Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-08-20
The Second Chapter
Ey Frederick j. Burnett.

THE wheels of train No. IA, on the
Michigan Central, were just click
ing over the last switch out of kala-
mazoo. as | leaned back in the corner
of the smoking room to en- JOY my after
dinner cigar and mediate upon the
ease and comfort of my journey across
the state, and the sharp contrast it
presented to the journeyings OF Mar
quette and Cadillac.
The only other occupant of the
room Il slight man with n sandy mus
tache. sat close to the window, using
the last CLEANS of daylight to read
something that appeared to interest
him greatly in one of the small maya
zines.
After a little he closed his magazine
and looked out of the window; then,
turning to me, said:
81 wish people who write stories
wouldn't stop in the middle of 'em, as
if the first half was all a person would
want to know"
"Another of The Lady of the Tiger
brandt" I asked.
''Not this time; one of those yarns
about fellow who is dead broke find
ing some hidden treasure that makes
him regular Croesus. This is the
third I've read in a couple Of days. and
they all stop at the find.
"Now, want to know the whole bust
ness; how he turned his diamonds into
1..a,4., how, bo fo1t drop,,ipr from n &
old ways into new ones; if he had any
trouble proving he rightto his find 1T
it was something that had belonged TO
some one else at some time or other. or
On land that wasn't his, seems to me
there'd be somebody trying I o claim it,
7 want t. know how he worked 1t to
hang on to what he found
Some one had been at the washstand
while he was speaking, and as he con
cludcd tall, slender man appeared at
the door.
"If YOU will have fresh cigar with
me. and would care to hear it. ! will
tell YOU a story of that kind, for the
| truth of which I can vouch. and give
YOU the second chapter, too; though
| in this case it was ducats and not dla'
monds.
81 once knew a young man VINO was
| a clerk in a coal office in Omaha. lie
| didn't GET a very large salary. but, as nc
was the only clerk, and had to give
more or less time and attention to at
fairs that were personal TO the two
members of the firm and not connected
with the coal business. he was kept
pretty busy. and pretty closely tied tc
the office.
"Ue was an ambitious chap. and
| something of Il dreamer besides. anc
each of these characteristics made hin
A. bit dissatisfied with his lot. Econo
| mize as he might. he would save bu'
| little. In the three years since he came
| from the eastern village that colNdn''
| even offer him what he was getting
now, he hadn't been able to accumulate
| 800.
zone Sunday afternoon this mar
framed from Omaha to Florence,
little town Just north, and was ram
bling about among the hills that sur
round it. Walking was his prlnclpa
recreation; it was cheap and he en-
joyed it.
.sHe had wandered away from road
and paths into wood that was tan
cled with vines and underbrnsh.
was September. and warm. ami whel
he came out into the open. being no
and tired, he threw himself down unde
walnut tree to rest.
"Refore him was little glade Whlci
the woods bordered on all sides; par
cf it was covered with'a ragged grow'l
,f Indian corn and part was p'ante'
with mllct: besides this there wa
nothing to show that IL human hclhs
had been there before. The raggt'
ooorly tended corn suggested to him al
,,boriginul maize field, and it SCENE
to him as if the spirits OF Mondalhl
and Uiawathn brooded over that peace
rul little valley.
"And he lay there thinking of the re-
men and muitlens who used 10 dwel
among the hills over which he had Jus
been wandering, and who perhaps ma
nlautcd maize in that very spot, 1rof
IN in the woods behind him came tn
tan. tap tap OF a woodperker. whlc
was answered by another tap, tap ia
from the woods.on the other s'oe' Al
ku.w the taps to be woodpecker raj
ninrs. but it seemed as if they "er
indian signals. l told you ne was
dreamer.
"prcsently walnut fell from the tire
above him and rolled into little gull
hat the water coming down the NJ
behind him had washed nearby IL
, followed it with his eyes. and where
stoppcd, noticed what looked Iiliea u
Of dirty canvas sticking out ct tn
rround. Not little scrap, but nppal
emily part of something that WA
buried.
at was beyond the reach OF his wall
ing stick, but Il dead branch lay =
hand. and with this he poked at IT !
an idle sort of way. There seemed
he something harder than e"rlh ~
,,er It, and he poked it again with II
- c>.o.s Mic Qahv