La Junta tribune., 1907-11-30

Miss NhNhl.f hND AND
STARED AT EACH OTHER.
ing on. With this double purchase,
by putting out all his strength. he was
able to raise the boats stern.
II WAS the queercst thing In the
world he thought, that the stern of
that boat should he so heavy 1t
seemed rs though 1t were made of
solid iron. At last he got the boat
clear OF the chOcks aud got the line
made fast just In time to meet the
jerk on It that came as the boat. now
hanging free by the falls from the
ridgepoIe OF the roof. swung across
nearly the whole width Of the loft with
such II lunge that the ridgepole bent
and creakcd and the whole framework
of the old oil house swayed as though
1t were coming down.
Teddy was glad to take good rest
at this stage of the proceedings. while
the boat swung backward and forward
the rays Of sunlight.
BY the time that the boat had stop
ped swinging and hung steadily by the
falls just clear of the floor he was pref
ty well rested and ready to go to work
again. To open the trapdoor he must
raise the boat about six feet. He went
at the ropes with will, hauling away
easily at the bow fall and tugging at
the stern fall with the double purchase
with all his might At last the bow
was high enough. and one more tussle
with that dreadfully heavy stern would
make everything clear for him to open
the trapjoor and lower away. Teddy
strained away at his tackle with nll his
strength. stopping to rest and to puff
like a porpoise after each round, but
gaining steadily. At last the boat
swung level. n clear six feet above the
floor. and victory was almost within
his grasp.
1t was just as lie had reached this al
most triumphant point In his labors and
had turned to make the rope fast to the
Delaying pin while he opened the trap
door-at this critical moment Miss Ruth
Marbles specialized face showed at the
top of the stairs. and Miss Ruth War
bIes sharp voice exclaimed:
why, Teddy Rodford! OF all cre-
ated things, what badness are you do
ing here?'
Teddy jumped as II he had been shot
The rope slipped from his hands and
whizzed through the blocks. and that
tremendously heavy stern of the boat
flashed downward through the sun
light. With bang and crash of
splintering wood 1t struck beam with
such force that the old oil house sway
ed and trembled and seemed in a fair
way to fall to pieces there and then.
With this banging and crashing was
also a most curious jingllng sound, and
very astonishing was its cause. As the
stern Of the boat struck the beam the
stern sheets were broken ali to pieces,
and out OF the stern locker poured
stream Of gold and silver coins which
jingied as they fell and which blazed
and glittered rs the sunbeams touched
them while they went rolling every
which way over the floor.
In the silence which followed this
outburst of noise Miss Ruth MARBLE
and Teddy Rodford just stood and
stared mt each other across more Sill
ver and gold and Ave dollar pieces and
ten dollar pieces and even twenty dol
lar pieces than either OF them ever had
seen anywhere and certainly more than
they ever were likely to see again
loose on the floor Of n sail loft.
And SO the lost fortune that Captain
Tranquil Warble had hidden in this
queer place before he sailed away in
the Harmony Home to his death In tho
northern seas was found at last.