Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-15

ID tss ts:. events narrated IN ''s ,''' a.n ,arn
They had been visiting the proa that morn, y,
ing before Mr. Carline had propounoed Vic
question. a.. 9th.
er; but somehow L feel as thoush nNo
known you all my life, Fred :. A..
"Weli, said Fred, Il have felt the same,
ever since | saw you. How old are you' oy
the way?" he asked. .. Cor
almost seventeen" was the answer aoi
Jack wasn't quite sure of his own birthday
while Fred was. IT,, f,nov
80 am l." said the other, "and H. l fancy, W
somehow, that we look something alike. lou, d
hair and eyes are the same color as niihe' anu
we're exactly the same build ,.,,
patiently, for them to hurry up ana heip nnh NH
push the boat off, which brought freds speech
to close. ., ,4,
They pulled to a spot about midway between
the opening in the reef and the cotai PlonVtn t ~
ward the latter point, until they had reacne9
the very spot where Fred himself had paudleo
round, the week before
Case rowing" was the order, but hardly
had it left Mr. Carlines lips, before Fred
shouted:
Come from the gate that's never closed,
Until you see bald heads nose!
"And so, Mr. Carline, your secret hoard
was nothing but an oyster bed, after all.
Nothing else" assured Mr.. Carline, briefly
as Fred told Jack about guessing at the mean
ing of the lines, and his vain search, In this
same spot, for hidden treasure the week De-
fore. &C., :,
"'No great mystery about it, after all, Jack
observed as he looked over the side.
Thewa was very shoal for about ten
feet around, and, looking more closely, Fred
saw that the bottom was covered with large
oysters, which, in his haste before, lie lid"
taken for useless shells.
Mr.. Carline had contrived sort OF canvas
net or bag, stretched over rude iron frame
work, which he had pounded out OF piece
of pump rod found in the ifeboats lockers
he fastened the clumsy let to it and succeeded
with considerable effort, in "scooping, up
about a half bushel of the bivalves in an hour
"a good deal of pork for a shilling" was
Jacks comment, as they pulled ashore. 10
rather go without oysters than work so hard
to get EN-"
"Better try the first lot raw" advised Mr.
Carline as Fred was proposing to bake
few; and Jack said that if that was the way
he proposed eating them, he might have them
ALL
But Mr.. Carline only laughed, and, breaking
off the Clip" of a large one, opened it with his
stout knife blade.
See here, jack" he said, holding out the
half shell with its contents.
Well might Jack exclaim and Fred cry out
in delight, for slightly attached to the surface
of the shell was a lustrous pearl, nearly, as
large as pea, and two smaller ones, of less
purity, lay embedded in the "folds" of the
"Weli, Mr.. Carline," Jack said, "you are
trump! But. after all, they're your find
not ours"
cts share and share alike among us three,
was the short reply. "There's only this one
spot, of dozen feet or 30 square, as near az
/ could find out when was here before, where
there are any oysters" he continued, land
sometimes I've opened hundred without find
ing sign of pearl; so the chances are that
we may not make very much after all
Some days they examined hundreds of oys
ters without finding a pearl Another day
they would secure half a dozen of different
sizes, or still more of the little seed" pearl
SO often seen.
And they grew to be 80 taken up with tn,
"all-absorbing desire for gain" that, for tn,
time Fred forgot to think of his lost brothe
Jack, and Jack failed to remember his vov
of finding his friends or relatives, and ever
staid, Unconditional Mr.. Carline ate, dranl
and slept in sort of pearly dream of wealth
"a month or two longer" said Jack, wear
lily, as they unloaded their boat in the scorch
ing sun, one morning, "and we'll think abou
getting away from here"
'I tell you, boys" began Mr.. Carne, i'm
pressively, when Jack, who had happened t,
look seaward, yelled, in a voice that nigh
have been heard half across the island:
Sure enough. Not pistol shot distant from
the opening in the reef was sail, and curl
ous-looking one it was.
CHAPTER XVI
Or Tack coI,ld mn 10 y,otb;no i.