Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-05-26

though II was strange TO me, was Wen
enough known to some there, and car
ried 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 brighten 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
DR.. 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,
a great emboldener; and so when each
had his say. my mother made them
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. Well 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, 1 said would go with my
mother; and of course they all cried
out at our foolhardiness; but even then
not man would go along with us. All
they would do was to give me a loaded
pistol, lest we were attacked; and to
III ~
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.
My heart was beating tiercely when
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 it
was plain, before we came forth again,
that all would be bright as day, and
our departure exposed to the eyes of
any watchers. We slipped along the
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.
Straw down the blind, JIM" whis-
pered my mother; "they might come
and watch outside. And now" said
she, when I 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.
I went down on my knees at once.
On the floor close to his hand there was
a little round of paper, blackened on
the one side. I could not doubt that
this was the black spot; and, taking it
up, found written on the other side,
in a very good, clear hand. this short
message: 'You have till ten tonight"
HE had till ten, mother" said I; and,
just as I said it, our old clock began
striking. This sudden noise startled US
shocling1 but the news was good,
for it was only six.
'sNow, JIM" she said. "that key
I felt in his pockets, one after an
other. A few small coins, thimble
and some thread and big needles. a
piece of pigtail tobacco bitten away at
| the end, his gully with the crooked
handle, a pocket compass and finder
box. were all that they contained, and
began to despair.
Perhaps it's round his neck" sug-
gested my mother.
Overcoming a strong repugnance,
| tore open his shirt at the neck. and
| there, sure enough. hanging to a bit of
! tarry string, which I cut with his own
gully. we found the key. At this tri-
umph we were filled with hope, and
| hurried upstairs, without delay, to the
| little room where he had slept so long,
and where his box had stood since the
day of his arrival.
It was like any other seaman's chest
on the outside, the initial "B." burned
on the top of it with a hot iron. and
the corners somewhat smashed and
broken as by long, rough usage.
"Give me the key" said my mother;
and though the lock was very stiff she
had turned it and thrown back the lid
in twinkling.
A strong smell of tobacco and tai
rose from the interior. but nothing
was to be seen on the top except suit
of very good clothes, carefully brushed
and folded. They had never been worn
my mother said. Under that, the mis-
cellany began-a quadrant, tin cant
kin, several sticks of tobacco, two brace
of very handsome pistols, piece OF
bar silver, an old Spanish watch and
some other trinkets of little value an6
mostly of foreign make, pair of com
passes mounted with brass, and five OF
six curious West Indian shells. Tt ha: