The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-08-06

he took a flying leap and landed
amongst us, plump In the cockpit and
was clutching first one OF US and then
the other, to- keep his balance.
"Did II, by Jovel" he exclaimed In
a beautiful English accent, and then
started laughing as only absurd dare
devil youngsters can.
Forgive me-" he said. as soon as he
could get his breath, but had to do
1t. Heaven knows what the old man
will say"
you're something of a long jumpl"
said Charlie.
"Ohl / have done my twenty-five
and an eighth on broad running
jump, but i had no chance for run
there" answered the lad, carelessly.
"But suppose you'd hit the water in
stead of the deck?"
"What of it? Can't one swimT
II guess you're all right, young
man." said Charlie, softened; ''but
well, we're not taking passen-
gers"
The words had q familiar sound.
They were the very ones / had used
to Tobias, as he stood with his hand ON
the gunwale of the Maggie Darling.
1 rapidly conveyed the coincidence
and the difference-to Charlie. 1t
struck me as odd, I'll admit, that our
second start, I'm this respect, should
be so like the first. Meanwhile, the
young man was answering, or rather
pleading, In boyish way:
Don't call me passenger; I'll help
work the bost. I'll tell the truth. /
heard~never mind how-about your
trip, and I'm just nutty about buried
treasure. Come, be sport. We can
let the old guv'nor know, somehow
>. and 1T won't kill him to tear his
hair for day or two. He knows /
can take care Of myself"
"Welll said Charlie, after thinking
awhile in his slow way, well think II
over. You can come along till the
morning. Then / can get good look
at you. If don't like your looks we'll
still be able to put you bff at West
End; and Il do-well-right-ho
Now, boys" he shouted, ego ahead
with the sails"
Once more there was that ripping
Of the ropes through the blocks. as our
mainsail rose up high against the
moon and filed proudly with the
steady northeast breeze we had been
waiting for.
So two or three hours went by, as
we plunged on, to the seething sound
of the water, and the singing of our
sails, and all the various rumor Of
wind and sea. After all, 1t was good
music to sleep to and, for all my scorn
OF sleeping landsmens an irresistible
drowsiness stretched me out on the
roof Of the little cabin, wonderfully
rocked into forgetfulness.
NY nan came to nm end suddenly.
as though some one had flung me out
through door of blue and gold into a
newborn world. There was the sun
rising, the moon still ON duty, and the
morning star divinely naked In the
heaven.
And there was Charlie. his broad
race beaming with bOyish happiness,
and something like a fatherly gentle
ness In his eyes, as he watched his
companion at tie tiller. whom, for a
haif-asleep moment of waking,
couldn't account for, till our start all
came back to me. when I realized that
It was our young scapegrace Of over
night. Charlie and he evidently were
on the best Of terms already.
Old Tom had been busy with break
fast and soon the smells Of coffee and
freshly made "johnny-cake" and fry
Ing bacon competed not unnecessarily
with the various fragrances OF the
morning.
Breakfast over. Charlie filled his
pipe. assuming. - be did -. . judicial