Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-04-14
SPANISH BY S f4M555z
DOUBLOONS : : ::::::

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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.
1t seemed to be filed 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 a corner of the sheet OF
cotton and plucked it away.
At once all the hues Of the rainbow
seemed to be flashing and sparkling
before us. Rubies were there like
great drops of the blood that the chest
and its treasure had wrung from the
! hearts of men; sanpEireS, 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
matchless splendor.
There were nine heavy bracelets, all
| jewel-set; twenty-three rings, eight OF
| them for the hand of 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 brilliants.
Ours? Yes, for whether or net 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 it's
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 it to lie forgotten under the sand
until in some tropic storm it 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 it contained? This
was a title clear enough to satisfy the
most exacting 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 devotees 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 added
to the spoils, the treasure brought us
a sum so goodly that l dare not name
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
Ana now l come to the purpose Of
this story-for though well concealed
it has had one from the beginning. It
is to let Helen, whoever and wherever
she may be, if still of this world, know
of the fate of Peter, and to tell her
that when she asks for them she is to
have my most cherished relics of the
island, Peters journal and the silver
shoe-buckle which he found in the
sand of the treasure-caye and was
taking home to her.
Only, she must let me keep Crusoe,
please.
TTHE END