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

me some money, and I used it in books
and study; made up my mind to be an
other Edison. and then to come back and
make you rch-you two girls-and vindi-
cate my reputation. For the last two years
1 worked plan 1 had conceived of
making things grow by electricity applied
through the soil. l managed 1t, finally got
my patent, and you know the rest. You
can dress in gold lace and diamonds II
you want to- Aunt Nancy; and as for you,
Nellie, you are going to be famous beau
ty and hciross"
But you sad you'd tell about the fares,
said the child.
''Oh, yes Well. the beginning of that is
sway back, before 1 was born or Aunt
Nancy, either for all know. But my first
knowledge OF it was on the very night of
the Corvin robbery.
I'D been out that night after woodchuck,
as I said al my examination next morning,
hut l didn't tell where else I'd been. You
see, 1 used to make a sort of store house
and hiding place of the cave; but there was
a secret at the end of the cave that no one
but knew of, and there used to put my
most precious valuables.
ut was faced up with planks then, just
as you and l saw them the other day, Mel
lie. had never explored the hole to the
end; didn't suppose there could be any
thirg interesting in it, but on this night
when I went to put in my woodchucks,
ready to skin next day, I thought I'd see
must have known about it, 1 thought, be-
cause the entrance had been so carefully
closed. 1 had a lentern, and in 1 went.
ut was quite good corridor; 1 didn't
have to stoop, though it was very narrow
Instead of going down, as l expected, it
Started up; and. soon, to my astonishment
1 came to the foot of a sort of shaft, four
or five feet in diameter, and going straight
rough ladder was fixed to the side Of it,
and 1 began to climb it. At first 1 couldn't
imagine where 1 was; the sides of the Chin
ney seemed to be of wood, but crumbly and
rotten. There was a strong smell of wood
dry-rotted. Sometimes 1 heard a faint
creaking and rustling sound. Then, all of
a sudden l solved the mystery. l was in
the trunk of the big butternut!
up 1 went. I was pretty well excited
with the adventure by that time, but had
no conception of what was to come. 1 got
to the top of the ladder, and there was a
little irregular chamber in the heart Of the
tree. not much bigger than sentry box,
partly floored with plank, and with bench
or shelf running round it. There were
things hanging or fastened to the walls; an
old gun, for one thing, and leather bag,
and various queer odds and ends, as if
some one 3ed to live there On one side of
the shelf there was box of hard wood.
bound with iron. 1 tried the lid, and found
it unlocked. I lifted it, and great
heap of gold coins and bundle of papers!
q thought 1 was Aladdin sure enough,
then. 1 turned to find place to hang my
lantern, 50 / could have both hands free.
There was a heap of something lying OF
propped UP on the berch behind me; old
to move it aside, and got held of something
that made my hair rise. 1t felt like a
| bony hand l pushed aside the folds of
| decaying cloth and looked. 1t was hand!
And then, shining yelowish white in the
! light of the lantern, l saw face-a skull,
with the skin stretched dry over the bones
| and the mouth srinning at me!''
''Oh, land sakes, bless my heart" quay
cred Nancy, Who had heard the tale before,
but was mere scared with every repeti-
tiCn ITO think of poor, dear Matt all
those years! My soul alive"'
Il didn't know it was Uncle Matt at that
| time" cor tnued Tom, giving his hand to
| Nellie to clirg to through the terrors of
! the narrative Il don't think knew any
| thing till / found myself out in the open
air at the mouth of the cave. No boy ever
was more frightened than I, and 1 lived
| through it l lay awake the rest of the
night, in a succession of cold sweats, Won
dering what it all meant, and what /
should do about it. The next morning,
| before l had made up my mind, I was ar
rested. as you remember. and SO was pre-
| vented from doing anything.
| But l thought it over and over for years
afterward, ard it gradually became clearer