The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-09-17

freehold sold. It was q snug looking
place surrounded by q brick wall, gray
With age. and covered with iichen2
Tho steep, red roofs Of the gabled
buildings were in artistic contrast with
the budding trees and the first blossoms
Of spring. It was early April, and .
great pear tree was white as snow; ana
at the bottom Of the garden several
poplar trees that had been loped here
and there, to save them from the winds.
were showing their spring shoots, and
bending little to the breeze that was
scattering the pear blossoms even out
side the garden walls.
Ruth suggested that we should 60 in
and see the house. Not that there was
the remotest chance Of our taking 1t:
but. the board invited persons to en-
quire within. and Ruth said the care
taker might let US sit in the garden.
She knew 1t was in the hands of a
care-taker because 1t looked empty.
and there was only little smoke going
UP out Of one chimney, the kitchen
chimney, no doubt. The outer steps Of
the gate had been cleaned and a flock
OF starlings were perched on the roof
as We stood and looked up at the sign.
We knocked at the door. A slatternly
woman answered the summons We
tried to ring the bell, but 1t was brok-
en-. She could not let us in without an
order, she said. But we pointed to the
board and after some demur admitted
US. l afterwards thought the woman
had reason for denying US. Her hus-
band was digging beneath the poplars
He was constable, this man who
was gardening He went out at nights
and lived here with his wife in the
daytime. They were harmless, decent
people The woman showed us the
house. A strange feeling came over
me. My wife was delighted with the
old place. 1t had quaint f1re-places
with curious wainscotted rooms, that
looked like pictures that one had seen
OF historic houses. 1t was rather dilap-
idated. The woman said folk did not
Fancy the place, because 1t had got
about that 1t was haunted. felt that
IT might be. Left behind in one Of the
rooms, found myself looking about
me, as If expected to see the ghost.
once 1 felt as If some one brushed by
me, but 1t was no doubt a draught of
cold wind from one Of the windows.
where pane Of glass was broken.
All this time I never once thought Of
the dream. But when we sauntered
there before. I said so to Ruth. She
smiled, and said that 1t was a com
mon thing for people to feel in odd
moments as If they had lived in some
other world. or at some other time or
IN some other place. 1t was a warm day
Tor April The sun was shining glor-
1ously. A few pansies were peeping
through some fallen leaves upon one OF
the beds, and a group of daffodils
could be seen away in the dark part Of
the garden. I had dropped sixpence
into the hand OF the woman care-taker.
She asked us II we would like to sit
awhile in the garden and she offered US
glass of milk. We said we would like
to Sit awhile, and we did, and as we
sat by the southern wall by the pop
lars, my dream began to shape itself
in my mind with singular vividness.
Ruth asked the woman If she might
gather daffodil, and the woman walk
ed with her into the back garden. My
visionary visitor came into my mind
with extraordinary clearness, and I re-
mernbered all hts story like a fash; not
IN detail, as he had told me, but all at
once. the entire effect Of 1t, with the
description OF the garden, the southern
wall. the pear tree, the poplav, and
strange vision.
''This is the house." said to myself:
this is the robbers garden These are
the poplars, and here is the buried
treasure of Moorland Leetwick's part
ner." A. ! said 80. a feeling OF. elation
took possession of me. and again I
thought some one was standing near
me. That was my fancy, no doubt;
for had begun to feel very supersti-
tious, and, as the breeze once more
shook the blossoms Of the pear tree,
It seemed as if voice said For her
sake"
At that absorbing moment Ruth came
UP to me with a bunch Of daffodils. and
she said. This is the Gods living
gold-how much more lovely than man
can make"
For a moment her words chilled me:
but 1t Is the way Of the poor to try and
find consolation In other gods than the
one God whom all the world worships
Ruth asked me what had occurred. I
said nothing in particular. She asked
me because 1 looked so very, very
strange and curious" How curl
ous?" l asked. 80 elated," she said;
happy, so expectant, as If the daTodiIs
were. after all, more than flowers, as II
l had come into fortune" She went
on quite wildly, but I stopped her
because I saw the old care -taker look
at me in an odd way, and her husband
came back to his digging beneath the
poplars.
When Ruth said that I looked as IL
had come into a fortune. the woman
glanced at her husband; and have al
ways thought 1t odd that he should
then return to the work in which we
had disturbed him. l could not help
asking him what he was digging for.
He said. In the very words l had used
to Ruth, Nothing In particular" This
made me suspicious at once. I was de-
termined to know why he was digging
in that particular spot. Ihad no doubt
whatever. that right under his spade
was the first box of guineas that Mac
Gillian had buried in the garden of my
dream The man said he supposed
there was no harm in digging in a gar
den that hadn't been cultivated for
many years. Indeed, he thought ii was
a charity to dig in IT. felt as If there
was an underlying meaning in his