The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-10-24

SoOu 1OuI, 10 WuOuu, IOr once, OF
course. l could not confide. Yet I had
Il vague purpose; or. at least, l had n
feeling that. If l waited ON something
would develop in the direction Of my
hopes. The doubloon still suggested
that 1t was the key to a door of fas-
%cinating mystery to which chance
might at any moment direct me.
And-why not admit it?-apart from
my buried treasure, to the possible
discovery Of which the doubloon
seemed to point. l was possessed with
a growing desire for another glimpse
not their association with the mys-
ferrous gold. they were magnetic
enough to draw any man, with even
the rudiments Of Imagination, along
the path OF the unknown. All the
paths out Of the little settlement
were paths into the unknown, and. day
after day, I followed one or another Of
them out into the wilderness. taking a
gun with me-, as an OStenSible excuse
for any spying eye and bringing back
with me occasional bags Of the wild
pigeons which were plentiful on the
island.
One day I had thus wandered unus-
ually far afield, and at nightfall found
myself still several miles from home
on IA rocky path Overhanging the sea.
There was no sign of habitation any
where. 1t was a wild and lonely place,
and presently over its savage beauty
stole the glamor of the moon rising far
over the sea. l sat down on u ledge
Of the cliffs and watched the moon
light grow in intensity as the darkness
: Of the woods deepened behind me. 1t
was a night full of witchcraft: a night
on which the stars, the moon, and the
sea together seemed limiting at some
wonderful thing about to happen.
Then. as if the fairy night were
matching my thoughts with q chal-
lenge. what was this bright wonder
suddenly present on one of the boul-
ders far down beneath me?-a tall
shape Of ~witchcraft whiteness, stand
ing. full In the moon, like a statue in
luminous marble Of some goddess Of
antiquity.
My eyes and my heart together told
me 1t was she; and, as she hung poised
over the edge of the water in the at
titude OF n about to dive, q turn Of
her head gave me that longed-fOr
glimpse of those living eyes filled with
moonlight. She stood another mo
ment, still MS the night, In her lowell
ness; and the next she had dived d.
rectly into the path Of the moon. /
saw her eyes mOonfilled again, as she
came to the surface. and began to
swim-nOt, as n might have expect
ed. out from the land, but directly in
toward the unSeen base Of the cliffs.
door in the rocks, / said to myself,
and she was about to enter it. 1t was
q secret door known only to herself /;
and then. for the first time that night,
l thought Of that dOublOOn.
Perhaps il I had not thought of 1t l
should not have done what then I did.
There will. doubtless, be those who
will censure me. II 50. l am afraid
! they must. At all events, 1t was the
thought Of that doubloon that swayed
the balance of my hesitation In taking
the mOOn-path In the track Of that
bright apparition.
Hooked for q way down to the edge
Of the sea. 1t was no easy to find, but
after much perilous scrambling l at
length found myself on the boulder
which had SO lately been the pedestal
Of that Radiance; and. In another mo-
ment. ! had dived into the mOon-path
and was swimming toward the mys-
terious golden door.
Before me the rocks opened In q
deep narrow c~revasse, q long rift, evil
IDENTIFY slashing back into the cliff, be-
meath the road on which / had been
treading. I could see the moonlit
water vanishing into a sort Of gleam-
ing lane between the vast overhang-
ing walls.
Presently l felt my feet rest lightly
on firm sand, and. still shoulder deep
In the water, / walked on another yard
or twO-tO be brought to q sudden
stop. There she vas coming toward
me, breast high in that watery tunnel!
The moon, continuing it's serene ascen-
sion, lit her up with q sudden beam.
O! shape of bloom and glory!
For a moment we both stood looking
at each other. a il transfixed. Then
she gave q frightened cry and put her
hands up to her bosom : as she did so
q stream Of something bright-like
gold DiecpS-fpll from hnr mouth nnd
two like streams from her opened
hands. Then, IS quick as light, she
had darted past me and dived into the
m0on-path beyond. She must have
swan under the water q long way, for
when saw her dark head rise again
In the glimmering path it was at q
distance of many yards.
/ had no thought Of following her.
but stood In q dream among the wa