Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-04-13
SPANISH
DoUBLooNS
By
CAMILLA KENYON
copyIIghs ne Bssb.-Asrrn Company
CHAPTER xi.-continued.)

u
And now | have to think ahou
moving the gold. First OF all | mus
get the chest Itself aboard the lslani
Queen, This means that | shall have
to empty II and leave the gold in the
cave. while / get the chest out by
sea. When the chest Is safely IN the
cabin of the sioop-whefe IL weRA
leave much room for Benny ana his
master, I'm afraid Will take the
bags of coin out by the land entrance
/ can't think Of risking my precious
doubloons in the voyage around the
point.
"of course l should have liked tc
get to the task today, but after the
first mad thrill Of the great event was
over / found myself as-peeHk- aH4-vH-
nerved as a-woman. So by a great
effort / came away and left my glori-
Gus golden hoard. Now / dream aud
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 / know this widest of
all Arabian fairy tales 10 be as real
as the most draB ana sober fact Of my
hitherto colorless life
After all. on The way back from the
cave Benny brought down n pig. So he
is as well pleased with the day ms |
am.@NOw IAN tttfHg-tHrhp doorway
of my cabin, writing up my journal,
and trying to calm down enough 10 20
TO bed. II II were not for the swift
fading Of daylight, | 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
falling of night. The sea-birds have
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, soil
taFy place has come over me. ] long
for the sound Of human voices. the
touch OF human hands. think Of the
dead man lying there at the door Of
the ave, It's silent guardian for so
long. ] suppose he brooded once on
the thought Of the gold as | do-per-
haps he has been brooding 80 these
ninety years wonder IL he Is
pleased that /. a stranger, have come
into possession Of his secret hoard az
last?
"Oh, Helen. turn your heavenly face
sn me-be my refuge from these shud
derlng unwholesome %thoughtsi The
gold is for you-for YOU Surely that
u tlfeanse IL Of IT'S xtHi =issaist
loose the clutch of the dead hnnds
that strive to hold 1T
February II. This morning | was
early at the cave. Yes, there II was.
the same wonder-chest that | had
dreamed Of all night long. II was alb.
surd how the tightness in my breast
rrfuxer.
/, Il began at once the work of re-
moving the bags from the chest and
stacking them I'm the corner OF the
1t was a fatiguIng job, had
to stoop so.
Il spent so much time unloading the
chest that before | was ready to 70
my boa the tide was up and
pounding on the rocks below the cave.
/ find that only at certain stages of
the tide is the ave approachable by
At the urn after high water,
for Instance, there is such a terrific
undertow that 1t sets up a small mael-
strom among the reefs lying OF the
At low tideLis Is the time 10
come.
.February 10. Got the chest out OF
the cave. though 1t was a difficult job
Luckily there was no sea, and had
n smooth passage around the point.
rather ruefully as ] passed
the Cave Of the Two Arches. To
mink of the toll | wasted there !
wish Benny had encountered the fate
full pig a little sooner
Got the chest aboard the Island
Queen and slowed In the cabin. Not
room left to swing a kitten.
in the afternoon began moving the
gold. It's the deuce of u job.
FEBRUARY 10. Been hard at II for
three days. Most Of the gold moved.
HIVE TO think. too, Of provisions and
water for the trip.
February 10. on board the island
Queen. Have moved my traps from
the hut and am sleeping on the sloop.
Want to b. neal the gold. Tomorrow
| have only to bring the last of the
gold a%board--a triflng matter-and
then go out with the ebb. | would
have got all the bags on board today,
but I noticed a worn stretch IN the
cable holding the sloop and stopped
to repair 1t. l can't have the sloop go
ing on the rocks In case a blow ONE
up tonight. There are only about a
load and a half of bags left In the
cave.
"A queer notion seized me today
about the crucihx. when | was bring
Ing 1t from the cave. II seemed to
float into my brain-I can't say from
what quarter-that had better leave
the crucinx for BIZ. II wasn't more
than he had q right to, ~really-and
there is no virtue IN d Cr0ss-D0nes 10
make q man sleep well.
sOf course l put the absurd Idea
-. -.