Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-07-03


reached the ,lNrk rooms beneath |
lighted these and set them up in the
black corners Of The ~ rooms. In
which. Miss 0ctavia rNrNA~llc1. not
even the wall ppnn~ hn.' NarA disturb
ed. The exit into the roal cellar and
concealed openings left for ventilation
which had escaped me before. were
now pointed out by the architect, who
kept laughing nj the huge joke Of it ali.
Miss Octavia searched thoroughly
for any signs OF q traNdonr beneath
which the bones eli the British soldier
might repOSc.
Ii | had foreScen her persistence in
clinging t. the tradition of the i'll fated
Briton should have taken the trouble
to hide a few homes under the flooring.
Miss Octavia had brought stick from
the coal room and was humping the
floor with it even while pepperton tried
to discourage her further investiga
tons. We were all ranged about her
with our candles, and these, with the
others l had thrust into the corners,
lighted the room we'll.
III dLINiI Npu VI Stth lltt WuOtC VI
it, Miss HolliSter," said repperton.
THE old house was built after the
Revolution. l judge, hut your British
soldier was probably left hanging to a
tree and never buried ut all"
Miss octavia had been ever the floors
OF the two rooms twice and was about
to dcSiSt. She made her hast stand in the
corner of the smaller room, aud rs we
all stood holding our lights we were
conscious that the dull, monotonouS
thump suddenly changed it's tone,
do you hear that. Gentlcmen?'
She Suhducd her qualification in the
rebuking glance she gave us, Calm
and umhurrird. she rested Il moment on
her stick. with the candles soft glow
about her. Il smile incitably sweet on
her face.
The timhers may have rotted away
underneath. We didn't raise these
floors" said Pepperton, but We both
dropped to our knees and brought all
the candle light to bear upon the floor
ing Dust and mortar. shaken loose in
the destruction Of the house. filled the
cracks. pepperton, deeply absorbed,
continued to sound the corner with his
knuckleS.
1T really looks as though these
boards had been cut for some purpose"
he said. whipping out his knife,
! ran to the kindling room and found
hatchct. and when returned he had
dug the dirt out Of the edges of the
| floor planks. Silence held us all as l
set to prying up the boards.
Il beg of you to exercise the great
est care. gentlemen. If bones are in
| tered here we must do them no sacri-
lege," warned Miss Octavia.
BY this time we all. think. began to
believe that the flooring might really
| have been cut in this corner of the old
room to permit the hiding of some
bornly to their ioists, but after
had loosened one the others came up
quickly, and the smell Of dry earth
filled the room. Pepperton had, at Miss
Octayia's direction. brought a chisel
and crowbar from the toolroom in the
cellar, and he stood ready with these
when | tore up the last board, disclos
ing an oblong space about five feet
long and slightly over three feet wide.
We were all excited now. The edge
of the bar struck repeatedly against
something that resisted sharply. 1t
might have been "A root but when Pep
perton shifted the point of attack the
same booming sound answered to the
prodding. Pepperton now thought 1t
might be only an empty cask or a box
of no interest whatever, but Miss Octa-
via, lowering close with candle, en-
couraged us to go on
We worked on silently, Pepperton
loosening the soil with the bar while
shoveled it out. In half an hour we had
revealed long, fiat wooden surface,
which to our anxious imaginatio was
the lid of some sort of box.
1t must have been nearly 6 o'clock
when we dragged out into that candle
lighted chamber Il stout, well fashion
ed box. The earth chung to its sides
jealously, and it was bound with strips
Of brass that shone brightly where the
scraping Of our tools had FURNISHED It,
We pried off the heavy lock with a
good deal of difficulty, and when 1t
was free Miss Octavia asserted her
right to the treasure trove with much
calmneSs.
81 should never forgive myself II |
allowed this opportunity to pass. You
must permit me to have the first look"
To be Continued