The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-04-27


terry, although the secret at this point
had comparatively little difficulty in
solving. My steps were sure and could
afford but single result. reasoned, for
example, thus: When drew the scara-
bseus. there was no skull apparent upon
the parchment. When had completed
the drawing, l gave it to you and OBJ
served you narrowly until you returned
it. You therefore did not design the
skull, and ndone else was present to do it.
Then it was not done by human agency.
And nevertheless it was done.
AT this stage of my reflections l en-
deavored to remember, and did remen-
Der with entire distinctness, every Incl
dent which occurred about the period IN
question. The weather was chilly (oh,
rare and happy accidentD and fire was
blazing upon the hearth. Twas heated
with exercise and sat near the table. You,
however, had drawn a chair close to the
chimney. Just as placed the parchment
in your hand, and as you were in the act
III inspecting it, Wolf, the Newfoundland,
entered and leaped upon your shoulders.
With your left hand you caressed him
and kept him off. while your right, hold
ing the parchment. was permitted to fall
listlessly between your knees and in close
proximity to the fire. At one moment
thought the blaze had caught it and was
about to caution you, but before could
speak you had withdrawn it and were
engaged in its examination.
when considered all these particu-
lars, doubted not for moment that.
heat had been the agent in bringing to
light upon the parchment the skull which
saw designed upon it. You are well
aware that chemical preparations exist,
and have existed time out Of mind,
by means Of which it Is possible to write
upon either paper CT vellum so that the
characters shall become visible only
when subjected to the action of fire.
Za1ise digested in aqua re,gia and Gi-
lutad with four times its weight of wa
ter is sometimes employed: a green tint
results. The regulars Of cobalt dis
solved in spirit of inter give red.
These colors disappear at longer or
shorter intervals after The material writ
te2 upon co.ls. but again become appar-
ent upon the reapplica.;on of heat.
Il now scrutiniSed the deaths head
with care. It's outer edges-the edges of
the drawing nearest the edge Of the vel
lum-were tar more distinct than the
others. It was clear that the action Of
the caloric had been imperfect or un-
equal. Immediately kindled fire and
| subjected every portion of the prch-
ment to glowing heat. At first the
only effect was the strengthening of the
faint lines in the skull, but upon perse-
vering in the experiment there became
visible at the corner of the slip, diago-
nally opposite to the spot in which the
deaths head was delineated, the figure
of what at first supposed to be goat.
| A closer scrutiny, however, satisfied me
that it was intended for kid"
''Ha! hav' said l, Ito be sure have no
right to laugh at you-$1 SOC. 900 of
money is too serious a matter for mirth
but you are not about to establish a
third link in your chain-you will not
find any special connection between
your pirates and goat-pirates, you
know, have nothing to do with goats
they appertain to the farming interest. "
''But have just said that the figure
was not that of a goat"
well, kid, then-pretty much the
same thing"
'Pretty much, but not altogether,
said Legrand. "You may have heard Of
Captain Kidd. I at once looked upon
the figure OF the animal as kind Of
punning or hieroglyphical signature.
say signature because its position upor
the vellum suggested this idea. The
deaths head at the corner diagonally
opposite had, in tho same manner, thu
air of stamp or seal. But was sorely
put out by the absence of all else-o1
the body to my imagined instrument
of the text for my context"
II presume you expected to find a let
ter between the stamp and the sigma
ture." .
Something of that KIND. The fact is
4 I felt irresistibly impressed with pre-
sentiment of some vast good fortune i'm
pending. I can scarcely say why. Per
haps, after all, 1t was rather desir
than an actual belief, but do you know
that Jupiter's silly words about the bul
being of solid gold had remarkabl
effect upon my fancy? And then tn
series Of accidents and condolences
these were so very extraordinary. D
you observe how mere an accident It wa
that these events should have occurre
upon the sole day Of all the year i
which it has.been or may be sufficient
cool for fire, and that without the fir
or without the Intervention Of the dog q
the precise moment in which he al
peared I should never have becom
! aware of the deaths head, and so neve
the possessor Of the treasure"
"But proceed am all impotence"
: "Well. you have heard. Of course. th