The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-06-19
THE OAKS SECRET.
Private Brashwell Makes Restora-
ton and Wins a Prize.

seemed. from its outward aDpearancc,
to have been closed and barricaded for
defense. or deserted altogether, was
surrounded by perhaps dozen soldiers.
Get an AK" cried one, land We'll
break in the doors"
He had scarcely ceased speaking be-
fore a dozen blows shivered the panels
of the oakcn door and made an en-
trance for the crowd and one after
another they filed in.
The house had indeed been deserted
10y its former occupants. Much of the
furniture had been removed-c,rta;uly
all the silver plate and other valuables,
for nothing of that character was visi-
bile. The men searched every room in
the house. but found nothing 10 inter
est them until they reached the cellar.
Here we are" cried one. wine in
abundance; the rarcst brands. III
wager
If wine was their object. they had
accomplished il with little trouble.
The cellar was stocked with it; there
was Cnough and To- spare. Bottle after
bottle was handed out. until at last the
cellar was riiied of its store.
The men held high carousal in the
spacious dining hall. They drank long
and deeply. and what they could not
consume or take away with them they
destroyed on the spot. Then they went
reeling ON their way
Ii had been proposed TO burn the
house, but this proposition, for some
reason, was ovcrrulcd by one Of the
party-the youngest of them all.
No" he said. why should we burn
il? II has afforded Us pleasant enter
t;iinmcnt. and besides il may hc some
poor fellows home who has lost every
thing else"
IL was little strange that this young
man slipped away from his rcciing com
pa=.orS ON the way 10 camp and re-
turned to the house they had deserted.
But they would not have thought II
strange could they have divincd his OBJ
ject.
lie rctraccd his steps In through
the shattered door he passed and de
eccnd.d To- the cellar. y light dis
! closed the fact that in one corner a
block of the stone floor had been re
moved and replaced again evidently in
hurry. for NJ one end il protruded
above the level of the floor. Iii, keen
eve had detected this. while hi~ com
panions were making merry over the
wine and il had excited his curiosity
and suspicion
With the assistance Of an Ak he sue
ceeded in removing the stone. The
earth beneath il bore evidence Of hav-
ing been recently disturbed il was
soft and fresh. There was 4 spade in
the cellar. He seized IL and went 10
work.
He did not work long before he dis
covered small iron ho,:-7nali, but
hcevy Il required sornc strength {"
lift it-hut once out IN the light with IL
there was no doubt in the Young mans
mind that ii contained valuable treas
ure. for did not the gold rattle as ne
lifted it:
Would he open il there? No. His
companions might miss him and return.
lie resolved 10 be more secret.
With some difficulty he lifted the box
and placed il on his shoulder. then,
taking the AK also. he passed out of the
house aDd int" the wood beyond.
Twilight was coming On, and with IL
the heralds of storm-low. rumbling
thunder and dark clouds gloomiug in
the north. Into the wood the thief
staggered with his heavy burden-into
the shadow and the silence. whore he
and his secret would be safe.
He seemed to hear it at every step. The
wind seemed TO hiss il in his ear; the
thunder roared il Ia the world: the sky
scowlcd II him through the trees and
sent It's blaclzcSt shadows 10 hide his
crime from sight
Thief
At the base Of a great. towering oak
he threw his burden down. 1t il a
lie." he cried, looking around the place
as il expecting an audience and in an
swer 70 an accusation. Its lie. ]
never was Il thief, AIS fair in war"
Then he knelt down and pricd the
iron lid open with an ak.
Gold, sure enough-gold and silver
that amounted 20 thousands of dollars.
Into the glittcring mass he thrust his
hand--the hand of thief,
"A curse upon it, he cried. throwing
back the coin and spurninC the box
with his foot IN bu-y IL here"
In the gloom, which was fast deepen
ing into darkest night. he dug grave
for the ill-gotten gold and buried il
deep. He dared not touch il then-his
conscience, his honor, his honesty
gained the mastery for the time
He turned TO go. but he had not re-
treated twenty yards when his eyes
were blinded by keen fash Of light,
followed by a deafening peal of thlm-
der A limb from the oak. where he
had hid the treasure, CAME crashing
down. He turned and saw that light
ming had struck the tree and ringed a
track around it.
IT shall know that tree again" he
said, land remember this scene-this
incident. forever
And then he passed out of the wood.
Out ~ the wood and out of Georgia
passed on with the victorious army,
fighting the battles of the union, until
peace was declared and victors ard
vanquished laid down their arms and
sought their long forsaken homes
But the secret of that treasure, hid
den in the Georgia woods, weighed
heavily upon the soldiers mind. Near
ly two years had passed since he had
seen that thunder blasted tree where he
had left a fortune Had anyone dis
covered it? II was possible. But per.
haps they had not. The oak might
still be guarding its secret faithfully.
He resolved 10 return TO Georgia. II
the gold was there, and the rightful
owner could bc found, he would return
IL TO him. II no one could prove clear
title tn IL, why--it would be his
So. with these thoughts he returned
To the scene. he remembered SO we'll
returned to find the old house standing
"a on the day when his reckless com
panions forced an entrance and
carouscd within it's walls In the
neighborhood he obtained the inforna-
tion that the house was owned by Col
Brcadwell, q veteran Of the Mexican
was, widowcr, who lived there with
his only daughter; that be had alsc
lived there during the war, and was
now greatly reduced in circumstances
IL sq~-r,.Nz -itt fe.f,.u,. lre -~,sff.ffutauc.