clarence and his brother had not been under their uncle’s roof more than two or three hours before they found that they had been sadly mistaken in regard to some opinions they had formed, and marshall was honest enough to acknowledge the fact, at least to himself. the “country bumpkins,” as clarence had sneeringly called his cousins, proved to be educated young gentlemen, who, before the day was over, put their dashing city relatives to the blush on more than one occasion, and forced them to confess that all the knowledge in the world was not to be gained by simply travelling about europe. don and bert exerted themselves to the utmost to entertain their visitors, and so did all the other members of the family; and they succeeded so well that marshall told himself that perhaps his forced sojourn in the country would not turn out to be so very unpleasant after all. but clarence, being entirely out of[pg 216] his element, was homesick already, and consequently could take no interest in anything. he cared little for such amusements and pastimes as were to be found in a happy cultivated family circle. he preferred a game of billiards or cards with some boon companions, and these he could not have so long as he remained under his uncle’s roof.
the day was a long and dreary one to him. he played a few times on his flute while his cousin lucy accompanied him on the piano; spent an hour or two in walking about the plantation; listened patiently, but without much interest, while don and bert talked of the various exciting and amusing incidents that had happened in the neighborhood during the war; and as soon as night came and he could find an opportunity to do so, he slipped away by himself. he wanted to be alone, so that he could think over the plans he had formed for bringing his visit to a speedy termination, and make up his mind what sort of a letter he would write to his mother.
“there’s no fun to be seen here,” said clarence, as he drew a cigar from one pocket and a match-safe from another. “i can see that with half an eye, and i can’t endure the thought of staying here for six long months. i’d do almost anything to raise[pg 217] money enough to take me away from here this very night. now, what can i say to mother, in the letter i intend to write to her before i go to bed, that will induce her to send me fifty dollars without an hour’s delay?”
as clarence asked himself this question he lighted his cigar, and finding that a fence ran across his path, and that he was at such a distance from the house that he could enjoy his smoke without fear of interruption, he leaned on the top rail and went off into a reverie, from which he was aroused a few minutes later by the sound of voices and footsteps. hastily taking his cigar from his mouth and putting it behind him, he looked up and saw a couple of figures advancing toward him along the fence. it was so dark that he could not see who they were, but it flashed upon him that perhaps they were don and bert, who were out searching for him. with an exclamation indicative of great annoyance and vexation, he was about to throw away his cigar, when some words spoken in a suppressed tone of voice fell upon his ear and arrested his hand.
by this time the approaching figures were so close to him that clarence made out that they were a man and a boy; and from their conversation he learned[pg 218] that they had come there to dig up a barrel. clarence caught every word they uttered, and could scarcely restrain his astonishment when he heard the man say:
“he done a good thing fur us, ole jordan did, when he run away without tellin’ his missus whar that bar’l was hid. now, dannie, let’s try right here fust. ye begin, kase yer the youngest, an’ i’ll set down an’ smoke an’ watch ye till yer tired. now, bar in mind that yer workin’ fur eighty thousand dollars! throw it out with the fust shovelful, an’ i’ll give ye half!”
clarence almost jumped from the ground when he heard this, and, like the quick-witted fellow he was, he comprehended the situation perfectly; but we ought to say that he had something besides the conversation to which he had just listened, to aid him in reaching the conclusions he so suddenly formed. during the day his aunt had shown him several articles of value that had long been heir-looms in the gordon family, and explained to him how she had managed to keep them secreted during the war. the family silver had been buried again and again—every time, in fact, that there was the least rumor of an advance being made by either army—and the[pg 219] work, for the most part, had been done by some of the negroes on the plantation.
“a good many people lost property in that way which they never recovered,” said his aunt. “the negroes, having concealed it, ran away with the federals without leaving any clue to the hiding-place of the valuables, and so they were never found.”
clarence had not thought much of this at the time, but he thought of it now, and by connecting it with the words that had just been uttered in his hearing, he arrived at a tolerably fair solution of what would otherwise have been a deep mystery to him. his aunt had not said so in so many words, but he inferred that she had lost valuable property in the way she had explained. clarence was sure of it now, and he was almost overwhelmed by the discovery he had made.
“eighty thousand dollars!” said he, to himself. “it must be in money, and in gold and silver, too, for my aunt says that all the wealthy rebels took the precaution to exchange their bank-notes for specie at the first beginning of the trouble between the north and south. i hope to goodness they will find it. if they do, they can rest assured that they’ll not get away with it all.”
the few seconds that clarence passed in meditating[pg 220] and soliloquizing in this way, were employed by dan in getting ready for work, and by godfrey in picking out a comfortable place to sit down, and in filling and lighting his pipe. having discarded his coat and hat, dan threw out two or three shovelfuls of earth; but it was heavy work, and dan, who got tired very easily, could not help asking himself how many such shovelfuls he would have to throw out before the coveted barrel could be brought to light. he told his father that ten acres was a great deal of ground, and godfrey, to encourage him, reminded him that there were eighty thousand dollars in gold and silver buried somewhere about there, and that they must have it if they were obliged to dig up the whole state of mississippi.
it was while dan was looking all about the field to see how large it was, that he discovered the lighted end of clarence gordon’s cigar shining through the darkness. clarence was leaning half way over the fence in his eagerness to hear all that was said, and smoking furiously, too much interested and excited to remember that the little coal of fire on the end of his havana, which glowed brightly for a moment and then faded almost entirely away, as he drew in and puffed out the smoke, could be seen by the parties[pg 221] he was watching, should either of them chance to look that way. we know that they did look that way, both of them, and that half a minute later the field was deserted, and clarence was standing alone beside the fence.
the boy was utterly amazed at the haste with which godfrey and his son took themselves out of sight, and all unconscious of the fact that he was the cause of their alarm, he drew himself quickly down beside a tree that stood in the fence corner, put his cigar behind him and looked all around, expecting to see some member of his uncle’s family or one of his servants approaching. but there was no one in sight, and after listening and watching for a few minutes, clarence climbed over into the field to see what progress the two prowlers had made with their work.
the hope that they might have uncovered the barrel was very short-lived, for he found that dan had made just no headway at all. the hole he had dug could have been covered up with a hat.
“i wonder what in the world it was that frightened them away,” said clarence, in deep perplexity. “they were frightened, of course, or they would not have run as they did after holding that whispered[pg 222] consultation. i can’t see or hear anything alarming, and i do wish they had stayed long enough to dig up the barrel. eighty thousand dollars! if it is to be found i must have some of it. if i knew where i could find a shovel, i’d dig awhile myself. but no matter. they will probably come back again; if not to-night then some other night, and i shall be on hand when the barrel is found, no matter if i don’t get a wink of sleep for the next six months. hello! what’s this?” he added, as his fingers came in contact with the pipe godfrey had dropped.
he held it up between him and the sky, and when he saw what it was, was about to throw it away, when he thought of something. he held the pipe suspended in the air a moment, then put it into his pocket and walked back to his hiding-place again. he waited and watched there for nearly an hour, hoping that godfrey and his son would return, but being satisfied at last that they had no intention of coming back that night, and fearing that if he remained away from the house any longer, somebody would be out to see what had become of him, he pitched the stump of his cigar into the bushes and walked away from the fence.
“now, this is just what i am going to do,” said[pg 223] clarence, who had already thought the matter over and determined upon his course of action. “i’m going to find out who those fellows are, if there is any possible way for me to do it, and i am going to say to them: ‘look here, boys; havers!’ if they say ‘yes,’ well and good. if they say ‘no,’ i’d like to see them get a cent out of those eighty thousand dollars. i wish it was morning. i shan’t sleep a wink to-night.”
the first person he met as he entered the hall was his aunt, who seemed to be waiting for him. she asked him where he had been passing the evening, and detecting the smell of tobacco smoke, told him what he had been doing. clarence pleaded guilty, but said that he was homesick and had the blues; and when he got that way, nothing did him so much good as a lonely walk and a cigar. but he would give up the cigar now. he would not smoke any more.
after a short time spent with the family in music and conversation, the boys all went up stairs together, and don and bert stopped for a few minutes in their cousins’ room. clarence thought this a good opportunity to find out some things he wanted to know, so he began questioning don at once.
[pg 224]“whom do you visit with here?” said he. “who is your nearest neighbor?”
“o, we have a large circle of friends,” replied don. “i don’t wonder you think it very lonely now; but wait until you have had a chance to make acquaintances, and then tell me what you think about it. our nearest neighbor, as you go up the river, is colonel packard. he has two lively boys whom i think you will like. in fact i don’t see how you could help it, for everybody likes them. our nearest neighbor, as you go down the river, is godfrey evans.”
“he’s a good one,” said bert.
“we don’t have much to do with him or his family,” continued don, “and you will know the reason why when you see them. we give david our dogs to break, because he is a first-rate hand, and we want to help him along. he’s got something in him, david has, but his father and his older brother, dan, don’t amount to much.”
“dan!” thought clarence, becoming highly excited at once, “i believe i am on the right track already. the man who was digging in the field called the boy that was with him ‘dannie.’” then believing that it might be well for him to know[pg 225] something about godfrey before he sought an interview with him, he said aloud:
“how far does this man evans live from here, and what is his business?”
“he lives about a mile down the river, and has no occupation at all,” answered don. “he used to be in good circumstances, but having lost everything he possessed, except his land, he is too disheartened to go to work and put himself on his feet again. he spends a little of his time in hunting, and a good deal more in grumbling at his hard luck. he might make a good living for his family with his rifle, if he felt so disposed, for game is abundant, and he is a good hunter and a capital shot; but he is too lazy to follow even that, the laziest of all occupations.”
after a few more questions clarence learned so much of godfrey’s history, and of his disposition and habits, that he began to think that he was already well acquainted with him; and besides don described him so accurately that he could not fail to recognise him if he once met him. this much had been gained, and now clarence would have given something if he could have learned more about the property belonging to the family that was buried during the war; but, after thinking a moment, he decided that it would[pg 226] be better for him to say nothing at all on this point. he did not want to arouse anybody’s suspicions, and besides, godfrey evans, when he found him, could tell all he desired to know. he wanted to go to bed now to think over the good fortune that seemed almost within his grasp, so he began to yawn as if he were very sleepy (if his country cousins had been guilty of such an act he would have pronounced them boors at once), and don and bert, taking the hint, said good-night and left the room.
the night was as long and dreary to clarence as the day had been, but for a different reason. he was impatient to be up and doing, and it seemed to him that the morning would never come. he heard the little clock on the mantel strike every hour from ten to five, and then he jumped up because he could stay in bed no longer. he was not called to breakfast at six o’clock, as marshall had predicted, but the meal was ready at seven, and after they had sat down to it clarence, to his great disgust, found that don and bert had been laying out some very elaborate plans for the entertainment of himself and brother. in the first place it was their intention to spend two or three days in riding about the country, in order to give their city relatives some idea of the manner[pg 227] in which the people in the south lived, and also to make them acquainted with all the young people in the neighborhood who were worth knowing. then, of course the boys would call on them, and by the time their visits had been returned, they might begin to look for brant. when they began to come down from the north, the shooting season was close at hand; and if clarence and marshall liked to hunt, they would get a party of good fellows together, and go down to the shooting-box and spend a week there. when they were tired of that, they would go ’coon-hunting; and when they had seen all the sport they cared to see in that way, they would trap and shoot some turkeys, or drive the ridges for deer.
“yes,” thought clarence, while he listened, “it is all very fine, no doubt; but if you think you are going to use up my time in that way, you have reckoned without your host. amusement indeed! what pleasure would i see in riding about the country calling on these natives? what do i care for your deer or turkeys or your shooting-box? i can’t go, at least not to-day, for i have business of my own to attend to.”
and he didn’t go either; and, what was more, he gave such reasons for declining that his cousins, although somewhat surprised, readily let him off.[pg 228] he was much too homesick to be any company during a ride, he said, and all he wanted was to go off somewhere and be alone. he would be himself in a day or two, and when he felt more like mingling with people, he would be quite at the service of his cousins, don and bert. the latter expressed their regrets, but readily accepted his excuses, and clarence, after making some inquiries of don, calculated to draw out information on a few points on which he wished to be posted, went up to his room to prepare himself for his interview with godfrey evans. when he came down again he wore a neat hunting-suit, and carried a light ballard rifle on his shoulder. don, who met him in the hall, opened his eyes in surprise, and went into ecstacies over the handsome little breech-loader which clarence presented for his inspection.
“i didn’t know that you city fellows ever had an opportunity to use such things as this,” said don, bringing the weapon to his shoulder, and glancing along the clean, brown barrel.
“o, yes, we do,” said clarence. “rifle-shooting is becoming quite fashionable now-a-days, and i used to spend an hour or two every evening at the gallery. i can make forty-five out of a possible fifty almost any time.”
[pg 229]this was greek to don, who, however, did not ask any questions, for clarence had so pompous a way of giving information and looked so surprised when any one asked him to explain his meaning, that don did not like to show his ignorance. he handed the rifle back to his cousin and saw him walk out of the house, pass through the gate, and turn down the road that led to godfrey evans’s cabin.
we have already told what sort of a reception he met at godfrey’s hands, and have also described what he did to bring himself to the notice of that gentleman. he knew godfrey as soon as he put his eyes on him. he studied the man’s face closely, and being satisfied with the opinion he formed, easily induced him to accompany him into the woods. he wanted to talk freely with him without running any risk of being overheard, but he hardly knew how to begin the conversation. he wanted to make a friend of his new acquaintance and gain his confidence, and in order to do that, he must be careful how he went to work. the pipe godfrey had lost the night before, and which clarence had brought with him in his game-bag, served him a good turn. in attempting to produce the cigars, he accidentally pulled out the pipe also. godfrey recognised it, and so amazed was he to see his property, which he imagined he[pg 230] had lost beyond recovery, in the possession of an entire stranger, that he betrayed himself at once. after that it was no trouble for clarence to open conversation with him about the buried treasure, and neither did he experience any difficulty in persuading godfrey to accept him as an assistant in the place of dan. clarence learned to his great surprise and amusement that he had been the innocent cause of godfrey’s hasty stampede on the previous night, and it was all he could do to refrain from laughing outright at the man’s description of the “haunt” he had seen. we have also told what arrangements the worthy pair made in regard to prosecuting the search and dividing the spoils after the barrel was found, and we know that when the interview was ended clarence went home happy in the belief that he would soon be a rich man, and that no one under his uncle’s roof, not even his brother marshall, would be the wiser for it. no one was the wiser for it then, but there was one who found out all about it a few hours later, and who interfered with his project in a manner so unexpected and effectual, that he not only put a stop to all efforts to find the money, but also came very near driving all the negroes off the plantation, and causing general gordon the greatest trouble and inconvenience.
