The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-02

rockery 'ere?' 1 says. 1t 'ud look
nice.'''
TOO much expense he says.
:" Not a penny, says /. I'm a dab
at rockeries, Lemme make you one.
You see I'd 'elped my brother make a
rockery in the beer garden behind is
! tap, SO knew 'ow to do it to rights.
Lemme make you one, I says. It's
'oliday, but I'm that sort Of chap.
/ ate doing nothing I says.
Y es-buried wealth-treasure trove.
1 Come out of the ground. What 1 kent
on saying-regular treasure. E.
He looked at me with unusual disre-
sDect.
ut wasn't more than a foot deep. not
the top OF it, he said. ..Td 'ardly got
thirsty like before 1 come on the COR
ner."
Go on 1 said. 81 don't under
stand"
Why Directly it the box knew
it was treasure. a sort Of instinct told
me. Something seemed to shout inside
! of me-now's your chance-lie low. It's
lucky knew the laws of treasure trove
or I'd ave been shoutin' there and then.
l dessay you know ?"-.
Grown bags it, I said. "all but I
per cent. Co on. It's shame. What
did you do?"
Uncovered the top of the box. There
wasn't anybody in the garden or about
like. Jane was 'elping- 'er mother do
the 'ouse. ] was excited tell you. I
tried the lock and then gave whack
at the hinges. Silver coins-full. Shin
| ing. 1t made me tremble to see 'em.
| And jest then-I'm blessed if the dust
man didn't come round the back of the
| 'ouse. 1t pretty nearly gave me cart
| disease to think what fool l was TO
| ave the money showing. And directly
oft I ard no OH no "a wa c
'olidaying, too, watering is beans. II
! only ed looked over the fencei"
What did you do?'
kicked the lid in and covered it Up
! like shot, and went on digging about
a yard away from it like mad. And my
| face, SO to speak, was laughing on its
own account till l had hid it. 1 tell you
L was regular scared like at my luck. I
jest thought that 'ad to be KEEP close,
anu that was all. 1t seemed to me the
box was regular sticking out and show
ing, ike your legs under the sheets in
bed, and L went and put al the earth
I'd got out of my ole for the rockery
slap on top of it. l was in a sweat.
And in the midst of it all, out toddles
'er father. He didn't say anything 10
me, but Jane told me afterwards when
he went indoors, e says. That there
jackanapes of yours, Jane'-he always
called me d jackanapes, some'o w-
knows 'ow to put is back into it after
ALL Seemed quite impressed by it e
did"
How long was the box?" I asked
suddenly.
20! bout so-by so' Mr. Brisher in
dicated a moderate-sized trunk.
"Full?" said 7
Full of silver coins-'arf crowns, I
believe"
"Whyl' I cried, that would mean
hundreds Of pounds"
Thousands, said Mr.. Brisher, III a
sort OF sad calm. Il calculated it out"
But how?"-
IAN I know is what 1 found. WHAT
[ thought at the time was this: The
chap who's owned the 'ouse before 'er
father d been a regular, slap-up burg
lar What you'd call a Ugh class crimi-
fnal. Used to drive is trap-lilze Peace
ldid =
Mr.. Brisher meditated on the Difficult
ties CO narration, and embarked in a
hazarded parenthesis. Il don't know if
1 tots you it d been a burglars 'ouse
before It was my girls fathers, ami I
knew ed robbed a mail train Cnce: l
did know that. It,seemed to ne,'=
"That's very likely" j said But
what did you do?"
"Sweated, said Mr.. Brisher. "Regu-
lar run OFF me-"
All that morning., said Mr. BriSher,
II was at it, pretending to make that
| rockery and wondering what 1 should
do. I'd ave told 'er father p'raps, only
1 was doubtful of lis honestly was
afraid he might give it I'D to the au-
| thorities-and besides, considering L
was marrying into the family, 1
thought it would be nicer like if it
came from me. Put me on a better
footing, SO to speak. Well, 1 'ad three
days before ME, so there wasn't no
hurry. Only L couldn't think what to
/ do.y
| Il thought" said Mr.. Brisher. and 1
! thought. Once 1 got regular doubtful
| whether I'd seen it or not, and went
4 down to it and had it uncovered again,
! just as her man come out to 'ang up
bit o washin' she'd done. Jumps once
more. AfteIward L was just thinking
I'd ave another go at it, when Jane
| comes to tell me dinner was ready.
| You'll want it, she said, seem as the
ole you've dug 1 was in a regular
daze all dinner wondering whether that
chap next door wasn't over the fence
and filing is pockets. But the after
noon 1 got easier in my mind-it SEEM
ed to me it must ave been there so
! long it was pretty sure to get up a. bit
| of a discussion to dror out the old man,
and see what e thought of the treasure
trove.
Mr.. Brisher paused and affected