The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-08-16

| ne thought, that the stern oil that boat
should be so heavy. 1t seemed as though
it were made of solid iron. At last he
got the boat clear of the checks, and got
the line made fast Just in time to meet
the jerk on it that came as the boat-now
hanging free by the falls from the ridge
pole of the roof-swung across nearly the
whole width of the loft, with such a
lunge that the ridgepole bent and cracked,
and the whole framework of the old OIL
house swayed as though it were coming
down by the run.
Teddy was glad to take good rest at
this stage of the proceedings, while the
boat swung backward and forward, like
great pendulum, flashing through the
rays of sunlight. The particles of dust
which the jar had shaken loose from
everything danced up and down these
sunbeams, and also danced up Teddy's
nose and set him to sneeziug at such rate
that he thought he should sneeze his head
off
By the time that the boat had stopped
swinging, and hung steadily by the falls
just clear of the floor, he was pretty we'll
rested and ready to go to work again. To
open the trap-door he must raise the boat
about six feet. He went at the ropes with
will, hauling away easily at the bow
fall, and Juggling at the stern-fall, with
the double purchase, with all his might.
AT last the bow was high enough, and one
more tussle with that dreadfully heavy
stern would make everything clear for
him to open the trap-door and lower
away.
At about this time, also, Miss Ruth
had finished pairing her pan of Juue
apples.
Teddy strained away at his tackle with
all his strength, stopping to rest and to
puff like porpoise after each round, but
gaining steadily. AT last heboat swung
level, clear six feet above the floor, and
victory was almost within his grasp.
1t was just as he had reached this al
most triumphant point in his labors, and
had turned to make the rope fast to the
belaying-pin while he opened the trap
door-at this critical moment Miss Ruth
Marbles specialized face showed at the
top of the stairs, and Miss Ruth Marbles
sharp voice exclaimed:
"Why, Teddy Rodford Of all Gre
ated things, what badness are you doing
hereln
Teddy jumped as if he had been shot
The rope slipped from his hands and
whizzed through the blocks, and that ire
mendously heavy stern of the little boat
flashed downward through the sunlight.
With bang and crash of splintering
wood, it struck beam with such force
that the old oil-house swayed and trem-
bled and seemed in fair way to fall to
pieces there and then.
With this banging and crashing was
also a most curious, jingling sound; and
very astonishing was its cause. As the
stern Of the boat struck the beam, the
stern-sheets were broken all to pieces, and
out of the stern-locker poured stream OF
gold and silver coins which jingled as
they fell. and which blazed and glittered
as the sunbeams touched them while they
went rolling every which way over the
floor
In the silence which followed this out
burst of noise, Miss Ruth Marble and
Teddy Rodford Just stood and stared at
each other, across more silver and gold,
and five-dollar gold pieces, and ten-dollar
pieces, and even twenty-dollar pieces,
than either of them ever had seen any
where, and certainly more than they ever
were likely to see again loose on the floor
of a sail-loft.
And so the lost fortune that Capt.
Tranquil Marble had hidden in this queer
place, before he sailed away in the Har-
mony Home to his death in the northern
seas, was found at Youths Com
panioa.