The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-08

ward, when she was an ole woman, she
came back heah. She had her little boy
with her and papers to prove that the
place belonged TO him. He took the fam
bly, name. After she was dead ne found
in her strong box q piece Of parchment
dat had on II de map OF al island and
some queer marks. He kept IL for many
years and never showed IL to his wife and
children. When he was about fifty he
began to &c away from home and stay fob
lays at 2 time: After tier a while ne went m
wust of IL was dat his Oldest son got hold
of da wicked parchment"
'"What harm did that do, auntyY
'"Why, he went crazy, too. Dere G
n obde family dat has gone crazy In
every generation by gittin' ahold o. dat
map wild de queer marks on it,
was interested in her story and took
pains to find out nor about il. ]
discovered that everybody in town knew
the strange history Of h DIS. They
had been a wealthy and prominent fam
lily, but the effort of the eldest %
in each generation to discover the hiding
place of their ancestral pirates gold had
proved disastrous to their fortunes. The
last Of the race under the fatal influence
Of the old parchment had been i'm a mad
house for some years.
"One night when the wind was roaring
across Davenport's Neck, and my old
mansion was Rroaning and creakinR as
though il thought of thep past and moaned
i'm sorrow, sat alone trying to put my
mind on q knotty case of law. haG al
lowed my h~ousekeeper to spend the night
with some friends up the sound, and the
loneliness of my dreary home almost
made me regret my b~achelorhood. Sud
denly to my amazement, ! heard a our
as though a key had been placed in the
loci of the front door. / rushed into
the hall and was confronted by
the handsome mailman who had
discovered the relation of a line run
ming at right angles to infinity TO
once. He had grown ~perceptibly older
since my college days, but his checks
were still red and his moustache black.
His eyes retained the wild look that had
Il rilled me when ! lay OH the grass nj his
side.
"'Good evening" he said, c~ourteously,
placing his dripping hat on a chair. You
are the new owner of my ancestral
home?'
~ am. / did not know that anyone
possessed a latch-key to the house. How
ever, ! am pleased to see you. Come into
~ spoke calmly, but my heart was In
my throat. l realized that my unwelcome
guest had escaped from the insane asy-
lum, and l dreaded an outbreak of mad
ness on his part.
".Ha! they were never able to find my
from Of the great fire. Il knew / would
need IL sometime, and ! have kept Il with
me for years. He chuckled c~ontentedly
Mt his cleverness.
"'You see,' he went on. Il expect 10
solve the great problem, and might re-
you ever see IL" He glanced at me sus-
piciously.
"sNo.,
"'Well, it's here, and the time has come
for me to examine il again.
He arose from his seat, went 10 a re-
md brought to light a ~dust-covered roll,
the cause OF his family's downfall.
"'Here IL Is; see: Justlook ut this map
q moment. You can't make anything out
OF those marks. can your
HE was intensely excited and. to hu-
NOR him, l gazed !fxedly at the parch-
ment he had spread upon the table.
1.-THE fact is that my ancestors made
one great blunder in translatinR the
cipher. i have spent years OH the puzzle
and a week ago got track of their mis-
take. Look here. Everybody has read
the third line. as follows: Here is bur.
ied.' The correct rendering is Huckle-
berry. There's where they all got of the
track. See? i thought IL all out In soli-
tude. Now that / rave the parchment be-
fore me l know hat / am right
"What could | say to him? i knew that
he was crazy, but his manner was as
earnest aud well balanced as that of a
sane man pointing out a great discovery
TO a friend.
"He rerolled the parchment and re-
placed il In its hiding place. Then,
placing his hand Familiarity on my
shoulder, he whispered: 'rve got a boa,
waiting for u.s."
asNhat ,Ip yal moan"
"'why, don't you understand me?
agree 20 take you in ms partner In this az.
fair. My predecessors in this searchthoughI
that the gold was buried In Davenport's
Neck. I proved TO you that Huckleberry
Island is the place TO seek for il. The
night is dark and windy, but my boat Is
no at all cranky"
"'I wish you weren't ! mutteredt 10 my
self. To put TO sea in q rowboat with a
mailman ON such a night as that was alb
surd. But how could / help il? He was
much larger and stronger than 1, and
feared every moment that by some WORD
or look / would arouse his crazy rage. n,
gazed at me now and then with a sus,
picious CLEAN in his eyes that warned IN,
10 he careful.