Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-07-17

man who feels the weight Of his purse,
if not of his ideas; every portion Of his
speech being marked by "a testy puff of
tobacco smoke.
"Who talks of old Peter Stuyvesant's
waliing?-puf-Have people no respect
for -puif-puff- Stuyve-
SAINT knew better what to do with his
money than TO bury it--puff-I know the
Stuyvesant family-puif- one of
thenl--putf-not more respectable fam
lily in the province-puG-old standcrs-
putf-warn householders -puff-none
of your upstarts-puff-pu ff-puif-
Don't talk to me of Peter Stuvvesant's
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Here thercdoubtable Ramm contracted
his brow, clasped up his mouth till it
wrinklcd at each corner, and redoublcd
his smoking with such vchelneace that
the cloudy volumes soon wroathed round
his head, as tho smoke envclops the
awful summit of Mount Etna.
"A general silence followed the sudden
rebukc of this very rich man. The sub
jcct, however, was too interesting to be
readily abandoned. The conversation
Pcechv Prauw Van Hook, the chronicler
of the club, one Of those narrative old
men who seem to grow incontincnt OF
words, rs they grow old, until their talk
flows from them almost involunmrily.
Pccchy, who could at any time tell "a
many stories in an evening as his hearers
could digest in a month, now resumed
the conversation, by affirming that, to
his knowledge, money had at different
times been dug up in various parts OF the
island. The lucky persons who had dis
covered them had always dreamt of them
three times beforehand, and what was
worthy of remark, these treasures had
never been found but by some descend
ant of the good old Dutch families, which
clearly proved that they had been buried
by Dutchman in the oldon time.
"Fiddlestick with your Dutchman"
cried the half pay officer. 1.-THE Dutch
had nothing to do with them. They were
all buried by Kidd, the pirate, and his
crew"
Hero key note was touched that
reused tho whole company. The name
of Capt. Kidd was like a taisnan in
those times, and was associated with
thousand marvellous stories.
The half pay officer was man Of
great weight among the peaceable mem
bers Of the club, by reason of his mill
tary character and OF the gunpowder
scenes which by his own account he had
witnessed.
The golden stories of Kidd, however,
We're rcsolutely rivalcd by the tales of
Peechy Prauw, who rather than suffer
his Dutch prOgenitors to be eclipsed by a
foreign freebooter. enriched every spot
in the neiGhborhood with the hidden
wealth of Peter Stuyvesant and his con-
tempJraries.
Not a word Of this conversation was
lost upon Woliert Weber. He returned
pcn.ivclv homo, full Of magnificent ID a5
of buried riches. The soil of his native
island seemed 10 be turned into g,ll
dust, and every field tccmod with treas
urc. His head almost reclcd at the
thought how often he must have heed
les~lv rambIed over places where count
less sums lay, scarcely covered by the
turf beneath his feet. His mind was in
Il vertigo with this Whirl of new ideas.
As he came in sight of the venerable
mansion Of his forcfathcrs ana the little
realm where the Wcbbors had 50 long
and so contentcdly fourishod his gorge
rose at the ma 'roWnesS of his destiny.
"Cnlucky Wolfort." exclaimed he.
"Othcrs can go to bed and dream them
selves into whole mines of wealth; they