Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-04-09
(coNTINUED.1

One day they dropped anchor In the
sapphire bay of Funchal. In the summer
calm, hot and glaring-Funchal. with
its dense tropical growth. Its cloud
wreathed mountains. its amethystine
sisters In rhe faded southeast. And
for two days while Captain Flanagan
recoaled they played like children.
jolting round in the low bullock carts.
climbing the mountains or humping
down the corduroy road. 1t was the
ttrangest treasure hunt that ever left
home port. 1t was more like page
out of a boys frolic than sober
quest by grownups. That danger.
menace and death hid in covert would
have appealed to them those who
knew, as ridiculous. impossible. obso-
lete. The story of cutlass and pistol
and high boots had been molding In
archives these eighty odd years. Dan
gers: From whom? From what d.
rection? No one suggested the pos
sibility. even in jest. and the only
man who could have advanced with
reasona BILE assurance that danger. real
and serious. existed was too busy ap-
parently with his butterfly net. Still.
he had not yet been consulted. bic
was not supposed to know that this
cruise was weighted with something
more than pleasure.
Fitzgerald waited with an impa'
tience which often choked him. A Sc
cret agent had not so adroitly Joined
this expedition for the pleasure OF see
ing a treasure dug up from some re-
luctant grave. What was he after! II
indeed Breitmann was directly con-
rerned. II he knew Of the treasures ex'
istence. Of what benefit now would be
his knowledge! \ share In the una
in. ut most And was Breitmann one
who was conditioned OF such easy stuff
that he would rather be sure and share
than to strike out for all the treasure
and all the risks? The more he gave
his thought TO Breitmann the more
that gentleman retreated into the fog.
ps n were On several occasions he
had noticed signs Of preocculation.
of suppressed excitement. OF silence
and morosemess Fitzgerald could Join
certain squares Of the puzzle. but this
led forward scarce n step. Breitmann
had entered the employ OF the admiral
for the very purpose for which NJ. Fer
raud had journeycd sundrily into the
cellar and beaten futilely on the chin
uey. II resolved to one thing. and that
was the secretary had arrived too
late. He was sure that BreitmaDn had
no suspicion regarding NJ. Ferraud
But for casual glance at the little
mans hands neither would he have
had any He determined to prod VI.
Ferraud He was well trained In re-
preston. So. while he often lost pa
tience. there was never any external
sign Of II. Besides. there was another
affair which overshadowed II and at
times engulfed II
Love. The crosstides Of sense and
sentiment made pretty disturbance
And. still further. there was another
countertide Love does not necessarily
make u young man keen sighted. but 1t
generally highly develops his talent for
suspicion. BY subtle gradations Brett
mann had shifted in Fitzgerald's mind
from a possible friend to probable
rival. Breitmann did not now court
his society when the smoking bouts
came round or when the steward
brought the whisky and soda after
the ladies had retired. Breitmann was
moody. and whatever variance his
moods had they retained the gray tone
This Fitzgerald saw and dilated upon,
and It ranked when he thought that
this hypocritical adventurer had