News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-06-01

after the burning of the Tidal Wave,
Robert Myron labored industriously,
but without success, so far as the &C.
emulation Of worldly goods was con.
cerned: he had been able to pay the
rent of a rude cabin three miles from
the village of Tower Hill, and to furnish
it scantily. But the expenses attendant
upon the birth of two children, and his
own severe illness, during which he
was confined to his bed two months,
had exhausted the small fund he had
succeeded in saving to enable him to
remove to Cape Girardeau.
Then came time when he could no
longer find employment near his
wretehed home, and he sought it some
miles up the river, going and returning
each day in a small boat. Even then it
appeared that misfortune was not
wearied with pursuing him, for one
night when returning from his work a
storm came up, which overturned his
frail skiff, and, nearly exhausted, he was
thrown upon a narrow bar of sand that
made out from bank of the river at
the spot where the Tidal Wave was
burned. On this fraii and treacherous
foot-hold he managed to remain during
the night, in full sight of the town, but
unable to attract attention to his des-
perate condition.
The dawn of day revealed still more
horrors, for close beside him, having
evidently been unearthed by the waves,
was the skeleton of human being. At
first Myron felt that fear which seems
to be natural in man when he sees the
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
almost m actual contact with the yell
low bones. AS he sat by the skeleton
waiting for help from the shore, which
seemed so tardy in coming, he saw
about the ribs of the heshless frame a
leather belt. Curiosity overcame his
horror, and, christening the belt, he
found within it gold coin to the amount
of five thousand dollars.
That Robert Myron was in fever of
excitement hardly needs to be
told. He had struggled to the full
strength of man many years, and was
hardly more than a pauper when he
should have had at least spot of Gods
footstool he could call his own. The
dead had brought him what the living
had refused. To take tie gold for his
own purposes seemed a theft, and yet
he who had fastened it about his body
could no longer use it. The struggle
between his conscience and his neces-
sity was long one; but when those
who came to rescue him arrived at the
sand bar, they found him with q skele-
ton on which nothing could be seen,
and no one could have fancied 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
No one save Robert Myron
and his wife knew of the money-belt, or
that on the inside of it, 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 to 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
upon, SO that tEey might show them
selves to be good, even if self-selec!ed,
towards.
The cabin they lived in, and the five
lcres of land surrounding it, was for
Iale at price below its real value.
dyron represented to the owner that,
iespite appearances, he had succeeded
n saving small amount of money
bout half the price asked-and offered
or the balance ss'A Y99a s be be accepted
-AodA and Myron still continued to work
1y the day for any one who would hire
lina, tilling his own farm when he couId
ind no other work. Then he invested
n very small way in stock, buying
when he could get decided bargains
'nly. Year by year he added to his
and his neighbors called
him ''thrifty" man.
All his Investments were good ones,
lnce none were made save with the
new OF converting everything into cash
It moments notice if necessary, and
Robert Myron became wealthy man.
Is is usual, with wealth came the respect
# his neighbors, who, to show their ap-
'reciation of money, elected him to the
ffice of County Judge.
During the year 1870 the inhabitants
4 Tower Hill witnessed the destruction
{ another steamer by fire at almost the
xact place where the Tidal Wave went
own. Among sill those men who
abored to save life none was more active
ban Robert Myron, and his house was
inverted into hospital for the recep-
ion ofthose who were injured, but saved ;
,om death.
Mrs. Myron was as earnest in her eff
'rts to comfort the distressed people as
as her husband, and her labor was
gnally rewarded by finding among the
nfortunate ones whom she was nursing
er father, whom she had not heard l
ON since the day she left her home TO
und another with the one man she
we'd above all others. The daughters
cart was made still more glad when
e old gentleman told her and her hus.
md that he had been searching for 9
EN- several months in the hope Of in q
icing them TO return to his lonely Z
me, or allow him to remain with
EN-. q
Then he told strange story, and ono 81
llch lifted load that had grown
aVier with each succeeding year from
! son-iu-law's heart. di