The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-11-24
A Treasure Box Without Treasure
By w. G, Pryor.

In days of old when knights were bold
And buccaneers sailed the main,
Old Captain Kidd took a thousand
From the good ship Nancy Jane.
Then he sailed away to ST Joe bay
To a place he'd known of yore
And hid it away It'll another day
While he went ba ok for more.
But the luck didn't hold for the buc-
cancer bold,
He never came back any more,
So the loot's there to stay until judg
ment day,
Unless some one finds it before.
The other day old Dad Coony was
walking the beach at old ST. Joe. He
had been thinking about the tales of
buried treasure as he walked along
looking for-well, don't know what
he was looking forts no difference
any way-we ought not to enquire too
closely into a mans private affairs.
He was walking along about the place
where the old ST. Joe railroad entered
the bay when he saw the corner of a
box sticking out of the bank. The tide
had been high for several days and
had washed the bank away so that
about half of the box was exposed.
"Old Dad went to that box like a
hungry trout to a minnow He caught
the corner and heaved but the box did
not bulge. Gosh almighty said Dad.
There must be at least million in
that box to make it so heavy-what in
the Sam Hill am 1 to do? If I go for
help I will have to divide what's in it
and can't get it away by myself"
He climbed the bank to see If any
one was in sight. Nothing was stir
ring. A big black crow was perched
on dead pine taking notes of Dads
nxya7 onYafey e,y,a5 oh a6 q Sh a
him before he dug up the treasure with
a sharp pointed piece of driftwood.
Fastened With Heavy Lock.
1t was a box like a seanan's chest
about so long and so wide and so
deep, and was fastened with a heavy
commenced him himself after this
manner:
Here am I, old Dad Coony, found
a box with at least a million dollars
in it and can't get away with it; moth
ing to break II open with; nothing to
dig a hole and bury it again and if I
could / would be ding sure to lose the
place or some one else would come
along and find IT."
After much anxious thought he de-
cided to share his find with a certain
Gid Buster, a close friend Of his. So
he dragged the box into a nearby
bunch of palmGtoes and then he car
ried water in his hat and washed away
the beach looking as natural as he
Hastening to Port st. Joe he soon
found Gid and faking him around be-
hind the postofice he first swore him
to secrecy and then told him what he
had found. Gid was very much ex-
cited and wanted to return at once to
the place but Dsd would not agree to
it, He argued n this way. All the
young fellows in town mad proDaply
i Il
went away together or ever left town
separately the 1oys would conclude
that they had a case or jug MD out
and would follow them. The best way,
he said. would be for them 10 wall
until night-and then slip away sep
arately and NEE at the bunch Of PAL
nettoes which he had marked with a.
piece of drift And so they agreed.
Now" said Dsd. as they parted, we
must not be seei toge.ner ia asa 4hi, iooas
are going to XII Dig one ana VIII
follow us sure
To say is onl thing; to do is an
other. Dad and Gid with the big Sc
cret between than could no more stay |
apart than the ron and the magnet.
Soon they wee down at Strauss in |
secret session sgain. OF course the
bows caught on md five of them plann- |
ed to see what vas up and agreed not
to lose sight ofthem until they found |
out what was Oh three of them to fol- |
low Dad and tFo of them to follow
Gid.
They clipped Away.
About 7 o'clcck Dad slipped away I
down the beachtoward old town. Gid |
had walked away down the Apatacn1-
coIa. road abo1t ten minutes earlier, /
hit keen ewes Tere watching and the |
boys were close Denind- 81 joe creek
IL between Por4 ST. Joe and old town /
It is not deepFWnen one can see to
ford It but in ne uncertain light Dad i
missed his wal and went in up to /
his chin He waded out using Ian /
guage that wasforciole and expressive i
bI1t would not Dok well in print so we |
PASS if YER few minutes brought /
them to the spc and together Dad and /
Gid dragged TIE box from its hiding i
place onto the each while the watch
ers Rugged eaci other when they saw