Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-03

"He broke out at me paSsionatDly. do
you imagine, he cried, that have not
already thought this out hundred score
of times myself: DO you think me dolt
enough to run into n horrible unknown
danger if / could take with me n compan-
ion who could shield that danger aside|
Yes, sir, those were Mr.. Godcfroy's
very words-'horrible unknown danger,
and judge from them that he was as ig-
norant of what he felt himself called upon
to face rs you and ] are this moment
But had no moro from him. He CURLY
informed me that he was shortly about to
make his attempt, and that if he disap-
pcnrcd was to presume his death in the
ordinary legal course and put myself in
communication with the next of kin. "
The old lawyer proscd on till deep into
the night, but | must confess that his
drOning tones well nigh sent me into n
doze You see, was American bred and
thought little of ancestral curses and
vague dangers that could stand against a
pocket weapon of 3S caliber
AS have told you, later on had my
eyes opened, and an inspection of the pa
began the process.
1t was with preliminary feeling of eeri-
ness that l made the key CRATE through the
rusty wards of the strong box's lock.
Sooner than let the papers which l was
going to view pass into alien hands one of
my ancestors had delivered up life itself.
The stiff hinges screamed as the lid swung
back, and | was aStOnished to find the in
terror was well nigh empty 1t contained
but one slim yellow packet bound about
with a thong of leather, and nothing be-
sides, unless one takes account Of some
gray nue and a blotch or so of ancient spi-
dcrs web
The packet was labeled on the outside in
mean, cramped handwriting: "To my
son. Ammo $780, Chaucor d'Evlin, and
underneath were dockets by the various
holders, Read by me, George d Evlin,
1903 " "By me- Armytago Deylin, 1928,
and 50 on down, and the signature of Code
troy Devlin, who had made pcrusal some
16 years before myself
Curiosity did not permit me to lingcr
long over the exterior. Unknotting the
thong, l dashed at once among the con-
tents Here, however, my haste was stay
ed The grabbed old pcnmanship, the
queer, dead forms of expression made II
puzzle which l was many Il weary hour in
discntangling, and even when the task
was completed and a fair copy Of what
judged to be the just translation lay on the
desk before me the import of it beWildercd
me much. The letter was merely q long,
vague, rambling statement of fact. About
this much threatened curse there was no
more mention than one finds in a table of
logarithms.
Paraphrascd the contents amounted to
this: The old gentleman who in 1920 put
quill to that yellow paper had by one
means and another scrapcd together n
goodly inheritance. But, knowing tho
ways of the world, he foresaw it possible
that some of his descendants, either
through personal extravaganza or political
uproar or some other cause, might dissi
pate this and stand in need. On which
account he here spoke of treasure hidden
away, to be preached only in case of the
most urgent necessity To discourage its
being unhoardcd without due cause he
warned any raider that the approach was
matter of trouble and much personal
danger
This made up the contents of the first
two fOliOs. The remaining sheet gave di-
rections for uncarthing the booty, and /
had sort of vague fancy that it was in II
different hand of writing, as if (pcrhaps)
it had been penned at some subsequent
time
The searcher was directed to certain
moor in the ncighborhood giving tho
namc) lat q time when a low flying moon
shall cast the shadow of Wild Boar pike
into the fall of Stantons Ghyll. At the
point where the rim of this shadow cuts
the midway line between the great stone
monuments which uprcar from the floor of
the moorland there lies messy cleft
which receives a runlet of water. Within
this mouth widens, leading to the lip of
n prodigious deep pit, which in turn gives
entrance to the bowels of the mountain.
In the depths below this lies that which if
brought to shrcwd use shall reset up this
my house, which thou (my sony hast made
to totter Yet guard against being over
looked in that thy search, for should hui
man eye espy thee so surely shall this
treasure which is buried for thy mainte-
nance be rcft entirely from thee"
Now, it was the very plainncss and sim
plicity of these instructions which troubled
me. In this original document there was
no mention of curse whatever. Yet cur
rent gossip spoke confidently of an active
ban, and the mysterious disappearance of
those four Devlins (all Of whom had read
precisely what / read them seemed to give
definite ground for the rumor.
puzzled over this point for many days,
making neither head nor tail out of it,
and at last resolved to go the one step fur
Their Money l must have or else return
to the old drudging life on the Pacific
slope. The estate was dipped to the neck,
not sell the acreage of a penny piece. l
wrote to the next her telling him how
matters stood But he did not feel the
pinch. He was q sOrdid fellow, rich him
self and a gunmaker in Birmingham, and
he refused to break the entail TO remain
as l was meant common starvation, nci-
Their more nor less. The warning of what
had happened to my four predecessors in
the quest was grim enough, heaven knows
But my needs were great, and they rode it
down.
Too impatient to wait for moonlight,
set out there and then in the full glare of
day for the upper ground. found a wide
upland plateau walled in on either side by
steep gray cliffs of limestone. One of these
ran up to Wild Boar pike, bare grim
prag of stone that was an eminence for
miles round. The pike made a sky line
running up at a gentle Slope from the
northeast till it finished in little nipple
IF roply and tbnn bnipo ont oyvov wont loo ll,y