The Pulaskian., 1919-10-17

ness. And as he dld so ms Drodu, sweet smile came back again. He was thinking of Tobias.
 While Charlie Webster was arrang- ing his affairs so that he might be able to take his holiday with a free mind I busted myself with provision ing the Flamingo, and in casually chat ting with one and another along the water front, in the hope of gathering some hint that might guide us on our coming expedition. I thought it pos sible, too, that chance might thus bring me some information as to the recent movements of Tobias.
 In this way made the acquaintance of several old salts, both white and black, one or two of whom time and their neighbors had invested with legendary sayor of the old 'wrecking days" which, if rumor speaks true, are not entirely vanished from the remoter corners of the islands. But either their romantic halos were en- tirely due to imaginative gossip, or they themselves were too shrewd to be drawn, for I got nothing out of them to my purpose.
 One afternoon in the course of these rather fruitless if interesting investi- gations among the picturesque ship yards of Bay street I had wandered farther along that historic water front than is customary with sightseeing pc destrians, and had come to where the road begins to be left alone with the sea, except for a few country houses here and there among the surrounding scrub-when my eye was caught by little store that seemed to have strayed away from the others-a small timber erection painted in blue and white with sort of sea-wildness and loneliness about it, and with large, naive lettering across it's lintel an- nouncing itself as an Emporium" q think that was the word) "of Marine Curiosities."
 pushed open the door, There was no one there. The little store was evidently left to take care of itself. Inside 1t 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 tiny girl came in, as it seemed, from nowhere and said she would fetch her father. In a 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" I remarked.
 Tt ain't a jewelry store," he said, with the curious soft sing-song intona- tion of the Nassau "conch."
 That's just what was thinking it was," I said.
 T 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 a fortune out of?"
 "Ohl l do pretty we'll" he said; q mustn't complain. Moneys not every thing. you see, in Q business like this. There's going after the things, you know. Ones got to count that in | too.''
 l looked at him in some surprise. l had met something even raref than the things he traded ih. I had met q 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 ill too.''
 Naturally we were nack-deep in talk in moment. l 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 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, q shonld Ike 10 show you a few rarer things I have in the house, and which 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 it's door unlocked as had found 1t, and a few steps brought us to little house had not before noticed, with a neat garden in front of it, all the garden beds symmetrically bordered with coneh shells. Shells were evidently the simple-hearted fellows mania. his revelation of the beauty of the world Here ln neat parlor, also much dee orated with shells, tea was served to us by the little girl I had first seen ana an cider sister, who, I gathered, ,l, rnaoe all the lonely dreamers family. 0hxrtry