Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-06-12
THE OAKS SECRET.

THE UAk>S SECRET.
1t was whom Sherman was "marching
through Georgia" A house which seem.
ed, from its outward appearance, to have
been closed and barricaded for defense,
or deserted altogether, was surrounded
by perhaps dozen soldiers.
''Get an axe" cried one, aud we'll
break in the doors"
He had scarcely ceased speaking be-
fore dozen blows shivered tho panels
of the oaken door and made an entrance
for the crowd, and one after another
they fled in.
The house had indeed been deserted
by its former occupants. Much Of the
furniture had been ,removed--certainly
all the silver plato and other valuables,
for nothing of that character was visi-
Bile. The men searched every room in
the house, but found nothing to interest
them until they reached the cellar.
"Here we are % cried one; "wine in
abundance; the rarest brands I'll bet |"
If wine was their object, they had
accomplished it with little trouble. Tho
cellar was stocked with it-there was
enough and to spare. Bottle after bot
tie was handed out, until at last the Gel
lar was rihed 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.
1t had been proposed to burn the
house, but this proposition, for some
reason, was overruled by ono Of the
party--thc youngest of them all
"No," he said, "why should we burn
it? 1t has afforded US pleasant enter.
tainment, and besides it may be somo
eaor fellows home who has lost every
thing else"
1t was little strange that this,, young
man slipped away from his reeling com-
panions on the way to camp md re-
turned to the house they had deserted.
But they would not have. thought it
strange could they have OWNED his OBJ
ject.
He retraced his steps. In thtNgh
the shattered door he passed and de-
scended to the cellar. A light disclosed
the fact that in one corner block Of
the stone floor had been removed and
replaced again, evidently in hurry. for
at one end it protruded above the level
of the floor His keen eye had detected
this, while his companions were making
merry over the wine, and it had excited
his curiosity and suspicion.
With the assistance Of an axe he sue
ceeded in removing the stone. The earth
beneath it bore evidence Of having been
recently disturbed-it was soft and fresh.
There was spade in the cellar. lie
seized it and went to work.
He did not work long before he dis
covered a small iron box-small, but
heavy. 1t required some strength to lift
it-but once out in the light with it
there was no doubt in the young mans
mind that it contained valuable treas
ure, for did not the gold rattle as he
lifted it?
Would he open it there? No. His
companions might miss him and return.
He resolved to be more secret. With
some difficulty he lifted the box and
placed it on his shoulder, then, taking
the axe also, he passed out Of the house
and into the woods beyond
Twilight was coming on, and with it
the heralds of storm--low, rumbling
thunder and dark clouds glooming in
the north. Into the wood the thief
staggered with his heavy burden--iuto
the shadow and the silence, where he
and his secret would be safe.
"Thief!' 1t is a bitter. burning word.
He seemed to hear it at every step
The wind seemed to hiss it 10 his ear
the thunder roared IL to the world; the
sky scowled at him through the trees
and sent its blackest shadows to hide
his crime from sight.
"Thief"
At the base of great, towering oak
he threw his burden down. at is lie !"
he cried, looking aroupd tho place as if
expecting an audience and in answer to
an accusation. "It's lie. never was
a thief. Ais fair in war !" Then he
knelt down and pried the iron lid open
with an axe.
Gold, sure enough-gold and silver
that amounted to thousands of dollars
Into the glittering mass he thrust his
hand--the hand. of o thief!
"A curse upon it! p he cried, throw
ing back The coin and spurning the box
with his foot. "I'll bury it here"
In the gloom. which was fast deepen
ing into darkest night, he dug grave
for the ill-gotten gold and buried it
deep. He dared not touch it then-his
conscience, his honor, his honesty gain
ed the mastery for the time.
lie turned to go, but he had not re-
treated twenty yards when bis eyes were
blinded by a keen fash of light, followed
by deafening peal Of thunder. A limb
from the oak, where he had hid the
treasure, came crashing down. He
turned and saw that lightning had struck
the tree and ringed track around it
81 shall know that tree again" he
said, "and remember this scene-this
I incident, forever?"
And then he passed Of tho wood. Out
Of the wood aud out of Georgia--passed
/ - .,;,h tho y;oto.;ouo artuu Gnhkin0