The Washington times., 1910-09-10

! himself in a large gloomy hall that
. had been apparently designed for a
/ common kitchen genus were arTauE-
ed around the walls. Toward the
rear end Of the room = low rostrum
supported 4 lonely chair and table.
The floor was muddy and decorated
with q lavish display OF cigarette
ana cigar butts and tobacco stains;
Jne walls were rubbed shiny and
black BY the backs OF Longing spec
IatOTS OF bTgODe sales Above this
dado showed Uupa pered and unpaint-
ed plaster that once had been white.
4 detected gaSOlieT, draped with fad
ed pink fiy netting, hung from the
ceiling above the rostrum- Here and
there along the walls appeared plac-
and OF the future
a few habitUsI loungers or prospec-
tive bidders were already gathered
together in small clusters here and
there They paid no heed 10 the
stranger after the first listleSS glance.
4 clock on the rear wall indicated
an hour and ten minutes in advance
Of the advertised opening Cadogan
found himself a seat detached from
the rema inder OF the conErega ton
and. composing himself to wait,
lighted cigar not so much because
ne wanted TO smoke as q sort Of de-
fensiTe measure against the efnUVIa
OF the place. which was truculently
In the course OF tie ensuing ten
minutes the number Of arrivals in
creased the audience TO some thirty
Eve or forty CadoEan searched their
Vikings sansUlne cOuntenance. but
slightly TO his appOintment. the
mar fssIed 10 put in an appearance
As ICr himself. he could not be OBJ
liviOGs TO the fact that he had become
a cynOSure OF attention and com
ment-nO extraordinary circumstance
IN view Of the fact tina he was d
stranger among familiS. acquaint-
ances, the rank and file of the city-s
real estate men,
Promptly at ! O'Clock a small and
saIIow individual in a rusty frock coat
took his place on the TOStTum and open
ed the proceedings with a resOunding
thWaCK OF the mallet and q sing-song
voice Of amazing resonance and carry
ing quality.
Cadogan, galvanized to attention,
presently lounged back in his chair. dis
Island property gave precedence to
other lots. plots. additions. parcels, and
"palatial residences" For an hour or
more he was doomed 20 be bored by the
transaction Of routine business The
briSkness OF slackness OF the bidding
as the case might be, failed to interest
him, and a chance thought. ilteTing
into his consciousness from heaven
knew what bOurn- started him upOn a
chain of speculation that led him. link
BY link into the border land of abstrac-
ton.
The souno waves set in motion by the
aUctioDeer'S believing BARITONE beat
meaninglessIy against his understand
ing Ills inward excitement became in
tense, he burned with II, feeling that b.
the most adventitioJzs accident he had
stumbled upon the solution OF the pAIz-
zle-
Perhaps one Of his neighbors had used
the word ''treazk1re" in casual CONVEX
satiOn- and CadoEan-s ear. catchin, the
syilableS, had registered them upon his
brain. charged with q significance of
which their enunciatOr had not dream
ed. his quick fancy supplied the adiec-
tive buried. and the two, with their
romantic cadence, stimulated his i'm
aEinatiOn 10 far and ingenious flights.
Buried treasure
he had 1t, he beiieved-the master
word al the sound Of which the doors
OF mystery and romance were 10 oper
wide to him. Therein, he was confident.
lay the pregnant motive for this web
OF beWlliderlng circumstance Strange
that it had not occurred TO him before
Jane Todd had told him-or was IL
WiillnE2-thst night IN tie lighthouse
that the mansion on the Hill was rtl-
mored once to have been the residence
OF Lafitte-Lafitte, whose name has come
down to US as that Of buccaneeF of
the kidney Of Morgan and Kidd. Taftte
the pirate Of the Gulf the scourge Of
1uCatan' the smUgSieT, Slave-traGer, pri-