Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-20

any verJ dazzling valuel
The other item was Spanish pillar
dollar, hammered up into the form Of
bullet and tied to a yellow paper which
bore this inscription:
"Mem: too frye vat lubberlie prieste
wi thiss ncxte time and soc settel hys
hasshe.
"Whatever did he mean by that? ?"
cried Dolly in wonder.
GAS | read it," replied the other
"that bit of hammered money is
strong proof that, although your re-
doubtaEle ancestor Nicholas the First
might have been sacrilegious upon occa-
sion, he was most certainly superstitious
too. This bit of gold was meant to be used
as a bullet, but apparently Mr.. Nick
Colepepper never got the chance of send
ing it to nestle within 'ye lubberlie
prieste hys ribs | wonder whether he
managed to 'settcl hys hassho in any
other equally cfficacious wayl"
"Ughl" shuddered the pirates de-
scendant. "What bloodthirsty old ruff
fam"
"Im afraid he was, agreed her
companion. II congratulate You upon
your relative, Miss Colepepper He
seems to have been thoroughly pleas
ant and gentle minded sort of person.
Miss Colepepper accepted the con-
graduation with laugh, and, though
she did not say as much, it is proba BILE
that the thought of having owned such
n quaint sort of ancestor was not entire
" displeasing to her. 1t must be re-
membered that the man was most dis
tinctly dead. Had he been alive just
then. there can be no doubt that she
would have regarded him as decided
nuisance
The two explorers spent an hour in
rummaging through that queer old time
snuggery, examining its rude furniture
time after time, in the vague hope OF
finding some secret drawer or cupboard
which might contain something OF
greater value than they had as yet dis
covered They pictured to one another
the scenes which the room must have
witnessed and took curious pleasure in
Inning out from his surroundings a
Tradition gave them every warrant for
using the most lurid pigments in their
sketch.
Hadn't wo better go, Alan?" sug-
gested Dolly at length. "And, by the
way, which is the way out?
Don't know, replied the under
graduate as carclessly as he could.
"We've still got to find it, but if that
old brigand had mis- shore quarters here
he must have had some way of getting
in and out. y
Il expect there's secret door in one
of these panels, " suggested the girl.
"Yes, probably there is. assented
her companion. But he could not throw
much enthusiasm into his tone, though,
for the girls sake. he tried to do so.
They spent another half hour in ex-
aiming the wooden wainscoting o.
the walls, tapping showing and kick
ing, in the hope of discovering the hid
den doorway, but in vain. The only
spot where the wooden barrier was
broken was at the tiny door which hat
given them entrance And by that way
they knew that there was no return
possible. The sloping shoot of plank
was utterly unscalable.
dolly, said the undergraduate,
quietly, "things are beginning to lool
blue, / LII afraid. We seem to be bot
tied "
But Dolly had an idea. There was {
small hatchway or manhole in one cor
- I've, Il
to climb up through that and see wher
it led to-
Quickly the table was dragged acros
the floor and one of the three leggec
stools placed on the top Of it, Guthrie
climbed up and beat at the hatch will
his upturned palm. 1t was fastened
from above Dolly handed him anothe
of the heavy oaken stools, and with thi
he hammered at the hatch savagely. !
staple gave. The door of wood rose an
fell back He wrcnched it away, AM
then, clasping his fingers round tn
combing, pulled himself up.
Around him on every side rose steep
bare walls Of rock The snuggery ma,
been built az the bottom of Il regula
well
Far away above the young man coul,
see the shrubs and creepers which line,
its edge. That was where the light stol
down from. But surely the old buc
cancer had not been accustomed t
climb in and ont of his sanctum iron
} all that distance above! No, there wa
a black opening about 10 feet up tn