The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-09-13
THE BOY MAGICIAN ;
on,
The Secrets of The Sea-
CHAPTER |.
THE PRISONER OF MlD'oCEAN.

.,s one summer afternoon, dozen years
AGO. a solitary white man stood before an
;dols,rous temple on an island ia the South
Pacific.
He was Of middle age, tall, thin, and
,aunt, with rugged features and sorFoWtul
,yes, and with every sign Of goodness and
Intelligence.
Beside him was grim stone idol, IN gro,
.esque human form, more than twiee as tall
as himself, which he had just finished, as
was indicated BY the maet and chIseI IN
his hands. n,a ho.o
"It Is done, he muttered' And these
heather little suspect that ! have cut my
name and story into the base OF this IDOL
He ran his eye rapidly over the inserip'
ZION in question. 1t was as follows
"The sth Of May, 1862, |, David Lester,
Of the firm of Lester d Nichols, OF Nor
folk, Virginia, sailed as passenger
from Charleston for Hong Kong, rid
Cape Horn, in the ship 'Hecla. A
cyclone struck US in midocean, the ship
fopndered, and we took to the boats,
which all filled, with the exception OF
the one | was in. After drifting several
DAYS, during which my companions per
isbed, Preached this island. The idol.
atrous inhabitants made me q slave in
their temple, and for more than four
wears have been doing mental offices
and carving images. have been chain.
ed every night, and watched continual
" by day, but have nevertheless made
three attempts at escape, and shall soon
Il In,,ktlapu oat n q |
am resolved to succeed or die, prefer
ring death to longer captivity. there
fore write these words upon this idol,
Drawing any one who may see them TO
report nv fate, if possible, to my family,
at Norfolk, Va. Finished this inscrip.
ton this 7th day of July, 1851"
For several minutes the prisoner contem
plated these lines in silence, and then arous
ed himself, looking warily around.
"Three times / have tried to escape IN
no muttered, land every time waf
caught, and visited with tortures. To be
caught again in such an attempt will be Ger
tain death. Yet will risk all the first op
por,unity that offers This longing for free
dom and nv family 10 becoming positive
madness. Oh, my God what is that p
he gazed in perfect ssupefsction to tn
eastward, far out upon the ocean.
"A ship! ship cried Lester, sobbingl
"At last, oh Heaven! At last my prayer
answered :"
the PRISONERS HONE.
On the eass bank of the Eliza beth river
lust out of Norfolk, and overlooking Hamp
ton Roads, stood a beautiful cottage, th'
home Of the wife and daughter Of DAVE
Lester, the prisoner Of the lone island in tht
Ear Pacific.
Near the close of lovely afternoon il
MAY. Ms. Lester and her daughter sat to
gs,aer up9u the.r from: yerAudah.
Tae mother rLs a lovely, sweet faced, sad
~vad woman oftwo and thirty years.
The daughter, Amy Les.er,pot yetnfteer
vas q strange compound Of child ard VIZ
EGu.
Non are thinking Of father, dear mother;
z-rma re3 tie maiden, as she marked III
.ao1s lon in- gaze.
YES. caiic Your father, nv husband
where j. lie? Somewhere under the sci
vkv-.. wrecked Oh desert STAND, q .ar
gu..-lry Oh. = hostile shore Il Is ave y-ai
Ia NJ reason assures IT tha; he Is dea
r-.. Any, J cAa OF y ,b.nk Of bin s. living
1t 60 VIII me, mother, sAii Amy,Tl'
trsmaious quiver of her lips. IL Gres
often that be is liring-tbat he Is comm
home
We need him in hundred ways" sal
Mrs Lester, signing. AT anything we're t
happen 70 me, Amy, Ishudder to think wha
would become OF you. You have bee
brJagb, up il luxury, aud would feel keen
sa7 change to poverty
Are We not rich, then, mother? p sske
Amy, in surprise.
81 supposed SO, dear, until three year
ago" replied the mother sadly. "Hour Fl
Their was a merchant and ship.owner, par
ner of Colonel Nichols. But two years az
Colonel Nichols informed me that the on
standing debts of the firm more than ba
auced the assets; in short, Amy, that he We
on the verge of bankruptcy, his fortune an
ours alike wreckedW
''i don't like Colonel Nichols !" said Am
thoughtfully. "lf he lost all his money wit
ours, how does he live in such grand STYLE
To whom does his ships and great house y
long ?"
"ro his nephew, Ally Bell. Colonel Me
OILS is Al!ys guardian. The Colonel h
nothing of his own, excepting farm or T.
up.country which was not risked in the bu
ness"
Amy contracted her little brows rehectiv
ly, and was about to reply, when the garde
gate swung on its hinges, and boyish iii
ure came lightly up the walk.
ats Ally, mother-it's Ally Bell!' e.
claimed Amy, all smiles and bushes. 81
bring him TO you
The young girl ran lightly down the "
randall steps aud met the new conner, linkt
her arm in his, and drawing him gently t
wards the house.
He was lad OF seventeen, all orphan, u
nephew and ward Of Colonel Nichols.
Bright and gay and handsome, Allen 81
was also impetuous, ardent, and intellige
one of those noble, manly boys who N
ture early into grand and noble men. Is
as he was, he loved Amy Lester with pu
and chivairous love, which bade fair to dee
en- in time into the great love Of his life.
He was the bearer Of letter from b
uncle to Mrs. Lester, and having deliver,
it, he strolled with Amy down the wide ga
den walks into the cool shadows of gro
at the bottom Of the garden.
ave been expecting you this good Will
Ally" said Amy, with charming tranknes
Il thought you would be down here to
those scientific experiments to day y ,
"We'il try them to night, Amy repIi
Ally. The blue lights show better at mig
I'm getting along finely in my chemist
Amy. like it best OF all my studies"
Pm sure you do" said Amy, earnest
"You are the nices. boy ever saw
Ally Bell laughed aloud. Amys chi
like simplicity and outspoken truthtuln'
were her greatest charm in his eyes.
"The sight of that brig yonder, =" said A
reminds me that | promised TO meet {
Nichols on board of it directly after