Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-07-05
Notwithstanding his excitement. Teddy

went ut his work very judiciously. His
plan was to swing the boat up by the
tacSlcs-hauling alternately at the bow
and stern, and making each line fast 10
its bclayingpin before he went ut the
othcr-until she was free of the checks
and high enough above the floor for the
,rap-door to open; then, Keeping II couple
Of turns of the ropes around the Delaying
pins SO that the boat would not get away
from HIM, lower her first at the bow and
then ut the stern until he had her safe in
the dock below.
This WAS II good plan. but he cncoun-
tered serious difficulties in executing it.
The bow came up I'LL right, but for the
life of him he could not bulge the stern
This was diScouraeing; but Teddy was
y lad of cxpcdcnts, and had not lived all
his life on the srashore without learning
something about rigging.
There were plenty Of blocks and rope.
lying around, and it did not take him
long TO rig Il snatch-block to II beam and
10 the end Of the line that he had been
hauling on. With this double purchase,
by putting out all Of his strength, he was
able 10 raise the boats stern.
1t was Inc qucercst thing in the world,
he thought that the stern of that boat
should he so heavy. 1t seemed rs though
il were made Of solid iron At last he
got the boat clear of The chocks, and got
the line made fast just in time to meet
the jerk on il that came as the boat-now
hanging free by tine falls from the ridge
pole of the swung across nearly the
whole width of the loft, with such Il
lungc that the ri'lgcpolc bent and cracked,
and the whole framework of the old oil
house swaycd rs though it were coming
down by the RUN.
Teddy was glad to take good res. at
this stage Of the proceedings, while the
boat swung backward and forward, like
great pendulum, flashing through tho
rays Of sunlight. The particles of dust
which the jar had shaken loose from
everything danced up and down these
snnbcams, and also danced up Tcddy's
nose and Sc; him to snccziug ut such IA rate
that he thought he should sncczc his head
oil
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
'N'''' hii'' its'bN w ~ w NOIh lEsllI. IL
open the trap-door he must raise the boat
about SIX feet. He went ut HE ropes with
Il will, hauling away easily at the bow
fall, and Juggling 1T the stcrn-fall, with
III" double purchase, with all his might.
At last the bow was high enough, and one
more tuSslc with that drcadfully heavy
stern would make everything clear for
him To- open the tr;.r-loDr and lower
away.
At about this lime, also, Miss Ruth
had finished pairing her pan OF June
apples.
Teddy strained away nj his tackle with
all his strength, stopping 10 rest and to
pull like - porpoisc after each round, but
gaining steadily. At last the boat swun.
level, Il clear six feet above the floor. and
victory was almost within his grasp.
1t was just as hr had reached This al
most triumphant point in his labors, and
had turned To make the rope fast to the
beaying-pin while he opened the trap
door-at this critical moment Miss Ruth
Marbles specialized face showed ut the
top Of the stairs, and Miss Ruth Marbles
sharp voice exclaimed:
ny, i''iiN i.ouiortl. vi all Gre
atcd things, what badness are you doing
hcrc.r
Teddy jumped as if he had been shot
The rope slipped from his hands and
wlizzcd through the blocks, and that ire
mcndously heavy stern of the little boat
flashed downward through the sunlight.
With Il bang and II crash of splintcring
wood, it struck beam with such force
that the old oil-ho,sc swaycd and trcm-
bicd and seemed in fair way to fall to
pieces there and then.
With this banging and crashing was
also II mos: curious, jingling sound; and
very astonishing was its cause As the
stern of the boat struck the BEAM the
Sicrn-shccts were broken all tn pieces, and
out of the stcrn-lockcr poured Il stream of
gold and silver coins which iinglcd rs
they FELL and which blazcd and glittcrcd
as the sunbcams 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 livc-dollnr gold pieces, and tcn-dolar
pieces, and even twcnty-dollar pieces,
than either Of them ever had seen any
where, and certainly more than they ever
were likely TO see again loose OH the floor
OF Il Sail-loft.
And so the lost fortune that Capt.
Tranquil Marble had hidden in This queer
place, before he sailed away in the IIa?-
mony Home to his death in the northern
seas, was found nj last YoutAS Com
paaion.
4 Nnmi,ln.Tnnihnh sLnIninn