Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-12-27

( luminous wake OF q pilOSpllQTeScent nSh
has terrors for him; he sees in it the
CLEAN Of the ghostly moonlight. filtering
through the palm leaves on that pallid
| countenance yonder. He is rowing on,
wildly. blindly, needless Of his course,
and, instead of rounding the point, he is
| going straight on, out toward the
breakers. He looks up to heaven
in desperate hope of solace: alas! but
heaven itself derides and threatens,
he thinks, for in the flying scuds of clouds
he sees but specters. On, on he hurries,
bending to his cars till his frail bark
bounds and leaps on the heaving, swell
ing water, now growing more turbulent
with every impulse that urges the life
boat forward. The roar of the breakers
in his ears is demoniac, but he needs not
the warming; rather he hears in the
clamor the outcry of denunciation. He
is in tho midst Of charming, foanlinS,
angry waters. A black rock seems to
uprear itself from the raging waves, and
wrest an oar from him. As he bends to
snatch at the shattered fragments the
other slips from his hand and goes spin
ming away in the moonlight, as II whirl-
ing in weird dance of mockery. His
boat crashes on the reef, whose fantastic
mantle of spray, flung high in the air, he
takes at the supreme moment for another
phantom. There is brief struggle be-
tween stupendous force and an atom
and the man and his sin are buried in the
waves forever. - va,
+
Long years have passed. The two men
who once landed here are forgotten, the
fate of them buried in oblivion, I'M
known. indeed, of their fellows. But
who shall say how these things come
about2-the spot is known rs The Cove
Of the Treasure. No one knows how
or when or why the name has come to
be applied There is no definite tradi-
ton or legend concerning the matter;
but through some subtle medium the as
sociation Of ideas has become a fixed one.
And tine two palms have long since got
ten name Of evil reputation, and here,
indeed, there 10 somewhat of definite
shaping. For the story goes that at
nightfall grizzly specter comes forth
from their shadow and pursues the af-
friGhted wayfarer. In all the country
around there is not human being who
will approach these palms when the sum
Is fairly sinking, and in truth they are
Stunned at cost Of wide circuit at any
hour whatsoever.
Once aGain--but the hour is now high
mid afternoon of brilliant tropical day
once again little boat comes around
the Point and makes for the beach of the
barra, and once again two men step on
the shore. They stand brief while
contemplativc, impressed by the absolute
rcpose of the scene. The broad, green
leaves of the bananas are scarce astir. all
sensitive as they are to the lghtest
zephyr. Those uncouth forms that ga
lutte the eye, Impractical though it be,
with something of dread and horror, are
not rough logs, as might he thought at
first sight, but swinish alligators lazily
basking in the slime of the creek or in
the shade Of the cane brake The .jaguar,
and the lizard, too, arc asleep, but far
ther within the jungle. where their more
sensitive bodies receive less of the in
tense heat Of the hour. The huaco sits
in the high ceiba-for this tall. silk cot
ton tree will be the first point to catch
the grateful breath of the land breeze
when that cool, refreshing wind shall
blow up sweetly. The cicada sings his
grating, strident challenge, but its meas
urc, far from relieving the weight Of the
day by hint of activity, only serves to
enhance the feeling of breathlessness, IA
tho cicada call will do the wide world
over. So, too, an added heaviEess comes
from contemplation Of tho hcwl: over
head moving in lazy circles.
"Caramba! but what h1at!" saws one
Of the now corners, in liquid Spanish;
"we have found the spot, there is no
doubt, but the hour Is badly chosen
Does it not seem strange, Felipe. that we
should SO readily have found the site
described i'll that old parchment, written
in my uncle'a scrawlinS hand, and, oddly
enough, preserved iii the sea chest of your
father, sent home so long ago, after that
last luckless voyage, on which the two
embarked together, and from which
neither returncdP'
Most strange, indeed" says Felipe;
"and for my part, am still inclined to
think we have come on fruitlcss quest.
lncy were uTSdlllSIS, ElCnL liAp, YOU.
uncle and my father, and we shall find
their treasure troye to be but rainbow
gold. y
1T is moro likely" says Fortunate,
"that they won it by force or violence;
and yon know that geld that las been
baptized in blood SHALL not be enjoyed by
one Of the same race rs TIE sheddcr Of
that blood. What have you there, Fe-
iipo2' His tone changed from simple
earnestness to alarm, rs bis companion
suddenly is shaken by 4 powerful
shudde3
II do rot know" says Felipe; IL felt
that strange, mysterious thrill Of horrcr
which is said TO be caused by the tread Of
an alien foot upon tie ground where
ones grave shall be. T."
"Pah! nonsensc!' says practical Fer
tunato; chow weak of yen 70 remember
old women's supergtitions! What fear
is that you may be developing caionturas.
That long row in tins beating, blazingsun.
the sudden change to the GOODNESS Of this
dense shadow, and the reck of rank, de-
cayinS vcgetation - surely these are
causes enough 10 bring or chill5 and
fever in these lowlands. | think there
must In p,a,.sheg Ecrco lC,,.atT Lo1 ,