Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 461) (1914 07 31)

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JULY Siz I9I4 7 Ne 46! FA RaILE 5 (Cents. Yl iii Ut ” S Wl, Wily Z SYS BSS y % Z Z Y j Y G TEES SSG Yj j. Y Z Z j SAAAANVNV “Into ze hole wiz heem!” cried Captain Barbier. He and his mate gave the boy a swing and flung him violently into the excavation. “Dees will teach heem to not monkey wiz what do not belong to heem.”

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Fame and Fortune Weekly STORIES OF BOYS WHO MAKE MONEY fi a ke f Loa “af ae and did nothing. Issued Weekly—By Subscription $2.50 per year. of pee Ayre Washington, D. O., dv ntered at the New York, No. 461. NEW YORK, JULY 31, 1914. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1914, in the office of the Frank Tousey, Publisher, 168 West 234 Street, New York. . ¥., Post Office as Second-Olass Matter. Price 5 Cents. BURIED GOLD . SOR The Treasure of the Old Buccaneers By A SELF-MADE MAN CHAPTER I. JACK AND THE STRANGE SAILOR. “Hi, there! Get off that track! Didn’t ‘you. hear’ the whistle?” Thus shouted Jack Harding, a stalwart lad of eighten years, at aman ahead of him, whose rolling gait, coupled with his ¢ and rough peajacket, closely buttoned about him, pro- cldimed him a sailor. ‘ The stranger had started to cross, a long culvert spanning & gully, ‘through’ the big arch of which a mountain torrent Tushed foaming over the ro¢ks toward the bay where, on its semi-circular shore, stood a small seaport by the name of Bartown. The whistle of the locomotive, as the down train, an express which did not stop at the village station half a mile below, Passed a crossing a short distance beyond the curve, had just been berne to the boy’s ears on the evening breeze. He was on his way home from the canning house, where he Put in long hours every day but Sunday, and had noticed the Man swaying along the track ahead of him. The stranger, like the boy, had been walking the ties of the up track, and had he continued to do so he would have been safe enough. : But just after*the whistle sounded he lurched over to the other track, apparently under the impression that he was get- ting out of the way of the oncoming train, whereas, he was Putting himself right in its course. .) The man either didn’t hear the boy’s hail, or didn’t under- Stand it. At any rate he paid no attention to it. -“The fool will be killed,” cried Jack, starting forward on the run. “It's the Boston express, and will be here in half a minute. I must try and save him. Confound his stupidity! Can’t he hear the rumble of the train? He must be half drunk. No man in his right senses would " The locomotive swung around the curve and rushed down on the sailor. It was clear the fellow saw it coming, for he stopped and looked directly ‘at it. : ; ‘ Instead of springing over to the other track, and lying down as close as possible to the outer rail, to escape the wind -of the train, he simply stood as though spellbound There’s a train coming. _ The engineer saw him and let off the whistle of down brakes, : wing over the reverse lever; but with the momentum of a “mile gait and a heavy train behind, there wasn’t a chance of stopping before every car had passed over the victim, and the engineer knew it. — ' % He saw the boy running forward-to save the man, but it looked like a forlorn. chance, The locomotive shot upon the culvert as Jack seized the sallor by the arm, and with a mighty jerk pulled the fellow toward him. The two went rolling upon the up track as the locomotive and train swept by with the speed of a meteor. > It had been the closest kind of a shave for the stranger, as well as for the plucky boy himself, for had the cowcatcher hit the man, both would probably have gone under the wheels. The train passed in two or three seconds and the danger was over. . Then Jack got up and started to help the sailor on his feet. The man was dazed by his narrow escape, and he stared with glassy eyes at the boy; his limbs refusing to respond. “Get up, can’t you?” said Jack. “Do*you expect me to pick you up and carry you to the other end of the ctllvert? Get a move on.” “Sonny, you’ve saved my life,” said the sailor, beginning to exert himself. “You're welcome if I have. Where are you going? There |are only two or three houses out this way, and I live in one of them.” “Where am I going, sonny?” said the seafaring man, start- ing forward with one of his weather-beaten, tarry-looking hands gripping the boy’s arm. “Where I hope I'll find a wel- come. To the cottage of my old shipmate, Bill Blunt.” “Bill Blunt!” cried Jack, in surprise. “Why, that’s where I live.” ; “You do, my hearty? Tip us your flipper. I’m right glad to hear it, What's your name?” “Jack Hardy.” “That's a name that sounds shipshape and regular. Are you a relative of Bill's?” Ly, “No. I’m staying with Blunt just to keep him company.” That wasn’t the true reason why Jack was hanging out at the cottage. The real reason was little Ruby Rand, whom Blunt claimed as his niece. ‘ : She was a charming young creature of fifteen, and she didn’t look at all like an offshoot of the Blunt stock. Bill was a retired shellback who had sailed the seas from early youth till. rheumatism compelled him to quit on the shady side of fifty. ; ; f A year or two ashore had almost cured him of his complaint, though he still had to use a cane to help his locomotion. In Jack's. half of the inhamitants of the village. Te," estimation he was a hard case, and that opinion — 3) was shared by all who knew him, and that meant more than sie ne ’

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gay he took a fancy to the neighborhood.” BURIED GOLD. ; Opinion was divided as to hether Ruby was really his niece, but the fact remained ¢ he brought her with, ae hen he came to the neighborhood and took up his abod € cottage, which he rented, and she herself never denied the Nee ate when asked about it. When Jack, who was an orphan, stopped at the cottage a year since, on his tramp to Barport, he was invited by Blunt to stay to supper, and then to stay all night, Next morning Blunt, finding he was looking for a job in the cannery, proposed that he board regular with him to help keep the pot boiling. : The presence of Ruby, who had taken Jack’s eye, and he hers, induced him to come to terms with Blunt, and he had lived there ever since. “Stayin’ with Bill to keep him company, eh?” grinned the stranger. “Yes. So you're an old friend of his?” “That’s what I am, sonny.” “What’s your name?” “Thomas Tucker.” “And you expect to spend a few days with him? “Maybe more’n, a few if he’s willin’ to have me sling my _ hammock in the “cottage.” _*J dare say he'll find room for you if you can pay your way.” ae I’ve got a few shot in my locker yet,” grinned the sailor. “You left your ‘baggage in the village, I suppose?” “My bag is aboard the schooner Mary. Ann, which fetched me ere from Boston. I. wanted to find out how the wind blew with Bill before I brought my dunnage.” “That’s a good idea. How long since you’ye seen Blunt?” “While a while. Maybe six years.” “How did you find out he was living in this. neighborhood? He’s only been here about a year and a half.” “T met a chap in Boston who told me Id find Bill livin’ in a small cottage just beyond the railroad viaduct on the outskirts of Bartown, so I worked my way over on the schooner, and ero I am.” ; - “Say, why didn’t you get out of the way when you saw the express coming?” “I'll allow I was scared to.death when I saw the locomotive bearing down on me, and I couldn’t move to save my life” ’ “There wouldn’t have been much left of you if I hadn’t come along and pulled you away. Didn't you. hear me yell at you before the train came in sight?” “JT was thinkin’ what kind of reception I'd get from Bill, and didn’t notice your hail.” _ “Your breath smells pretty strong of liquor. took a ‘drop too.much before leaving the village.” - “Y’ll allow that I spliced thé mainbrace more’n I'd ought to, but the other foremast hand, and the mate of the schooner, are good fellows, and I wanted to treat ’em right. You've found Bill a pretty good drinker himself, haven’t you?” . “Yes, he can drink all right. All sailors do, I guess.” * «Pye seen landlubbers who can guzzle as much as the next I guess you one.” “So have I. There are several in this fiplebborhood.* -! aiden always could hold his end up. Is that his cottage yon er?” ’““Yes. It’s the first house east of the viaduct.” $ ae I was told. Has a truck garden in the back?” ; ea” “And a flower garden in front?” . “Right. '“And a couple dormer winders aloft. I see one of ’em now.” “You got a correct description of the cottage.” “Pm told Bill has a little gal livin’ with him.” -“Such is the case. His niece he calls her.” “Who tends to the gardens and keeps house?” “She does.” “Bill couldn’t do anything in that line himself. How is he i for funds?” ' “He doesn’t seem to have much ready money.” _*Do you know why he came to anchor in these parts?” — “No. He never told me why he came to this place. I dare “He quit goin’ to sea on account of the rheumatics I was d, but I hear he’s better than he was.” % _*He’s much better, but has to use a stick yet when he goes ®, the village, or the cliffs.” 3 “What does he.go to the cliffs for?” _ -*To look at the ocean, I suppose.” , “Meanin’ he’s anxious to get afloat again, eh?” ne “He might be anxious to, but he isn’t fit Saeaeliy: en puree ® ta “A feller has got to be kind’r spry to do his duty afore the mast. I’m sorry to know Bill is laid up. But as long as he’s gettin’ better maybe he’ll come around all right bimeby. I dunno as there’s any hurry after all.” “About what?” “Nothin’. I was’ just thinkin’. Here we are at the gate. What a fine lot of posies are growin’ in this here garden. That jittle gal must spend a lot of her time over em.” “You mean Ruby? She does.” “So her name is Ruby?” said the sailor, as he followed Jack through the gate. “Yes. Ruby Rand. She’s as pretty as a picture, and as sweet as she’s pretty.” “So I heard,” chuckled the old salt. The shell walk which led to the front’ door branched off around the side of the cottage, and Jack followed it with Tom Tucker stumping after him. Turning the corner they came upon Bill Blunt, smoking his pipe, for he’d had his supper, and gazing off through the dusk toward the distant harbor of Bartown, which was in plain sight from the house, To the left the ground rose gradually toward the cliffs, a mile or so away, and shut off the great ocean beyond. “Good evening, Bill,” said Jack; “here’s an old friend of yours come to see you.” “Eh?” ejaculated Blunt, turning half around. “Tip us your flipper, Bill, you old barnacle, It’s me, your old shipmate, Tom Tucker, whom. you saw last in the hands of the undertaker at Belize. You didn’t expect. to see me any more on top of this sublocnary sphere, did you, Bill? Well, here I am as lively as a cricket, and good for several years yet. T’ll bet you're so glad you'll have the fatted calf killed for my special entertainment,” and the speaker chuckled as if in the highest state of enjoyment. Bill Blunt didn’t look glad. On the contrary, he seemed quite staggered. Maybe he thought he was looking at the ghost of his old shipmate, though Tom Tucker looked like a very healthy ghost. His jaw dropped and the pipe fell from his nerveless fingers. He stared fixedly at the newcomer till his gaze must have taken in every line of his features. : Then he uttered a howl, either of fright or dismay,. and jumping to his feet dashed around the corner of the cottage and disappeared, s CHAPTER II. BILL BLUNT AND-HIS OLD SHIPMATE. ‘Jack looked after him in astonishment. So did Ruby, who came to the door to welcome Jack, as she always did. As for Tom Tucker, he seemed vastly ampeed at the strange behavior of his old shipmate, 5 He slapped his thigh and chuckled Sate. than ever. “It’s as godd as a play,” he said at last, “to see Bill sailin’ off afore the wind, like one of them Garibbean turtle catchers racin’ to be first on the ground. And then the way he tacked around the corner, and him with the rheumatiz, too. Didn't you tell me, sonny, he had to use a cane to help him about? He must have had a sudden and miraculous cure.” It would seem so, for Bill Blunt hadn’t developed such a” ‘burst of speed for many a day.. Jack and Ruby looked at Tom Tucker rather doubtfully. The effect of his coming on Blunt had been electrical, The boy, having heard Tucker’s remarks to Bill, judged that Blunt believed his old shipmate dead, and his sudden appear- ance on the scene, without warning, had frightened him out of his wits. “Say, Mr. Tucker,” he said, “you oughtn’t to have sprung ‘yourself on Blunt that way if you knew he thought you were dead and buried. You must have given him a terrible shock.” “Yes, I reckon I did,” chuckled Tucker, who apparently had no compunction on the subject. “You shouldn’t have done it. If his heart was weak he might have dropped dead. You ought to have used some judgment.” ““T wanted to take him by surprise.” “You did that all right.” “Have you any objection to me walkin’ in atid makin’ my- self at home? Bill will be back, I reckon, when he gets over his excitement.” “Come in. Bill has had his supper, hasn’t he, Ruby?" “Yes, Jack. Yours is all ready.” “I suppose you'd like to, eat something, Mr. Tucker?” said Jack/to the sailor.

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BURIED GOLD. 3 SSSR re rae cr Sn ae SR ms eT RE OY ORS SS Ee ET ES, ———_———— N “Tll allow I wouldn’t mind havin’ a bite of somethin’,” said | “You can send him away in the morning, using as an excuse © man. “Ruby, what’s on the bill of fare to-night?” “Eggs and bacon,” answered the girl. ’ “Well, cook some for Mr. Tucker. He says he’s an old ship- sng of Bill’s. At any rate, Bill knows him and won’t ob- Ruby proceeded to cook a mess of bacon and eggs for the hewcomer, and inside of fifteen minutes the three sat down to the table to eat, for the girl always waited for Jack to come home before she had her own supper. Tom Tucker proved a very agreeable personage. He regaled the young people with some of his sea-going ex- Deriences, in the telling of which he broke off every once in _& while to chuckle, as if some pleasant recollection recurred to him at that moment. The living-room was lighted by a lamp which threw a cheer- ful glow about. ° Outside night had settled down, and one could hardly see a yard away owing to the intense darkness, for the sky was over- Ml and the neighborhood around was as black as the ace of es, ; _A few of the village lights were visible in the distance, to- Sether with the lanterns hanging in the rigging of some of the vessels at anchor off shore. While the three were eating at the table, a face suddenly appeared at one of the windows of the room. ' It-was Bill Blunt’s not over handsome countenance. After recovering from his consternation he had come back. He flattened his nose against the window pane and observed What was taking place inside of the cottage. He saw Tom Tucker seated at the head of the table making short work of the food which Ruby had placed before him, and he saw Jack and the girl in their accustomed places. If he had taken Tucker to be thé'ghost of his old shipmate the delusion should have been dispelled by his present very life-like actions. Shades from the other~world haven’t the solid look that Tucker had, and they are not supposed to be able to put any- thing so-material as bacon and eggs inside their shadowy Blunt was in a position to‘take a leisurely survey of his old friend, and to satisfy himself that if Tucker had been in the undertaker’s hand in Belize, British Honduras, he had come back to life before being planted in the cemetery. Supper was prolonged owing to the yarns Tucker amused the two young people with, but as there is an end to all things, he finally shoved back his chair, remarked that he felt better now _ that he had taken a cargo of grub aboard, and mildly sug- &ested if there was an extra pipe in the house, and somé to- bacco, he would take it as a favor if Jack produced both. The boy took down the cigar-box ‘holding the contents of a bag of short éut, and also the pipe that Blunt reserved for ' amy village acquaintance who favored him with a visit. rf z Tucker loaded the bowl, ignited it with a live coal, and be- San to smoke. © “a ; Jack went outside to try and find Blunt, Bill made his presence known and called the boy to him. “Where did you pick up that rascal?” he growled. “Rascal!” cried Jack, in a tone of surprise, “Isn't he an _ Old shipmate of yours? He told me he was.” “Suppose he is, that isn’t any reason why I want him here. Where did you meet him?” — Jack told’ the circumstances under which he became ac- Quainted with the sailor. _ “Why did you want to risk your life to save him?” pit “De you suppose I was going to see him run down by the without raising a finger in his behalf?” _. “I’d:have seen him run down by fifty trains before I'd have done a thing for him.” ; -“T judge he isn’t a welcome visitor here, then?” “Welcome! I wish-he was in hades,” said Bill, with an €arnestness which showed he meant it. ¢ “Well, he’s here. What are you going to do about it?” « ¥ _ “Do! I don’t see that I can do anything. He appears to be a fh , vi : 3 ; a, Why don’t you go inside and pretend you're glad to see * Bee that you have no room to accommodate him>” said Jack." “Yes, I can do lots of things: Tucker has come here to stay till he’s ready to go.” “He hasn’t brought any of his things with him. He told me he wanted to see how the wind blew before he fétched what he called his dunnage.” “Tt doesn’t make any difference with him how the wind blows. He’s come on an errand, and he expects to get what he’s after.” i “What's that?” asked Jack, curiously. “No matter. It’s somethin’ between him and me.” “You'd better go in and see him, for there’s a thunder- storm coming up, and you can’t stay out here and get wet or you'll be Jaid up with your complaint. Tell him you thought he was dead and buried long ago, and that his sudden appear- ance, without warning, gaye you the shock of your life. You can admit that you thought he was a ghost, and that is why you took to your heels,” said Jack. Bill Blunt allowed himself to be persuaded to face the music, and he walked into the living-room with Jack. “So you’ve come back, eh, Bill?” said Tucker, eyeing him with a grin, “Took me for a shadder from ’tother world, I'll be bound, come to harnt you, maybe. Give us your fin and you'll see I’m just as much alive as you are yourself.” The men shook hands, Bill without any display of enthu- siasm. : : Both of them drew their chairs up to the table which Ruby had cleared off by this time, and Bill looked into the cigar-box fom his pipe. Not finding it there, he felt in his pockets, and then recol- lected that he had dropped it outside. “Look around the door for my pipe, will you, Jack?” he said. The boy found the pipe and restored it to him. “How is it after you were pronounced dead by the doctor, and I saw you put in your coffin and carried off to the grave- yard, that you’re alive and hearty now?” said Bill, eyeing Tucker through _a veil of smoke, ; “Easy enough. I come to at the graveyard, pounded on the inside of the box and scared the natives who were about to dump me into the hole so bad that they dropped the coffin and ran for all they were worth,” and Tucker chuckled at the recollection. y Most persons would have felt a thrill of horror on recalling such a narrow escape from being buried alive—the most awful of experiences; but the sailor did not appear to_be affected that way. 2 ea . ; “The coffin was a filmsy sort of affair,” continued Tucker. “When it struck the ground it split open and I rolled out, I lay there awhile half dazed, and was found by some British sailors from a brig. When they saw I was not dead, they took me down to their boat and carried me aboard their vessel. The skipper looked me over, said he guessed I'd pull through with care, and poured some nasty tastin’ stuff.down my throat. As I wasn’t able to tell anythin’ about myself, and the sailors couldn’t learn anythin’ about me ashore, I was kept aboard the brig when she sailed, and later was landed at Rio. I was pretty nigh well then, and’as I had urgent reasons for gettin’ back to Belize as soon as I could, I shipped on a sloop in a day or two and reached the town in due course. Then I found that you had dusted out on a vessel bound for the States and had taken my bagtvith you, It was kind of you to look after my things, you old shellback, partickerly that there chart I set so much store by. Seein’ you knew what the thing was worth, I figger you have it yet, and but for the rheumatics would have taken a shy at the cache of the old buccaneers. As I ain’t troubled with the rheumaties, I'll take it as a favor if you'll hand that there chart back, As for the other things in the bag, you’re welcome to ’em.” raagt blew a cloud of smoke and looked at his old ship- mate. “I s’pose you wouldn't believe me if-I told you I mislaid that — , chart?” said Blunt. : : “No, I don’t think I would, It would be too much to ask of me. a “Your bag was washed overboard on the trip to Boston:” “Was it? What.a pity! How did it happen?” mic “You see, we ran into a three days’ gale, the bark sprung a leak, and the heavy seas flooded the forecastle. dunnage was lost and your bag went with the rest of the stuff,” said Bill, watching the effect of his yarn on his visitor. _ th you lose your own bag?” « 0.” - y “Nor any of your duds?” — y te “Nary one.” , ‘A lot of —

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BURIED GOLD. “Then I guess the chart is safe enough, for you’d have sac- rificed everythin’ afore you’d have lost that.” Bill made no reply. .He wasn't a good bluffer, and he knew it. He also knew that he was no match for Tom Tucker. “You might as well admit that you have the chart, you old sea griffin, for if you took your oath you hadn’t I. wouldn’t believe it. Come now, own up.” ; Before Bill could make a reply, one way or the other, there was a brilliant flash of lightning and a sudden and loud clap of thunder shook the cottage td its foundation. CHAPTER ‘IIL WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NIGHT. Jack and Ruby, who had retired to the front room overlook- ing the garden, a meagerly furnished little parlor, to entertain themselves, as the two sailors had no particular use for them, were startled by the crash. The storm was coming up from the southeast, having started away out on the Atlantic, and had been gradually drawing _nearer since dark. It was still some distance away, and it looked as if it was driving to the northwest, and that Bartown and vicinity would only catch the tail-end of it. This one bright flash and the terrific crash on the heels of a Was unexpected, and, naturally, Ruby jumped and clung to the boy. ; “That was a corker,” said Jack. “It gave me an awful start,” said the girl. “Tt must have been a thunderbolt. It may have hit akin tree around here.” “I hope we won’t have another like that, I am so afraid _.of thunder and lightning. If a bolt hit the cottage we'd all be killed.” “Tt doesn’t follow that any of us would be killed. We might be stunned by the shock, though.” _ Jack got up and took a peep at the two men in the living- room. There was a bottle of rum and two glasses on the table. _. Also a deck.of cards which Blunt was dealing to himself and his cornpanion. ... The pair seemed to have got on very friendly terms, at last. > “Bill and his old shipmate are as thick as two peas now,” said Jack, on returning to Ruby. “Bill has brought out the rum bottle, and they are playlng cards.” “He acted yery funny at first, Bill did,” said the ‘girl. “Do you think he eased took our visitor for a spirit from the other). world?” _. “Suppose you'd. seen me in my coffin on the way to the cemetery, after a doctor had pronounced me dead, and five _ years afterward I called on you without, warning—what would you take me oa Sailors are superstitious, you know. It’s my opinion that Bill got the shock of his life. It knocked _ the rheumatism out of him for the time being. He never could have rushed around the house that way, without even a __.. stick to support him, under ordinary circumstances,” . "| Nine o’clock came around, the usual hour that the young _ folks retired for the night, except when they went to a dance _‘or some entertainment in the village. There had been no more violent claps of thunder in that i "neighborhood. nor extraordinary brilliant @ashes of lightning. The storm passed some miles to the west, and the thunder Was still rumbling when Jack and Ruby went to their rooms. ' The two sailors were talking and laughing in the living-| © £5 te ‘Jack's room. was directly: rover that part- of the house, = heard them at frequent intervals till he dropped asleep. fra hee sand about midnight Jack was awakened by somebody shaking his arm. He started up and was surprised. to see Ruby in her night- gown beside his bed. “What's the matter, Ruby?” he asked. “Has anything hap- « pened?” 3 in Bill's room and is searching his “The visitor, Tucker, is & sea-chest,” replied the girl, in an agitated voice. 2 cae dickens be ist” cried Jack. “And Bill is asleep?” is he? What time ts ite must have fallen asleep d wnstairs, and att it to rob him.” | oy a noise in Bill’s room, It must have wen aa Bt png of the’ of the dresser; pulled the Tower H snaper, tit; puted the bedsiae oft vaiabe eraaed the straw ae sounds in his room, I don’t know why I took particular notice of what I heard to-night; but I did. I got cut of bed and looked into the corridor. There was a light in Bill’s room, and the door was ajar. Bill doesn’t often use a light in his room, but still he does sometimes when he’s doing something out of the ordinary, I listened, and finally becoming sus- picious, I slipped over to the docr and looked in to make sure it was Bill. Then I saw it was Tucker, and that he was going through Bill's chest. Of course he had no right to do that, ang as I couldn’t do anything, I came here to tell you about “Go back to your room. I’ll get up and look into this mat- ter. I guess Tucker is looking for something which belongs to him and which Bill has refused to give up, or has declared he has lost. We heard Tucker say that when he got back to Belize, after his illness—you remember he said he was taken to Rio Janeiro on a British brig—that he found Bill had car- ried his bag off with him when he left for the States. In that bag was a chart’ which Tucker said was of some value to him. I’ll bet Bill wants to keep that chart, and Tucker doesn’t intend to let him do so, He’s probably got Bill drunk so he could look for his property. I guess he won’t take anything that belongs to Bill.” Ruby returned to her room, and Jack hastily donned his trousers. He marched into Blunt’s room and surprised Tucker at his felonious work. “Here, what are you about, Mr. Tucker?” he demanded. “What right have you to go through Bill’s sea-chest?” Tucker recovered his self-possession in a moment or two. “I’m huntin’ for a piece of property which belongs to me,” he said, coolly. “A chart?” asked Jack. “How did you know it’s a chart?” said Tucker, looking at him fixedly. - “I heard you speaking about it to Bill downstairs.” “Yes, it’s a chart.” “Why didn’t you ask Bill to return it to you?”. “He wouldn’t hand it over, so I made free to look for it myself.” “Bill is downstairs, I suppose?” “T. reckon.” “Asleep, or drunk?” “He's hard and fast asleep,” said Tuckér, with a chuckle. m2 don’t know as I ought to let you monkey with Bill’s gs.” “Come here and look for the chart yourself.” Tucker got up and let Jack take his place. F aot that streak on your shirt? It looks like blood,” said ack. Tucker looked at his shirt and saw the dab of red. “Oh, that’s a splash of red paint I got aboard the schooner this mornin’, ” he said. “IT didn’t notice it when you were eating with us this evening.” ' “It was there then same as it is now.” ; “You've got another one on your trousers.” “Same thing—red paint.” The sailor spoke so unconcernedly that Jack had no sus- picion he was not telling the truth, though, being an observing af he wondered that he had not seen the very plain marks efore. * Jack, who was satisfied that the visitor was entitled to the chart, went carefully through the trunk, but failed to find anything that resembled such a thing. | _ “It isn’t here,” he said. “Tap the bottom of the chest and see pdt it has a2 false bot- ‘tom,” said the sailor. © Jack did.so, but there was none. . Tueker then insisted on resuming his search, and went over the chest carefully. “Hold up the clothes one by one and let me feel ’em over,” said the sailor. ‘Tucker ‘felt of the lining, after sxamining the pockets, but the chart did not ‘rautertalixe. - Among the arttcles that the sailor had taken out before Jack appeared was % pocketbook holding quite a bunch of money. Ayparentiy he had made no attempt to pda ye possession of it, 4or it lay on the floor where he had tossed it. The search of the chest was concluded without result, and Tucker, for the first time, per a to show an ugly streak. — He hunted the room all o went through the drawers rawer out and looked under t

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a BURIED GOLD. — - looked into the closet, and, in fact, left nothing escape him, Not even the floor, which he tested for a loose board. “It ain’t in his room, that’s sure,” he growled, finally. “What in thunder did he "do with it?” “He might have lost it, as I heard him tell you,” said Jack. “Lost nothing! That chart is' worth 4 hundred thousand in ” Spanish goid. D’ye think he’d lose that? He’s jhidden it somewhere else. Blamé the luck! I'll have to trust’ to my Memory, and I can’t recall all the figures.” “How do you make out it’s worth so much? dreaming.” “Never mind how I make it out. It’s so.” “Is it one of those charts that tells where to find a buried treasure?” “Suppose it is; what of it? It belongs to me.- If Billi hadn’t been took down with the rheumatiz he’d have gone huntin’ for it himself. Since he’s been gettin’ better he’s been ealeulatin” on makin’ a start soon; but I reckon he won't make any start now,” said the sailor, with an ugly look. “A chap who goes back on his, old shipmate deserves all he gets.” There was a menace in his tones that Jack didn’t like. “Maybe he gave that chart to the gal for safe-keepin’,” said Tucker. “You can ask her in the morning.” “T reckon I’ll ask her now.” “No, you won't,” “Who's goin’ to stop me?” “Pll stop you,” said Jack, resolutely.. “I won’t have her dis- turbed. I don't believe she knows anything about it, anyway.” “How do you know she doesn’t?” “I think she’d have t6ld me, for we have no secrets from each other.” > “Maybe you know whether she’s Bill’s, niece or, not?” “Maybe I do, but I ain’t saying anything about it.” *T don’t believe she is. He never told me he had one, and Bill and me was pretty thick in our time. She doesn’t look anythin’ like him, I'll swear to that. He’s had some object in pretendin’ she was related to him, but there’s an end of that now.” ~What do you mean by that?” “Never mind. You can go to your room now; I’m lercatah up here,” said Tucker, taking up the lamp. “See that you ios't follow me downstairs. If you do maybe I'll forget you. “saved my life at the culvert. I’m in a bad humor now, and don’t want to be bothered, A wink is as good as @ nod toa blind horse,” he said, significantly. } With the lamp throwing a halo about bis rolting form, . Tucker descended the stairs. He didn’t look behind ‘to see if Jack was paying attention to his hint. . He red to take it, for granted. ‘that he was. The boy followed him with his dia his brain buzzing with -strange suspicions. One thing he noticed, and ‘that: was the sailor ‘did not try to avoid making any noise. He made sound enough with his feet to awaken any sleeper in the house, unless, of course, he was blind drunk. Instead of going into the living-room, he steered for the little parlor: Then he shut the door, and Jack heard nothing further m him. “¥ don’t like the looks of things,” maaeabd the boy. . “There's more ¢ool villainy in Tucker than I supposed, wn- less I'm a poor guesser. I took him for an’easy-going sailor, with that chuckle of his. Now, im inclined to believe that I won- I’m going . I guess you're there's: more under that chuckle than strikes the ear. » der if he’s done more to Bill than get him drunk. down to abe all hazard.” ify his re feet, Jack made, Hp, sound ‘n sltaing down the uessed, seeing his ,pessession. he ‘match- -safe id : ‘ Btunt Paige wee tae “the table, bent ei runken init ad the ra chairs, stand- Ble which had be en occupied by. the men during pty.” : looked ned a th ev gees no slen'er Bill, aroun yen fe a: Se. noe tat aed et rum BY, OM, : y ‘Signs of footsteps visible. : 5 The boy struck a second match, then he saw something that made him gasp. A splash of red on the edge of the table, another on the floor, and then drops of red leading toward the outside door. “Good heavens!” he cried. “Can it be that Tucker’ has killed Bill?” The match expifed in his fingers, and the room becaine dark again. CHAPTHR Ivy. WHAT JACK FOUND IN THE Woop, Then Jack-heard sounds in the hall, and a light shone under the door. The sailor was coming toward the room. After what he had seen the boy didn’t think it would be well for him to meet Tucker. The only place he could take refuge in was the pantry closet. He got in there in short order. Tucker entered the room, He walked to the table, put down the lamp and looked at the red spot. Walking to the sink he got a cloth, a pan of water and a piece of soap. He proceeded to remove every spot of red in the room, ‘He threw the crimsoned water out of the door; and squeez- ing, out the cloth stuck it in his pocket, Then he sat. in one of the chairs, threw’ one of his bulky legs over the end of the table, and seemed to be considering his next move. At the end of five. minutes he picked up the pipe he had been smoking, knocked out the ashes, refilled and Ht it, Then he went on with his reflections, the smoke curling about his head. At last he picked up his hat, ‘blew out the lamp, opened the kitchen door and went out. Jack left thé pantry, rushed to the winade and looked out. The darkness of the night prevented the boy from seeing anything outside. He heard the sounds of retreating footsteps near the corner of the cottage. mee rushed into ‘the little parlor and listened at the window ; “there. The same footsteps were going doen the gravel walk to the front gate. ~ The inference was simple—the sailor wes taking’ his de- parture. Jack went iiethire and dressed himself. eens that ‘he must find Bur ea whether he was debe or alive. > : When he came out into the’ cbirivor, ready for the quest, ue door of Ruby’s room opened’ and ge: girl caught him. by ie arm. ; ’“You were in Bill’s room for some ‘time with Tucker, ‘she said. “What was he looking for, and where was Bill?” ~“Tucker was hunting for a chart that belonged to him. I guess it shows where a treasure is hidden, maybe on some island. He didn’t find it. If Bill had it he ‘hia it somewhere ~ clse. I haven’t seen Bill.. He doesn’t appear to be in ‘the house. I’m going to take the lantern and look for him outside.” “Why should he leave the house on such a dark night?” ‘ “That's a question I can't answer now.” ’ “Where ‘is Tucker?” Pi ie. “He has gone away for gcod, I guess.” “I’m glad, for I'm afraid ‘of him siice I saw him in Bits room.” “Go to bed and forget about him. You probably won't seo @ him again.” “Jack started downstairs. He took the lantern from its. hook on the wall, ented it By and left the house. He feared that Tucker had killed Bill and carried his into the straggling wood between the eof the do the cli ye Flashing the light around the outside of door bs ' ype for the trail taken by Tucker With the body. fur 7 Although it had rained heavily while the storm was’ donee a the ground. was 80° hard near the house that there’ were BES Pee ie aos Neither were there any stains hae looked Jack examin she ea of the ne yard ceme to” ae oa ei ita and looked +oF pte gli abe

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you know, and is open. 6 BURIED GOLD. Finding no ciew there he went to the other side, with similar result, After spending a fruitless half hour, he gave up the Search biting he could take it up with more advantage in the day- ight ‘As he was not sure Bill had been actually done away with, he left the kitchen door on the latch, so he could get in if he was able to come back himself. Jack didn’t wake up until his usual hour of six o’clock. Ruby was always up at.that hour to get him his breakfast, for he had to report at the cannery at seven. “T’ll open it after breakfast and we'll find out.” During the meal Ruby kept referring to the unexplainable absence of Bill. She said he never would have stayed away of his own accord. } Jack agreed with her, for Blunt’s rheumatism always kept him close to the house, except that summer, when, feeling muck better, he made occasional visits to the town, and some- times Went over the cliffs after dinner and remained there all the afterncon. The boy did not care to say what his opinion was, but he Before going downstairs he looked into Bill’s room on the| feared the worst. chance that Blunt had turned up, but he was not there. Jack now felt certain. that there had been foul play the night before, and he decided that it was his duty to make a thorough hunt for Bill, and if he found his dead body he would notify the town authorities and Tucker would be ar rested on sight. He found Ruby in the living-room starting the fire for breakfast. “You didn’t find Bill last night,” she said, with an uneasy look in her eyes. “I’m afraid something has happened to him.” “I’m afraid so myself,” replied Jack. > “Do you think Tucker did anything to him?” “Do you mean hurt him?” nef ol *T don’t like to say. He wanted that chart mighty bad, but it seems to me that he could have hunted for it without. in- juring Bill.” “If Bill doesn’t come back I shall be nervous all day. Tucker might return, and I don’t want to meet him alone.” “Don't Worry. I’m not going to work this morning. I’m going to look for Bill. While you’re getting breakfast I’ll go as far as the wood.” Jack left the house and took his way in-the direction of the cliffs.» He went over the ground slowly, moving to the right and left, on the lookout for signs NS ere that Tucker had carried his victim, that way. He saw nothing of the kind. On reaching the wood he walked around among the, trees, but to no purpose. The. wood wds.a;very open one and afforded little conceal: ment-in the daytime. Jack;thought.that Tucker might have merely stunned Bill with a blow that drew blood, then carried him to the wood and tied him toa tree, He shouted frequently but got no answer to his hail. At the end of. half an hour he ree: satisfied . that Blunt wasn’t in the wood, even as a cor On his way back to the house bolt of the night before struck. The lightning hit an old dead tree and-tore it out of place. It lay on the ground a cumple wreck, exposing. a hollow interior. , Jack paused and looked down at the twisted roots. Something in the debris caught his attention. _ He poked around to see what it was, Fo proved to be a small bundle done up in a piace e vas. The boy picked it up, denidecing what the bundle contained. “T’ll take it to the house and investigate its contents,” he said. “Looks as though somebody dropped it into the hollow © og where the thunder- After the meal Jack picked up a knife and severed the stout cords which held the bundle together. The piece of canvas had been put around it to protect the contents from the action of the weather. After that was removed Jack came to a copy of the Bar- town newspaper in which a hard substance was wrapped ye tied with a cord. He cut the cord, took off the paper and found a small ‘in box with a key attached to the handle by a piece of string. “Now we'll see what we’ve got here,” said the boy, opening the box. ; He expected to find some money, or valuables—probably the result of a robbery in the neighborhood—but nothing like that was in the box. There was a sheet of paper containing writing, and under- neath that a stained and folded piece of heavy parchment-like paper. Jack looked at the written sheet first and recognized the familiar pothooks of Bill Blunt. ; “This belongs to Bill,” said Jack. “He put the bundle in the hollow tree. He must have thought it safer there than in the house.” “What does it say?” asked Ruby, eagerly. “I'll read it to you,” said Jack, “Listen: “In the event of my death I leave the contents of this box jointly to Ruby Rand and Jack Harding, as my heirs, together with everything I own in’ the cottage. The parchment is valuable to any one able to make out the meaning of it. 1 know the secret, but for fear this box might be found by some one who has no right to its contents I put down no explana- tion of it. The letter under the parchment, addressed to Ruby Rand, must on no account be. opened by a stranger, but handed to her, as it contains information of no interest to any one but herself, and she must not open it herself until one year after my death, “ ‘Witnessed by (Signed) Wroriam Biounr. “John Tudor, Tom Haines—both of Bartown.’” “Let me see the letter.” said Jack, taking it “My gracious!” cried Ruby. “T can guess what this parchment is,” from the box. t “What is it?” “The chart that Tom Tucker was after, but I am not sure that he ought to have it now. There is the letter.” The letter was addressed to Ruby and marked “Private. To be opened by Ruby one year after my death. Bri.” *Put it back. You can’t open it now,” said Jack. The girl returned it to him reluctantly. I think 'I ought to know what’s in it,” she. said. ’We don’t know that Bill is dead. Anyway, he says you mustn’t open and read it for a year. It goes back into the tree, and the bolt of lightning brought it to light by amneating box. Now we'll take a look at the chart.” the tree.” Taking it under his arm he went on his way. When got back to the cottage breakfast was ready. He carefully opened and spread out the parchment. ; It was yellow with age and was stained as if from tobacco juice, but the markings on it were perfectly clear and “I found no signs of Bill,” he said, placing the bundle on a} distinct. “gmall side table. “I thought Tucker might have got him the drunk, dragged him to the wood and tied him to one of the To begin with, it was a rude fawtng, oblong in shape, slightly resembling an animal, with two short front legs, one _ trees to get him out of the way. I found no indications that} hind leg and a bushy tail. by Tucker. The wood isn’t large, went all over it. any such trick was exec out of the usual I found was evidence that the thunderbolt last night knocked the spots out of a dead tree, I found that Above: it was written three words in Spanish, the transla- The only thing} tion of which appeared over them in lead pencil, in Bill's writing, thus: “Wolf Key.” -> 7 A key is a low island, either of coral or sand. Usually they are near a éoast like the Florida Keys. bundle among the roots and brought it back with me to see if what is in | ee ¢ “Rather; but the tree was hollow, and the bundle. had evi- Ss “dently been dropped into fe by. somebody who wanted to put 4 At ‘out of sight.” \ “Who could have done ite” 4 i: ¥ bi couldn’t tell you, for I'm not a mind reader.” Along the bottom was some writing in Spanish which hed yonder What is in it?” said Ruby, curiously. ny neither Jack nor Ruby fould wadersend, : pee eer, ; - 4% indentation between the hind leg and the tail was evi- qentid a cove. ‘ Another one lay between ‘the two front legs, and a thir be-, tween one of the legs and the head. A cross was marked in the last one.

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: BURIED GOLD. pp i ata Z ss the head was a vertical cross with compass marks, N, . This Aad how the island lay. On the head was a rude formation of a human skull. An arrow pointed toward it. _ Another arrow pointed from it. Half-way the length of the first arrow was a cross from Which sprouted an arrow which pointed east, according to ‘the compass, accompanied by the letters XII. Alongside the first arrow, between the feathery end and cross, were the letters VIII. That was all, and it was not very enlightening. “What does it mean?” said Ruby. “It means, as far as I can understand, that this sketch is _ the drawing of an island, called Wolf Key, which, from its _- Hame, I judge is situated somewhere in the Caribbean Sea, Mayhe in the great Bahama group which extends for many hundreds of miles, as you can see by consulting a geography. From, the partial admission I got from Tucker last night there is a treasure worth $100,000, more or less, buried on this island. This chart is presumed to point out the spot where it is hidden. The marks and the writing probably furnish the necessary clews, but as the latter is in a foreign tongue, Which I guess is Spanish, it is only so much Greek to me. Tf I had a translation I could give you farther information On the subject,” said Jack. "Seay you could have it translated, couldn’t you?” said the r “Yes; but just now we have Bill’s fate to think about, so We'll put the chart back In the box, with the sheetof paper, it up, and if, Bill turns up all right I’ll hand it over to him, telling’ him how I came to find it, and maybe he'll ex- plain the sécret of the chart to us. If he won’t we can’t Make him.” Jack told Ruby to hide the box in a safe place for the Present. “I'm going out now to make another hunt for Bill. I can’t | tell when I’ll be back. I don’t think you need fear that Tucker will come here again. He wouldn’t have gone away if he -hadn’t given up the chart as a bad job.” Feen Jack kissed Ruby and left the iar sa rh CHAPTER V. ‘WOLF KEY, Jack hardly knew in what direction to continue his search. for Bill Blunt. He went all over the ground in the immediate vicinity of the cottage under the impression’ that if Tucker had killed . Bill he would have hidden his body in the bushes; Next day being Sunday he took a trip over to Rockland to see if he could find a sailor there familiar with that language. An inquiry along the water front there resulted in his finding a man who understood Spanish first-rate. He made a copy of the writing on a separate sli and this slip he handed the man and asked him translate it. The sailor ran kis. eyes over it and asked him where he fie hold of the writing. Jack replied that he had found it in a tin box. “It’s a direction for finding something buried in the ground,” said the man. ; “Is that so?” replied Jack, in an- innocent way. . _ “Yes. I'll read it to you,” and ‘he. aia, as follows: “ ‘Bring top of skull rock in ‘line with lower edge of rising : sun at low tide. Mark off VIII fathoms from water's edge — toward. rock, Face E and mark off XII fathoms. ‘Bigst fathom.’ ” “Read that off adaaas I want to take it down,” said a The sailor re-read the slip and the boy copied his ere on a piece of paper. “A sailor wrote that,” said ‘the mariner.: on that spot?” _ “I couldn't tell you,” replied Jack, evasively. \ of paper, he could a

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8 BURIED GOLD. : eeonnds like one of those old. buried treasure yarns I’ve eard.” “That’s what I thought it might. be, but your ‘translation makes no mention of a treasure.” “If it refers to a treasure it isn’t necessary. to mention it. Those are, the directions to be followed in order to’ find it. What did you copy that writing from—a chart or something that appeared to be genuine?” “An-old. piece of heavy paper.” “What else was on the paper?” “An outline drawing supposed, to represent an island, with sonynen® directions and various markings.” “Whereabouts was the island supposed to be situated?” “The paper didn’t say.” ae it gave the latitude and longitude, didn’t it?” “No you want to see the old man as soon as he’s done supper, and he’ll take your message into the cabin.” Jack followed directions. The steward took his request tq the skipper, and when he came back he told the bey to follow him. “Well,, what can I do for you, young man?” asked the captain. “You have among your charts one of the West Indies, I suppose?” said Jack. “I have,” replied the skipper. “T want to find out if there is an island called Wolf Key in the Caribbean.” “If you will wait till the steward clears away I will look the matter up for you.” “There is such an island in the Bahama group about fifty | miles nor’east of Grand Turk,” put in the mate, “I’ve seen “Perhaps the name of the island was mentioned?” said the| jt, Viewed from aloft as you approach it from the sou’east, sailor, curiously. “There were three words in Spanish above the outline.” “Let’s have them and I’ll tell you the meaning of them.” “I can’t remember them,” said Jack, who had no intention of telling the man the name of the island, which Bill Blunt had translated himself. “Where do you live?” “Over at Bartown.” “I'll come over and take a look at your paper, and maybe I can »tell if there is anything in it. What did you say your name was?” “Tom White.” The mariner wrote the name on the edge of a newspaper he took out of his pocket, and then Jack bade him good-by and hurried off. “J must keep out of that chap’s way if he comes over to Bartown,” thought the boy. “I’m not going to show him, or any other stranger, that chart. I’ve got the information I wanted and have no further use for him. I can see that he suspects there is something in the writing, and he tried to draw out ali I knew about it. He did not get any real facts out of me, though. The next thing is to find out where Wolf _ Key “is situated. I feel sure it’s somewhere in the Caribbean, the chances being that it’s in the Bahama group. I’ve heard that there are hundreds of little islands mixed among the larger ones and called Keys. not being worth such an honor. Since this one has a title, it must be of more importance than the general run. I dare say I could pick it out on a regular chart of the Caribbean Sea, and get its latitude and longitude. But suppose I find out all about it, what then? I don’t see any chance of visit- ing it and looking for a treasure which might not exist. The ' old Spanish buccaneers used to bury their spoil on many of see S ¥ ae “ fie pet ia wait tilt he's through,” said the doy. a ‘Standing for islands or ait the islands, but the chances are they dug it up later and spent it, having a good time jn their own way—drinking and carous- ing. With that chart in existence it doesn’t seem probable that the treasure it refers to has remained on Wolf Island for eighty years or more, even if the pirates who buried it did not return for it and take it away. However, Tucker evidently believes it is still there, or he wouldn't have been in such a sweat to get back the chart. Since he did not recover it, I wonder what he’s going to do? He hasn’t seen the chart for several years, and though he undoubtedly knows the identity of the island, and has a general idea of the di- - rections, I assume it is a question if he could find the treasure, supposing it is there, without the chart. In fact, if he could ~ he wouldn’t have come after it.” PS, ae returned to Bartown and went to work next morning usual. Remy evening he went to the town public I*brary and looked fully over a map of the Caribbean Sea in an up-to-date 5 He “cious not find Wolf Island in the Bahama group, nor anywhere on the map, though he found a great many dots, that were not: named. _That satisfied him that the island,in question could only through. a reset navigators” chart of the West Indies. ‘There wae brig loading at one of the wharves, and next Jack went aboard of her after work and sere for the es at supper in the cabin,” said the foremast hand Jack now. Goin 1 ough that Most of them haven't a name, it has some sort of resemblance to a wolf with three legs and a bushy tail like a fox. It is a low sandy Key only a few feet above high water, except at the point that might be taken for the wolf’s head. There it is rocky, though not very high. Two coves jut in at that point. The entire shore of the Key is sandy and shelving, and there is little vegeta- tion, What there was when I passed that way six years ago was around the head: The Key is a great place for turtles, The animals go ashore there in large numbers during the breed- ing season and lay their eggs in the sand. It is a favorite rendezvous for the turtle-catchers at that time of the year. No one else lands. there.” “You have described the Key exactly,” said Jack, “I should like to get the latitude and longitude of the island.” “We can give you that easily enough,” said the captain. “Since the mate can put his finger on the island I’ll turn you over to him.” Jack was invited to take a cup of coffee and some cold meat and bread, and he accepted the invitation. In due time the table was cleared off, the captain went on deck to take a smoke, and the mate brought out the chart of the West Indies and spread it on the table. “There’s Grand Turk Island,” he said, pointing at it, and that little spot there to the nor’east is Wolf Island. If your eyes are good you can read its name. I don't suppose you want its bearing down to seconds, do you?” ; “No,” ‘said Jack. “In fact, now that I see where it is, and you say it is fifty miles northeast of Grand Turk, the lati- tude and logitude is not of as much importance as I thought.~ “There it is, close enough for you to make the Key if you were a - navigator. Longitude, 70 degrees 14 minutes west; latitude, 21 degrees 50 minutes north,” said the mate, passing the boy a slip of paper on which he had written the figures. Jack thanked the mate for the information, added the addi- tional fact that the Key was about 50 miles northeast of Grand Turk Island, and took his leave. CHAPTER VI. THE UNMANNED SCHOONER. It was dark when Jack got to the cottage, and he found Ruby anxiously watching for him at the gate. “What kept you so long, Jack, dear?” she said, after he had given her his customary brotherly kiss. “I was beginning to fear that something had happened to you, too.” “Nonsense!” Jaughed the boy. “I was aboard a brig loading at one of the wharves.” “What took you there?” ; “T wanted to find out the situation of wolt Key.” “Did you learn what you wanted?” “Yes. I know exactly where the island is. I guess I can skow you on the map of the West Indies in your geography. That probably ‘shows Grand Turk Island, and Wolf Key is about 50 miles northeast of it. It is only a smali, sandy place. Nobody goes “there but turtle catchers, and they ‘only, during the season when the turtles are hunted.” “Sit right down to your supper, It’s been ready for nearly an hour,” Fag had a bite aboard’ the -brig, but I guess I can eat some more. During thet neal he told her all he learned ior the Biate. “What goodwill this do you, Jack?” said Ruby. “You surely don’t expect to go to the island.” “If Bill doesn’t turn up and go treasure hunting himself I may make a trip to the island one of these days. With the chart, which holds the only clew to the supposed treasure, in, my getgpenion. the thing will, Pape i At the stull is. al net

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BURIED GOLD. 9 there, which I am inclined to doubt, no one else can find it, so I can take my own time about investigating it. That won't for some time, for I’l] neéd money to reach the Tropics, and €nough funds to charter a small craft to sail to the Key in.” “I'm glad you don’t want to go right away. What would I do without you now that Bill is missing—perhaps dead?” “Don’t worry, little one. No fear of me leaving you.” That evening Jack got out his copy of the chart and added the latitude and longitude on the back. It was unnecessary to put down that the Key was 50 miles Northeast of Grand Turk Island,'for the boy was not likely to forget the fact. He also put the latitude and longitude on the back of the Parchment chert. During Bill’s absence he thought Ruby ought to take charge at his pocketbook, so he got it out of the chest and handed it © her. She put it in the tin box along with the chart and the letter, and kept the box in her trunk in the closet. One warm evening in August Jack and a friend of his named Sam Swinten hired a sailboat and laid their course for the Mouth of the little harbor. Jack had invited Ruby to accompany them, but a bad head- ' ache prevented her from taking the trip with the boys. They extended their sail outside the harbor. ; _ The breeze was a smacking one, and as the night was fine, and both of the lads clever boatmen, they kept right out at sea until they were two miles from the shore. “I guess we've got far enough,” said Sam; “let’s put back.” “All right. Hello, here comes a craft pe ont any lights set. That’s funny, don’t you think?” “Tt’'s against maritime regulations. What fo you make her out to le?” “A small schooner, as near as I can guess. She's a fore-and- after at any rate.” “She’s acting kind of queer,” safd Sam. “She certainly is. If I were to hazard an septation I should Say there was no one at the helm. Notice how she comes up in the wind and then falls away? That’s a sign that a craft is Steering itself on a loose wheel. Then the circumstance that she doesn’t show the ordinary lights goes to intimate that there's no one aboard of her.”_ ' “If she broke away from her moorings she wouldn’t have her Sails hoisted,” said Sam. “Hardly. She’s heading directly for us. and when we get close we'll hail her.” “All right.” The strange craft, which proved: to be a? peat schooner, ri them like a‘dark shadow, silhouetted against’ the bright orizon. When a cable’s length away the boys shouted together, “Schooner ahoy!” The schooner lay low in the wither, showing she had a cargo aboard. She was painted black, with a red band, but the paint looked gray and rusty. There was no one at the wheel, which. abba first one way TH steer for her, / and then the other, as the swish of the water acted on the Tudder. -That was pretty good. evidence that no one was aboard of her, but the boys shouted several times to make sure. “Here’s a chance to make some salvage money,” said Jack. “We'll board her, sail her into the harbor and libel her, then ‘the owners. will have to pay us a fair amount for saving her and her cargo. We a get $500 apiece.” {think so?” cried Sam, eagerly. *T do.” “Then I'm with you. ” Jack ran the sailboat under the: schooner’s lee quarter, and Caught a rope that hung down into the water. “Jump aboard,” said Jack, “with the painter and make it fast to a cleat. I'll drop the sail and follow you. Then we'll ' Make a quick examination of the vessel and a her nose tomar Bartown.” alike 34 ina couple of minutes both boys were on yes ‘schooner’s 8 mis a i. © opening deasilie: down a flight of- ‘steps into the cabin looked and forbidding. Sam went half way down, fashioned his eeaake aay trumpet earch “Ahoy! ‘peat p> pt ae = x eo As the blue flame shot up and dimly illuminated their imme- diate surroundings the boys: entered the cabin together ‘and started to look around. The mizzenmast shot up through the forward end’ of the cabin, and between that and the entrance stood a small table braced to the floor. Two chairs, one at the head and one at the foot of the table, were also secured so they couldn’t topple over in rough weather. J ; Above the table was a skylight with an unlighted lamp swinging under it. There was no space for staterooms. Instead, there was a bunk on either side perched on a couple of lockers, and hidden by a chintz curtain attached to a horizontal rod with metal rings. Sam was in the act of reaching for one of the curtains when it was suddenly parted and a hairy looking face with great goggling eyes was thrust forth withis a foot of Sam’s own countenance. He uttered a yell of fright and started back, dropping the expiring match on the floor. Jack had caught a fleeting glimpse of the hideous face, too, and was as much staggered as his companion, though he made no outcry. There came a rustle in the darkness, and before the boys could move each was seized by a powerful arm and flung against the mast, one after the other. The shock deprived them of consciousnes, and ii lay on the floor just as they fell. The strange being which had laid them out chattered volubly and then sprang up the stairs to the after deck. Although it walked upright it was certainly an animal, for it had no clothing and was covered with hair. Its arms were abnormally long, and its legs short in propor- tion to its body. In the starlight it greatly resembled a young gorilla, almost fully grown. The animal looked around and noticed the sailboat shone Its curiosity seemed to be excited. With a leap it landed in the boat. Almost the first thing it did was to inspect the painter which held the boat to the schooner. ‘ Giving the rope a strong jerk, the hitch Sam had taken around the cleat pulled free, the animal tumbled over back- ward, and the sailboat parted. company with the schooner. The animal set up a jabbering, expressive, no doubt, of its surprise at the new state of affairs, and rushing to the bow reached: for the schooner, now three yards away, and rapidly widening its distance. The animal seemed inclined to leap across. the watery gulf. in order to regain the schooner: iy If that idea was in its head it gave it up. itt - After staring at the retreating schooner; it glided aft and sat down beside the rudder, which it worked first one way and then the other. : The sail being down the boat had no way on her, and so the schooner, in spite of her jerky movements, gradually left her further and further’ in the rear, During the night the wind changed around to 8. by E., and the schooner went off on her course without any help from the rudder. The sky, which had been quite bright and clear when the two boys sailed out of Bartown harbor, clouded up and threat- ened rain, perhaps a spell of dirty weather. ee Toward morning the wind increased a bit in weight, and as the sea became rougher the schooner pitched to it, and when her stern rose the waves struck the loose rudder with a jarring. sound, “The boys, however, were unconscious of all that was passing. And so the little'craft continued to work off shore, and get further to the south every hour. — Nf t — ; - <5. Be CHAPTER VII. " + ON BOARD THE SCHOONER, § =~ % ‘Daylight, dull and wintry ee ae was ad oeiieg ut down through the skylight, out of the gloom the various — objects about the cabin, w Jack came to hia, Senses. — eee He #et. 8p @ looked about him. — rite Sam lay beside him, still dead to the world. There was 4 swelling on Jack's head, and Be foi or erode | as tho: } ; =

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10 BURIED .Then he noticed that it was dawn. “My gracious! Have we been aboard this ctatt all night?” he ejaculated, as he struggled on his feet. “It must be around four, and we came aboard between nine and ten. At any rate the schooner has carried us seme. distance from the entrance of Bartown harbor. We must get back as scon as we can.” Then his thoughts recurred to the hairy, monster which had come upon them in the dark and handled them without gloves. It was not cheerful to think that such a creature was at large aboard, and might finish them the next time. _ “We'll have to give up the idea of taking this craft into port,” he thought. “It isn’t a safe proposition with that ani- mal to.cope with, and not a weapon to defend ourselves with. I wonder what kind of a beast it is?” Remembering it had issued from between the curtains en- closing the port bunk, he looked fearfully at those curtains now, the gradually increasing light showing up every part of tke cabin now. The curtains in question waved and trembled under the in- fluence of the air that ¢ame down through the opening, and with the roll and pitch of the schooner. © Jack noticed that the motion of the little vessel was more pronounced than when they came aboard of her. From that fact he judged that the wind had freshened somewhat. i Well, he must get Sam around so they could-get away in the sailboat before they had another run-in with the hairy beast. He shook his companion roughly and chafed his temples, but Sam did not respond. Against the cabin bulkhead, he saw a small red cask marked “Water.” | A tin cup attached to a chath hung lose to it. _ Jack went over and turned the m cock. ; A Fame of water ran out into the cup which he held un- er it He drank the water and felt somewhat better. “ He walked over to what appeared to be a cupboard, opened the door, and found three shelves, with a band along the bot- tom of each to keep their contents in place, on which stood a row of plates, another of cups and saucers, a cruet stand and many other articles of table service. A drawer underneath contained knives, forks and spoons. Jack took a cup, filled it with water and threw its contents in Sam’s face. The second application brought his- companion ‘around. “Hello, where am I?” cried Sam, staring about baa ean “On board the’ schooner,” replied Jack. “Schooner! What schooner?” asked Sam. ~“Don't you remember that we boarded one last night outside Bartown harbor?” “So I do, We’entered the cabin, and then something awful and hairy sprang upon us in the dark, and that is all I re- member.” “Yes, whatever the hairy thing was it did us up for the time being. We have been lying here unconscious all’ night.” “All night! Great mackerel, is that so?” “Can't you see-that it’s daylight?” “Yes. Light is coming in through the skylight, It is pretty early, for the sun isn’t up yet. Where is that that beast that at- tacked us?” said Sam, looking around fearfully. “T don’t know. I haven’t seen it since I recovered my senses, I guess it has gone forward somewhere and is asleep. We must get away before it awakes or there is no telling what might happen to us.” 3 “That's right. If we've been aboard this craft all night we have some distance to sail back. You may reach town soon enough to go to work on tirfe, but you won't be able to go home for your breakfast. You’ ll have to eat at a restaurant on the water front.” y has worried over my absence all night, I'll bet,” said ‘Jack as they started for the deck. _“Why should she? There hasn’t been any bad weather to put us two in any danger. Last night was as fine a summer rs _ night, as you could pick out.” - = that beast on board?” Jack stepped on deck and looked fpr the sailboat. ‘It was gone, as the reader knows, e _ “The boat is " gasped Jack. -“Must have got loose Now what are we going to do, with “Oh, heavens!” ejaculated Sam. “And I can’t see the coast line. The sky is all clouded a If that sailboat is lost we'll s have to pay for her.” _ “Never mind about the sailboat now. We have @ More seri- ous problem on our hands, and that a dal to ee: our- hs: selves against that beast. Pe i Let us return to the sailboat and push off.. “GOLD. “What kind of animal do you think it is?” “T couldn’t tell you, for I didn’t see it but for an instant.” “T saw. its face. It looked like a huge baboon. It had a terribly fierce expression. Those monkeys are awfully strong. That fellow could squeeze the life out of us in no time.” “Since the sailboat is gone we ought to head the schooner toward the shore.” “Sure; but where is the shore. It is not in sight.” “Tt lay in that direction when we came aboard.” “The schooner might have altered her course during the night. There’s the binnacle, Take a look at the compass card. should say that a northeast course is what we ought to fol- ow. “The compass is not under the hood,” said Jack. been removed.” “That’s hard luck. If the sun would only show itself for a moment we could get our bearings.” “The only thing we can do now is to hold the vessel up on her: present course and trust to luck. If we sight another craft we'll signal for aid.” Jack moved the wheel around to the proper point that got the sehooner under control, and two big sails with the jibs drawing properly. On account of the supposed presence of the gorilla on board he decided to lash the wheel so the vessel would steer herself. “The question is, where is that baboon, if it is a babcon?” said Sam. “It is probably asleep or it would have shown itself.” “The scuttle forward is open. I guess it’s down there. We had better take off our shoes, slip over there, draw the cover over the opening and fasten it. That will make a prisoner of the beast, and leave us free to work the vessel into the nearest port.” “Tm game to do it,” said Sam. to save our lives.” Off came their shoes, and the boys crept forward to the seut- tle. Sam shut it and secured it by means of the hasp. Then they felt easier until Sam suggested that the beast might after all be asleep in one of the cabin bunks. “Tt came upon us out of one of them,” he said. “Let’s shut the cabin slide, too, to make a sure thing of the job.” Jack agreed that his companion’s suggestion was a good one, and they hastened aft to put it in force. “Tt has “It may be the only way “Wait a minute, I'd like to make sure that the animal is in © the cabin,” said Jack. “He can’t be in both places. I believe we've got him caged forward.” “How are you going to find out?” asked Sam. “T’m going down to peer behind the two curtains.” “T wouldn't take the risk if I were you.” “T think it’s a fair one. If the animal was in one of the bunks it would have heard the noise we made after we re- gained our senses, and doubtless have shown itself. We may need the use of the cabin before we reach shore, so I'm not going to shut it up without real cause.” Jack went down softly and lifted the end of the curtain which hid thé port bunk, where the animal was ensconced the night before, and saw it was empty. He crossed over to the other bunk and found that one empty, too, “It’s all right,”, he said to Sam, who was watching at the opening. “The beast isn’t down here.” “He might be hiding in some corner,” replied Sam. “There’s no other Place that offers any concealment.” Sam was satisfied and came down. “Then we’ve got him safe forward unless he breaks out,”* he said. “Yes. There’s a coil of cable forward attached to the anchor. We can drag that over to the scuttle and recoil it on top of it. That will hold him.” They went forward and carried out that scheme, ignorant of the fact that they. were only wasting their efforts because the gorilla was not on board, Now that they had the animal off their minds they began to think about their own situation. It was after eight o'clock, though the boys did not believe it was later than six, until they noticed the cabin clock. They were both feeling hungry, and that was a serious mat- ter unless they could find food on board. “Let’s see what we can find in the way of grub?” said Sam. A second cupboard produced some jars of potted tongue. a tin of crackers, and various other ecatables. . With water to wash the food down the boys made a fair breakfast off what they found in the cupboard.

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BURIED GOLD. i! RIOR SETS RUPRS Sees FE ce rE VE Sy ae ga eee ee ne a ee A sete cl SS RR aa a REE NEE IT Soe oe Ea __. While they were eating Jack spied two closed and hinged ' Goors, opening upward, in the forward bulkhead. examination of these revealed a lot of provisions, in- cluding two whole hams, only one of which had been opened. Subsequently a trap-door in the floor-disclosed more canned 90d and crackers in boxes which had not been touched. A case of light wine, and another of whisky, together with tap. bottles of French cognac, were also down under the “There's enough stuff aboard to feed the few people neces- Sary to work this craft for a whole voyage to the West Indies ‘and back,” said Sam. At the mention of the West Indies Jack suddenly recalled Wolf Island and the charted treasure. He had his copy of the chart in one of his inside pockets, @nd he thought that here was a fine chance to go after the _ treasure. With only Sam for a companion he felt that if they found 46 money they would have no difficulty in bringing it away. _ If he had to rely on the help of strangers, as would ordi- Rarily be the case, the temptation of taking the treasure away from him would probably be too strong for them to resist, and they might even murder him in order to secure the whole - Of it for themselves. _ , Such things had happened before and were quite likely to happen again. The idea of going after the treasure excited him only for a Moment. He would gladly embark on such an enterprise if it offered Teasonable chance of success; but he realized that it was almost out of the question, for he and Sam were not naviga- ; » Nor were they capable otherwise of sailing a schooner _ Such a vast distance as that which ‘intervened between their _ Present position, close to the State of Maine, and the Carib- _ bean Sea. Five or six people, including a captain and a mate, were - Necessary to carry the vessel dowrf the Atlantic, and handle oer in rough weather, which they were bound to meet with fore their destination hove in sight. Without owing how to make sights and calculate their Position on a chart, without even a compass aboard, what Chance had they of making Grand Turk Island, or any other of the Bahama group, except by accident? Hardly any. -». Whereas they would have every chance of going to the bot- tom in a gale before they had gone half the distance. Thus thought Taek as he and Sam returned on deck. - CHAPTER VIII. d A STRENUOUS TIME. As the morning passed the weather grew more unpropitious, a the boys became anxious their chances of reaching re seemed unlikely to be realized very soon. While the wind did not increase, but on the contrary grew eneer the horizon became misty, and the mist closed in on them “by. degrees, contracting the ocean into the limits of a e lake, and reducing their chances of seeing. a sail if one "Appeared within signaling distance. As the wind continued to die away, their only hope lay ina Steamer plying between Boston and Maine ports. Even that chance was doubtful, as the schooner was now » Well to the eastward of the Massachusetts coast, and beyond track of the coastwise steamers. sunt S, however, they did not know. They believed they were close in to the-coast. And they did not dream they were so far to the south. Noon arrived, as they learned from the clock in the cabin, : and rly afterward they went to a cold meal. They had heard no sounds from under the scuttle lid, which thay looked for as soon as the animal they believed confined woke up and tried to get out. — The thing was bound to, make considerable of a racket, but -‘Rothing in that line happened, . cpaboon must be taking a long sleep,” remarked Sam. so,” answered Jack. “The longer the better. 2 ‘right. I wish it would hever ‘wake up.” — The wind was now coming in fits and starts., “Tm we'll have a blow by night,” said Jack. Mw Ought to take in the safl while the chancé fs ours,” d Same “We never Will be able to handle the | canvas when it comes on to biow hard.” ; ‘ngs decided that Sam’s suggestion was a wise one, and Y proceeded to carry it into’ effect. °: They lowered the after sail enough to enable them to tie the reefs to the boom. ae they lowered it further and tied up the second line of cords. : it more they let the big. sail down and took a third reef n Ri 8 did the same with the mainsail, and then they reefed the jibs. “T guess that will do,” said Jack. “If we run into a gale, we can easily let the rest of the sail down by the run.” They were now in a dead calm, and the mist had closed in so fast that they seemed to be floating 6n a mill pond. By five o'clock the schooner was swallowed up entirely by the fog. Jack got more rope ready to tie the wheel with in case of nécessity, then they went into the cabin, lighted the lamp, found a pack of cards and played whist till it was time to pipe to supper. The calm was still holding. “We ought to put a couple of lights up,” said Sam. might be run down in this fog.” “T don’t think the lights we could show would help us much, for they couldn’t be seen very far. However, let’s look for the schooner’s lanterns.” They couldn’t find them, and concluded that they were down where the animal) was supposed to be. ey “It's funny we haven't heard from the beast,” said Sam. “T should think it would wake up hungry and start on a rampage in the forecastle and galley. We couldn’t help hear- ing the noise if it did.” The gloom of twilight was on the ocean, though the sun which could not be seen was still above the horizon, but this deepened gradually as night came on, and soon the schooner was floating through impenetrable darkness. At nine o'clock they felt so sleepy that each turmed into one of the bunks. Along toward morning Jack was awakened by the pitching of the vessel and the howling of a gale which was tearing her over the water at a great rate. Sages of the lads had removed more than his jacket and shoes, * Jack sprang out of his bunk and, holding on, looked up the small companion-way. . He saw nothing but blackness, but he could feel the wind as it poured down as through a funnel. He heard the wheel creak under the strain of the rudder chains, but its fastenings were holding. The schooner was closehauled; that is, the booms were aboard, so that the wind, as the vessel fortunately was on her right course, struck that part of the sails exposed obliquely and partially spilled out, “We Nevertheless, she heeled over considerably, and was going like a racehorse, By' great good luck the wind had come from the quarter best for the schooner under the conditions in which she was placed. No change of the rudder was imperative, but she would have gone easier had there been a hand at the wheel to meet flukes in the wind. Most boys would have been terrified at their utter helpless- ness, but Jack had ques courage, and he was familiar enough ay fore-and-afters ‘that the schooner was doing pretty we Sam slept on unconscious of the warfare of the wind. Jack lay down again, for he could do nothing to help things any. After a time he dropped asleep and did not wake till daylight was sifting through the skylight. The gale was still at its height, and there had been no change in the wind. The vessel had traveled over a hundred miles since the gale caught her, and her course had taken her S. by E. right out into the Atlantic. ‘Sam woke up and joined his somkiiseiliten: “A storm has come on-after all,” he said. begin? I didn’t hear it till I woke up a minute ago.” “IT guess it’s been on most of the night.’ I was aroused by “When aia it the tumult at two o’clock, and it was the same as it is now.’ °” . “Then it may blow out soon.” “I think it more likely to last all day. As long as the wind’ holds as it is we needn't care.” i “Isn't there too much sail on her?” “I don’t know that there is. If the gale gets bietnger we can let the sail down, but it will be a ticklish job, for we are — heeled over a good bit, and that with a slippery oy: and no life lines, would make it a dangerous matter.” 4s -

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one of them we may be able to get a 12. ; BURIED The boys made a poor breakfast, and then took up their be at the doorway, whtre they talked and hoped for the “That beast is getting a shaking up,” said Sam. “The coil-of hawser has probably slipped off the scuttle cover, and it may break its way out. In that case it would stand some chance of being washed overboard, which would suit us. exactly.”.. “The brute would cling to the foremast, and it’s’ strong enough to hold out,” said Jack. “That's right. Those baboons are pretty. nimble. make its way aft here, it out.” “We couldn't keep it out if it smashed the skylight.” Sam hadn’t thought of that, and the bare idea of such a thing made him nervous. If the animal got in it might kill them both in no time. During the afternoon the wind changed around some and the boys, at the risk of their lives, had to unship the lashings of the wheel and relash it after Jack got the schooner on her proper course. ae Was no let up in the storm all day, nor'that night, er. The gale broke on the following forenoon, but it blew-hard all day, and was still almost half a gale when they turned in. Their course was now due south, and they. did! not discover the fact till the sun came: out next morning, “We're heading toward the south,” said Jack.. “As this has been our course during the last: twenty-four hours, and pretty nearly so before that, we must be some hundreds of miles from Bartown,; and away out in the Atlantic.” “Then we’ve got to turn around and run back, and it will probably take us four or five days to return,” said Sam. “I'd like to. know just how far we've come,” said Jack. It might We must. keep-on the watch and shut “If + § thought we could make the Tropics right side up I'd go on there.” “What the dickens do you want to go to the Tropics for?” cried Sam, evidently greatly astonished. ‘ ite you game to keep on on the chance that there is money in it “Show me where: the money comes in and I'll talk business,” “T'll do it, of course. I have a copy of an old Spanish chart which Bill got hold of through the supposed death of an old shipmate of his at Belize, in British Honduras, about five years ago. This chart appears to have been made by one of the old Caribbean buccaneers. You have heard that those rascals carried on repeated robberies of vessels on the Carib- N bean and the Spanish Main for a hundred years, or until they were finally exterminated by the British and American \war- ‘ships about the-early part of this century, between 1823 and 1830, or thereabouts.” “Well?” said Sam, in a tone of interest. “You. have also heard, I dare say, that when Nee ee got strenuous with: them, and they were frequently chased by warships, that they put in at out-of-the-way islands and buried the bulk of their plunder to prevent it falling into the hands’ of their “Yes, I’ve read that they did so.” “The chart, of which I possess an exact copy, shows where _ @ considerable treasure of the old buccaneers was buried.” “Ts that so?” said Sam, stiJl more interested. “It was hidden on the shore of one of the Bahama Keys, an island that bears some resemblance to a wolf, and was, in consequence, called Wolf Key, and pe by that name on the regular navigators’ charts to-day. island lies fifty miles northeast of Grand Turk Island, Bae: the end of the Bahama I don’t know if the treasure is still there, but as it is said to amount to $100, 000, it’s worth trying for.” “I should say so,” said Sam, cotiaplabticatty. “It is a long trip down there for us to make in this little schooner, short handed and without a navigator. We will run a great risk, but now that we spare compass, and the for Grand Turk Island, said Jack. : course Staaf ¥ you.” said Sam. “Yes, te Ney weather is likely to hold fair for a while after if the schooner can weather one storm she can another, I ¢ ; | ret waite a way is to ie, are well started in that, Pro lone of the lockers, but it “How long will that take?” “It will be hard to tell. It may take a couple of weeks.” “Let's go forward and see if its stirring about now.” This they did, but not a sound came out of the forecastle. The boys were puzzled by the silence. “I wonder if the: blamed thing could have gone overboard the first night, after doing us up,” said Sam. “It’s hardly likely in a comparatively smooth sea.” “We-shayen’t heard a sound from it since.” “The only way to find out is to open the scuttle, and I for one don’t care to take the chance.” “Neither do I.” They ventured to pound on the scuttle: and tramp about on the deck, to see what would happen, but nothing did, and they wondered whether the animal was down there or not. As the day wore on the wind slackened to a fair breeze, and being now committed to the trip to the Tropics, they hoisted both jibs all the way up and let out the reefs in the big sails. Under full canvas, with one of the boys at the wheel all the time, they bowled along in fine shape. The weather held fine all the rest of the week. The only thing that bothered Jack was the thought of Ruby, and her anxiety as well as grief over his disappearance. That left her quite alone, but he comforted himself with the refiection that she had plenty of money to get along on, and if, in the meanwhile, Bill turned up she would be all right. On the tenth day after leaving Bartown they came close enough to a bark to signal her... The vessel lay to and sent a boat, , The second mate was. in her. ‘ When he'found that only two boys were aboard the schooner he said he bad no doubt that the captain would send a couple of hands to help’ them work the yessel into the nearest port; which he said would be Baltimore. Jack declined his offer, and said all he wanted was a com- pass and their assistance in, ridding the forecastle of a baboon or gorilla, which he believed was pretty well starved out by that time. The two seamen who rowed the boat came aboard, the scut- tle Was opened, and all hands went down to tackle the beast. He was not found there, so the boys were now satisfied that it had gone overboard the first night, and that they had been unnecessarily worried since. The mate returned with a compass, and took the name_of the schooner, and the port she,hailed from, which was Halifax, B “ "The boys could nei furnish the name of the owner, but for fear that if they dién’t the captain of the bark might: insist on carrying them inté Baltimore, Jack said she belonged to his ‘unele, and that they were bound for Port au: Prince, He did’ not consider it prudent to ask for the right course he wanted, and so the two vessels parted company, and the boys made no alteration in. shele Soutee: which the compass ely: was §,S.E. CHAPTER IX, STRIKING THE BAHAMAS. We will not follow the schooner’s course to the West Indies. It would be too long and tedious. -It is enough to say that after a fairly good trip they sighted land one morning a couple of points on the port bow. Sam was the one who first spotted it. a Jow, cloud-like shape on the distant horizon, and called Jack’s attention to it. The schooner was then, under all. sail, making good time with a favoring wind. | oi The sky was bright and clear; and the sun a ' The fact that it had been steadily growing warmer for the past week told the young treasure. seekers that they were ap- aching ‘the ‘Tropics, — The cloud ahead in time solidified itself and the lads knew it must be land, the first they had seen since they: ye sight ‘of the Maine coast. © It appeared: to be an island, and -from the course hey were following ‘they did not “expect to meet with anything else, What island it was they hadn’t the remotest idea, They had found a chart of the West Indies among others in , of no use to them. — They had also found a’ ‘sextant and other nautifeny instru- ments, but were ignorant of their use, . Taking a sight at noon on a bright day, and then making the necessary calculations to determine the position of ‘the ‘schooner was utterly beyond them. So they had simply — eisai knowing: that the ae

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SCean was clear before them until they reached the long, strag- § group of islands known as the Bahamas. aking no account of coral rocks and sandy shelves, of which Many are scattered at haphazard through the group, the nds are said to number about 500. The chain extends, from northwest to southeast, 550’ miles. The islands generally are of reef-like shape, long and low. With little appearance of soil they derive considerable fer- lity from the tendency of the porous rock to retain moisture. Notwithstanding the number of the islands there was still a Considerable chance of the boys, ignorant of navigation, pass- through the group without even sighting one of them, for Mere are wide passages here and there between many of them. ” This did not happen to them, and as luck would have it the - Island they were now approaching was an important one of © group. Tt was called Mariguana, and was about thirty-five miles _ long, but very narrow. As the schooner drew nearer the lower portions rose into “sight, and the land appeared so extensive that the boys began to wonder if they had not passed through the Bahamas entirely 8nd were heading for either Hayti or Cuba. “It’s a mighty big island,” said Sam. “That's what it is,” admitted Jack. “At any rate, we'll find 4 port no doubt and be able to learn our bearings.” “It’s about time we found out where we are. It’s a fool » trick trying to sail a vessel on your nerve and luck. A fellow feels lost at every stage of the game.” : “He is lost, just as much as if he were driving a team across “a & trackless prairie, with only an indefinite idea of what was head of him. Here we have hit our first sight of Jand. All ¥ e can caleulate upon is that it’s an island; but even with the ~ Chart spread out under our nose we couldn’t tell what island it is. “We don’t know whether we are in the middle of the hames or at the eastern end. In fact, we can’t swear but that is Hayti, or Cuba, or perhaps Porto Rico. Now if we were ‘Practical navigators we could tell just what island it is. We ‘Undertook a foolish risk, but the object to be attained seemed to justify it. People will do most anything to gain money. We may consider ourselves lucky in pulling out so well. are probably now within a few hundred miles of our destina- On, and there seems no reason why we should not reach » Wor Island. Whether we shall find the treasure is another ~ question.” - * We'll find it if it’s there; for your directions seem to be ex- - Plicit enough,” said Sam. _ “ft think we deserve to find it, for we have taken a big risk coming after it.” “If this is the turtle season it won’t be prudent for us to . 80 to the island, since we are likely to find vessels in the neigh- * borhood, and maybe shore parties camped onthe place, With . Strangers around we couldn't do anything.” “Wo'll find that out before we reach the island.” Late that afternoon the boys were so close to the land ahead is * t they made out a small bay with one-story houses along |~ < _ the; water's edge and in the near background. They sailed in toward a small wharf, for they found it im- Bossible to drop their anchor, and made fast. -. The schooner was immed aptly boarded by a native official who asked Jack what he meant by making fast to the wharf before he had reported his arrival and shown his papers. As he spoke in Spanish the boy didn’t know, what he was * driving at, but saw that he did not look pleased. Jack shook his head and said he did not understand. - The official took him by the arm and escorted him up the _ Wharf’ and along the shore to a house. The proprietor was an Engitsbman, and was er to act _ 88 interpreter. - Through him Jack gave a guarded explanation. He said thee schooner had drifted from her moorings in some Way, leaving the captain, mate and crew behind, and not being _ ©Xpert navigators they had been unable to head her back, par- ee as they were caught in a heavy gale, so they had eee need. leaving it to luck where they would fetch up. wy rekeeper expressed his astonishment at this story, and so so “hee acares official when it was TREATS, to him. ~ What ina is this?” asked Jack. . _ “Mariguana, one of the Bahamas.” — ts Et OW Pants is: the Grand Turk Island from here?” mode 150 miles, east by south.” Good,” sald Jack. “That's where we want to go.” == ce “aie se schooner ts hound for that island, then?” ~ i Hew ‘@ you expect, #4, aces a not being navigators BURIED GOLD. We. 13 “I thought I might pick up a-native here who could help us out.” “TI dare say you can. The official of the port might be able to’ provide you with a suitable person. I'll ask him.” The official said he could for a certain sum, which’ he men- tioned. Then it occurred to Jack that neither he nor his companion had any funds to speak of. He was afraid to admit that, however, and said he would consider the offer and let the official know in the morning: He inquired if he could buy fresh vegetables and ‘fruits for American money. The Englishman said he could. “English money is current here. I will make an exchange for you, and then you can go down the street and buy what you want. You will find it very cheap.” Jack produced'a $2 bill; and the Britisher, handed him eight shillings, saying that he would charge him eight cents for the exchange. The official said he would call at the schooner about eight o’clock in the morning with a man, and the boy could take him or not as he chose. “All right,” replied Jack, who then started for the place where fruits and vegetables were on sale. For four shillings be got as much as he and a native boy. could lug in two large baskets. His purchases intluded two dozen eggs ‘and some fresh meats, but not much of the latter. This addition to’ their bill-of-fare was very acceptable to the boys, who had grown tired of canned goods and cured ham. “How are we going to pay the native navigator?” asked Sam, after Jack had told him all about his interview with the official and the Englishman. “We can't take him. When things get quiet after night® fall we'll slip our moorings and trust to luck to reach Grand Turk Island. It is 150 miles from here, east by south.” “All right. You’re the doctor. Suppose you had told the exact truth to the native boss, what would he have done?” “He probably would have taken possession of the schooner, and that would have been the end of our: eruise as far as Wolf Island is concerned.” “You were smart to put him off the track. But when we reach Grand Turk we may run up against the same difficulty.” “We won't stay there any longer than. to make sure of its identity. Then we'll lay our course northeast: with only. fifty miles to-go to reach the treasure island. , We'll begin the. run, at daylight and have all day to find the island. In a oo, breeze this. craft is good for ten or: dtwelve miles an our. Night fell with tropiea suddenness while the boys were at supper. By nine o'clock the mail village port was dark and silent. = stiff off-shore breeze was blowing which favored Jack’s plan. They waited an hour longer, and then slipped their mooring ropes ‘and slid out toward the Atlantic. There ‘were a dozen small vessels in the bay, but their de- parture passed unnoticed. “The native boss will be as mad as a hatter in the morning when he finds the schooner gone,” grinned Sam. “What do we care? He won’t be able to overhaul us if he should want to.” “He might send a native craft over to Grand Turk to warn the authorities about us.” “Let him. He won't catch us. In this breeze we should reach Grand Turk by to-morrow noon.” “If we don’t miss the island.” “Tt is a pretty good-sized island. I guess we won't miss it.” . Rages pass igs ere on Bint peleiting at can. em in sight asa gu the — anaee which was spread out on the table, Jack roughly measured distances on the chart and said. that Caicos Passage, which lay between Marlguana and aan: Grand Caicos group, was about sixty miles wide. “The northern line of the S Tun about fifty miles,” ,|he added. “Then Grand Turk ook is about reget: Ae 43 miles wide. We still have some distance to run before the eastern end of this island. Altogether the Tngtishoan’s statement df 150 miles to Grand Turk {fs pretty correct.” ; “He ought to know, I should think,” said Sam. — As the night ward brilliant starlit one, and the air as a bell, they co see for a considerable distance. “Jack kept within about a mile of Mariguana, noose Pa they left it hue « ‘a coure hs lar, epee cane as clear

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14 BURIED Sam had turned in an hour before, and was to relieve Jack at three, When Jack called him there was no Jand in sight anywhere. GOLD. — They ran in as far as Jack thought it prudent to go and then the anchor was let go, It fell into the water with a splash, and the sails were let “The course is east by south, remember, Sam. We should/ down with a rush. be in the middle of the passage by now. By the time my The vessel slowly swung her stern shoreward, showing that spell below is up, or around seven, you ought to see one of| the tide was rising. He islands, either ahead or on the port or starboard bow,” e said. - Sam nodded and Jack went below and turned in. At half-past six Sam made out what he took to be land! we'}] eat and then launch the boat and go ashore. ahead. He was right, for thirty minutes later, when he called Jack, and was in plain sight on the starboard bow. Jack took the wheel while Sam ‘started to prepare break- fast. When it was ready Jack lashed the wheel and went forward to eat, for since they, began using the galley, to cook coffee, and other things, they found it convenient to do their eating there. , When Jack came on deck twenty minutes later he saw an- other island on the port bow. There was no doubt in his mind that they were approach- ing the Grand Caicos group, and he told Sam so. F Then he returned to the wheel. 'Y noon they were close to both islands, with a third fu her to the right. “Jack directed Sam, who was steering now, to bear away more to the east so as to bring the island on the port bow around on the starboard. As no more land showed to the left Jack said they had hit the northern part of the group. “This is what I wanted to do,” he said, “though it wouldn’t have made a whole lot of difference.” “I suppose we'll reach the end of this group around dark?” said Sam, “though it doesn’t seem to be what you would call dark at any time.” “About that time. I guess we won’t put in anywhere for fear of complications, for we don’t want to risk being held up on the last stage of our trip. I think it will be safe to stand for Wolf Island after we get we ought to fetch by ten to-night if the wind doesn’t drop.” close in to Grand Turk, which | She didn’t go all the way around, as her keel hit the bot- tom and her stern listed to the starboard. “She'll float all right in a little while,” said Jack. “Now We can’t ,do any treasure hunting to-day, for the sun is too high. We'll see what we can do in the morning at low tide.” They postponed going ashore until well along in the after- noon on account of the heat, which was something fierce. There wasn’t much to see anyway, so they could very well wait. “I guess this isn’t the turtle season,” said Sam, “for there are no vessels on the ground but ours. We are lucky.” “If we are fortunate enough to find the treasure, or make certain that it isn’t here, to-morrow or next day, we'll get away before any strangers comé on the scene. We'll use the sounding line that’s in the locker to measure off the distances with. That’s laid off in fathoms, a knot at every six feet. Everything depends on beginning right. With the sun in the right position at low tide we start to measure off eight fathoms, or 48 feet, toward skull rock, which we can see from here, standing on that rocky ledge. Then we face due east— the compass will fix that all right—and measure off twelve fathoms, or seventy-two feet. That's all, for that is the place where the digging is to be done. Simple, isn’t it?” “Very,” said Sam. They went ashore at five o’clock, and the first thing they did was to walk over to the foot of the rocks and climb up to skull rock. For a piece of nature’s handiwork it was a wonderful imi- tation of a skull, It’s gruesome formation could be seen through a spy-glass at some little distance from the island. Sam declared that man, not nature, had made it. . “It’s too much of a likeness to be formed by accident,” he ‘said. “Take it from me, Jack, one of those old buccaneers The wind did fine down some and when the sun set they | who helped bury the treasure chiseled that as a guide mark.” still had Grand Caicos Island, the center and largest of the group, on their starboard -side. . They didn’t leave the group astern till eleven that night. Four hours later Grand Turk showed on their starboard bow, and the schooner was abreast of it by six. Then the wind freshened up again and by seven they left that island on their quarter, and headed northeast out into the ocean on the last lap of their Joumey. after a pirate’s aeaneare, r CHAPTER X. REACHING THEIR DESTINATION. , “As Wolf Key is a small island, very low in*the water, I bmg we are going to have some trouble making it,” said m Jack admitted that they had some job on their hands, but said that as luck had stood by them thus far he hoped it would continue to do so. Luck did stand by them, fer at noon they made out what’ a Re like a, rock rising out of the sea a couple of miles ead. by _ They could see nothing else but water. “That’s a lone rock as sure a8 you live,” said d Bark -*1T'll bet it’s the high end of the island we are making for,” . said Jack, beginning to feel excited now that their destination was close at hand. In a short time they made out the waving tops of cocoanut or palm trees, standing, apparently, in the water. i They were within half a mile of the island before they saw a long sandy shore running away from the rocky head. There was quite a bit of vegetation at the head of the . i island, with two coves and a broad sandy beach. e ~ Qne of the coves appeared wide enough for the schooner to . ~ yun close in and anchor under the shelter of the rocky head. - “We must give her room to swing with the tide,” said yes How. vd eh tell what the depth of the watet is-at low “tikes” said Sa a: “at low tide ge out.” ‘*. ac — nodded Sam, Jack was inelined to agree with him, though it hardly looked like a piece of carving. The action of the weather on it could easily have rounded down the work of an artist, and made it look like a natural product. When one looked at it critically and-saw how regular were all the parts of the skull the suspicion was likely to strike him, as it had struck Sam, that human: hands had been at the bottom of the work. The real cause of its’ origin, however, had no great interest for the boy. i All they cared for was its aid in bringing about the un- earthing of the old buccaneers’ treasure. After satisfying their curiosity concerning it they extended their walk all over the little island. , Usually these keys were formed of coral, covered with sand washed up by the action of the waves over a long period of time. This island appeared to be a mass of solid rock, through up, doubtless, by a submarine. eruption. ‘ With the exception of the head the rock was all below low water mark, on which layer after layer of sand haa i pial lated, until it rose above high water. _ After that an earthy strata had gathered by degrees ea the higher central point, running like a ridge from the head to the eastern end. On this the wind had deposited the seeds of vegetation, which aided by rains and other moisture had blossomed out into a green verdure. Into this verdure had come seeds rm, sprouted into cocoa- nuts and palms. The boys counted. a score of these, the leafy tops of which peeped out the ha stly the former, in shelled fruits, now The rock head was surrounded by. vegetation, and many co- eoanuts flourished there. ; A stream of pure cold water bubbled-up through a “crevice on the top ef the main rock, filled a natural basin, 2nd then’ ran over and down into the bi dab ged and sand at a dozen places. On the north side of the rocks was a hole which the boys.

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aig BURIED GOLD. 15 EE ee ’ investigated, and found that it led into a small, dark cave big - “Rough for one to stand upright in. It was partly floored with sand which had been blown in _ there by the high winds. = “That would make a fine retreat from a hurricane,? said Sam. when they came out. “In fact without something like that to fa} back on it wouldn’t be possible for one to exist on S island in such a terrific blow. Ive read that the West _ +8dian hurricanes, which come on suddenly. and don’t last ; as long as an ordinary gale, are something wild and terrible. , Til bet the sea goes clear over every part of this island but this end. I wonder the trees stand it at all. I should think they'd snap off, they look so slender.” — “Their long, thin trunks offer no resistance to the wind, and _ re as tough as iron and as pliable as Damascus swords. The Wind catches their leafy tops and bends them over at right | angles, but they don’t break. When the wind eases up they Spring back again,” said Jack, who seemed familiar with the | Fe Matter. _ The sun was sinking in the ocean when they returned to the _ Schooner, which was now riding on an even keel, as the tide » Was up. - | By the time supper was ready it was as dark as it ever is In the tropies in fair weather. _ Along about nine, as they sat talking on deck enjoying the _ Sea breeze, the full moon rose and silvered the ocean, a beau- ) tiful sight. _ “What’s that?” said Sam; suddenly, pointing at something _ CTawling up on the beach.’ _. “That? It’s a big turtle,” replied Jack. “There’s another,” said Sam. “There's a third and fourth over there,” said Jack. * Tn a short time the marine animals were coming ashore too > quickly to be kept track off. " _ , They squatted down above high tide and began to make the Sand fly with their flippers. . Into trenches thus formed they laid their eggs and covered ‘them up. “This must be the beginning of the turtle season.” said Jack. “At any rate we have no time to lose. We are liable to have company at any moment.” = They soon went to bed and were up bright and early. . While Sam was getting breakfast Jack saw that _ Schooner was slowly swinging her stern seaward. This indieated that the tide was going out. / . “Pine and dandy!” he ejaculated. “It will be low tide by Nine o'clock, I figure, and that should bring the sun about Tight for us. The sooner we get this treasure job over with ie Is the the better.” He walked forward and told Sam. . _ _ After breakfast they began making their preparations. They had found a shovel on board some days before in the forecastle, with a carpenter’s toolchest. Sam tossed it into the boat along with the iead line and Other articles they thought they might require, - Py eight o’clock they were on the beach. i Jack tried to sight the sun behind skull rock, but it wasn’t ~ high enough yet. » _ They sat down and watched the tide as it fell lower and t t - 2 ae er. ‘ _ ack. pushed a sharp stake down at the water line, and as ‘ the sea kept retiring from it he put it in a fresh spot. _ Eyery little while he looked at skull rock. _ At length he saw tbe sun rising behind it. _. Higher and higher it rose. : _ The skull was now in the center of its flaming disk. . Then Jack saw that the tide was slack and was just kiss- _ tng the stake where he had put it last. — ‘The sun was almost in the exact position indicated by the Writing on the chart. As it was low tide there was no reason for waitmg any “Now, Sami, I'l hold the end of the line against this stake and you measure off eight fathomsyand drive a stake there. _ Then place the compass at that spot. I'll sight east and hold _ the cord. When you have run‘off twelve fathoms stop and face me. When I motion my arm to the right or the left - Move that way slowly and stop when I hold up my hand. a Stake into the sand. We'll make a large cross at the e and then dig at the intersection of the lines,” said Jack. off the ground. “ey 4 be | Stake removed earth. py’ and Jack turned up the first shoyelful of sand . v 7 ~ CHAPTER XI. THE. SURPRISE. Jack worked for ten minutes and then turned the job over }to Sam. : Alternately they worked and sweated like good fellows. “We have to dig down six feet,” said Sam, mopping his brow. . “That is the direction.” “I wonder why such a deep hole was necessary. I should think that in such an out-of-the-way spot as this that three | feet of covering would be enough to hide anything.” wrk “The buccaneers figured that a foot or two of the sand might be blown away in .he course of time.” “I think it would be the opposition—that a foot or two more would be added. That’s the way this part of the island has grown.” “They did not intend to let the treasure lie long here—per- haps only till the chance offered for them to return after it.” “If that is so we'll have all our trouble for nothing.” “That's a chance we knew we had to take. Go ahead or V’ll take the shovel.” ‘ Sam resumed his work, and in five minutes yielded to Jack. , So they kept on for an hour, their labor being doubled’ by the falling in of the sands at the sides. Both finally quit for half an hour, and rested themselves under the shadow of the rocks. ‘ | They spent the time speculating as to whether they would find anything after all their trouble. : Had one of them sauntered around to the other side of the rocks he would have seen a large schooner heading for the island from the ‘southeast. , This vessel “was a turtle catcher, which had come from Puerto Plata, im Hayti. She was called the La Belle Suzanne, and was commanded by a rascally Frenchman named Pierre Barbier, who had lived in the West Indies the greater part of his life. He had a large crew of fellows as unscrupulous as himself. ae other turtle catches feared and detested him and his | outfit. | And not without reason, for there was always trouble when Captain Barbier and his schooner came among them. He hogged everything in the turtle line, and the protests of his rivals went for nothing with him. , He and his crowd would just as soon fight’as eat and drink, and they got into’a serap on the slightest pretext. Naturally the skipper of La Belle Suzatine made. ‘more money in the turtle trade than any other owner, and his crew always had plenty of funds to have a good time with when they were ashore at the wine shops. od He was callous enough and nervy enough and resourceful porto to haye made a name for~ himself in that villainous calling. | As the Frenchman and his vessel approached the island he made out the smail schooner which had brought the boys to that locality lying at anchor close in shore. He naturally judged that one‘of his rivals had reached the island ahead of him, and he grinned horribly at the surprise he expected to hand out to the other fellow. A small turtle catelier could not hurt his business in the slightest particular, as there were lots of turtles to be got around Wolf Island, but he happened to be feeling belligerent just now. and he wanted the whole place to himself. He had no legal right to interfere with any other turtle eatcher, but that fact didn’t worry him. : He had ways of making things unpleasant for other people without making much evidence against himself. The boys, unconscious of the coming of strangers, for their thoughts were so engrossed with the treasure that they for- got about their surroundings, resumed work in the hole, and. t ‘ in course of an hour Sam gave a shout. : “What now?” said Jack. “I’ve struck something hard,” he said. . Jack was on his feet and at the edge of the hole in half a minute. ; “Listen,” said Sam, shoving his spade into the sand. | Jack heard a thud which showed the shovel was meet- ing other resistance than the sand. “Clear the sand away at that spot and let’s see what you’ve struck,” said Jack. an work presently reveiled the end of an iron-bound chest. 2 > f ooh “Hooray!” shouted Sam. “It’s the * Jack and his friend did an impromptu Indian war 7 : aN 1 < a

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' Informed me dat you are ze von only vat know about ze gold. 4 the necessary time to the job. the discovery, and when they had relieved their feelings they hastened to dig the box out. It took some time, and they perspired so freely that their few garments were almost as damp as if the boys had gone into the sea with them on and were standing in the sun to dry them. The chest was an old-fashioned one and not very large. It was heavy, as they expected, and they had the time of their lives landing it on the top of the sand. “Shall we drag it to the boat or open it and then carry the contents aboard the schooner?” said Sam. “We'll open it here and take the stuff aboard piecemeal. We don’t want to take this chest with us for it would attract attention, and that would not be to our interests.” Thus spoke Jack as he picked up a hammer and a cold chisel to break the heavy lock with. “We made no mistake in coming here,” said Sam, glee- fully. “Do you think there is a hundred thousand dollars in money in this chest?” “No. I guess most of the treasure consists of watches, jew- elry, and small silver and gold ornaments.” “Fifty thousand apiece will make us rich.” “I doubt if there is half of that in this chest.” “Well, $25,000 each will put us on easy street.” ._Had they been less interested in the work in hand they might have heard the sounds of oars in the rowlocks of a boat on the other side of the rocks. La Belle Suzanne had come to anchor half a mile off the island, and Captain Barbier, being unable to see anybody aboard the small schooner in the cove, with the aid of his spy-glass, ordered a boat lowered and manned, and springing into it himself told his men to give way. The boat shot up on the sandy beach, all hands got out, and leaving a couple of the men to stay by it, the skipper and two others, one of whom looked very like Tom Tucker, started around the rocks to see what, if anything, was going on on the other side. Jack was pounding on the lock of the old chest and Sam was looking on with eyes ablaze with interest when Captain Barbier and his party came in sight. They stopped in astonishment when they saw the two boys. Their inactivity lasted only a few moments. The man who looked like Tucker uttered an ejaculation of rage and rushed forward, followed by the others. Jack stopped and both he and Sam stared in consternation at the newcomers. Our hero recognized Tucker at once, and his heart sank. “So,” said Tucker, for it was he, “you're the one who had - the chart I came to Bill’s house after, and you helped me search for it all the time, laughin’ in your sleeve at me, eh? And you've come all the way here after it; but we’ve caught you in the nick of time,” and he uttered his old chuckle, ex- pressive of his satisfaction. “You've dug the treasure up and saved us the trouble. That was kind of you,” he grinned, sardonically. “How ees dis?” said Captain Barbier, comprehending that the chief object of their visit to the island had been to a cer- tain extent forestalled by the two boys. “Dat eés ze treasure you spoke to me about, Tuckaire?” “Yes, it is,” said the sailor. “Zen vat eet mean dat dese boys have dug heem oop? You _ Now we find two ozzaire person know eet too. You vill ex- plain ze mattaire.” Tucker had made his way to the West Indies, and having once sailed with the Frenchman, looked him up and found him at Puerto Plata. Then, on condition that he was ‘to have half of the treasure if he pointed out the spot where it was hidden to the captain, he told his story, but admitted that he had lost the chart. He said that he guessed his recollection of the directions would enable them to find it if the captain was willing to give The Frenchman agreed, as he was going over to Wolf Key _ anyway after turtles, and said that while his men were en- gaged in their regular a Ss oe he and Tucker would make a end for the treasure. So the sailor sailed with the captain, the evening, before on ‘La Belle Suzanne, and they arrived just in time to put a stepper on Jack and Sam at the’ most, interenting, part of the nig “as at Sapien Barbier aid ‘not look pleasant, and he was not fooled with, ogg] hastened to explain the he com: m ami,” “sepper, Bed fee at Jack, BURIED. GOLD. “you keep ze chart dat belong to Tuckaire, and zen you try to play on heem ze march. By gar! you are von leetle rascal. Vat ve s’all do wiz heem, Tuckaire? T’row heem in ze sea to make ze shark hees dinnaire, or vat? I gif you ze revenge since he take of you ze advantage.” then we can afford to let them go,” said Tucker. “Seize zem!” cried the skipper. Tucker grabbed Jack and the other sailor nabbed Sam. A couple of short pieces of tarred line were produced and the hands of the boys tied behind their backs. Then Captain Barbier took Tucker aside. somevaire and make ze charge dat ve haf robbed dem. Dat yill make for us some trouble, comprenez? Ze best vay vill be to keep dem, prisonaire aboard ze Belle till ve s’all be ready to leave, den ve will sail for ze Barbados, sell ze turtle dere and lay our course for Havana, where ve vill turn ze gold and ozzaire treasure into good money. After zat ve s’all not eare yat ze boys do. Dey vill get nossing from us.” “That suits me, cap’n,” said Tucker. “Ver’ good. Now'lI vill gif dem de grand scare. Ve vill t’row dem into ze hole, fill dem in wiz ze sand to ze neck, and tell dem dat ees vat s’all be coming to zem. After ve get ze chest aboard ze schoonaire zen we dig zem out, and take zem aboard, too,” grinned the skipper. Tucker fell in with the idea and said they’d be scared to death. “Now, you young rascals, ve haf decided to make of yu bot’ ze example. Ve cannot afford to let you make off wiz your- selves. So ve feex you like ze buccaneer of ze time past would do to dem zey catch making free wiz zere propertee. We bury you oop to ze neck in ze hole you dig and leave you to die ven you get readee. How zat strike you, eh?” “Oh, heavens, don’t do that!” cried Sam, in a fright. “Do you mean to murder us?” cried Jack. “Are you going to stand by and see us done up that way?” he added to Tucker. “T have nothin’ to say about it,” Barbier is the boss here.” “Tf he murders us you will be his accomplice. What did you do with your old shipmate, Bill Blunt? You killed him that night because he wouldn’t give you the chart, or tell you where it was hidden.” “You’re wrong, sonny, I didn’t kill him. A couple of friends of mine carried him off to Rockland where we kept him pris- one till he admitted that he buried the chart fn a tin box in the trunk of a hollow tree in the wood behind the cottage. I went there and found that the tree had been struck by light- ning and thrown down. The box was gone. When Bill heard it was missin’ he went on like a wild man, and said there was somethin’ important in it he didn’t want lost. Figurin’ that the chart was out of my reach for good I came down here relyin’ on my memory to find the treasure. Now I find you here, which is a sign that you have the chart, and the docky- ment Bill is wild over.” “T haven’t got the chart, only a copy of it, and we got here largely by accident.” “What do you mean by accident?” Jack told him in a few words how they came to leave the coast of Maine. Tucker grinned and said something to the captain, “Into ze hole wiz heem!” cried Captain Barbier. He and his mate gave the boy a swing and flung him violently into the excavation. “Dees vill teach heem to not monkey-wiz vat do not belong to heem.” Jack made a desperate but vain effort to free his hands. “Now ze ozzaire fellow!” cried the skipper. Sam was thrown in beside his friend. “Feel oop ze hole—quick!” ordered the captain. The sailor of the turtle catcber caught up the shovel and began tossing the sand in around the boys, while Captain Bar- bier and Tucker watched the work in reat delight, for they alone knew it was only a joke. — replied the sailor. “Cap'n or 4h » gy - CHAPTER XII. THE HURRICANE, When the boys were buried to their waists, Captain Barbier called a halt. “Dat yill do for ze present. We vill take ze chest aboard ze schoonaire, and ven ve come back ve s’all feenish ze job.” As a matter of fact, the captain did not intend to finish it, “Tie both of them until we take the chest aboard the Belle, “Zey haf a schoonaire. Bef we let dem go free zey vill sail — but to sare the ‘boys to his schooner and confine them ‘in the © tet eS

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BURIED GOLD. 1? ——> Id till he had captured a cargo of turtles and was about to sail for the Barbados; then he meant to put Jack and aboard their vessel and let them shift for themselves. The three men got hold of the chest and carried it down to the water's edge. , Go round and fetch ze bout,” said the captain to his sailor. Pig tthe boat into the cove. The boat belonging to the boys was not disturbed: The old chest was handed into the La Belle Suzanne’s boat. 8nd with the two men rowing, and the skipper steering, off _ 4 went, the two dispirited boys watching it till it disappeared im their sight. “That’s the end of the treastre,” end of us.” _ Jack was too discouraged to make any reply. aX _ The sun had risen in the sky, but its heat was not as intense 8s usual. A thick mist had come between it and the earth. The horizon also -had grown misty and uncertain. ‘There was also a strange, weird moaning in the air. Something was apparently about. to happen. One of those sudden West Indian hurricanes was rushing hatin in that direction. » The first indications had passed ‘unnoticed by the captain and his party, but his sharp eye made out what was on the _ tapis, and they rowed back to the schooner. “Make has’e! Make has’e!” he cried, with energy. “Ve Must get avay at once or ve s’all go to-ze smash. A hurricane es coming.” _ Tucker and the other ‘pallor bent to their oars. -* The boat shot through the water toward the schooner, Farhate the mate, aware of what was coming, had got the anchor started ready for hoisting aboard, and the sails reefed to the utmost extent. ~ _. As soon as the boat was alongside, Captain’ Barbier shouted ’ help to get the chest aboard 7 down into the cabin. _, Then the anchor was weighed dnd the La Belle Suzanne Sam followed, and they rashisd into ‘the aye Just as the hur- ‘struck the island in earnest. ar kness, real and terrible, was, now in ‘the air: The wind roared in a way ‘the boys had never known before. Sy achooner is gone. We're marooned: rie this Key,” said Bai: TSG Sntght. have ‘been worse with us. That rascally n intended to bury. us alive. The hurricane saved us that,” said Jack. | , pe he® and Sd vesseol_gdes, down in it, 5: said Sam, A — the ieee’ re. with. him if ha Mains, ie 4 nie that. We re. /I'm: heart-brokeh’ : over it. eee: ‘it in our hands ‘and those rascals 3 unawares and aoe it away. If ge wouldn't "know. bogus rae Se “We meat get around to that na we discovered ' yes and tke’ refuge in ity It's our only: ‘salvation. gone re ie ‘The skipper shrugged his. shoulders and walked away to _The man obeyed orders, and inside of ten minutes he rowed : “Ye it was tough. I’lf never see the word treasure in print after this but I'll have an.attack of heart failure.” “Tye read that there always is a curse on ill-gotten gold. It wasn’t intended that we Should have it. The fact that we almost had it begins to look like a pipe-dream. We didn’t even have the pleasure of seeing what the treasure looked like,” “I'm glad we didn’t, as things have turned out. If that box was’ ful! ‘of costly gems, with a few bags of gold thrown in, and we had had a look in, we'd never have forgotten our loss as long as we lived.” “For all that, there is no doubt that the contents of the _chest was very valuable.” 3 = $$ $$ Btn ey pein Rs! weird came NP ie oe “Don’t let us talk about it any more. We have other troubles to think about. The schooner is probably at the bot- tom of the sea by this time. At any rate, we are not likely to see her again. Here we've got to stay till we're taken. off. Probably some turtle-catcher will do that favor for us.” “How are we going to live in the meanwhile?” “There are turtles’ eggs in the sand, and maybe at a pinch we could catch a turtle.” “We might capture a turtle, but they are hard things to eatch, particularly by inexperienced persons like ourselves. And if we caught one we'd have to kill it somehow and eat its flesh raw. I don’t know whether we could do that.” “Cocoanuts and water for me,” said Sam. After a time they grew tired of talking ‘and sat back, and listened to the fearful uproar of the hurricane. “It’s a fine thing to have a rocky house around you in such a tempest,” said Sam. “We know we are perfectly safe, and all the wind we can feel are the puffs, which come in through the entrance yonder. This is as good as a cyclone cellar.” : It was some time after noon, and the boys missed their mid- day meal. ‘As the afternoon passed away they grew hungrier. ‘There wasn’t the slightest let-up in the hurricane. f If anything, it blew harder than: ever. The roar of the surf was ever in their ears. “Suppose it keeps on like this for several days; we'll be too weak to climb a cocoanut tree. It takés a good climber to shin up them, anyway, for there is nothing to hold on *” said Sam. “J don’t think it will last over to-night, I’ve heard that these storms are shortlived, seldom lasting over twenty-four. hours,” replied Jack. “T hope you’re right about it. I wish it was over now, I’d give a whole lot for a drink of water. As for a cocoanut, it-would be a feast.”” Night came on and the air outside grew somewhat darker in consequenee of the going down of the sun: ~ The boys dropped off asleep, and while they slept. there came a lull in the storm.- The air suddenly became calm, as” if the hurricane was. over, ‘But it wasn’t. @ Those kind of storms move in a ‘circle, with a calm center, In a little whils the other part of the circle hit the island and thé uproar was resumed. Sam woke up twice and Jack once during the night. The storm was over by daylight, and the wind was blowing fresh. The ocean, however, was in a great turmoily and raised a tremendous surf on the north shore. The sun was shining with its customary brilliancy dese 7 the boys left the cave. iow They made a bee-line for the top of the rocks to quench ner their thirst. . Then they each began the difficult job of ascending a cocoa- nut bree. ; Urged by their frunger, both managed to accomplish the eat, ‘ ; They detached halt a dozen nuts each and carried them re she the front of the cave. They dug out a hole in the top of the two nuts and took a long drink of the sweet milk they contained. Oné of the nuts was broken open, by a stone, and they feasted royally on the pulp inside. PeSaege : They felt quite chipper after they had eaten all they wa but they knew this kind of fare would soon pall on d appetites. ea * They spent the day watcha for a sail, an ee a ‘Late th San aot

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18 BURIED GOLD, “i the boys sat on the shore in its full refulgence and talked over the great difference that twenty-four hours had made in their situation and prospects. They retired to the cave to sleep, as sleeping in the moon- light Was not considered just the thing to do. That night Jack’s sleep was visited by a strange dream. Time seemed to have gone backward a matter of eighty ‘Years, and he was seated on the rocks looking down on the Janding of a beat’s crew of piratical rascals. A large rakish schooner lay a quarter of a mile off shore. The party took out a heavy ‘chest rimmed with brass, and carried it into the cave. Jack next appeared to be standing in the cave. He saw the men dig a hole in the sand, a shallow one, de- posit the box in it and cover it up. _ As the ruffians marched out he was transported back te the top of the rocks. He saw that it was low tide and the sun was rising above the skull rock. One of the men got in line with the rock and the sun. He and another man measured off a certain distance from! . the water’s edge, while the rest of the party looked on | laughing. A longer distance was measured off to the east. - Two men got to work with shovels and dug a deep hole. A second chest, bound with iron, and exactly resembling the | one Jack and Sam had dug up, was hxonghs from the boat. It appeared to be quite light. “It was placed in the hole and the lia raised. Jack saw thére was nothing in it. - _ The shovelers began filling it with sand. When it was nearly full the leader of the bunch locked the chest and threw the key into the sea. Two other men todk the shovels and covéred up the box. _. The party then re-embarked in their boat and returned to} the schooner, which at once sailed away. The burial of the box of sand appeared to Jack simply as ' a fake to possibly take attention away from the real treasure hidden in the caye. Jack slept several hours after the vision faded, and woke up to find that another morning had come upon the world. f be CHAPTER XIII, : THE TREASURE OF THE OLD BUCCANEERS. He recalled his dream distinctly, and instinctively looked at bad end of the’ eave where he had seen the brass-bound box : t was dark over there and he could not. see much. : ge that moment Sam woke up. } The first thing’ Sam said was “Let's eat.” — While they were eating, Jack entertained Sam with. the story of his dream, yf Sam was greatly impressed by it. “It would be a rich joke if that chest we dug up really cd&- tained only sand,” grinned Sam. “What a setback those chaps would get when they opened it.” “Provided they survived the hurricane.” “Of course; but as that Frenchman looks like an old cruiser of these seas, I guess it would take more than one hurricane to do him and his craft up.” ‘not the other bart of it?” “I guess it was.’ Let’s look and, see if we can find the box We can. dig with our hands, and as we have lots of. time, ‘and the sun won't bother us, why, we can afford to put in our morning that way as well as looking for a sail.” The boys entered the cave, and Jack pointed out thé spot ‘of his dream. Beg got down on their knees and commenced to make the sand fly. _ They had gone down. about a foot ‘hi they felt something “There's something here, all right,” said Sam, excitedly. .. "They speedily cleared the sand away’ from the top of a = ‘box which they felt was bound by some kind of metal. best believe we've got hold of the real treasure chest,” said Sey. ly. F ‘ “I think so myself,” sald ‘Jack. “But supposing it is, what fan we. do with it?. We have no vessel to carry it ered in. ‘a prob- “Tf part of the dream represented an actual happening, = “We have. no money with which to hire one.” “We must’ knock the cover open, and if there is money in it we can-carry away enough to raise the necessary funds.” “So we could,” said Jack. “Run out and find a rock. “T’ll go down to the shore and look for the hammer and chisel you used on the fake chest.” Sam went out. In a few minutes he came running back. “There’s a. small steam-yacht flying the American. flag head- ing for this island,” he said. Both boys rushed out and, standing on the rocks, signalled | the approaching yacht with ‘their arms. The yacht ran close in and a boat was sent to the island. “Take us off. Weare marooned here,” said Jack to the two men. “We'll take you. | has run short.” 7 “Lots of it. Come ashore, one of you, and I’ll show you the spring.” The steersman got out and Was shown where the water was bubbling up. Ten minutes later Jack and Sein were received on board the yacht by the owner, a young millionaire. While the former was telling their story, the mate went ashore with a barrel to fill it at the spring. As soon as the barrel was hoisted aboard the owner was | about to proceed, when Jack told him about the chest in the cave which he said he believed contained a pirate’s treasure which they had discovered. “I want you to fetch it, aboard,” said Jack. ° The owner agreed to do so, an@ Jack went ashore with a boat and three men and pointed out the box. It| was pulled! ont of its hole, dragged to the boat aad con- veyed to the yacht. 7 | ‘The vessel then went on its way. , . . The yacht was bound for Havana. Half way to Grand Turk Island they sighted a lareey schooner, which proved to be La Belle Suzanne, which had — weathered the hurricane. They passed close enough for the boys to recognize through telescope Captain Barbier on deck, The vessel was returning to Wolf Key. / “We got away just in time,” said Jack to Sam. “Bet your life we did. Now let’s get thé owner to have oe chest opened so that we can see what's in it.” The box was opened and found to contain small bags of old Spanish gold, all of one size. One of them was opened and courted, and contained the’ equivalent of $5,000. There were twenty ‘of them, so ad treasure was estimated to be worth. $100,000. Th@®boys received the pI eS of the owner, and they stayed aboard till the yacht returned to New York. There they had the gold taken to the Sub-treasury and © turned into good American banknotes, which in turn were turned into two drafts for about $50,000, made out to the order of both boys on a Rockland bank. They got a bang-up outfit'of new clothes and returned to. Bartown in style by rail, where they were received as back from the grave, for everybody believed they had met with some accident in the sailboat which had ended them, “Jack found Bill at the cottage with Ruby, he having turned up the day after the bdys went on their involuntary cruise. The boy surprised the old sailor with the story of the finding of the buccaneers’ treasure, and he made it all right with, Bill. , He and Sam having ‘arranged to go into business in Rock- land, the sailor was induced to go there, too. ; Bill did not die for many years after Jack and Ruby were married, and before that both Jack and his young wife ledrned the contents of Bill’s note. It referred to'a legacy belonging to the girl, which Bill had | made’ use of to live on while hoping to get into condition to go after the treasure. He was not called to account for it, as Jack and Ruby — had all the money they wanted in the half of the treasure of the old buccaneers. Any water on this island? Our supply “| a Next week's issue will contain “HITTING IT. ee OR, THE LUGEIEST FIRM IN besier ee ** SEMB Gidieg FOR SUR FREE CATALOGUE,

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Sm 5. '‘ Ay William R. Hindman of Sedalia, Mo., who died at.the ® of eighty-two, had never sworn an oath in his life, ver tasted intoxicating. liquor, never chewed or smoked co and was never sick seal three days before his a ag 44 ! _ Mrs. William Hatfield and Mrs. Blanche McDaniel, of “#larion township, Shelbyville, Ind., have just completed Pa te and shocking fifty acres of wheat .on the Frank s farm. William Hatfield was unable to obtain help tor ‘the harvest and the women volunteered their services. the work was completed in three’ days. The women Worked under the i sun and were cheerful all athe. time. Ba reward of $100 has been offered by the United States for the arrest of Guillermo Rodriguez Aguinaldo, said to Ye the son of the former leader of the Filipino insurgents, y hen he was posted as a deserterfrom the United States Navy at Yerba Buena Naval Training Station, Young Aguinaldo, who is 24, enlisted at ‘Salt Lake City on June he 20, and was to have reported. at Yerba Buena on July 1, ia he has not arrived. 5 * ‘Archibald Thomas, a leper confined at the leper colony at Penikes Island, near New Bedford, Mass., will receive license from the Navy Department as an amateur wire- S operator, should he prove himself competent, and it said there is no doubt he will. Thomas has learned eless telegraphy by working with a poor equipment is uring the five years he has been a member of the colony. the radio inspector at Boston, who took up the matter of of giving the license, will conduct ee ‘examination “of thomas by telephone. | j ‘4 “The French army has constructed 135 miles of railroad feross the Sahara desert and bored 600 wells, which ve permitted the creation of extensive plantations of m trees. At Taggurt alone there are two million im trees. By sinking wells and irrigating the parched territory it is hoped to grow cotton and other produce, and thus gradually to extend the railway system in pur- Stance of a vast scheme~which aims at traversing the : a and putting North Africa into. iid communi- mn with the Cape. ‘ | Albert Eggers, aged fourteen, of Toadant N.Y. while fancing on the deck of the barge Flossie, fastened to a tow foing down the Hudson River, tangoed overboard and was ed in the Hudson River off Storm King the other le was the son of Captain Rudolph Eggers, the .. He had been dancing » ‘with his fifteen-year-old ae Pawson, of Rockland z sdme new, steps to her and gyrating around he over a, or tumbled. overboard a and sank pears each him. . Bik + xe ey Ay i Se a ' ¥AME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ‘CURRENT NEWS ke.! ‘While demon-’ Paseo SAAS SS ORE EES SQ4EU ESSHEOPSUBSE 19 John D, Rockefeller has had an automatic time safe installed in his mansion at Pocantico Hills, N. ¥., for valuables of a particularly personal nature. No one but members of the family know what room it was placed in. Not even the servants were permitted to see where it was taken after it was unloaded at a rear door of the dwelling. As a further safeguard a secret alcove was constructed off one of the rooms and the safe was placed in that. Truck- men taking the safe to the premises were stopped by the small army of guards who swarm about the estate since the I. W. W, disturbances, and were not admitted until Mr. Rockefeller intervened in their behalf. After less than twenty-four hours of quiescence, Lassen Peak; Cal., burst forth again in a stupendous eruption, the fourteenth i in the series that began on May 30.. No flames were seen, hut the vast plume of blackened steam from the erater waved a mile high in the sky, and volcanic ash fell at’ Macomber Flats, thirteen miles cistant. For.a little less than half an hour the inverted cone of soaring gases maintained, sharply defined, the well-known voleanic: out- line. First from the mouth of the citer itself tose a ver+ tical shaft. of jet-black ash. As the shaft rose it mush- roomed outward. The true voleanic nature of the erup- tion, as determined by J. S. Diller of the United States Geological Survey, was further emphasized by the strong stench of sulphur perceptible at Volta and at Viola, - twenty-two miles down the wind to the north. Grave ap- prehension existed for the safety of a party of observers who left Watr Springs to visit the crater on Lassen. Peak. No word has been received aed them since the new: out- burst. “4 —_—_______—— ‘ “A British accessory manufacturerjhas attacked the auto- mobile illumination problem in a brand-new manner. In- stead of using four lamps, two of them high-power for touring and two much smaller for city driving, he pro- vides no less than twelve small lamps, which are arranged in a row in the filler board between the wind shield and the top of.the engine hood. During the time the lamps are not in use they are completely covered by a sliding shutter. For city driving only the two outside lamps are lighted. Where more light is required more lamps are lighted, and when the maximum illumination of the road “lis necessary, all of them are turned on. The most impor- tant feature of the arrangement, however, is that the angle of the group of lamps can be varied at will of the — driver so that any part of the road can be illuminated, sign posts cam be shown up, or, on occasion, the reflectors can be shifted so that the light is turned down onto ‘the engine for repairs at night. The Jamps are shifted by a simple worm ‘and gearing which is operated by a ns hand-wheel upon the dash board of the car. asi catard ? 4

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20 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. op eS ee — ——_—— s -- LOST FOR ONE YEAR ADRIFT ON A WATER-LOGGED SHIP By ED. KING (A SERIAL STORY) CHAPTER XV (continued) — . CHAPTER XVI. The trail made by the lcd was a plain ene, and they had no difficulty in making good headway, as the aia was perfectly level for the most part. Occasionally a huge jack-rabbit would scamper agross their path, and invariably when it happened Hal felt like taking ‘a: shot with his rifie. a bad place to fall upon. But there was something else on. hand just then, and) The boy was on his feét. almost instantly; and a8 quick _ there was no time for shooting game. ¢ as a flash he took a turn ‘with the rope around a tree. In due time the edge of the forest* was reached, and The galloping pony Was thrown to the ground in a — _ then all hands began calling Archie’s namie, heap, and before he could recover, Archie was upon * ae But only the’ neces 2 of their own voices came back to} him. * ~ their ears. - “Tl tie your lows this time, old fellow,” he said, and i fe: “The herd | ‘ot ponies ‘must be close by,” said! without any loss’ of time he proceeded to wind aha rope — ia Watkins. “The? never hang out very deep in the woods.| about the forelegs of thé little steed. St We will keep right on following the trail, pcg have no} "The fall had "dieod the animal, and taking advantage — time to stop and talk. Come on!” of. it, our daring young friend turned his attention to ~ He started resolutely ahead as he poles the others fol-| the hindlegs and bound them, also, © x _- lowing close at his heels, © ‘The capture of the pony was-now complete, and, rising © : ‘They had walked about a quarter of a mile into the! to his’ feet, Archie gave an exclamation of satisfaction. woods when suddenly they came upon the herd. The) “We must get him tothe home of the Watkins’ some- — ‘ponies were gathered together in # little ard. many of how,” he muttered. “T wouldn’t lose him now for any- | them drinking: from a. brook. : thing. “My! but: wouldn't he be prety if he was only “ . But before our friends had a ea to Mags at them ‘lipped ! \? UNDERGROUND, Luckily for Archie “Denton when he struck the ground — he landed in a soft spot. The leaves had become piled up” in that place and had partly rotted,:thus making it not — “ely fy ee - they seampered away in all flitections, Meats The little horse was doing his best to get upon his feet ‘ - Archie was, not there. ” anes by this time, but it was no use; he was tied hard and | _ “There is only one thing lott sade us to do now,” said} fast and Archie was his master for the present, anyway. — '“T suppose: it ‘will take them some time to get here.”* What is that?” saked the doctor; in a Sixpoablici’ voice. observed: the bey, as he got upon his feet and looked back»: ; “Shoot off a gun. ‘If he is within hearing, and is able) the way he had come. “Lie still, Dashaway! You have . ae aa he will answer it in the same manner.” \ 7 fall en in good. hands, if you only knew jt.” 3 Hal drew his revolver from his pocket. et ) & | They were not ight or ‘apes they joaked! to be more id, fo. h} human than such as they—and they wore breech-clouts.— te Wale close “ae conn = oe was | about their bodies after the fashion of South Sea Islanders. is ee ke © | Archie had forgotten ‘all about the wild men the Wat-— Y just they did 80| kins. brothers had spoken of, in his excitement oyer the ~ al a a captured ‘pony, i and he was taken completely, by surprise. “© Boy asthe. was he « did ‘not, forget: the fact. ‘that he pos sessed a revolver, and h e made a a move to pull it ihn,

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. before he could d6 so the strange beings sprang him and bore him to the earth. e revolver was taken from him, and then the wild proceeded to bind him with a flexible vine resembling of the grape. ey chattered together in shrill, piping tones, and ared very much elated over havinig captured ‘the boy. chie was badly frightened, but not unnerved. He a way of always looking on the bright side, and he #elt that. his companions would come and save him from fiends. it his heart fell a minute or two later when several of them appeared on the scene, carrying two litters *ormed of skin and the tough boughs of trees. iE | They picked up the pony and deposited him on one of them. and then turned their attention to him. He was placed flat on his back on the other litter, and “Men at a signal from one of the strange beings, who was ntly the leader, both the boy and the pony were ed up and carried off in the direction of the center Xt the. forest. A cold sweat broke out on the forehead .of Archies his tongue seemed to be paralyzed, and though he strove to hhout for help he could not get a sound from his lips. » But he could think, just the same, and he was doing & whole lot of it. E No wonder the Watkins brothers had said it was not afe to go into the forest! These wild men were even m ore fierce in aspect than they had been painted. At €ast_ that is the way the boy looked at it now. — ey formed themselves into a sort of procession aid tehed for abont a quarter of a mile, carrying the lit- There were four to Archie and eight to the pony. The @tier did some struggling occasionally, but they saw bas t tliat he did not roll from, the litter. Tato a very dense part of the woods the procession me to a halt and deposited their burdens on the ground. _ They were waiting for _ Something—just what, Archie xe 4 not conjecture. 4 He noticed that some of them ‘api peeping through the bushes, and it struck iim that they were lying in am- sh for his father and the rest. After what’ seemed to be a long while the captive se s startled by the report of a pistol, coming to his reseue.. ; = he wild men seemed to be as ‘much’ startled as be aa darted off with their burdens, and - Beues mane * for. sree ‘|hope gave way. rs along as easily as though they had contained nothing. | is heart gave a bound, for he knew ae companions) | fey had not given up the fight. I eceenitedt ‘so unearthly. - In i than ten seconds:-Archie found that he was be- ing @arried through. almost *totaksdarkness. A few ‘sec- onds Jater and’he could not.see a thing. He kept on shouting for help, however, and as if in “|sympathy with him, the pony started to whinny, mourn- fully. Sam Watkins had, said thé wild men lived underground, and the boy knew that must be where they were’ taking him now. He felt as if he was going to his grave, and his last He fainted! How long he remained in an unconscious condition he had no idea, but when he came to he found himself re- clining on the ground, with the pony tied to a jutting piece of rock near him. He could see this, because two or three blazing fires burned near by. It was a big, cavernous sort of a place, ond at Lilet jhundred of the wild men were gathered there. The pony’s legs had been untied and he now appeared to be perfectly gentle. Archie was pretty close to the animal's hind feet cates he tried to squirm away. As he made this move the pony gave a beat and . leaned his head toward him as though to lick his. facé. ‘But the short tether would not permit this, even if it.” had been the intention of the. horse, though the action caused a thrill of hope to fill the boy captive’s breast. — . At this juncture a number of the wild men approached, some of them beating upon rude, drum-like instruments. . 5 R a . “= CHAPTER XVII. sts. ibtues “19, Al iow ; oy TEE START TO TEE RESOUE: Hedi di Though taken: by surprise at the poe peers: of. the wild men in the woods, Hal and Lew did not a how to act. The demon-like beings carried clubs that. appeared to be large and heavy enough to dash out the brains of an ordinary man at one blow, and they did not mean to allow them to be tried on their heads. They did exactly as they should have done, and opened _ fire with their revolvers. — ore Sam Watkins promptly joined in the fight, laying one low with a bullet from his rifle, and then using bse pr ge egrateberrent fxs ‘The doctor stood as though spellbound and- did not © nin cing: cays ie ee esi ern tcaoaten' sO. Poe ate tile: ceaiit was that the wild men were < feet of our friends. ~ ee They dodged behind trees, however, and ‘showed that Their shrill cries were something foarfl to hear, “We must get to Archie !” ori far distant. Tt was certainly he who 5 OE ee to = one ers pas oe ik ple ale ‘Hal Soeee at. y e -_— ¥ = ime t | jiffy, leaving three of their number hayes almost at the :

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2 FAME . AND TOTES E . WEEKLY. “FACTS WORTH READING E substantial, sanitary, attractive and everlasting.” FULL-BLOODED SIOUX BORN IN GERMANY. The first full-blooded’ American Indian ever born in Germany has just seen the light of day near Dortmund, Westphalia. The child’s father is a Sioux Indian- from the Pine Ridge Agency, William Bear Shield, and the mother is Mary Bear Shield. The father is now in Amer- ica, but the mother is a member of an Indian troupe touring Germany with a circus. The birth took place in a typical American prairie wagon while the troupe was en route from Dortmund ‘to Recklinghausen. The mother was anxious that her little papoose, who is a girl, should be duly registered in the German ‘records as an American citizen and a Christian. To that end she ught the nearest American consul, George Eugene Hager, represents the United States at Barmen. The baby was born on June 29, but as the Fourth of July was approaching, the baptism was deferred until ‘then. Mr. Eager stood as godfather for the child, who was christened Maria Consula. Ww. > / THE BIGGEST OF FLAGS. What j is said to be the largest American flag now extant has just been completed by ‘the -Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. It is'95 feet long, 50 feet wide and is designed. _ to: be flown froma pole 285 feet high. The bunting -of ' which the flag is made was constructed especially for that purpose, was spun, woven and dyed under the roof: of the _ Amoskeag plant. ' The width of cach of the thirteen stripes of the fla is slightly under 4 feet, and the stars on the blue fiel measure about 3 feet from. ‘point to point. ‘The blue’ field measures 38 feet by 27 feet 5 inches. The stars alone ' weigh nine pounds, while the entire flag tips the scales - at 200. The stars are placed 4 feet 9 inches between cen- ' ters Jongitudinally and 4 feet 3 inches vertically. _ The proportions of the flag are strictly in accordance with government regulations, and one important regula- fulfilled only after considerable difficulty in manipulation. The huge dimensions of the flag made it a difficult mat- je for the works to follow the last rule to. the letter. ce 10, 000 ATL. TRIP FOR HALF-HOUR JOB. ~The Lamport & Holt liner Vauban brought to” port. Te- cently from Bahia, Brazil, an engineer who had just com- pleted a 10,000-mile journey to do a ini job ee Te- quired half an hour. "The traveler was W illiam R. ectickor, peered by the - Carbondale Machine Company, of Pittsburgh, which has < Meal several refrigerating plants i in Brazil and the Ar- id =: Sever months ae the worry, received a cable mes- tion—that of never letting the flag touch the ground—was. jbuilding can be easily serubbed and flushed out with a — ‘|hose. No insurance is necessary, as the houses are abso- — sage from the Rossbach Brazil Company, of Pernambuco, stating’ that its refrigerating plant had gone wrong and no one in Pernambuco could repa#r it. Mr. Sonricker was sent at once to this city, where he boarded the Vauban, which landed him at Bahia, some 4;500 miles from here and 500 miles south of Pernam- buco. He boarded a northbound coast steamship, which landed him at his destination. He ascertained the trouble with the plant and made re- pairs within half an hour. A dozen mechanics had taken the machinery apart three times before he arrived, but could not repair it. Mr. Sonricker left Pernambuco in time to catch the Vauban on her northbound trip from Buenos Ayres. He thought the sea voyage of forty-eight days, covering 10,000 miles, was rather excessive for a half-hour repair job. - CONCRETE DWELLINGS. Some time ago Thomas A. Edison, the inventor, pre- dicted that the home of to-morrow would be “of reinforced — It would be a “poured house.” The poured house became a reality. A government architest perfected it through an ingenious invention of steel forms, which are set up, forming the walls, parti- — tions, floors and roofs into which the concrete is poured. The first concrete town was built at Virginia Highlands, — near Washington, D. C.. Now a second one has been con- q structed at Nanticoke, Pa., near some great coal mines. This group of buildings is “considered one of the most in- teresting of the age. There are forty houses at Nanticoke, grouped in pairs. Wooden forms were first employed in the construction of concrete buildings. By the use of steel forms, the economy is apparent. The forms ean be used over and’ over— hundreds of times, if need be. The Nanticoke buildings are of the two-family, seven-room type. The walls, par-" titions, floors and stairs are of concrete, the only wood- work being | ithe window sashes and doors. One thing in favor of the powred house is that continual repairs are not necessary. The sanitary character of the houses is also to’ be taken into consideration. If necessary the whole lutely fireproof. The Nanticoke buildings were erected at moderate cost and are rented to the eae of the — coal company for $8 a month. % From four to six days are required for pouring the © average concrete house. Concrete has long been used in © the construction of large buildings, but the great drawback to building concrete houses was the cost. The cost has been reduced by the use of the steel forms. AC ure of coal, cinders, sand and cement’ was used in the Nanti- 3: coke houses. Nes

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CHAPTER V (continued) nl fe way along, a big dog rushed out from a farmyard md flew at Jack’s legs, and only by rapid riding was he e to save himself from being bitten. “The brute came at Jack again, and the boy saw that Matters looked serious, for he was unable to shake off the fnimal. Then he recollected that he had a wrench in his dcket, for he had been tightening a nut a short time be- fo re and had forgotten to put. it back i in his tool bag. _ Now he took it hastily from his pocket, and, as the fu- ious animal sprang at him, he let go of the handle-bar ‘With his right hand, in which he grasped the wrench, and ‘the dog a blow that sent it reeling back into the sty road. There it lay howling. __dooras! !” cried Ned. “That’s B giving it to him in the as probably the owner of the dog, and was standing ir a buggy which stood at the entrance to the farm- “Serves the dog right ! ie shouted Jack. p such fierce animals.” : “Go and hoe potatoes!” cried Ned, laughingly.. “You shouldn’t farmer, for he sprang into his buggy, ‘seized the reifs and hed the horse, and instantly the animal dashed off down : road in pursuit of the two wheelmen. So suddenly was this done that the buggy was almost t Ned before he realized what was happening, and the farmer. reaching out towards him, cut at him furiously h his whip, the thong just missing the boy’s cheek. is was quite enough to induce Ned to show how he id ride, and a desperate spurt enabled him to catch up Jack, who had been about ten yards ahead. “He’s after us, Jack!” shouted Ned: . . ‘Chase yourself!” cried Jack, turning round and look: me at the. farmer. “You can’t catch ‘us! j The man, however, showed no, signs of giving up the 7 and he qeilet to his dog to join him, but the animal us of the blow . Jack had given it. Pie eo Hr ns dn ie 9 Bh the boys not x a. remark as they did so. , This was to have been ishing post for the race, proposed by “Jack Hudson, Sait et now: ‘eee on ier went, the : FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. THE SILVER WHEEL ‘adwalig, aces THE LIGHTNING LEAGUE OF LYNN “And where you'll get it, too!” said a man, savagely.. |, The last, taunt was, evidently too much for the angry) o further interest in the. proceedings, still |: = By GASTON GARNE (A SERIAL STORY) buggy at their heels, with its angry occupant vowing ven- geance when he caught them. “That horse can go!” exclaimed Ned. much longer this is going to last?” “T like it,” cried Jack. “It’s great. ahead of us?” “A wagon; it’s right across’ the road; too. We're caught.” “Guess that doesn’t worry me,” said Jack. “We'll stand our ground and ‘give our ag acti friend more than he bargains for.” “We can’t spare the time.” “Time! it won’t last more than one round.” “But our wheels may get smashed in the row.” “Gracious! but, that’s so. We can’t afford to have that happen. .We must pass that wagon. There’s a couple of feet between the end of it and the fence, that ought to be enough. I’m going to make a dash for it. Hooray!” shouted Jack. “I’m, through !” “Stop them! Stop them!” cried the'farmer, as Ned attempted to follow. “They’ve killed my ‘dog, and Tl have them arrested!” _ Ned went by, too, but-so close was he to the ven ; that his handle-bar grazed it. : This was the end of the pursuit, for. before the wagon could be moved to enable the buggy to pass, the two boys were more than a quarter of a mile ahead, and the farmer | turned round and drove off home. “We must have come five miles,” said Ned. “T hope At hasn’t done you any harm, Ned,” replied Jack, anxiously. “T shall feel badly about it if it has.” “Why, I enjoyed it!” cried Ned, “and even if I did haps . pen to be exhausted I shouldn’t think of blaming you, old fellow, you couldn’t have acted differently. The dog tried: to bite ‘yon, and you only gave it what it deserved.” They took a short rest about twelve clock, when they “Wonder how ete ! what’s that thad dinner, but were on their wheels again without any unnecessary loss of time, not making such rapid progress as they had done in the porning, for the Toads were here sy with dust. ‘<z “One consolation is,” ‘ai Jack, “that it’s the same for - the others.” “G “If they come this way. “Mind, they’re not bound to do eae so, There’s more thap qne way to apc Let’s hope 2 the other roads are worse.” ee tS | With this howyia shang $s their minds, = z ¥ Sar y a Us ; ee I by Wy. ee. | chr $ f .

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es . FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. boys arrived at Redfield late at night, completely ex- hawstéd. They would have gone to bed at once in the only me ue ’s hand in what was happening. ¢ hotel the place contained, but.Joe King happened to he. locked in;% he cried. “Ah! it’s a plot to delay mee there, and he detained them for a few mings, giving. I ui erstand itvall now. This scoundrel here must be it them news of thesrace.” 9” © “4 Ware’s® pay. - Never mind, there’s a window I can get » Tt seemed that Leslie Ware was still ieadiaa, that,| through, so they’ve had all their trouble for nothing.” there were only eight competitors in the race, one of them | The room was an attic, and the window was a ‘smal . having retired on, reaching Warren. Joe left them, in-|circular aperture not more than eighteen inches in diame~ tending to’ go right on to. Port» Wayne, in Indiana, where |ier, and Ned threw it open instantly and looked. out. He™ his sister and Sadie Brooks were’ waiting for him. © | was delighted with what he saw. “Nothing from Larry Connor?” said Ned. “That’s} Tf can drop from here to the shed below,” he said, “and strange.” — from there to the ground. It’s dead easy.” _ “Not at all. No news is good news, my boy,” cried}. But-then he gave a groan and sank back on the bed. Jack, merrily. “Let us go to bed.” “Tn beaten!” he gasped. i He had his bicyele in the room, having brought it up- _ stairs with him the night before, so as to be sure that” nothing would happen to it, and he saw how impossible — it was to pass a twenty-eight- -inch wheel through an eight- een-inch window. “J must break down the door!” cried Ned, springing © up from the bed and rushing at it. “T’ll kick it to pieces.” - But this did not prove an easy task, either, for the door quietly without. rousing Ned. was lined with iron, the room having at one time been” “Let him sleep on; he needs it,” said Jack. ‘used for storing valuable rere belonging to the former Going downstairs, he saw the landlord standing at the | proprietor. door talking to a stranger, who went away anes when | So, bafifed again, Ned hee to the window, expecting ip tices Sot i ee: eet ‘be thi f ,,|to see ‘some one pass, and he must have been looking out : ete Yar Bre bai ne Fane eee bats is bi ae for more.than an hour when the first traveler came his Shigian: eth ; goth ina' ’ vay. He hailed him immediately, told him he was locked oa gine nrsscipenee sie ag: Hudson? in, and asked him 2 stir up ths Jandlord, who was proba-_ “Let me have.it. ,That’s my name.” bly % - can make no one hear. Sorry for you, mister, guess you ae . have to wait patiently till the old man comes back.” ey far here ?” ask : 5 : Ci ie af Medina Srony: Bere <¢ Paaet _And on he went, leaving Ned in a worse frame of mind “© You can ride there in an hour, mister.” ny : ‘than ever. Ag the house lay back some distance off the f peri taf casa ae eae “Its oer Lain road no one else came: near it, and the nearest house Sitting down, he scribbled a. few lines to Ned, telling i}was two hundred yards away. Ned shouted, but evidently — hin, he had gone on to Heim, at which place he would i the cones of his voice did not reach there, for no help bac ote . ¥ ae rin to my ‘ticed when hia waleos up,” seid Tack. . Then, about ten o siehaaks Ned, to his delight, saw Jack — “But if he isn’t out of bed in one hour from now go and “Hudson scorehing along towards the hotel, and just as he’ = lang: him. ” ; : _ \arrived. who should make his appearange but the landlord i Jack got on his wheel and rode off, dad’ iptcatn cag? tee Ngineeit4 cee Med at the W ane he, looked MP and eet ‘ urst out laughing: » % the toed aati we eae: rea “rapa * “Bukos alive Phe cried. awell, but that’s fasion boss. cme You'll: do it?” he said, questioningly. Mar? aac pe T forgot all *bout you being im that room, and by — ok You bet T will. It’s s very easy now the other chap Jing nl I just went and esp poe a: TH run 1 right up put?) {and Jetyyou out.” ; _» © When Ned woke ie was ‘cece to find that Taek had | ‘Ned gave the’ landlord a piece “ot his mind, but the old oe e, but he understood. the reason when he had read the man protested that what had happened was. “due to pure. ; a r his chum had left behind, and he proceeded to dress forgetfulness on his: part. “When Jack. heard Ned’s story, 4 himself quickly. 3 aving } done so he went to the door, but he had a word to say, too, but he: soon “saw that it” meat it would not egret and the ee id beet: inside on simply a waste of time to shout at th old man. — hi no longer t jumped on his wheel; and Jack did the at | bestowed last look, full of anger, 0 elebdaet:: : The Jatter watched. the ontop. boys as: ‘they ‘went down the Tfromn being angry Ned ‘grew alarmed, for he saw Leslié’ § CHAPTER VI. sigs x NED 1s oy PRISONER—LARRY CONNOR’S STORY. i t Jae was: the first to wake up, and he dressed himself

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FAME AND FORTUNE WE WANT You TO READ “Moving Picture Stories” A Weekly Magazine devoted to Photoplays and Players cs Absolutely the finest little publication on the news-stands WEEKLY. 7 25 GS PRICE 5. CENTS A COPY 3 ISSUED EVERY FRIDAY = - BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVER DESICNS € THIRTY-TWO PAGES “FINE HALF-TONE FRONTISPIECES _ New portraits of actors and actresses every week - Gota copy ofthis weekly magazine and see whatitis ; EVERY NUNBER CONTAINS Six Gripping Stories, based on the latest and best films, each profusely illustrated with fine half-tones of scenes in the ; plays. Photographs and Hse hntiins of the most celebrated Photoplay actors and actresses. ’ Special Articles relating to Moving Pictures, written by the greatest authorities in the film business. _ News Notes from the studios about the doings of everybody of prominence connected with the Photoplays. _§ Scenario Hints and the names of all the companies who may buy the plays you write. is iy Poems, Jingles, Jests and every bright feature calculated to interest both young and old. GET A COPY NOW from your newsdealer, or send us 5 cents in money or postage stamps, and we will mail ~ you the latest number issued. | FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher 168 West 23d Street’ —>=—= - = New York a — _ —_— -3.-- = - — ma Kasinger, a young farmer on the North Fork, aks, : Stught a twenty-pound ¢éatfish with his hands on the Nottle *ottom shoal on the North Fork recently: He was on’ the a tnk and saw the fish splashing; making its way into a deep ‘Pond above. The water was about eight inches deep and Nery ‘swift, and before the fish had’time to turn and go back’ downstream Kasinger was struggling with it. He ‘ally managed to get it out on the bank. Por some time the Italian boy scout organization, called he « *Young Explorers, has been spreading rapidly. It is uch favored by parents as giving open-air exercise to ung boys, which has been rather wanting. The move- ‘Ment will now. doubtless assume much larger proportions, oe King Victor Emmanuel, in receiving the head scout and j is very active. It is hoped that he will later be al- wed to ap with other scouts. hn Reerink, son of Tony Ipsasinks was idesd and mon the ear by a skunk while asleep under. a tree ‘the home of Steve Smith, north of Aaskell, Okla, animal was choked. from its hold and killed. The cs, » father and son, were building a, barn for Smith Were sleeping in a tent in the yard. During the ‘night son ge warm and [-moved his blanket beneath a Be pet time asia while half asleep, 1 he alt The Prince is nearly ten years old) + something touch his blanket. He brushed at the spot, thinking that a bug. had disturbed him. A. second later a skunk fastened its teeth in his ear. The father answered his son’s cries and choked the animal. Reerink spent the rest of the night in the creek. Ten thousand men are now on strike at the Royal Ar- senal at Woolwich, and the trouble may spread to other army and navy factories. The origin of the dispute was the case of a fitter named Entwhistle, who was asked to erect a machine on a concrete bed laid down by non-union laborers during ‘a building dispute. The fitter answered that he would do this only if a guarantee were given that never again would union men be asked to complete work begun by non-union men. Sir Frederick Donaldson there- ‘upon dismissed Entwhistle, and by Saturday afternoon ‘ 7,000 men had “downed tools.” These will be joined later on by 3,000 more, Jeaving only a few. hun- dred non-union men in the arsenal. The strike committee issued instructions that all men engaged under the direct supervision of Sir Frederick Donaldson must be dismissed. This demand includes all employees in the royal labora- — ‘tory, the royal carriage department, the royal gun factory, andythe mechanical engineering department. If this has no effect, the men in the army ordnance department, the naval ordnance department and the government factories at Enfield, Bi aosoet aid Waltham bia wee ob sin) 2 Gee ree ;

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. sweep streets, he says. 4 ; FAME AND. FORTUNE WEEKLY. NEW YORK, JULY 31, 1914. TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS 63 Cents NEY—At our risk pond P.O. “parsittadess in any other caahe Wh Stamps same as cash Order, Cheok are at your risk, hon sending silver wrap the Coin in a separate pisces of paper to avoid cutting the envel- Write your name and address plainly. Address letiers to t Frank Tousey, Publisher 168 West 23d St., N. Y. GOOR CURRENT NEWS ARTICLES August Novak, a Passaic, N. J., “white wing,”. has in- herited a $25,000 éstate in Germany, but will continue to |% An uncle died sevéralymonths ago and named Novak his sole heir. The German Sbiisat transmitted to Novak $500 as the first installment of his money. Novak had been supporting a family of six on $1. 50 a day. ope. Sprctam Tovey, Presidoat MN. Hastivos, Treasurer Cuas. K NrLaxoxs, Secretary The United States is richer than any other two na- tions. The two richest nations after our own are Great Britain, $75, 000, 000,000; France, $50,000,000,000, mak- ing, together, $125,000,000,000 The wealth of the United States is $135,000,000,000; giving it a considerable excess over Great Britain and France combined. The wealth of Reinany is very near that of France—$49,000,0@0,000. a | am willing to wager $5,000 that I will find any ad- dress in London, without the aid of a taxicab or guide, by walking and using only motor omnibuses, almost as quick- ly as any man who has his sight.” This was the claim made by Philip E. Layton of Montreal, who has been blind for forty-one years, in the discussion which followed his paper on pianoforte tuning as a profession for the blind, at the International Conference on the Blind at the Church House, ‘Westminster. In spite of the increased traffic and the motor car, Mr. Layton said, it was easier for a blind man to get about London to-day than it was pages fre years ago. ; ¢ ae ae Indeterminate jail sentences for drunken husbands who | - maltreat their wives and children are a reform in the penal eode urgently recommended by the Federated Women’s Societies of Germany. Atja meeting held in Berlin, the decided to petition the government to this end. Several speakers stated that there was no other way to _ combat the danger to the lives and morals of drunkards’ - families. It is proposed that drunkards shall be kept un- der arrest as long as there is any probability that they ee would abuse their liberty by committing further excesses. _ Inebriates who have ‘been placed in institutions for treat- athe not, iti is Siege: be ears cake undoubt-. cured, a tars Th fe aes == . Qe E RIS ee SO ee Te znd Sie serene x Fame and Fortune Weekly! Her pet dog leaping against her in play caused Mrs. Charles. H. Tastener, of Nutley, N. J., to lose her balance and fall to her death in the old Belleville quarry the other day. cries brought help. Mrs. Tastener, who was fifty-three years-old, was out to give her pet an airing. She was walk- — ing along the top edge of the quarry and the force of the dog as he bounded against her pushed her over. She fell eighty, feet. killed. pit, .the rescue party was forced to lower a rowboat with ropes. Then men, let down by the ropes, rowed the body ~ across to a point only sixty feet from the top. From there the body was pulled up with ropes. GRINS AND CHUCKLES “There’s no coal, mum,” said Bridget, “and the fires are going out.” “No coal! Why didn’t you tell me before?” “T couldn’t tell you there was no coal, mum, when there was coal,” answered Bridget. “Of course,” said one old farmer. to the other, “your boy is learnin’ Latin and Greek at collegé, but is he:gettin’ anything practical?” “Oh, yes. In the last letter he writ he tells me he is takin’ lessons in fencin’.” In the Kitchen. First Burglar—I’m sorry for dese folks. Second Burglar—Oh, I guess dey can stand de damage. First Burglar—Tain’t dat. But I’m sorry for people wid a cock dat makes sich plum puddin’ as dis. i “Mr. Showman,” menagerie, “can the leopard change his spots?” “Yes, sir,” replied the individual who stirs up the wild beasts; “when he is tired of one spot, he goes to another.” Sunday School. Teacher (illustrating the “still, small voice”)——What is it, dear children, that makes you feel so uncomfortable and unhappy after you have done some- thing which you ought not to do? Dear Child—A lickin’. “Why are yez decorating, Mrs. Murphy?” “Me’ b’y The dog tried to follow her over the brink, and his = Her skull was crushed and she was instantly — Though her body fell short of the water in the ~ said an. inquiring individual at the — - 3 7 d : a 4 Denny is coming home the day.” “I thouglit he was sent — up for foive vears.” “Yes, but he got a year off for good behavure.” “Sure, it must be comfortin’ for yee to have a good Re like that.” s , Three different waiters at an hotel asked a prim, precise little man at dinner if he would have soup. A little an- noyed, he said to the last waiter who asked the question: “Is it compulsory?” “No, sir,” said the waiter; “I think it’s mock turtle”) = 6s; oe ’ Mrs: Goan ee thinks of hiring) —But i is she honest? Can she be trusted? Mrs. Brown (the girl’s former mis- tress) You need not be in the least alarmed. She is per- fectly honest. All the time she was with me I never knew her to take a thing—not even my advice as to how _—— rgd be done. 4 4 ; j

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‘THREE VISITS FROM THE FLYING DUTCHMAN. 4 By Paul Braddon. : '_ From the day I set foot on the deck of the good ship Bardwell, sailing from Boston around Cape Horn, I heard 0f the Flying Dutchman. As a boy I believed in all the yarns, but by the time I was out of my apprenticeship I _ Came to take these stories for what they were worth. I am - Soing to tell you, however, that I really saw as mysterious '@ craft as the traditional ghost ship, and that if my eyes ‘Were deceived, so were the optics of a whole ship’s com- _ ‘Pany., ‘\ In April, 1868, I was mate of an English whaling bark 4 Called the Lord Rossmore, Captain Pierce McConnell, and _ We were off the mouth of the Amazon. We had been been _ Sut three months, and were having a big run of luck. The ; Weather seemed to be made for our special benefit. There i “Was day after day of good working winds and smooth seas, oF there was no day in which we did not sight whales. On the day of which I wish to speak particularly we had ‘Killea two fine whales, and by evening both were along- _ Side, and the sea was as calm as a mill-pond. We should fave begun the eut-in process at once, but the decks were fs yet clear of the last whale, while the men were so worn _ Sat that they clamored for a night’s rest. s ey Wi The barometer was high, the sea smooth, and the cap- iain issued orders for all the men to knock off. This ‘Meant that the off watch should have their bunks, while < the on watch could sleep on deck while on duty. There _Wasn’t wind enough to drift us, and consequently we had ho fear of any, vessels exgept steamérs, and they would Aardly run us down on such a clear night that our ship ould be seen a mile away. I own up that as soon as the Nessel grew quiet I went to sleep on my post; and that I “Slept for a long hour. When I awoke it was with a chill ‘f apprehension. I felt that something was very wrong, and at once inspected the decks from stem to stern. The ™en of my watch were stretched out ‘here and there, all _ fast asleep, and everything seemed all right. We had a “Whale on either side, and they were riding buoyantly, While-half a dozen sharks were tearing at their rough - aiees. Our night’ lights were all right, everything safe from fire, and I called myself a fool for thinking that any- bi i Was wrong. Nevertheless, I continued worried and Rervous, and the desire to sleep left me entirely. “tlt might’ have been half an hour after my awakening, 8nd I was softly pacing the deck, taking im its whole sth, when a large, square-rigged ship, with’ ever¥ sail t, and seeming to draw, came out 6f the darkness to the rtheast. She had a bone in her teeth, and her hull careened over two or three streaks by the pressure of wind, and for the moment I forgot where I was and to pass under our quarter, and I never took my ®s off her for an instant. She came swiftly, but there Was a ghost-like movement that sent chill8 over me. ' As * she were a real ship, and as if a genuine top-sail “breeze : ving, on came the stranger, and as she was within, able’s length she shifted her helm a bit and the two vere broadside on for a moment. There were twen- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ances. which surrounded me. The ship stood |: 27 ty-five or thirty men at the ship’s port rail watching “us in true sailor fashion, and on the quarter-deck I saw the captain surveying us through his night glasses. I could see that he was an old man, having long white locks-and a long’ white ‘beard. Why, sir, I would stake my lifé on what Isaw, though it would be useless to try to make you believe it. ~ f : Just as the stern of.the ship was passing me her-taptain raised his hand as if the motion accompanied an order, and there was a rush of the men to execute it. Sail was taken in while you could snap your finger and the helm ‘was put down, and the ship came into the wind. She wasn’t a stone’s-throw away then, and my eyes were still on her, when some one behind me hoarsely exclaimed: “Heavens, Mr. Merwin, but did you ever see'the likes of it?” I turned to find one of the men behind me; I turned from him again to the strange craft, and she was gone! It took me two or three minutes to realize that there was no wind and no sea, and that no ship could have maneuvered as she did, and then I asked of the man: - “Jones, what did you see?” “I got a chill, sir, though it’s warm enoygh, as we all know, and awoke to find you looking off at the water. As I stood on my feet I saw the ship, and I was right behind you when ‘she shortened sail and came up.” “And where is she now?” es “Gone, sir! That’s a ghost ship, sir, and we are in for bad luck.” gt ae . I could have kicked myself for believing.in what I saw. I went after the glasses, and just as I got them the lash- ings holding the whale on the port side gaye way with a great crash, the bark keeled over to starboard with the weight of the other fish, and as she rocked back the other lashings parted, and we ran,to the rails, port and star- board, in time to, see the whales sink out of sight. The whole crew were aroused, and the captain stormed in a ter- rible way, but as no one was to blame no one could be cen- sured. Next day it was known through the ship that the Flying Dutchman had been sighted, and strangely enough, there was not a skeptic. The captain made me relate the details twice over, and then he ordered sail on the bark and we stood down the Brazilian coast for 150 miles. The whales had suddenly left us, and it Was exactly nine days before the ery of “There she blows!” was heard again. We lowered for a forty-barrel whale and got him, and our old- time enthusiasm returned. We had got him tried.out and the decks cleaned up when it came on a’ calm, quiet night again. The men had had a long rest, and every one of the watch was wide awake, when, at about eleven o’clock, with everything quiet below and aloft, the lookout suddenly called:. “There’s a big ship close aboard of us on the starboard — bow!” Reet : _ Every man sprang up, and we all rushed forward ina body, and there, plain as a lighted lamp at midnight, was a big ship bearing down upon us and only a cable’s length - away. Not one of us remembered that it was a dead calm, and we yelled out in chorus to attract the ' : “ tion. He held for us until I could see the sparkle of Sige Be

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2 28 per under his forefoot, and thén’a shift'of the helmi (sent him along our broadside, and the performances of the pre- vious occasion were repeated. He went oyt of our sight after rounding to, and by that time our captain was on . deck. He questioned every man separately, and all told the same story; and later on, as he stood with me on the quarter,. he said : “Mr. Merwin, that’s bad luck again. something more than losing a whale.” Next day we raised a whale and he stove two boats and killed three men, and it was eleven days after that before we raised another. On the night of the tenth, with all the men in my watch wide awake, and the ship drifting off be- fore a gentle breeze, the ghostly visitor came out of the _darkness again, ran us past from stern to stem this time, and was seen as plainly as before. Next day we raised three whales at once. Down went three boats, the captain _ leading. I killed my whale almost at once. The other . boats. made fast and were run off, and from that day to "this have never been heard of. We saw the stranger no more after that. Had he appeared once more I believe that every man of the crew would have leaped into. the sea and sought death by drowning.* It may mean SEA MYSTERIES. by In the year 1861 I was mate of a brig called the Henry and. William, sailing between San Francisco and the Sand- ¢ % _. and we were therefore in her wake. wich Islands. She was a small, snug vessel, a fast sailer, and the captain was William Lansing. He and his brother Henry were the owners, and the brig was named after them. Just at daylight one June morning, in the year ~T have mentioned, while we were 30° miles from the _ islands, a schooner was sighted dead ahead. We had a fair breeze over the starb*iw\ quarter, and the schooner had all sail set, and was making good progress., Sails were ~ not an unusual sight on *hat route, and we gave the stran- _ ger little attention until we found that we were overhaul- ing her. She was exactly on the true course to the islands, She was hull down when we first discovered her, but by the time we had washed down and breakfast had been. served she was not -over two miles ahead. There were some amart schooners Wh 24 dh in that trade, and the fact of our outsailing this one so handsomely put us all in good spirits. We were hum- ming along after her at nine or ten knots an hour, when she suddenly came up into the wind in the most lubberly fashion, shivered there fora moment, and then breached to and was driven off before the wind sideways. As soon as I saw the schooner in trouble I seized the glass and ran half way up the foreshrouds, and it wasn’t | & minute before I made the diseovery that her decks were ntirely clear of mem. At this’ hour of the morning both atches should have been on deck, but not a sailor was ~ This ae an. unheard-of ecko Fee Dut, as she FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. prensa EAS Rana? Oe on Ra alr ace cies tae? a ewe ae ca = to the captain, and by that time we were so close aboard that.all our crew could note the condition of things with the naked eye. _One ship’s bell was rung, and the men shouted in chorus, but nothing came of it. It was then | determined to board her, and, as the brig was laid to, 1_ went off with three men in the yawl, and was soon at the © stranger’s side. : ‘I had expected to meet with some shocking sight, but was disappointed. The decks were free and passably clear of raffle. Some of the coils had fallen off their belaying pins. and I could see at a glance that the decks had not been washed for several days, but aside from this I could” detect nothing «.. of the way. The scuttle was drawn] over the forecastle entrance and bolted. My first’ action | was to open this, and the rush of air told me that the fore-— castle had not been ventilated for several days. Seizing a capstan bar which Jeaned against the anchor windlass, I pounded smartly on the deck and called out to know if anybody was below, but no answer came. The next point for inspection was the cabin. I went down alone, and in two or three minutes was satisfied that _ it had no occupants, living or dead. There was no disor-— der—no sign of haste or plunder. I was sniffing the air as | I moved about, and I could detect no odor to prove that an | epidemic had raged. When I went on. deck the brig was within speaking distance, drifting at the same pace as the schooner, and I informed Captain Lansing of the state of affairs and sent the boat to bring him over. When he eame we descended into the ‘forecastle and lighted the” lamp. There’ was plenty of oil in it, proving that some hand had turned out the light in the usual way. We then _ went to the cabin. , Everything appeared as if the officers” had simply gone on deck, except that there was not a sin- gle article of wearing apparel. This was likewise trne of the forecastle. We looked for the schooner’s log, but it was gone, as also were her papers and charts, x Our inspection and investigation lasted three hours, at the end of which time we were no wiser than when we be- gan. Here was a stanch, tight schooner picked up in mid- ocean with all sail set.. Those who. had abandoned her had taken the utmost precaution that she should not be identi- fied, but for what reason we could not even conjecture. Here was a lump of salvage for us worth looking after, and Captain Lansing determined to take her to the islands. We hadn’t an extra man on the brig. Indeed, we were one short of our complement. We had ‘thevefiire determined take a tow line to the brig and hang by her at least while the weather was safe, and had begun our preparations, when an “ ox-eye””. or squall was seen gathering down i the south, and we, had to hurry aboard the brig to make J all snug. ‘The squall hit us fiercely, and lasted nearly halt an hour, ‘and when we came out of it the schooner had turned turtle within half a mile of us, Bi the pare! had slipped from our grasp. — 4 Did we ever ‘learn, anything further fabout her? Not a] word, singular as it may seem. The incident, was pub-} lished in scores of ‘papers, and called to the attention off thousands of sailors, but none of them was ever able ) furnish any true information, What do I think? Wel ; t}it was one of the mysteries, but no ‘stranger’ than some E ehcay net ok are others

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—— —— Bs Years unbeknown to himself or his parents. hs A new phase of the alleged faulty constmuction of a ,090 road between Nevada and Wyandot,-O., arose at a £0 on the road, get stuck in the tar and then be run over While digging for mussels near Evansville, Ind., Clyde < : € while smal! and remained there until it grew too large escape. ‘yt See ire atu *Charles Webber, a Shabby clothing. His mind had become unbalanced while Toute from Coalville, Okla., to Los, Angeles, Cal. am: Sunday-school _pienie at the “Methodist Church, | Kan., there was a.cake served‘vhich was made by ohn H. Bell of this ‘city. ' There were 450. people ent and the cake was suflicieritly large that every oné picni¢ had a good-sized piece of it: The cake was across the top/and required four dozen eggs. beonce of thirtecn years Charles Able re- she is home near Roundhead, O., and met and nized. It was only when his mother entered, the. 4 2 1 ung man’s identity was revealed: The e met his son on his way,back from the mailbox ‘hom invited him into the house, “Per- Jetter ‘from Charles.” Mz. Able re- e house. Charles Able has been in ty been erops with ‘his. father, Jolin Able, without be-| hey Pe aa . a a ' Kansas City is to have a ten-story office building which will bé devoted entirely to businéss women. No men will allowed to rent. nee the building. The building is Voman’s Commercial Club, and a worban eapitalist whose name has not been made public. _ be —_—_ 2 id i * z A rl ‘ 5 ‘ e $ . » Charles Bater, of Dutthess Junction, N. Y., aged) A hurricane, accompanied by a heavy fall of hail, swept pielve, is recovering from the effects of an operation for| over the vicinity of Marathon, Tex., one Sunday afternoon z © removal of a button which was stuck in his hose for recently ; following the hail. the rain fell and con- When | siderable damage is reported from the surrounding coun- - Albert Breck operated he found a button lodged! try. Growing crops were badly beaten down. At the 0. T. Ward ranch in the Glass Mountains, north of Mata- thon, 250 goats were beaten to death by the hail. The life of an ordinary civilian is too tame for Charles ting before the board of review recently when farmers Schultz. He served in Uncle Sam’s army thirty years, estified they had to stop raising chickens, as they would| rising from camp cook to quartermaster. Just prior. to the outbreak of hostilities in Mexico Quartermaster Schultz was retired on a pension and hoped to live the rest of his life in quiet. While visiting his old home in Racine, Wis., he developed an uneasiness that rapidly grew sse found a crawfish caught in a rock in such a way|into a perpetual fidgety. demeanor and he informed his t it could not ke released alive. The rock was hollow] brother, Louis Schultz, that he could starid the humdrum had a small opening. ‘The fish probably crawled in-| of the life of leisure no longer and was going to re-enlist and join his regiment, the Twenty-third Infantry, at. Vera Cruz. He left on the following. Thursday. eononted: ctoadvos, sus arrested in| About. two or three months ago a couple of’ drovers eyehne, Wyo., while prowling.in an alley. . When he| C@™° to Chatham, N.C., with about fifty or sixty Teen PRas scarched at headqyarters 1,008.65:n-‘curtency. and broken horses and sold them® to the farmers and others. inviolate through the ‘pockets Sh yi They were as wild as, could be, none of them ever having had a bridle put on them. Nearly all of them were soon broke to. work to harness, but one or two managed to es- cape from: their dwners and make for the tall timbers. Gne of them was soon’ caught, but the ofher one was too '}wild and has refused to be taken into captivity again, He — has afforded ‘several of the citizens around here lots of * — long chases and any amount of fun. One man living in the country shot at him several times and tried’to kill him, jas he was destroying ‘the farmer's corn and oats. The pony is not dead yet nor has he, at ‘last ‘accounts, been caught, although a party spent part of a dey recently try- ing to catch him. ~~ to be erected by. the 4 rill finance the undertaking. The site has been ‘practi . t y eae | ref st bay ‘

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“FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. = mee ARTICLES OF ALL KINDS A NEW RHODES “PLAN. “with: the object of giving to Oxford University a new contingent of American students every year, the Rhodes Trustees announced a change in the method of electing scholars. Instead of, as hithesles choosing from the forty- eight States in two consecutive years and skipping the third year, the-scholars will be chosen yearly in future from two-thirds of the States. The sixteen States to be omitted at the 1916 examina- tions are Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ok! ahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, From. those “States scholars will be selected in 1917, a sixteen other States will be omitted. GRIT.OF A SHARPSHOOTER: Bae the siege of Lucknow in the’ Indian mutiny there was afforded. what was probably the most notable instance of the record in war of a crack shot. -The rebels were endeayoring to mount two eighteen- pounders, which they had hauled up to the flat roof of, one of the palaces surrounding the residency, and it was necessary to prevent this being done, or they would have seen on the heights at Santsagoou. They preceded the Japanese reconnoissance parties and by their own location showed: what positions were not occupied by the Russians. The Japanese went the Germans “one better.” During the Franco-Prussian war, the Germans would pick out an in- habitant who had a wife and children and would lodge with him in the guise of a domestic a clever man, usually an officer. The peasant, told in advance that his wife and children would be put to death if he did not return, was sent into cantonments of the enemy. He entered un-: der some pretext and thus obtained information which he — communicated to’his psendo valet. The Japanese modified this practice by making it severer still. They took away from Chinese families the fathers and sons, keeping the father as hostage while the sons were: sent out as spies. Generally they would send two brothers in the same direc- tion but at different moments in order to. compare reports © brought in by them. If ie reports disagreed the father was put to death, SPECIAL WAR TAX ON WEALTH FOR MILITARY INCREASES IN GERMANY. The five wealthiest persons in Germany and the share which each of them contributes to the special war tax been ‘able to“pour down a heavy fire on ‘the defenders.)on wealth for military increases, sanctioned some time Sergeant Halliwell was chosen for this. duty. He was a/ago, are’as follows: Frau Bertha Krupp von Bohlen and crack shot of the Thirty-second’ foot. “Being given the best, rifle that could be doiind his orders were to prevent’ the ‘guns being mounted,. He took up. his aaa behind’ Some battered-down masonry where there * was only cover,for him to lie at full length.’ He remained in that position, it is said, for several days, not being able to stand, inasmuch as. that would have resulted in instant death. His only change was to roll over’ from his back to his stomach. His eyes were ever kept on the dismount- ed guns, and whenever the Sepoys attempted to mount them his unerring rifle played havoc among them.and pre- vented their object being accomplished. Food was brought to him at night by men who crawled to his position. + After some time a sortie was made, and the Sepoys | were defeated. For this brave work Sergeant Halliwell | received the Victoria cross. 1 ‘g pil ‘CHINESE SPIES. inchs : The use of the Chinese as spies in the Manchurian war furnished the Japanese with the most valuable in- formation, The system of the Japanese in employing the Chinese was worked out to the minutest detail, In ad- vance of the eit ys marched the Chinese, who ex- amined everything wi ‘the: greatest care, for the slightest _ eareléssness meant instant death to them. When a detach- ment took up a position the advance parties did not occupy ct until the. ‘spies had beaten the neighboring and had reported no Russians in the vicinity. All he line of advance of thevenemy a network of spies yed. Sikh a ee FOP: of SB vial were |in nineteen Bavarian cities, there were “cheap fish.days.” _ Halbach, $2,200,000; Prince. Guido Henckel von Donners- |marck, 81, 050,000; the Kaiser, $1,025,000; Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, $850,000; Prince von Thurn and Taxis, $375,000, There are 13,214 children under fourteen years, of whom 7,434 are boys, employed in mills and factories in Ger- many, according to the latest official returns. The number of children between the ages o* fourteen and sixteen employed in 110,000 German mills and fac-_ Rasa is 505,000, of whom nearly 333,000 are boys. and machine shops and in textile factories.’ The greatest number: of little girls are found in textile and clothing factories. The greatest number: of boys between fourteen and six- tories, in wood: carving, in danse aiid in i ecg and drawing. The greatest number of deals eh en footed aad six- teen yeats, are employed in téxtile mills, ‘iniclothing fac- tories. in: metal shops and in, paper, factories. _ Throughout, Germany the various governments are mak- creasing the use of fish. “See 17,000 men. and women. at- tended the lectures, and over 10 ,090 wonten and girls took part in the last year in the cooking classes. Every week, teen years are employed in, machine and metal shops, in ~ : mining, in stone quarries, in textile mills, in.food fae- The greater mamber of little boys are found in metal ing paternal efforts to lower the cost of living. In Bavaria — ‘the State Fisheries Department has supervised moving pic- _ ture lectures and cooking classes for the purpose of in- — : : ’ 2 " cS

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ELECTRIC PUSH BUT+ TON.—The base is made of maple, and the center piece of black w jnut, the whole thing aboby 1% inches in diameter, with a metal hook on the back so that it may be slipped over edge of the vest pocket. Expose to view your New Electric Bell, when your friend will foen the button expecting to hear it ring. W soon as he touches it, you will see some of 9 = liveliest dancing you ever witnessed. The z, iectric Button is heavily charged and will Give a smart shock when the button {s pushed , Price 10c., by mail, pestpaid. _ WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St., N. Y. THE MAGIC DAGGER. Ly A wonderful iltusion, To all appearances it is an ordinary dagger which you can flourish around in your hand _@nd suddenly state that you think you have _ lived long enough and had better commit , Suicide, at the same time plunging the dagger Up to the hilt into your breast or side, or you _ &n preterd to stab a friend or acquaintance, _ Of covrse your friend or yourself are not in- Jured in tle least, but the deception is perfect _ @nd will startle all who See it. ‘ ce, 10c., or 3 for 25c. by mail, postpaid. ' ©, BEHR, 150 W. 62d St., New York City. MUSICAL SEAT The best joke out. ‘ You can have more pa fun than a circus, with one of these novelties., All you have to do is to place one on a chair seat (hidden ynder a cush- ion, if possible). Then , tell your friend to sit : down. An unearthly _ @hriek from the little round drum will send ; Your victim up in the air, the most puzzled &@nd astonished mortal on earth. Don’t miss tting one of these genuine laugh producers. eeuecly harmless, and never misses doing its > > work. ‘1 ¢ Price 20 cents each, by mail, post-paid ie WOF FF NOVELTY CO., 29 W, 26th St., N. ¥ €ARD THROUGH THE HAT TRICE- With this trick you bar- | row a jhat, and appar- ently shove a card up through the crown, without injuring the eard or hat. The oper- ation can be reversed, the performer scemingly’ pushing the card down through the crown into the hat again. It is a ‘ trick which will puzzle | tage mterest the closegt observer and detection | Stmost impossible. It is so simple that a. = Je . Price 10 cents each, by, mail, post-paid F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. ¥. ITCH PQWDER. Gee whiz! What fun you can have with this stuff. Moisten t tip of your finger, tap | it on the contents of the box, and a little bit will stick. Then shake bands with your friend, or drop a speck down his back. In a minute he will feei as if P bap : ‘s the seven years itch. ok Wii uke him scratch, rear, squirm and att faces, isut it is perfectly harmless, as i! is nade from the seeds of wild roses. The _ ,eFeibie itch stops in a tev minutes, or can ~owiegbecked immediately by, rubbing the spot Se a wet cloth, While it is working, you par be apt to laugh ypur suspender buttons best joke of all. Price 20 cents a . box, b { WOLYE NOVELTY CO., 20 W. 26th St. N. ¥. ty ene a se eT a Ayvad's Water-W ings 4 rk AE inj = “3 by one} > - x om ¥ me oes a. plegn ah: wel P from 80 v0 200 Ay trial tma28 sup: | BLACK-EYE JOKE. New and amusing joker. The victim is told to hold the tubs close to his eye so as to exclude all light from the back, and then to remove the tube until pictures appear in the center. In trying to locate the pictures he will re- egive the finest black-eye you ever saw. We furnish a small box of blackening preparation with each tube, so the joke can be used in- : definitely. Those not in the trick : will be caught every time. Abso- lutely harmless. Price by mail. 15¢. 2 for 25e. WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St.. N. ¥. THE JOKER’S CIGAR. The biggest sell of the sea- son, A real cigar be Be tx», tobacco, but secrete n 8 (sess, ‘center of cigar about one-half “ie inch from end is a fountain Sao of sparkliets. The moment Nie’ the fire reaches this fountain ye hundreds of sparks of fire burst forth in every direction, to the astonishment of the smoker. The fire ig stage fire, and will not burn the skin or clothing. After the fireworks the victim can continue smoking the cigar to the end. Price, 10c.; 3 for 25c; 1 dozen, 90c., mailed, post- paid, S 2 C. BEHR, 150 W. 62d St., New York City. BINGO. It ts e Httte metal box. It looks very in- nocent. But it is sup- plied with an ingenious mechanism which shoots off a harmless cap when it is opened. You can have more fun than a circus with this new trick. Place the BINGO (in or _ under 11 go off when the ar- It can be used any article and it wi ticle is opened or removed. as a funny joke by being pleced in a purse, cigarette box or between the leaves of a magazine, also, under any movable article, | Buch as a book, tray, dish, etc. The BINGO’ {can also be used as a Burgiar Alarm or as a Theft Preventer by being placed in a | drawer, money till, under a door or wines or under any article that would be m or disturbed should a theft be attempted. Price 15 cents each, by mail, postpaid. WOLEF NOVELTY CO.. 29 W. 26th St., N. ¥. TRICK PUZZLE PURSE, The first attempt usually made to open it, is to press down the little knob in. the center of the purse, when a ‘small needle runs out and stabs them in the fin- ger, but does not open it. You can open it before their eyes and still they will be unable to open it. Price, 25c. each by mail: postpaid. , minutes learn how to perform it in a few; H, F. LANG, 1835 Centre St., B’klyn, N. ¥. . DUPLEX ‘BICYCLE WHISTLE. This is a double whistle, pro- ducing loud but very rich, har- monious sounds, entirely differ- ent from ordinary whistles. It igs just the thing for bicyclists or sportsmen, its peculiar double and resonant tones at once at- tracting attention. It is an im- ported whistie, handsomely nickel plated, and wiil be found a very useful and handy pocket x companion. Price, 10c.; 3 for 25c.; one dozen, 75c., sent by mail, postpaid. WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St.. N. ¥. THE FLUTOPHONE.—A new musical in- strument, producing the sweetest dulcet tones of the flute. The upper part of the instrument 1s placed in the mouth, the lips covering the ings in the centre. Then by blowing gently upon it you can play any tune desired as easily as whistling. But little practice is required to become a4 finished ero’ It is made entirely of metal, and will last a life- time. We send full instructions with each instrument. OBACCO HABIT nati . ‘improve your hea'.b. prolong your life. No more stom trouble, no foul breath, bo heart weakness, Regaim man vigor, calm nerves, clear eyes and superior .nental stren; Whether you chew; or smoke pipe, Cigerettes, cigars, my in- teresting Tobacco Book. Worth its ight in gold. Maifea E. J. WOCDS, 624 Sixth Ave.,228 C. New York, N. ¥. (FOR A IME AND, Ae. STAMP Fits roof of mouth ; alweys Invisible ; greatest thing yet. Astonish end mystify your friends, Neigh like 6 horse ; whine like a puppy; sing lke s canary, snd imitate birds and beasts of the field and forest. Loads of fun, Wonder- ful Invention. Thousands sold. Send the dime and « 20 stamp to-day. DOUBLE THROAT £8., Dept. K, Franchtown, #1 IMITATION FLIES. : Absolutely true to Naturef A dandy scarf-pip». @ rattling good joke. It is i to do these pins justice with a ription. You have to see them to understand how Mfelike they are. When people sée them on you they want to brush them off. They wonder “why that fly sticke to you” so persistently. This is the most realistic novelty ever put on the market. It is a distinet j ornament for anybody's necktie, and i a decided joke on those who try to chase it. Price, 10c. by mall postpaid. C. BEHR, 150 W. 62d S8t., New York City. SURPRISE KINEMATOGRAPH. The greatest hit ,of season! It coneists of @ small metal, nickeled tube, with s lens eye view, which shows a pretty bal- let girl in tights. Hand it to a friend, who will be delighted with the first pic- ture; tell him to turn the screw in center of instru- ment to change the views, when a stream of water squirts into his face, much to his dis-- gust. Anyone who has not seen this kinema- tograph in operation is sure to be caught every time. The instrument can be refilled with water in an instant, ready for the next customer. Price 25c. by mail, postpaid. WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th 8t.. N. ¥, POCKET WHISK-BEOOM ‘toy, but a real me 6% inches wet, i eae her, and This is whisk-broom, 10 cents each, da. J 4 PIGGY IN A COFFIN. This is a wicked pig. that died at an early age, and is in his coffin ready for There will be a great many moufners at his funera ae this Carvey eae as 5 is very tricky, and the man o ge : pace ‘vill feel reai grief. The coffin is made ~ metal, rfectly shaped and beautifully uered. ' The trick is to open it to see the - The man that tries it gets his fingers feelings hurt, and piggy comes out to grunt at his victims. The ‘ubular end of the Ceffin, which everyone (in trying to open) resses inward, contains a needle which stabs Re victim in his thumb or finger every time. This is the latest and a very “impressive’® trick. It can be opened easily by anyone in the secret, and as a neat catch-joke to save yourself from a bore is unsurpassed. Price, 10c.; 3 for 25c., postpaid; one dozen by ex~- press, 75c. WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St., N. ¥. ROUGH AND READY TUMBLERS. These lively ‘acrobats are handsomely deco- rated with the Us 3. flag and with ge an silver gtars and hearts, Upon placing them up- on any flat surface and tilting it they at once yee @ most wonderful performan elim and tumbling over each other ies 4 uaa each other in every direction, as if the lev spirit was after them, causing roars of laugh-— ter from the en - They actually ap-. pear imbued with life. What causes theses cut up such antics is a secret that may not be known even to the owner of the unruly subjects. If you want some genuine fun sen for a set of our tumblers, Z Price per set, 16¢. matled, spostpald, Brookiyn, ¥. ¥, A. A. WARFORD, 16 Hars St., i Les f Se >

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VANISHING CIGAR. This cigar is,.made in exact imitation of a geod ene. It is heid By a rub- ber cord whith, with the, attached safety . is fastened er the fnsids of the’ sleeve. When effered to a friend, as it is about to be taken, it will fnstently disappear. Price, 10¢. each By mail, postpaid C. BEHR, 150 W. 62d St.. New York Citg. THE JUMPING FROG. This little novelty creates a world of laughter. Its chief attractiveness is that it takes a few seconds We- fore leaping high iIn*the air, 2 so that when set, very inno- cently along side of an unsuspecting person, he is suddenly startled by the wonderful activity of this frog. Price, 15c. each by mail >ostpaid. H, F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. Y. ———— MANY TOOL KEY RING. The wonder of the age. The great- est small tool in the world. In this little instrument you have in combina- tion seven useful tools embracing Key Ring, Pencil Sharpener, Nail “and Cleaner, Watch Opener, Clipper, Letter Opener and Screw Driver. It is not a toy, but a useful article, made of cutlery steel, tem~ pered and highly nickeied. will carry an edge the same as any jece of cutlery. As a useful tool, nothing as ever been offered to the public to equal it. Price, 15e., mailed, postpaid. WOLFF NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St., N. ¥ THE PEG JUMPER. A very effective pocket trick, easily to be perfermed by any one. A minicture paddle is shown. Cen- tral holes are drilled through it. A wooden peg is inside of the upper hole. Showing now both sides of the die, the performer causes, by simply breat -upon it, the peg to leave the upper hole, and appear in the middle one. Then it jumps tojthe lower hole, back to tne middie one. tne Daadls are repeatedly shown. ft are re} e shown. Beth sides @: , Fh gy gle dr C.. BEHR, 150. W. 62d St., New York City. Cutter | Cigar | Therefore . THE FIGHTING ROOSTERS. A full blooded pair of fighting game — cocks, These liliputian fighters have real feathers, yellow legg and fiery red combs, their movements when fighting are perfectly nat- ural and lifelike, and the } secret of their movements is known only to the operator, who can cause them. to battle with each other as often and as iong as desired. Independent of their | fighting prociivities they make very pretty mnantel ornaments. Price for the pair in a strong box, 10c.;.3 pairs for 25c. by mail, postpaid, WOLKE NOVELTY CO., 29 W. 26th St., N. ¥. LIGHTNING TRICK BOX. A startling and pleasing illu- sion! devious,” says Matthew Arnold, but the ways of the Lightning Trick Box when properly handled are admitted to be puzzling and uncertain. and show your friends that it is full of nice candy. Replace the lid, when you can solemnly assure your friends that you can instantly empty the box in their presence without opening it; end taking off the lid again, sure enough the candy | has digappeared. Or you can change the | candy fnto a piece of money by following tho @irections sent with each box. This is the negtest and best cheap trick ever invented. ce, only 10¢.; 3 for 25c., mailed, postpaid. M. V. GALLIGAN, 419 W. 56th St., N. ¥. “The ways*of the world are | You take off the lid | GOOD LUCK BANKS. 4 Ornamental as well as use ful. Made of highly nickeled brass. It holds just One Dol- lar. When filled it opens it- self. Remains locked until refiied. Can be used as @ Watehcharm. Money refund- ed if not satisfied. Tioe, 100. by mail, EANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. Y. EGGS OF PHARAOH’S SERPENTS. A wonderful and_ startling novelty! ‘“Pharaoh’s Serpents” are produced from a small egg, no Jarger than a pea. Place one of them on a piate, tout fire to it with a common match, and instantly a large serpent, a yard or more in length, slowly un- coils itself from the burning egg. Hach serpent assumes a different posifon. One will appear to be gliding over the ground, with | head erect, as though spying | danger; another will coil itself up, as if pre- |-paring for the fatal spring upon its victim, {while another will stretch out tazily, appar- }ently enjoying its usual noonday nap. Im- mediately after the egg stops burning, the serpent hardens, and may afterward be kept as an amusing curiosity. They are put up in wooden boxes, twelve eggs in a box. Price, | 8¢., 8 boxes for 20c.; 1 dozen boxes for 60c., sent by mail, postpaid. WOLFF NOVELTY CO.. 29 W. 26th St.. N. ¥. NEW TRy-CENT FOUNTAIN PEN, One of the most ,eculiar and mystifyin pens on the market. It requires mio ink. Al you have to do is to dip it in water, and it will write for an indefinite period. The secret \can only be learned by procuring one, and you can make it = source of both pleasure and | amusement by claiming to your friends what it can do and then demonstrating the fact. Moreover, it is a good pen, fit for prectical use, and will never leak ink into your pecket, as a defective fountain pen might do.” Price, 18c. each by mail. WOLEF NOVELTY OO., 29 W. 26th St., N. ¥.- DEAD SHOT SQUIRT PISTOL. | — If you shoot a man . with this “gun” he will be too mad to accept the ancient excuse—‘“I didn’t know it was loaded.” It loads easily with a full charge of water, and taking aim, press the rubber bulb at the butt of the Pistol, when a smalj stream | of water is squirted into his face. The best | thing to do then is to pocket your gun and run. There are “loads of fun’ in this wicked | little joker, which iooks like a real revolver, | trigger, cock, chambers, barrel and all. Price | 23e.; one dozen 60c. by mail | postpaid. H. FE, LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. ¥. only Je.; 4 for Fees ee ed eek. mbactutely te Pre- Be * ‘, NOMA, e cases are made in Gold Plate, ter and plain Gun-metal.

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- = ™S ™~ No. 6. = & A * F, + . E: ; FAME AWD FORTUDMDME WA7EE EI. DY 2 Lineman Jack; or, The Boy Who Built a Business. Barry & Co., Bankers ani Brokers; or, The Boy Money-Makers in On the Fast Mail; or, From Clerk to Postmaster. His Last Chance; or, The Boy Who Made Money in Wall Street. Shipped to Sea; or, The Treasures of the Coral Cave. An Errand Boy’s Fortune: or, The Office of Wall Street Secrets. In the Film Game;'or, The Boy Who Made Moving Pictures. A Smart New York Boy; or, From the Tenements to Wal! Street Mark Milton’s Mine; or, a Schoolboy’s Inheritance. The Young Banker; or, The Mystery of a Money Box. 5 The Secret Chart, or, The Golden Treasure of the Crater. The Boy Behind the Deals; or, The Luck of a Wall Street Broker. Dollar. Brains. Business on a yho Worked His Tom, the Steeple Jack; or, Winning a Living by Nerve. Saving a Million; or, Ben and the Wall Street Brokers. The Boy Banker’s Double; or, A Strange Wall Street Mystery. The Young Beach Comber; or, A Fortune From the Sand. The Little Boss: or, After the Wall Street Money Kings. $250,000 in’ Gold; or, eee a Hindoo Treasure. n g the Wall Street Money Sharks Going it Alone; or, The Boy Who Made His Own Luck. Little Dan Tucker; or, Making Big Money in Wall St. Start. oney Maker: or. In Wall Street on His Nerve. Buried Gold; or, The Treasure of the Old Buccanee: Hitting it Rich; or, The Luckiest Firm in Wall St. Salesman; or, The Boy With the SI Tongue. — LATEST ISSUES— ier 411 Full of Business; or, The Young Traveler for the Firm. Wall Street. 412 ses a — or, The Boy With the Iron Nerve. (A Wall/ 437 ree ory. : P 413 After a Square Deal; or, The Richest Claim in the West. re 414 Silver Dollar Sam; or, The Coin that Brought Him Luck. (A Story | 446 of Wall Street.) 441 415 Bound to Make His Mark; or, Running a Moving Picture Show. 442 416 Ed, the Office Boy; or, The Lad Behind the Deals. (A Wall Street | 443 Story.) ; 444 417 Lost in the Baixans; or, The Luck of a Young War Correspondent. | 445 418 Plunging to Win; or, The Deals of a Wall Street Office Boy. 446 419 The Young Shipper; or, The Boy Who Was Always on Top. 447 Thrown on the World; or, Startin 420 Beating the Bucketshops; or, Breaking Up a Crooked Game. A | 448 A Speculator at 16; or, The Lad story of Wall Street. 449 $2) EMRE Tanai oer abe rie With of duk cae Aenea, 4 | $30 Ss an onds; or, e rm a Gr on the arket. A a ° Wall Street. story. Pp = Down and Ont: or, A Hard Boy to Beat. 428 Stranded in the City; or, The Boy with a Head for Business. 453 424 Getting the Coin; or, The Luckiest Lad in Wall Street. 454 425 In the Lumber Trade; or, A Winning Speculator. 455 *426 A Boy's Big Deal; or, The Wall Street Tip That Won. 1 456 A Corner in Money : or, Beat 427 Prince. the Printer: or, The Little Shop That Was Made to Pay.| 4.7 The oy aan ry mer ry he mening As 5 lege ri 458 mong the Missing; or, The Treasure of the Silver City. 459 Fighting for Business: or, Beating a Bad 480 Lucky Larry; or, The Boy Who Made Wall Street Take Notice. 460 A Boy Ar M. : fi 481 The Young Wrecker; or, e Boy Who Dealt In Derelicts. 461 y 482 In the Game for Gold; or, Beating the Wall Street Market. 462 3 Messenger Sixty-Four; or, Hustling for a Living. 463 Sam, the 484 Old Kitson’s Kid; or, The Best Tip in Wall Street. 464 FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, - IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS of our weeklies and cannot procure them from newsdealers, they can be obtained from this office direct. Write out a fill in your Order and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY. TOUSEY, Publishe:, - =F : = : = x Ne 1 NAPOLEON’S ORACULUM AND DREAM BOOK.—Containing the great oracle ef human destiny; also the true meaning of almost any kind of dreams, together with eharn ceremon: and curious games of HOW TO DO TRICKS.—The great magic and card tricks, containing full instruction on all the leading card tricks of the day, also the most popular magica! !llu- sions as performed by our leading magicians; every boy should obtain a copy of this book. No. 8. HOW TO FLIRT.—The arts and wiles of flirtation are fully explained by this ittle book. Besides the various methods of handkerchief, fan, glove, parasol, window and hat flirtation, it contains a full lst of the language and sentiment of flowers. No. 4. HOW TO DANCE is the title of this little book. It contains full instructions im the art of dancing, etiquette in the ball- reom and at parties, how to dress, and full @irections for calling off in all popular square ces, No. 5. HOW TO MAKE LOVE.—a com- plete guide to love, courtship and marriage, giving sensible advice, rules and etiquette to observed. HOW TO BECOME AN ATHLETE. —Giving full instruction for the use of dumb- lis, Indian clubs, parallel bars, horizontal bars and various other methods of developing & good, bealthy muscle; containing over sixty illustrations 7. HOW TO KEEP BIRDS.—Hand- somely illustrated and containing ful! tnstruc- tio: for the management and training of the , mockingbird, bobolink, blackbird, par- oquet. parrot, etc. No. 9. HOW TO BECOME A _ VENTRILO- IST.—By Harry Kennedy, Every intelli- gent boy reading this book of instructions can master the art, and create any amount of fun imself and friends. _ No. 10. HOW TO BOX.—The art of self- made easy. Containing over thirty ense strations of ere is, blows, and the differ- i of a of boxer. Every boy one of these useful and instruc- books, as it will teach you how to box an instructor. - No. 11. HOW TO WRITE LOVE-LETTERS. -—A most complete little book, containing full “= | for writing love-letters, and when use them, giving specimen letters for RITE LETTERS TO P instructions for ETIQUETTE.—It is a great life secret, and one thet every young man desires to know ail about) There’s happiness in it. No. 14. HOW TO MAKE CANDY.—A com- plete hand-book for making all kinds of candy, ice-cream, syrups, essences, etc., -etc. No. 18. OW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL. —One of the brightest and most valuable lHittle books ever given to the world. Every- body wishes to know how to become beauti- ful, both male and female. simple, and almost costless. No. 20. HOW TO ENTERTAIN AN EVEN- ING PARTY.—A complete compendium of games, sports, card diversfons, comic recita- tions, etce., suitable for parlor or drawing- room entertainment. No 21. HOW TO HUNT AND FISH.—The most complete hunting and fishing guide ever published. {[t contains full instructions aboot guns. hunting dogs, traps, trapping and fish- ing, together with description of game and fish. No. 22. HOW TO DO SECOND SIGHT.— Heller’s second sight explained by his former assistant, Fred Hunt, Jr. Explaining how the secret dialogues were carried on between the magician and the boy on the stage; also giv- ing all the codes and signals. HOW TO EXPLAIN DREAMS. book gives the explanation to all No. 23. This little kinds of dreams, together with lucky and unlucky days. No. 24. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS TO GENTLEMEN.—Cotaining full directions for writing to gentlemen on all subjects. No. 25. HOW TO BECOME A GYMNAST.— Containing full instructions for all kinds of gymnastic sports and athletic exercises. Em- bracing thirty-five fliustrations. No. 26. HOW TO ROW, SAIL AND BUILD A BOAT.—Fully illustrated. Full instructions are given in this little book, together with in- structions on swimming and riding, companion sports to boating. No. 27.. HOW TO RECITE AND BOOK OF RECITATIONS.—Containing the most popular selections in use, comprising Dutch dialect, French — — mae Fn dialect jeces, together with many standard readings. No. 28. HOW TELL FORTUNES. Everyone ig desirous of knowing what his future life will bring forth, whether happiness or misery, wealth or poverty. You can tell by a glance at this little boo! ; No. 29. HOW TO BECOME AN INVENTOR. —Every boy should know how inventions orig- inated. This book explains them all, giving examples in electricity, hydraulics, magnet- ism, optics, pneumatics, mechanics, etc. r will be sent to auy address on receipt of price, 10 cts. per copy, The secret is | Playing in Luck; or, A Plotter’s Dangerous For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on rece!pt of price, 6 cents per copy, in money or po stamps, by — - 168 West 23d St., New York. © . 168 West 23d St., New York. No. 30. HOW TO COOK.—One of the most instructive books on cooking ever published. It containg recipes for cooking meats, game, and oysters; also pies, puddings, cakes and all ind f pastry, and @ grand coll W TO BECOME A SPEAKE roumeren. illustrations, giving tions requisite to become & reader and elocutionist. Also c —Containin different po: speaker, taining gems from all the popular authors Prose and poetry. No. $2. HOW TO the rules and etiq the easiest and appearing to good a the theatre, church, and No. 35. HOW TO PLAY Plete and useful in the drawing-room. GAMES.—A com- little the gs. > HOW TO BECOM® YOUR OWN- DOCTOR.—A wonderful book, containing use- ful and practical information in the treatment ~ of ordinary diseases and ailments common to every family. tive recipes for general complaints. Oo RAIS and instructive book. No. 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS. —Including hints on how to catch moles, Weasels, otter, rats. squirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. Coplously illustrated. No. 41, THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN’S JOKE BOOK.—Containing @ great va- riety of the latest jokes used by the most famous end men. No amateur minstrels is complete without this wonderful little book. No. 42. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK STUMP SPEAKER.—Containing & varied as- sortment of stump speeches, Negro, Dutch and Irish. Also d men’s jokes. No. 43. HOW TO BECOME A MAGICIAN. —Containing the grandest assortment of m feal illusions ever placed before the pub Also tricks with cards, incantations, etc. No. 44. HOW TO WRITE IN AN 4 BUM. grand collection of Album suitable for any time and ing Lines of Love, Affection, mor, Respect, and Condolence; 0 Suitable for Valentines and Weddin HE OF —A 168 West 23d St., New York. » di Pan tJ ; a = or Abounding in useful and effec- ~ d : hy "