Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-03-05
CHAPTER Nv.

by q single light. Once In 90
often fast train stopped. II
properly tagged Fitzgerald. fee
Ing wholly unromantic, now that he
had arrived. dropped his handbag Of.
the damp platform and took his bear
ings. It was after sundown. The sea,
but a few yards away. was murmur
ing. heaving blackness. save where
here and there a wave broke. The
wind was chill. and there was the
hint OF a storm coming down from
the northeast.
ANY hotel In this placer he asked
Of the ticket agent. the telegraph oper.
ator and the baggageman, who was
pushing crate of vegetables OF q
truck.
Swans hotel; only one"
do people sleep and eat thereT
IF they have good digestions."
Much obliged. Is there house
hereabouts called the top O. the hillT'
Come over here" said the agent
See that hill back there. quarter Of a
mile above the. village; those three
lights? Well. that's It They usually
have carriage down here when
they're expecting any one"
who owns it?"
"Old Admiral Killlgrew. Didn't you
know it?'
"Oh, Admiral Killigrew; yes, Of
rourse. I'm not a guest Just going
up there on business. Worth about ten
millions, isn't he?"
THAT and more. There's bis yacht
In the harbor. Oh. he could burn up
the village. pay the insurance, and not
even knock down the quality Of bis
cigars. He's the best old chap out.
None Of your red faced. yo-hoing
growing seadogs; just kindly. gen
erous old sailor. with only one bee In
his bonnet"
"What sort Of beeT
"Piratesw In a ghostly whisper.
"Pirates? Oh. say. now" with a
protest
straight as die. He's got the finest
library on piracy in the world. every
thing from the Pirates Of Penzance tc
The Life Of Morgan
"But there's no pirate afoat these
days"
mot on the high seas. no. IT'S Just
the old mans pastime. Every 50 often.
be Goals up the yacht. which Is seven.
teen knotter. and goes OF to the south
seas. hunting for treasures.
"By Georger Fitzgerald whistled
softly. HAS be ever found anyT
Not so much as postage stamp, 50
far as know. Moneys always been
in the family, and his Wall street
friends have shown him how to double
what be mas, from time to time. Just
for the sport Of the thing some old
fellows go In for crockery. some for
pictures, and some for horses. The
admiral just hunts treasures. Half
past 6: you'll excuse me. Thereil be
some train dispatches in minute"
Fitzgerald gave him good cigar. took
up his bag. and started of for the main
street; and once there he remembered
with chagrin that he had not asked
the agent the most important thing OF
all: Had the admiral daughter:
Well, at 8 o'clock he would learn all
about that Plrates! 1t would be as
good as play But where did he come
In? And why was courage necessary:
His interest found new life.
Swans hotel was one of those non
descript buildings Of wood which are
not worth more than three line para
graph even when they burn down.
The landlord himself lifted Eitz-
gerald's bag to the counter.
"a room for the night and supper.
right away"
Here. Jimmy" called the landlord to
growing. numbering boy. "take this
satchel up to No. s."
The boy went his way. eying the
labels respectfully and with some
awe. This was the third Of Its kind
he had ported upstairs In the past
twenty -four hours.
Fitzgerald cast an idle glance at the
loungers There were half a dozen Of
them. some of them playing cards and
some displaying talent on pool table.
badly worn and beer stained There
was nothing distinctive about any Of
them excepting the little man who
was reading an evening paper. and
the only distinctive thing about him
was u pair Of bright eyes Behind
their gold trimmed spectacles they did
not waver under Fitzgerald's scrutiny.
So the latter dismissed the room and
Its company from his mind and pro
ceeded into dinner. As he was late
he dined alone on mildly warm chick.
en-. greasy potatoes and muddy coffee.
He was used often to worse fare
than this. and no complaint was evei,
thought Of After he had changed his
linen he took the road to the house
at the top Of the hill Now. then.
what sort of an affair was this going
to be. such as would bend girl Of
her bearing to speak to him on the
street? Moreover. at moment when
he was playing a grownup child's
gamei II could not be Joke. Women
never rise to such e1travagant heights.
Pirates and treasures! he wouldn't
have been surprised at all had Old
Long John Silver hobbled out from
behind any one Of those vine grown
fences and demanded his purse.
The street was dim, and more than
once he stumbled over q loose board
in the wooden walk. II the admiral
had been the right kind Of philanthro
pist be would have furnished stone.
But. then. 1t was one thing to give q
country town something and another
to force the town council into accept.
ing It The lampposts, also Of wood
stood irregularly apart, often less thar
q hundred feet. and sometimes more
lighting nothing but their immediate
vicinity. Fitzgerald could zee the
lamps plainly. but could separate none
| Of the objects round or beneath That
Il why he did not see the face Of the
man who passed him in q hurry. Hs
never forgot face II It were mans
His only difficulty was In placing It q
once