Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-17

| sense of drowSiness. and g moment
| later he was forced 20 yield. His
head fell back and hs dropped into 3
| restful slumber.
| When he again awe e the second
mate was DOING in b chair Toms
| head was clear now and he felt
stronger. AS he watcl ID the sleeping
man the events of the fateful night
began to come back to him, and, as he
remembered his loss, h could not help
| muttering an eXclamat' on of despair.
AYE, aye. sir!"
1t was the watcher who replied, and
as he spoke he came quickly to the
bedside, saying:
II must have dropped off minute
/ How do you feel now?''
pretty weak" was the faint re-
Spouse, land I'm hungry"
| "Goodl You'll dol You'll be all
right in a week. I'll soon fix thati"
As he spoke portly man entered the
room. and the sailor added:
| Here's the doctor now. I'll leave
him to see you while l run down to the
vessel and tell Cap'n Coffin you're all
right aloft"
When the doctor left Tom he said,
briskly:
| you are all right now, young man.
Eat all you want and you'll be able to
travel in a week or two. It's only weak
ness now, and that is soon mended."
He proved a reliable prophet, and
! Tom felt his strength return each day.
In day or two he was out, and at the
expiration of the week he felt perfectly
well, with the exception of a slight
languor which still remained.
He said nothing about the loss of the
papers at first, but when he learned
from Capt. Coffin how the second mate
had offered to spend his hard-earned
savings and give up his cherished plan
Of going to the mines, he determined to
make him his confdant, and offer to
share with him if they could find the
parties to whom he had been directed
After carefully thinking the matter
over he was convinced that the robber
would probably place no reliance on the
rude will, even if he took the trouble
to read il. 1t was more than probable
that he had thrown both papers away
when he rifled the belt, paying atten-
ton only to the tidy sum he had Sc
cured by his crime.
In this case it would only be neces-
sary to find the old miners friends and
tell the truth, to which the second mate
could certify. There was another pre-
caution, too, which might be taken. and
J that was to obtain a sworn statement
from the captain of the Seabird as to
the identity of both Tom and the sec
ond officer, together with the fact that
John Avery was the formers roommate
and had died at sea-
Tom easily obtained this in writing
and he then told his secret to Green,
who listened in open-m outhed amaze
ment, but with kindling face that
showed he had no doubt of the absolute
truth of what he heard.
"Now," concluded Tom, "that's the
whole story. 1t may be wild goose
chase, but there ii l. Will you go in
with me and share hare alilSeP
know the papers by b and they are
| probably lost, so we 81 right.
What do you say?
Say? Why, what would any man
say? I'm with you as long as have a
drop of blood leftl OF course I'll go,
but / have hanged little mon"
Don't talk money to mel" interrupt
ed Tom, quickly. 81 know what you did
for me before you knew / had a cent L
have $4,000 left, and the first thing is for
you to take half of it. I'll feel safer
then"
Don't you think anyone knew YOU
had them papers?- asked his new com
rade after awhile. "Sure you never
mentioned them or showed them?"
Sure" replied Tom. 81 did not men,
ton them to n single person, and they
were never out of the belt except when
1 was looking at them alone by my
self"
''Was the money you lost in the belt,
too?"
"Yes-no, come to think of it, had it
in my pocket that night, 1t was lucky
1 put the most Of it in the safe that
very day"
What made yon do that?"
Capt. Coffin advised me to-" replied
Tom, n little surprised at the persist
ency of his friends questioning. "Why
do you asli?''
Because" was the thoughtful reply,
"I'm figuring up how many folks could
possibly have seen those papers,
81 tell you
"Belay bit!" broke in Green. Let
me finish my calculation. Two heads
are better'n one. The old man gave the
paperstoyou aboard ship, in your state
room?"
Tom nodded, and the other went on:
"Now, who could have seen them
when they was in your room? Let's
count up. The cap'n, the mate and me
is the only ones that had any chance,
cause no one else is allowed in the
cabin beside the cook. The cook went
10 sea long ago, which he wouldn't done
If he had any money to buy rum nor
any such papers as them in his pocket.
We know Cap'n Coffin didn't slug you,
for he amt that kind, and if he was he
wouldn't have told you to put your
money in the safe and felt so bad over
your hurt
What. are you driving at?" asked
| Tom, rather amused at the businesslike
II l. sol,