The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-12-04
CHAPTER VII.
The Buried Paper.

1
at Purcell's house. The low typhoid
fever still continued to hold the strang-
er prisoner.
| Richard Burt was in and out as he
had been. treating Kate precisely as
| though he had never made a declara-
ton, and succeeding in making her
feel more at ease with him than ever
before.
Ralph Caryl was very circumspect,
and had called but twice, though he
had managed to meet Kate, apparent
| ly by accident, several times in the
course of the seven days.
When he had been told the sick
mans name, II he had felt any sur
prise, Caryl did not show II in the
least, and Kate almost began TO think
| that the words the stranger had ut
tered concerning Caryl were the result
of feverish fancies.
Vance Rothesay," Caryl had repeat
edits very good name. 1t seems
to me | have known people OF all
sorts of cognomen's, but l believe
never knew a Rothesay, did your
looking up at Purcell.
And so keenly was Kate watching
him that she fancied the look he gave
her father was one of more curiosity
than the question warranted; but she
was not sure even of that, and she
wondered, silently, about the matter,
scarcely hearing the discussion con-
corning the Scotch name of Rothesay.
There were but two regular sleeping
rooms in the little house, and now that
Hates was occupied, her father insist
ed upon giving up his own to his
daughter, and himself occupying the
lounge in the front room below stairs.
He liked the arrangement, for it en-
abled him to leave and enter the house
with less noise than if he had TO as,
cend the stairs, and he felt the desire
for prospecting for treasure strong up
on him again.
He had not yet looked at the papers
he had found T.. that chest; he had re-
Trained from ding so from day to day,
with a sort of boarding feeling, as one
thinks Of something precious that is
hid away.
He had not the slightest reason for
feeling thus. II would have been more
just had he thought only with a shud-
der of that paper which he had taken
from its dreadful resting place.
But. slowly and surely, Charles Pur-
cells mind was growing weak, and he
had still strange notion that near the
| spot where the skeleton of the child
had been found the buried treasure
was hidden from sight, and he had a
vague idea that some hint Of use might
be found in the paper
Ii was after IL o'clock, and Kate had
gone to bed, leaving her father sitting
up reading.
He had seemed uneasy and restless,
frequently asking why she did not re-
tire, until she had left him, refraining
from expressing any anxiety, for she
knew such expressions annoyed him.
AS soon as she had mounted the
stairs, Purcell went to cupboard and
withdrew from IL an oaken box, care
| fully locked.
II was in this he kept his drawings
and plans concerning the piratical
| treasure of which he dreamed day and
night. He would not Suow even Dick
Burt to take them.
He spread them before him beneath
| the light of the lamp, and his anxious
| face Frightened as he examined them.
"'They are title deeds TO fortune" he
muttered. Its fact that gold is hid.
den here, and have only to find It.
can have missed IL but by a few feet.
Only let me have patience! I begin
| to wish Burt was not connected with
| me in this business. When l find the
money | can pay him what l owe him.
and have done with him. He seems to
have given up the notion about Kate
and am glad of It, I do not know
how could refuse him If he persisted
tut 'twould be hard to compel Kate in
| a matter like that. Just let me pay all
the obligation I'm under to Burt, and
/ then I'm a free man again"
While he was murmuring thus to
| himself he was laying out the papers
before him on the table, arranging and
rearranging them.
Among them was the antiquated vel
low book, which had pointed out, as he
| believed, the spot, near Gun Rock
where he and Burt had found the chest
and its strange contents.
At length he took up the paper
blackened by the moisture OF many
years--the paper which had rested be
meath the bones of that mysteriously
buried child.
In spite OF his preoccupied mind
Purcell could not repress shudder as
he unfolded the manuscript. The
touch of 1t reminded him too strongly
Of the feeling of horror and disappoint
ment which had come over him when
expecting to see piles of gold, he haC
found but the withered body, of an in
FAINT.
He was surprised to find so few writ
ten lines, for the paper seemed sheet
of foolscap folded three times; he had
thought to see page. at least of some
thing, either of print or writing. In
stead, there were only few lines, and
1t was not easily that he deciphereC
them. so cramped were the words, anC
so time-stained and blackened the pa
per on which they were But he reaC
them at last:
Il am not used to defeat, and def
fate to count me its slave This chili
was in my way, and here 1t Is. shall
never be found out, and laugh at what
men call justice. IL am ever such 1
fool as to be discovered, then let m,
suffer the fate of fool"
Purcell read the words again ant
again, for their dreadful bravado wa.
strangely fascinating. For the momen
he forgot that there was no hint of tn,