News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-01-24

l COulu not Stauu any more OF lnlS.
have been poor enough all my life, and,
God knows, | ken the value of siler If
it had not been that Captain Boyd treat
ed me in the way he did. and looked in
my eye when he gave me the job, III
not say what might have happened It
takes a strong man to resist the bigger
kind of temptations and-I'm no over
lusty beckoned to the water surface
above with my shovel and took step
forward With his arm he implored me
to pause.
"Are you going to report what you
have SEEM he wrote.
shrugged my shoulders.
II give you fair warning" he wrote
on the rusted iron. THAT if you do |
will kill yon first and then myself So
you will not find it cheap to ruin me. "
nodded my head to show I under
stood and Eeckoned him to go on. He
lifted his hands, thought he was 60
ing to grapple with me, and slashed
at him with the shovel He drew back
and, once on the move, drove him be-
fore me furiously. He might be desper-
ate, but | was savage enough myself
The thought of all that wealth lying
within touch made me grit my teeth in
cruel rage If only the skipper had not
said what he did,
We plowed our way across the Shiny
sea floor to where the boats lay at moor
ings, and first Cameron went up, and
then followed On the row back to the
Cleaner we said nothing. either of US,
and for long enough we did not find op-
rOrtunity CT being alone. But that
night, when most Of the hands were
turned in, be and sat out together on
the bridge deck and he talked while |
looked cut at the stars where they hung
above the black ridges of the island
He told me the whole tale of what he
and Storey intended to do They could
not go far from the wreck, as the air
bubbles, rising to the surface, would
advise their movements, so they had to
set to work and make hiding place for
their plumber close at hand. They de-
cided to dig out chamber beneath the
steamer, and infinite labOr it cost them
Meanwhile, to mask what they were
doing, they gave out the tale of the ooze
covering the treasure out of reach
Their efforts were nearly ended when
Storey got his stroke. The pit was made,
part of the gold was already transport
ed, and when the rest was hid then
they intended to cover the mouth of the
oif fho+ h., Nv,
chance explorers. Then they were going
to tell Captain Boyd that the job beat
them and get his permission to blow
into the Corinth's strong room with
dynamite from the outside. The explo-
sion would be so contrived that the
steamer would be rived to pieces and
the ooze would cover all her fragments.
"You think that the Cleaner would
return home then ?" asked
"There would be nothing else for it. >
But the company would send out
mother expedition.
''Let them send out ten; they'd find
Dothing.
"And afterward?'
''Storey and were going to charter
a schooner, put diving tackle ON board
and come out here again by ourselves.
We could weigh the gold in a couple of
days, and l know of market.
"Well, Storey will never use limbs or
tongue again.
'I'm sure of it, Mac. You must take
his place We two and one other can
work the schooner, and year from
how we'll be rich men. Think of it, lad
rich beyond what you ever thought
of Think of it-no more having to
stand your watch at sea, no more sea at
ALL You can stay in England and mar
ry and live decent life. Think of it,
Macr
was thinking of it. AS sat there
watching the heat lightning wink
among the black hills of the island ]
was remembering that it was chance
Iuch as | had never had before in all my
life, and one which would never come
20 me again. I'd been kicked about the
world ever since first went a wee bit
wrong in Ballindrochater, and II sworn
never to see the place more till I'd
enough siller to build a house there as
big as the manse itself. hungered fol
the old spot again, with its gray houses
and the brown moorland at the back.
My mother was still there and poor
could do power of good in the place
(the deli ted me then) if went bach
rich and enlightened with all my store
of foreign travel. But then what the
captain had said to me came back-how
he reminded me had been born a gen
tleman, and how he'd treat me as my
fathers son and trust to my honor-and
| stood to my feet and swore.
"Look here, a." / said to him. 81 give
You your cheice-those boxes are to bt
taken back frem the pit and slowed
back inside the Corinth tomorrow ther
We'll announce that we've dug away tn,
mud, and can get at the strong room
and nexs day We'll warp the Cleaner
across, rig a whip and let her hois
them on board one by one with her owl
winch. If you'll do this, I'll work will
you so long as my arms will move; i
you refuse, I'll go to the old man nov
and tell him what know.
at may be dangerous deal for yor
yet, he said grimly.
"Ah, there said |, eve insured
myself. I've thought that if an accden