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About Dakota County herald. (Dakota City, Neb.) 1891-1965 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1919)
DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD, DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA. w '.,.'"' V 3. r I r Hv Kv PIECES OF EIGHT BEING THE AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE OF A TREASURE DISCOVERED IN THE BAHAMA ISLANDS IN THE YEAR 1903. NOW FIRST GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC By RICHARD LE GALLIENNE Copyright by DoubleJay, rK A Company "READING THE FUTURE." Synopsis The man who tolls this story call him the hero, for short Is visiting his friend, John Saun tlora, British offlclal In Nassau, Bahama Islands. Charles Webster, a local merchant, completes tho trio of friends. Conversation turn ing upon burled treasuro, Saunders produces a written document pur porting to bo tho death-bed state ment of Henry P. Tobias, a suc cessful pirate, mado by him In 1853. It gives two spots where two mil lions and a half of treasuro were burled by htm and his companions. Tho conversation of tho three friends is overheard by a pock marked stranger. Tho document disappears. Saunders, lrowever, has a copy. Tho hero, determined to seek tho burled treasuro, charters the auxiliary schooner Maggie Dar ling. The pock-marked man Is taken on as a passenger for Span ish Wells. Negro Tom catches and cures a "sucking flsh" as a mascot for tho hero: it has the vlrtuo of keeping oil tho ghost of tho plrato who always guards pirate treasure. On the voyage somebody empties the gasoline tank and the hero starts things. He and tho passen ger clash. Ho lands the passenger, who leaves a manifesto bearing tho signature, "Henry P. Tobias, Jr" With a new crew, tho Maggia Dar ling sails and is passed by another schooner, tho Susan B. Tho hero lands on Dead Men's Shoes. Tho "sucking fish" proves n. mascot in deed and carries the hero through a fight, which Is followed by sev eral funerals. He searches for burled treasure and 'Old Tom falls Into a pirates' cave. CHAPTER VIII Continued. 5 "Mind yourself, sar," he called cheer ily, and Indeed It was a problem to get down to him without precipitating tho loose earth and rock that were ready to make a landslide down the hole, and perhaps bury him forever. But, looking about, I found another natural tunnel in the side of the hill. Into this I was able to worm myself, and in the dim light found the old man and put my flask to his lips. "Anything broken, do you think?" ' Tom didn't think so. 'He had evi dently been stunucd by his fall, and another pull at my flask set him on his feet. But ns I helped him up, and, striking a light, we began to look nTound the holo he had tumbled Into, he gave a piercing shriek and fell on his knees, jabbering with fear. "The ghosts I tho ghosts 1" he screamed. And tho sight that met our eyes was certainly one to try the nerves. Two figures sat at a table one with his hat tilted slightly and one leaning side ways in his chair in a careless sort ot attitude. They seeemed to bo playing cards, and they were strangely white for they were skeletons. I stood hushed, while Tom's teeth rattled at my side. The fantastic awe of the thing was beyond telling. And then, not without a qualm or two, which I would be a liar to deny, I went aud stood nearer to them. Nearly all I Waited a Minute to Replace the Hat on the Rakish One's Head. their clothes had fallen away, hanging but in shreds hero nnd there. That the bat had so jauntily kept its place was one of those grim touches Death, that terrible humorist, loves to add to his Jests. Tho cards which had ap parently Just been dealt, had suffered carcely from decay only a littlo dirt bad sifted down upon them, as It had Into the rum glasses that stood, too, at each man's side. And as I looked at the skeleton jauntily facing me, I noticed that a bullet hole had been mado ns clean as If by a drill In his forehead of bone while, turning to examine more closely his silent part ner, I noticed a rusty Bailor's knlfo hnngipg from tho ribs whero the lungs had boen. Then I looked on tho floor and found the key to the wholo story. For there, within a few yards, stood n heavy sailor's chest, strongly bound around with Iron. Its lid was thrown back nnd a few coins lay scattered at the bottom, while a few lay about on the floor. I picked them up. They wero pieces of eight! Mcanwhllo Tom had stopped jabber ing nnd hnd come nearer, looking on in awed silence. I showed him tho pieces of eight. "I guess these aro all we'll sco of one John P. Tobias' treasure, Tom," I said. And it looks as if these poor fellows saw as little of it as ourselves. Can't you imagine them with It thcro at their feet perhaps playing to di vide It on a gamble, and mcanwhllo the other fellows stealing In through some of these rabbit runs one with a knife, the other with a gun and then : off with the loot and up with the sails. Poor devils I It strikes mo ns a .very pretty tragedy doesn't it you?" Suddenly perhaps with the vibra tion of our voices the hat toppled off tho head of the fellow facing us In the most weird nnd comical fashion and that was too much for Tom, and ho screamed nnd mado for the exit hole. But I waited a minute to replace the hat on tho rakish one's head. As I was likely often to think of him In the future I preferred to remember him at tho moment of our first strange acquaintance. Book II. CHAPTER I. Once More In John Saunders' Snug gery. Need I say that It was a great occa sion when I was once moro back safe In John Saunders snuggery, telling my story to my two friends, John nnd Charlio Webster, all just as If I had never stirred from my ensy chair, In stead of having spent an exciting month or so among sharks, dead men, blood-lapping 'ghosts, card-playing skeletons and such like? My friends listened to my yarn in characteristic fashion, John Saunders' eyes like mice peeping out of a cup board, and Charlie Webster's hugo bulk poised almost threatening, as it were, with the keenness of his atten tion. His deep-set kind brown eyes glowed like a boy's as I went on, but by their dangerous kindling at certain points of the story, those dealing with our pockmarked friend, Henry P. To bias, Jr., I soon realized where, for him, tho chief Interest of tho story lay. "Tho rebel I" ho roared out onco or twice, using an adjectlvo pe culiarly English. For him my story had but ono moral the treason of Honry P. Tobias, Jr. Tho treasure might as well have had no existence, so far as ho was con cerned, and tho grim climax in tho cavo drew nothing from him but a pre occupied nod. And John Saunders was little more satisfactory. Both of them allowed me to end In silence. They both seemed to bo thinking deeply. "I must say you two are a great au dience," I said presently, perhaps rather childishly nettled. "It's a very serious matter," said John Saunders, and I realized that It was not my crony but tho secretary to tho treasury of his Britannic majes ty's government at Nassau that was talking. As ho spoko ho looked across nt Charlie Webster, almost as if for getting me. "Something should bo done about It, eh, Charlio?" ho con tinued. " traitor l" roared Charlie, onco moro employing that British adjective. And then ho turned to me : "Look here, old pal, I'll make a bar gain with you, If you like. I supposo you're keen for that other treasuro now, eh?" "I am," said I, rather stiffly. "Well, then, I'll go after it with you on one condition. You can keep tho treasure, If you'll give me Tobias. It would do my heart good to get htm, as you had the chance of doing that afternoon. Whatever were you doing to miss him?" "I proposed to myself tho satisfac tion of making good that mistake," I said, "on our next meeting. I feel I owe it to the poor old captain." "Never mind; hand tho captain's rights aver to me and I'll help you all I know with your treasure. Be sides, Tobias is a Job for an English man eh, John? It's a mutter of "king nnd country' with me. With you it would be mere , private vengeance. With mo It will bo an execution ; with you it would bo aVmurder. Isn't that so, John?" "Exactly," John nodded. "Since you wero away," Charlie be gan again, "I've bought tho prettiest yawl you ever set eyes on tho Fla mingo forty-flvo over all, and this time the very fastest boat In tho har bor. Yes I she's faster even than tho Susan B. Now I've a holiday duo me in about a fortnight Say tho word, nnd the Flamingo's yours for a couple of months, and her captain too. I muko only Uiat ono condition." "All right, Charlie,", J agreed; "he's yours." ? Whereat Charlio shot out n huge paw like a shoulder of mutton nnd grabbed my hand with ns much fervor ns though I had saved his life or done him some other unimaginable kind ness. And ns ho did so his broad, sweet smile camo back again. Ho was thinking of Tobias. While Charlio Webster was arrang ing his affairs so thnt he might bo nblo to tako his holiday with a frco mind I busied myself with provision ing tho Flamingo, and In casually chat ting with ono and another along tho water front, In tho hope of gathering some hint that might guide us on our coming expedition. I thought It pos sible, too, that chance might thus bring mo some Information as to tho recent movements of Tobias. In this way I mado tho acquaintance of several old salts, both white nnd black, ono or two of whom time and their neighbors had Invested with n legendary savor of the old "wrecking days," which, if rumor speaks true, aro not entirely vanished from tho remoter corners of the Islands. But cither their romantic halos were en tirely duo to imaginative gossip, or they themselves were too shrewd to be drawn, for I got nothing out of them to my purpose. Ono afternoon in tho courso of these rather fruitless if interesting Investi gations among tho picturesque ship yards of Boy street I had wandered farther along that historic water front than is customary with sightseeing pe dcstrlans, and had come to where the road begins to bo left alono with tho sen, except for n few country houses hero and ihero among tho surrounding scrub when my eye was caught by a little storo that seemed to have strayed away from the others a small timber erection painted In bluo and white with a sort of sea-wlldness and loneliness about it, nnd with largo, naive lettering ncross Its lintel an nouncing Itself as an "Emporium" (I think that was the word) "of Marino Curiosities." I pushed open tho door. Thcro was no ono there. Tho littlo store was evidently left to take care of Itself. Inside it was like an old curiosity shop ot tho sea, every avallablo Inch of space, rough tables and walls Uttered and hung with the queer nnd lovely brlc-n-brac of tho sea. Presently a tiny girl came in, ns it seemed, from nowhere and suld she would fetch her father. In a moment or two he enme, a tall, weathered Englishman of tho sailor type, brown and lean, with lonely bluo eyes. "You don't seem afraid of thieves," I remarked. "It ain't a jewelry store," he said, with tho curious soft sing-song intona tion of tho Nassau "conch." "That's just what I was thinking it was," I said. "I know what you mean," ho replied, his lonely faco lighting up as faces do nt unexpected understanding In a stranger. "Of Course there nro some that feel that way, but they'ro few and far between." "Not enough to make a fortune out of?" "Oh I I do pretty well," he said; "I mustn't complain. Money's not every thing, you see, In a business like this. There's going after tho things, you know. One's got to count that in too." I looked nt him In somo surprise. I had met something even rarer than tho thingg ho traded in. I had met a merchunt of dreams, to whom the mere handling of his merchandise seemed sufficient profit: "There's going nfter tho things, you know. Ono's got to count that in too." Nnturally wo wero neck-deep in tnlk In a moment. I wnnted to hear ull he cared to tell mo about "going after tho things" such "tilings I" nnd ho was nothing loth, ns ho took up ono strango or beautiful object after an other, his face nglow, and ho qulto evidently without a thought of doing business, nnd told mo all about them how and where ho got them, and so forth. "But," ho snld presently, encouraged by my unfeigned Interest, "I should Ilko to show you n few rarer things I have In tho house, and which I wouldn't sell, or oven show to every one. If you'd honor mo by taking n cup of tea we might look them over." So wo left tho littlo store, with Its door unlocked ns I hnd found It, nnd n few steps brought us to n littlo houso I had not before noticed, with a neat garden In front of It, all tho garden beds symmetrically bordered with conch shells. Shells were evidently tho simple-hearted fellow's mania, his revelation of tho beauty of tho world. Here in a neat paTlor, also much dec orated with shells, tea was served to us by tho littlo girl I had first seen nnd nn elder sister, who, I gathered, mado all tho lonely dreamer's family. Then, Bhyly pressing on me a cigar, he turned to show mo tho promised treas ures, no also told mo moro of his munncr of flndlng them, and of tho long trips which ho had to tako in Becking them, to out-of-the-way cays and In dangerous waters. Ho wna showing mo tho last and rarest of Ids specimens. He hud kept, 1 frirtiiftitfcimirmmnP" ho said, the host to tho lni. - .. ns a Inyninn, It was not nearly 00 in tractive as other things he had showu nie littlo moro to my eye than a rath er commoiiplncc though pretty shell, but he explained thnt It was found, or had so far been found, only In oun spot In tho islands, n lovely, seldom, visited cny several miles to tho north cast of Andros Island. "What Is It called?" I asked, for 11 was part of our plan for Charlio to do a little dut-k shooting on Andros, be fore wo tackled tho business of Tobias and tho treasure. "It's called Cay nowadays," ho auswercd, "but It used to bo called Short Shrift Island." "Short Shrift island I" I cried in splto of myself, Immediately annoyed nt my lack of presence of mind. "Ccrtnlnly," ho rejoined, looking n littlo surprised but evidently without suspicion. Ho was too slmplo nnd too taken up with his shell. "It Is such an odd name," I said, trying to recover myself. "Yes I thoso old plrato chaps cer tainly did think up somo of tho rum mlest names." "One of tho plrato haunts, was it?" I queried with assumed Indifference. "Supposed to be. But one heart, that of every other cay In tho Baha mas. I take no stock in such yarns. My shells aro all tho treusuro I expect to find." "What did you call that shell?" 1 asked. He told mo tho name, but I forgot it immediately. Of courso I had asked It only for tho snko of learning more precisely about Short Shrift island. Ho told mo innocently enough just whero It lay. "Aro you going after it?" ho laughed. "Oh! well," I replied, "I am going on a duck-shoottng trip to Andros bo- "You Don't Seem Afraid of Thieve." foro long, and I thought I might drop around to your cay and pick a few ol them up for you." "It would bo mighty kind of you, but they're not easy to And. I'll tell you exactly " Ho went off, dear fellow, into tho minutest dqscriptlon of tho hublts of , while all the tlmo I was eager to rush off to Charlio Web ster nnd John Saunders and about Into their cars ns lator I did tit the first possible moment that evening: "I've found our missing cay! Short Shrift Island Is ." (I mentioned tho nnmc of a cay, which, as in the case of "Dead Man's Shoes," I am un able to divulge.) "Maybe!" said Charlie, "muybo! Wo can try It. But," ho added, "did you And out anything about Tobias" CHAPTER II, In Which I Am Afforded Glimpses Intd Futurity Possibly Useful. Two or three evenings before wo wero duo to sal!, at ono of our snug gery conclaves, I put tho question whether anyono had over tried the di vining rod for treasure in tho islands. Old John nodded nnd said ho knew tho mnn I wanted, n half-crazy old ne gro bnck thcro In Grant's Town tho negro qunrter spreading out into tho brush behind tho ridge on which tho town of Nassau proper Is built. "Ho calls himself a 'king,'" ho added, "and the natives do, H believe, regard him as the head of a certain tribe. Tho lads call him 'Old King Coffee' a memory I supposo of tho Ashanteo war. Anyono will tell you whero ho lives! Ho has a name as n preucher among tho Holy Jumpers! but he's getting too old to do much preaching nowadays. Go nnd ko hlra for fun anyway." So next morning I went. I had hardly been prepared for the plunge Into "Darkest Africa" which I found myself taking, as, lenvlng Gov ernment houso behind, perched on tho crest of its whito ridge, I walked a few yards Inland and entered n region which, for all Its green palms, mado a similar sudden impression of pervad ing blackness on tho mind which one gets on suddenly entering a coal-mining district nfter traveling through fields and mendowa. "Old King Coffee" predicts an interesting future for the hero. it Jffl I MliB-TfiTTrl u 11 1 Hi II II III SlBLftjlLB MiB J7 p m mllfmM lllifMf CIO 1113 GONTZNUUD.) Youthful Riding e M . . Of all seasons of tho year autumn la tho most alluring to the woman or girt who rides horseback ; cool, bright days, without tho tlcklcncss of spring or tho heat of summer, n world arrayed in gorgeous colors and air that stimulates And caresses, mnko it n Joyous tlmo for horso and rider. Somo of tho riding habits for fall seem to Interpret the season In their colors nnd texture. The bronzes and browns of onk leaves aro translated Into warm, rough fabrics that glvo a sense of comfort for frosty mornings. A youthful model In u riding habit for fall Is shown in tho plcturo nbovo. It Is mado of a heavy, rough-surfaced cloth, tweed' apparently, In a brown check. Tho coat sots snugly with n flaring skirt that 1b qulto full In tho bnck and Is shorter than usual. It has flap pockets and fastens with thrco buttons nt tho front below nnrrow rovers. Tho riding breeches that but For Those Thero is considerable difference of opinion among pcoplo as to the pro priety of wearing mourning apparel. It Is a differenco that cannot bo settled one way or tho other so long as mourn ing does not signify to somo pcoplo what It does to others. Tho wearing of mourning Is not u matter of fash Ion, but an expression of sentiment, and therefore ench person Is privileged to decide for himself whether It, Is llttlng nnd appropriate or not. Mourning hats must always be con servative in size nnd In style, avoiding all extremes. They requlro tho most exact and painstaking workmanship unci are mado of distinctive materials, 'or tlrst mourning crepe, In black or white, Is used, and since It Is not used for any other kind of apparel It has become tho Insignia of mourning. It appears In combination with other silk fubrlcu In garments nnd In millinery and Is shown here In thrco of tho four hats pictured. Ono of theso has a medium wide drooping brim nnd soft, drnped crown of black crepe, with brim facing of white crepe. There Is a iniall embroidered flower motif Bet on tho front of the crown ns a trimming. A combination of crepo und dull tin lulled bilk appears in a toque with flex ible top crown of crepo und tho sides of Jlie Hhapo covered with bias folds of the hIIIv A Hat, symmetrical bow ot ribbon makes a trimming In keeping with the precise, oven folds und per fectly fitted brim facing. aBk. BH'' &HiiLLfeBLLLHk. " rnit!P:y jaMLLLBLBBtBaaiiLLLLLr Habit for Fall ton below tho kneo do not reveal any , chnngo Instyle. A tnn aklrt with soft collar, and a brllllant-hucd, four-la-hand tlo contribute their share to a costume that Is beyond reproach. Tho soft felt hut has a high crown nnd brim thnt rolls upwurd. Brown leather boots and heavy kid gloves in tho same color nro Items that put tho finishing touches to this well-turned-out habit. Thcro nro several weaves In Rturdy woolens that aro represented in each season's showings of habits. For older women plain cloths mako tho best choice, and covort cloths or whipcord nlwnya prove- reliable Brown and4 dark bluo nro favored colors. Black and white In small checks always has a following In spring nnd summer and makes a snappy outflt with black boots and hat But when ono hns a single habit that must servo tho year round a plain dark color is altogether better than anything clso. in Mourning Another combination of black hud crepp Ih shown In a narrow-brimmed shape thnt bus a bandeau at tho back. Tho uuderbrim and bandeau arc covJ cred with tho whlto crepo and tho up per brim with black crepe. The soft crown Ik formed by draping ono end of n crepo veil over tho shape and knotting It at the front. Tho veil Is then caught to the bandeau In tho back and fulls from thero as fur us the waist lino. Either black or whlto beads, In n dull dnlsh, are used In mourning millinery. In this hut whlto ones have been chosen to udgo tho brim. Grosgruln und other dull-finished' silks und ribbons ure used for making mourning huts to bo worn later than tho tlrst period of mourning or by per sons who do not wish to wear crepe, Tho sailor shape illustrated has Its crown entirely covered with loops of grosgrnln ribbon. Tho nnrrow brim Is covered with silk and serves to sup port n wide border mndo of rows of ribbon set about It with spaces be tween them. Goorgotto crepo and mallnes nro used In hats for mourning wear and any other materials that have the right sort of surface, Crepe Is usually replaced, after a short period, by huts of these other mui lerlals. ' S w . 1 A a, l M i ! 'it -M