The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-11-06

neuIcEs puI tuc OlIO6 themselves Oe&80
to grow more quiet, and to settle again
to their places In the swamp.
And now began to feel that was
neglecting my business; that since !
had been SO foolhardy as to come ashore
with these desperadoes, the least I
could do was to overhear them at their
councils; and my plain and obvious
duty was to draw as close as I could
manage, under the favorable ambush
of the crouching trees.
Icould tell the direction Of the speak.
ers pretty exactly, not only by the
sound of their voices. but by the be-
havior of the few birds that still hung
In alarm above the heads of the In
trudcrs.
Crawling on nll-fours, I made
steadily but slowly toward them; till
at last. raising my head to an aperture
among the leaves, l could see clear
down into little green dell beside the
marsh, and closely set about with trees,
where Long John Silver and another
of the crew stood face to face in con-
versation.
The sun beat full upon them. Silver
had thrown his hat beside him on the
ground, and his great, smooth, blonde
face. all shining with heat, was lifted
to the other mans in kind of appeal.
"Mate." he was saying, ''it's because
I thinks gold-dust Of you-gold-dust,
and you may lay to thatl If hadn't
took to you like pitch, do you think I'd
have been here a-warning of you? Ais
up-you can't make nor mend; it's to
save your neck that I'm a-speaking,
and If ono of the wild 'uns knew it,
where 'ud l be, Tom-now. tell me,
where 'ud be?"
SILVER" said the other man-and
observed he was not only red In the
face. but spoke as honrse as n crow, and
his voice shook. too, like taut rope
SILVER" says he, you're old, and.
you're honest, or has the name for It;
and you've money, too, which lots Of
poor sailors hasn't: and you're brave,
or I'm mistook. And will you tell mo
you'll let yourself be led away with
that kind Of a mess Of swnbsp not youi
AS sure us God sees me, I'd sooner lose
my hand. If turn again my dooty@
And then all Of u sudden he was inter-
rupted by noise. l had found one Of
the honest hands-wcll, here, at that
same moment, came news Of another,
Far away out in the marsh there arose,
all Of sudden, II sound like the cry Of
anger, then another on the back. of It;
and then one horrid, long-druwn
scream. The rocks of the Spyglass res
echoed it score of times; the whole
troop of mnrsll-birtls rose again, dark.
ening heaven. with simultaneous
whir; and long after that death yell
was still ringing in my brain, silence
had rccstablishcd its empire, and only
the rustic OF the redescending birds
and the boom OF the distant surges dis
turbed the languor of the afternoon.
Tom had lcaped ut the sound, like
horse at the spur; but Silver had not
winlscd al eye. He stood where he
was. resting lightly on his crutch,
watching his companion like II snake
about to spring.
"John!" said tho sailor, stretching
out his hand.
''llnnds Oft" cried Silver, leaping
buck IL yard. rs 1t seemed to me, with
the speed aud security of trimmed
gymnast.
Hands off. II you like, John Silver"
snid the other. TITS black conscience
that can make you feared Of me. But,
in Heavens name, tell mo what was
thnt?"
"That?" returned Silver. smiling
away. but warier than ever, his eye q
mere pin-point in his big fucc, but
cleaning like crumb of glass.
'That? Oh. l reckon that'll be Alan"
And ut this poor Tom flashed out like
hero.
"Alnnl" he cried. "Then rest his
soul for n true scnmnnl And as for
you, John Silver. long you've been q
mntc Of mine, but you're mate of mine
10 more. If die like dog. I'll die In
my dooty. You've killed Alan, have
you? Kill me, too. if you can. But
dcfies you"
Aud with that, this brave fellow
turned his bnck directly on the cook.
and set off walking for the beach. But
he was not destined to 60 fur. With .
cry. John seized the branch Of tree,
whipped the crutch out of his urmpit,
and sent that unc0uth missile hurting
through the mir. 1t struck poor Tom,
point foremost, and with stunning
violence, right between the shoulders
in the middle of bis back. His hands
flew up, lie gave sort of gasp, and
fell.
Whether he was injured much or
little none could ever tell. Like enough,
to judge from the sound. his back WINS
broken on the spot, but he had no time
given him to recover. Silver, agile as
monkey, even without leg or crutch,
was on the top of him the next moment
and had twice buried his knife up to tho
hilt in that dcfcnselcss body. From my
plncc Of ambush could hear him pant
loudly us he struck the blows.
] do not know what it rightly Is to
faint, but do know that for the next
little while the whole world swan
away from before me in whirlinR
mist; Silver and the birds and the toll
spy-glass hilltop, going round and
round and topsy turvy before my eyes.
and all manner Of bells ringing and dis
tnnt voices shouting in my ears.
When ! came agnin to myself, tho
monster had pulled himself together,
his crutch under his arm, his hat upon
his head. just before him Tom lay
1notionlcss upon the swnrd; but the
murderer minded him not whit,