The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-06-04
THE Gold Bug
BY Edgar Allen Poe

plain; but, even at that early mo-
ment, there seemed to glimmer.
family, within the most remote
and secret chambers of my intel
lect, a glow-worm-like conception
of that truth which last nights
adventure brought to so magnifi-
cent a demonstration. / arose at
once, and putting the parchment
securely away, dismissed all fur
Their reflection until l should be
alone.
when you had gone, and when
Jupiter was fast asleep. 1 betook
myself to a more methodical In
vestigation of the affair. In the
first place l considered the man
ner In which the parchment had
come into my possession. The
spot where we discovered the
scarabaeus was on the coast OF
the mainland, about a mile east
ward of the island, and but a short
distance above high-water mark.
Upon my taking hold Of 1t, 1t gave
me sharp bite, which caused me
to let 1t drop. Jupiter, with his
accustomed caution, before selling
the insect, which had flown to-
ward him, looked about him for a
leaf, or something of that nature.
by which to take hold of it.
ut was at this moment that his
eyes, and mine also, fell upon the
scrap of parchment, which | then
supposed to be paper. 1t was lying
half buried in the sand, a corner
sticking up. Near the spot where
we found 1t, / observed the REM
nants of the hull of what appeared
to have been a ships longboat.
The wreck seemed to have been
there for a very great while; for
the resemblance to boat timbers
could scarcely be traced.
well, Jupiter picked up the
parchment, wrapped the beetle in
it, and gave it to me. Soon after
wards we turned to 60 home, and
on the way met Lieutenant c..
I showed him the insect. and he
begged me to let him take it to
1.-THE fort. Upon my consenting, he
thrust 1t forthwith into his waist
coat pocket, without the parch-
ment in which 1t had been
wrapped, and which l had contin-
ued to hold in my hand during
his inspection. Perhaps he dread
ed my changing my mind, and
thought it best to make sure OF
the prize at once-you know how
enthusiastic he is on all subjects
connected with Natural History.
At the same time, without being
conscious of it, / must have de-
posted the parchment In my own
pocket.
you remember that when l
went to the table for the purpose
of making a sketch of the beetle,
found no paper where it was
usually kept. l looked in the
drawer, and found none there. l
searched my pockets, hoping to
find an old letter, when my hand
fell upon the parchment. l thus
detail the precise mode in which
it came into my possession; for
the circumstances impressed me
with peculiar force.
mo doubt you will think me
fanciful-but l had already estab-
lished a kind of connection. l
had put together two links OF a
great chain. There was q boat
lying upon 9 seacoast, and not far
from the hoat was a narchmeut-
not a paper-with a skull depict
ed upon 1t. You will, of course,
ask. Where is the connection? /
reply that the skull, or Deaths
head, is the well-known emblem
of the pirate. The flag of the
death 's-head is hoisted in all en-
gagements.
81 have said that the scrap was
parchment, and not paper. Parch-
ment is durable-almost imperish-
able. Matters of little moment