The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-14

| inereiorc never attempted 10 Visit
her again. The men were not anxious
to do so. Their awe of the captain
mnde them only too glad to escape his
notice. That empty shell of n past
reputation was my only hope. II
shielded the arms and ammunition.
AS l look back on IL now the period
seems to me to be one OF merely po-
tential trouble. The men had not taxi
pn the pains to crystalline their Ideas
really think their compelling emo.
ton was that of curiosity. They want
ed TO see. y needed definite I'm
louise to change that desire to one Of
lgreed.
The impulse came from Percy Oar
Irow and his idle talk of voodoos. As
usual he was directing his remarks to
the sullen Niger.
"NoodoosY he said. "Of course
there are. Don't fool yourself for q
minute ON that. There are good ones
and bad ones. You can tame them
ne You know how. and they win do
lanything you want them to-" Pull
I.huckled In his throat. you don't be
lieve itT' drawled the assistant. turn.
ing TO him. well, It's so. You know
We'll. that's got tame voodoo in it,
The Others laughed
"What he like?" asked the niger
gravely.
Hes fine voodoo. with wavery
arms and green eyes and red CLOVIS"
Watching narrowly Its effect he swung
off into one of the genuine old Groom.
ing voodoo songs, once so common
down south. now so rarely heard. No
one knows what the words menn--thcy
are generally held 10 he charm words
only-a magic gibberish. But the mig.
ger sprang across the fire like light.
ming. his face altered by terror. 10
seize barrow by the shoulders.
"Doan you. Doan you"' he gasped,
shaking the assistant violently back
and forth. dat be King Noodoo song.
Dat call him all de voodoo-all!'
He stared wildly about IN the dark.
ness as though expecting 90 see the
night thronEed. There was n moment
OF confusion. Eager for any chance !
Kissed under my breath; Danger,
Look outv'
could not tell whether or not Oar
row heard me. He left soon after.
| The mention Of the chest had focused
the mems Interest.
| We'll" Pull began, we've been
here OF this spot for long time"
a year and FIVE months" reckoned
| Thracllcs.
"a man can do lot In that time"
"If he's busy"
They've been busy"
"Ycs"
| "Wonder what they've doneT
There was no answca - this. and
the sea lawyer took a new tack.
Il suppose were all getting double
wagcs?"
''rhet's So"
"Ard that's saw four hunder' for US
| and Mr. Eagen here. suppose the old
man don't let the schooner 90 for moth
ing"
Two hundred and Fifty n mouth"
said | and then would have had the
| words back.
They cried out in prolonged aston
ishmcnt
| Seventeen months" pursued the 10
giclan after fewmoments. lie scratch
ed with "a stub of lead THAT makes
over $1,000 since we've been out. How
much do you suppose his outfit stands
himf' he appealed TO me
I'm sure | can't tell you" replied
shortly. -
"Well. it's a pile OF money anyway"
Nobody said anything for some time
"Wondcr what they've donef' rulz
asked again.
something that pays big" 'Thrac-
klcs supplied the desired answer
Dat CHS - suggested pcrdosa.
| "Noodoo''-- mnttered the nge-I
That's TO scare us out" said Handy
Solomon, with vast contempt That's
what makes me sure II Is the cnest"
Pull muttered some Of the jargon OF
alchemy.
That's It," approved Handy Solo
mon. IF we could GET
I'VE wouldn't know how TO use IT,"
interrupted Pull.
| ''The book said Thrackies
"Well. the book asserted pulz
! puguaciously. How do you know
what 1t Will. be? II may be the philos-
] opher's stone and It may be one Of
these other things. And then where'd
! we beT'
| Ii was astounding to hear this non
sense banded about SO seriously And
yet they more than half believed, for
they were deep sea men of the old
school, and this was In print Thrac-
kles voiced approximately the general
attitude.
Philosophers stone or not. some
things up. The old boy took too good
care of that box, and he's spending too
much money to be doing II for his
! health"
You know wat tinkr smiled Per-
dosa. ''iie max drmon's. He say
dat"
The Niger had entered one OF his
black, brooding moods from which
these men expected oracles