Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-03-22
heart was as free and unburdened as
the wind.

the wind.
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 the. faded southeast. And
for two days while Captain Flanagan
recoaled they played like children.
tolting round In the low bullock carts,
climbing the mountains or Dumping
down the corduroy road. II was the
suangest treasure hunt that ever left
a home port. 1t was more Ike a page
out Of boys frolic than a sober
quest by grownups. That danger.
menace and death bid in covert would
lave 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 wbOml From what di.
rectiOn? No one suggested the DOS.
aibility. even In jest. and the only
man who could have advanced With
reasonable assurance that danger. real
and serious. existed was too busy ap-
parently with his butterfly net. Still.
be had not yet been consulted. BE
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
tTet 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-
eerned, If he knew Of the treasures ex.
istenee,' Of what benefit now would be
his knowledge? A share in the find.
Ing at 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,
as it were On several occasions he
had noticed signs of a preOccupation
tf suppressed excitement, Of silence
and moroseness. Fitzgerald could join
certain squares Of the puzzle. but this
led forward scarce a step Breitmann
had entered the employ Of the admiral
for the very purpose for which NJ. Fer
raud had jOurneyed sundrily into the
cellar and beaten futilely on the chin
ney. II resolved to one thing. and that
was the secretary had arrived too
late. He was sure that Breitmann had
no suspicion regarding NJ. Ferraud.
But for casual glance at the little
mans hands neither would be have
had any. He determined to prod VI.
Fefraud. He was well trained in re-
preston. So. while be often lost pa
thence, there was never any external
sign Of it. Besides. there was another
affair which overshadowed it and at
times engulfed it.
Love. The crosstides of sense and
sentiment made a pretty disturbance.
And. still further. there was another
cOuntertide. Love does not necessarily
make a young man keen sighted. but It
generally highly develops his talent for
suspicion. By subtle gradations Brett
mann had shifted in Fitzgerald's mind
from a possible friend to a 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 1t ranked when he thought that
this hypocritical adventurer had