The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, June 28, 1901, Image 3
..FOR
Next 3(
WE OFF!
ENTIRE
AT C
Comme
June 25t
W. T. BEA1
F. Q. Austell,
- mwrni i
Bj WEATHERBY OHESNEY and ALIOK w
MEKRO.
____
[Cap/right, 1000, by Weatherby OWaocy and Allck
muiuv. J
CI
- w
' til
Alec stood up to be Inspected. A oi
great liorn windowed lantern was 11
thrust out on the end of a boat book, w
and Martin Snale, climbing into the tli
main rigging, made a penthouse of his
two hands and peered at us from under sn
them. The fog was thick, the tallow I ah
dip flickered badly and Martin's wits | in
were sluggish; consequently he was w
very long In coming to a decision. At ot
the end of nearly ten minutes' scrutiny Tl
he stepped down from his perch and. tli
bidding us remain where we were, dis- a\
appeared for awhile. Presently he re- la
turned and, scrambling luto the shrouds
again, bawled out afresh: tli
"Ye looks all right; solid enough, gi
too, I don't deny. Hut when a man's gi
been n mariner all the years I have he m
learns that looks Is sometimes deeelv- eil
In. 2$o I'll just make so bold as to of
heave this ornnge at one o' ye to see p!
whether It hits anything solid enough In
to burst. If It does, ye can come
abonrd." fo
lie lifted his hand and threw. The sli
yellow fruit, flying through the air, gr
was stopped by Willie Trehalion's bald th
pate. The boatswain never winced, tli
and apparently tlic sight of the seat- lit
cred pulp and Julee?tbe orange was tr
an overripe one?streaming down Ids til
atolld face was sutliolont. Martin Snale g<i
demanded no more tests, and we ellinb- of
ed up tbe round barrel side of our own
old brig, tlie Bristol Merchant. to
There was but one thing which less- tli
ened our delight at meeting In freedom f'
our old shipmates once more?we could ce
not have the satisfaction of letting ed
Don Miguel know how we had fooled hIi
him. th
kl
CHAPTER XXXI. hi
Three months had elapsed sin^e the f>t
scourge bhiico from Lave island when
the Bristol Merchant drew In between
the hnrbor heads. to
Directly she rounded the spit a
glance told those who knew the spot )(r
that something was wrong. All the ,v,
works raised by Knglish hands had
been nithlessly destroyed. Weeds were Jo
growing among a few charred stumps ([t
on {he shore, ami on the platform cl|
iibpve fhpre was muk tropical Jungle
ty place of our snug, trlnt built dwell- j
pgs bener^h the pnlm grove. jlr
4 falconet shot rouaed speech from t(l
fhe cliffs, but brought reply from
jnipipn yqlpe. Tlie echoes died -away, c|,
the screaming sea fowl settled down nj,
again and silence once more brooded r)|
f ver the Islaud. K(l
We began to feel uneasy forebodings
?f 11L The old man could scurcely be
?
% V*
Vr,i *
* .
; ...
THE..
) Days
:r our
STOCK
OST
:ncing
h, 1901.
v & co.;
rianager.
av to sucn n summons wore he anyhere
In the neighborhood. True, ho
iglit have wandered to the other side
the island. But we dared not think
Ills lameness made him loath to
all; unnecessarily, ami for food he
ould not require to go far afield.
The vessel in which we returned
as. It Is true, as different In every
lint from the Scourge as Stie Vc.l
mid he, but our spars and rigging
ere gay with English ensigns and
le voices which hailed the shore withit
answer were English every one.
ad the old man been nt hand he
ould not have failed to recognize
lein.
With sinking hearts we ran down
ill and anchored and then putting
ihore looked about us in a sad dlsay.
Wanton destruction was everyhere.
Not a stick or a stone of nny of
ir works had lieeti left untouched,
lie Philistines had come down upon
e stronghold while its guards were
vay. and what Philistines could there
> in these seas save Spaniards if
We approached the cave. Small hop*
at the rich harvest stored in that
irner would be overlooked by stud
ivn.v nini^rr* us me ii'iinw country
en of those who had originally reap
I It. Indeed the splintered woodworl
the doors and partitions showei
ainl.v enough where the ravisiterid
been at work.
Collecting htindles of resinous fagot
r torches, we passed through tin
mttered portal and hurried across tin
'eat main hall lit hy the sunlight
rough Its crannied roof, away ovet
e dry flooring of silvery sand which
id once formed lied and table for out
nop of slaves. running eagerly alone
1 we reached the narrow arch which
ivc entrance to the gloomy windings
the abyss beyond.
Stopping for a ttn^Pm to light the
relies, we advanced again, splashing
rough the chilly stream which Issued
out we knew not what darksome re
88 of the great labyrinth, and now
Idled and gurgled round our knees,
lettering the sntoky torch Haines front
e trleklets Hint would linvo dropj>ed
sses on them from the roof. scramIng
through clammy mud baths mid
rn(ti;llnK over wet, shiny bowlders,
award we pressed Into the very bows
of the Island, skirting black botmless
pools and shivering qulcknds.
But everywhere we saw the
neks of the countless feet that had
en before us. Kvcr and again they
nndcrcd olT Into some unknown depth
the maze, but as Invariably returned
the track which we now followed?
e track which led to the treasure
amber.
Miles and miles must the Sp^p|s||
underers have traversed among these
iknown windings and dogged Indcet)
e perseverance which carried (hptp
rough to the end. But at Inst tlie
ustered footprints reached n narrow
sle that had no turning, and we knew
en that the rohbers had reached their
al.
At this point Alec, the boatswain and
nil the Soonrm'V civw pxwpl Job Trehallon
turned hack. They were satisfied
tlint further ndrnnrp was useless
and wished to spare themselves the
mortification of seeing the empty vault
where once their wealth had been banked.
Perhaps It was mere Idle curiosity
which Its] me on and perhaps It was a
wish to show the newcomers what n
store there had been waiting for us and
them. Anyhow I followed Job Trchnllnn
into the darkness.
The path ran by the side of a deep
water Oiled gully. It terminated In a
small domed chamber, the only entrance
Into which was through a narrow
arch, which the stream more than
half closed. And here had been our
treasury. In this water guarded vault
we bad dc|K>sltcd the pouches of pearls
and the chests of coin won at the cost
of so much good ICuglish blood. Now
not a leathern hag nor n wooden case
remained. The Spaniards had ruthlessly
taken our all.
liut there was in the place where our
store had lain a sight which made my
muscles <|uake with chilling horror.
Supported by n niche in the rock sat a
skeleton, pointing its l>ony lingers at
tny breast and irrlimiinr nt me witi?
half toothed. lies li less Jaws.
I had almost trodden on Its outstretched
shanks when the lit fill light
Supported by a tiIrhc in the rock sat o
skeleton.
of tlie torches falling on the whitened
bones revealed its ghastly presence.
Mine was not the nervous start of a
coward. Ileaven knows 1 had seen too
many dead men In the tlesli and In the
bone, too. for that matter, to <|nall at
the sight of a mere piece of cold humanity.
Ilad the skeleton been naked
I might have taken it for that of a
Spaniard and have given It no more
than a careless glance in passing. But
there was that about It which told me
whose body it had once supi>ortod.
Around the bony lattice of its ril>s
hung a nioldcring leather Jerkin, once
gaudy with slashings and lace, but
now mildewed over with a soft gray
fur. It was the old man's. I had seen
lilni change it from a dead Spaniard's
bnek to his own and knew that he had
worn It ever since. And if other evidence
was wanted, it was there in the
broken and distorted bones of leg and
wrist. It needs no wizard to read the
writings of the Spaniard's clemency.
Job 'Probation shared inv knowledge
and for n will It* gazed with 1110 In silent
horror. Tin? others clustered curiously
round, wondering why a mere hag of
twisted lKtnes should so affect us.
At length Job found his voice.
"Master Topp." he whispered honrsely,"d*you
note the old man's outstretched
linud? lie's built a wall o' mud an
pebbles for It to lie on."
"Yes," said I. "It seems a curious
freak, but he was always strange and
eccentric In his doings."
"The old man nwver did aught without
an object. Master Topp. Ilis brain
might take after bis legs in being a bit
crooked, but it were a clever brain, for
all that, '*iHH'inlly when there was
Spaniards to be gammoned. Let's see
where the linger points. Itlow up your
torches, lads. All. see there! Telled
'ee so. Master Topp! 1 knowed there'd
be something."
And Job broke out into a great chuckle,
which well nigh ended in a sob.
"See," he went on. "there's writing
on the wall, scratted in with a knob
o' stone. Head it,' Master Topp. I
baln't scholard enough to tell what It
says."
"'Snake his trail' is what Is written.
Job. It has neither rhyme nor reason."
"No; It ha'n't rhyme, that's true,
though none could turn a rhyme an set
I* ? -? *?
ii iu ii viitTn 111 11h 11k(* ino old innn
tvlicn he put his mind to it. Hut T. warrant
there's reason, though iuebbc*the
nut's a l>ard un to erael;."
"Like a date stone. Job." I answered
dejectedly?"bard to break, and no kernel
when you've broken it."
"Well, Mister Topp. It won't do no
barm to tell Captain Ireland what was
the Inst words as the old man wrote.
An now"?
"And now." I interrupted, "we must
carry ids poor tsutes hack to daylight
and give them a decent burial. So run
back, some of you, and cut saplings
for a litter."
"No need for a litter," said Job. "I've
cArrled the old man living, whiles he'd
laugh an say I was Ids moke, an I
don't think ns he'd ask other arms than
IaI, ? > >
)uii iiviiiiiiiiu n m i-urrav mill iicail.
Ami without nnotlicr word In* reveroutly
ntid tenderly gathered up the
shriveled corpse aud Isire it in his
arms to the shore. We performed the
last obsequies, and put up n great sluh
of stone over the grave, on which Alec
carved with a sword point, "Senex hie
Jacet* And for two whole days Job
Trohnllon snt l?y the grave or wandered
in the woods alone, ami during the
whole time we remained on the Island
no man heard his laugh or saw his
grin. It was a strange friendship
which these two crazy ones had for
one another.
After the burying was done there
was a great discussion about the mean
Ing of the words which the old man
had written. Some thought they were
more wanderings of a diseased mind,
while others maintained that they had
a meaning, hut that It was scarcely
worth while to attempt to dive very
deeply after It. livery one had something
to say; Alec alone remained silent
and milled his lingers thoughtfully
through his shock of tangled red
lialr. I did not question him, lnit went
to sleep, trusting that his wits would
work out some solution.
When the sun had scarcely risen and
the uiglit mists were still wnvlug lazily
over the harbor, a hand was laid on my
shoulder, and I awoke to find toy
sworn shipmate standing over me. lit
bade me slip on my clothes and conic
floU'll tit tlui cluteii VeHli
".hick." he said, when wo hail roach
etl a path lending to the plateau above
"what's a serpent's trailV"
."The mark of its misty slime on th<
ground, which shows where it lint
passed," 1 answered promptly, "01
mayhap it's ids InsWles, If you will
have it so," I added, not seeing in tin
least what lie was steering for.
"flood, .lack! You'll make ft lawyei
yet. And uow where shall wo lind oui
serpent?"
"In the woods, if there are ntiy,
though 1 believe the island's free ol
tlieia."
"What do you say to a stone serpent?"
"What, one of those at the tempU
corners?"
"Yes. The very one perhaps thai
you and Willie Treliallon turned Into r
bogy house to frighten Spaniards. St
stir your stumps, .Tack, and per hap:
we'll bring hack some good news n>
sauce for breakfast." So away w?
walked together to the great temple 01
the black heights of the farther eapt
??... t.-i?'
We readied the platform, stcppci
through the old opening nnd mounter
the stair in the serpent's body. Scrawl
ed on one of the walls we found .1
great "W." whose meaning 1 was at t
loss to guess.
Alee, however, as soon an he saw II
went down again and made for the
western corner of the temple. Here
after a lengthy search and careful
sounding of the walls and floor, we dis
covered a loose slab of stone nnd
wrenching it up, descended to a chain
ber In the snake's gulletSure
enough there was more writing
nnd this time the meaning was qultt
plain.
"Look In the bole of the tree where!!
the bear sheltered which gored Jni
I'engony Ids thigh."
Now fortunately I had witnessed tin
Incident referred to. and we rushed to
ward it with beating hearts.
The hollow was choked with stick)
and leaves and such like rubbish, bin
this we clawed away with eager hand)
nnd came at last upon a case botth
bound in wicker. Peering down tin
neck. Alec said he saw a parchment
ami, breaking the glass without uiort
ado. found that the letter was address
ed to himself. It was written 011 tin
back of an old ship's manifest, ami tliii
is how it ran:
I)r. t.ad?The Pay after thy Scourge salted,
(null coasting llri^ liove to oil the Mouth of liar
hour, aik] wd have conic in hail I not hailed ho
with Throats. Whoroiipon sho turnod Tail. JudR
td hor Master vrd tell his Mates and bring tin i
Force. Bethought mo how to dispose of Treasure
Schemed Plan'and o\o? utrd it. To repeat same
follow ravine at Foot of Temple llill. and lind i
poised Hock across Torrent. Three-ply Itlork am
Tackle shifts it. Cave beyond then dry, formini
Treasure ('handier. Chests and Pouches lie in it.
Ant about to die, but will serve thee even in ilv
in*. Itoinij in such evil Case, and hiiiiK knnwi
liy none not ovt-n by ?>!<! Shipmates as Tro
lialion, Scnr., anil IVngmiy?ili<l not through veri
Shame own Kin-hip before, but now Milisorilto my
golf Tliinc alTte father, lit \uv IntUND.
Post Scriptuiu- Will band tine my Share o
Treasure. Take as Co-legacy my Hate of Span
iarda.
CIIAPTKH XXXII.
Sail away,
llatk away,
Plumler! 11 loom.)
Gather all the valuables you can.
Conic back.
Nothing lot k,
Thunder! Illooin.)
Scatter all the money like a titan.
The Bristol Merchant's anchor hai
kissed Severn nuitl once more, nntl Wil
lie Treiialion's favorite song, sting
roared and shouted in every variety o
voice and key, is rising from tin
throats of her brown faced crew am
compelling attention on the wharfs am
lauding stages of Bristol city ? aye
and throughout the whole town too.
The years of nil vent tire ami perl
have come to an end at last, ami now
before the quill is laid aside ami tin
ugly, uncompromising word Finis h
scrawled across the bottom of the las
page, a few more dips In the iokhort
will enable Captain Alexander ire
laud's brave lads to make their bov
and march off the stage with ensigt
and pennants (lying. For .lolin Top|
prides himself oil being too old a sea
man to leave the strands of his ynri
lying littered about the decks, but pre
fers Instead to see them snugly mousei
and pointed to an end.
When the Bristol Merchant set oil
from the muddy Severn to seek ndven
ture and gold in the faraway west
101 men, drunk ami sober, had wntcli
ed from her decks the black, wavy lltx
which marked the Iron bound coast o
Devon until It sank slowly beneatl
the horizon astern and had then turn
ed, with hearts full of hope, to follow
the Itcckoning arms of the flnshlnj
sun as it dipped, all molten gold, int<
the waste of western waters. It wai
the beacon which tohl us that out then
beyond the Atlantic rollers lay Manoa
tllO eltV whoso strnots vvoro nnviwl rnltl
gold.
All. but It Ued! That golden glorj
of the sunset was a wlll-o'-the-wisi
which led nil but n few of those 10
brave men to their dentil. Mnuoa h:i:
never yet enriched by so much as t
piece of eight the tunny bold ndvctt
turers who have sought It. nor evei
will, for. to my thinking at least. Its
golden wealth exists only In the hopei
of the bold lads Whom It lends to death
Ave, Mauoa is but a dream cltv. nu?
i the story of Job Trehallon's tame
pagan was hut n Circe song of death.
There are some men who can be Imp[
py only when they are doing and daring.
To enjoy the rewards of adventure
past and peril safely bra veil is to
them Impossible. Only sword in hand,
and in the sharp grnspiug of battle do
they breathe easily and believe that
they really live. Now, I ask no better
comrade than sueh a one to stand by
my side when the hot breath of a foe
Is sarcitis la my face, but ashore, in
I a tavern, or at supper in a Bristol mercer's
house, a man may have n more
congenial comrade. Of this restless
sort was my sworn shipmate, Alex?
ntider Ireland, and before a month's
i mud and rust had gathered on the
Bristol Merchant's anchor llukos, he
was at sea again, lighting in Captain
Cranky Brake's company against the
enemies of lCuglntid and Queen Bess,
t Job Trehalion spent his prize money
t in 14 days and then slopped for the
r Guinea coast, from which he lias not
I yet returned. His uncle, after a shortf
er trial of dissipation, resolved to
eschew the delights of sack and ale
" mid started a tavern to aid him in
keeping his vow. The rest of the crow
"scattered all their money like men,"
. and tlu'ii went a lion t once more to col'
loot a further supply for the same good
purpose. It Is the way of sailor tueu
mid always will he.
lint there Is still one person In this
i tale of whose fate 1 have not told, and
I had meant that there should he half
t a score more of chapters written to
t say how I sought her and won her.
, But she has read all that 1 have writ}
ten, and she refuses to form any fnr4
ther part In what she calls my tale of
, robbery and blood. If I wish to tell
, how 1 sought her at Vigo and found
> that she had gone, and how I finally
tracked her to Grenada and stole her
j then, says she, I must write another
j tale of that alone.
She is my wife. I have bought a roll
t of pa(ter ami -a score of ijuills and
t could write the tale with easy glibuess
if It were permitted me. Hut. as 1 say.
I Inez is my wife now, and t?i she must
, be obeyed.
TIIE ENI>.
1 .
. wi'vt-'-.. Hnrd I.lnen.
J ^
^ "What's the matter with him?"
"Well, yer see, he's allers counted on
prow in up an be In a detective, tin now
.. t*r fortune teller's done said lie's sure
r he president some day.'"?New York
frening Journal.
n
Foiled K Id nn |icrtt.
a They kidnaped Tommy Jiggers,
j Some bold and wicked mm;
( Tbi y grabbed tlie l>oy one evening
Anil took him to tlivii ilon.
They wrote a tearful loiter.
, In xvhirh lliey vowoil ami swere
'Txvoulil cost ten > Ih>u-m>> I dollars
f To sec the lad onre more.
Next day in all the papers
f The nclghlmrs advertised,
'Attention, Bold Kidnapers!
You hereby are advised
That if you'll keep young .lingers
And never aend him lurk
Just twenty thousand dollar*
Will come along your traik."
It was some two weeks later
Young Jiggers sauntered in;
Ilis fare xvas proud and happy;
He wore a tickled grin.
He bore a plaintive letter;
"Take this kid back," it said,
s "And liero's the twenty thousand,
In three weeks we'd lie dead."
' It seems that Tommy Jiggers
f Bail talents that were great,
, For from his early childhood
lie always could orate.
And while the neighbors rested
I In peaceful, ralm delight,
The poor, deceived kidnapers
Had heard the boy recite.
^ ?Baltimore American.
5 'r' BROTHER GARDNER.
I Home Flillosophy hy the President of
I the l.inteklln ('lull.
jcopynxht, l'.oi, iiy R. I/wls.]
r Ebery innn wants to go fisliin now
i on don. l>nt 1 neither j ot found one who
) was willin to see Ids hens take a vnea
shun.
i
It am mostly moil who do-Mar' dat
1 marriage am a lottery, an it am mostly
men who try deir best to make it so.
t
When yo* have diskiberod a man who
lots de world slide an nebbor worries
. about anything, yo' have found a pusl?
son dat would like to got into yo'r debt
f an stay dar. It's do honest men who
i do most of de worry In.
When my nayhur's i?ianor kept mo
j; awake, I wanted to go to law about it,
> hut when do barkin ??f my dawg kept
s him from slumber an ho raised a row
u about It 1 put hiifi dowu as a bad man.
x When a man lias got all ready to go
dowu to do tax office an swear off bis
j personal taxes, uuflin puts him out so
> much as to have de newspapers come
I out nn speak of him as an honest man.
,
i When a man finds himself de owner
. of a vicious mewl, be at once reflects
r dat he was bo'n so an can't help it, but
* when he diskibers de same traits about
4 his feller man he wants him punished
. nt once beknse he isn't like himself.
1
ARIZONA KICKLETS.
Rome Live It Item* From a Bntr FR1tor'*
Frn.
(CopjT'-Ut. 1001, by r. n. I.-wis.J
The cirruv.?t!??n "t 'I'ho Ivlohor has
not rt iiclird inu.otHUHH) yot, hut
Is so oloxo to it that wo rail fool this
shle of the continent gradually tipping
up.
A pnrty wbirli visltrd Rill Williams'
mountain last week In the Interests of
science found undeniable evidences of
n rnee pf people at least lo.OUO years
ohl. We regret that It Is too late to
shake up a few subscriptions among
them.
During our temporary absence froin
iho Wiui.iiiuiin?
ill favored stranger who is Rii|tp(wo<l
to be a teamster entered the corrhlor
and tired six bullets Into the clock and
FTTtET) HIX m i,I,ET8 INTO THE CIJOCK.
cot safely away. If he will come some
day when we are at home and start In
to repeat the performance, we will
cuarantee him the lincst coffin to he
had in town and a funeral procession
half a mile long.
We have been invited to deliver an
address on Shakespeare before the
(Irass Valley Literary club one night
next week, hut we have begged to decline
with thanks. We know tlie elub
of ohl. It is composed of seven men
and a poker game, and when last we
addressed it we dropped $."<0 on three
jacks.
In order to maintain our dignity as
mayor of this town we had to throw
Colonel Chiivers down the e!ty hall
stairs one day last week, and we understand
that he is likely to he laid up
for some time to eoiue. Sorry for the
colonel, who is a gecd fellow at bottom.
l>ut our dignity must and shall be pre,served.
The editor of the P.'ue ITill Times
charges us with hoMing 11 dlfTcreiit
oil ices and grabbing for others. We
hold only live others, and the only other
we are reaching out for is the presidency
of the 1'lilted States. Please
correct and oblige.
That we still have, the esteem and
confidence of the people was proved
last week when we were elected chief
of the fire department, named as orator
for the next Fourth of July and asked
to lead the church choir for the coming
year. Integrity of character backed up
by two guns will always win.
I'njtn Know*.
Roggo?1 lienrd papa say the other
day that labor is sweet ami noble.
Mamma?So it is. lleggo.
Reggo?Then, mamma, why does papa
hire a man to cut tlie grass while he
sits on the veranda and only looks on?
-King.
Hrnipmbor^il to Forpfot,
Askit?And did your uncle rementhor
you In his will?
Tollit?Well, he retnetnhered me all
right, but that was why lie didn't mention
tue in the will. ? Haltitnore Ameriean.
O -5K- -Hfr ?
* _ 1HE -
! Farquhar 5
T has been the lending '
: THRESHER *
^ for -1"> years?too well known to i
& need'description here. i
?, Send for illastrad d catalogue of T
* Engines,. Thrashing Much n"rv. *
|s >aw NtilK and Agricultural lui- ?
pleinents, mailed free. ?
& A B. FAIUK'IIAK CO., Ltd. *
^ *2*2-It Y'lltK, PA. X
Health ()/Tne Honrs.
Will lie in my office, at. the Coumtt
''bomber, from Ida. m. to 1*2 in. eveiy
day, Sundays and hol-day a excepted, toi
the convenience of citizens wishing hurial
permits or to transact any other bush ess
pertaining to the office.
30?tf. W. D. IlAnnis.
NOTICE.
I have bought n heavy drsft wagon
of 115,000 pounds capacity, and uin
now props red to do all kinds of heavy
hauling or will hire out the wagon,
45?6m. J. W. Oilukrt.
Contractors' m
^builders'^
a?o__MILL supplies.
OMttmgs, IimI I?m*, IMiau m4 OUa
1 *?4?. Wailia, Tasks, Tswars, te,
Stssl WUrs HI VaslU X*m, 1?WU| l?|tel|
*nd Fsatpa. it,ote, DarrUks, Ovate, OteU M
Sod* B?IM
Igrogii Wury JV#to QuMI
LOMBARD IRON VORKSi SUPPLY CO.
WMHA W. ?
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