The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-06-20

- countenhnce ana
CHE bulged pocket. He
was lazily follow
1ing with half
closed eyes the wreaths of cigar smoke
which foated out through the open
French window, when a rap fell upon
the door of the room.
"Come in," said Mr.. vanderveldt
still following the dissolving smoke
with his sleepy gaze.
maid servant entered.
You please, sir, there's a person
the passage who would like to
to you in private; and, please,
ie says it's very pertic'ler."
show him in here" said he.
yer mind clearing away the cloth. 4"
moment later the man entered.
was tall, seedy-looking individ-
with hollow cheeks, ill-kempt
ir, dressed in a rusty brown suit,
lding battered beaver hat in one
md and dangling solitary glove be.
seen the finger and thumb of the
ither.
You are the owner of this house.
sir, I believer" said the seedy-looking
man, stuffing his one glove into his
trousers pocket.
" "What right have you to ask?"
"And the garden?"
"Ah! my garden What do you
iant to know for?"
"You will very soon find out, sir, I"
id the man, who was a very cool
ind of customer, producing a piece
paste board as he spoke, and thrust.
g it into the city mans hand.
That is my name, sir" and he bowed
= Mist Mr.. vanderveldt gazed at the
,ard
"Mr. Stephen Priddy," he NUT.
bred.
"This house and garden is your
'operty now," cried Mr.. Priddy, with
-s-N certain air of earnestness, "and,
erefore, any treasure" he paused
pment, then continued-"any treas
. that might be hidden upon it must
o be yours.
For the first time since the seedy
ms entrance Mr.. Vanderveldt re-
'ded him with attention.
What do you mean?"
dr.. Priddy rose and stepped to the
dow.
That garden" said he, pointing
ou have little idea what is concealed
beneath the surface OF it, sir, in the
particular spot upon which my eye is
ht this moment resting. Briefly, I
will tell you the story.
Twenty years ago lady lived
hare Sha Id
body, and there came the news one
evening as I was sitting with her that
the house next door had been robbed.
''That very day she had drawn
large sum OF money out of the bank,
and this report of burglars scared her
horribly.
"You know what old ladies are, sir.
She became 80 nervous that she do
clared that she could not go to bed with
all that gold in the safe downstairs.
81 suggested burying The gold in
the garden for the night. She jumped
at the idea, and begged me to carry it
out Accordingly, 1 procured an
empty box, placed the bag of money
in it, dug hole in the soil and hid it.
''rhe old lady then went calmly to
bed, but when next morning came she
was discovered dead, stone dead, sir.
Heart disease, the doctors called it.
swell, this was pretty considera.
BILE shock to me, as you may suppose,
and drove all recollection of the buried
a.. money clean out of my head for the
time being.
"Well, SIR" he continued, sit hap
pened, owing to circumstances which
] cannot very concisely recall now--it
being, as you say, twenty years ago
since the thing occurred-that / was
obliged to leave this house on the day
following the decease of my old lady
relative. ! went away, still forgetting
all about the money that had buried.
"My motive in calling this evening
Is Just to inform you that the money
--atill lies hidden where buried it with
my own hands twenty years ago. II
is yours now. sir, as, alas this old
house is, too," and the dirty-faced man
threw what was intended to be q pa
thetic glance around the room, his
eyes lingering especially long upon
the dinner table.
"But," said Mr.. Vanderveldt, throw
ing the end of his cigar out through
the open window, "why did you not
return yourself years and years ago to
dig up your buried treasurer"
"a month after hid it sailed for
Australia, and only returned to Eng
land few weeks ago." promptly re-
piled the seedy man.
'Then what makes you come to me
now?" continued the city gentleman.
"People are not usually SO honest.
Why did you not come in the night
and dig up the money yourself. and
quietly carry it OFF,"
because, sir, replied Mr.. Pr.ddy,