Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-12-23
CHAPTER ".
THE SEA CHEST.

my mother all that knew, and perhaps
should have told her long before, and
we saw ourselves at once in difficult
and dangerous position. Some of the
mans money-if he had anyways GER
tainly due to US; but it was not likely
that our captains shipmates, above all
the two specimens seen by me, Black
Dog and the blind beggar, would be
inclined to give up their booty in pay
ment of the dead mans debts. The
captains order to mount at once and
ride for DR.. Livesey would have left my
mother alone and unprotected, which
was not to be thought of. Indeed, it
seemed impossible for either of US to
remain much longer in the house; the
fall of Goals in the kitchen CRATE, the
very ticking of the clock, filled us with
alarms.
The neighborhood, to our ears,
seemed haunted by approaching foot
steps; and what between the dead body
of the captain on the parlor floor, and
the thought of that detestable blind
beggar lowering near at hand and
ready to return, there were moments
when, as the saying goes, l jumped in
my skin for terror. Something must
speedily be resolved upon; and it oc-
Cured to US at last to go forth to-
gether and seek help in the neighbor-
ing hamlet. No sooner said than done.
Bare-headed as we were, we ran out
at once in the gathering evening and
the frosty fog.
The hamlet lay not many hundred
yards away, though out of view, on the
other side of the next cove; and, what
greatly encouraged me, it was in an
opposite direction from that whence
the blind man had made his appear
ance, and whittier he had presumably
returned. We were not many minutes
on the road, though we sometimes
stopped to lay hold of each other and
hearken. But there was no unusual
sound-nothing but the low wash of
the ripple and the croaking of the
crows in the wood.
1t was already candle-light when we
reached the hamlet, and L shall never
forget how much L was cheered to see
the yellow shine in doors and windows;
but that, as it proved, was the best
of the help we were likely to get in
that quarter. For-you would have
thought men would have been ashamed
of themselves-no soul would consent
to return with us to the Admiral Ben
bow The mora we told OF our trou.
bles, the more-man, woman and child
they clung to the shelter of their
houses. The name of Capt. Flint,
though it was strange to me, was well
enough known to some there, and car
ried q great weight of terror. Some
of the men who had been to field-work
on the far side of the Admiral Ben
bow remembered, besides, to have seen
several strangers on the road, and, TAX
ing them to be smugglers, to have bolt
ed away; and one at least had seen
little lugger in what we called Kits
Hole. For that matter, anyone who
was a comrade of the captains was
enough to frighten them to death. And
the short and the long of the matter
was, that while we could get several
who were willing enough to ride to
DIR. Livesey's, which lay in another di-
rection, not one would help us to de-
fend the inn.
They say cowardice is infectious; but
then argument is, on the other hand,
great emboldener; and so when each
had his say, my mother made them a
speech. She would not, she declared,
lose money that belonged to her father
less boy; "if none of the rest of you
dare" she said, Jim and dare. Back
we will go, the way we came, and small
thanks to you big, hulking, chicken
hearted men. Wen have that chest
open, if we die for it. And I'll thank
you for that bag, Mrs. Crossley, to bring
back our lawful money in"
OF course, said l would go with my
mother; and of course they all cried
out at our foolhardiness; but even then
not a man would go along with us. All
they would do was to give me loaded
pistol, lest we were attacked; and to
promise to have horses ready sadd1ed,
in case we were pursued on our re-
turn; while one lad was to ride for
ward to the doctors in search of armed
assistance.
we two set forth in the cold night upon
this dangerous venture. A full moon
was beginning to rise and peered red
ly through the upper edges of the fog,
and this increased our haste, for 1t
was plain, before we came forth again,
that all would be bright as day, and
our departure exposed to the eyes of
41l ", 81. aln ha
hedges, noiseless and swift, nor did we
see or hear anything to increase our
terrors, till, to our huge relief, the door
of the Admiral Benbow had closed be-
hind us.
I slipped the bolt at once, and we
stood and painted for a moment in the
dark, alone in the house with the dead
captains body. Then my mother got
candle in the bar, and, holding each
others hands, we advanced into the
parlor. He lay as we had left him, on
his back, with his eyes open, and one
arm stretched out.
DRAW down the blind, Jim," whis-
pered my mother; they might come
and watch outside. And now," sRid
she, when L had done so, ''we have to
get the key off that; and who's TO touch
it, should like to know" and she gave
kind of sob as she said the words.
L went down on my knees at once.
On the floor close to his hand there was
little round of paper, blackened on
the one side. l could not doubt that
this was the black spot; and, taking it
up, 1 found written on the other side,
in n very good, clear hand, this short
message: You have till ten tonight"
"He had till ten, mother" said I; and,
just as L said it, our old clock began
striking. This sudden noise startled us
shocldngly; but the news was good,
for 1t was only six.
Nov, JIM" she said, that key"
felt in his pockets, one after an
other. a few small coins, thiGnble
and some thread and big needles,
piece of Pigtail tobacco bitten away at
the end, his gully with the crooked
handle, pocket compass and a tinder-
box, were all that they contained, and ]