The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1892-09-24

Weeks passed. He never went near
the cupboard where the gold piece lay
shining at the bottom of the cup. He
was afraid to look at it. Nobody spoke
to him and he spoke to no one. he smut
himself up in his cabin. and his one
thought night and day was how to get
rid of the curse that overshadowed him.
His superstitious nature grew morbidly
sensitive. Often he fancied he was go
ing mad.
The winter came-the severe winter |
of the north. The angry sea lashed IT.
self into glittering spray. The great
huff was carpeted with snow and the
sky was gray. Lame Caspar became
hermit. When he did go out it was
early. so that no one could see him, anu
he returned only when night had fallen.
The gold piece haunted him rs might
some frightful specter. Il was as though
the cupboard concealed grim presence
that he dared not face. In the village
the people tapped their foreheads sig
! nificantly. .D.
"He is crazy" they said. Better not
On near him or he may do harm" SO
they let him alone.
GRADUALLY the situation became so IN
tolerable that Lame Caspar concluded
he must end it or else put an end to HIM
self He began to devise ways and
means. By and by he thought of Il plan
and resolved to carry it out.
One bleak December night, with
terrible sinking of the heart, he I'M
| nOln niece
in his hand. and stealing quietly from
the house walked to the edge OF the
cliffs The moon had burst from be-
hind 4 cloud and spanSled the sea and
the snow covered bluffs. Caspar had "A
knife in his pocket: but he had not quite
decided to use it.
Tie wasn't sure whether it would be
| better to dig hole and bury the gold
S niece. or to fling it into the sea and him
g self after it. Life had no longer any
charm or interest for him. He had be-
come a coward and an outcast. lie
o would rather die than live. However
t he could do nothing while the moor
sbone so brightly. He must wait awhile
S until it hid itself behind another cloud
C He paced impatiently to and fro IN tn'
, frosty night. Then all at once calae
:! loud Jingle oSsleigh bells and the sount
d of merry laughter. Lame Caspar start
l. ed and stood still as a large sleigh drew
a mn almost in front of him and mai
thinning out ran TO the horses to arranS
II n displaced plume. Voices foated to
a ward the solitary figure on the cliff, an
Is among them was one that caused Gas
'e paris heart almost to stand still, whlie
a great sob rose in his throat.
1T was inst here" said a clear. chile
q ish treble, that / lost my gold piece
inst below there on the shore. Such
W nice. kind fisherman came and heipe
r me to look for it-and"- The DO
Nv stopped speaking. Then continued l
20 An altered tone: "Why, see that ma
~ vonderl What can he be doing Their
he Something is the matter with him.
a In another moment the boy ha
sprang from the sleigh and had az
NJ yanced toward Lame Caspar, who stoc
to with outstretched arms in the pa
by moonlight like one TRANSPORTED. Tea
he were rolling down his weather beat'
lis cheeks and splashed heavily upon Il
to ragged peajacket he wore.
Id "Ohr' cried the child joyfully to b
ci- conpanions. This is the very man
the nice, kind man who helped me
he search for my lost gold piecel But
on he added, "you are in trouble Lal
US Caspar. you are crying! What is t
Id matter? Why are you acting SO strane
of ly out here on the cliffs"
be- The child's companions. attracted
ing the intensity of the tones, approach
on and stood looking from one to the oth'
in Then the tension in Lame Caspa
oy. breast gave way as though somethi
to had snapped. With his utterance ST
les choked by sobs he held the gold PIE
spi- forth in the argent moonlight and pr
col fered it to the boy, who gave an e1u
Ia. ant shout.
'eT My gold piece! And you found 1t
n me. YOU found it," he exclaimed j
ously.
to For the first time Lame Caspar
por- covered his voice. Eyes. l-l-lou
I'll INIT