Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-06-21


liness once acquired is never shaken
off. but intensifies with time. What
can be more reasonable than to sup.
pose that when Knight & Faulkner
were making the alterations IN the
Hall, the treasure was accidentally
| revealed to Adams?-who would be
! quite safe, he would think, In conclud'
| ing that its existence was unknown to
your father or any other member OF
our family from the mere fact Of 1t
| being where 1t was. Many people who
can look with equanimity on piles OF
bank notes are strangely moved at
sight of heap of gold coins. and find
the internal stuff quite Irresistible.
This ! believe was the case with
Adams; and l base my opinion on his
| going SO much in and out of the crypt
about the time the robbery is sup.
posed to have taken place, his strange
finding of you there, his illness imme'
| diately afterwards, his lies to incrimi.
nate me. and his gift to you OF fifty
pounds. This last move of the old
man was to salve his conscience rather
than to benefit you. That conscience
Is Il vile thing and troubles u great
many people, know well; for l had
u conscience myself some years ago.
1t was great nuisance. However. l
J take only Il remote Interest In all these
things, and bu: for your sake. don't
care two straws what became of the
scQuins. Your father has treated me
too badly for friendship between us
| even to be renewed; but l confess l
should be gratitied to learn that his
frightful blundcr has been demon.
ytrated to him. This is my position;
and If you intend to try to recover the
treasure-goOd; l will help you with
| advice and money. Or II you don't
| think the amount worth the trouble,
| good again; and we will agree not to
speak or think any more of the mat.
| ter"
At another time my uncle's declara.
| ton would have depressed me, for GER
talnly there was but one thing l more
ardently desired than his reconciliation
with my father. But | was not now
disposed to be easily depressed. On
the contrary, to my eyes all things had
put On rosy hue, and l not only
looked for the speedy possession OF
quarter of million sequins, and or
Constance Marsh as my wife. but also
for the patching up Of the miserable
fcud of which uncle Sam had just
spoken Lovers thoughts are SO cx.
travagantly fantastical that l was
| oblivious of the fact that the sequins
might never be recovered, or II recov.
cred were not mine; that Constance
Marsh had not promised to marry me;
and that my uncle had just declared
the impossiblity of renewing his for.
mer friendship with my father. In
this cheerful mood l answered that
| had fully determined to follow up the
clue he had suggested, and was pre-
pared to accept any assistance he
might think necessary and was pre-.
pared to offer.
Every good" said uncle Sam. "Thc
case Is simple one. You have not to
deal with an accomplished thief, but
an ignorant old miscr, who was over
come by a large temptation and has
already manifested symptom OF re-
morse. The world knows nothing OF
! its greatest thieves; their success pre-.
vents that. Your object, us l under.
stand it, Is to get u grip on those Sc
qulns; and mine merely to establish
the fact that l had no hand IN alb
stracting them. Am right!'
"Quite right, uncle"
"Well, you have but to follow my
directions, and venture to predict
/ that you will recover every sequin be-
| fore three weeks are over your head.
! Return ut once to HoldenhurSt, and for
a few days closely observe every act
of Adams; but be extremely cautious
| that the old man doesn't become con.
scious you are watching him. Talk to
him freely. but make no attempt to
sound him OH any point which bears,
| however remotely, Oh the matter III
hand. 1t Is not unlikely your vigilance
will be rewarded by valuable knowl.
edge. About week after your re.
| Turn send the old man on some crrand
which will keep him away from Hold
enhurst for an entire day, and during
his absence thoroughly examine his
room and everything that is his. Don't
scruple to turn out his drawers and
boxcs-his suspicious conduct fully jus.
iities the act Should you fail to find
the sequlns, when the old man returns,
seize him by the throat and, forcing
him against the wall thus"-here uncle
sam suddenly arose and, grasping me
| tightly around the neck with his left
hand, pushed me backwards against
4 large cabinet with such vigOr that
was almost strangled, and my white
tie which had spent twenty minutes
in adjusting, hopclessly spoiled-"tell
him you possess the clearest possible
evidence that he has stolen the con-
tents of ten chests belonging to your
father; that II he Immediately restores
what lie has stolen he shall be for
given, but that if he dare refuse or
even demur you will at once hand him
over to the police and charge him with
robbery. Be intensely earnest In your
manner, and let your subsequent acts
accord with your words. If you don't
6nd the sequins while Adams is away,
your accusation Oh his return will
throw him into deadly terror; he will
tall OH his knees like penitent viii
Tain in melodrama and give you in
formation worth $5G0,0OO. II you find
the sequins, you can afford to deal less
l,arshly with the old man."
! YES" I gasped, as soon as my un-