The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-03-22

great pear tree was white as snow: and
at the bottom of the garden several
poplar trees that had been loped here
and there. to save them from the winds.
were showing their spring shoots, and
bending little to the breeze tina. was
scattering the pear blossoms even out
side the garden walls.
Ruth suggested that we should go in
and see the house. Not that there was
the remotest chance of our taking il:
but the board invited persons to en-
quire within, and Ruth said the care
taker might let us sit in the garden.
She knew it was in the hands of
care-taker because it looked empty
and there was only a little smoke going
up out OF one chimney, the kitchen
chimney, no doubt. The outer steps of
the gate had been cleaned, and flock
of starlings were perched on the roof
as We stood and looked up at the sign.
We knocked at the door. A slatternly
woman answered the summons. We
tried to ring the bell, but it was brok-
en-. She could not let US in without an
order, she said. But we pointed to the
board and after some demur admitted
us. l afterwards thought the woman
had a reason for denying US. Her hus-
band was digging beneath the poplars.
He was constable, this man who
was gardening He went out at nights
and lived mere with his wife In the
daytime They were harmless, decent
people. The woman showed US the
house. A strange feeling came over
me. My wife was delighted with the
ola place. 1t had quaint fire-places,
win curious wainscotted rooms, that
looked like pictures that one had seen
OF historic houses. 1t was rather dilap-
Iuated. The woman said folk did not
1ancy the place, because II had got
ABOUT that 1t was haunted. l felt that
II might be. Left behind in one Of the
rooms, l found myself looking about
me- as II l expected to see the ghost.
once L felt as IL some one brushed by
me- but it was no doubt a draught of
cold wind from one Of the windows.
where pane of glass was broken.
All this time never once thought OF
the dream. But when we sauntered
round the garden. felt as II 1 had been
there before. ! said SO to Ruth. She
smiled. and said that 1t was a com.
mon thing for people to feel in odd
other world, or at some other time or
IN some other place. 1t was a warm day
Tor April. The sun was shining glor-
iously. few pansies were peeping
through some fallen leaves upon one OF
the beds, and a group of daffodlls
could be seen away in the dark part Of
the garden. l had dropped a sixpence
into the hand of the woman care-taker.
She asked us If we would like to sit
awhile in the garden and she offered us
glass of milk We said we would like
to sit awhile, and we did. and as we
sat by the southern wall by the pop
lars, my dream began to shape Itself
In my mind with singular v.vidness.
Ruth asked the woman If she might
gather daffodil, and the woman walk
ed with her into the back garden. My
visionary visitor came into my mind
with extraordinary clearness, and | re
membered all his story like a fash; not
in detail, as he had told me, but all at
once. the entire effect of it, with the
description of the garden, the southern
wall, the pear tree, the poplars, and
all the possibilities that belonged to my
strange vision.
This is the house." I said to myself;
this is the robbers garden These are
the poplars, and here is the buried
treasure of Moorland Lestwick's part
ner." AS I said so, feeling of e'ation
took possession of me, and again
thought some one was standing near
me. That was my fancy, no doubt;
for l had begun to feel very supersH
tious. and, as the breeze once more
shook the blossoms Of the pear tree.
it seemed as If voice said: For her
sake"
At that absorbing moment Ruth came
up to me with a bunch of daffodils, and
she said, This is the Gods living
gold-how much more lovely than man
can make"
For a moment her words chilled me;
but it is the way of the poor to try and
find consolation in other gods than the
one God whom all the world worships.
Ruth asked me what had occurred. I
said nothing in particular. She asked
me because | looked 50 very, very
strange and curious" How curl
ous?" I asked so elated." she said:
"happy, SO eXpectant, as If the daffodils
were, after all, more than flowers, as II
/ had come into fortune" She went
on quite wildly. but l stopped her,
because l saw the old care-taker look
at me in an odd way and her husband
came back to his digging beneath the
poplars.
When Ruth said that looked as II l
had come into fortune, the woman
glanced at her husband; and have al
ways thought it odd that he should
then return to the work in which we
had disturbed him. / could not help
asking him what he was digging for
He said. in the very words / had used
to Ruth, Nothing in particular" This
made me suspicious at once. l was de-
termined to know why he was digging
in that particular spot. had no doubt
whatever that right under his spade
was the first box of guineas that Mac
Gillian had buried in the garden of my
dream. The man said he supposed
there was no harm In digging in a gar
den that hadn't been cultivated for
many years. Indeed, he thought 1t was
a charity to dig in 1t. felt as II there
was an underlying meaning in his
words. How should 1t be a charity, l
thought, in his case. Had the ghost OF
MacGalian appeared to this man the
same as to me? No doubt, I said, it
would be good thing to dig the gar
den in the ordinary way. but l observed
that he was making hole. excavat-
ing. in fact. Yes, he said. that was so.
Then I began to feel awfully anxious.
why" I asked. The man in reply en-
auired IL ] was the owner OF the
house. To the surprise Of my wife,
said, well, not at that moment. but
might be the next day; that 1t was my
my intention to buy It, my dear"
said my wife, in a surprised way, and
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