Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-08
TIE MYSTERY
Blu STEWART EDWARD WHITE
And SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS
fcoPYRIGIIT. 1907. MCCLURE.

This was the programme every day
during the dog watch. Sometimes the
watch on deck was absent, leaving
only Handy Solomon. the niger and
Pull, but the order of the day was not
ON that account varied. They talked,
they lit the lamp, they read. Always
the talk was of the treasure.
As to the reading. it was of the sort
usual to seamen, cowboys, lumbermen
and miners. Thrackles had number
of volumes of very cheap love stories.
Pull had brought some extraordinary
garish detective stories. The others
contributed sensational literature with
paper covers adorned lithograpbically.
By the usual incongrufty a fras ment
OF THE Marble Faun'' was Included in
the collection. The niger had his
copy of "Duvall on Alchemy" l
haven't the slightest idea where he
could have got 1t.
While Pull read, Handy Solomon
worked on the alteration of his claw.
He could never get it to hold, and
remember as an undertone to Pulls
reading the rumble of strange, exas-
perated oaths. Whatever the even
ings lecture, it always ended with the
book on alchemy. These men had no
perspective by which to judge such
things. They accepted its speculations
and theories at their face value. Ex-
tremely laughable We're the discus
sions that followed. | often wished
the shade of old Duvall could be per-
mitted to see these, his last disciples,
spelling out dimly his teachings, mis-
pronouncing his grave utterances, but
believing utterly. -
DR.. Schermerhorn appeared on deck
seldom. When he did. often his fingers
held Il pen which he had forgotten to
lay aside. l imagined him .preoccu-
pied by some calculation of his own,
but the fOrecastIe, more picturesquely,
saw him as guarding constantly the
heavy casket he had himself carried
aboard. He breathed the air, walked
briskly, turned with the German mill
tary precision at the end of his score
of strides and re-entered his cabin at
the lapse of the half hour. After he
had gone, remained Percy barrow
leaning indOlently against the taffrail,
his graceful figure Swaying with the
ships motion. smoking always the
corn husk Mexican cigarettes which he
rolled with one hand. He seemed from
that farthest point aft to hold in re-
view the appliances, the fabric. the
actions. yes. even the very thoughts,
, of the entire ship. From them he Sc
Iected that on which he should COM
ment or with which he should play. al
ways with a sardonic, half serious.
quite wearied and indifferent manner
His inner knowledge, viewed by the
light of this manner or mannerism,
was sometimes Cncanny, though per-
haps the sources of his information
We're commonplace enough after all.
Certainly he always viewed with
amusement his victims wonder.
Thus one evening at the close of our
day watch on deck he approached
Handy Solomon. 1t was at the end of
ten days, on no one of which the sea
man failed to tinker away at his steel
claw. barrow balanced in front of
him with a thin smile.
TOO bad it doesn't work, my amia-
| BILE pirate" said he. at would be so
handy for fighting See here" he
suddenly continued, pulling some OBJ
ject from his pocket, there's a pipe;
present to me. 1 don't smoke ZEN.
Twist her halfway, like that, she
comes out. Twist her halfway, like
this, she goes in. That's your princi-
/ pie. Give her back to me when you
get through
He thrust the brier pipe into the
mans hand and turned away without
waiting for a reply. The seaman
looked after him in open amazement
That evening he worked on the socket
of the steel hook, and in two days he
had the job finished. Then he return
ed the pipe to barrow with some
growing of thanks.
That's all right" said the young
man, smiling full at him. 'Now, what
are you going to fight?"