The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-09-11

Grit wondered at this strange order,
but did as directed, and after several
descents into the clear water finally 10.
Gated deep fissure nearly 20 feet be-
meath the surface.
Is the hole large enough to hold
this?' asked the captain when the young
wrecker again came on board tho schoon-
er. As he spoke the former held out a
square tin canister to which was at
tached reel of slender copper wire.
eyes, sir, " replied the boy. cts big
enough to hold me "
Every good Now, if you will &c
down once more, taking this can with
you, and thrust it as far as possible intt
the hole, Will not ask you to go into
the water again. "
Grit cast curious glance at the cap
tain's face to see if he could detect any
indication Of madness, but the only
signs he discovered were of perfect in
telligence and an indomitable will.
Still, as the boy again stepped over the
side ready to descend into the crystal
depths and the canister was handed to
him, his suspicion Of the captain S san
ity was revived by the latter's parting
instructions.
Take care Of this can as you would
of your own life, " he said earnestly.
''Don t let it hit against anything, and
place it gently as far in the creyice as
you can reach. It holds your life and
fortune as well as mine Y
These words We're so strange, and tn
whole business was so different from
the usual proceedings i'll connection
with a wrecked ship, that even as Grit
worked at his novel task far beneath the
blue surface the one thought that filled
his mind was, He is as crazy as crazy
can be. ," However, he carried out his
instructions, and when he regained the
schooner's deck he found it occupied by
all the passengers of the stranded steam
ship
"Take them off on five minutes
cruise, ordered the captain as with
his own hands he cast off the lines
holding the schooner. Then he swung
himself up the steamship side and dis
appeared in his own cabin.
At the end of five minutes the Poly
anthus was nearly a quarter of mile
away, and her young skipper, who was
trying to answer a hundred questions at
once from the bewildered passengers,
was also wondering what he should dc
next. All at once it was noticed that the
propeller Of the great ship was working
furiously backward.
Then came the most surprising thing
that has ever happened in all the annals
of wrecking on the Florida reefs There
was heavy vibratory explosion, ac-
companied by muffied roar. To those
who happened to be looking toward the
ship at that moment she seemed to be
lifted bodily from the water The next
instant she was enveloped and hidden
from view III vast, fountainlike col
umn Of foam. Directly afterward the
ship reappeared floating as steadily as
ever i'll her life on the great pillows OF
the mysterious submarine disturbance
and running rapidly backward.
Late that afternoon the schooner
Polyanthus again picked up her moor
ings off the glistening coral beach, and
the young wreckers made their way &C.
the little house beneath the cocoanuts,
in which their stepmotiAr, as yet I'M
conscious of their return, sat nearly dis
tracted by a sudden accumulation Of
troubles. She was wild with anxiety
over Grit and Matey. A man had come
from Key West to look at the Polyan-
thus with a view to purchasing her, but
finding her absent and being pressed for
time had gone away again. He had,
moreover, left behind him letter from
the northern commission house to which
Mrs. Albury had sent her tomatoes,
stating that the entire shipment had ar
rived spoiled and unstable, so that in
stead of being entitled to returns from
them she was indebted for freight
charges.
As the poor woman sat quite over
whelmed by her misfortunes there came
an exulting shout outside, and the next
moment Grit and Matey rushed i'll,
alive, well and breathless with excite
ment
''Hurrah, motherp' cried the former
as he wildly waved a slip of paper
above his head. We've got your fish
and only staid ont a little longer to give
the old Poly a chance to earn this $500,
Just to show You what she was good
FORT
eyes, we've been wreckingr' CHIN
ed in Matey, 'and we've wrecked big
steamship, Grit and and Poly have,
and got her off all right, and you won't
sell the dear old boat now, will you,
mother?"
"What on earth do you crazy chill
dren mean?' exclaimed Mrs. Albury
slowly as she took the New York draft
for $500 from Grit's hands to examine
it. Elbow could mere boy and still
younger girl like you two wreck big
steamship and get her off?''
'Ma, " replied Grit, with amischiev
GUS twinkle in his eyes, II don't exact.
~ understand myself how we did it,
but think we blew her up with dyna.
mite st. Louis Republic.