The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-06-05
1.-THE GOLD BUG"

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE


Continued From Our Last issue
But" I interposed. you say
that the skull was not upon the
parchment when you made the
drawing OF the beetle. How then
do you trace any connection be.
tween the boat and the skull
since this latter. according 20 your
own admission. must have been de
signed God only knows how or by
" tom) at some period subsequent
10 your sketching the scarabaeus7
"Ah. hereupon turns the whole
mystery. altho the secret. at this
point, had Comparatively little
difficulty in solving. Ny steps
we're sure. and could afford but a
single result. reasoned. for eK'
ample. thus when ! drew the
v, arabaeus. there WAS no skull ap-
parent upon the parchment When
Z had completed the drawing 1
gave u 90 you. and observed you
narrowly until you returned A.
You. therefore. did not design the
skull. and no one else was present
20 do IT, Then II was not done by
human agency. And nevertheless
&; was done.
AT this stage OF my reflections
! endeavored to remember. and
did remember. with entire dis.
tlnctness. every incident which oc'
CURED about the period in ques-
ton. The weather was chilly toh.
rare and happy acoidentD. and a
fire was blazing upon the hearth.
Was heated with exercise and sat
near the table. You. however. had
drawn a chair close To the chin.
pcy. Just as | had placed the
parchment in your hand. and as
you were in the act OF inspecting
Il. Wolf. the Newfoundland. entered.
ard leapcd upon your shoulders.
" It'll your left hand you caressed
him and kept him off. while your
right. holding the parchment. was
Permitted TO fall lis,lessly between
your knees. and In close proximity
10 the fire. At one moment
thought the blaze had caught II.
and was about 10 caution you. but.
before could speak. you had with
drawn II. and were engaged in its
examination
When ] considered all these par.
uculars. ] doubted not for a mo-
ment that heat had been the agent
IN bringing TO light. upon the
parchment. the skull which saw
% signed upon II. You are well
aware that chemical preparations
exist. and have existed time out OF
mind. by means OF which It liz pos.
sihle to write upon either paper or
f.llum. so that the characters shall
become visible only when subject
cd TO the action OF fire. Zaffre. d.
gested in aqua regia, aud diluted
with four times It's weight OF wa.
ter. is sometimes employed, n
green tint results. The regulus OF
cobalt. dissolved in spirit OF nitre.
gives a red These colors disap-
pear at longer OF shorter intervals
after the material written upon
ccols. but again become apparent
upon the re-application OF heat
Il now scrutinized the deaths
head with care. Its outer edges
tie edges OF the drawing nearest
the edge OF the vellumLwere far
more distinct than the others. II
was clear that the action OF the
caloric had been imperfect or un.
equal | Immediately kindled n
fire. and subjected every portion
OF the parchment 10 a glowing
heat At first. the only effect was
tho strengthening OF the faint lines
OF the skull; but, upon persevering
In the experiment. there became
visible. at the corner of the slim.
opposite to the spot in
which the death's.head was define.
ated. the figure OF what | at first
to be goat. A closer
scrutiny, however. satisfied me
that II was intended for n kid"
"Ha, hal" said |. ito be sure I
have no right to laugh at you-a
and half of money is too
serious matter for mirth-but
YOU are not about to establish n
third link in your chain-you win
not find any especial connection
between your pirates and a GOAT
pirates, you know. have nothing 10
do with goats; they appertain 10
the farming interest"
But | have Just said that the
figure was not that of n goat"
We'll, a kid then--pretty much
the same thing"
Pretty much, but not altoretb.
err said Legrand. You NAV have
heard of one Captain Kidd. M
once looked upon the figure of tho
animal as a kind of punning or
hicroglyphical signature. snv
signature, because It's position
upon the vellum suggested this
idea, The death s.head at the cor.
ner diagonally opposite. had. in the
same manner. the air of stamp
or seal. But ! was sorely nut ONT
by tho absence Of all else--of the
body to my imagined instrument