The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-11-11
'et out at Z right angle to a rock

~ ~H
Then, facing the house. he walked to
a point midway between the rock he
had left aud the house and. STOPPING,
forced the stick he had cut into the
ground. Ruth noticed that when he
walked he appeared to count his steps.
The girls curiosity was excited.
She was a reticent young woman and
kept what she had seer not only from
her father and mother, but %refrained
from asking Kent, as most girls would
have done. what was the meaning Of
his strange walks. She preferred rath-
er to wait and watch.
From the moment she had seen the
handsome stranger in his singular but
becoming costume she had been great
" attracted to him. Girls living
where they seldom meet a man are
liable to fall easily in love. and Ed
ward Kent in education and refine
ment was far above any man she had
ever met. 1t vas not long before the
young man conceived as strong a pref
erence for her as she had conceived
for him. The two rowed about some
times in the boat he had come in; but,
being a heavy ships boat, they used it
only in windy weather, ut other times
taking a common rowboat.
It was OH these trips that Edward
made love to Ruth and she acknowl-
edged her own love for him. But he
told her that their marriage depended
upon a certain contingency. He said
he had a scheme for making Il large
amount of n If he succeeded
there was no reason why they should
not he married at any time; if not,
there would be Il life Of poverty for
them together and it might be better
that they should remain separate.
To this Ruth listened without com
ment, though when Edward asked her
if she did not think it imprudent for
them to marry with nothing to marry
on she assented. But she was no
talker. taking in everything that was
said to her. maintaining silence as to
her opinions.
1t was not long after the strangers
arrival that he offered the farmer the
remaining pieces Of eight if he would
permit him to build a log hut on his
premises. He said there were noises
in the house at night that prevented
his sleeping. Cromwell gladly gave
his consent, and Kent chose a spot in
the rear Of the house and near the
smokehouse. 1t was where he had
put in the stick. Having made all ar.
engagements, he cut down timber in the
forest suited to his purpose and built
his cabin. When he had finished it
and put q cot and q chair in it-all the
furniture he needed, he said-he took
the Cromwell family into 1t to inspect
1t, then locked the door, and no n Of
them ever after had IL peep inside Of
it till after he had abandoned II.
Several weeks passed when one day
Kent told Ruth Cromwell that he had
met with a great disappointment. He
also explained the mystery that had
hung about him since his arrival ut
Sachem's Head. II am a younger son
of q country gentleman in England"
he said. "A year g l sailed from
London to New York to take a posi-
ton with a merchant there. On the
voyage. when off Long Island, our
ship was captured by pirates and ev-
cry one except myself was forced to
walk the plank. I pretended to a de-
sire to follow a life of piracy and
begged to be permitted to join the
crew. AS the captain was very ig-
norant of navigation and | had made
a voyage for the purpose of studying
it my offer was accepted. spent
months with the pirates while they in
tercepted Spanish ships carrying mon
ey between Mexico and Spain and
afterward while they pillaged the coast
east and south of New York.
zone of the crew, a better man than
the rest, took a fancy to me, and when
he was wounded after a fight with an
armed merchantmen and at the point
of death told me that he and some
comrades had buried a large quantity
of gold and precious stones they had
plundered ut Sachem's Head, on the
Connecticut coast. He gave me this
paper, on which are directions where
to find the treasure" He read:
5 E1elu. lilliu DcdCu east
of point of rocks. Cove contains rock
like sugar loaf 100 yards from beach
at low tide. Apex just awash at high
tide. Seventy PAGES west to pine tree
standing alone. From pine fifty PAGES
toward island to n. E. Turn at right
angle. thirty PAGES to rock covered by
brush. Face house. go twenty PAGES
due east. Dig six feet
"a few days before l reached here
the pirate ship sailed into the sound
past Block island, went westward look
ing for ships to capture as far as New
Haven, but, hearing of a war vessel.
went back. While passing here at
night l let myself down into a boat.
cut loose and rowed ashore. I knew I
vas near the place I wanted, but did
not know how near. You know the
rest, except the d%enonement.
II built my cabin over the spot where
expected to find the treasure, then