Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-10-13

leaned idly down to watch him through
warped seam between the p!anks.
Then found that I was looking, not
at Crusoe, but into a little dim In,
closure like locker, in which some
small object family caught the light.
With a revived. hope Of finding relics,
I got out my knife-a present from;
Cuthbert Vane-and set briskly to
work widening the seam. 4
l penetrated finally into small
locker or cubby- hole, set in the angle
under the roof of the cabin, and, as
subsequent investigation showed, SO
placed as to attract no notice from the
casual eye. l ascertained this by
lying down and wriggling my head
and shoulders into the cabin. In 9TH
er words, 1 had happened on little
private depository. in which the own
Ell. of the sloop might stow away GER
tain small matters that concerned him
Intimately. Yet the contents Of the
locker ut first seemed trifling. They
were IN old-fashioned chased silver
shoe-buckle, and a brown-covered man
uscript book.
The book had suffered much from
dampness, whether Of rains or the
wash Of the sea. seated myself on
the cabin roof, extracted a hairpin, and
began carefully separating the close
written pages. The first three or four.
were quite illegible, the ink. having
run. Then the writing became clear
er. made out a word here and
there:
-. directions vague. my grand
father-man ruffian but. no mo-
tive. police of Havana. !. :. .frightful
den.. grandfather made sure. >. reg
istry. .B0nny Lass...."
And at that gave small excited
Shrek which brought Crusoe to me in
a hurry. What had he to do, the
writer Of this Journal, what had he
to do with the Bonny Lass? s,as
Breathlessly read on:
e.. Thought captain still living but
not sure. /. lost. 3. Benito Bon. ~ y
I closed the book. Now, while the,
coast was clear, must get back to
camp. 1t would take hours. perhaps
days, to decipher the journal which
had suddenly become Of such supreme
importance. / must smuggle 1t unob-s
served into my own quarters, where
could read at my leisure. AS / set
out I dropped the silver shoe-buckle
into my pocket, smiling to think that
1t was who had discovered the first
bit Of precious metal on the island.
Yet the book in my hand, felt in
stinctfyely, was Of more value than
many shoe-buckles.
Safely in my hammock, with pill
low under which I could slip the book
in case Of interruption, l resumed the
reading. From this point on, although
the writing was somewhat faded, it
was all, with little effort, legible.
THE DIARY.
II Sampson did live to tell his
secret, then any day there may be a
lsail in the offing. And still cannot
find It! oh, IL my grandfather had
been more worldly wise! If he hadn't
been too intent on the eternal welfare
Of the man he rescued from the Ha-
vana tavern brawl to question him
about his story. A cave on Leeward
island nearby stone marked with
the letters B. Fl. and cross-bones-
I told the captain said the poor dy-
ing wretch, we wouldn't have no luck
after playing 1t that low down on Bill!'
So 1 presume Bill lies under the stone.
Well, all have is in this venture.
The old farm paid for the Island
Queen-or will, II I don't get buck in
time to prevent foreclosure. All my
staid New England relatives think me
mad. A copra gatherer! "A fine ca
reer for minister's son! Well, when
get home with my Spanish doub-
looms there will be- another story to
tell. won't be poor crazy Peter
then. And Helen-oh, how often 1
wish ! had told her everything! It
was too much to ask her to trust me
blindly as Ibid. But from that mo-
ment q came across the story in grand
fathers old, half forgotten diary--by
the way, the diary habit seems to run
in the family very passion of Sc
crecy has possessed me. II ! had told
Helen, II should have had to dread
that even in her sweet sleep she
might whisper something to put that
ferret, her stepmother on the scent.
oh, Helen. trust me, trust me! 8ls
December 25. have a calendar
with me, SO am not reduced to notch
ing a stick to keep track Of the days.
4 mark Off each carefully In the cal-
endar II I were to forget to- do this,
even for, day or two. believe /
should quite lose track. The days are
so terribly alike s,.s 3..555;
MY predecessor here in the copra.
gathering business, old Heints, really
left me a very snug establ ishment. It
Twas odd that / should have run across
him at Panama that way. 3 ss5,
Christmas Day wonder what
they are all doing at home 4
5g ITO BE coNTINUEp.)