Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-07-19

faneics i must be, a thief-asif th.r. mas
sueh thing IN these parte, where Vol, nss.1,t
SSsilIs sack OF gold from crufsir To N.
Nd1aire ana no ole SO much ma osk v,baf
you q got ID your handl Well. pet., s an..s
found. S ''o"ner' 10 DC
But n the morning in he comes as cool ,s
cucumber aud has the fnca 10 fol- se,n ~
he's been spending the night al pats n,
n.su 70 say as oil this time his mother wus
az hef wits end 10 find d safe hidiug nlaca
ior her money, las for Peters i,awret
inopotel OF Croisic always took cure Of II for
nun. vi course Master Jims pranks had
.es1 the old folks d pretty penny by this
t a,S ~ met, they were well-nigh ruined
anu ulat was hard for folks
as had been wor.h-house and an toretber-
z iiatter o. s3oOor $500. Nobody ever knew
now much II cost Peter TO net his son nut ~
mat scraIe at Nautcs, when the police were
ai.eF MN, and IT seemed as ifthe whole family
were doomed TO bad luck. For eyerything
iad oeen gong wrong with Peters brother
Anu 50, To comfort him, Peter saws to him.
~ jim and your Polly must make a match
~ III y ono OF these days Meantime To keen
nun rom starving, Peter gives him n berth
u ms nshing smack, and Peters wife She
,aAes ana sews real Spanish doubloon in 4
Dlt o. bag and showed it into her mattress
W., M..n for Polly written on II, as large as
me, IN her own handwritine--for She was n
good scholar, was Peters wife.
Wen, no mortal could ever tell how linn
come TO nose that bit of gold but nose II he
uidi and OH with il to lie croisic To snend N
10 pleasure. But as chance would have IL
PACK comes Peter from his fishing that very
mght, and what docs he see floating
gu .he top OF the water, close by the
landing place, but a. scrap of baner
which he picks up and carries home TO
nus VIE, who falls in dead swoon as soon
as ever she sees For Polly in her own hand
wiring on the scrap of paper Peter he
no'es als tongue, but goes straight to lie
,Ioisic and. hears that his son is in the bill
matd-room at the inn. To the door OF the
.h ne goes and says TO Dame Flowers, the
ths iandlady, i told our Jim not 10 spend n
certain bit Of gold as he'll be payinEp,pu
Win presently III wait here, and when lie
gives ~ To you just bring il to me and IN
give you It's full value in silver Hy and by
pane Flowers brings him the doubloon. and
ne gives her the value of it and tekes it
straight home
All the folks at LeCroisie know that much
but they can only give rough guess at
what m going 10 tell you As soon as he
gets home Peter bids his wife clean IN the
parlor, than he makes up the are; lights a
couple OF candles, sets two chairs on one side
OF the hearth aud three-legged stool ON
.he Vlher, ana orders his wife TO get out his
anu her own WEDDING clothes-as we laid up
safe ~ cOler-and brush them up
a oit. Then he puts on his wedding
clothes and goes to his brothers house
anu asked him to he on the lookout in front
OF his (Peter's) house and give him warming
" ne nears any one a-landing ON the island,
After that he goes back home by the time he
thought his wife had got her wedding clothes
Cd, loads his gun and hides il in the chimney
corner. Presently back comes Jim-late
enough, you may he sure, when tell you he
stald at lie Croisic till 10 o'clock drinking
and gambling
AS soon as he shows his face his father
says to him, sit you down on yondar stool;
you're in the presence Of your father and
mother, whom you've offended. and now they
are going TO judge you. Therefore Jim be-
gins TO whimpcr, seeing as how there was
iearsome look ia his fathers face while the
mother was sitting there as stiff as an oar
II you cry, or stir from that stool-if YOU
don sit there as still as a mouse IN shoot
you like dog, says Peter. And so Jim sits
there as dumb as fish and his mother. she
neuer opens her mouth Look here saws
Pete, there was a Spanish doubloon IN this
mt ofpaper. That dobloon was III your
mothers mattress, and no one but her
as put IL there, knew it was there | found
this piece of paper floating ON the water when
ianded. This very evening you gave that
donbloon TO Dame Flowers, and your moth
er has missed hers from the bed Now, what
have you got to say for yourself
Jim takes and swears as he never touched
his mothers doubloon and the one he'd paid
away was one he had left when he came away
from Nantes after his frolic so much the
better says Peter. But how can you
prove the truth of your words? Win you
take your sacred, solemn oath as you didn't
steal your mothers doubloon?" Jim was
quite ready to swear by all his hopes of
heaven. But his mother stopped him. Jim,
my boy says she, Bcwarel Don't fore
swear yourself You may turn out o good
boy yet if you'll only repent and mend your
ways And with that she burst ont crying,
You're an old this and an old that, as al
ways wanted to bring me to ruinl' cried Jim.
Whereupon Peter turns pale, and cries:
What you We just said TO your mother will
help to swell my account against you.
Come, now, are you prepared to swearP'
Yes, Gays Jim. stop moment, says his
father. Had your doubloon got this same
cross upon it as the sardine merchant from
which took it put upon our piece? This
question staggers and sobers linn bit, and
he begins to blubber. Enough said, cries
his father. I'm not going TO tax you with
your old misdceds. But look you here,
won't see Bend-the-Sea swinging in the
gallows in front of Croisic goal. So make
haste and say your prayer priest will be
here directly to confess YOU.
Meantime Jim's mother had left the house
TO escape hearing her sons condemnation.
While she was outside in came Peters
brother with the rector of Piriac. But Jim
was far too artful to make any confession he
thought he knew his father well enough to
make sure that he'd never kill him till he had
confessed Well seeing Jim so obstinate,
the same. for coming am sorry To have
troubled you; but just wanted to give my
son lesson, and beg you to be good
enough to keep the matter quiet. As for
you, Jim, the very next time catch YOU GO
ing astray your fate is sealed, confession or
no confession.
''Then he sent him upstairs to bed. The
lad, firmly believing as his father meant to
let him of scot free, went quietly to sleep.
But Peter sat up, and as soon as ever he
heard Jim snoring, he takes and gags him
with handful of tow and strip of sail
cloth. and binds him hand and foot. The
poor mother filings herself at her husbands
feet and begs him 10 stay his hand, but
Peter only said to her: He's doomed
Come and help me carry him to the boat.
0fcourse she refuses So Bend-the-Sea car
ries him alone, ties big stone to his neck,
and rows out into TIE open sea, as far
as the rock where you saw him. Mean
time his wife prays her brothar-in-law to
row after him. aud follows in another boat,
crying aloud for mercy. She might as well
have prayed to ravening wolf 1t was "a
bright moonlight night and presently the
poor woman saw her husband lift the lad from
the bottom of the boat and fling him over
board. Not breath Of wind was stirring
and she distinctly heard the splash which
told her that her only child was drowned
and then nothingl All! the sea is a desper-
ate, sure prisoni Poor creaturei The shock
killed her The two brothers had to carry
H.. frc,u tha hn,,t back 10 the house. and She
died within the week, imploring her husband
with her last breath to burn the aceursed
boat. and burn il he did. After that he SEEM
ed 10 have lost his wits. lie knew no more
than a ,uadman what he was about. When
he walked he reeled and staggered like a
drunken man. Then he took journey some
where and was away for o fortnight, When
he came back he went straight TO the place
where you saw him. and there he has eyersince
I'm ined rrrer snenkinU to n single soul. y