The Jasper news., 1919-05-29
The MANI MI6HT
AAL BERT f. .SMITH m7
~ ZYRUS T1WNSEND GRADY
PhutO Play PrndurRd by Vt7graph Ks8
,DprR,0-7 zz w. BY urAseApH GEA1

down upon him with steadily increas-
ing might. Tripping over chair they
rolled upon the floor, the noise of their
combat rising high in the still air as
they fought for the mastery which
meant life to the winner and death to
him who lost For the last time the
old man fought his way to his feet.
Dick and Polly in the garden heard
the cry and paused moment, then,
not dreaming Of the tragedy being en-
acted within the cottage, resumed their
conversation. Down to his knees went
the brave old man, and Scarface, free
ing his hand, raised the gun and
brought 1t down with deadly force
on his victims head. A last agonlzed
cry escaped him-then he fell, and
Scarface, seizlng the key, rushed to the
chest.
Dick heard that last cry and did not
mistake its sinister import. Rushing
to the cottage, he dashed into the
room. He saw the old man on the
floor and Scarface, and before the
latter could use his pistol, hurled him
self on him. 1t was q terrific fight,
but youth told at last and Dick all
but had the rufflan at his mercy, when
a scream from Polly caused him for
an instant to relax his grip. In that
instant, Scarface tore loose and sprang
| through the window and away.
Polly's cry was of her distress as
she leaned over her father and real
lied he had been grievously wounded.
Lifting him into a chair, she started
| to minister to his wants while Dick
| telephoned for a doctor and adding
the injunction that the sheriff be
brought along.
Captain Ransome knew that he was
dying. st Is no use" he said as they
laid him on sofa. "Scarface has
done for me-"
Then his eyes wandered to the piece
Of flag he had clung to and protected
with his life. Neither Dick nor Polly
had noticed or ever seen or heard Of
1t before. Calling them to him, the
dying man told this story:
"Fifteen years ago, the crew Of the
merchantman Lion mutinied against
their brutal captain. The ship was
set on fire. In the fight for the life
boats, all the true men but the mate
were killed. He escaped on hastily
constructed raft, on which he finally
drifted to shore on n beach in lower
California, almost starved and dying
of thirst.
"Few men have the physical endur-
ance and mental determination to
carry them through the days which
followed. Blstered by the heat, burn.
ing with thirst, starving and footsore
he dragged himself on and on. Half
dozen times he laid himself down
with the thought that he had reached
the end of the mortal coil and that
the morrow would see the buzzards
lowering over him, yet each morning,
thanks to the seemingly ineXhaustible
flood of vitality which coursed like q
mountain torrent through his veins
he arose refreshed and went upon his
way Whittier he was bound he knew
not, yet he did know that If followed
the beach at last he must come to
some place that was inhabited by his
fellow man, and from whom he could
hope to obtain succor. Then one day
as hope was beginning to fail him, he
saw thrusting itself from the sands
some distance ahead what appeared
to be the relic of some ancient shin,
cast up by the tides and now sprawl
ing half buried in the shifting sands
of this lonely stretch of shore. Won
dering vaguely what craft she might
have been and what Ill fortune had cast
her bones in this lone land, he quick.
ened his pace and not much later ar.
rived at her side. Curious to learn
bit about her history, he picked up
q piece of weather-worn board.
"Diggng few feet he came across
an iron chest, rusty with age, and on
breaking this open, found 1t contained
n great fortune in gold and precious
stones. He eXcavated this treasure
and buried it, and figuring the lati-
tude and longitude, wrote 1t In his
own blood on the launch flag of the
Lion.
"Spurred on by the knowledge that
with the wealth that had come to him
almost with the suddenness of magic
created gold, like Monte Crlsto of
yore the world would lie at his feet
could he once regain civilization, he
resumed his pilgrimage with re-
rcwed strength and hope. His had
been a hard life, a life of constant
danger and toll as he had faced the
oceans gales on moonless nights when
the spray swept the decks like gusts