THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 8, 1916
v
TREASU
MR.
RI
OU can't be-too care
ful who you marry,"
said Mr. Brisher, and
pulled thoughtfully
with a fat-wrlsted
band at the lank
mustache that hldea
his want of chin.
"That's who," I ventured.
"Yes," said Mr. Brisher, with a sol
emn light in his bleary blue-gray eyes,
moving his head expressively and breath
ing alcohol intimately at me. "There's
lots as 'ave 'ad a try at me many as I
could name in this town but none 'ave
done it none."
I surveyed the flushed countenance,
the equatorial expansion, the masterly
carelessness of his attire, and heaved a
sigh to think that by reason of the un
worthiness of women he must needs be
the last of his race.
"I was a smart young chap when I
was younger," said Mr. Brisher. "I 'ad
my work cut out. But I was very care
fulvery. And I got through."-
He leaned over the taproom table and
thought visibly on the subject of my
trustworthiness. I was relieved at last
by his confidence.
"I was engaged once," he said at last,
with a reminiscent eye on the shuv-a'-penny
board.
"So near as that?"
He looked at me. "So near as that.
Fact is " He looked about him,
brought his face close to mine, lowered
his voice and fenced off an unsympa
thetic world with a grimy hand. "If she
ain't dead or married to some one else
or anything I'm engaged still. Now."
He confirmed this statement with nods
and facial contortions. "Still," he said,
ending the pantomime, and broke into a
reckless smile at my surprise. "Me!"
"Run away," he explained - further,
with coruscating eyebrows. "Come 'ome.
"That ain't all.
"You'd hardly believe it," he said.
"But I found a treasure. Found a regu
lar treasure."
I fancy this was irony, and-did not,
perhaps, greet It with proper surprise.
"Yes," he said. "I found a treasure. And
come 'ome. I tell you I could surprise
you with things that has happened to
me." And for some time he was content
to repeat that he had found a treasure
and left it
I made no vulgar clamor for a story,
but I became attentive to Mr. Brisher's
bodily needs, and presently I led him
back to theAleserted lady.
"She was a nice little girl."
he said a little sadly, I .
thought "And respectable.
"If she ain't
dead or married
to some one else
or any thing'
I'm engaged
still."
By H. G. Wells
Illustrated by Don Wilson T
raiiiimiiiiiia ra
TP HE finding of buried treasure always has a romantic
touch, but here is one with an entirely new angle.
You will like it.
He raised his eyebrows and tightened
his mouth to express extreme respecta
bilitybeyond the likes of us elderly
men.
"It was a long way from ere. Essex,
In fact. Near Colchester. It was when
I was up In London in the bulldin' trade.
I was a smart young chap then, I can tell
you. Slim. 'Ad best clo'es good as
anybody. 'At silk 'at, mind you." Mr.
Brisher's hand shot above his head to
indicate a silk hat of the highest. "Um
brellanice umbrella, with a 'orn 'andle.
Savin's. Very careful, I was. "
HE WAS pensive for a little while,
thinking, as we must all come to
think sooner or later, of the vanished
brightness of youth. But he refrained,
as one may do in taprooms, from the
obvious moral.
"I got to know ,her through a chap
what was engaged to er sister. She was
stopping in London for a bit with an
aunt that ad a 'am an' beef shop. This
aunt was very particular they was all
very particular, all 'er, people was and
wouldn't let 'er sister go out with this
feller except 'er other sister, my gir!.
that is, went with them. So e brought
me into It sort of to ease the crowding.
We used to go walks in Battersea Park
of a Sunday afternoon. Me In my top
per, and 'im in 'Is; and the girls well
, stylish. There wasn't many In Batter
sea Park 'ad the larf of us. She wasn't
what you'd call pretty, but a nicer girl
I never met I liked 'er from the start,
and, well though I say it who shouldn't
she liked me. You know 'ow it Is, I
d essay?"
I pretended I did.
"And when this chap married 'er sis
ter 'im and me was great friends what
must 'e do but arst me down to Colches
ter, close by where she lived. Naturally
I was introduced to 'er people, and, well,
very soon her and me was engaged."
He repeated, "Engaged."
"She lived at 'ome with 'er father and
mother, quite the lady, in a very nice
little 'ouse with a garden and remark
able respectable people they was. Rich
you might call 'era a'most. They owned
their own 'ouse got it out of the build
ing society, and cheaper because the
chap whohad it before was a burglar
and in prison and they 'ad a bit of free
'old land, and some cottages and money
Invested, all nice and tight; they was
what you'd call snug and warm. I tell
you, I was on. Furniture, too. Why,
they 'ad a planner. Jane 'er name was
Jane used to play It Sundays, and very
niee she played, too. There wasn't 'ard
ly a 'im toon in the book she couldn't
play.
"Many's the evenin we've met and
sung 'ims there, me and 'er and the fam
ily. . -
" 'Er father was quite a leading man
in chapel. You should ha' seen 'm Sun
days, interruptin' the minister and givln'
out 'ims. He had gold spectacles, I re
member, and used to look over 'em at
you while 'e sang 'earty 'e was always
great on singin' 'earty to the Lord and
when 'e was out of toon 'arf the people
went after 'im always- 'E was that
sort of man. And to walk be'ind 'im in
'is nice black clo'es 's 'at was a brim
mermade one regular proud to be en
gaged to such a father-in-law. And
when the summer came I went down
there and stopped a fortnight
"Now you know there was a sort of
itch," said Mr. Brisher. "We wanted to
marry, me and Jane did, and get things
settled. Bu 'e said I 'ad to get a proper
position first. Consequently there was a
'itch. Consequently, when I went down
there I was anxious to show that I was
a good, useful sort of chap like. Show I
could do pretty nearly everything like.
See?" -
I made a sympathetic noise. f
"And down at the bottom of their
rockeries. Lemma make you one? Yoo.
see, I'd 'elped my brother make a rock
ery in the beer garden be'ind 'is tap, so)
knew 'ow to do It to rights. 'Lemma
make you one,' I says. 'It's 'olldays, but
I'm that sort of chap, I 'ate doing noth
ing,' I says. 'I'll make you one to
rights.' And the long and the short of
it was he said I might
"And that's 'ow I come on the treaa
ure."
"What treasurer' I asked.
"Why!" said Mr. Brisher, "the treas
ure I'm telling you about, what's th
reason why I never married."
"What! a treasure dug up?" . - .
"Yes buried wealth treasure trove.
Come out of the ground. What I kept on
saying regular treasure " He
looked at me with unusual disrespect
"It wasn't more than a foot deep, not
the top of it," be said. "I'd 'ardly got
thirst like before I come on the corner."
"Go on." I Bald. "I didn't under
stand." "Why! Directly I 'it the box I knew
It was treasure. A sort of instinct told
me. Something seemed to shout inside
of me, 'Now's your chance lie low!' It's
lucky I knew the laws of treasure trove,
or 'd 'ave been shoutin' there and then.
I daresay you know"
V
CROWN bags it," I said, "all but 1
per cent. Go on. It's a -Shame. What
did you do?"
"Uncovered the top of the box. There
wasn't anybody In the garden or about
like. Jane was 'elplng 'er mother do the
'ouse. I was excited, I tell you. I tried
the lock and then gave a whack at the
'inges. Open it came. Silver coins-4fullI
Shining. It made me tremble to see 'em.
Arid Jest then I'm blessed if the dust
man didn't come round the back of the
'ouse. It pretty nearly gave me 'eart
disease to think what a fool I was to
'ave that money showing. And directly
after I 'eard the chap next door 'e was
'olidaying, too 'eard him waterin' 'Is
beans, if only 'e'd looked over the
fence!"
"What did you do?"
"Kicked the lid on again and covered'
it up like a shot and went on digging
about a yard away from it like mad.
And my face so to speak was laughing
on its own account till I 'ad It 'id. I tell
you I was regular scared like at my
luck. I Jest thought that it 'ad to be
kep' close and that t as all. 'Treasure,'
I kept whisperin' to myself, 'Treasure,'
and 'undreds and 'undreds of pounds,
'undreds and 'undreds "of pounds.' Whis
perin' to myself like, and diggin' like
biases. It seemed to
"me the box was reg
ular sticking out and
showing, like your
garden was a bit of wild part like. So I
says to im, 'Why don't you 'ave a rock
ery 'ere? I says. - It 'ud look nice.'
"Too much expense,' he says.
" "Not a penny,' says L Tm a day at
leg do under the sheets in bed, and J
went and put all the earth I'd got
out of my 'ole for the rockery slap on
top of it I was in a sweat And In the
midst of it all out ioddles 'er father. He