Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-21
black Of the old rooms.
which. Miss Octa via remarked.
ever the wall paper had been Me'

black corners OF the old rooms.
which. Miss Octav via remarked.
even the wsil paper had been d.
ed The exit into the coal cellar and
concealed openings left for ventilat ton
which had escaped me before, were
now pointed out by the architect, who
kept laughing at the huge joke Of It all.
Miss Octavia searched thoroughly
for any signs Of q trapdoor beneath
which the bones Of the British soldier
might repose.
II l had foreeeen her persistence In
clingipg to the tradition of the I'll fated
Briton ! should ha We taken the trouble
TO hide a few bones under the flooring.
Miss Octavia had brought n stick from
the coal oom and was humping the
floor with 1t ever while Pepperton tried
to discourage her further ipvesttga-
lions. We were all ranged about her
with our candles. and these. with the
others ! had thrust into the corners
lighted the room well.
In afraid you've seen the whole OF
1t. Miss HOLSTER" said Pepperton.
THE old house was built after the
Revolution. | judge, but your British
soldier was probably left hanging to q
tree and never buried ut ALL"
Miss Octavia had been over the floors
of the two rooms twice and was about
to desist. She made her last stand In the
corner of the smaller room, and as we
all stood holding our lights we were
pananJ@tr fh.x xlc I,n 4-xn,,x
thump suddenly changed its tone.
do you hear that. gentlemenr'
She subdued her qualification in the
rebuking glance she gave us. aim
and unhurried, she rested q moment on
her stick. with the candles soft glow
about her. q smile ineffably sweet ON
her face.
The timbers may have rotted away
underneath. We didn't raise these
%foors." 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. filed the
cracks. P%epperton. deeply absorbed.
continued to sound the corner with his
knuckles.
1T really looks Is though these
boards bad been cut for some purpose"
he said. whipping out his knife.
ran to the kindling room and found
a Ratchet, and when returned he had
dug the dirt out Of the edges Of the
door planks. Silence held us all as !
set to prying up the boards.
II 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
thing. The old planks chung stub
bornly to their joists, but after l
had loosened one the others came up
| quickly, and the smell of dry earth
filed the room. Pepperton had, at Miss
Octavia's direction, brought a chisel
and crowbar from the toolroom In the
cellar, and he stood ready with these
when l 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. b0,JSahen Per
| 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 q candle, en-
couraged us to go on.
We worked on silently, Pepperton
%loosening the soil with the bar while ]
shoveled II out. In half an hour we had
revealed q long. fat wooden surface.
which to our anxious imag1nations was
the lid OF some sort Of box.
1t must have been nearly 8 o'clock
when we dragged u into that candle
lighted chamber q stout. well fashion
ed box. The earth chung to Its sides
jealousy. 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 n
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 If ]
allowed this opportunity to pass. You