Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-09-16

white with n sort OF Sea-wfldness ana
loneliness about II. and with large.
naive lettering across its Intel an
nouncing itself as an emporium" Il
think that was the world 'of Marine
Curiositiss."
I pushed open the door. There was
no one there. The little store was
evidently left to take care of itself.
Inside Il was like an old curiosity shop
OF the sea, every available inch OF
space, rough tables and walls Uttered
and hung with the queer and lovely
bric-a-brac of the sea. Presently a
tiny girl came in. rs 1t seemed, from
nowhere and said she would fetch her
father. In moment or two he came,
a tall, weathered Englishman Of the
sailor type. brown and lean, with
lonely blue eyes.
"You don't seem afraid of thieves"
remarked.
at amt a jewelry store" he said,
with the curious soft sing-sons intona-
ton of the Nassau "conch."
That's just what was thinking it
was" said.
81 know what you mean." he replied,
his lonely face lighting up as faces do
at unexpected understanding In a
stranger. ''Of course there are some
that feel that way, but they're few and
far between"
Not enough to make fortune out
off,
"ohl I do pretty we'll" he said; II
mustn't complain. Moneys not every
thing, you see, in a business Ike
this. There's going after the things,
you know. Ones got to count that In
too"
/ looked at him in some surprise.
I had met something even rarer than
the things he traded In. I had met a
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 a moment. ! wanted TO hear all he
cared 10 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 thought of doing
business, and told me all about them
how and where he got them. and so
forth.
But" he said presently, encouraged
by my unfeIgned interest, Il should
Ike 10 show you few rarer things l
have In the house. and which i
wouldn't sell. or even show to every
one. If you'd honor me by taking a
cup of tea we mi ght look them over"
So we left the little store, with its
door unlocked as l had found II, and
a few steps brought US TO little house
/ had not before noticed, with neat
garden in front of ii, all the garden
beds symmetrieally bordered with
conch shells. Shells were evidently
the Supplemented fellows mania. his
revelation of the beauty of the world.
Here in a neat parlor, also much dec
Grated with shells, tea was served to
US by the little girl ] had first seen
and an elder sister, who, I gathered.
made all the lonely dreamer's family.
Then, shyly pressing on me 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 layman, it was not nearly so at
tractiye as other things he had shown
me-little more to my eye than a rath-
er commonplace though pretty shell /:
but he explained that 1t was found,
or had so far been found, only in one
spot In the islands. lovely, seldom
visited cay several miles to the north
east Of Andres island.
''What is 1t calied?" l asked, for 1t
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.
Its called - Cay nowadays
he answered, "but it used to be called
Short Shrift island" ..,
"Short Shrift islapd!" I 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. ...s
SIT is such an odd name" said,
trying to recover myself.
'Yes! those old pirate chaps GER
tainly did think up some of the rum
miest names"
"One Of the pirate haunts, was itf''
I queried with assumed indifference.
Supposed to be. But one hears
that of every other cay In the BAHIA
mas. I take no stock in such yarns
My shells are all the treasure expect
to find"
what did you call that shelf"
asked.
He told me the name, but I forgot
it 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
it lay.
"Are you going after its" he laughed
sob! WELL" / replied, II am going
on a duck.shooting trip to Andres be
fore long, and thought I might drop