Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1909-08-17

der the same elm. Then they lied to
each other like troopers as they
watched for firefiies. The freely is
seen only ION certain night. when
the weather has some quality about it
that calls them out. and this was one
of the months when they are never
seen at ALL None Of the searchers took
this into consideration. but waited and
watched and grew nervous as they
thought of the treasure.
Before 10 O'Clock Monday forenoon
the dentist had men waiting while
others were being served There were
some among them that had come to
lose their first tooth and Others to lose
their second. The fellow was light
ming puller, but there were two or
three patients left over when darkness
fell and he closed his van. The new
ones on this day bad been told by the
woman to stand under beech trees.
There was just as big a crowd on
Tuesday. and it was not fairly dis
posed of until Thursday. OF course it
had got noised around the village that
tnCAC WAS SoIItAtiAtlS uBs buk HOl q
man peached. There was something
more than suspicion among them
now, and the only way was to lie to
each other. They did lie. Men who
had always scorned the slightest eva
sion now came out and lied as easily
as If they had always made it busi-
ness. They lied to each other and to
their wives, and some Of them had
three teeth drawn all at once. so as
to have the bulge on the one and two
tooth fellows.
Half mile west of the village was
a beech grove. Outside of that there
wasn't a beech tree within two miles
On Sunday night more than 100 men
were in that grove before the clocks
were through striking midnight. They
rubbed elbows and they crowded each
other. Some pretended that they were
walking in their sleep and others that
they were looking for stray hogs or
cows. When an hour had gone by
some one saw or thought he saw a
light moving about beyond the creek
that skirted one side of the grove
There were yell and rush. As men
ran they punched and kicked each
other. They even jumped upon each
others back. Fifty men fell into the
creek and fifty more on top of them.
1t was grand battle royal, from which
no one escaped scathless. Next day
some of the crowd wanted to consult
the woman and get closer particulars;
but, though they drove all over the
country, she was not to be found.
And then arose another complication.
Fifty men, dlsregarding Sunday nights
and elm and beech trees. began a day
time hunt for the treasure. They even
went so far as to spade up each 9TH
er's garden. 1t was three days before
the search ended and the excitement
died away, and then the bamboozled
began to think of their teeth, though,
strangely enough, they did not connect
the gypsy woman with the loss of
them. The dentist was ready. He
could replace teeth as well as displace
them. He sent for an assistant and
had all the work he could do for two
months, and his prices were just dou-
bic those charged In the city. He
didn't get quite all he had operated on
before, but 1t is still contended in
Brinkly that he went to Europe,
bought an old castle and Is still revel-
ing In power and luxury Now and
then in the freely season man goes
out at midnight and leans against an
elm or beech tree, but If guided to
any certain spot the most he finds by
digging is an old oyster can or the
skull of a dead and gone horse.