Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-05-30

u1lcS up buo IlNcI, kOAuk Auu T0IuIuAAS
each day in small boat. Even then 1t
that misfortunate was not
wearied with pursuing him, for one
night when returning from his work
storm came up, which overturned his
frail skiff, and, nearly exhausted, he
was thrown upon narrow bar of sand
that made out from the bank of the riv-
or at the spot where the Tidal Wave
was burned. On this frail and treach-
erous foot-hold he managed to remain
during the night, in full sight Of the
town, but unable to attract attention to
his desperate condition.
The dawn of day revealed still more
horrors, for close beside him, having
evidently been unearthed by the waves.
was the skeleton of q human being. At
first Myron felt that fear which seems
to be natural In man when he sees tn Q
deserted tenement of one of his kind
but the resting-place which the waves
gave to the living and the dead was so
small that he was obliged to remain al.
mast in actual contact with the yellow
bones. AS he sat by the skeleton watt
ing for help from the shore, which SEEM
ed SO tardy in coming, he saw about the
ribs of the fleshless frame leather belt.
Curiosity 0vercame his horror, and, un-
fastening the belt, he found within 1t
gold coin to the amount of five thousand
dollars.
That Robert Myron was in a fever of
excitement hardly need to be told. He
had struggled to the full strength ofman
many years, and was hardly more than
pauper when he should have had at
least Of Gods footstool he could call his
own, The dead had brought him what
the living had refused. To take the gold
for his own purposes seemed theft,
and yet he who had fastened it about his
body could no longer use it. The strug-
gle between his conscience and his ne
cessity was long one; but when those
who came to rescue him arrived at the
sand-bar they found him with a skele
ton, on which nothing could be seen,
and no one could have tancied that the
half-drOwned man had found treasure,
That the bones were those of one of the
passengers of the Tidal Wave no one
doubted, and they were given resting
place among the nameless graves of
those who had lost their lives in the
disaster. No one save Robert Myron
and his wife knew of the money! belt,
or that on the inside of 1t, cut deep in
the thick leather, was the name Henry
Parks"
But Myron, having his money, did
not dare to use it openly lest people
should question how he got it. He had
agreed with his wife that they should
use the gold for their own benefit, but
do it with view of returning it If they
should ever find the dead mans heirs.
This he hoped to do by making such in
vestments as could be readily realized
haf oh
selves to be good. even if self-elected,
stewards.
The cabin they lived in and the five
acres of land surrounding it was for sale
at a price below its real value. Myron
represented to the owner that. despite
appearances, he had succeeded in saving
small amount Of money-about half
the price ask ed-and offered to buy it if
his note would be accepted for the bal
ance. The bargain was made, and N.Y.
ron still continued to work by the dag
for any one who would hire him, tilling
his own farm when he could find no
other work. Then he invested in q
very small way In stock, buying when
he could get decided bargains only. Year
by year he added to his possessions, and
his neighbors called him thrifty"
man.
All his investments were good ones,
since none were made save with view
of converting everything into cash at a
moments notice if necessary, and Rob-
ert Myron became wealthy man. As
is usual, with wealth came the respect
of his neighbors who. to show their APP
probation of money, elected him to the
Office of county Judge
During the year 1870 the Inhabitants
of Tower Hill witnessed the destruction
of another steamer by fire at almost the
exact place where the Tidal Wave went
down. Among all those men who la
bored to save life none was more active
than Robert Myron, and his house was
converted into hospital for the recep-
ton of those who were injured. but saved
from death.
Mrs. Myron was as earnest in her ef-
forts to comfort the distressed people AS
was her husband, and her labor was
signally rewarded by finding among the
unfortunate ones whom she was nursing
her father, whom she had not heard
from since the day she left his home to
found another with the one man she
loved above all others. The daughters
heart was made still more glad when
tho old gentleman told her and her hus
Uduu tu0b A0 utsu UStu seal Ouluk
them several months in the hope of in
ducing them to return to his lonely
home or allow him to remain with them.
Then he told strange story, and one
which lifted load that had grown
heavier with each succeeding year from
his son.in- laws heart
In 1901 Mrs. MyrOn's aunt had died,
bequeathing to her niece the snm of five
thousand dollars. Judge Berry, half
relenting that he had not looked with
favor upon his daughters marriage, had
sent his clerk to carry to her this legacy.
The messenger had written to his EN-
ployer from st. Cloud in 1862, stating
that he had traced Mr.. and Mrs. Myron
to that place, but that from there they
had gone, as he had reason to believe,
to Cape Girardeau, which place he was
about to start for in the steamer Tidal
Wave. From that time Mr.. Berry had
never heard from his clerk, and he be.
lieved he had lost his life when the
steamer was burned.
AS the old gentleman finished his
story, the husband and wife gazed at
each other with an almost Departing
hope in their eyes, and it was only with
the greatest difficulty Judge Myron
could ask the question, "What was the
mans name E"
"Henry Parks"
The load was lifted for evermore; the
money which they believed was anoth-
er's belonged rightfully to them the in
vestments made with view to being
able to restore the principal at any time
insured their own prosperity, and by
their own from the dead they
had honestly relieved themselves from
the thralldom of poverty Harper
Bazaar.
A REMARKABLE MAN.-Nathaniel
Mark ham, living on Jennings Greek, in
is 95 years old. He fought
through the war of 1872 and draws an
annual pension for his services in that
var. Mr.. Markham has eleven chill
lren, all now living, the Oldest of whom
. seventy. five and the youngest sixty
" L ~S-wk Il