The Holly chieftain., 1924-01-03
| After the older Meager wa.


81 see; the papers were all in your
possession; not above doctoring them,
were you?"
"What the HI Is that to you?'
mot a great deal to me. perhaps,
but of some Importance to couple Of
women I know-one of them a friend
of mine. Old Tom Meager left an
invalid widow. whom you fellows have.
l believe. robbed Systematically, and
then there is the girl Bob forced into
marriage. You didn't suppose knew
about all this. imagine-welI, Tn
going to get to the very bottom of 1t
before we are through. But Just now
l want Ito use the two of you Well
find out between us just what Manuel
did have hidden away in this hole.
Line up there against the wall; face
about the other way Now listen: I've
got both guns, my own, and the one
Garrity threw away; they are cooked
and within three feet of your backs.
l can't possibly miss you, and If you
make one move, except as I tell you.
Pm going to let drive. Are you ready"
ioi
ITO do as I order All right, then;
Light that lantern, Meager. Now
there Is plenty of light for me to see
you by at this distance. Move for
ward slowIy-Gnrrity you keep your
hand on the wall, and you. Meager,
take hold of Garrity's sleeve; now
don't forget; If you do it's sure fatal.
Go on slow. a step at time"
They advanced some ten or twelve
steps down an opening scarcely wide
enough for the two to pass abreast,
Kelleen's gaze wandering from the
backs of his prisoners to the gray
walls on either side The light flick
cred, yet revealed no opening, until
they came to the very end, and fronted
the solid rock. Even then, for an in
slant, Kelleen failed to perceive the
narrow cleft to the left beside Meager,
but the latter, excited by the discov-
cry, thrust the sputtering lantern for
ward, holding it at arms length. above
a rough stone slab which half barred
the way.
Ills fire! Look there!" he cried
excitedly, almost dropping the light.
Garrity craned his neck to see, both
men so wild Mt the sudden discovery
as to lose all thought of everything
else. Even Kelleen, revolver In hand.
and fully awake to the danger of his
position. pushed forward far enough
to gain partial glimpse within. Mea-
ger started to climb over, but the
judge stood motionless, breathing
hard, his hands gripped on the stone,
his eyes glaring about the oddly
shaped room, probably originally a
cavern formed by water, but enlarged
by the efforts of men. The whole
apartment might have measured fif-
teen feet by ten, barely high enough
to stand erect in, the walls varicol-
ored and sparkling in the rays of the
uplifted lantern. At the farther ex-
tremlty lay pile of debris, scattered
rock and powdered stone, rs though
resting just as they fell after an ex-
ploslon. the entire end almost totally
covered. Protruding from this pile,
clearly revealed, now that Meager had
found footing inside, and held the
blazing wick higher, was the white,
CHASTITY skeleton Of man. his bones
still covered with bits of ragged cloth.
Caught by falling rock, he had been
pinned there helpless until he died.
The three men scarcely saw all this.
or gave 1t thought, for there, imme-
diately in front, and all about them.
unarranged, scattered in heaps, lying
where they had been thrown care
lessly over that outer barrier of rock,
rested the miscellaneous spoils Of
thousand robberies, the sack Of
churches and towns; jewels torn from
women's hands. silver and gold, rich
booty of crime from midnight raids,
and the burning of cities-the hidden
treasWes OF old Manuel Gomez. 1t
was unbelievable. staggering. What
suffering, what death, what cruelty and
torture did these things picture! And
wealth-wealth Who could even cal
culate It's value? Bloodstained, crime
gotten, the fruits of fifty years of out
lawry, here was gathered, in one vast
heap, wealth to make the mind of man
helpless to grasp its value.
Garrity. digging his fingers frantI-
cally into the stone, unconscious of
what he did, his eyes blazing with
sudden, uncomfortable madness,
dragged himself over the barrier. He
had lost all reason, all fear; with a
mad cry he gathered up into his arms
all that he could grasp-golden cruel
fix, chaliced goblet, great silver link
glittering with pearls. a jeweled bodice
blazing in the lIght--laughed like
fiend as he hugged them close, then
staggered on in wild ecstasy, a string
of oaths breaking from his lips
Something trlpped him and he fell
his arms flung blindly OUT gripping
hand struck the lantern from Neagers
grasp, ninging 1t, still blazing, half
dozen feet away. An instant there
was silence, mere flicker of light.
which shot along the floor as though