The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-12
CHAPTER THE SECOND.
Story of o Hiddon Treasure.
BY FRHDEEIcKJ J. BURNETT.

The wheels Of train No. IA on the
Michigan Central were just clicking
over the last switch out Of Kalamazoo
as leaned back in the corner Of the
smoking room to enjoy my, after din
ner cigar and mediate upon the ease
and comfort Of my journey across the
state, end the sharp contrast it pre-
sented to the journeyings OF Marquette
and Cadillac. The only other'occupant
of the room, q slight man with a sandy
mustache, sat close to the window,
using the last CLEANS OF daylight to
read something that appeared to In
terest him greatly in one Of the small
8 cent magazines Of which we were at
that time having quite an epidemic.
After little, he closed his magazine
and looked out of the window; then,
turning to me, snid:
II wish people who write stories
wouldn't stop In the middle Of 'em, US
If the first half was all a person would
want to know
Another Of The Lady or the Tiger
brand" asked.
mot this time; one Of those yarns.
about fellow who Is dead broke find
ing some hidden treasure that makes
him regular Cr9sus. This is the
third I've read in q couple OF days, and
they oil stop at the 1nd-only say
something about his rolling in wealth
afterward.
Now, want to know the whole
business; how he turned his diamonds
into ducats; how he felt dropping from
his old ways into new ones; if he had
any trouble proving his right ITO his
find. If it was something that had be.
longed to some one else at some time
or other. or on land that wasn't his,
even If in q wilderness, seems to me
there'd be somebody trying to claim IT..
l want to know how he worked it to
hang on to what he found.''
Some one had been at the washstand
While he was speaking. and as he con.
cluded n tall, slender man appeared at
the door with a towel in his hands.
i've read number, OF those yarns.
too," he said, srailing, "and quite agree
with " 'al-out the last half OF the sto.
ry being worth the telling, suppose
the authors like to leave something Tor
their readers imagination, so they let
us finish as we like"
He stepped back to the washstand.
put reappeared in q moment and, TAX
ing case from his pocket, said:
"lf you will have fresh cigar with
me and would care to hear It, will
tell you story OF that kind, sog. the
truth or which / can vouch, q I'D give
you second chapter, too, though In
this case # was ducats and not dia-
monds.n -, III 70 4 a.s'7' ,s
Of course we wanted to hear. and,
ieaning back In one corner, he began:
once knew q young man who was
clerk In q coal office In 0mahn. He
worked for q firm that was not doing q
very large business SO he didn't get a
very large salary, but as he was the
only clerk and had to give more or less
time and attention to affairs TINT were
PERSONAL to the two members OF the
nrm ard not connected with the coal
business he was kept pretty busy ana
pretty closely tied to the office. If he
went out, 1t, was on business errand,
and he must hurry back; no running
out to get his hair cut or buy pair
OF shoes or anything like chat tn he
had locked the door at tie end or the
Gay, and they We're pretty long days.
He was an ambitious chan ana
something OF a dreamer besides, and
each of. these characteristics made him
Dit dissatisfied with hts lot. He
wanted to rise IN the business world ,
or else leave 1t entirely and live among
books and pictures, purple mountains
and sunsets ard poetic things in gen. /
eral. Bit TO do either ne must have
money-more money than it appeared
as II he stood any chance OF ever get.
ting. It was a steady grind from
weeks end fn s sasee.s::::S.;3 end. and ut the !
close OF the mouth but b few dollars
more than enough to pay for his board
and lodging and d small draft to his
mother bnck In the east. Econofnfze
Yas he might he could save but little. In
rhe three years since he came from the
eastern village that couldn't osfer him
what he was getting now, he fadn.s
|oeen able to acclmsilate 500. and so
lwhen he thought Of the future and
now the years were slipping away
"ithout improving his condition or
bringing HIM any better opportunities
10 improve It it gave him the blues.
e didn' went money for the rneSe
sake Of having II. but for what ho
could DO with #. He wanted to try his
nand at manipulating sone, feeling
sure ne could donble Il as rapidly as
most men, and he also wanted enough
10 enable him To lyal the .sr1.r1a l,afases !!
nis eyes became toI dim to see il.
One Sunday afternoon this man
on uampad from OMAHA to Florence, b
nttie town just north, and was ram
onng about among the hisiB that CUR