Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-03-23
Matt !" he CRIED.
you

Inc world is cenSOrlouS, little ONE
am a young man; you are a young lady
We shall have to shake hands soon and
say good-by. There, there" he continued,
seeing her eyes fill with tears, I'm not
gone yet. | shall stay as long as L can,
only-really-you must look upon me as
quite an old fellow l am awfully old,
you know, compared to you"
he gently disengaged himself, and Matt
sat down on camp stool close by. her
face had grown very wistful and sad
Matt" he said, anxious to change the
subject, tell me something more about
William jones'
Il hate William Jones. 1 hate every
body-but you"
"ReallyT
Eyes, l do
Wen. / feel greatly fattered But
about the gentle Jones? You say he was
out all last night"
Matt nodded.
He goes out nigh every night, she
said, land often don't come home till
morning. Sometimes he finds things and
brings them. He finds bits of gold, and
old ropes
VERY odd. Where"
He don't tell; know"
Il wish you'd tell me, Matt Do
have a particular reason for wanting the
information"
Matt hesitated-
you won't say told? William Jones
would be downright wild, he would"
I'll keep the secret faithfully. Now!
Thus urged, Matt informed her friend
that on two occasions, out Of curiosity,
she had followed her guardian on his
nightly pilgrimages, and watched him go
in the direction of the Devils Caldron.
On both occasions the night was very
dark. On getting clear of the coast guard
station. and among the sand hills, Jones
had lighted lantern which he carried.
Trembling and afraid, she had followed
the light and its bearer had disappeared
into the solid earth, leaving her to ind
her way home in terror.
The explanation of all this vas, In
Mats opinion, very simple. William
Jones was a bad man, and went to visit
the fairies"
Yes" she cred, land every time he
goes. the fairies give him something, and
he brings it home"
Each time you followed him." asked
Brinkiey, thoughtfully, "he disappeared
at about the same placer
Yes" said Matt; ''and the light and
him sunk right down and never come up
again"
The result of the information thus
communicated was to leave the young
man of the Caravan far more curious
than ever He determined TO turn the
tables on William Jones, and to watch
his movements, not in the day time, but
during the summer night, waiting for his
appearance in the immediate neighborhood
Of the Devils Caldron.
The first night he saw nothing-it was
stormy, with wild gusts of rain. The sec
ond night was equally uneventful. Moth
ing daunted, he went for a third and last
time, and lay in the moonlight on the
cliffs. looking toward the village.
The night was dark and cloudy, but
from time to time the moon came out
with sudden brilliance on the sea, which
was gently stirred by breeze from the
land.
He waited for several hours. About
midnight he rose to go home.
sound of oars, and, lying down, perceived
a small boat approaching on silver
patch of moonlit sea.
The moon came out, and he saw that
the occupant of the boat was a solitary
man.
1t approached rapidly, making direct for
the DEVILS Caldron. Lying down on his
face and peeping over, Brinkley saw it
stop short just outside the foaming pas
sage, while the man stood up, stopped,
lifted something heavy from the bottom,
and threw it overheard. Then, after
watching for a moment a dark object
which drifted shoreward, right into the
csldron, he rowel away until he reached
a sheltered creek close to the scene of the
swimming adventure. Here he ran the
boat ashore and leaped out.
The next minute Brinkley heard him
coming up the cliffs.
Trembling with excitement he lay down
fiat on his face and waited. Presently
the man EN- eyed on the top of the cliffs,
within few yards of Brinkley's hiding
place. Just then the moon flashed bright
ly out, and Brinkley recognized hint
1t was William Jones, carrying on his
shoulders something IKE lOaueQ SACK,
and, on dangling from his left wrist,
horn lantern.
He looked round once or twice and then
hurried toward TIE sand hills Brinkley
followed stealthily The moon now went
in, and it became pitch darG. Presently
Jones paused, set down his load, and lit
the lantern then he hurried en-.
For fifty or sixty yards coarse carpet
of greensward covered the cliffs; then the
sand hills began. Passing over the first
sand hill, Jones disappeared. Quick as
thought the young man followed, and,
peering over, saw the light in the hollow
beneath: it rose higher and higher till
it reached the top of the next sand hill,
where 1t paused. Crawling on hands and
knees, Brinkley slipped down into the
hollow, and then crept upward halfway
up the mound; he found huge rock,
behind which he crouched and peeped.
As he did so, William Jones, light in
hand seemed TO dive down into the solid
earth and disappear.
CHAPTER XIV.