The Coming Wave; Or, The Hidden Treasure of High Rock by Oliver Optic (books to read for beginners .txt) 📗

little contempt for those[Pg 143] who allowed themselves to be carried away by such vain and silly illusions. While he had no doubt that Miss Liverage was in earnest, he had little confidence in the existence of the hidden treasure at High Rock.

Though Leopold did not intend to become a Wolfert Webber, and dig over half a mile of beach under the cliffs, he admitted to himself the possibility of the existence of the treasure. He had promised the nurse that he would search for the money, and he did so; but he felt that the task was like "looking for a needle in a hay-mow," and he abandoned it before he had made himself ridiculous in his own estimation. He wrote a letter to the nurse, who had given him her address in New York, informing her of the ill success of his endeavors. She answered the letter, giving him further instructions, saying that the money was buried not more than a foot below the surface of the beach, and near a projecting rock. Probably when she was less excited than during her visit to Rockhaven, her memory had recalled some of the statements of Harvey Barth; for certainly she had said nothing so definite as this when she was with Leopold.[Pg 144]

The young man, aided by these directions, which certainly were not very precise, made another attempt to find the treasure. There was more than one "projecting rock," and he dug over all the sand and gravel to the depth of a foot in the vicinity of every part of the cliff which answered to the description given. He worked very hard, and the boatmen who saw him at his labors wondered if he expected to find clams so far up on the beach.

He found neither clams nor money; and when he had finished the search he was more than ever dissatisfied with himself for being led away by such a chimera. He wrote to Miss Liverage again, informing her of the continued failure of his efforts, and declaring that he would not "fool with the matter" any longer. The nurse did not answer his last letter and it was evident that she too had "lost hope." Leopold never heard anything more from her or about her, and in a few weeks he had forgotten all about the "hidden treasure of High Rock," for he did not believe there was any treasure there, and it was not pleasant for him to remember that he had made a fool of himself.[Pg 145]

Leopold and Stumpy went to school together during the winter, and continued to be as good friends as ever. Mrs. Wormbury struggled with her hard lot, and Squire Moses still threatened to take possession of the cottage. The Cliff House prospered in its small way, and the landlord still nursed his grand project of having a big hotel in Rockhaven. During the next season Leopold did very well with his boat, both with the fishing and with the "jobs" from the hotel. He saved his money and still kept it in the iron safe of Herr Schlager, who was as proud of and as devoted as ever to his nephew. In the spring, the question for the name of the new boat came up again, and the skipper was prepared to settle the question. Among the guests at the hotel in the summer, was the family of the Hon. Franklin Hamilton, a wealthy merchant of New York, who was a native of Rockhaven. They had spent a few days at the Cliff House for several seasons, though it was painfully apparent to the landlord that his accommodations were not satisfactory to his distinguished and wealthy guests, for the time they spent at the house was very brief. The family consisted of Mr.[Pg 146] Hamilton, his wife and an only daughter. They always wanted to sail when they came to Rockhaven, but Ben Chipman's boat did not suit them. Leopold did not buy his sloop till after they had gone; but he congratulated himself upon the fact that when they came the next season he should be able to sail them in a boat which was good enough for any nabob in the land.

Being in funds in the spring, he fitted up the sloop very nicely, and could not help anticipating the pleasure it would afford him to sail the Hamiltons, especially the daughter, who, at the age of fourteen, was a very pretty girl. Revelling in these delightful thoughts, it suddenly occurred to him that he might give the young lady's name to the boat. It was certainly a very pretty name for so jaunty a craft as the sloop. It was Rosabel. In another week it appeared in gilt letters on the stern of the boat. In the summer the family came again. Rosabel was taller and prettier than ever, and Leopold actually realized all his pleasant and romantic anticipations, as he sailed her and her parents about the bay. Mr. Hamilton engaged the boat[Pg 147] for every day during his stay, which was prolonged to a whole week, or twice as long as he usually remained; for Rosabel was so pleased with the water excursions that her father extended his visit at her desire. Probably Leopold had as much romance in his nature as most young men of seventeen, and after his first full season in the Rosabel, the beautiful face and form of Miss Hamilton were a very distinct image in his mind, often called up, and often the subject of his meditations, though he could not help thinking of the wide gulf that yawned between the daughter of the rich merchant and the son of the humble landlord of a small hotel.

In the fall of the year, Leopold observed that his father was making frequent visits to Squire Moses Wormbury; and it soon came out that the rich man was to loan the landlord six thousand dollars, to enable the latter to make his contemplated improvements upon the hotel. The squire was to have this sum on the first of January, and though Mr. Bennington did not want it for several months, he consented to take it at that time; for Squire Moses would not[Pg 148] allow it to remain a single month uninvested. The landlord was confident that he could make money enough on the new hotel to pay off the mortgage in three years. As soon as the snow melted in the spring, the work was commenced. The old portion of the hotel was partly torn to pieces, and for a time business was very good at the Island Hotel, for the Cliff House was closed.

Both the landlord and his son, pleasurably excited by the alterations in progress, worked with their own hands. Among other changes, the parlor chimney was taken down, and Leopold took a hand in the job, enjoying the operation of tumbling down to the cellar great masses of brick.

"Hold on, Le," shouted the mason who was at work with him, when they had removed the chimney as far as the level of the parlor floor. "What's that?"

The mason pointed to a bundle which was lodged in an opening back of the flue of the Franklin stove that had stood in the parlor. It was covered with bricks and lime dust, but the mason brought it to the surface with his iron bar.[Pg 149]

"I know what it is," exclaimed Leopold, as he picked up the package, and knocked it several times against a partition in order to remove the soot and dust from it.

It was the oil-cloth containing the diary of Harvey Barth.

Leopold was somewhat excited by the discovery, and all the incidents of Miss Sarah Liverage's visit to the hotel came back fresh to his mind, though they had occurred eighteen months before.

"What is it?" asked the mason, whose curiosity was excited by the event.

"It is a book that belonged to Harvey Barth, the steward of the Waldo, which was wrecked off High Rock," replied Leopold. "I will take care of it."

"But how came it in the chimney?" asked the workman.

"He put it in the flue of the fireplace, and it tumbled down."

"What did he put it in there for?"

"Because there was no closet in the room, and he was a very queer fellow. He is dead now."[Pg 150]

"What are you going to do with the book, then?"

"Send it to his friends, if I can find where they are."

Leopold carried the diary to his room, in a part of the house which was not to be disturbed, and locked it up in his chest. He wanted to read the portion which related to the wreck of the Waldo, and the burying of the money, if such an event had occurred, of which he had some grave doubts. But he could not stop then, for he was doing a man's work for his father, and his conscience would not allow him to waste his time. The mason asked more questions when Leopold returned to his work, and they were answered as definitely as the circumstances would permit. The young man examined the construction of the chimney, and found another flue besides that of the Franklin stove, into which the diary had fallen. It had formerly served for a fireplace in an adjoining apartment, and had been bricked up before the landlord purchased the estate. The Franklin stove, which was merely an iron fire place set into the chimney, had the less direct flue of the two, so[Pg 151] that the package had fallen where it was found.

During the rest of the day, Leopold's thoughts were fixed upon the long-lost diary, for which Miss Liverage and himself had vainly searched. Doubtless she would claim the diary, if it was found; but had she any better right to it than its present possessor? Leopold considered this question with no little interest. The secret of the hidden treasure was certainly in his keeping, and after the "trade" made between them, he felt that she had some rights in the matter which he was bound to respect. But the affair was no longer a secret; for after the "humbug was exploded," as Leopold expressed it, he told his father all about it. The landlord only laughed at it, and insisted that the nurse was crazy; and her excited conduct at the hotel rather confirmed his conclusion.

The result of Leopold's reflections during the day was a determination to write to Miss Liverage again, if he found anything in the diary which would enable him to discover the hidden treasure. The day seemed longer to him than usual, so anxious was he to examine the pages of the diary. When at last his work was done, and[Pg 152] he had eaten his supper, he hastened to his chamber, and opened the oil-cloth package. He was greatly excited, as most people are when long-continued doubts are to be settled. In a few moments he would know whether or not Miss Liverage was crazy, and whether or not there was any foundation to the story of the hidden treasure. He locked the door of his room before he opened the package, for he felt now that the secret was not his own exclusive property. If there was twelve hundred dollars in gold buried in the sands under High Rock which belonged to nobody, he felt bound in honor by his agreement with the nurse to make the division of it with her, in accordance with the conditions of the contract.

He desired very much to speak to his father about the diary; but he did not feel at liberty to do so. It did not appear that the mason with whom Leopold was at work had told Mr. Bennington, or any person, of the finding of the package. After his questions had been answered, he seemed to feel no further interest in the diary, and probably forgot all about it before he went home to dinner. The discovery of it did not seem to him to be a matter of any importance, and Leopold kept his information all to himself.