The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-08-18
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he almost had succeeded.
To Miss Ruth in her poverty the loss
of her garden stuff would have been Il
very serious matter She was truly
grateful to Teddy for saving it and
told him so with some warmth
Being thus encouraged, he was en-
boldened to ask her if she wouldn't
some time or another let him take a
hook around in her oil house. And Miss
Ruth, still meIlowed by her gratitude.
said almost kindly that maybe some
time or other she would.
Nye'S wharf down on the point WAS
where the boys usually went in swim
ming. Marbles wharf was nearer. but
because of the bar the swimming was
| not very good there. even at high Wa
| ter. But it happened one hot June day
that Teddy felt too lazy to walk all the
Way down to the point. 50 he Thought
he would Just step down to Marble :
wharf and get cooled off Il little.
Although it was low water and the
bar was bare. there was Il cool looking
pool Just in front of and shaded by the
old OH house. and into this pool he set
tied down very comfortably While he
was sitting on the sandy bottom in this
pleasant place. with only his head out
of water he made a very exciting and
delightful discovery.
1t was dead low tide, and the stone
foundation wall of the oil house WAS
bare clear down to the tops Of the piles
on which it rested The sliding door
was out of water entirely. TO his joy
| Teddy perceived that so large part of
one corner of this door had been knock
ed away, probably by bang from the
| nose of some badly steered boat in a
long past time, that a boy twice as big
as he was could wriggle through the
hole.
He gave Il look up and down the riv
er to see if anybody in a boat was in
| sight, and then. having assured himself
| that the coast was clear. he slipped
out of the water and across the bit Of
bare sand and through the hole.
He found himself in something like a
little open dock in the floor of the oil
house. evidently place where in for
mer times boat had been kept. Steps,
black rotten with age. led to the level
of the floor. Up these slippery steps
| Teddy went gingerly. His first object
| Of investigation was the shadowy place
| under the stairway. He found that he
| had been right. 1t was cannon, Il lit
! tie Six FOUNDER, such as whalers used
| to carry to fire signals with, and it was
| a regular little beauty.
He did not stop to examine the other
| interesting things which We're scattered
about him. With these, thanks to his
| frequent peepings through the cracks,
| he already was tolerably familiar. The
sail loft was an undiscovered country
! that he longed to explore. so up the
stairway that led to it he went two
steps at time. The loft was far light
er than the room below, for the sun
| beams came through the cracks in the
walls. 1t was great bare place, with
some old sails piled up in one corner.
some sail making gear still lying on a
| little bench and some chalk marks still
on the floor that doubtless showed the
exact cut of the Harmony Homes last
| suit of sails.
There was something little awe
some in finding all these things just as
| Captain Marble. years and years be
| fore. had left them, but unpleasant
thoughts of this nature were driven
| quickly and completely out of Teddy
head as lie caught sight of delightful
| fat little tub Of q boat standing close
| to the side wall at the end of the build
ing nearest to the water carefully
| checked up Oh blocks so that it stood
on an even keel The oars and little
mast with the sail wrapped around it
| Law fore and aft on the thwartS. and the
rudder. all ready to be shipped. was
| living in the stern sheets. Running
| tackle was rove to rings in the bow
| and stern. and to stout hooks in the
ridgepole of the roof. The ends Of the
| lines were coled away neatly over be,
| laying pins in two of the upright
beams.
| Then Teddy perceived that srea,
| trapdoor rugged with CONFERENCE.-The
| opened in the floor just over the little
| dock below Obviously this was the
| identical boat for which the dock had
been built.
AS he thought of what fun he could
have in that boat, along with Noah
Barkum and Lem Harbud and Pud
Nye and perhaps Sam Wyburn. he
forgot everything else in the world.
He wanted to go right to work at
swinging the boat up by the tackle and
then lowering her through the trap
door, but he found, to his surprise. by
the way that the light was fading. that
the sun must be nearly down. Accord
ingly he went downstairs again and
found that the tide was half In and
| that the hole In the door was a foot
under water.
There was a pin that held the door
down, and when he had pulled this out
he found that he could raise the dool
easily. for it also was hung with co,ln
terweights; so he got out without div
ing and pulled the door down again
Even at high tide he saw that the wa