The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-09-05

MY language was more fOrCiOle tina
classical-had quite q piratical flavor.
In fact and my friend of "the wonder
full works Of God" looked up with a
d~eprecating air. It's effect on George
was nil, except perhaps to further
deepen his sulks.
And this I did notice. after q while,
that my remarks to George seemed to
have set up q certain sympathetic ac-
Quaictance between him and my pas
senger. the shackly deckhand being ap-
parently taken in as an humble third.
They sat for'ard, talking together, and
my passenger read to them, on one
occasion. from a piece of printed pa
per that f1uttered in the wind.
The captain was occupied with his
helm, and the thoughts he didn't seem
to feel the necessity Of sharing; a
quiet, poised, probably stupid man, for
whom I could not deny the respect we
must always give to content. however
simple. He was n sailor, and l don't
know what better to say Of a a
SO for co~mpanionship I was thrown
back upon Tom. l felt, too, that he
was my only friend on board, and a
vague feeling had come over me that
within the next few hours l might need
a friend.
"Are we going too fast for fishing.
TOm?" I asked.
"Not too fast for a barracuda" said
Tom; SO we put out lines and watched
the stretched strings, and listened to
the sea. After a while Toms line grew
taut, and we hauled In a five-foot bar.
racouta.
Look !" said Tom. as he pointed to
a little writhing eel-ltke shape. about
nine inches long. attached to the belly
of the barracuda.
"a sucking fish !" said Tom. That's
good luck :" and he proceeded to turn
over the poor creature and cut from
his back, Immediately below his head,
a fiat inch and a half Of skin lined
and stamped like a rubber sole-the
device by which he held on to the
belly of the barracuda much as the
circle of wet leather holds the stone
in a schoolboy's sling.
SNOW" he said, when he had 1t
clean and neat in his fingers. I'VE must
hang this up and dry it in the north
east wind; the wind is just right
nor'-nor'east-and there is no mascot
like it, specially when" Old Tom
| hesitated, with a slyly innocent smile
in his eyes.
"What is it, TOmy" I asked.
swell, sir, l meant to say hat this
| particular part Of a sucking fish, prop.
erly dried in the northeast wind, is a
wonderful mascOt-when you're going
after treasure"
"Who said I was going after treas
ureY" I asked.
aren't you. sah?" replied Tom
"asking your pardon"
Lets talk it over later on, when
you bring me my dinner, Tom"
Later, as Tom stood, serving my
coffee, I took it up with him again.
"What was that you were saying
about treasure, Tom?" / asked.
well, sar, what I meant was this
LIu SOlIIS ullCk IcdSuIC Is u uuIlStI'
u business f. it's not only the
living you're to think Of" Here Tom
threw a careful eye for'ard.
1.-THE crew, you mean"
He nodded. :
but it's the dead too"
1.-THE dead, TOm?'
swell, sar, there was never q buried
treasure yet that didn't claim it's vic.
tim. Not one or two either. Six or
eight of them. to my acknowledgements
the treasure just where it was for all
that. | das'say it sounds all foolish
ness. but it's true for all that. Some.
thing or Other'l come, mark my word
just when they think they've got
their hands on it: a hurricane or a
tidal wave or an earthquake. And
we'll, the ghost laughs, but the treasure
stays there all the same"
1.-THE ghost laughsY l asked.
"Eh! of course; didn't you know
every treasure is guarded by a ghosti
He's got to keep watch there till the
next fellow comes along, to relieve
sentry duty. SO to speak. He doesn't
give it away. My no! He dassn't dc
that. But the minute someone else is
killed, coming looking for it, then he's
free-and the new ghost has got 'tc
go OF sitting there, waiting for ever
so long till someone else comes look.
Ing for It."
"But what has this sucking fish got
to do with it?" And I pointed to the
red membrane already drying in Toms
hand.
swell, the car who carries this In
his pocket won't be the next ghost" he
answered.
take good care of 1t for me, then,
Tom," l said, land when it's properly
dried let me have 1t. For I've a sort
Of idea l may have need Of it, after
ALL"
And just then old Sailor, the quietest
n,ornhor re %hn Drovu ~ ~ hts Aoc1