Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28

to me. The body must be that of Uncle
Matt. The box of money. of course, was
his; he kept it there fer safety, and, per-
haps. used to go up there to count it over.
folks of his peculiar temperament are
said to enjoy dcirg That evening he dis
appeared, saying he was going to see Cor
vim. He must have gene UP there to get
the deed for the ten thousand dollars; but
he died while he was up there, whether by
apopl,xy. or how, of course we shall never
know. All We do know is that old Corvin
didn't mi Ider him.
From some of the Indications there l
should judge that this secret place was
known to the Bilcps for may be genera
tons back; they made 1t and used it to
keep valuables in or for whatever purpose
might arise. The knowledge of it may
have been handed down from father to
son; but Uncle Matt having no son, the
secret would have died with him but for
the accident of my finding it out.
Now, when l was ready to come back
here, under the rame of Morford, and clean
things up. l was rather bothered how to go
to work. l visited the tree again. and
found everything just as before; and no.
ticed, among the things up there, an old,
broken-down accordion ard a sort OF speak
ing trumpet,s that puzzled me at first, until
l concluded they must have been used by
Uncle Matt to make his ghost manifesto
| lions with. by way, 1 suppose, of additional
security against having his hiding place
disturbed That gave me an IDEA, and l
bought new accordon. l had learned that
Corvin was going to foreclose his mort
gage, OF course L might nave come out III
my own colors at once and paid it off, but
l had reas) for waiting to do things in
another way. So the night the money was
| due took the accordion and climbed up in
| the tree | took enough money out of the
| box, put it in strong paper bag, and made
| it fast by string to the end of a long,
| jointed fishing pole 1 had brought along.
| Then, after playing on the accordion until
| l knew l had caught your attention, l
| climbed out of the hole in the top of the
| chamber, and got out on a branch and
J dropped the Rag down the chimney. After
| that l said few words through the old
| speaking trumpet to settle any scruples OF
| conscience you might feel, stuck the deed
where Nellie might find it when 1 took her
up there next day, and went home. You
know the rest"
Then there We're no fairies?" said Mel
| lie, with sigh.
Not that time, perhaps; but that doesn't
| prove there may not be plenty of them
| when they are needed"
You've not told about Peter" said
! Nancy.
"Oh. to be sure! I ran across poor Peter
| in New York; he was dying of consump-
| ton. and hadn't cent in his pockets. 1
| got him good bed in a hospital and used
to go and see him. One day he told me the
truth about that robbery. He had put up
the job on me, as he expressed it, whether
with or without his fathers connivance he
| didn't say. He had rut my knife where it
was found (having first stolen it from me),
| and had put the money and things in my
pocket while had been in bathing. He
| rot only told me this, but he insisted on
| having a lawyer up there to take down his
| statement in legal form, SO that it would
| be evidence to clear me in court He was
| very penitent. and of course 1 couldn't help
being very forgiving. But I still had a
crow to pick with old Corvin himself, and,
| as you know, l did it only too thoroughly"
| Poor rian I'm jest downright sorry
| for him. said Nancy, with tears on her
cheeks. I'm glad 1 never believed he kill
ed poor Matt. But whatever old possess
him to be so hard after me, and to want to
take away the very roof over my head? /
| never did him no harm that know off,
That's very easy to explain, Aunt Nan
cy.'' said Tom. He was rever easy in his
mind about Uncle Matt. At first he
thought he might come back and get the
land away from him: and then he thought
that he must have hidden the deed some
where about the place, and that you might
find it any day So he never could get a
moments peace until the house and all
about it was his and you were driven out
of the way. But We We're too much for
| him.
But then what under the canopy did he
ask me to marry him for?" demanded
| Nancy, perplexedly.
"Who wouldn't want to marry you, II
they could, you blessed old creature?" said
| Tom, leaning over and kissing her.
| And he would have knocked any man
| down who should have ventured to sug-
gest any other Interpretation of that
| enigma.
| CThe end)