The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-09-04

=; !! N !
49, Scotland two fisher:
81 men dwelled many
. ~ years ago, in happy
N~A and undisturbed com.
r ~ M ID partnership. Both were
:, TD OK unmarried, n 81 t h q r
~ ~ had any relatives, and
r their labors> were
divided with such unself1shness and
Willingness that they had no trouble
IN supporting themselves in the sim
pie existence that contented them.
! They were nearly equal as to age,
but in person and In temperament
they were not more alike than an
eagle Is like sea cow.
Kaspar Strumpf was short and
thick set, with broad, fat face like
full moon. Grief and worry seemed
utter strangers to his eyes, from
which there shone perennial laughing
good nature. He was not only fat, but
sleepy and sluggish. Therefore he
was pleased to undertake the work of
the little house, cooking, baking,
mending and knitting nets, both for
their own use and for sale, and in adj
dition, with all his slowness, he man.
aged to attend to the simple farming
Of their little field.
His partner was his direct opposite.
W1lm Fake was tall and lean, with a
bold nose like a hawks beak, keen
eyes and a general appearance that
spoke of instant determination. The
nature of the man did not belle the
appearance. Fake was famous as the
most daring cragsman among all those
desperate men who hunted BIRDS eggs
and feathers by letting themselves
down the dizzy cliffs. He was the
most Industrious and at the same time
the luckiest of the fishermen. During
his hours ashore he worked with in
tense energy and quickness in the
field.
In all the Islands he was notorious
as being the sharpest trader and the
most avaricious, but whatever he sold
was good and every transaction was
free from the least faint of dishonesty
or deceit. Therefore, he had plenty
of customers and he and Kaspar lived
well, for Fake divided his hard-earned
money cheerfully and faithfully with
his partner, despite his greed for
wealth.
The two men, living SO simply and
spending scarcely anything, were we'll
On the way to modest independence;
but this did not satisfy the desire of
Wilm Fake. Nothing was sufficient
for him except to become rich. He
dreamed and thought and schemed
for wealth-not merely ordinary
riches. but immense treasure. E..
Since all hope Of that was but
wild dream for a poor fisherman, he
realized that he could attain his de-
sire only through some extraordinary
piece Of luck. Still the desire would
not leave his hot brain. Thus filled
with a single dominating idea, Wilm
Fake became convinced at last that
sooner or later he would find way
to gain fortune with one great effort.
Finally he fell. into the habit Of
speaking of 1t to Kaspar Strumpf as
something that was certain to hap
pen: Kaspar had devout and complete
faith in everything that was done or
said by his masterful friend. He told
his neighbors thatFalke soon would be
vastly wealthy. Before long the story
ran through all the islands that Fake
either had sold himself to the Evil
One for gold or that he had, at least,
received an offei from the Prince of
Darkness.
At first Fake laughed at the story
when 1t came to his ears Then he
pleased himself with the whimsical
reflection that spirit from the under
world might show him the hiding
place of a treasure. After while he
did, not laugh in scorn when his fels
low-fishermen mentioned the tale in
his hearing. He became silent and
his mind concentrated itself on
strange thoughts:
The energy with which he had
sought fish on the open sea began to
diminish. The once indefatigable
man, who had used every hour for
vigorous work, spent hours seeking
for some adventure that would bring
him sudden wealth. Naturally his
mind turned ever and again to the
ocean, and he became a prey to con-
slant reflection about the rich wrecks
that strewed that wild and deadly
coast.
An unhappy chance brought it about
one day, as he stood on a lonely
OS@SA oAu oIoA GU AAlO lie luOVluE
sea, that great breaker burst almost
at his feet with mass Of whirling
sea MOSES and, stones that it had
torn from some sunken reef. Among
the sea-wrack thus thrown before him
his quick eye saw something foreign.
He stopped and picked up lump Of
gold! -
Wilm Fake stood as if petified,
Now be knew that his hopes and
dreams had not been empty visions.
The gold that the sea had given him
must be- a bit from some heavy ingot,
rubbed and worn by the restless
4 waves through the generations till it
had become a round lump no larger
than bullet. -.
a Somewhere here must lie a richly
laden ship, perhaps a galleon. It was
clear as day in his mind that he had
been selected by Providence to lift
p those treasures from the lap OF the
: ocean, where they had lain SO long.
/. From that moment this become his
{ sole desire, his sole task. He kent
4 his find secret from all, even from
Kaspar strumpf, that none might dis.
n%S h.