The Washington herald., 1915-09-19
O. HENRY'S MASTERPIECES No ! Blu!

he leaned back in lis chair and bestowed upon
me an explosion of sardonic, superior, collegiate
laughter
We'll, you are fool, Jim," he said, when
he could speak:
ITS your play" said I, patiently, lingering
my double-six.
Twenty" said Goodloe. making two
crosses on the table with his chalk
why am l fool:' asked Buried
treasure has been found before in many
places"
Because" said he, ''n calculating the point
on the river where your line would strike you
neglected to allow for the variation. The va
ration there would be nine degree west. Let
me have your pencil"
Goodloe Banks figured rapidly on the back
OF an envelope.
"The distance, from north to south, of the
line run from the Spanish mission said he
\ "is exactly twenty-five miles. 1t was run by
a pocket-compass, according to your story. Al
lowing for the variation, the point on the
Alanito River where you should have searched
for your treasure is exactly six miles and nine
hundred and forty-five varas farther west than
the place you hit upon. Oh, what fool you
are, Jim''
What is this variation that you speak of"
asked. Il thought figures never lied
The variation of the magnetic compass"
said Goodloe. from the true meridian
He smiled in his superior way and then
saw come out in his face the singular. eager,
consuming, cupidity of the seeker after buried
treasure.
Sometimes he said with the air of the
oracle, these old traditions of hidden money
are not without foundation. Suppose you let
me look over that paper describing the location.
Perhaps together we might"
The result was that Godloe Banks and I.
rivals in love, became companions in adven-
ture. We went to Chico by stage from Hun
tersburg, the nearest railroad town. In Chico
we hired team drawing a covered spring
wagon and camping paraphernalia. We had
the same surveyor run out our distance, as re-
vised by Goodloe and his variations, and then
dismissed him and sent him on his horneward
road.
1t was night when we arrived. fed the
horses and made fire near the bank of the
river and cooked supper Goodloe would have
helped, but his education had not fitted him
for practical things.
But while l worked he cheered me with
the expression of great thoughts handed down
from the dead ones of old He quoted some
ttanslations from the Greek at much length.
"Anacreon," he explained That was a
favorite passage with Miss Mangun-as 1 re-
cited it,
She is meant for higher things" said I. re-
peating his phrase
Can there be anything higher" asked
Goodloe. than to dwell in the society of the
classics, to live in the atmosphere of learning
and culture? You have often decried educa-
ton. What of your wasted efforts through
your ignorance of simple nathematics:. How
soon would you have found your treasure if
my knowledge had not shown you your error"
We'll take a look at those hills across the
river first said l, "and see what we find
am still doubtful about variations. l have been
brought up to believe, that the needle is true
to the pole
The next morning was bright June one.
We were up early and had breakfast. Goodloe
was charmed. He recited-Keats, think it
was, and Kelly or Shelley-whie I broiled the
bacon We were getting ready to cross the
river, which was little more than a shallow
creek there, and explore the many !sharp-peaked
cedar-oovered hills on the other side
"My good Ulysses" said Goodloe. slapping
me on the shoulder while I was washing the
tin breakfast-plates, 'let me see the enchanted
document once more. believe it gives direc-
tions for climbing the hill shaped'lk pack
saddle l never saw pack-saddle. What is