The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-06

l The thought of the prize was tai1-l talking. Jim realized that it could be converted into cash very readi- | ly merely by selling it to one of the gang who would have paid for an-i other years membership anyway. A mile later they pulled to q stop at checkered pennant nailed to a post at the side of the road. Alighting, Jim removed his watch from his wrist and placed 1t upon the top of the post and followed directions. The two of them paced carefully 100 paces, over the beach and beneath the low, scraggly- branches of the beaten pines. It was certainly romantic if nothing else, he thought. It made one imagine the figures of Captain Kidd and Mary Read and all those other swaggering buccaneers who were reputed to have infested these waters back in colonization days. An apt place to end a treasure hunt, even a modern one. Under the influence of his re- factions Jim's heart beat a little faster. It seemed possible that they AlAl6Alt UC kAlC AlL 6L " 1C0CA1 L1AO A19t goal and the treasure. With Anne clinging to his hand, he turned left that the tooth pace and stepped off fourteen more, halting in the triangle made by three trees which grew almost together.
 Tied in the branches was a spade, and, unfastening it, they dug down two feet and pulled out fiat tin box. Anne opened the lid and in the light of Jim's cigarette lighter read: Hard luck. Join the party at the clubhouse"
 Jim made a wry grimace and leaned wearily on the spade ham, dle. "There," he thought, ssgoes the mortgage money, family pride, country club memberships - oh, well. Whats the odds!"
 He stepped back and flung the spade into the hole. A hollow bump came up from the shadowed ground, and, kneeling, Jim felt curiously beneath the spade. | There's something else heres" he grunted.
 Again he grasped the spade. By
 dint of a good deal of exertion and panting. he presently exposed to the pellucid rays of the moon a large oblong chest nearly five feet long and two feet square at the ends, bound around with rusted metal straps which held padlocks at either end. Jim scraped the mold from copper plate on the lid and traced out "J. Diggs. Mate, Happy Venture. 1773."
 Trembling with suppressed ex- citement, Jim glanced worthless at nf$ Pa nI kT4 the spade, ripping off the rotted locks and opening the lid. Once more he held his lighter over the darkness within the chest and licked it on. With gasps of re- vulsion, they both instinctively re- coiled from the horribly grinning skeleton, with potions of clothing and immense sea boots still cling ing to it, which glared sightlessly up at them.
 'For heavens sake, let's get out of this," Anne hysterically sobbed.
 "All right" agreed Jim, ''but wait, what's this?" With the light CT still flaming in his hand, he bent over the chest and groped about in the contents. Smothering a shout, he strengthened up, and the light flashed iridescently from a thousand points on the two inn mense diamonds incased in a pair of duly gleaming golden earrings which he held in his hand.
 Copyright, 1884, The Chicago Daily
 News, Inc.
 Tomorrow: ssNor Greater Love, by Jerry Wilde, presents the prOb- lem of honor versus self-preserva~ tiOn after a mOuntain-climbing acc cident left two lives in jeopardy.