The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-02-10


ing to it, and much of the varnish with
which it had once been coated still re-
NAMED.
One rainy day late in the fall, Uncle
Simon was ut work IN the shop, when
Jake Kilgore, one of the neighbours
boys, entered, and seated himself on the
work bench. Soon after, Skipper Hard
ing dropped in.
1t was not long before the boy saw the
mallet. "Uncle, where did you get
that big mallet?" he asked.
Picked it up adrift, was the brief
reply.
While the old folks were chatting tie
bow kept his eyes on the mallet, it was
such curious one, and he kept turning
it over and over. At length he said:
"Uncle Simon, there's square piece
fayed into one end of this mallet; l can
see the seam"
"I think it's like enough my eyes
amt as sharp rs yourn, an yours won't
be as sharp as they are now when you've
fshed Is many long nights as have"
The boy worked long time trying to
dig out with the points of a 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 you'll bend the points
of my compasses."
Looking at the end of the mallet 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 il out. Uncle Simon!"
said the boy. cts hollow, | know it
is. 1 don't believe but what there's
something in there"
"Hand the thing to me-" said Skip
per Harding, and after looking at it
moment he said "The boys right, IN
Gle Simon that mallet's hollow; if it
wasn't you'd never have nicked it mp
ndrift, unless it was in a boat or on q
raft"
Ct certainly did take it ont 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 [Ugnuna Vit1l Twill sink in
water like a stone ii 1T is solid. Itnever
could nave foated."
1.-THE handles white ash. Wouldn't
the handle float it 2"
Uncle Simon put the mallet in wise,
and with a 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 a 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 gold coin-picking up one of
them, at which he gazed with dilating
eyes, and then tried his teeth on it.
English sovereigus," replied the
skipper.
. BE they real goold, like granny's
gOOld BEADS!
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 So.
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 hoated, with all that
hollow. That's the way we fix our
lob ter buoys when they get water
soaked.
"Now, skipper, in your younger days
you've followed the sea, and been III
foreign parts, but I've been only a fish
erman. i want you to give me your
candid opinion. Who did that gold be-
long toP and what could possess any per-
son that they should put money in such
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
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
1t.
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 1 expect the
vessel this poor fellow was in was lost,
and he with hea. You'll have to keep
the money. You emit find any owner for
this, as you did for the other.
CT shall try; 1 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
soverelgns IN 1t, L expect IL belonged TO
some English man-of-war's man. It's
my belief aud 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.
| ellis; and when the rlghtful 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 L never
knew or heard of his finding that mallet
| till + came in here this morning i re-