Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-08-15

MISS MARBLE AND TEDDY STOOD N
STARED AT EACH OTHER.
ing on. With this double purchase,
by putting out all his strength, he was
able to raise the boats stern.
1t was the queerest thing in the
world, he thought, that the stern of
that boat should be so heavy. 1t
seemed as though it were made Of
solid iron. At last he got the boat
clear Of the checks and 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
r1dgepole Of the roof, swung across
nearly the whole width of the loft with
such a lunge that the ridgepole bent
and creaked and the whole framework
Of the old oil house swayed as though
1t were coming down.
Teddy was glad to take a good rest
at this stage of the proceedings, while
the boat swung backward and forward
like a great pendulum flashing through
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 we'll 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 a will, hauling away
easily at the bow fall and Juggling 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 trapdoor and lower away. Teddy
strained away at his tackle with all his
strength, stopping to rest and to puff
like q porpoise after each round, but
gaining steadily. At last the boat
swung level, a clear six feet above the
floor, and victory was almost within
his grasp.
1t was just as he had reached this al
most triumphant point in his .labors and
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
ble's sharp voice exclaimed:
"Why, Teddy Rodford! OF all Gre
ated things, what badness are you do
ing here?"
Teddy jumped as if 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 q bang and a crash Of
sp%lintering wood it struck a 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 jingling sound, and
very astonishing was its cause. AS the
stern Of the boat struck the beam the
stern sheets were broken all to pieces,
and out Of the stern locker poured a
stream Of gold and silver coins which
jingled as they fell and which blazed
and glittered as 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 at each other across more sill
yer and gold and five 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 a sail loft.
And so the lost fortune that Captain
Tranquil Marble 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.