Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1899-08-10


anaesthetics. give me two bottles of
Spanish wine that have made the voy-
age to Manila or Qua jan. The padres
were built upon the cistern principle.
all of them; but they were practically
as'ccp before IL, at which time they
accepted the colonel. hospitality and
fell To snoring peacefully upon the
floor or the rattan sofas, wherever
they happened TO drop.
Ii was such a perfect night that the
senorita strolled down to the beach
with me before retiring. and I have a
hazy recollection of kissing her.
something of the sort, anyway, foi
she left her cool fingers in mine for
half minute before she disappeared.
This and her personal loneliness in
the moonlight, came near To Interior
ing with m! progress; for upon reach
ing my room took an easy chair out
Upon the balcony and smoked Ter over
AN hour, thinking of her. The window =
of her room were diagonally opposite
my own. across the patio; and fancIcd
once or twice that | could detect her
=.
awhile. however, il struck me shat il |
were really going To do any thing il was
about time To get at il. SO | opened the
sea chest and took out the electric safe
~ lantern. then silently made my way
along the corridors and down To the
room where the padres were snoring.
] have been told hy doctors that fat
men usually sleep more spundiy than
their skinny brethren, and my expert
encc that night seemed Ia clinch the as
sertion; for, though had Ia feel over
several square feet of BarIolomeo's an
atomy in my search for ms bunch 4
keys. he never even visglrd. Il woul,,
have been possible. of course, To force
the locks; but that was too risky an
operation when simpler methods wcr,
available.
Stepping across the little square, the
air WAS SO still that | could hear the
tapping of the ripples on the beach. a
quarter of a mile away; and seemed
Ia be the only living creature awake
| had no difficulty in finding the key
which opened the posiern door at the
rear of the church, aud easily stole
through the cloisters as FAR aS the pas,
sage leading into the chamber of hor,
| rors. This was 80 pitchy dark that
| turned on the current in my lamp and
was startled al the brilliancy of the
| light which shot from its lens. When il
fell upon TIE CHASTITY figure with the
| diseased wish bone, n cold chill started
| the goose-fiesh all over me: the con,
trast between the seuorita's warm
breathing loneliness. of which | had
been dreaming. and this scmblancc OF
rottinr carrion. was something Eorri
be. | had to take n good pull al my
flask before ! could unlock the iron
trap and descend into the Vaults
| There, also, the foul dampnesS. and the
company of real bodies, made my scalI
creep until il felt as though each in
diyidual hair were squirming.
When Bartolomeo introduced me (,
the remains of Fray lgnacio. that morn
ing. ] felt more or less Of friendly in
terest in tie old chap: we hadn't beer
near enough TO appreciate the ghastli
|
by its gray cowl. But now, when
placed my light between his toes ano
attempted gently to case his stomach
of that heavy box. the bony fingers
chung TO it with gruesome strength;
the old bones cracked and wheezcd n.
l tugged at it. How ! managed TO keel
from fain,ing outright, ] never knew
My efforts TO remove the chest from tn,
old fellows lap seemed 10 threaten ,
Encouragement OF his skeleton so seri
Gus that gave up the attempt and un
locked it where il lay. To this he mad,
no objections; he even appeared to TAXI
a mild interest in the proceedings, wag
ging and wabbling his old skull, will
horrid whisperings and creakings
every time | leaned against him.
The papers in the box we're eovere,
with a thick layer of dust, and. afte
another pull at the fask--in which tn,
fray, by a sorrowful wag of the cow
refused TO join mel gently lifted tn,
top ones with a pair of pocket plyer
so as 10 show the least possible dis
turbance. Realizing that every mo
ment was precious. hastily scanne,
the other documents until one bearin;
the trays signature appeared, whicl
proved TO I've the shipwrecked officer
statement. | wanted TO read ever,
word; but il was in old Spanish, IT,,
parchment was SO brittle that il rat
tied like fire crackers, and there wa
really but one sentence that needed
So, CHANGING rapidly from liss to line
] finally came upon one which,, trans
lated, read: position of leaEe, ap
proximately, u degrees 30 minf ties. 3
seconds y. lat, IA degrees, % minute
90 seconds +. lon." This hastily pen
ciled upon the wristband of my shirt
;hen. considering the adyisability Of de
stroying the document. | had decide
that its absence might he discovered n
any time. and was about TO replace Il
when thought of Sebastiano.
couldn't afford 10 leave accurat e inform
alton for him to find. In second or tw
an idea occurred 10 me, and, striking
match. | held il over the parchment il
such a way that il charred the figure
completely out, yet locked as though
cinder had fallen accidentally upon tn
page. Ii MAS, of course, likely tina
the padre would have his suspicious
he ever saw it; but il succeeded i
getting safely out of the church.
thought. he'd have a sweet time verify
ing them.
To replace all of the documents wa
work of some moments, SO Garrett
was | not to disturb the coatings {
dust with which they were coverer
Then | locked the box, while the fro
sadly wabbled his head at my temel
ity, and started to return. The foo
of the vaults was of pounded ella.
and each step took produced vibri
ton which filled the air with echot
of other creeping footsteps. My nerve
were worn to IA thin edge by this tim,
and had il not been for the brandy
probably should have lost conscious
ness. Yet, standing there in that fou
subterranean passage, in an islam
practically unknown to the world an
thousands of miles from ciyiliza tiOl
couldn't help grinning to myself
chattering. nervous grin it was. too
at the incongruity of a prosaic con
mercial man who had worried throug
IS years of humdrum existence. b.
ing in such n position. What an vi
mitigated liar my acquaintances in I'll
club at Hong Kong would think n