The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1914-10-21

shadow.
At four o'clock he turned in and
slept like log.
In the morning he found his oppor-
tunity. For half an hour the forecastle
was empty of all save himself. Fever
ishly he pried back the boards, found
the brace beam, and gently laid the
box there. 1t was a mighty curious
looking box. Once he had stocked up
the Chinese coast from the Philip
pines, ard he judged it to be Chinese
in origin. He tried to pry open the
cover and feast his eyes upon the
treasure; but under the leather and
ivory and mother of pearl was imper-
vious steel. 1t would take an ak or
a crowbar to stir that lid. He sighed.
He replaced the boards, and became
to all appearances his stolid self
again.
But all the way down to the BAHIA
mas he was moody, and when he an
swered any questions 1t was with
words spoken testify and jerkily.
81 know whut's tn matter" said
Dunkers. He's in love-"
Shut your mouth"
Didn't tell yuh?" laughed the tan
taller, dancing toward the compan-
ionway. "Steve's in love, r he didn't
git drunk enough on shore t satisfy
his whales bellyl"
A boot thudded spitefully against
the door jamb.
"You fellahs let me alone, r I'll bash
in a couple o. heads!"
=, fad N r.
ers from the deck. IF yuh want a
little exercise, yuh can begin on me,
yuh moonsick swab! Whut's tn matter
with yuh, anyhow? Where'd yuh git
this crouch? Whut've we done t. yuh?
Huh?"
You keep out o. my way, that's all.
I'm mindin' my watches. an don't ask
no odds of you buffers. What If have
a crouch? Is it any O. your business
All right When we step ashore at
tn Bahams, Mister Jim Dunkers,
I'll tear the ropes out o. your pulley
blocks. But till we git there, you t
tn upper bunk an me t mine"
Leave tn oil crouch alone, Jim.
Tn mate won't stand for no scrappin'
aboard. Well have tn thing done
right in tn custom sheds. Well have
a finish fight, Queensberry rules, an
may tn best man win"
I'm willin'," said Jim.
Som l." agreed Steve. But his In
tentions were not honorable. He pro-
posed to desert before any fight took
place. Not that he was physically
afraid; no; he wanted to dig his
hands deep into those doubloons and
pieces-of-eight.
So the four days down passed other
wise uneventfully, amid paint pots and
iron rust and three meals a day OF
pork, onion soup, potatoes, and strong,
bitter coffee. The winds became light
and balmy and the sea blue and gen.
tie. The men went about in their
undershirts and dungarees, barefooted.
OF course the coming fight was the
main topic of conversation. 1t prom
Used to be a rafting good scrap, for
both men were evenly matched, and
both had kick" in either hand. Even
the captain took mild interest in the
affair. He was an old sailor. He knew
that there was no such word as arbi-
tration in sailors vocabulary; his
disputes could be settled only in one
manner, by his calloused fists.
When the old mudhook (and some
day Steve was going to buy it and
hang it over the entrance of the Gil
son house, slithered down into the
smiling waters of the bay, Steve con-
cluded that discretion was the better
part of valor. He would steal ashore
on the quarantine tug which lay along
side. He was willing to fight under
ordinary circumstances, but he must
get his treasure in safety first. They
could call him a welcher II they
wanted to; devil bit did he care. So
he pried back the boards of his bunk
wall, took out the box, eyed it fondly,
and noted for the first time the let
tering on it:
. STANLEY HARGREAVE.
He wrinkled his brow in the effort
to recall a pirate by this name, but
was unsuccessful. No matter. He
Rugged the box under his coat and
made for the gangway, and inadver-
tently ran into his enemy.
Dunkers caught bit Of the box
peeping from under the coat.
What "a yuh got there?" he de-
manded truculently.
None O. your damn business! You
lemme by; hear me?"
"Ain't none o. my business, huh?
Where'd yuh git box like that? Steal
it? By cripes, I'm goin' t have a
look at that box, my hearty. 1t don't
smell like honest onions"
You lemme by!" breathed Steve,
with murder in his heart.
Suddenly the two men closed, surged
back and forth, one determined to
take and the other to hold this mys-
terious box. Dunkers struggled to up
hold his word: not that he really
wanted the box but to prove that he
was strong enough to take 1t II he
wanted to. The name on the box
flashed and disappeared. 1t was kind
of shock to him. He and Blossom went
battering against the rail. Dunkers'
grip slipped and SO did Blossoms. The
result was that the box was catapulted
into the sea. With an agonizing cry,
Blossom leaned far over. He saw the
box oscillate for moment, then sink
gracefully in a zigzag course, down
through the blue waters. Fainter and
fainter it grew, and at last vanished.
I'm sorry, Steve; but yuh wouldn't
let me look at it." said Dunkers, con-
tritely.
Damn you; I'm goin' t kill y for
fhoffD