The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-14

peared to be solid, even upon the
closest inspection.
The hinges of the lid were ingen-
iousy concealed. The line between
the two parts was invisible, and the
hidden lock was operated by secret
springs most cunningly devised. Nat.
urally so strange an object was the
centerpiece of many queer stories,
which were collected by one of the
Olmsteads about sixty years ago and
set down by him in manuscript in
leather bound book originally intended
to be ledger. At the end Of the book
Is very difficult cipher which con-
tains the directions for opening the
casket.
But for this cipher the secret would
have passed out of the world. A few
months ago. when the present head
of the family. Mr.. Stephen Olmstead,
stumbled upon the old book Of tradi-
tons. the casket itself had been for
gotten.
Stephen Olmstead found the casket
in a sort of vault in the wall of the
country house which his father built
in Marchmont twenty years ago, and.
having solved the cipher after a pro-
tracted struggle which nearly wreck
ed his intellect (as he informed mel.
he opened the ebony box and was dis
appointed because there was nothing
in it. He had no reason to expect any
discovery Of treasure, but he is not
the sort of man to be Indifferent to
the possibility.
He was engaged to Mrs. Clara Hol-
ton, rich and charming widow, with
country house near the Olmstead
place. Mrs. Holton's lack of enthu-
siasm for jewels is conspicuous. She
has never been known to wear an
expensive ornament. Nevertheless
Olmstead had no sooner found the
casket than he was possessed with
the idea of buying something rare and
precious to put into it, tstensibly as a
wedding gift
Accordingly he appeared at his
Marchmont home one evening with
a dazzling diamond piece of historical
as we'll as intrinsic value. a stomacher
that had once been worn by titled
lady Of the old world Miss Sylvia
Olmstead, sister of Stephen. ridiculed
this purchase when the gewgaw was
displayed to her and told Stephen that
Clara Holton would divorce him rath-
er than wear it.
She'll like the casket," said Sylvia
ITS quite in her line. How do you
open IT."
The diamonds were already within
and the lid closed.
Couldn't tell you," said Stephen.
He put the casket away in the vault
and locked the door. Immediately
after this they heard some one on the
veranda. just outside the windows OF
the library where the conversation
which have tried to reproduc,
from their recollection of it occurred
Both supposed that the person on thu
teranda was George Mcclellan, a neigh
Dor. and that he was coming to cal
on Sylvia.
Neither Olmstead nor his sister spok
Of hearing the footsteps. for McKella
was a delicate subject with them
Olmstead opposed him as a sutton 70
Sylvia's hand on the ground that h.
was not financially sound. McKela
sad inherited from his father bust
ness in rather bad tangle. and b
was having n hard struggle with It,
They waited for Mcclellan to be an
nounced. and one of them was disaI
pointed. while the other was agreeabl
surprised. Half an hour later Nj
Kelar called Sylvia by telephone an
told her that he was occupied wit
business affairs.
II NAV have been about I ocloc
when Olmstead. who was wakefu
heard sounds In the lower regions c
the house. He was one of those ner'
Gus Yankees who fear everything e.
cept danger. A hundred petty an!
leties assailcd him, including the drea
Of taking cold, as he grumblingly mad
his way downstairs.
In the lower hall he listened. 81
yond doubt there was some one In tn
library. Olmstead opened the doc
fnd entered. The room was dark saw
for feeble, fluttering light whic
suddenly settled upon Olmstead wit
brilliancy that surprised him.
Throw up your handsp said
voice, -