Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-17
Legend ofthe Tropic Seas.


bathes in beauty the sands OF a lone
" beach, where the waves are break
ing gently. This a baIra-a tidal
creek, and its cove is smooth and
peaceful, being well protected by a
line of breakers that here lie farther
out from shore than is usual in such
places. Black against the back
ground of crimson and gold with
which the great orb decks his de
scent to his tomb, a boat looms up,
round the point from the sea into
the creek, thence opening inland; and
presently the frail vessel grounds and
two men leap ashore and draw the
canoe up beyond danger Of drifting
So brief is the twilight ofthe tropics
that it is fairly nightfan as they
alight on the bank The stars are
coming out and reflect themselves IN
the sea, and far away CLEAN the
lights from scattered cabins. The
chattering blackbirds have flown
home to their night-haunts, and the
belated gulls are winging toward
their craggy nests, In the edge of
the darkcned water the mangrOves
rustic sadly, the broad banana leaves
wave in the plantation farther in
land toward the savannahs. The
mo'rnfuI cry OF the ludng jackal re-
sounds from thethicket, and from the
forest comes the roar ofthe tiger-the
iaguar, while a thousand insects call
from the jungle. Nature seems chilling
to rest; sea, heaven, and earth, all
animated creatures appear to be at
prayer. The only sounds of activity
are the spIashes of the countless fish
that leap into the air and fall back
/ into the placid, OnWard-hOwing wa
| ter OF the barra, and the fitful CLEAN
| of the myriad tirefiies against their
/ fOrnIess background. Even these,
! however, show the light of their
| greenish, phOsphOrescent lamps but
! languidly, as If they lacked energy or
| stimulus for more sustained glow
/ The men from the boat, who had
/ sat down upon the bank. as if weary
| from their task of rowing. arise as
/ the moon climbs slowly up from the
/ horizon, and turn to where their
| canoe lay canted upon the sands
Just yOuder in the thicket, says
! one, lis the spot / have marked out
/ on the parchment that we left in
| your seachest, that each OF us might
! be able to trace theway again should
aught befall the other You can see
/ the palms l spoke of, two tall but
slender ones, growing close together. -
Il see, " says the other, briefly; 1T
! is not far to carry, and well enough
/ for us, for the load is heavy enough. ;"
! '"Hhere are not many who would
! complain of the weight OF it. " reiOins
his companion, If it were theirs for
! the carrying: And it is ours. beyond
! Il question. No one can claim it for
us, though if our comrades knew OF
our having it they might determine
to take n share by foul or by fair
means.
They have come to the boat now
and are lifting out the load from it
Il MISUNDERSTANDING Golfer. under whose
weight. the two. with their forces
! combined still stagger. And so thpv
]
/ the Jungle. to the foot of the tall
! young palm-trees, and there, plying
! the spade and mattOck with a right
good will, they soon have dug a pit
among the nOddinG ferns and other
heritage, rank and clustering, and
with many al groan and straining OF
/ knOtted sineWS; they lower into it the
heavy, precious Golfer.
And now to bury our treasure: -
says he who has first spoken, ''tO
| cover it over so well that none but
/ ourselves can find it ever
Ave, bury it deeply" SAYS the
other, For the heavy-iying earth be-
! trays no secrets
i am not sure of that. returns
the former: 'as the sea gives up its
/ dead from time to time, SO the earth
! has been known to lay bare CHASTITY
/ buried horrors -77 the sentence is
never finished. AS the speaker has
been STOPPING to push into the pit
! the lOOse-lying earth. hiscOmpaniOn,
| gT0Sping the mattOek- has half lifted
! it now and then irresOlutaly, and at
/ last he lifted il Suddenly on high and
/ sends it crashing down upon the
/ skull of the defenseless, unsuspecting,
man before him. A traitorous, cow
/ ardly murdcrl The victim falls ia a
huddled, shapeless mass; his body is
/ cOnvUlsed IN one or two long, h0r-
/ rible Quivers, and then that form. SO
/ lately full of strength and VigOr, Is
{ inert and still forever.
The assassin stands stOckstill for a
I few moments, gazing upon the work
! of his hands, upon the ruin he has
/ wrought. Then ne turns hastily
away from the spot, and even takes
! q few wild stems toward the creek