The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-07-30

MS lonely race lighting up as races 90
Mt unexpected understanding In
stranger. "Of course there are some
that feel that way. but they're few and
far between"
"Not enough to make a fortune out
off"
"Oh! do pretty WE'LL" he said; 81
mustn't complain. Moneys not every
thing. you see, in a business like
this There's going after the things,
you know. Ones got to count that In
too"
/ looked at him in some surprise.
l had met something even rarer than
the things he traded in. had met
merchant Of dreams, TO whom the mere
handling of his merchandise seemed
sufficient profit: There's going after
the things, you know. Ones got to
count that In too"
Naturally we were neck-deep in talk
In moment. wanted to hear all he
cared to tell me about "going after
the thIngs'-such "things "-and he
was nothing 10th, as he took up one
strange or beautiful object after an
other. his face aglow, and he quite
evidently without a thought Of doing
business. and told me all about them
how and where he got them, and so
forth.
"Dut," he said presently, encouraged
by my unfeigned interest, II should
like 10 show you few rarer things
have In the house, and which j
wouldn't sell, or even show to every
one. If you'd honor me by taking a
cup OF tea we might look them over"
So we left the little store. with Its
door unlocked as had found 1t. and
few steps brought us to little house
1 had not before noticed. with a neat
garden In front of IT, all the garden
beds symmetrically bordered with
conch shells. Shells were evidently
the Supplemented fellows mania, his
revelation Of the beauty OF the world.
Here In neat parlor. also much dec
Grated with shells, tea was served to
rs by the little girl had first seen
and an elder sister. who, / gathered.
made all the lonely dreamer's family.
Then, shyly pressing on me a cigar. he
turned to show me the promised treas
ures. He also told me more of his
manner Of finding them. and of the
long trips which he had to take In
seeking them, to out-of-the-way Gays
and In dangerous waters.
He was showing me the last and
rarest of his specimens. He had kept,
he said, the best to the last. To me,
as a layman, 1t was not nearly so at
tractive as other things he had shown
me-little more to my eye than rath-
er commonplace though pretty shell;
but he explained that IL was found,
or had so far been found, only in one
spot in the islands, a lovely. seldom
visited cay several miles to the north
east of Andres island.
"What is Ii called?" / asked, for IL
was part Of our plan for Charlie to do
a little duck shooting on Andres, be-
fore we tackled the business of Tobias
and the treasure.
"It's called Cay nowadays"
he answered, "but 1t used to be called
Short Shrift island"
"Short Shrift islandw / cried in
spite Of myself. Immediately annoyed
at my lack of presence of mind.
Certainly" he rejoined, looking a
little surprised but evidently without
suspicion. He was too simple and too
taken up with his shell.
at is such an odd name," I said,
trying to recover myself.
"Yesi those old pirate chaps GER
tainly did think up some of the rum
miest names"
"One of the pirate haunts, was it7"
/ queried with assumed indifference.
supposed to be. But one hears
that of every other cay In the BAHIA
mas. take no stock in such yarns.
My shells are all the treasure 1 expect
to find"
what did you call that shellY
asked.
He told me the name, but I forgot
1t Immediately. OF course / had asked
1t only for the sake of learning more
precisely about Short Shrift island. He
told me innocently enough just where
II lay.
"Are you going after lit" he laughed.
N"Ohi WELL" / replied. II am going
on duck-shooting trip to Andres be-
fore long. and thought I might drop
around to your cay and pick few of
them up for you"
1T would be mighty kind Of you, but
they're not easy to nnd. I'll tell you
exactly He went on. dear fellow,
into the minutest description Of the
habits OF -. while all the time I
was eager to rush on to Charlie Web
ster and John Saunders 80 shout