Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-05-20

Look ye now,n continued the man; 81
may be drifting weed, or it may be wreck
but it's summat. Look again.
''Summat black, William Jonesp'
"Yes. Coming and going. Now it comes
and it's black; now it goes, and the watel
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 afor,
night at the Caldron Pint, if wait for it
But sha'n't wait, " he added, eagerly. "I'l
go and overhaul it now.n
He looked round suspicious, and then said
"Matt, did you see any of them coast
guard chaps as you come along"
mo, William Jonesn
Thought not. They're up Pencroes way
fooling about; so there's chance for a hon
est man to look arter his living without NJ
questioning. You come along with me, ant
if it is summat, I'll gle thee tuppence some o
these fine days.
As he turned to go, his eyes fell for the frs
time on her attire.
whats this, Matt? What are you doing
in your Sunday clothes2'
The girl was at loss how to reply. She
blushed scarlet, and hung down her head
| Fortunately for her, the man was too alb
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 a small creek in the rocks
where rough coble was rocking, secured by
a rusty chain.
"Jump in and take the paddles. I'll sill
astarn and keep watch.
The girl obeyed and leaped 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 the
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 in her
| rowing, but he did not speak a word
Oh, how hot it was out there on the wideless
wavesi 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-
| spiration streaming down her freckled cheeks.
Pull 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 of 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 sun 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 a 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 so
long was now clearly visible 1t consisted Of
something black, floating ON 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 compa non to hurry
| quickly forward-which she die, 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 Jonesf' she asked. net
looking at him ut isn't--you know-one o.
| them?n
mo, it ain'tf' replied the man, leaning over
the side of the coble, and fitting the gunwale
| almost to the waters edge ''Too early for
| them, Matt. If they comes, it won't be till
| Sundays tide They're down at the bottom
now, and amt yet rose. Easyl Lean tother
| way! So there-look outr
As he spoke, he struggled with something
| i'll the water, and at last, with an effort which
almost capsized the boat, pulled it in. Matt
| looked now, and saw that it was a small, fat
wooden trunk, covered with pieces of Shiny
weed. Floating near it were several pieces of
| splintered wood, which seemed to have formed
part of a boat. These, too, William secured
and threw down on the footboard beneath
| him.
sits box, that's what it is,n cried Matt.
'Its box, surely" said Jones. ''And it's
locked, too. And, look We now. l misdoubt
there's nowt inside, or mayhap it would have
| sunk. Horsepower, we'll seein
After an unavailing effort to force it open
| with his hands he drew forth large clasp
| knife, worked away at the lock, and tried to
| force open the lid, which soon yielded to his
efforts as the action of the salt water had
already begun to rot the wood. On being
thus opened the box was found to contain
only couple of coarse linen shirts, an old
newspaper, two or three biscuits, and half a.
| bottle of some dark fluid.
| After examining these articles one by one
William Jones threw them back into the box
with gestures of disgust, retaining only the
bottle, which he uncorked and applied to his
| lips.
| ''Rumln he said, smacking his lips and nod
ding at Matt, Then, recorking the bottle
| carefully, he returned it to the box, and.
| standing up, reconnoitred the sea on every
side, But nothing else rewarded his eager
search he threw himself down in the stern
of the boat and ordered Matt to pull back to
shore.
AS they went he closed one eye thought
fully and unused aloud:
might afore last it blew half gale from
the southland. This here box came awasb
| from the east coast of Ireland. Nav be II
| was a big ship as was lost; them planks way
part of the vessels long-boat. More's cominf,
if the wind don't come up from the norrartl
| The moons full tonight and tomorrow. I'll
tell the old 'un, and keep a sharp lookout of
| the Caldron Pint"
Matt rowed on steadily till they came with
in quarter of a mile of the shore when Will
liam Jones stood up again and reconnoitred
the prospect inland.
Pull in, Mattr' he said, after minute.
"Alls squareI'
Soon afterward the boat reached the rocks.
William Jones sprang out AMI, running up to
the platform above, took another survey.
This being satisfactory, he ran down again
and lifted the box out of the boat, carrying
it with ease under one arm.
Make the boat fast. he said, 1T O husky
whisper; land bring them bits o. wood along
with you for the fire. I'll cut on to the cot
tage with this here. 1t amt much, but its
summat, so I'll carry it clean out o. sight be
fore them precious coastguards come smell
ing aboutn
With these words he clambered up the
rocks with his burden, leaving Matt to fol
low leisurely in his wake.
CHAPTER V.
CONCLUDES WITH KISS.
Not far from the spot where William Jones
had landed, and removed some little distance
from the deserted village, with its desolate
main street and roofless habitatlnns there