LITERATURE.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1064, 25 July 1883, Page 4

LITERATURE.

J GREATGRANDFATHER'S DE&K.

By J. M. (Continued.) I . . ..• ; . Cf I ■ AfWf ll;had pulled the lasT/drawenont of its place, and.; "sat pondering what I should do next,.! unconsciously put; my hand, into the. place left '> vacant; its withdrawal, .arid began drumming yrith ■ my/fingers. /' ' V 1 Much r tb ! my-surprise, the back of| the ‘ space fell forward up'on. iny knuckles; reybaffhg a’recess at the back of the dpek. '{he;, recess * thus disclosed to view, I perceived something . - wlpte,; -which. I. .immediately; withdi-ew, -It:proved to fbe a ;piece. of> parchn|ent :n covered >witb■ writinga-- !>s "u }

> Turning,to' the light, l I proceeded to decipher'the'dbtoinVent which, much to 5 . my. I ' surprise;. contained, ‘directions jfor ]V finding..a secret passage,.;in. the . Wall, which ’would lead :to a .hidden’., 160 m yyhei!eip;;the;docunient stated, the writer William Mantori<)qhs|d d'eposil«?J a box; tl dontKiniifg■ 1 ■ W f ’ !arge amount | qf ’ of ~ye English' troops, and desiring to plsspsyfel id JtreasnrorfeLr ye/use of| ye* writer's'sop.and heirs.” I " The ■'directiens^translated into modern- "■ English, were ns follows : A Starling ffom 'thevhall door, measure . , alqng the floor,in,a. straight line.-twenty ', j 7 fgetj" then, tff* a .’pbint ‘bppositg* ;,J i ! thV: right han’d.i|Wall,. three feet from the'J'flobr, ' press ..upon .the "wall, f-yrlteii'n paii.iml will slide back, revealing a.fligliliof Spiral steps leading up through /the. Avail. ... j ‘'Follow these steps to the top/where they apparently end at a stone wall. | &06m$ ftifee rioters of'stdnes upfr-otpi the landing, and"the same number > to 51 ’ the 1 oft*bfThe 1 ri‘gli f t~h and r cOfner of the . reces f 8. T , Hero you/wfll flud ’'a,. ’ s.tpne, v; .by , open before..you,’! \ ‘ Passing through you;;wilf .•find. yonraelf'ima-.BmalldroomjiiftV whicB 1 - . -is the box containing the treasure/ j The reaflef9nay' imagine the s state; of ;“^ ;-l e3iciifemerit info 1 which ‘this communication threw mC/ita c I • or* Were my boyhood dreams of this bidden' treasure to be realised at last;?I could hardly believe that we were not ,|o i re|k<|- tjie memorandum over three or four times before I i imagination was not playing ine, a. trick, \ ■’<: At the f bpt,^^ ; fif the.' piece of parch- (, , ,ment-was the sentence, ‘ Remember the family motto/ The meaning of this was clear to-.ipp} fbp(' as it'seemed not to have any bearing upon the other contents; of the document I dismissed : ik- from v iny \\ ji a \l, ,1 aJ L* Procarrng. -ttape measure, with* feet on the f100r,,, apd then measuring ; three legt hand wall, beginning at a p.qinhopposite* the line, .1 tried Itb find the,,spr.ing V; jr were jin ._yain._ -|.r’ Thinking that my measurements might have been inaccurate, I tried again, and, ; After- sevbral -ineffectual- attempts, : I . 1 Had I misunderstood.it ? No ; there were the I difectibns / m' plain black and white. Reading-the paper over care- :!.. -f.ufly g. itheqAast {.sentence cabgbt. ifSjTeye. . T-bave SaidiTi had over-,?-ddokOd a¥.hating ; n’o'^beHriilig;; upon the Retoember’ ! the nr fatoily

motto!’,. <r ...Tj i ,'r.ft the *sefllenc6 seeded W r ‘stand ont from the parchment! s ‘ The f§milyTSolto What was it ? ' B^if { cpn’sistfe ! d ! ot t)hiy three words— 4 tried /'T%fbte the woVds 5 down,’ "the better to. sftfdiy ! %beffl—l[ ■ >: Suddenly a-thought came into liiy of parchment by fire ? j I advanced to the fire-place and , between my eyes and the fire. As-the; hea|‘ begaiv to effect it, ; 1,saw to between the third arfd'^fonrth - ; ‘lines, these words “Pi&ftiroD YlnJiO'i I . ‘ Side thelargejnirror, the frame iof u XIJ Reaping, of|bat, -aympatblc .ink, >jsipn " f ’ I^g^e 7 <*on|y .^heh, ; . subjeqtj jt<* " 'beat. f ;“ ’ •rrb-tvc.’--* *,M \ I f (j pfpcantioii. ...bath evidently bepn adopted,, tQ.,..prpyent ; a stranger, wso r family mottoV "from makiog fuse of the ft **#!,'{ O?--!"'.'Y Vl*/- I - as follows «'s ~... r in/ >;' 4 r fi:** / 'j* alppg, the,floor, in a straight line, twenty ' ‘feet. Then at a point opposite this on the right .hand,,side of,the large mirrOr, the frame of whiefijs. Set into the wall three feetdrona tbe-fiopr, press upon the wall when a'pannel' will slide back, revealing a flight of spiral stairs-leading nJiX " ! * I The mirror referred to was not in the H£U£-hy&clf -vnill, i 1 brtt^iri one, so that >a‘ person 'without the key would try, as I-bad-, to find the panel in the wrong part of the room, and thus .- --the secret would he isafe/ffbtnrdi^ccprcry. V - )■ -Ppllowinf the directions as corrected, - .;If;pr^ed-,npon ;a snail-head- which I t ..found apt the, - right-hand side of the mirror, when -the'/whole frame swung | ..-bpckjreyeifliDf the flight of stairsi; : ~r Lighting a{qpffdl^:'l-mounted<these, .. and found myself/confronted, by a' blank , ipajl. t.Again.referring, to the directions, v I easily fo.und the. stone vindicated, and .: giving? -it jia yigorons. push,; - the .wall seejojed -to move'* back* and. a, rush of cold,i roqsty-sinelling air almost ex- - ,my> .candle, - i n . . Stepping through • the opening, . I - found.: my self •in a small room, which seemed; to have been.. fitted up as a bedroom. At one side stood an old bedstead, with mattress and bed-clothes‘ complete, but the latter so yellow and moth-eaten ; that.l could hardly;decide what material they were made .0f.,.,

An old-fashioned chest of drawers; and a washstaiid completed the ’ furniture of the room. Searching the room I -found- at i one side, just under the bod, a small -iron chest, which was so heavy that I could hardly lift it. It was'’securely locked, but on th-e'wall, by the chest of drawers, I found an old, rusty key, which fitted the lock. After several efforts -I succeeded in turning the key in the lock and ; -raising the lid. I started back with an :exclamation of. amazement. There be-fore me' lay the wealth, which ; Sir William had brought with' him to his adopted country. j In a tray lay numbers of.diamonds and precious stones of all kinds, while beneath were numerous bags filled with ,gOld COin. / - - ’ ; ; I thus ifonndj myself almost in! an instant, changed from a poor, struggling lawyer to hj wealthy capitalist;: / ■ The nextr,day l removed: the treasure" to a safe place, and ere long the mortgage was paid -off, thenold place oiice more free, and-~I had a snug forthne investeddh good:securities; ■ I have since~TlTarried, and as I.sitj in the'long winter eveniiigs, in the dear bid. library,, with, my wife -and .'children around .mej ; the little, qhes; hi. the story of the paper which lifound in ‘my great-grandfather’s desk.’ j ; :