep-an Old, broken man. in truth.
1t was 10y accident. at last, that sue |
cess came 90 him. He was cropping one |
day in the cellar for coal, when he dis /
lodged a loose stone, and blast of
cold, damp air met him. On removing |
part OF the wall, a narrow bricked pas /
sage was revealed running Underground. |
Bat Heath was oaly able to penetrate a I
few feet, There the roof Of the tunnel I
bad fallen in, and he was met hy a solid |
mass Of rock and earth hardened for
half a century. His strength being /
gone, it was the work Of months TO re- |
move this mass and the others which |
met him in his progress. 1t was late in |
the fail before he forced way through |
the last obstacle. AMI saw the tunnel |
open clear before him. 1t ran to SO |
great distance under the woods that |
he fAncied it must have had formerly |
some outer opening and served as |
secret passage.
It was cool. bright morning when, |
armed with a pickax and bundle Of |
short candles for his lantern, he entered |
the tunnel To end his search. The low |
roof, dripping with moisture, would not |
permit him to stand upright. lie crept |
on into the long BACK vault. half bent, |
peering from side to side, the mellow |
geam OF his lantern flingils fantastic !
shadows; but nothing met his ewes ex-
oept the green patches OF mold that |
furred the walls AM the black, Aitting
shapes ike gigantic bats that moved |
before him
His bre&th failed him as he moved |
Surely, his hand wa5 upon the treasure
nowl 1t had cost him dear. H. was
strange that In this final nom mt Of sue I
cess he should remember, as never be- /
fore, what it had cost him.
He turned over heap after heap with |
his staff hut they appeared to be de- |
eayed stuifs and clothes, and crumbled
at his touch into dust. The darkness, |
which his Iight dulY broke. cllsnl be-