Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-22

was unconscious Of MATHS approach till she
was standing by his side. He turned his eyes
upon her for moment, and then once more
gazed out to sea.
A short, plump, thiekset man, with a
'ound, weather-beaten face, which would
have been coed humored but for its ez pres
sion of extreme watchfulness and greed The
eyes were blue, but very small and KEEN the
forehead low and narrow; the hair coarse
3 and sandy; tho beard coarser ard sander
still. He might have been about so years of
age. His dress was curious-consisting of a
yellow Southwestern, q pair of seanan's coarse
canvas trousers and a blue pilot jacket, orna-
mented with brass buttons which bore the in
zgnia of Her Majesty's naval servi %.
Presently, without turning his eyes again
from the far distance the man spoke in a
husky, PARKWAY whisper:
'.Matt, do you see sur1nat out yonder!'
Matt strained her gaze through the daz-
zling sunlight, but failed to discern any OBJ
ject on the light expanse of water, Ii
''Look ye now," continued the man; sit
may be drifting weed, OF it may be wreck;
but it's summat. Look again"
s'Summat black, William Jonesm
''Yes. Coming and going, Now it comes,
and it's black; now it goes, and the water
looks white where it was. If it isn't wreck,
it's weed; if it amt weed, it's wreck. And
the tides flowing, and it'll go ashore aforo
night at the Caldron Pint, if I wait for it.
But + sha'n't wait, he added, eagerly. "rll
go and overhaul it now"
He looked round suspicious, and then said:
sMatt, did you see any of them coast
guard chaps as you come along?"
mo, William Jones'"
Thought not. They're up Pencroes ~ay,
fooling about; SO there's a chance for a hon
est man to look arter his living without no
questioning. You come along with mo, and
if it is summat, I'll gle thee tuppence some O.
these fine days"
As he turned to go, his eyes fell for the first
time on her attire.
"What's this, Matte What are you doing
in your Sunday clothes?"
The girl was at a loss how to reply. She
blushed scarlet, and hung down her head.
Fortunately for her, the man was too all
sorbed in his main object of thought to cate
chise her further. He only shook his fat
head in severe disapprobation, and led the
way down to small creek in the rocks,
where a rough coble was rocking, secured by
a rusty chain.
Jump in and take the paddles. I'll sit
astarn and keep watch.
The girl obeyed and 1eaped in; but before
sitting down she tucked up her dress to her
knees to avoid the dirty water in the bottom
of the boat William Jones followed, and
pushed off with his hands. Calm as the water
was, there was heavy shoreward SWELL on
which they were Immediately uplifted, with
some danger of being swept back on TIE
rocks; but Matt handled the paddles like one
to the manor born, and the boat shot out
swiftly on the shining sea.
The sun was burning with almost insuffer
able brightness, and the light blazed on the
golden mirror of the water with binding, re-
fracted rays. Crouching in the stern of the
boat, William Jones shaded his eyes with both
hands and gazed intently on the object he had
discovered far out to sea Now and then he
made rapid motion to guide the girl i'll her
rowing, but he did not speak word.
Oh, how hot it was out there on the wideless
wavesl For some time Matt pulled on in
silence; but at last she could bear it no longer,
and rested on her oars, with the warm per-
SEPARATION streaming down her freckled cheeks.
'Pul away, Matt, :" said the man. not look
ing at her. ''You amt tired, not YOUR
With long-drawn breath Matt drew in the
oars, and, swift as thought, peeled off her
jacket and threw off her hat, leaving her head
exposed to the burning sun.
Now, the silk gown she wore had evidently
been used by its original owner as festal
raiment, for it had been cut low, and had
short sleeves. So MATHS shoulders and arms
were perfectly bare, and very white they
looked in contrast with her n-freckled hands,
her sun-burned face, and her warm brown
neck. Her bust was as yet undeveloped, but
her neck and shoulders were fine, and her
arms beautifully nodded. Altogether, her
friend the painter, could he have seen her just
then, would have regarded her with increasing
admiration.
Freed from the incumbrance of her jacket,
she now pulled away with easy grace and
skill. Farther and farther the boat receded
from Shore till the promontory they had left
was couple of miles away. Suddenly Will
liam Jones made sign to the girl to stop,
and stood up in the boat to reconnoitre.
The object at which he had been gazing SC
long was now clearly visible. 1t consisted OF
something black, floating on a CLASSY stretch
of water, and surrounded by fragments OF
loose scum or froth; it was to all appearance
motionless, but was, in reality, drifting
YEARLY shoreward on the flowing tide.
William Jones now evinced increasing ex.
element, and urged his companion to hurry
quickly forward-which she did, putting out
all her strength in series of rapid and power
full strokes. Another quarter of an hour
brought them to the spot where the object
was floating. Trembling with eagerness, the
man leaned over the boats side with out
stretched hands.
AS he did so Matt turned her head away
with a curious gesture of dread.
''What is it, William Jones?' she asked, moi
looking at him. SIT isn't-you know-one 0
the,n?"
'sNo, it aint!' replied the man, leaning ove1
the side of the coble, and fitting the gunwale
almost to the waters edge. "Too early fol
them, Matt. If they comes it won't be til
Sundays tide They're down at the bottom
now, and amt yet rose. Easy! Lean 'tothel
way! So there-lool1 out!"
AS he spoke, he struggled with something
in the water, and at last, with an effort which
almost capsized the boat, pulled it in. Mat
looked now, and saw that it was small, fat
wooden trunk, covered with pieces of Shiny
weed. Floating near itwere several pieces O.
splintered wood, which seemed to have formed
part of a beat. These, too, William secured
and threw down on the footboard beneath
him.
cts box, that's what it is" cried Matt.
cts box, surely" said Jones. "And it,
locked, too. And, look We now. I misdoub
there's nowt inside, Or mayhap it would have
sunk. Horsepower, We'll seen
After an unavailing effort to force 1t ope1
with his hands he drew forth a large clasp
knife, worked away at the lock, and tried t.
force open the lid, which soon yielded to hi
efforts, as the action of the salt water hae
already begun to rot the wood, On being
thus opened the box was found to contain
only couple of coarse linen shirts, an ole
newspaper, two or three biscuits, and half {
bottle of some dark fluid.
After examining these articles one by on.
William Jones threw them back into the boz
with gestures of disgust, retaining only tn
bottle. which he uncorked and applied to hi