The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-05-25

WOru 10 anyDOuy-Decause he mated inter-
| ruption as bad as | do-walks out alone in
| to the woods, and kicks about among the
| dry leaves, and examines the ground, and
the rocks, and the trees, with strong sus-
picion."
ITO find clew 2''
| "Why, of course, to find clew."
"But don't see''-
"You never will see, if you don't wait,
and follow his ideas. He pretty soon found
various letters, carved on various trees
initials of names, perhaps and among them
all at last he discovered, on tree by them
selves, the letters, p. p"
"Perilous Place, I suppose"
"Perilous Place, you suppose No. Paul
Piera he supposed, for he knew what to sup
| pose. He certainly cut those letters Fox
| paw felt convinced and he put down 'P. p
as his first link. Now says he, I've got
something to work on, and he felt encour-
aged. Looking about him little sharper
as if Providence had directed him, he found
a rusty jackknife, which had had ten blades.
1t had three now; a big one, little one,
and saw blade The horn was gone, but
he felt a conviction that this knife was
second link, and he put it in his pocket
Looking about still further he saw a crack
-
| Heard a crack
"No saw a crack wide crack between
some rocks. Something suddenly told him
there was a cave there, and that he would
find the body of Paul Piera in that cave.
lie did find cave, very cavernous cave,
and he went and borrowed spade, entered
and dug for several hours, till he struck
something hard"
"a box containing the bones of Paul"
"No. He thought so at first, but it PROV
ed to be nothing but solid rock He dug
here and he dug there, but all was rock, and
now, being much tired, he paused, and be-
gan to suspect that he was on the wrong
scent A less resolute man would have de-
SPARED; but NO says Foxpaw, I'll dig
another way And so he dug off back to
town again, and made further inquiries about
what Paul Piera said and did the last time
he was seen and showed the jackknfe con-
fidentially.
'Nobody had see Paul have such knife,
but Sol Foxpaw happened at last on an old
lady who remembered she had bought some
mixed yarn of Paul the day he was missed
He seemed sick and unhappy, and said he
wanted to go to sea for his health. Thi.
was all Foxpaw could paw out of her. Il
seems little, but he thought it good deal
Wanted to go to sea. That's another link?
says Sol. "A man who goes to sea naturally
goes to vessel in the first place. Mosscreel
is seaport place. I will go down and in
quire among the vessels So he went dow
and by good luck he soon discovered tina
for years past the schooner Flying Turtl
had been in the habit of bringing stock from
the city for the dry goods store. 'Anothe
link, says Foxpaw. what is more likel,
than that Paul, knowing the skipper, wen
in the Flying Turtle that day to the city p
80 he asked the captain, who said he wa
not sure he didn't; and that sometimes HI
had and he wouldn't wonder. Here i
half a link more, says Foxpaw. 4 will G,
in the Flying Turtle. and make further in
quiries.
at was during this trip, only days voy
age, that he added three or four more link
to his chain. On closely questioning th
captain the latter remembered that on tn,
fatal day one of his passengers from Moss
,, creek to the city was rawboned, swarthy
ugly.looking man, who had dissipatet
, nose and a several-bladed jackknife. II
remembered a saw-blade in it, because i
was the first he ever saw, and had said a
! the time that if he was as homely as tn
owner of the knife, he should cut his throa
> with it, and leave the consequences to othe
people. Foxpaw now showed the rust,
, knife, and he said it might be the same ant
, added that the strangers name was Murd
man, or Murkman, and that on landing il
, the city, he had seen him at the Jolly Ia
tavern at the head of the wharf"
I "Seen Paul Pera2" said one listener
5 much gratifed.
"Why, no Pay attention Seen thi
ugly fellow-don't you see?"
S eyes, see, but don't see"
e "But you must wait and see or you vii
t certainly lose the links Up goes Solomon
r Foxpaw to the jolly Tar, as interested as
5 he had been Paul Piera's only brother
K "Did he have a brother?"
d "None of your business-and asked tn
S landlord to let him look at his arrival boo
of three years before, The landlord sent t
r the garret for it, and they overhauled it to
!. gether; and sure enough there stood tn
!; name, at the proper date in fierce, bi
}, hand, of Mike Murdman and"
n "Paul Piera.'
"No! What do you know about it
Mike Murdman and Friend This is tn
biggest link of the lot, says Sol to the land
: lord 'Do you recollect what kind of look
ing man his friend was?"
u "'No,' says the landlord, but recollec
! that next morning the two had quarre
% They had slept together, and Murdman wa
l. charged by the other with stealing his nor
;, ey in the night. But Murdman swore NJ
II and as proof said he hadn't enough none
I. to pay his own bill and they went or
d quarreling, without paying. And that's tn
+ last | ever saw of the other fellow, to m
g knowledge"
- "More links-Pm getting a chain p say
" Foxpaw Went out together, quarrelinl
> about robbery. And did you ever see MurC
= man again ?"
n $50 yes says the landlord. He's cal
!. tain ofa brig now. He came back ye,
ia afterward and paid his bill, and now /
,. stops here every three months every retur
= trip he makes. 1t is time for him now
% brig was due yesterday; you stop, I'll il
a troduce him to you"