Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-08-11

there, sure enough, hanging 10 bit of
;arry string, which 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
Ii was like any other seaman's chest
on the outside, the initial "B." burned
on the top of il with 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 il and thrown back the lid
in a twinkling.
4 strong smell of tobacco and tar
rose from the interior. but nothing
was 10 be seen on the top except a 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. a tin can't
kin. several sticks of tobacco, two brace
Of very handsome pistols, a piece of
bar silver. an old Spanish watch and
some other trinkeis of little value and
mostly of foreign make, a.pair of COM
passes mounted with brass. and five or
six curious West Indian shells. 1t has
often set me thinking since that he
should have carried about these shells
with him in his wandering. guilty,
hunted life.
In the meantime. we had found moth
ing Of any value but the silver and the
trinkcts, and neither OF these were in
our way. Underneath there was an old
boat-cloak whitened with sea-salt on
many harbor-bar. Ny mother pulled
il up with impotence. and there lay
before us. the last things In the chest,
a bundle tied up in oil-cloth. and look
ing like papers. and canvas bag. that
gave forth, at a touch, the jingle OF
gold.
"Tll show those rogues that I'm an
honest woman" said my mother. I'll
have my dues, and not a farthing over.
Hold Mrs. Crossley's bag" And she be-
gan 10 count over the amount of the
captains score from the sailors bag
into the one that was holding.
II was a long. difficult business, for
the coins were of all countries and
sizes-doubloons, and louis-d'ors, and
guineas, and pieces of eight, and know
not what besides. all shaken together at
random. The guineas, too. were about
the scarcest, and 1t was with these only
that my mother knew how to make her
count.
When we were about halfway
through, I suddenly put my hand upon
her arm, for had heard in the silent,
frosty air a sound that brought my
heart into my mouth-the tap-tapping
Of the blind mans stick upon the frozen
road. II drew nearer and nearer,
while we sat holding our breath. Then
1t struck sharp on the inn door, and
then we could hear the handle being
turned and the bolt rafting as the
wretched being tried TO enter; and then
there was long time of silence both
within and without. At last the tap
ping recommended, and TO our indie
scribable Joy and gratitude died slow
ly away again until 81 ceased to be
heard.
Mother" said /, "take the whole
and let's be going;" for was sure the
bolted door must have seemed sus-
picious, and would bring the whole hor-
nets nest about our ears, though how
thankful 1 Was that had bolted it none
could tell who hsd never met this ter
rible blind man.
But my mother. frightened as she
was. would not consent to take frne
ton more than was due to her. and
was obstinately unwilling to be content