The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-10
EVENING STORY
Treasure.

No WORD was spoken Tor spell |
Layard leaned back and waited for his
friend to state his errand, but Sumner
seemed in no hurry. He simply
champed on the cigar and occasionally
partook of some smoke and stared
dreamily and somewhat morosely into
fire. Finally he announced abruptly:
i've quit my job
Layard's eyebrows elevated in sur
prise.
That's queer" he observed. You
haven't had it more than two months
and it pays a pretty fair salary, ac-
cording to my ideas. The Superior
Auto company is quite some concern
and to be its sales manager is no mean
occupation. What's the idea?
Gaylord rested his elbows on his
knees and with his hands formed a
cup OF his square. determined chin.
He sat in moody silence for another
brief period, then smiled a wry kind
of smile and explained:
I'm going huntington that treas
ure of yours
Layard laughed, as tho something's
had struck him as being ridiculously
outburst Gaylord was maintaining a
grave altho not rebuking demeanor.
"You can't mean it,"
II 90 tho" Gaylord contrad icted.
I'm sick of this burg and everybody
in it, with the exception of you and
two or three other people. Yes. I'm
going after that treasurer your offer
to split fifty-fifty still holds good"
Layard was frowning.
Look here. Sumner. That was all
very well a year ago-when l made
the offer. You will not resent it, 1 am
sure, if L recall that you did not
amount to great DEAL financially and
ambitiously speaking, about that time.
You had no responsibility N life and
were hitting a pretty rapid pace. 1 put
IN
more to get you away from that gang
you were travelling with and to get you
out in some pure air than with any
idea that. the money could be found
l never did take any stock in the thing,
myself and 1 have kept the map the
old miner gave me more as a curiosity
than anything else
Gaylord was staring intently at the
burning log. A girls eyes persisted in
gazing at him from the fireplace, q
girl with a somewhat plain but at
tractive face, with hair that was a
blend of auburn and gold. He knew
full we'll that Layard told the truth
about the way he (Gaylord) had been
llVlng year previous. He knew it
well. because it was what had cost
him the girl. who had meant a very
great deal to him and who. now that
she was gone, he had me to realize
was life itself to him.
| They had been engaged and their
wedding planned to take place in a
year The year was up today. and
here was he. lonely and morose, with
out knowledge of her wherea bouts
The girl would have stood by him.
he was convinced in spite of his glar-l
ing faults. and in spite of the repeated
SCATTERING OF his resolution to do bet
ter; but there was her father to reckon
with. Gaylord could see now that the
father had been square enough about
1t and had only looked after his
daughters happiness; altho at the
time the decree You have had your
best chance" seemed wholly unjusti-
fled. Twice the girls father had tried
to reason with Gaylord and persuade
him to change his mode of living and
finally had given it up as hopeless and
closed the d -ors of his home to his
daughters fiance. who then and there
| ceased to be a fiance. The girl in
sisted to the last that she loved Gay
lord and cried when she gave him
back the ring, but declared she knew
her fathers course was the best and
| that duty to him made it impossible
for her to disregard his wishes.
Furthermore, she said. she knew Gay
lord would not lead the life he did if
he really cared for her.
Thereupon, Gaylord set out to
| change his ways" Tie climax of his
| only love affair awoke him and gave
him a new perspective on life. He
worked hard and kept away from his
| former boon companions. He said he
would SHOW her." but he didn't have
| much of chance, because the girl
| and her father moved away a week
| after Gaylord had received his ulti-
matum. No one knew where they had
gone. But Gaylord lived in hope of
receiving a letter some day and kept
| his life clean in spite of the tempta-
| lions that assailed I'm to indulge in
various stimulantS that might induce
| forgetfulness. Well. here it was a year
| later and he had a good position, and
| had won respect, but no letter had
| come. FINALLY his hopes had vanished,
and in search of some relief for his
| heavy heart he had determined to ac-
| cept Layard's offer.
| Il have given up my job on the
strength of the chance. to hunt for
| YOUR reasure,'' he said. "and you sure
Iy won't go back on me. Maybe it is
| a. wild-goose chase, but 1 want to try
| it, just the same
| Layard cast his partly consumed CT
gar into the fireplace and went into
an adjoining room. from which he re-
| turned shortly with a tin box, from
which he took piece of parchment
! that cracked from age and seemed on
! the point of falling to pieces. The
two men drew their chairs close and
bent over the paper
| In a canyon of the Cascade noun
tains. out in Oregon, some time after
| the conference dealt with above. Gay
lord Sumner lay beside a stream suf-
fering from injuries received in falling
from a cliff only a few yards away.
He was so weak from loss of blood
that it had taken him fully two hours
to crawl to the stream, where he was
endeavoring, with indifferent success,
| to battle his most serious wound.
which was in his right side. His right
shoulder also had been badly
wrenched and his entire body felt
bruised
| treasure" he laughed, hoarsely.
81 found the cache all right, but the
| trea sure-a lot of old tin cans and a
! pick-axe. Treasure. Bah, A wild
| goose chase is right"
AS he spoke he discerned a thin
wreath of smoke ascending over hill