erly.

"Well, I know you're on the square and won't give me the double cross,"
replied Morton, "so I don't mind telling you what I know.

"There was an old fellow partly tipsy one winter night, who told me a
long yarn about knowing where there was a mint of money hidden away. I
didn't pay any attention to him then, because I thought he was just
raving, the way those people often do. But now I come to think of it, I
remember his speaking of an old hut that was almost buried in a sand
dune close to the water. Let's see now, where is there an old shack that
answers to that description?"

Morton pretended to meditate deeply, while Andy waited breathlessly for
him to continue.

"I have it!" exclaimed Morton abruptly. "It's the place old Totten used
to have on the beach just north of Bartanet. He kept very close to
himself, but he always seemed to have slathers of money. He died two or
three years ago, and since then the sand has nearly rolled over his
shack. I'll venture to say that if we dug there we'd find money enough
to make us both rich for the rest of our lives."

"By jinks! but I believe you're right," blurted out Andy with an
avaricious glitter in his shifty eyes. "Let's go there to-night and see
if we can find it."

"Oh, we won't be able to go to-night," protested Morton. "We'll have to
get picks and shovels, and we'll have to do it so quietly that nobody
will catch on. And I can't do it to-morrow night, either," he continued,
as though just recalling something. "I've got an engagement that I can't
break. But I'll make it the night after that, if you're willing."

"Sure!" assented Andy. "That suits me fine."

But there was a reluctance to look into Morton's eyes as Andy spoke,
that convinced the joker that his plans would work out as he expected.
He knew Andy Shanks pretty well, and he was sure that Andy would not
wait till the appointed time to hunt for the treasure. He guessed that
Andy would endeavor to cheat him out of his share of the fictitious
treasure by getting in before the time agreed upon. And he made no
mistake in reckoning on the mean nature of Andy Shanks.

The two arranged the details of the expedition, such as securing shovels
and picks and candles. Then they parted, after Morton had exacted an
oath of secrecy from the other.

The latter was no sooner left to himself, however, than he began
revolving in his mind plans to outwit the friend, who, he thought, had
confided in him so complete