Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Nev. County, Ark.) 1885-1???, 1891-05-07
st shadows to hide his crime from

est shadows to hide his crime from
sight.
"Tbief!"
At the base of great, towering
oak he threw his burden down. 1T
is lie!' he cried, looking arounC
the place as if expecting an audience
and in answer to an accusation
'It's a lie. | never was a thief
Ais fair in warl"
Then he knelt down and pried the
iron lid open with an AK.
Gold, sure enough-gold and sill
yer amounted to thousands of dol
larsl Into the glittering mass he
trust his hand-the hand of a thief
"A curse upon it," he cried
throwing back the coin and spurnine
the box with his foot. ''I'll bury i,
here"
In the gloom, where was fast
deepening into darkest night, he dug
grave for the ill-gotten gold and
buried it deed. He dared not touch
it then--his conscious, his honor, his
honesty gained the mastery for the
| time.
He turned to go, but he had not
retreated twenty yards when his eyes
were blinded by keen flash of light,
followed by deafening peel of thun-
der. A limb from the oak, where he
had hid the treasure, came crashing
down. He turned and saw the
lightning had struck the tree and
ringed track around it.
II shall know that tree again. ;"
he said, land remember this scene
this incident, foreverl"
And then he passed out of the
wood.
Out of the wood and out of Georgia
passed on with the victorious army
lighting the battles of the Union, un-
til peace was declared and victors
and vanquished laid down their arms
and sought their long -forsaken
homes.
But the secret of that treasure,
hidden in the Georgia woods, weigh
ed heavily upon the soldiers mind.
Nearly two years had passed since
he had seen that thunder blasted
trece where he had left fortune.
Had any one discovered it? 1t was
possible. But perhaps they had not.
The oak might still be guarding its
secret faithfully.
He resolved to return to Georgia.
If the gold was there, and the right
full owner could be found, he would
return il to him. If no one could
prove clear title to it, why-it would
be his.
SO, with these thoughts he return
cd to the scenes he remembered so
welI-returned to find the old house
standing, as on the day when his
reckless companions forced an en-
trance and caroused within its walls.
La the neighborhood he obtained the
information that the house was
owned by Col. Broadwell, a veteran
of the Mexican war, widower, who
lived there with his only daughter
that he had also lived there during
the war, and was now greatly re-
duced in circumstances.
He formed the colonel's acquain-
tance and that of his lovely daughter
More than this, he made his abode
at the house, for the old colonel took
a fancy for him.
He saw that the little family was
in Strengthened circumstances, and
believing that he had contributed to
their poverty, the thought cut him to
the heart. An old man had, per-
haps, known want; young and
lovely girl who had suffered, and
through him!
Colonel" he said, one afternoon,
as they sat together in the hall, "dld
you lose much by the war;"
"Everything, sir!" said the Colo
mel, except this house, which they
inadvertently overlooked. My great
est loss was in money. had an
iron box full of gold and silver buri-
ed in my cellar, but they found it. "
"Thief! !"
The echoes came back to him from
the past. But he resolved that if
that box could be found, the
wronged and rightful owner should
have it.
The next day he set out alone to
that wel-remembered wood. The