Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-26
CHAPTER II.

1t incontinent, forbearing oratory.
"By gum, Arthur, 1t is great game!
The fellows names Lars-Lars Plad-
ia. What d'you think Of that? Pic
turesque and pretty original in East
London, eh? He comes from Skelligen,
village in the district-hanged IL
remember the district, but it's some-
where in northwest Finland and on
the seaboard. There'll be time enough
to find out the geographical details.
Shortly, his story is this
Hes n woodman, or rather was
when he was at home. He was en-
ployed on the estate Of magnate Of
sorts. I've forgotten his name, too,
but 1t doesn't signify. At any rate, his
employer got into some mess with the
government and doesn't inhabit his an
cestral halls. The government runs
the concern on confiscation principles
in the old chaps absence.
'rhls man Pladja spends his time in
the forests. Goes for days together
among the pines and doesn't see a
soul. How he's got to England he has
only the ghostliest notion of. Thinks
when he was imbecile"-
"Oh, he knows he's been dotty,
then" interrupted Barr. "Thats a
fairly healthy sign at least"
"He knows right enough, but he's
as sane as you or l now. Well, he
thinks when he was in that state that
he wandered on board some ship in
Uleaborg, slowed away and got fired
In tho nf I
some sort Of misty "Reminiscences Of
being knocked about by cross eyed
scoundrel on board, but can't remem-
ber much. He's got here somehow,
that's the main point"
"That certainly seems the main point
up to now" agreed Barr.
"Don't interrupt. Now enters the
villain of the piece. 1t seems he mar
ried his wife in the face of strong op-
position from her people-levanted
with her, in fact. Her brother. who
seems to have been particularly
atrocious sort of scoundrel, never for
gave him. The young woman was fair
to look upon, and this deadly brute had
hoped to make a bit by offering her to
the highest bidder"
"There seems sound commercial tact
in that" quoth Barr. .but speak as
fool on feminine subjects"
"You do. Dry up. Our friend queer
ed this pitch entirely, and his poison
Gus snake of o brother-in-law never
forgave him. Nothing happened for
time, but the other was on the watch.
Now we insert the blue lights for the
semimiraculous touch.
zone day Pladja was eating his grub
beside forest brook-or rather chan
mel, for 1t was a drought summer
when in one of the pools he sees q
metal rod sticking up among the peb-
bles and sand"
Barr stretched out his legs and guf-
fawed. "Bless your heart, Billy, the
beggar's stolen 1t out of the Arabian
Nights How much for this priceless
informationp
Nothing, you ass. Besides, the beg
gar can't read. Shut up and let me fin
ish. He sees, as say, metal rod and
pulls at It."
"Man is naturally q prehensile ami.
NAL" explained Barr. His instincts
would not permit him to do less"
"Pulls at It," continued Desmond,
paying no attention to this sarcasm,
"and up 1t comes. He finds it's soft
metal and Of dull color, but in pull
ing at 1t the bends and cracks upon it
showed bright. In point Of fact it's
gold"
"What else?" queried Barr softly. 81
could have sworn it."
"At this" went on Desmond excited.
ly, "he padded into the water and be-
gan to dig and delve for all he was
worth. In q minute or two up came a
cup and little later necklace. Then,
as luck would have 1t, a cloudburst
and thunderstorm came on, down came
a deluge, nnd before he knew what
was what the torrent was roaring
away ten feet deep"
"The laws of nature are imperlous,"
said Barr. water must find its
level"
"Well, that didn't put him out Mt all,
because he knew that he could return
when the storm was over and scoop in
the remainder. He buried the cup and
necklace, not wishing to excite suspi-
cion by bursting too much treasure on
the community all at once, but the
scepter-for that's what 1t undoubted-
ly was, by his descriptlon-he cut up
into little bits and took home. He sold
1t lump by lump to a money lender,
and this old fool let the cat out Of the
bag.
$50 1t came to the brother-in-law's
ears that his sisters husband had got
something worth selling. He came
down like CARLOAD of brick. He de-
manded his share, and our friend very
naturally told him to go to the devil.
Then this stupendous villain began his
tricks"
Its 'AlI Baba and the Forty
Thieves Billy" said Barr stolidly.
"You can't get away from It."
"Humbug! This was the way of it:
The fellow In charge of the Skelligen
estates was apparently just such an
other brute He was relation of the
former owner, as far as can make
out. AS he was by no means persona
grata to the Intelligent peasantry, ne
had lieutenant and couple of dozen
soldiers to look after him. These two
beauties went to the officer and trump
ed up some sort of charge against the
unfortunate Lars and got him showed
Into jail. What they did to him there