Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-06-05


''My DEAR" said Brinkley, laughing, 'yoa
couldn't. 1t wouldn't be proper"
'sWhy not?' asked Matt, simply.
"The world is conscious, little one. lam
young man; you are q young lady. We
shall have to shake hands soon and say good
oy There, there" lie continued, seeing her
ayes fill with tears ''rm not gone yet. I
shall stay as long as I can, only-rea1ly you
must look upon me as quite an old fellow. 1
I'M awfully old, you know, compared to you"
He gently disengaged himself, and Matt sat
1own on q canlpstcol close by. Her face had
grown very wistfuL and sad.
''ATatt," he said, anxious to change the sub
ject, tell me something more about William
Jones'"
81 hate William Jones. I hate everybody-
but yoas."
sReallyw
eyes, do.n
'sWel, feel greatly fattered. But about
The gentle Joness You say he was out all last
night"
Matt nodded.
'He goes out nigh every night" she said,
'and often don't cs,ne home till morning.
Sometimes he finds things and brings 'em. He
finds bits O. gold, and old ropes, and bottles
O. rum.''
every odd. Where"
ssHe don't tell; lznow.n
ct wish you'd tell me, Matt Do. I have
particular reason for wanting the informa-
tion.n
Matt hesitated.
s'You WON'T say tolda William Jones
would be downright wild, he would"
'sIll keep the secret faithfully Now?'
Thus urged, Matt informed her friend that
on two occasions, out of curiosity, she had
followed her guardian on his nightly pill
grimages and watched him go in the direc-
tien Of the DEVILS Caldron. On both occa-
sions the night was very dark. On getting
clear of the coastguard station, and among
the sandhills, Jones had lighted a lantern
which he carried. Trembling and afraid, she
had followed the light along the cliffs, then
out among the sandhills. But all at once the
light and it's bearer had disappeared into the
solid earth, leaving her to find her way home
in terror
The explanation of all this was, in MATHS
opinion, very simple William Jones was
bad man, and went to 'svisit the fairies"
eyes" she cried, ''and every time he goes
the fairies give him summat, and he brings
it home"
"Each time you followed him." asked
Brinkley, thoughtfully, she disappeared at
about the same placer
''Yes," said Matt; land the light and him
sunk right down and never come up again.
The result of the information thus comnu-
nicated was to leave the young man of the
caravan far more curious than ever. He de-
termined to turn the tables on William Jones,
and to watch his movements, not in the day
time, but during the summer night, waiting
for his appearance in the immediate neigh
borhood of the DEVILS Caldron. e..
The first night he saw nothing-it was
stormy, with wild gusts of rain The second
night was equally uneventful. Nothing
daunted, he went for a third and last time,
and lay in the moonlight on the cliffs, looking
toward the village
The night was dark and cloudy, but from
time to time the moon came out with sudden
brilliance on the sea, which was gently stirred
by breeze from the land.
He waited for several hours. About mid
night he rose to go home AS he did so he
was startled by the sound of oars, and, lying
down, perceived a small boat approaching on
silver patch of moonlit sea. The occupant
of the boat was a solitary man.
1t approached rapidly, making direct for
the Devils Caldron. Lying down on his face
and peeping over, Brinkley saw it stop short
just outside 1.-The foaming passage, while the
heavy from the bottom, and threw it over
board. Then, after watching for a moment
dark object which drifted shoreward, right
into the Caldron, lie rowed away until he
reached sheltered creek close to the scene of
the swimming adventure. Here he ran the
boat ashore and leaped out.
The next minute Brinkley heard him COM
ing up the cliffs.
Trembling with excitement he lay down
fiat on his face and waited. Presently the
man emerged on the top of the cliffs, within
a few yards of Brinkleys hiding-place Just
then the moon flashed brightly out, and
Brinkley recognized him!
1t was William Jones, carrying on his shoul-
ders something like loaded sack, and dang
ling from his left wrist horn lantern.
He looked round once or twice and then
hurried toward the sandhills. Brinkley fol-
lowed stealthily. The moon now went in,
and it became pitch dark. Presently Jones
paused, set down his load, and Lit the lantern;
then he hurried on.
For fifty or sixty yards coarse carpet of
greensward covered the cliffs; then the sand
hills began. Passing over the first sandhill,
Jones disappeared. Quick as thought the
young man followed, and, peering over, saw
the light in the hollow beneath; it rose higher
and higher till it reached the top of the next
sandhill, where it paused. Crawling on hands
and knees, Brinkley slipped down into the
hollow and then crept upward halfway up
the mound; he found a huge rock, behind
which he crouched and peeped.
As he did so William Jones, light in hand,
seemed to dive down into the solid earth and
disappear.
CHAPTER x "a