Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-07-12

tiOn Of the Nassau ~coneh."
That's just what I was thinking 1t
was" / said.
Il know what you mean." he replied.
his lonely face lighting up as faces do
at unexpected understanding In
stranger. "0f course there are some
that feel that way, but they're few and
far between"
mot enough to make a fortune out
Oft"
"0hl I do pretty we'll" he said; II
mustn't complain. Moneys not every
thing. you see. in . business like
this. There's going after the things.
you know. Ones got to count that In
too"
| looked at him In some surprise.
I had met something even rsrer than
the things he traded in. I had met 4
merchant Of dreams, TO whom the mere
handling Of his merchandise seemed
sufficient profit: There's going sitter
the things, you know. Ones got to
count that In too"
Naturally we were neck-deep In talk
In a moment | wanted to hear all he
cared TO tell me about going after
the thlngs"-sueh things i--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 a thought of doing
business, aud told me all about them
how and where he got them, and so
forth.
But" he said presently, encouraged
BY my unfelgned interest, 81 should
like to show you a few rarer things |
have in the house. and which |
wouldn't SELL or even show to every
one. II you'd honor me by taking a
Gun Of tea we might look them over"
So we left the little store. with its
door unlocked as had found IT, and
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
cOnch shells. Shells were evidently
the supplemented fellows mania. his
revelation OF the beauty Of the world.
Here In neat parlOr, also much dec
Grated with shells, tea was served to
us by the little girl had first seen
and an elder sister, who, | gathered
made all the lonely dreamer's family.
Then, shyly pressing on me cigar he
turned to show me the promised treas
ures. He also told me more OF his
manner of finding them, and OF the
long trips which he had to take in
seeking them, to Out-of-the-way Gays
and In dangerous waters.
He was showing me the last and
rarest Of his specimens. He had kept,
he said, the best to the last. To me,
as layman, II was not nearly so at
tractive as other things he had shown
me-llttle more to my eye than rath.
er commonplace though pretty shell I;
but he explained that 1t was found,
or had so far been found, only In one
spot in the islands, a lovely, seldom
visited cay several miles to the north
east Of Andres island.
"What is 1t ealledT l asked, for 1t
was part of our plan for Charlie to do
little duck shooting on Andros, be-
fore we tackled the business OF Tobias
and the treasure.
"It's called ------ Cay nowadays"
he answered, "but It used to be called
Short Shrift island"
"Short Shrft islandw / cried In
spite OF myself, immediately annoyed
at my lack of presence Of mind
Certainly" he rejoined. looking a
little surprised hut evidently without
suspicion. He was too simple and too
taken up with his shell.
ut is such an odd name" said,
trying TO recover myself.
"Yesl those old pirate chaps GER
tainly did think up some of the rum
miest names.'
zone of the pirate haunts, was itT'
| queried with assumed Indifference.
supposed to be. But one hears
that Of every other cay in the BAHIA
mas. take no stock in such yarns
My shells are all the treasure l expect
to find"
"what did you call that shellf" ]
asked.
He told me the name, but | forgot
It Immediately. OF course l had asked
Il only for the sake Of learning more
precisely about Short ShrIft island. He
told me innocently enough just where
II lay.
"Are you going after III" he laughed
"0hl WELL" l replied, II am going
ON duck-shootIng trip to Andres be
fore long, and thought l might drop
around to your cay and pick a few OF
them up for you"
"It would be mighty kind of you, but
they're not easy to find. I'll tell you
exactly" He went Off, dear fellow,
into the minutest description Of the
habits Of -, while all the time
was eager TO rush of to Charlie Web.
ster and John Saunders and shout
into their ears-as later did at the
first possible moment that evening
"rve found our missing cay Short
Shrlft island is -" II mentioned
the name of a cay, which. as in the
case OF dead Mans Shoes" am un
able TO dlvulge.)
"Maybei" said Charlie. maybe