Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-10-31

, aways. Castaways never need any
money, and that's a blessing"
They struck up through the woods on
scented carpet of pine needles until
they came on a cleared space with a
ruinous hut
''Why, thought you said this was a
desert island, Dick?"
Deserted too. Crazy Bill, an old
fisherman, used to live there His
ghost wanders about the island yet,
they say. He was a miser, SO l sup
pose he's guarding his hoard"
"Is there really money buried here?"
''He used to bring money over to
Southport and have it changed into big
bills, so they know he had it. He
didn't show up in town for a month,
and some one came over to see If he
was sick They found the old man
lying on the floor of his hut with his
head split open. Murdered for his
money"
"How perfectly horrid! | thought
this was a lovely island, but now-I
feel as though the old man was lying
in there now. Let's go where we can't
see the place."
Marjorie was not satisfied until they
had put the whole island between them
and the cabin. Then she seated her
self on a shelf of rock left bare by the
retreating tide. Dick sprawled con-
tentedly at her feet while she tried the
effect of seaweed in his curly hair.
"Was there ever such a lovely day,
DickyY
zone; the day I met you"
81 didn't think that day nice, and l
! don't believe you did 1t wasn't until
the Brainards' party that 1 knew
"How do you know"
'Why-well, you were with that Cros-
by girl all the evening, and I didn't
like that, and you only danced once
with me, and went home and cried"
Marjorie idly poked stick into crew
ice under stone as she spoke
"And yet the very next day you were
so cool and distant there was no get
| ting near YOU"
THAT was because really did care"
returned Marjorie, with an air Of Civ
| ing a complete explanation Doesn't
| it seem strange that was only last
year? I/wish-oh, Dick! There's some
thing in itv'
'In what?'
"In the hole under this stone. Move
the stone away and see."
Dick lifted the stone away with some
difficulty. 1t had covered sort of pot
hole in the ledge. Dick thrust his arm
into it up to the elbows and brought up
an oblong object so covered with weeds
and barnacles as to be hardly recog
| nizable as a preserve jar. He laughed
It's a great find isn't itY
open it, Dick. Hurry! just know
| there's something inside. Buried treas
ure perhaps
PIRATES don't use preserve jars. The
cover is sealed. III have to break it."
! Dick cracked the jar on stone as he
spoke and it fell apart, revealing a
| big roll of bills tied up tightly. With
| hasty fingers Marjorie united the cord.
| Fifties, hundreds and one $500 bill lay
! crumpled and creased before them. 1t
came to little over $4,000.
ITS plain enough" Dick said rap
turously, "this hole was old Billy's
bank vault. A safe one too. 1t would
be under water most of the time ex-
cept when, as now, the tide was very
low"
"But can we keep it?'
"Of course. The old man had no
relatives"
Marjorie cast an apprehensive glance
at the darkening woods behind her.
"Supposing his ghost is watching US.
Let's get away quick"
! 1t was nearly dark when they reach
! ed the boat, and Marjorie gave little
cry of dismay. "Oh, l promised I'd
| be home by sunset, and l forgot all
! about it. What shall we do?"
'"There isn't anything to do. The
suns down now and it will take US at
| least two hours to beat back. The
wind is dead ahead"
"But they'll discover everything, and
I'll be sent off somewhere with Aunt
Katherine and never see you any
| more" Marjorie ended with a burst Of
| tears.
| Dick said nothing for a moment.
| When he spoke there was a ring of de-
| termination in his voice.
'"Tnere's just one way out Of this
scrape, Marjorie. You must go away
with me-"