Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-02-24
CHAPTER Y.
A TREASURE WON.


feeling the black vulture like wings Of
death lowering over me, but now l
opened them again, aud there above US,
as Elsie had said, was sight more well
come and dazzling than even the Tory's
treasure! A faint ray of Gods dear
sunshine piercing through a tiny riff in
some monster rocks piled high above US!
All, heaven, with what rapture we
hailed that little beam OF golden light!
God l thank Thee breathed Elsie,
devoutly, while 1 added fervent amen.
mad reached in my frantic labor
great pile of stones loosely fallen to-
gether. and forming a sort OF archway
over our heads, and In the very moment
when we had given ourselves up TO de-
spair and death, life and hope dawned
on our sight.
New strength came to me when l dis
covered our favorable situation.
went quickly 10 work again and sue
ceeded in removing small stone, work
/ ing carefully lest the great mass should
fall in upon US.
JOY! JOY. A flood of daylight broke
in upon US!
Eagerly I pushed aside Jagged rock
overhead, and made an opening large
enough TO admit my body.
The food OF golden summer light
that poured into the dreary tunnel al
most blinded US, but the fresh, sweet,
| Oalmy air was like the very elixir OF
life, breathing Joy and hope into our
/ souls.
Catching Elsie in my arms, l lifted
| the dear girl up so that she could climb
through the opening, then followed
myself as fast as l could, both feeling
ike corpses escaped from their garves
/ and given new lease of life, so wild
wat our Joy.
"Haloom cried startled voice, and
/ then l saw party OF men coming
/ toward Us.
They had been viewing the land
slide as they supposed il to be. Fancy
| their amazement when they saw two
/ poor victims come crawling out appa-
rently from the solid earth.
Explanations followed, and was told
| that every one believed the cabin de-
serted, as Miss Van Lew had told them
I had married Elsie and taken her and
/ the old woman away with me.
Where is Miss Van Lew now?"
inquired. and they told me that she had
! returned TO New York, intending TO sail
Immediately for Europe.
made no comment, but l thought,
bitterly;
How glad she must have been that
| blind nature took her revenge out OF
her hands and buried US in the cave
/ apparently for ever, and how chagrined
/ she will be TO learA OF our escape"
We were taken TO the hotel, where
/ we both received much pettiug from
/ every one, aud were lionized for our
| bravery until we became quite bash
/ full. When grew strong enough
/ TO tell the story of the TOry's
treasure, il excited great SEN
/ sation, but no one could dis
/ credit it, for there were the jewels Ell
I sic had worn out of the cave, and she
gold coin In my pockets to prove my
truth.
/ But l should never recover any more
! OF my ancestors wealth, for night after
night the earth and stones kept sliding
! down the mountain side, engulfing the
/ cave and the cabin in irretrievable ruin.
/ Old Druzv Crone's body remained in the
| rude grave where | had placed it, and
| the mountain lowered grimly above her
/ like a majestic monument, its whisper
! ing tree-tOps seeming TO murmur al
ways a weird requiem for the dead.
/ Meanwhile the fame Of the wonderful
/ explosion and landslide spread all over
/ the land, and excited widespread inter
| est as To the cause Of it.
Within a week several eminent scien-
| lists came on the scene to Investigate
/ the phenomenon.
Then the mystery was explained!
Tne terrific explosion was not Of vol
canic origin as at first feared! 1t was
wrought by the force OF one Of the
most powerful explosives known to man,
( a new discovery stronger even than
( that destructive agent dynamite.
This new explosive was called terror
/ tie.
A quantity Of it had been placed be-
meath a shelving cliff on the hill over
the cabin, and It's explosion had caused
/ the wreck.
I The question arose in every mind,
who mad done this terrible deed, and
1 for what purpose?
No one answered the question, no one
confessed to the least suspicion Of the
/ criminal.
To this day II remains mystery TO
/ the world how the terrorite came under
4 the cHf-a mystery 20 all but two.
Elsie and l are quite sure, although
we are too merciiul TO accuse her, that
J i, was Miss Van Lew who did that
! dendish thing.
But we have never oreathed aloud
! our suspicious. Never has she crossed
our paths again. We pray God she
never may, for then il would become
opr dreadful duty TO accuse her OF her
crimes.
In few days after our escape Elsie
and l were quietly married. | thought
/ n hest TO hasten the marriage because
we were both alone in life. l did not
send my old uncle an invitation, as
lid not know mis- address at the time,
neither did suppose be would care to
attend an humble affair like his poor
nephew's wedding.
Bpt al the grand people at the hotel
| ,brcpced the little country church, for
evervope had fallen in love with my
I bonnIs Elsie, and, indeed, she was a
I bri8a worth looking a., in her soft white
wedding gown, with snowy rose0uds
/ binding the misty veil TO her golden
/ hair.
felt that we should be very happy
desnite our poverty, and l told Elsie
! ,ruiv that in winning her gentle heart
! had gained a more priceless treasure
man that lost IN the ruined cave.
Bpt should have had to return to the
,,o.rv editorial desk again, only it was
/ scsrcely an hour after the weddings
telegram came for me!
II was from my Uncle Bromley's law
a., BOSTON. While visiting the