Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-11-16


missed, and it is so very important"
Augusta blushed, and no wonder. Il
am sorry to say / have nothing Of the sort
/ about me- Mr. MeeSon-nothing except
| flannel" she said ~ got up in the middle
! of the night before the collision, and there
/ was no light in the cabin, and | put on
! whatever came first, meaning to come
/ back and dress afterwerd when it got
| light"
stStaysr' said Mr. Meeson, desperately.
/ "Forgive me for mentioning them, but
/ surely you put on your stays? One could
write on them, you know"
| 81 am very sorry, Mr.. Meeson," she an
swered, 'but did not put any on"
/ Not cuff or collar!'' he said, catch
/ ing at a last straw Of hope.
Augusta shook her head sadly.
Then there is an end of itn' groaned
Mr.. Meeson. "Eustace must lose the
money. Poor lad! poor lad! 1 have be-
/ hayed very badly to him.
/ Augusta stood still, rarking her brain
| for some expedient, for she was determ-
/ ined that Eustace Meeson should not lose
/ the chance of that colossal fortune if she
| could helpit 1t was but poor chance at
| the best, for Mr.. Meeson might not be dy
ing, after all And if he did die, 1t was
! pTODdDIc lHdL Ills ltttS NOtIi4 NC ILltA IdtS
also, and no record would remain of them
/ or of Mr.. Nelson's testamentary wishes.
| AS things looked at present, there was
/ every prospect of their all perlshing mlser-
/ ably on that desolate shore.
! Just then the sailor Bill, who had been
up 10 the flagstaff on the rock on the
| chance of catching sight Of some passing
vessel, came walking past His flannel
shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbows
| of his brawny arms and as he stopped to
| speak to Augusta she noticed something
that made her start and gave her an idea.
There amt nothing to be SEEM" said
| the man roughly; and it's my belief that
| there won't be, neither. Here we are, and
here we stops till we dies and rots."
"Ah, hope not said Augusta. "By
the way, Mr.. Bill, viii you let me look at
the tattoo on your arm?"
Certainly, Miss" said Bill, with alacri-
| ty, holding his great arm within an inch
of her nose. 1t was covered with various
| tattoos; flags, ships, and what-not, in the
middle of which, written in small letters
along the side of the forearm, was the
sailors name-Bill Jones.
"Who did it, Mr. Bill?" asked Augusta.
"Who did it? Why, did it myself. A
| chap made me bet that | could not tattoo
my own name on my own arm, SO l
| showed him; and poor sort of hand I
| should have been at tattooing if I could
not"
Augusta said no more till Bill had gone
! on, then she spoke.
| 'Now, Mr.. MeesOn, do you see how you
can make your will?" she said, quietly.
Sec? No." he answered, Il don't"
| "WelI, dol You can tattoo it-or, rath
er, get the sailor to tattoo it. 1t need not
| be very long"
Tattoo it? What On-and what With?"
| he asked, astonshed.
you can have it tattooed on the back
! of the other sailor, Johnnie, if he will al
| low you; and us for material, you have
some revolver cartridges; if the gUnpoWder
is mixed with water, it would do, l should
| think"
Upon my word" said Mr. Meeson, you
arc a wonderful womanl Whoever would
have thought of such a thing except
woman2 Go and ask the man Johnnie,
there's good girl, if he would mind my
will being tattooed upon his back"
''Weu," said Augusta, tits q queer sort
of message, but I'lI try" Accordingly,
taking little Dick by the hand, she went
| across to where the two sailors were sit
ting outside their hut, and putting on her
| sweetest smile, first of all asked Mr.. Bill
If he would mind doing d little tattooing
for her To this Mr.. Bill, finding time
hang heavy upon his hands, and wishing
to be kept out of the temptation of the
rum casl1, graciOuSly aSSented, saying that
he had seen some sharp fish bones lying
about which would be the very thing,
though he shook his head at the idea of
using gunpowder as the medium. He said
it would not do at all We'll and then, as
though suddenly seized by an inspiration,
started Off down to the shore.
! Then Augusta, rs gently and nicely as
| she could, approached the question with
Johnnie, who was sitting with his back
against the hut, his battered cOuntenance
wearing Il peculiarly ill-favOred express
sion, probably owing TO the fact that he
was suffering from severe pain in his head,
as q result of the debauch of the previous
night
Slowly and with great difficulty, for his
| understanding was none of the clearest,
she explained to him what was required:
and that it was suggested that he should
| provide the necessary corpus Ollie upon
which 1t was proposed that the experiment
should be made. When at last he under
stood what it was asked that he should do,
and his language was more striking than
| correct. The upshOt of it was, however,
that he would see Mr.. Meeson collectively,
and Mr.. Nelson's various members separ-
ately, especially his eyes, id first.
| Augusta retreated till his wrath had
| spent itself, and then once more returned
to the charge.
She was sure, she said, that Mr. John
n no mil
ment, If anybody else could be found to
submit TO the pain of the tattooing. All
| that would be necessary would be for him
to touch the hand of the operator while
his (Johnnie's) name was tattooed as wit
| ness to the will "Well" he said II don't
| know how as l mind doing that, since it's
| you 10 asked me, Miss, and not that id
old hulGs of Meeson. l would not lift a
| finger to save him from ell, Miss, and
| that's fact"
Then that is a promise, Mr.. Johnnie?n
said Augusta, sweetly ignoring the garn-
ishing with which the promise was
adorned; and on Mr.. Johnnie stating that
he looked at it in that light she returned
to Mr.. MeesOn. On her way she met Bill,
carrying in his hands a MISUNDERSTANDING
fish, with long feelers and head like a
parrot-in short, cuttlehsh.
Now, here's luck, Miss" said Bill, ex-
ultingly; Il saw this gentleman lying
down on the beach there this morning.
He's n cutie, that's what he is; and I'u
have his ink bag out of him in brace of
shakes; just the ticket for tattooing, Miss,
as good as the best Indian ink-gunpowder
is fool to it.H
BY this time they had reached Mr. Nee
son, and here the whole matter, including
Johnnie's obstinate refusal to be tattooed,
was explained to Bill.
We'll" said Augusta, at length, ''it
seems that's the only thing to be done, but
the question is. how to do tt I can only
suggest, Mr.. Meeson, that the will should
be tattooed on you"
"Ohl' said Mr. Meeson, feebly, ION me!
Ne tattooed like q savage-tastooed with
my own willH'
1T wouldn't be much use, either, gov
ernor, begging your pardon said Bill,
that is, if You is agoinE to croak, as you
says; cause where would the Will be thens
We might skin you with sharp stone.
perhaps, after you've done the trick, YOU
know he added. Tehectively. But then
we have no salt, so l doubt if you'd keep,
and if we set your hide in the sun, reckon
the writing would shrivel up so that all
the courts of law in London could not
make head nor tail of itn
Mr.. Meeson groaned loudly, as well he
might These frank remarks would have