Digs bid Finds what he did not Expect. 77

 

he came upon large stones—the job of clearing
out which was by no means an easy one—so far
from it, indeed, that, after working for half an hour,
and only getting out two large and half a dozen
_ smaller ones, he resolved to ask Sandy Spelman
to help him. So he left his pickaxe with one point
fast between two stones, and ran to the shop.
Sandy was at work, but his father was quite willing ~
to let him go. Willie told them he was digging
for a treasure, and they all laughed over it; but at
the same time Willie thought with himself—* Who
knows? People fave found treasures buried in old
places like that. The Antiquary did not—but he
is only in a story, not in a high story” (for that
was Willie’s derivation of the word zstory), “The
place sounds likely enough. Anyhow, where’s the
harm in trying ?” .

They were both so eager—for Sandy liked the
idea of digging in the ruins much better than the
work he was at—that they set off-at full speed the
moment they were out of the shop, and never
slackened until they stood panting by the anchored
pickaxe, upon which Spelman pounced, and being
stronger than Willie, and more used to hard
work, had soon dislodged both the stones which
held it. They were so much larger, however, than
any Willie had come upon before, that they had
to roll them out of the little chamber, instead of
lifting them; after which they got on better, and