Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-20

tongue and an ineXhaust Bile supply of anec-
dotes they grew very fond of him In certain
way.
At the end of four months the tramp was paid
OF. and found himself with fifty dollars in his
pocket. The colonel told him that he would
need his services no longer and that he did not
thnk ne had earned his money. The tramp ac-
knowledged the Impeachment. and then in
burst OF confidence confided mis- story to his
host.
THE STORY OF HIS LIFE.
He was, he said, the younger of two sons: his
father was rich shipping merchant in Boston,
whom he had not seen for twelve long wears
He had run away and shipped before the mast
TO avoid being made clerk in his fathers count
ing-house. and in all this lapse of time he had
never touched America He had risen to be
mate, ana then captain. and was skipper of a
siOop temporarily running from Nassau TO st.
Augustine. when his vessel was shipwrecked on
the Bahama reefs. and all the crew drowned but
himself. He had commanded steamship Just
! before that. running from Havana to Mexico
and intended going to New York and taking
command He added. that after he found him
self saved by the coast guard near Pensacola
/ he had no friends. no money, DO credit and was
| tFamping his way to Boston when he fOrtu-
nately ran into Col Blanks harbor, where he
had hauled up for repairs
Having told his tale. the tramp shook hands
all around and. setting his face northward de-
parted. The colonel who has less guile than
any man living. half believed him; the bows
thought that he was stretching It, while fair
Lettie declared outright that the tramp was
drawing the long bow and discounting Baron
Munchausen himself. Not SO with the eldest
sister, she declared that she believed every
word OF it; that Capt. Gill was no ordinary man,
and that she had thought so from the first.
GOLDEN VISIONS.
Several weeks later the following letter came
from New York addressed TO the colonel. evil
IDENTIFY written with infinite care, but by hand
evidently more accustomed to the handspike
and tarred rope than the pen:
"HOnoTed Sir: take my pen In hand to inform
you That am well. and hope this may ind you all
enjoying the same blessing j was sorrlful to ind
when got home that my father had died. out died
very rich and left no will behind him. Ny brother
wont recognise me, and wont share with me- but
nv lawyers says am entitled to half. and they VIII
get IL for Inc soon. H0norVd sir am going to quit
the sea and settle down. am coming down and buy
farm near yours want TO buy plenty OF timber
and start a saw mill and make more munney if
that railroad runs near tare-thereS munn..v in It.
My lawyers say viii get nv rights In six months
No more at present. from yours TO command.
CAPTAIN T. GILL"
About month afterwards he put in ar appear
ance, footsOre, weary. Dusty and dirty and look
inG as II he had tramped it all the way from the
Empire state. or had stolen d ride in a cattle
car His clothes. though were decent. and after
performing his toilet he lOoked as respectable as
1t was possible for him to appear
After he came out In the role of prospective
capitalist his advancement among the Banks
was rapid; he was invited to the table. and sat
among the proud old family as an equal He
was OF course eiated. and RECALLED his hearers
with choice bits OF family history and he put
both Mr.. Claude Mclnotte and Jack Brag. esq.
in the shade as he dwelt on the grandeur of his
family country seat or the wonders of their CITY
mansion. His tongue ratified away like a
windmill. and the mere he talked the more his
lies 1ructhed until the family began to irnag-
Inc that they had q millionaire under their roof
1T happened just about this time that q new
railroad was being located in the close vicinity
OF the coionefs estate. and the landowners in
the county. who had hitherto slept the sleep of
the just all undisturbed by the thoughts of gain,
now had their dreams filed with visions OF
sudden wealth. and none more so than Col
Blank. who owned vast tracts OF woodland. and
thought that ii he could only dispose OF the tim
Der al a far price he would be rich again and
restore the prestige and glory of the house OF
Blank.
Captain Gill entered heartily into his homes
ard aspirations. and the result was the two
formed co-partneTShip. The colonel was to
furnish his knowledge of the country and the
captain pledged himself to buy the colonels tim
Der at nigh valuation and supply also all the
capital needed to speculate with. The plan was
10 purchase all the timber land along the pro-
posed railroad. and also secure the depot sites
and then sell at an advanced figure and realize
vast fortune
In pursuance of this plan. the colonel and the
captain. as soon as the spring was far enough
advanced. began operations. Every morning
the two would mount their horses and start on
their prospecting tour. They would locate,
choice tracts and get the refusal at once of the
land. 4 half a score Of sites for the saw-nills
We're chosen and the woods around about pros
pectiveiy purchased. For nearly four months
this was Kept up until the whole country was
thoroughly aroused and real estate jumped I'D
like the claims around a mining camp Old
broom sedge fields that never produced ANYTHING
but creeping briars and jack rabbits was held ut
an exorbtant figure; the proprietors of pine
woods refused to sell to the captain at any price
in Tact, the tramp had Set the country people
money mad. Captain Gill became noted man.
he bought horse payable on september the
first the day that he would recover his property:
also handsome buggy, paid for by note of
nand. TO be cashed on the same date He bOr-
roWed old Mr.. Jeiiis watch. a huge family heir
loom, attached TO gold cable, that the owner
Pad bought to celebrate his third marriage He
borrowed hfty dollars from Jack Blank aud
divers sums from the neighbors, all to be paid
at the stipulated first of September
All this time he was bargaining with the car
penteTs. masOns and machinists for the erection
OF his saw-mlls, and was ia daily consultation
with the civil engineers of the railroad. The
roie OF capitalist seemed to put him in eXuber-
ant spirits; he was Ob~erved to hug the trees In
his JOY. and could never pass under the skeleton
arm OF the old oak tree without 'skinniBg the
cat on it. He waXed fat. jolly and clipper and
distributed his presents-or rather prospective
presents-arOund with liberal hand To Miss
Luse ne gave the handSomest village cart that
could De made in New York; tor Jack he or
dered splendid double buggy; for Grand his
present was five hundred dollar hamnerless
gun and equipments. He offered the fair Lettie
a silver-wired bird cage for her canary, but that
young lady snapped at him in such manner
that he was fam to beat hasty retreat
BY this time the colonel believed in him i'm
plicitly, as did the dark and handsome Miss
Luse and the boys. and the tramp became as
one of the family. Indeed, he got so intimate
that the colonel requested his youngest daugh-
ter TO go 10 church with him. but that Young
lady, albeit as tender and devoted daughter as
the loving Cordeiia herself, positively refused
Miss Luse was more complasant. and the two
made their entree in the village church in great
style, and the MISUNDERSTANDING even the
good minister-Opened their eyes wide as they
saw them sail in. arm In arm.
Notwithstanding the powerful endorsement
of Capt. Gill by the colonel, both financially
and socially. there were many people VINO were
suspicious of him and took every occasion to
pump him. tut Capt Gill would not be pumped
As the fateiul month approached In which he
was to keep all his promises he was much
sought after and was in his element and as the
house was full of female visitors he was bub-
bling over. He played the fiddle and sang to
the girls and tried To play the part of the gay
LOthariO II he could have kept his mouth shut
and his coat on he might have succeeded in
passing Tor gentleman in the rough but the
one was open all the time and the other thrown
Oft upon every possible occasion. Yet