The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-01-04


manship. This was important IN DAYS
when sen captains had to manage the
sale or purchase Of cargo no less than
thenavigation Of ship. Dick was mate
Of the brig Guiding Star. bound to the
Spanish main. He had laid IN a private
stock Of knick knncks and notions, In
tending % make 9 good profit bartering
with the natives. He hoped 10 clear
enough; perhaps, TO enable him, with
what he had already laid by. to pur-
chase o share In q vessel and become her
captain. Then Susan Bartlett was TO
become his wife.
The day when the lovers must say
farewell came nj last. How long they
would be separated or when he would re-
turn was far more uncertain then than
It would be In our day. The occasion
was. therefore, not without anxiety and
MADNESS. Moved by a sudden impulse
or presentiment. Susan snatched from
the mantel a valued box, which her aunt
had bequeathed her, and gave it to
Dick with the request that, whatever
happened. he would cherish IL as re-
membrance OF her love.
Dick WINS deeply touched in his UNI
couth way by this quaint little gift. for
he was we'll aware how greatly Susan
priced IL; and yet he knew not what to
do with 1t. However, he at last decided
70 use IT for a "ditty-box." in which to
keep the needles, thread and scissors
every sailor needs at sea. AS such SUI
sans box served good purpose, al
though resembling family Bible,
which, indeed. IL was intended 10 repre-
sent. The box had been made by one
of Susan's ancestors, who had been lost
at sea. and IL had long been kept as an
heirloom in Susan's family.
The voyage out proved lucky, so far
as Dick was concerned. He traded off
his wares to very good account. and
sailed down snug sum, which, for con-
venience, he put into doubloons. noble
gold coins, worth from eight to ten dol
lars apiece. Inspired by happy
thought, Dick packed the coins I'm the
box Susan gave him. They just filed
1t, and few would be likely to search
for money in an innocent-loolxing case
resembling book.
All went well after the brig turned
her head toward home, until one after
noon In the neighborhood of Cuba. when
a suspicious-looking sail hove in sight.
Pirates were not as thick as they had
been in those waters, having been
thinned out by cruisers. Still the dan
ger was not quite over; few piratical
craft yet lufked among the islands,
and all on the brig, therefore, anxiously
scanned the stranger. 1t did not take
long TO make her out to be n genuine
pirate bent OH mischief. She soon
showed her intentions by giving chase
TO the Guiding Star, which in turn
spread every stitch OF canvas, slysails.
studding sails. ringsails. and. In fact,
everything that would draw. The
handsome trader presented beautiful
sight gliding over the blue waters under
the pressure Of white wings, and re. :
terrible spectacle when one considered
what fate she was trying 10 escape;
FOR all her efforts were useless, as the
cshooner soon drew within cannon shot,
and the balls from her bow chasers
came whistling over the water.
The brig could indeed make feeble
resistance, only sufficient to infuriate
but not beat of the incarnate fiends
who soon laid their ralSish schooner