The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-10-22

a"N
high road, and surrounded by Villas
A very strange position. We Will
rest in the public house, and | will tell
you how 1t came to be built In such a
very strange position"
| smiled, and followed him into the
saloon bar. We sat at one Of the tables
and were silent for a time, he thinking
and | watching him.
The story begins he said present
~, with IA burglary committed by a
certain Bill Jones one night long ago.
"Bnl was a young member of his pro
fession. Hitherto he had not attempted
anything very big, but continued sue
cess in small things had made him bold.
on this night he broke INTO the country
house of a well-known actress, in the
hope OF carrying off her jewels.
He succeeded in getting the jewels
and was leaving with them when he
found that the slight noise he had
made had attracted attention. A ser
want girl met him at a turn of the STIR
way and began TO shrek. lie rushed
by her and TO the window through
which he had entered. As he passed
through it again he heard doors being
opened, and knew thai the house was
fully aroused"
Il understand" | said. "Blll escaped.
The actress employed a detective. The
detective built this public house in an
out-of-the-way place, hoping that Bill,
rs an out-of-the-way young man, would
call in one day for "A drink. C~uriously
enough. Bill did"
Blanco Watson frowned.
This Is an intellectual story" he
said; Iii does not depend on coinci-
dences.
Il will continue. Bill avoided the
first pursuit by a long u across coun-
try, and then walked toward his home,
not daring To use the railway. He kept
10 the by-roads as much as possible,
and at the close of the next day had
reached the neighborhood of London.
"A spade lying inside a field gate
suggested to him the advisability of
hiding the jewels until he had arranged
for their sale. After making sure that
he was not observed, he entered the
field and picked mp the spade. A tree
of peculiar growth stood just beyond
him. In the of fiction, be count
ed twenty steps due north from the
tree, and then dug a deep hole, placed
the jewels in 1t. and filled II up again.
He arrived home safely that night,
but was arrested in the morning. The
servant girl had given an accurate de-
seriptlon of him to the police, and they
had recognized IL.
In due course he was tried. The
evidence against him was very strong.
The servant girl swore that he was the
man she met on the stairs; some OF the
villagers swore that they had seen him
near the house previously TO the burg
larry. He was found guilty and SEN
fenced to sever years penal servitudc.
"Blll behaved very well in prison,
and at the end of five years was re-
leased OF a ticket-of-leave. He decided
to wait until the ticket had expired,
and then toTget the. jewels and leave
the country. But a day or two after
his release he walked out to look at
the field.
There was no field. During the
five years he. bad been in prison the
estate of which the field was part had
been built upon. He wandered about
the houses in despair. But, as he turned
a corner, he saw something which sug-
gested hope. Behind some ratings was
q tree of curious growth.
ut was the tree twenty steps due
north of which he had buried the Jew
els. lie recognized 1t Immediately, and
ran tow ard ii. Again he was II despair.
A yard or two north of the tree was a
chapel. He leaned against the ratings.
covering his face.witlr his hands.
at happened presently that the head
deacon of the chapel, a kindly old man,
came down the road. He saw Bill
standing like one In trouble, and
stopped and asked what was the mat
ter and whether he could help.
"For a few moments Bill did not
knew what to reply, but then he spoke
well. He said that once he had been
n burglar, but that he had learned in
prison that burglary is wrong; that
now he was trying TO live an honest
life, but that. as he had no friends, 1t
was not easy.
"The old man was touched. He had
found Bill leaning against the chapel
ratings. and Bill had said that he had
no friends. Was 1t not his duty as
head deacon of the chapel TO be a friend
10 Bill? Clearly ii was.
HE took Bill home with him; he was
n bachelor. and there was no one to
restrain his beneyolence. They had
supper and talked together. The dea-
con found Bill intelligent and fairly
well educated, and offered him employ
ment. He was n builder In the neigh
borhood. he explained, and had a va
eaney in the works. Bill gratefully ae-
cepted the offer, and began his new
career on the following Monday.
months passed. Bill had changed
wonderfully. lie had forgotten his old
habits and learned new ones. The dea.
con was delighted. Not only was Bill
the best of his workmen, but he was
the most regular attendant at the
chapel.
"Blil longed for the jewels, and he
worked hard because he knew tina
money would help him to get them
He attended the chapel because while