Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-05-03
WALTER BLOOMFIELD
BY RoPEsr RoNNrR's Snss

Constance Marsh the question whether
there exists hidden treasure in our
house or not would only languidly In
terest me. Che sara sara. Now Will
light my lantern and go below. If
Heavens! what was that!
turned about in fright as great
as that of thief disturbed In his ne
farious work, yet 1t was nothing more
than a gentle tapping on the outside
OF my door. 1t was now a quarter OF
an hour past midnight, and my father
and the servants should have been in
bed at least two hours. AS l glanced
at my watch the tapping was repeated,
as gently as before. l am ashamed
to confess how much this simple cir
Cumstance alarmed me. listened in
tently for minute, conscious of moth
Ing but the loud ticking of my watch
and the violent throbbing Of my heart,
when the tapping was repeated third
time, still very softly With a great
effort disguised my terror, and called
out boldly
"Whos there?"
"It's only me- Master Ernest re-
piled the feeble voice of John Adams.
"What do you want:" l asked, fling
Elg the door wide open.
Are you i'll? Is there anything |
can do for you?" inquired the old
man.
"No, am not i'll, and there is moth
ing you can do for me. Why do you
trouble me with such an absurd in
quiry?"
81 thought l heard you walking
about. and that saw light in your
ROOM
"Why, / have not moved off the
hearth-rug these two hours or more,
and the only light here is that taper
on the mantelpiecc."
"You are not angry with me, Master
Ernest" pleaded the old man.
mo, no; why should l be? You are
very attentive. Go to bed at once"
/ watched the old man as he slowly
walked away along the corridor car
rying lighted candle in one hand.
and shading its flame with the other,
and did not re-enter my room until
after had heard his door close.
This simple incident abated much
of my courage, and caused me to post
pone my visit to the crypt for full
hour. l was very anxious and ner-
vous, but not to be deferred from car
rying out my resolve. At half-past one
O'Clock | quietly emerged from my
room, closing the door behind me as
noiselessly as possible. In one hand
| carried lighted, but with
the wick turned so low that 1t emitted
only feeble gleam-and in the other
n riding whip without thong, on the
butt of which a heavy hammer was
mounted-an instrument used by my
sporting forefathers for opening OBJ
stinate fivc-barred gates. tried to
persuade myself that ! carried this
weapon solely to assist in removing
any lumber or other inanimate OBJ
structlon which might lie between me
and the object of my search, and not
for defense-an ingenious but unsuc-
ccssfu attempt at self-deception.
The light from my lantern, feeble
though it was, caused my form to cast
an enormously exaggerated shadow
on the floor and wall of the corridor.
The carpets had been removed from
the corridor and stairs, a circumstance
l had not considered, and despite my
soft slippers and careful tread. dis
tinctly audible and weird creaking pro-
claimed each step | set. / paused for
q moment outside Old Johns door. 1t
was closed and all was dark and silent
within. The creaking of the stairs was
so loud that had any inmate of our
house chanced to have been lying
awake my errand must have infalli-
bly, been betrayed.
paused. All was still and quiet as the
grave. Setting down my lantern, l
took from my pocket huge key l had
been careful to abstract from its ac-
customed place few hours before,
md which opened door in n still
.oom at the back of the entrance hail.
whence a steep flight of steps led down
into the crypt. There was now no
curther danger of disturbing anybody
and | entered the stillroom with con-
6dence, but was annoyed to find the
door which opened ON the steps which
led to the crypt standing partly open;
and reproached myself for my care
lessncss-for doubtless ] was the last
person there-regarding the circum-
stance as additional proof of my ner-
vouSness However, 1t could not mat
ter, and l pushed open the door yet
wider and boldly descended into the
crypt.
had not visited the crypt since 1
conducted my aunt Gertrude through
ii, and perhaps less than half dozen
times before. Certainly l had not pre-
viously observed it SO closely as I now
did 1t was large vault. built en-
tirely of stone, the mainway of 1t be-
ing an apartment about eighteen feet
wide and as long as the house-that
is to say, hundred and ten feet
with eight arched recesses on either
side, whereof the one to which ] was
bound differed nothing from the others
except in being closed by brick wall
at the front The mainway was toler-
ably clear, but nearly all the recesses
were filed with miscellaneous lum.
Der. for the most part ancient and Pc