The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-06
QUIMBY'S BONANZA.
ny EDGAR MAYHEM BACON.
Author Of .rhe Fugitives Of Tezoo." Etc.
lcopyright, 1895. by Bachelor. johnson ana
Bacheller.l
PART l.

o&thtiAttl
PART /.
A more prepossessing hero than the
p-urchaser OF Flack's Neck might easily
be found. He was forty, rather stout,
n little bald, and not a little freckled.
AS he stood upon the n knoll that
the Neck boosted, under the solitary
tree that had battled for it's life with
a long succession of Atlantic storms,
md surveyed his ten acres with the eye
and mien of a Selkirk, a casual observ-
or would not have suspected Nathan
iel Quimby of building air castles.
The Neck unquestionably presented
snpcrior claims as a site for structures
of that sort, because the n thing that
A. could exhibit in abundance was the
requisite building material. Air! The
whole meteorological wealth OF h
ocean overfowed into that circum-
scribed area of w~ave-washed beach and
sand dunes.
Ouimby wondered whether his little
territory included ten acres at high
or ut low tide. He had been bred In
an inland town, and the first thing that
~astonished him with his purchase was
the instability of its boundary line. The
tide was ebbing, and as he saw rod
inter rod of wet sand uncovered by h
receding water, 1t was finally I'M
messed upon him that whereas he had
only paid for ten acres, yet twice IN
the day he was the possessor OF forty.
Ouimby had never before owned q foot
of ground, wet or dry, rock, clay or
sand. Solitary dollars had made short
visits of coincidence to his faccid peck
cts. but never TO stay, till N day by
a rare stroke of good fortune W huns
dred OF Uncle Sans promises to pay
had tumpled into his hands.
At that the suppressed longing OF
his lifetime found expression. He
FASTENED by the most direct route to
the wonderful promised and of all his
u~nrealized dreams-the sea. Arriving
nj that Mecca. he satisfied his souls
craving for breath and light and the
tang of salt air, till the tavern keeper
mt Taggert's Station, who had guided
him over the beach, discovered in him
mn easy prey, and sold him the Neck
FOR eighty dollars, which was about
forty dollars more than IL was worth.
Thus Quimby became the proprietor OF
nm estate that was mostly atmosphere
aud blue cloud shadows.
AS he stood under the already men,
toned crooked tree, with his legs wide
apart and his hands clasped behind
him, his lungs inflated with oxygen
and his heart with pride, he was al
ready drawing big interest on his In.
vestment.
81 feel kind of rs If / had been lost for
forty years and just found my way
home," pondered Nathaniel.
At this crisis in his history, for SO 1t
was he turned to enjoy a wider view OF
his domain, and discovered the pres
ence of an intruder down by the beach.
The newcomer was Lark, but with a
suggestion of great strength in his ex-
traordinary fame. He stopped slight
ly and shambled in his gait, sc that the
SPRAYING shadow that twitehed ii. his
heels danced grotesquely over the
eands. Smooth shaver, blue eyed,
with garments that seemed a unique
collection of patches. the stranger
l1ndliy holbCA WstAAA
distance Of the fascinated prospector.
$50 long, cap'n. Ihear up to the VII
1age that you bought the Neck, n / come
over thinkin' p'rhaps you might want
to hire a man."
"Captainl" Nathaniel's stature in
creased and he held himself with added
dignity. want o mani" He became
-.Ilalwx oxsyora - onn+har t.nraaltyaI
wish of a lifetime. He, who had never
once In all his days said to a servant
.'come'' or ''go," who had himself
cbediently hardened to the word OF
command, did he want a man? He vas
80 elated that for a moment he forgot
TO reply and the applicant stood before
him without a shadow of impatience or
anxiety and waited his pleasure.
"Why--good morning. What did
you say-a man? Why the fact is
what Is your name?"
"Moses. Moses Larkin. 1 been
follerin' gardenin' an wood sawin'
mos'1y sence / left the sea. But / en-
turn my hand to anything"
"Then you have been a sailor? 2" asked
Quimby.
"Sure. Follered tn sea twenty
years, man N boy, till 1 got wrecked,
Where'd l get wrecked? why, right
here onto the Neck-I was part owner
IN the Phoebe, an we didn't have nc
bumped there on tn pint an
natchully fell to pieces, reason o.
her bein' thirty-four years old
an not a sound plank er mai
into her s you might say, / hadn't nc
chico but to stay ashore fer a spell
After a moment he added: "Shouldn't
wonder II ther was some o. her punky
ole timber stickin' in the sand dowr
there yet"
Yes, there were. DUMMY had seer
a few worm-eaten sticks that looked
like the partly decayed skeleton o.
come huge animal Embedded in the sane
of the point. But the immediate matter
of consideration wns o the wreck
but the applicant for a job. Nathanie
knew that the little hoard of money