Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-07-29
ALMOST A GHOST STORY
BY c. W. LINNELL.

ly Cape Cod village, close to the foamy
fringe of the ocean and nearly covered
by the light, wind-driven sand, had
for years lain an old wreck. How long
it had been there even the oldest in
habitant had forgotten.
Tradition, always rampant in the
country, and especially along the sea-
shore, had ascTibed to it the doubtful
honor of having been at one time the
ship of the famous Captain Kidd; and
IL is even asserted that when she has
found her last resting place upon these
shores, her crew buried in the vicinity
their ill-gotten wealth of gold and jew
els. Many had searched for this treas
ure but in vain; and now, after fifty
years of such failures, few believed in
its existence.
One OF the many stories, probable
and improbable, told of these searchers
for gold, has for its principals two
young girls who sojourned for brief
season in a farm house near the wreck.
Ella Foster and May Holmes were
orphans, dependent upon their own
labors for support. They had boarded
in the same city house, had been drawn
together by lack of other society,
and had thus become close friends.
The first few days of their visit were
devoted by May and Ella to an explo-
ration of the old town and its sur
roundings. They were much inter-
ested in the weather-beaten, shingled
houses, with their sharp-pitched roofs,
and admired the many varieties of
strange sea shells that usually decorated
the sides of the garden paths and orna-
mented the front piazzas, and which
had been brought from all parts of the
world by generations of sea-faring pro-
prietors.
They visited the little harbor, and
.nourned with the natives over its de-
caying wharves; they arose early in the
morning TO see the sun rise over the
ocean, and to watch the fishermen
come ashore in their boats after visit
ing their nets and weirs, and heap their
glittering, scaly cargoes on the beach.
The veteran sailors, too feeble for
active duty, were their especial de-
light, and they enjoyed nothing more
than to coax some old sea-dog, who
was only too happy TO be coaxed, to
relate to them the stories, or "yarns,"
as he would call them, of his perils
and adventures on the deep.
The girls had often sketched the old
wreck, and one day, while engaged in
this genial occupation, they learned its
reputed history. 1t made a deep i'm
preston on their minds, and Mary, |
who was quite an historical student, !
remembered that a vessel of Captain !
hidds had been supposed to be lost
somewhere in that vicinity.
The old seaman who related the story |
told them of the belief that the pirates +
treasure had been buried in the neigh |
oorhood, and of the many fruitless at
tempts TO find it. The cardinal rule |
OF success in a search for it, he said, |
was the keeping of absolute silence by |
those engaged in digging. 1t was an
undoubtcd fact, that when the pirates /
were obliged to conceal n portion of !
their spoil they always killed one of
lheir prisoners, or failing to have one
In their possession. one of their own
men, IN order that the spirit of the
murdered man might always watch :
over Its hiding place, and prevent the
gold from being taken away by any
save pirate or his descendants. The /
signal agreed upon was the keeping of !
silence while engaged in digging, and
should the silence be broken, the spirit
guardian would at once be made aware
That the seekers had no kinship with
the unhallowed band, and with
scream of demoniac derision, would
cause the treasure to vanish.
The story over and the sailor reward.
ed, the girls walked homeward, re
garding the old wreck as they neares
1t, with an interest they had never feb
before.
ella" said Mary, "wouldn't il h
agood thing if we could find I'D
wonderful treasure? You could the