The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-11-01
BETTYS GREAT FIND
BY FLOYD CLAY.


below, but he had provided a garnet
that all who came after him should be
proud Of. 1t was long and wide and
contained treasures beyond enumeTa-
ton in the shape of spinning wheels
and bedsteads and bureaus and chairs
and what not of the long ago.
An antiquarian who came one day
and was allowed to look but not to
touch, said to the eldest sister:
There is nothing like it under the
sun. If you will let me dig here for
a week 1 will give you a hundred dol
lars"
mot for a thousand" was the re-
ply.
"But why?"
Because you would make a dust
and litter
When Betty Lawrence, a cousin, at
the age of ten had visited the Misses
Shaw and become homesick and shed
tears, the sisters comforted her by
promising:
"Now, Betty, chirk up and be a good
girl, and you shall see our garrett
Now. at nineteen, she was a visitor
at the old house again. She had a
lively remembrance of that quaint
room, and was determined to over
haul it If given half a chance. She
dwelt upon the idea so constantly
that she came to believe that some
where in that collection of musty
relics of the past there lay concealed
document which would bring a
90 re Che mir
| tured herself standing before her
| startled old cousins, document in
| hand, this announcement on her lips:
"My dear cousins, / have found a
| great treasure"
One day. while waiting her oppor-
| tunity to explore the garnet, young
man known to the sisters called on
| an errand for his mother and was in
troduced to Miss Betty as Mr. Ford
Kirkwood. The following day while
she was out for a walk, he turned
up as If by accident This happened
again on the third day, and on the
| fourth he forgot to offer an excuse
for it's rather marked recurrence.
Within a week it had happened so
frequently that neither saw anything
unconventional in the matter.
This rapidly developing acquaint-
ance did not escape the vigilant eyes
of the cousins One day the elder
sister observed frankly:
81 suppose I ought to warn you
against love at first sight
But as you never loved at first
sight or second sight or any other
sight, how can you. Cousin Phoebe?"
At this the gentle old woman
: smiled feebly
Ford Kirkwood is a fine young
man, but he has no money" she. went
on dutifully
Nor have I. 1 shall not fall in love,
dear cousin. 1 shall not elope 1 shall
never marry-at least not until"
Until when, Betty?"
Until / find a treasure" declared
the girl as If she meant it. IN her
soul she believed there was treas
ure in that garnet. She felt like de
handing the privilege of exploration
but still she bided her time.
Her opportunity came suddenly.
There came a day when the sisters
were called away on matter of bust
| ness WHICH utmdnOGu lHSlI pei SOAdi
attention.
Il am so afraid you will be lonely,
said the elder sister sympathetically
1--WE shall be away at least three
/, hours"
ooh no: can take a long walk
and then read awhile after coming
:, back" said Betty, trying hard to kee,
her voice steady.
Scarcely was the vehicle bearine
:, the sisters out of sight when Betty
flew to the garnet. Once within tho
forbidden treasure house she stood
J. for long five minutes feasting he
eyes. Then she selected the oldes
I and most battered trunk of the en-
e tire lot for inspection
Letters and documents? Why, thu
trunk was full to repletion with them
There were deeds. mortgages, re
,. ceipts, bills of sale, private letters
n grants and what not, and the girl haC
y only glimmering of what had one,
/ been their legal value. Three hours
u had gone by and the return of thu
sisters might be expected at any mo
9 ment when she selected a parchmen
almost at random, replaced the 9th
II ers in the trunk and left the fascinat
4: ing spot
8 Nobody but an old pirate coul'
d have written hand like that, and 0
l. course If he was pirate he mus
il have written about a treasure.
= shall ask Mr.. Kirkwood to help t
h unravel it."
e When he saw it Ford Kirkwoot
if agreed with Betty that it was tn
r work of an old pirate, but he ad
v mitted frankly that he was not al
r adept at deciphering hieroglyphics.
5, ct VIII have to be DONE" sal
If Betty, determinedly, "before-befor
d -"