Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-01-06
SPANISH
DOUDLOoNS
By
CAMILLA KENYON
Copyright. The Bobbs-Merril Company
lCHAPTER xI.-continued.)

queen. InlS means that I shall have
20 empty it and leave the gold in the
cave, while / get the chest out Nv
eea. when the chest is safely in the
CABIN OF the sloop-where it won't
ieave much room for Benny and his
master, I'm afraid will take the
Gags OF coin out by the land entrance.
can't think of risking my precious
uouDloons In the voyage around the
point.
"Of course 1 should nave liked to
get to the task today, but after the
hrst mad thrill OF the great event was
over, found myself as weak and I'M
nerved as a woman. SO by a great
EFFORT l came away and left my glori-
Gus golden hoard. Now l dream and
gloat, playing with the idea that to-
morrow shall find it all a fantasy.
The pleasure of this is, of course, that
all the while I know this widest of
all Arabian fairy tales to be as real
as the most drab and sober fact of my
hitherto colorless life
After all, on the way back from the
cave Benny brought down pig. SO he
Is as well pleased with the day as I
am. Now l am sitting in the doorway
of my cabin, writing up my journal,
and trying to calm down enough to go
to bed. If it were not for the swift
fading Of daylight, I would go back
to the cave for another peep into the
chest. But all round the island the
sea Is moaning with that peculiarly
melancholy note that comes with the
risen from the cove and gone wheel
ing off In troops to their nests on the
cliffs. Somehow a curious dislike,
almost fear, of this wild, sea-girt, soli-
tary place has come over me. / long
for the sound of human voices, the
touch of human hands. I think Of the
dead man lying there at the door of
the cave, its silent guardian for so
long. suppose he brooded once on
the thought of the gold as I do-per-
haps he has been brooding so these
ninety years! / wonder IL he is
pleased that I, a stranger, have come
into possession of his secret hoard at
last?
"Oh, Helen, turn your heavenly face
on me-be my refuge from these shud-
dering unwholesome thoughts The
gold is for you-for you! Surely that
must cleanse 1t of its stains, must
loose the clutch Of the dead hands
that strive to hold it!
February IL. This morning / was
early at the cave. Yes, there it was,
the same wonder-chest that / had
dreamed Of oil night long. 1t was alb
surd how the tightnesS in my breast
relaxed.
81 began at once the work of re-
moving the bags from the chest and
stacking them in the corner of the
cave. 1t was fatiguing job, had
to stoop so.
at spent so much time unloading the
chest that before / was ready to go
for my boat the tide was up and
rounding on the rocks below the cave.
I find that only at certain stages OF
the tide Is the cave approachable by
sea. At the turn after high water,
for instance, there is such a terrific
undertow that it sets up small mael-
strom among the reefs lying of the
island. AT low tide is the time to
come.
"February IL. Got the chest out of
the cave, though it was difficult job.
I,uckily there was no sea, and had
q smooth passage around the point.
laughed rather ruefully as l passed
the Cave of the Two Arches. To
think of the toll 1 wasted there! l
wish Benny had encountered the fate
full pig a little sooner.
"Got the chest aboard the Island
Oueen and slowed in the cabin. Not
room left to swing kitten.
.In the afternoon began moving the
gold. It's the deuce of job.
"Fehruary Is. Been hard at 1t for
three days. Most Of the gold moved
Have to think, too, of provisions and
water for the trip.
"February 16. On board the Island
oneen. Have moved my traps from
+ba but and am sleeping on the sloop.
Want TO be near the gold. TOMORROW
have only to bring the last of the
,,old aboard-a trifing matter-and
then 60 out with the ebb. would
have got all the bags on board today
INT / noticed worn stretch in the
cable holding the sloop and stopped
"a repair 1t. can't have the sloop go
sng on the rocks in case blow comes
mn tonight. There are only about
load and a half of bags left In the
cave.
"A queer notion seized me today
shout the crucifix, when l was bring
ing 1t from the cave. 1t seemed to
float into my brain-I can't say from
what ouarter-that I had better leave
che crucifix for Bill. 1t wasn't more
than he had a right to, realiy-and
there IS no virtue in a cross-bones to
make n man sleep well.
aOf course I put the absurd idea
from me, and brought the crucitiS
aboard along with the rest of the gold.
shall he glad when ! know that the