Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-18

v oAkiA IA 0AaAA
notes for the saISe amount in gold at
the Butlerville bank. Joe had In the
past been entrusted with even larger
sums and there was not an iota of
suspicion or doubt as to his fidelity
and safety by his employers. Joe ex-
ecuted his various errands at Butler
vile before he went to the bank. The
gold was packed in a piece of wire pet-
ting and then slowed in a heavy canvas.
satchel, and with this under his feet
on the front seat started on his return
journey.
1t was late afternoon when Joe
struck off across what was known as
the swamp road. He had been made
uneasy several times from noting that
four suspicious looking men were APP
parently following him. They skunk
from cover in his rear, gained on him
by a detour, and Joe made up his mind
that they had some un%accountablei
knowledge of the treasure he carried
and were after it.
He was less than five miles from
home when he became assured of the
fact that the men were closing In upon
him. Looking back, he observed two
of the men starting on a u in his
direction. Viewing the road ahead,
Joe noticed the other two peering from
ia thicket.
"Ill beat theml" he muttered reso-
lutely, and suddenly turning the horse
from the main road he dashed off along
a mere trail, confusing and %distancing
his pursuers until the vehicle struck a
irut and both hind wheels smashed into
fragments.
All four of his would-be despoilers
were to be seen making for the
wrecked cart, and at ~break-neck speed.
Joe jumped from the vehicle, seized
the satchel and darted down an OBJ
'scure footpath. His heavy burden im-
peded rapid progress, however. Joe
noted that two of the men had circled
about to head him off. He made a des-
perate resolve, took in his surround-
ings closely, gave the satchel a fling
into the deep water at the side of the
path and, unhampered now with the
weight of the gold, made a run in the
direction of home.
Joe had just cleared a copse of will
lows when a report rang out. He felt
a cracking, tearing sensation inside
of his head. The missile had struck
a section of the skull, denting 1t with
out decorating, but a strange numbness
~momentarily spread over him. Then
a strange light-headedness succeeded.
He fed like some wild being. He was
#x,Is4o cd A-oo%6Io1- oc h. daeho1 snto
the yard Of the home of his married
sister.
"Quick, Lizzie !" he gasped, sinking
to the doorstep, telephone the bank
and then the police. Tell them I was
pursued by some thieves and"
There Joe sank s~enseless. So they
found him when two men from the
bank and the marshal arrived. Joe
reused up. He seemed non the worse
for the ~escapade, the details of which
he narrated with perfect conference.
AT the point where he had thrown the
satchel of gold into the water, how
ever, he paused blankly, stumbled over
his words, ana when the banker
anxiously inquired where was the spot,
Joe shook his head in a dazed way
with the words: II can't remember"
Nor did he in the course of a week,
or a month. Perfectly lucid on any
other subject, the bullet that mad
grazed on his skull seemed to have'
knocked out the n important item
of his adventure. The swamp was
searched, Joe went over it with the
bank people, but with no encouraging
discoveries.
1--WE had no right to leave you to
take the responsibility of all that
money without a guard" the banker
reproved himself. IF you ever locate
1t, Joe, you shall have half as a re-
ward"
But this incentive had no result.
There was a corner knocked away in
the memory of the honest fellow and
nothing could straighten it out.
Joe Bangs resumed his old business
! and was trusted and liked as Of old.
The doctors marvelled, but he was as
~clear-headed and sensible as ever ex-
cept as to the hiding place of the gold.
For Joe n happy result of his adj
venture t%ranspired. Pretty Marie Dris-
coll became his iancee after a long
counting. All that postponed the we'd
ding was the fact that Joe's savings
had not yet reached the amount he
deemed necessary to start h~ousekeep-
ing.
One summer afternoon Joe was
waiting for Marie, who was to ride
over to Butlerville with him. The air
was drowsy and Joe fell asleep wait
ing on a bench outside of the house.
Marie appearing, stood gazing at her
%slumbering lover and had just picked
up a loose pebble to p~layfully throw
at him, when something came hurting
down from the top Of the house. 1t
WAS Tho old hnrsaShna Timn and