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Patrick had caught her enthusiasm now and took over, "-which was
easy to find. It's a live oak and there aren't too many as big and
as old as that one."

"And you'll never guess what!" Frances said, beaming.

I said my line: "What?"

"It was where he said it was," Frances said, her eyes open wide
in amazement.

"Buried under the tree!" This they both said simultaneously, and
again: "Look!"

The Emperor's treasure was wrapped in burlap that smelled to
high heaven-and I do mean high; and it shed little bits and pieces
of dirt as it was unrolled on the table. Patrick Rule did the
unrolling honors, and then Frances lifted out a shining object: A
ceremonial sword with a gold hilt, as untarnished as if it had been
placed in the ground only yesterday!

"A fine piece," Michael murmured appreciatively.

"It's to be given to the City," Frances explained, "those are
the Emperor's wishes. And it should sit in a glass case in a museum
with a card that says:
Gift to the People of This Fair City with
kindest regards from Norton I, Emperor of the United States of
America and Protector of Mexico."

"But this," said Patrick, picking up a second, larger object
from that burlap nest, "is for us to keep, and for all of us to
remember, courtesy of the Emperor.''

The object was a wooden sign, hand-carved, possibly by the
Emperor himself. It had once been painted with red paint
highlighting a surface of natural wood. And the sign said:

FOLLOW YOUR HEART.