Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-02-22

don for a physician to take charge o.
his practice; the squire was hard at
work at Bristol; and / i've on at the
Hall under the charge of old Red
ruth, the gamekeeper, almost a pris-
oner, but full of sea dreams and the
most charming anticipations of strange
islands and adventures. / brooded by
the hour together over the map, all the
details Of which / well remembered.
Sitting by the fire in the housekeeper's
room, / approached that island in my
fancy from every possible direction; /
explored every acre Of it's surface; l
climbe a thousand times to hat tall
hill they called the Spy-glass, and from
the top enjoyed the most wonderful
and changing prospects. Sometimes
the isle was thick with savages with
whom we fought; sometimes full of
dangerous animals that hunted us; but
In all my fancies nothing occurred to
me so strange and tragis as our actual
adventures.
So the weeks passed on, till one fine
day there came a letter addressed to
DR.. Livesey, with this addition: ITO
be opened in the case of his absence
by Tom Redruth or young Hawkins"
Obeying this order we found, or rather
l ~found-for the g~amekeeper was a
poor hand at reading anything but
print-the following important news;
"Old Anchor Inn, Bristol, March l.,
If
Dear Livesey: Al I do not know
whether you are at the Hall or still In
London, 1 send this in double TO both
places,
THE ship is bought and fitted. She
lies at anchor, ready for sea. You
never imagined a sweeter schooner
child might sail her-two hundred
tons; name, 'Hispaniola.'
II got her through my old friend,
Blandly, who proved himself through
out the most surprising trump. The
admirable fellow literally shaved In my
interest, and so, ! may say, did every
one in Bristol, as soon as they got
wind OF the port we sailed for-treas-
ure, i mean"
"Redruth," said 1, "interrupting the
letter, "Dr. Livesey Will not like that
The squire has been talking after ALL"
well, hos got n better right?'
growled the ~gamekeeper. "A pretty
rum go If squire amt to talk for DIR.
Livesey, ! should think" .
At tina | gave up all attempts at
commentary. and read straight on:
"Blandly himself found the 'Hispa-
niola,' and by the most admirable
Management got her for the merest
trihe. There IS n class OF men In Bris-
toll monstrously ~prejudiced against
Blandly. They go the length of de-
| GllIlIR lIdl llllS liOlltSN "ON'Ns
do anything for money, mat the HIS
PAMELA belonged 10 him and that he
sold it to me ~absurdly high-the most
transparent c~alumnies. None or them
dare. however, to deny the merits or
the ship.
s far there was not a hitch. The
workpeople to be sure-riggers ana
what not-were most annoyingly slow;
but time cured that. 1t was the crew
that troubled me.
Il wished a round score OF men-ln
case of natives, buccaneers, or the odi-
Gus French-and l had the worry OF a
deuce itself to find so muc as half a
dozen, till the most remarkable stroke
of fortune brought ne the very man
tina / required.
Il was standing on the dock, when,
by the merest accident, l fell In talk
with him. / found he was an old
sailor, KEEP a public house, knew all
the %seafaring men in Bristol, had lost
his health ashore, and wanted a good
berth as cook to get to sea again. He
had hobbled down there that morning,
he said, to get a smell Of the salt.
II was monstrously touched-so
would you have been-and, out OF pure
pity, / engaged him IN the spot to be
ships cook. Long John Silver, he Is
called, and has lost n leg; but that /
regarded as q recommendation, since
he lost II in his country's service, I'M
der the immortal Hawke. He has no
pension, Livesey. Imagine the abomi-
nable age we live in! .
Continued next week.)