Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1922-04-20
COPYRIGHT
THE BOBBS-MERRILL
COMPANY

Under the pressure of Dugald's fin
gers the floor Of the chest was swing
ing upward on an invisible hinge. Be
tween It and the true bottom was a
space of about three inches in depth.
II seemed to be filled with a layer Of
yellOwed cottonwood.
For a long moment we held our
breath, gazing at each other with eyes
which asked the same question. Then
Dugald lifted corner of the sheet OF
cotton and plucked 1t away.
At once all the hues of the rainbow
seemed to be flashing and sparkling
before US. Rubles were there like
great drops Of the blood that the chest
and its treasure had wrung from the
hearts of men; sapphires, mirroring
the blue of the trOpic sky; emeralds.
green as the island verdure; pearls,
white as the milk of the cOcOnuts and
softly luminous as the phOsphOrescent
foam which broke on the beach in the
darkness. And there were diamonds
that caught CLEANS of all the others
beauty, and then Knocked them with q
! matchless splendOr.
There were nine heavy bracelets, all
| jewel-set; twenty-three rings eight of
them for the hand Of a man. Some Of
these rings contained the finest of the
diamonds, except for three splendid
unset stones. There were numbers Of
elaborate Old-fashiOned earrings, two
rOpe-like chains of gold adorned with
| Jewels at intervals, and several Jew
eled lOckets. There was a solid gold
snuff-bOx, engraved with a coat of
arms and Ornamented with seventeen
fine emeralds. There were, besides
the three diamonds, eIghty-two unset
stones, among them, wrapped by Itself
In cotton, ruby of extraordinary size
and luster. And there was a sort of
cOrOnet or tiara, sOwn all over with
clear white brilllants.
Ours? Yes, for whether or not there
were an infection of piracy in the
very air Of the island, so that to seize
with the high hand, to hold with the
| iron grasp, seemed the law of life, we
decided without a qualm against the
| surrender Of our treasure-trOve to Its
| technical owners. Technical only; for
one felt that, in essence, all talk of
ownership by this man or that had
long ago become idle. Fate had held
| the treasure In fee TO give or to with
hold. Senior Gonzales had had his
| chance at the chest, and he had missed
| the secret of the hidden hoard, had
left 1t to lie forgotten under the sand
until In some trOpic storm 1t should
be engulfed by the waters Of the cove.
More than this, had he not most spe-
officially made over to me the Island
! Queen and all that 1t contained? This
was title clear enough TO satisfy the
most exactlng Journalist. And we were
not Journalists, nor inclined in any
| quibbling spirit to question the de-
crees of Fortune. AS treasure-hunt-
ers, We had been her devOtecs too
long.
So after all It was not my sCOrnful
skepticism but the high faith of Miss
Higglesby-BrOwne which was Justified
/ by the event, and the Harding Browne
expedition left the island we'll repaid
for its tolls and perils. Plus the two
bags of dOublOOns, which were affrd
to the spells, the treasure brough. n
a sum so gOOdly that l dare not meme
it, for fear of the apparition of Senior
Gonzales and the Santa Marinan navy
looming up to demand restitution.
Like true comrades, we divided share
and share alike. and be sure that no
one grudged Cookie the percentage
which each was taxed for his benefit.
Anu now l come to the purpose of
this stOry-fOr though well concealed
it has had one from the beginning. II
is to let Helen, Whoever and wherever
she may he, II still of this world. know
of the fate of Peter, and to tell her
that when she asks for them she Is tC
have my most cherished relics of the
island, Peters journal and the silver
shOe-buckle which he found in the
sand Of the treasure-cave and was
taking home to her.
Only, she must let me keep Crusoe.
please.
1.-THE END.l