Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-03-27

man of the island and walked brislsly
toward him.
lie was concealed by this time, be-
hind another tree trunk; but he must
have been watching me closely, for as
soon as i began to move in his direc-
4 ton he reappeared and took a step to
meet me Then he hesitated, drew
/ back, and came forward again. and at
last, to my wonder, threw himself on
! his knees and held out his clasped
hands in supplcation.
At that | stopped once more.
Who are you?" i asked.
Ben Gunn,' he answered, and his
/ Voice sounded hoarse and awkward,
like rusty lock. II m poor Zen Gum,
am; and | haven't spoke With
Christian these three years.
/ could now see that he was white
man like myself and that his features
ever it was exposed, was burned by the
sun; even his lips We're black and his
| fair eyes looked quite startling in SO
dark a face. OF all the oeggar men that
+ had seen or fancied. he was the chief
4 for raggedness. He was clothed With
i tatters of old ships canvas and old
I sea -coth: and this extraordinary
patchwork was all held together by
system OF the most various and in
! congruous fastenings, brass buttons
/ bits of stick and loops of tarry gaskin.
| About his waist he Wore an old brass
| bucliled leather belt, which was the
one thing solid in his whole accoutre-
/ ment.
Three years!1 cried. Mere YOU
\ shipwrecketl9"
Say. mate" said he; marooned."
had heard the word and / knew il
stood for a horrible kind of punish
ment common enough among the buc-
! cancers, in which the offender is put
ashore with a little powder and shot
and left behind ON some desolate and
distant island
"Marooned three years agone," he
continued, and lived Oh goats since
then, and berries, and oysters. Wher-
eyer d man is, says l. a man can do
for himself i3ut, mate, my heart is
sore for Christian diet. You nlightn't
hopper to have a piece of cheese about
you, now? No? Well, many's the long
night I've dreamed OF cheese7-toasted
mostly-and woke up again, and here
L We're
IF ever / can get aboard again. said
/, YOU shall have cheese by the stone
All this time he had been telling the
Stuff of my jacket, smoothing my
hands, looking at my boots, and gener-
ally, in the intervals of his speech,
showing u childish pleasure in the
presence of q fellow creature. But at
my last words he perked up into II
Kind OF startled slyness.
if YOU ever get aboard again says
YOU" he repeated. Why, now, who's
to hinder YOU
Not you. ] know" was my reply.
And right you was" he cried. NOW
you what DO YOU call yourself,
lllate?9
Jim, 2 told him.
Jim. Jim, says he, quite pleased.
appWentlY Well, now, Jim, I've lived
that lopsh as you'd be ashamed to
hear Of. Now, for instance, you
wouldn't think had pious mother
TO look at me?" he asked.
Why no; not in particular,' / an
swcrad.
..Ah, we'll" said he, hut i had--re-
markably pious And ] was a civil.
I,ioGs boy and could rattle off my cate
chism that fast, IS You couldn't tel
one wore, from another. Aud here's
what it come to, Jim, and ii begun
with church farther on the blessed
slaNestones That's what ii begun
S,ith, but il Went furtler'n chat; and
So my !nelher told me, and pleclicked
the whole, she did, the pious woman.
But it We're Providence that put me
here I've thought it all out in this
here lonely island. and I'm back on
pietN. YOU can't catch me tasting
rum so much; but just a thimblcfu for
luck, of course. the first chance have.
I'm bound I'll be coed. and see the
way u Nod, Jim looking all
around him, and lowering his voice to
a whisper TN rich"
now felt sure that the poor fellow
had gore crazy in his solitude, and i
suppose / must have shown the feeling
in my face, for he repeated the
statement, hotly:
rich, rich, ! says. And IN tell you
what; III make a man Of you, Jim. All \
Jim, you'll bless Your stars, you WILL
You WAS tle first that found me-.
And 1T this there came suddenly a
lowering shadow over his face, and he
frightened his grasp1ipon my hand, and
raised q foreiinser threateningly before
NY eyes.
Nov. Jim, you'll tell me true; that
amt Flint's ship?' he asked.
AT this had a happy inspiration.
began to believe that | had found am
ally, and 1 answered hin. at once.
Its not Flints ship, ana Flint is
dead but III tell you true AS you ask
me--tnorc are some of lFiint's hands
aboard, worse luck for the rest OF
US
Not man With one Leg he
sasiieG.
silver asked.
All. Silver said ne: Chat were his
name
@He's the cook. and the ringicader.
too
He was sun holding me by the wrist,
and at that he gave it q quiet wiring.
If You WAS Sent by Long John he
said m as good as pork, and ! know
it. But where WAS you, do you sup
pose"
] had made UP my mind in a moment
and by way of answer told him the
st of a
dicanent in which we found ourselves.
He heard me with the keenest interest
aud when had done he patted me on
the head
You're q good lad, Jim" he said:
and you'll all in Il Glove hitch. amt
YOU? Wen, you just put your trust in
Ben Gunn-l3en Gums the man to do
it Would YOU think il likely, now,
that your squire would prove liberal
minded one in case of help--hin! being s
in q clove hitch, IS you remark?n
told him the squire was the most
liberal Of men.
"Ah, but you see" returned Ben
Gum 81 didn't mean giving mo gate
TO keep, and q suit of livery clothes,
and such; that's not my mark, Jim.
What / mean Is, would ne be likely to
come down to lhc toon of, say $1,000 /
out of money that's as good as a mans
own already2n i
Il am sure he would" said l. "As it
was, ell hands were to Share"
And passage homer ne added,
With a look of great shrewdness.
Why | cried, the squire's gem (
tleman. And, besides. il we got rid of I
the others, we should want you TO help I
Work the vessel homo
-th,'' said he, 80 you would And I
he seemed very much relieved.
Nov, III tell YOU what" he went
..l,t ~, d