Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-20


win a stortlcd scream Dolly cIutched
inSfhctirciU at her compdnion.
had ot viously been meant to serve inst
that purpose Before them was small
door aiar. through which came the light
which showed them these details Of
their prison.
With eager curiosity they went on
through this door and found themselves
in snug square room, with low
wooden roof, in the center of which was
a ships sllylght. Through this the sun
was streaming in shafts of radiating
light. which focused themselves with
an accuracy that seemed almost pur-
poseful upon another tar letter inscrip-
ton scrawled over the door which had
admitted them. This was the legend
which it bore
"Ye Bobo, Hys Trappe. Nick Cole
pepper Feuit, Ammo Dom: 1888 Sept
AXiiij.
"Look!' cried Dolly, there's more
writing! What's IA hobo, Alan
Spanish for fool. | believe, " said
the Young man. "'Ye bobo, hys trappe;
modern English, 'bool* trap. Your
pirate ancestor was a bit Of hulnorist
il seems
"a BOBBY trap" exclaimed Miss
Colepepper. "We're the boobies, | sup
pose as we've fallen into it.
"Qute sol | don't see how we can
logically refUte that argument, was
the reply.
GLOW very rude of Nicholas the
Firstl' said that worthy's descendant
Indignantly. But what d you suppose
is the meaning of it all, Alan?'
"Well | can only guess of course but
from the evidence | should fancy it was
something like this Nicholas the First
obviously put this snuggery together in
September, 1857, which is the date on
the front door in the cave mp above
you remember Then he went away on
cruise and in the meanwhile some
evil minded person picked the lock Of
the aforesaid front door came in and
raided the room. Nick | returned, saw
and considered. His absences from the
cay We're long. However strong front
door he put up, determined man
would always have plenty Of time to
smash il down undisturbcd if he wanted
to. So your worthy ancestor devised,
and on sept "a, LOSS completed this
BOBBY trap, which resets itself and is
evidently capable Of holding Just as
many of the Pry family as choose to
march into it. | rather fancy Nick
would chuckle considerably, too, if he
could know how neatly his invention
had caught us today. But do you thinl;
that 5 correct reading Of the history?''
"Perfectly, said the girl. But
what do you suppose happened to the
prisoners who were caught in the trap?'
IF Nicholas the First returned soor
after their capture, I've no doubt HI
dealt ont hard listed justice according
10 his lights. If, on the other hand, hi:
cruise was protracted one, I'm afraic
the intruder would starve, The ira
ditions of the time do not suggest thai
the Jail would have been victualed -
Dolly shuddered. And weI" sht
suggested in tone which was more
than half frightened
"Shall find a way out no fear, re
turned the undergraduate boldly
"Probably 10y the identical passage
which the old gentleman used for hi
own comings and goings. But befor,
we 90 we II Just see what sort of an in
heritance the old scoundrel has lef
you.
But, though he thus assumed reas
surfing tone, Guthrie was far from feel
ing in his own mind the confidence
which he simulated But, even SO, /
must be admitted that the stronges
emotion in his mind at the moment Wa
curiosity, and so the other feeling o
doubt was for the present relegated I,
the background
The furniture of the chamber wa
simple. There was an old four post bed
s.ead of heavily carved Spanish ma
hogany, with roof over it stron'
enough to resist a waterspout; ther
was IL small oak table with three tripo
stools to match, and there was a clums.
seaman S chest, made of oak and iitte
with rope heckets at the ends The Ii
Of this chest was locked, but a vigorou
kick from Guthrie sent il flying open
Dolly and he at once began to overhaul
) its contents, and the first thing the
found was drinking pot. which tn
girl pronounced to be silver.
Guthrie tested it with knife scratch
1t was only pewter,
Then Dolly found two gray platter
and cried that surely these must be sil
yer; but by trying to ring them on TN
side of the box she quickly settled tn
question From the sound they NIGH
| have been lead. With grimace of di,
5 appointment, she threw them away il
1 t. corner and turned to the rifling {
the chest again,
Further research discovered a trul
. miscellaneous collection of oddmeLts
two blssk jacks, whose leather side
were bound by stout copper hoops
brass bound pistol butt, broken off clos
behind the lock short seaman petit
coat of yellow oiled canvas; the head {
l a boarding pike, whose point was blum
ed and twisted over into hook. tw
l brass shoe buckles of different patterns
: IA sailor 5 palm, with its TRIANGULAR ma