The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-06-06
Where the
Finger Pointed

his forefathers looking about him hope
lessly. on the morrow the place was
to be sold to pay debts that had been
accommodating for century. The pres
ent owner was to become OF age on
the very day OF the sale. To add 10
his distress he loved younger daugh
ter OF Lord Montague. neighborins
landowner
Verne was sitting in room that had
been occupied ever since the house
was built three centuries before for
library. The shelves were filed with
books made when the printing press
was novelty. On one side OF large
| bay window stood revolving geo
graphical globe; opposite It statue OF
Sir Hugh Verne who had been dead
$50 years. He had been misery. and
under his regime the estate Ind In
creased In value. but at his death the
| funds he was supposed to have ne
cumulated did not appear. He had
during his later days erected the statue
of himself in his library, directing that
no other monument TO his memory be
placed. The forefinger OF the right
hand of the statue pointed directly TO
the globe One OF his descendants.
thinking that the finger Indicated
place where some OF his missing wealth
was hidden, had had the globe taken
apart; but finding nothing Of value, II
had been restored. The present Sir
Hughs father, Sir Thomas Verne. had
opened the wall back Of the globe at
a point IN line with the finger, but he,
too, had been disappointed. He had
found the estate Impoverished by his
predecessor and had brosded over the
misfortune he saw surely coming for
his son. From the sons boyhood he
had heard his father debating as 10
the meaning OF the pointing finger and
believed he had some reason for sur
missing that It referred to hidden
money.
Sir Hugh sat gloomily looking at the
statue, thinking OF the family tradi-
| ton. 1t was an hour before noon, and
the day wGS the 21st OF September.
Neither, the hour nor the date made
any impression on the young baron,
except that the date was present In
his mind as the day previous to the
sale. Nevertheless an idea occurred to
him, an idea which came down through
thousands of years. He had read that
when the great pyramid Of Cheops was
built TO entomb king an inclined pas
sage was left. through which star nj
the vernal equinox would shine In
upon the mummy. Sir Hugh noticed
that the sun was shining in through
the bay window upon the statue. The
shadow of the index finger lay upon
the wall midway between the ceiling
and the floor. The young man noticed
the shadow and kept his eye upon 1t
rs It slowly sank toward the floor,
moving at the same time toward the
east. Why the pyramid of Cheops en-
tered his head and why he made
mental connection between II and the
shadow he could not tell He after
ward tried 10 trace the steps leading
him to his idea, but failed. Neverthe-
less 1t came to him that II 1t was not
now the vernal 1t was the autumnal
equinox. Then, suddenly, the bell on
the town clock struck the hour OF
noon.
His idea had been born.
Rising, he seized an antique dagger
hanging from mantel and hacked a
cross upon the point covered by the
shadow of the index finger.
That afternoon he darkened the
room. locked the doors, and, with set
Of mason's tools, began to make hole
In the wall where he had carved the
cross The plaster was soon scraped
away. and behind 1t was a stone differ
ing from Its neighbors in its shape.
| which was an octagon. On the stone
from each OF the right angles had been
cut cross lines, and their intersection
lay exactly at the spot where the
shadow point had lain that day at
noon. The stone was imbedded in an
inch Of mortar, which was easily
Clipped away and the stone removed.
leaving an oritice into which the baron
could hold candle and SEQ what lay
beyond. What he did see was a vault
heaped with gold sovereigns. On the
| JUN VI tht Slout was Gul III hoh@ Ath7
ters-doubtless by the man who had
deposited II thcre-these words:
No fool shall inherit my savings. II any
| Of my descendants has the wit to find
this gold he will have the good sense to
use It to the advantage Of the estate.
Wondering how this vault could have
remained so long unknown, the baron
examined its surroundings and found
that 1t had been space left unused by
the architect who had built the house.
That evening a mason was called in
to enlarge the ortfice. and by midnight
the baron began to count his newly
found treasure, separating the sover-
eigns into heaps OF &, coo each, making
exactly fifty heaps, without sover-
eign over or short. The next morning
the sun was not high In the sky before
his solicitors had paid of the lncum.
brances on the estate, and there was
no sale. Indeed, instead Of parting
with the home OF his ancestors, while
his solicitors were paying or the debts
Sir Hugh was experimenting q corps
Of assistants he had called In TO make
| t,,.,-ssfr1 ~, tf,x., 4t.1 .aRor,..,,