The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-11-21
CHAPTER xxx.
DEACoN's ISLAND.

CHAPTER Xxx.
DEAcoNs ISLAND.
THURSDAY, the 18th of October. This
day made tho one hundreth since we had
left Bayport.
Yesterdays sights had shown US to be
one hundred and twenty miles to the south
ward and eastward from the spot where
Deacon placed his island At the pace we
had been sailing during the night, we ought
to make the land some time in the after
noon.
Yesterday had deceived the crew by
indil atlng our position wrongly on the
chart. They had, therefore, no idea that
we were within a few hours sail of the
actual spot where Deacon had placed his
island.
Though all my thoughts concerned the
preservation of Miss Franklin and the brig.
/ will own that / was extremely curious to
discover whether that mailman Deacons
island really had existence or not If we
should sight any land this day, when the
chart gave us nothing nearer than Teapy,
which was another days sail distant from,
the spot we had reached, should probably
find myself disposed to believe in TIE gold
SO you Siu see, in spite of my arguments
witt, the men, my mind was not yet salts
factorily made up on the matter
Under all plain sail the brig eat her quiet
way along the smooth, long-rolling sea,
and at noon made her out to be, to use
Deacon's own words, "true on the parallel
of thirty degrees" and one hundred and
thirty five miles to the eastward of Teapy.
Beauty, who had evidently been appoint
ed or constituted himself leader Of the men
in the room of Deacon, came aft with
Wei ny, an demanded to know where l
made the briggs position.
Irepied that we were about one hundred
and fifty miles to the east Of the place wa
were making for.
"When do you reckon to be therel" asked
Wolchy.
sWith this light wind. tomorrow after
noon"
This appeared to satisfy them, and, after
some further questions, they went forward.
l approached lanyard, who was sitting on
the sky-light, and said to him, in a low
VOICE,
"If Deacon's island is anywhere, il is
hereabouts. For reasons Of my own have
Just told the men we shan't reach the place
we're bound to till tomorrow. Keep your
thing that looks like land, sing out"
"What do you expect to sight, m.ster!"
81 don't expect to sight anything to day.
But if land should show anywhere upon the
horizon let me know instantly.
"There's no land belonging to these here
parts of the sea as Is wrote down on the
chart, is there?"
ono"
"Then in the Lords name what am to
look for:"
"Deacon's island" replied, smotherins
q grin at the old fellows WOO len face.
deacon island" ho groancd, ia voice
of disgustful contempt. "Yell have to M
vent a new kind o. spectacles for ne 20
look out of, il that's what I'm TO watcn
for amt given to cussin much myself,
he continued, with stubborn gravity, but
I'll be damned il there's Ger a pair o eyes
aboard this vessel ASH see that island this
side o. the universe. It's one o them
places you'll find we're the Flynn Dateh"aa
nuts in for water. They're mostly made
of clouds, they are, Without soundin's."
left the old sceptic and brought Miss
Franklin on d lick. | made a comfortable
seat for her on the skylight, and looking
into her pensive, beautiful eyes, / whis-
pered, 'This time the day after tomorrow,
Miss Franklin, yonder bowsprit, il it please
God, will be pointing in directly oppo-
site direction-for home"
She started, and looked at mo with
sudden passionate eagerness.
"Are you in earnest9' she said.
HAssuredly am. / would not deceive
YOU in such manner, even for the sake OF
making your eyes brighter and happier for
a little while"
.sWhere will the men bes"
"Hushln answered. with a glance aft
at the wheel. .'The very decks may have
ears for such secret as this. Only one
man." intimating lanyard by slight
movement OF the head, sis in my CONT
den e, and he has no idea yet OF tho strata
gem am going to adopt t. save you and
the brig"
"Teli me-" she pleaded in her sweet
voice, ''you may trust me with all your
heart"
"a little patience. am holding my
tongue, not from foolish love of the mys-
terry of silence, but for reason you will
appreciate when you hear the story. lam
now going to CLIMB the mast to have look
round"
So saving, went forward and sprang
into the fore-rigging. The men, hanging
indolently about the forcecastle, stared at
me hard and inquisitively as went alott.
assembled as high as the fore-royal yard,
from which elevation commanded view
of miles and miles of sea. The horizon ali
around US was perfectly unbroken, clean,
clear line, girdled by a heaven of brilliant
blue. Right away down i'm the south was a
tiny spot-a minute, lustrous fieck-a ship
that was ALL
Deacon's words to me had been: 81 have
settled il to within the compass OF the
horizon by dead reckoning. 1t would hesve
in sight somewhere from the foretop-sah
yard when the brig reached the place be
lieved it to be-
Those had been his words to me as well
as I could recollect them.
From the summit of the fcre-royal yard
I should be able to see land, unless, indeed,
IL was a mere fat coral island, seventy
miles distant, so transparent was the air.
Yet no shadow to indicate land stained tbs
crystal clearness of the water-line, taking
tho whole circle of it. l drew deer
breath. In the exquisite uniformity and
color of the horizon was the sursst convic
ton Of Deacon ss lisr to be found. Not