The Dickinson press., 1896-02-15
] started, and got up, hut the scratching
seemed more audible, and from under
| the blood stain OH the worm eaten

SNA o~S NFS w. SAAS
seemed more audible, and from under
the blood stain OH the worm eaten
planks.
'TlunderatiOn. but It'll see what
makes that noisev said the prospec-
tor, and lie fairly tore up the boards
and commenced to dig in the earth
close under the right side of the
h%earthstonc, remembering suddenly
how the figure in his horrible dream
had pointed to that very spot. Cnnt-
terable was his astonishment when
the stick with which he was digging
struck a hard object, and then I'M
covered the top of a powder key,
which was connected with a broken
fuse. The scratching sound had now
ceased, but he vas too startled to TO-
tice it. The key looked intact, as much
as he saw Of it. Suppose he dug it up
there might be an explosion. Some
demon had lured him there for his de-
struction. Then. by n Of those mys-
terious movements of the mind which
are u~naccountable to us. q story he
had long since heard told e camp
fires returned to him, Of one Dick
Brent, who had lived somewhere in
these very Big Horn mountains, in a
cabin with otle" miners: that they had
| great treasures Of gold; had quarreled
over It's division, and then went away
all but Brent. who was never seen
after a certain time years before.
1t was believed that he was killed
| by his comrades. who closed the cabin
and spread the report that it contained
gunpowder. and any n opening the
door would come to immeG'atc grief.
These miners never returned so the
legend went, and now no ono could
tell exactly where they had lived
When Carroll Jones had recalled all
this his superstitious fears were gone
In a tricc. He jumped to his feet.
Why, this might have been Dick
Brent's cabin! Why not? And the key
was full Of something which it made
the palms of his hands itch to touch.
He ran out Of the house to see II by
any possible chance there was a living
being near it. The valley was not too
desolate for him now; the brook and
the birds were only too noisy. And
he laughed when he remembered. how
ever vocal they might be, they could
not tattlc of his present OF quickly in
tended occupation. Running to the
brook with his cooking utensils he
filled them with water. which he pour
ed over the key and the fuse. Then lie
dared to unearth the key and open it
q tri1e. Oh! the rapture which filled
his recently tortured heart! For, when
he had made a hole with his jackknife
big enough to peep into it, there was
gold; shining gold! And now he dash
ed open this wooden covering to find
a mass OF yellow nuggets and n hand
full of uncut gems. diamonds, cmcralds
and rubies ''of purcst ray SERENE oh,
the beauties! Convinced Of the great
value of these stones, and their purity,
he danced and lcaped about the room,
stirring up the dust that had 81 ex-
cited his superstitious nature the pre-
vious evening. Here was JOY, life, lux
ury, or the mean of getting them, and
he slowed away the precious gems
and shining gold exultingly. In the
very bottom Of the key was a scrap Of
paper, a part of the back of a letter,
wherein, in faded. almost illegible
writing, was an address. He carried
the paper to the sunlight, and there
read the words. "Richard Brent, Esq"
gone. So he, Carroll Jones, was heir
little shiver, for he thought it was
Dick who had stood behind him in the
night. At evening he left the valley.
He had been fortunate there. but did
not are 10 remain another night.
With all his %reticence, a rumor that
Carroll Jones had found gold seemed
to become q certainty when he sud-
denly babe his friends in camp good
by for his home in the East. 1t has
also been said that Carroll Jones is
NOT his ro1l name. Possibly thiS Is
true.