Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-03-03

alive. None after / saw the stream or
lava pouring into the sea. One saves
his own life by instinct, l suppose.
There I was. / had to live. 1t did
not matter much, but continued to do
It by various shifts. That last day on
the headland the fumes nearly got me.
You may have noted the rather excited
scrawl In the back of the ledger? Yes.
l thought was gone that time, but
got to the cave. 1t was low tide. Then
the earthquake, and 1 was walled in.
Mr.. Barnett's very accurate explosives
SHADES insistence your risking your
lives as you did, mites on the crust Of
redhot cheese hope you know how
feel about it all. One can't thank a
man properly for the life
ooh, the pirates! Necessarily it must
be matter Of theory, but think we
have it right. Slade and built it up.
For what it's worth here it is. Let me
see, you sighted the glow on the night
Of the I'd. Next day came the desert
ed ship. 1t must have puzzled you
outrageously."
at did," said Captain Parkinson
dryly.
"Not an easy problem even with all
the data at hand. You, of course, had
none. On SHADES showing, Handy Sol
onion and his worthy associates thought
they had a chest full Of riches when
they got the doctors treasure - be-
lieved they owned the machinery for
making diamonds or gold or what not
Of ready to hand wealth. It's fair to
assume a certain eagerness on their
part. Disturbed weather keeps them
busy until they're well out from the
island. Then to the chest. Opening
1t isn't so easy. l had the key, you
know" He brought a curious and
delicately wrought skeleton from his
pocket. Tipped with platinum" he
observed. Rather a gem of key,
think. You see, there must have been
some action even through the keyhole
or he wouldn't have used metal Of
this kind. But the crew was rich in
certain qualities, 1t seems, which
failed stupidity to recognize in my ac-
quaintance with them. Both Pulz and
Perdosa appear to have been handy
men where locks were concerned. First
Pulz sneaks down and has his turn at
the chest. He gets 1t open. Small
profit for him In that. The next we
know Of him he Is scandalizlng Handy
Solomon by having fit on the deck"
THAT is what couldn't figure out
TO save my life" said Slade eagerly.
IF You recollect, / told you of the
professors plunge In the cold spring
in a sort of paroxysm one day." said
barrow. That was the physiological
action of the cclestium. At other
times / have seen him come out and
deliberately roll in the creek. head I'M
der. Once he explained that the me-
dium he worked in caused kind of
uncomfortable longing for water, some
thing having none of the qualities of
burning or thirst, but an irresistible
temporary mania. 1t worried him
good deal. He didn't understand II.
Il
When he opened the chest there was,
as l surmise, a triflng quantity of
this stuff lying In the inner lid. 1t
wasn't the celestlum itself. as l i'm
agine. but a sort of byproduct with the
physiological and radiant effects OF the
real thing. and 1t had been set there
on guard, discouragement to the
spirit Of investigation, as it were. So
when the top was lifted our little
guardian gets In its work, producing
the light phenomenon that so puzzled
Slade and inspiring Pull with a pas
sion for the rolling wave. which is only
Interrupted by Handy Solomon's tao
king him. As he fed he must have
pulled down the cover"
HE did," said Slade. IL heard the
clang. But | saw the radiance on the
clouds. and the whole thickness of a
solid oak deck was in between the sky
and the chest"
"0h. little thing like an oak deck
wouldn't interrupt the kind Of rays the
doctor used. lie had his own method
Of screening. yOu understand. How
ever, this inconsiderable guardian af-
fair must have used itself up. which
true celestium wouldn't have done
so when Perdosa sets mis- genius for
lock picking 10 the task the inner boz.
full Of the genuine article. has no
warning signpost. 50 TO speak Every
things peaceful until they raise the
compound filed hollow layer Of the In.
ner cover. which serves 10 interrupt
the action. Then comes the general
exit and the superior fireworks"
That's when the rays ran through
the ship said Slade. 1T seemed to
follow the deck lines
The stuff had a strange affinity for
tar" said Darrow. Il told you Of the
circle Of Ere about Professor Schermer-
horns waist the day he gave me such
q scare. That vas ne celeStium work
ing on the tarred rope he wore for q
belt II made a Iivid circle On his
skin Did | tell yOu Of his expert
neuts with pitehI II doesn't matter.
Where was II
AT the place where we all jumped"
said slade
~0h. yeS- And y0u dove Into the
snail boat trying 70 reach the VA
ter
wait q BIZ. said Barnett. If that
vas the exhibition q rsdIsncs We
saw. Il died out In q few minutes
How vzs fh1ft Dld they close TIE
chest before TIER rnnT
-Protah1y not replied DarTUw.