New Britain herald., 1929-09-18
Chapter 2S
TEE BAGS SECRETS

Som"rficld and l stared at the mysterious black bag. I hated to touch the thing.
 Better take it upstairs" said he pointing significantly through the window to the lawn beyond it. l carried the burden upstairs and dumped it on my bed. Somcrficld looked at it curiously and pointed to some worn indentation letters engraved on the side of the bag, "p. L."
 "Original owners initials" said SOmcrficId.
 The black bag was not even locked or strapped. Ii had spring latch that burst open when I de- pressed if.
 Soncrficld looked over my shoul- der, We saw at first nothing but what happened to be q mass of dingy rags. But on one. part of thcm there vas q mark which turned me cold with apprehension. Somcrtiold did not realize the sig nlticance Of the broad arrow.
 'What's that mcan?" he asked.
 'Tho evidence that LaXton want "d-thc bread arrow that marks con}tcts dress"
 l pullnd at the tough gray mate rial. but it would not come. Impa- tant, &omrrficld laid hold of the bag itself, turned it upside down. and lifted it away, leaving on tlr
  prison coat. He gave it d roll ahd it came apart.
 Then We both staggered back, thc two most ast0nishcd young men in England that dny. Wrapped in tn" prison coat was what seemed to us 10 be priceless and unhcard of things, gold trinhots with masses Of jewels, rings. bracelets, brooches. and above all q golden goblet set so thicEIy with diamonds and rubcs that it's bowl was wcll-nigh hidden.
 We stared at the display for full minute. Somcrficld spoke first.
 Pretty little haul guess. I don't know much about icwclry. but I'd say there was q considerable fortune there, Grcnofcn. Noticed whether thoro have been any big roh5oijos latcly?"
 But the contents Of the bag ful- filled my old fears and produced new onre.
 What can we do?" said.
 "Fhat's cary" Somerficld picked mp the b@g and stuffed the coat into if. "EHrA this right away"
 II seemed good advice I thought of my mothers ncincrator in the garden. SomcrficId volunteered 10 stand guard over what he called the jcW'Iry store while I crcmatrd the discriminating beg. found some oil papers. put them round tho beg and soon had it in the middle of an incandc2cant mrrs.
 The dispo3al Of AlaIdn's trca- sure, however, was going to be much more difficult.
 Christ ophcr - look here! These were under the ornaments"
 He pointed 10 a number of steel toolS--a fine saw. q jimmy. a pick loci', q hook, silk rope. He held in his hand a book in quarto, bound in 4 whitc-yclloW vcllum.
 'Thc book old Fothorbury missed from his library. l bet a dollar, :" said he.
 tool; if. and let the leaves fall ovr; a h'ac'i-l"ttrr m"nu"rript, end on tho first rlabora'"ry crramrn;od r'%" the words. "'Tho Book of the Abbott John Deacon"
 II had been bound up before the manuscript vas finished, perhaps even before if was begun. Nearly quarter of the pages at the end were blank. And on the last writ ten page was q plan-apparcntly tn" ground plan of church.
 That's a plan of Fothcrbury's ruins"
 "Thc book was stolen Saturday or sunday. "YOu and l.aXton saw man proving about the ruins sunday night LaXton must have expected him Laxton is kocn on getting the book. Grcnofcn. don't we begin 10 sec that Laxton knew about Cousin John even lc- fore Cousin John gave them tE, slip In Devonshirc but look her Grcnofcn, we cant leave this stu lying about"
 But it was easier 10 say get CT oI It than 10 do so. We hurried diScu"Ted many projects only {. drop them.
 Of n sudden, S~mcrfcld sccmcf 10 b" electrified. He lcaped bac': from thc window, cried, Look out.' and divcd into the corner of the room where I had an old full-platc camera in yellow case.
 Watch 'cm and tell me If they come in,' said Somcrficld. tearing at the buckles Of the camera case.
 My view commanded the lane from point near our gate 10 the place where 1t disappeared under tn" trees. What had excited Somcr- field was the two mon walking up inc road. I had them in sight for two or three seconds.
 One was young Fothcrbury. The other l did not know. kept an eye on the gate, while Somcrficld in brr&thIor3 h2&.o got the camera out of the case, cropped it on the floor and piled thc stuff into it.
 What will you do with it?" ag',cd.
 "f,evcr mind. Watch, The fellow with the cub iS one of I.aXtOn's mcn."