Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-12

| first man to be laid off. People said
that it was good thing for Lem that
his wife was a popular dressmaker,
for her busy fingers enabled them to
live very comfortably in the little white
cottage.
1t was rather dull now at the ship
yard, and in consequence Lem Peters
was sitting idly on the wharf, swing.
ing his feet and waiting for the ar
| rival of the daily steamer from the city
across the sound. The departure and
arrival of the Dunton were matters
of daily excitement in Quank village.
In winter. when the harbor was frozen
over and the Dunton was icebound
at her wharf, things were very dull
indeed in the remote village.
| But today, in the late autumn. the
| weather was still mild, with haziness
in the air that was suggestive of dis
| tant forest fires. The cliffs that en-
braced the harbor in two long protect
ing arms were clothed with ancient
cedars and sturdy oaks; the oaks were
dripping a golden shower of leaves
| against the dark background OF the
cedars.
/ ne Odf was uCcp UiucB Win HNbiC
! whitecapped waves that broke crisply.
| The sun shone brightly, and the west
| wind murmured gently.
Lem Peters pulled gently at his pipe
| and dreamed of many adventures he
had shared with little Captain Charlie
| Sayles, whose tight little schooner, the
( Rosy Dawn, lay at anchor half mile
down the bay.
Their last adventure had led them
down among the Florida keys in search
of the tabled fountain Of youth and
the hidden treasure of that famous
pirate, Black Duffy. They had return
ed richer in experience, but poorer by
some hundred dollars.
That had happened year ago, and
now the wanderlust was upon Lem
Peters again, and it also gripped Cap
tain Charlie Sayles-
I'm going aboard the schooner.
Lem. Want to Gomez Captain Char
lies bluff voice broke in on LENS
pleasant somnofence.
"Uh-huh,' agreed Lem, and he fol-
lowed Captain Charlie down the ladder
to the little boat that bobbed in the
rising tide.
In silence the two men rowed out |
to the Rosy Dawn, and it was not |
until they had boarded her and were |
sitting side by side in comfortable |
chairs under the canvas awning that /
the silence was broken.
you got something up your sleeve, |
cap'n." ventured Lem hopefully.
Captain Charlie spat thoughtfully.
81 got an idee," he said. with n wary
glance around as if he expected his
Iaio ;rrI,t h |
distance.
What is it?''
you remember a steamer went
down off No Point three years ago"
Yes, dead of winter, bowling gale.
wasn't it? Everybody saved except
the vessel. l remember / heard there
was considera BILE money aboard of her
and"-
That's what I'm after" said Cap
tain Charlie quietly.
'Jerooshelum, How do you figger
on doing it? l amt no diver, you
know" Lem FASTENED to explain.
NO morevam - retorted the captain
land 1 amt a consumed fool
neither, That there steamer went
down off the long jagged rock off No
Point. Well, was around there 10th
er day, fishing for blues and, Lem,
seen her ribs down there. and I found
this here on the beach,"
He dropped DUH looking coin into
LENS horny palm
what do you call that. eh?" he ask
ed, with thinly yelled triumph in his
tone:
Lem examined it. polished it on his
blue flannel sleeve and calmly pro-
it twenty dollar gold piece.
''Il bet there's a sight more where |
rou found that he hazarded
There ought TO be-" agreed the cap
ain. Dare you to come along and
ind outr'
Take you. When you going to
'tart:"
Tonight. Full moon. Light as day.
Don't want no talk about it Jest hist :
'ail and slip out while all the folks is
lancing at the firemen's ball. If we
AN clear up few hundred of these
lere coins I'll be satisfied. What say, [
-em:' The captain punched his friend |
n the ribs with playful forefnger.
Sure. But, cap'n. how we going to e
ct hold of the money? It's not all a
washed up on the beach and
Il got small oyster dredger-a hand
redger that belonged to my brother t
Iiram,' explained the captain patient
Y. i've overhauled the donkey en- c
inc and got it rugged up under the r,
arpaulin yonder.' He pointed to
1mpy mound on the foredeck. "One "
US IL bring up the mud, and t'other "
an poke around in it for gold. What
ay?" Il
Captain Charlie" said Lem, with Ii
low emphasis, you got head on Fl
ou."
"Oh. l dunno, but I'm bound to cit Il
ch some day." responded the captain 4
There amt nothing TO be said to Al
lie wimmen folks about this. eh?"
Not a hanged thing." cried the can. /
IN. NOW let's get ashore so rney /