The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-03-10

admit, and that i myself had acCl-
dentally stumbled upon the long-con-
cealed wealth.
with beating heart l hurried
out into the old West pasture in
search of the Golfer, but alas! was
doomed to disappointment. ] could
not remember in what portion Of 1t
the rock was situated, nor even how
it looked.
''Thero We're acres OF land that all
appeared just alike, and were all
thickly strewn with huge bouldcrs;
and in the years that had elapsed
thick scrub pines had grown up and
covered the ground 80 completely
that in places it was almost impossi-
bic to find ones way through them.
The stone sought was still more ef-
fectually concealed by the great, rank
ferns that filed every crevice be-
tween the roots of the trees, and
buried the earth in n thick layer Of
green and feathcry fronds. Seek us
would the stone was not to be found.
and to this day have never been
able to locate it."
"All your imagination. Ella" re-
joined her husband, you must have
felt u square corner of the rock. that
was all. No one would have been so
foolish us to conceal n treasure-cas-
ket in such an unhcard-of place"
Ella Lincoln only shook her head.
She was fur from being convinced,
but she would not argue the matter
further, ind the pressure Of many
cares soon drove 1t entirely from the
minds of both.
The weeks rolled by and one more
month would witness the foreclosure
of the mortgage and transform the
once happy Lincoln family into so
many paupers. Only five days and
$1,000 worth of insurance policies
must be forfeited for tho lack OF u
single payment.
"Oh! If could but die now, before
it is too late" groancd the unhappy
man. Tho price of my life would
place Ella and the baby in possession
of comparative wealth. As for me, |
am only useless burden and shall be
for long time to come. Oh. il |
could only die now!m And then n
dark, dishonorablc thought crcpt into
the desperate brain of the dcspairing
man.
".1f | could only dic?' can"
But how? Sclf-dcstruction would
also forfeit the policies. and so the
sacrifice Of his life would be all in
vain. Could not the manner in which
he came to his death be cfrcctually
concealed?
Slowly the dark plan grew and
took shape in HE mind. An acci-
dental death would draw the insur-
ance just the same. Could IL not DO
made to seem an accident?
81 am going out cunning, Ella. %"
said he to his young wife the next
day. IL can manage to get around
considerably now, and II can only
shoot something we will be sure OF at
lenst one more good dinner before we
are turned out to perish in the high
way
Again and again did Fremont Lin
coin kiss the sweet face Of the uncon-
scious little one that lay in the cradle.
and his parting embrace TO his wife
was given with all the impassioncd
energy of despair. She little knew
that II was destined to be their Inst
parting upon earth.
Slowly mud painfully thr feeble ind
emacintcd man drew himself over the
fence. and disappeared from the low
ing gaze OF his wife among the thic!,
growth Of pines in old West pasture.
Neither heart nor foot faltcrcd. and
yet his dark purpose Of sclf-dcsiruc,
,ion was firm and unchanged Ere.
mont Lincoln was going to his death.
and he knew II.
at Is for Ella and the baby" he
muttcrcd, Ms he pressed forward bs
rapidly as his feeble strength would
permit.
Plunging deeper and deeper yet
into the tangled thickct, he at last
came out into little clear space en-.
'ircly enclosed by the dark and gloomy
evcrgrccns that crowded around.
There he paused and took last, long.
lingering look around; for there. in.
side that little circle OF softly muir
muring pines, his Young He was
about TO end.
Then he cooked the fowling-piccc
he carried, and rested the butt Of II
ON the ground, preparatory TO dis
charging 1t with his foot; when sud
denly AN angry whirring caused him
- spring TO ono side with all the
qulckncss possible Ia his enfeebled
condition. lie well knew the fatal
warning OF nm angcred rnttl-sn.kc,
and even In that extremity inst!nc,
made him leap TO place OF compare
lNe safety.
There II lay. tlose-coiled among the
ferns on which the butt Of the gun had
rested. with thick, sluggish body In,
swiftly vibra,ins tail, The deadly dis
gus,lng. trcaehcrous length Of a five
foot rattlcr. Its neck was erected. It,
jaws distcndcd. It's fatal fangs thrust
upward from their sockets, and with
flashing. glnrlng eyes II swaycd and
swung It's ugly Hat head M II sounded
It's battlc-note and waited Tor nm nj.
tack.
fromon, stood moiionlcss Tor SOME
minutes watching tho snake IN Terri.
fled silence. his intended suicide mo-
meniarily driven from his mind.
Then the reptile. finding tina, shc H.
trader was hot disposed to molcsi
him, slowly dragged his sluggish.
sllmy length into hole under neigh
boring stone. Then, and not III
then, did the memory Of HIS grim pur-
pose return 10 frcmon, with ,cn-fold
force. But another thought cat,e
with II.
Could he be purp thu, no question
would arise ~ 10 how II happened. IN
cnsc he were found dead from gun.