The times., 1899-08-20


one pocket and strings O. pearls from an.
other pocket and clusters of rubies from
another one, and all sorts o. gIftterfn
Jewels from other pockets, and Jest drfvin
ioiks crazy with the sights of EN- Ther
ne d grin the most ,aggravatin' kind ant
tantalize folks by saying:
Bushels and bushels more where these
come from. Ninety mines cave is full o
EN-! Gimme rump
When Ninety-nine got all the rum into
him he could carry. he'd git up and pull
out TWO tremendous big hoss- pistols, anJ
say:
I'm goin' to the bosom O. my family
now, II anybody wants TO foller me he
kin, but he won't never come back ag in =
so nobody never follered him, and con-
seaHentiy nobody couldn't find out where
his cave was. with all its heaps O. money
and bright jewels shinin'
There never was but one man that
Ninety-nine ever took any kind of shine
to. and that was Benny Depew
Benny Depew,' so Nirety-nine used
to declare. is the only real gentleman
know. He kin drink as much rum as
kin, and l don't know but hooter Oh
two more!, ,-s
Now, thenl There was compliment
for you! And Benny Depew appreciated
1t, and was always achin' for the chance
to deserve it, for the Depews always was
ambitious folks, and likewise willin' tc
oblige. AceOrdin' to what I've heard my
father say, there was a good deal O. lawn
goin' on, to and fro, and betwixt and be-
tween folks, in the arly days, and most
everybody was shy o. strangers comm
amongst 'em, for fear that they was serv-
in summonses or warrants. One time a
stranger dropped in at Kerhonkson. and
cyFnff f,n& inc
O boys was sittin', he said:
Gomez said he. Have somethin'
boysi,
He hadn't got the words out OF his
mouth yie-before big; tall, strappin' fell
Ter was on his feet and up to the bar fore
any o the-rest had started
Thankyar! said the stranger. speak
IN to the big, tall. strappin' feIler. I
wasn't acquainted here, and / wasn't quite
sure, but here's the summons for you, Mr..
Depew. ssas ss.'y.s..=5s'
The summons servers were great read
ers O human nature in them days, I've
heard my father say, but the Depews was
always TO the front
Yes, SIR Ninety-nine used to declare;
Benny Depew is the only real gentleman
| kifow,' Consequently. him and Benny got
closer than peas in a pod. and one time.
when Ninety nine came down out o. the
nils and called for rum, Benny bein' a
waitin' for him, and called for ii so often
that even Benny was beginnin' TO get
enough, Ninety-nfne got surprisin' gra-
cious zs
+" Benny, said he. Il don't s'pose you'd
give a hooter o. rum to see my cave2'
THAT sort o. depends said Benny.
Jest this here minute I'd give a gallon o.
rum to see it. Tomorrow mornfn' have
my doubts II I'd give a hooter to see it,
A hooter in the mornin' Is worth good
deal, Ninety nine. specially the way I'm
goin' to be apt to look at things tomorrow
mcrnin, for instance, said Benny.
Ninety nine he laughed and said: To-
morrow you go with me and III show you
my cave. Benny said he
Benny said he'd go, but when next
mornin' come Ninety-nines rum had quit
talkin' and he wanted to back out
/ was only jokin'' he said to Benny.
But Benny wouldn't have it and hung
TO Ninety-nine SO that he had to give in
and take Benny along with him Folks
never expected to see Benny ag in, for their
idee was that Ninety-nine would jest take
him somewheres up in the mountains and
use one o them big hoss- pistols on him
But folks was wrong. Two days after
Ninety mine and Benny went away togeth-
er Benny come draggin' himself back, long
toward night. He looked as if he might "a
been seeiT ghosts, he was so pale and
haggard, and his clothes was tattered an
his feet was sore. Not a word would Benny
say till he had drunk whole bottle O.
rum to get his nerves back Then he told
'em story. Ninety-nine walked him into
the mountains, he said, pretty much all O.
one day. and then they came to the shore
of big pond. Then Ninety-nine blind
folded Benny and walked him sort O. tYis-
ty like till by and by he know'd that they
was underground or deep in the rocks
somewheres. Ninety nine took Benny that
way for more'n an hour Then they stop
ped. and Ninety-nine took the blindfoId of
O. Benny.
" There l was standin' in a big cave.
all lit by as much as hundred candles
said Benny, and what see made me
binder than I was with the bIindfoId on,
1t dazZled my eyes So l Jest couldn't
move or speak. The floor was covered
with green and red and yellow carpets
that l sank into most ankle deep, and all
around, in hicks and notches in the rocks
was marble statues setch as / had never
heard the likes on. Piled here and there
and everywhere was heaps O. gold and
silver, jest as l might pile up pumpkins
in field. Big strings o. glitterin' things
hung from the walls, and | had to blink
my eyes when l looked at 'em. There was
kags full O. shinin' jewels. and Ninety
nine showed his hand down in one O. them
kags and brought up a fstful o. things
out of it, and when he let EN- drop back
in ag'in they looked like a streak O.
aashin' fire! Them was di'mon's. Ninety
nine said.
land the folks that owned 'em
wunst,' said he. .'all had to walk the
tIair
10 and fro now, / s'pose, down to the bot
tom o. the sea, salt-seai"
Ninety nine" I said, you don't
mean to tell me"
THAT'S jest what I mean to tell you,
Benny" said Ninety-nina. 'Piratesi'
said he. And I'm the last one of 'em
that's lfvin', and all these glitterin' gems
and ciinkn' coin, ct cettery. is minei'
Then Benny took to shiverin' and shak-
IN, and Ninety mine put the blinders on
aim ag'in and led him forth. He tramped
Benny till night fell, and a good while into
he night. then halted him. Benny didn't
10 nothin but shake and shiver all the rest
J. the night, and when day broke he found
nimself on one O. the highest peaks of the
oyerlookin' the Mamakatin
Valley, and Ninety nine was gone. 1t took
Benny all the rest O. the day to get home
but he marked the way, and he never for
got the pond, and to his dyin' day he de-
,lared up and down that he could go
straight to Nlnety-nine's cave; but he
do It. because the treasure was
pirates stealin's, and he didn't care TO
nave 1t on his conscience. Ninety-nine
wasn't never seen ag'in, but there amt no
tind O. doubt that his skeleton is layin'
here amongst all them glitterin' diadems
md shinin' coin.
80, when Boots Van Steenburgh come
back from chasin' Jenny Lin around the
I didn't make no bones o. sayin'
% him:
Boots, said I, how could you "a got the
unds?