Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-11-06
CHAPTER /.
Was il Buried HereY"

E w IA ~ vi kA2S hohDNo cA We
Beach-one of the smallest and poor
est where none were large-a light
glimmered in a lower room. 1t "a
nearly II O'Clock of a stormy summer
night, and the other dwellings held
only sleeping inmates.
The low, dark, smoky room was in
habited only by one persona man not
much past middle life; but he looked
much older as he sat at the table
which held the lamp, his mead support
ed by both hands, his eyes intent upon
a y~ellowIeaved novel before him. He
read, half-aloud the paragraph over
which he was porting:
These men, after having secured
their bloody spoil, steered south, in
tently not to land until they had gone
many leagues. But Providence did not
permit them to carry out their plans.
Not many hours after they had sunk
the ship, and seen the men whom they
had robbed sink in the sea before their
eyes without helping them-not long
after that, God, as II To mark His dis
pleasure. sent a terrific storm along
that coast, and they were driven into
the bay, which was afterwards called
Massachusetts Bay. It was in vain
that they tried to prevent the ship
from approaching the land; she drove
on, faster and faster, until she reached
that reef of rocks neal the southern
shore of the bay, where many ships
have since gone to destruction"
At this point the man paused with
his finger on the place, and said,
aloud:
THAT must be Minot's Ledge. From
this, and what 1t says before, there
can be no doubt of it. Yes, it's Mi
not's."
Then he went on reading:
The pirates could not prevent her
striking on the rocks, but they had
succeeded in changing her course so
that she did not dash to pieces, as they
had feared. She was driven farther in
the bay and close To shore, when, sud-
denly, the wind shifting, the storm
broke away. The men, in their glee,
began drinking of the rum with which
they had provided themselves.
"The ship was leaking at a rapid
rate from the parting of the timbers,
caused by the stroke of the rocks, and
It seemed as IL these men were left
to destroy themselves, for they be-
came more and more drunk, and me-
elected the ship until she had sunk
nearly to her top.
But two of them-wiIy fellows-re-
membering all the treasure that was
on board, sewed II about their persons,
loading themselves so heavily that
they could hardly walk.
Unknown to the rest of the crew,
they secretly took boat, and left the
ship and rowed to the land, which they
reached with great difficulty, being so
heavily laden.
"Once landed, they consulted togeth-
er. and soon began to quarrel, for
much treasure make men enemies of
each other. They soon drew their
knives, and one of them slew the 9TH
er. The surviving man, his soul full
of terror and avarice, worked all the
night long to bury the treasure that
both had brought. When he had done
he wrote a strict description OF the
place, and bound the paper to him with
a belt beneath his clothes.
"But the devil, who had helped him
thus far, deserted him now. That
man, at morning light, was set upon by
Indians and stripped of all his cloth
Ing, h precious description was flung
away as worthless, and the man him
self carried into captivity. But the pa
per was found and preserved, and here
in follows a correct copy of it."
AT this point In the reading the man
~ and went impatiently to the door,
which he opeaed after a struggle with
the wind. and, stepping out, he raised
his hand to his a and listened in
tently.
"He is late" he muttered. 'Tf he
was as impatient as / am, he would not
be late for a moment. It's just the
night-no n will be about to trouble
us. Why doesn't he comet"
There was something weak and fret
full in the mans voice. He turned and
walked slowly about the house, repeat
ing { o himself the description of the
spot where the treasure was buried.
He told himself that he would not read
1t again-he knew 1t too well. He
struck his hands together, exclaiming,
with IN intensity almost fierce:
YES; that must be the place. The
% there beyond the Gun Rock>is the
cove that is meant. The spot is de
scTibed precisely, allowing for some
AAttAO C4Nu6C JudL tuC NdlCI must nave
made In all these years. There's not
another place just like 1t on all this
south shore, and the book says, dis
tinctly, that it was on the south shore
of Massachusetts Bay. Yes; the treas
r is there now, only waiting for sope
n to dig it up. 1t will make Kate a
fortune. 1t will educate her; it will
give her the surroundings Of a lady. It
can't make her a lady, for sac is that
already. Yes; 1t is for her sake-for
her sake. She must live such a lie all
her days. But when I am gone what
will become of her? The treas ire is
there-there is not the slightest doubt
OF that-and It must be Hates for
tune"
As he went on, his voice had sunk
into a kind of querulous tone, and he
locked about him as If fearful some
one had heard him.
He was now standing still on the lee
side of the house. his gaze wandering
absently toward the glimmering ocea1,
which could only Just be e In the
darkness.