The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-02-17

Jug Out Win the points OF PAIR OF COM
passes the piece that had been inserted
In the mallet.
"Let me look at it." said Uncle ST.
mon I'm afeard youth bend the points
of my compasses."
Looking at the end of the mailet he
SAID "The man that fayed that piece
in was a workman. Better let it alone.
I doubt if it can be got out without bor-
ing"
"Do trYand get it out. Uncle Simon r.
said the boy. Its hollow, l know it
is. I don't believe but what there's
something in there"
Hand the thing to me-" said Skip
per Harding, and after looking at it a
moment he said "The boys right, I'm
Gle Simon; that mallet's hollow; if it
wasn't you'd never have picked it up
adrift, unless it was in boat or on a
raft"
81 certainly did take it out of water
twenty fathoms deep, between Eagle
island and Drunken ledge; but why do
you say that ?"
because that mallet's made Of linkum
vitee [Hgnuna Uit9l. Twill sink in
water like stone if it is solid. Itnever
could have foated."
"The handles white ash. Wouldn't
the handle float it?
Ono, it wouldn't begin to-"
Uncle Simon put the mallet in wise,
and with chisel loosened and removed
the wedge-shaped piece that had been
so nicely fitted in, when a large cavity
appeared, stuffed with oakum.
After pulling out the oakum, he took
the mallet from the wise, and, striking
the end on the bench, out came large
number Of gold coins, which rolled
over the bench and on to the floor.
What be they? what be they ?"
shouted John Kilgore-who had never
seen a gold coin-picking up one of
them, at which he gazed with dilating
eyes, and then tried his teeth on it.
English sovereigns," replied the
skipper.
,,o BE they real goold, like granny's
81 reckon they are a great deal bet
ter gold than your granny's beads. At
any rate, every one of 'em is worth al
most 49,"
The coins were forty in number. On
examining the cavity, it was evident that
they had occupied but small part of it,
the rest being taken up with piece of
clean new duck, which had been laid
next to the metal, and with oakum.
"No wonder it foated, with all that
hollow. That's the way we fix our
lobster buoys when they get water
soaked.
"Now, skipper, in your younger days
you've followed the sea, and been in
foreign parts. but I've been only fish
erman want you to give me your
candid opinion. Who did that gold be-
long to? and what could possess any per-
son that they should put money in such
a place as that?
"Well, it's my opinion that the money
belonged to some ships carpenter; most
likely the carpenter of man-of-war, be-
cause merchant vessels don't often carry
a carpenter. Most likely that was his
money-box. He knew nobody would
think of looking in mallet for his
money, and that piece was fayed in so
neat that before the varnish was washed
off no person would be likely to observe
it.
81 knew an old Swede, carpenter,
that went for years in one vessel, and he
had place mortised in a timber head,
where he kept his money, and nobody
knew it till he got able to stay ashore,
and then he took it out. / expect the
vessel this poor fellow was an was lost,
and he with hea. You'll have to keep
the money. You can't find any owner for
this, as you did for the other"
81 shall try; l shall put up a writing
on the school house and on the meeting
house, and tell the selectmen.
"That mallet might have drifted
across the ocean and, by there being
soVerelSnS III II, expect 1t belonged TO
some English man-of-war's man. It's
my belief and Judgment you'll never find
an owner for it; though of course it's
your duty to try"
"Skipper Harding, if Uncle Simon
tries and don't find an owner for the
money, whose will it be then ?" asked
the boy.
His; and when the r1ghtful owner
had done with it, it was for Simon; and
it was for no other person to find"
"Couldn't anybody else find it?"
"No; and what establishes me more
in that belief is that. though [ never
knew or heard of his finding that mallet
till | came in here this morning, I re-
member the tune very well, because we'd
looted to go together rock-fshing that
day to Drunken Ledge; but was called
away to Small Point to look at vessel
we thought of buying"
Coming back, l ran foul of that
same drift-stuff, and let the main sheet
fly, thinking I'd roll the sails up and
get part of it. But [ changed my mind,
trimmed the sheet down again, and kept
on. l had been home about two hours,
when in came Uncle Simon with part of
that stuff"
"That's the very day 1 found the NAL
let, the day we set to go together and
didn't, and remember you said I'd got
your drift-stuff when I came in.
Had L gone to taking In the wood, L
should have found the mallet, but it
was not thus to be; it was for you,
Simon. You wouldn't take anything
from the North Yarmouth folks, cause
you said you didn't want to be paid to
do right, and this time the ocean tooK
the matter in hand. 1t is my belief that
the winds and waves had their orders to
whom to carry that piece of wood"
Skipper Harding never had occasion
to change the OPINION so emphat1cally
expressed, as, after due notice given, no
person ever appeared to prove his law
full claims to the money. = Youths Com
pGaion
Too Much Talk.