Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 628) (1917 10 12)

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OCTOBER 12, 1917. Lost. 5 THE TROPICS; 5 OR JTHE pss wa oF URTLEKEY. =i x a ._ “Ovaire wiz you both!” cried Pierre Gerard, giving Dick and Sam a shove into the 0a. is then, swim to ze island, mon enfants. By gar! You will be luckee if ze Shark do not make a meek of you.”

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FAMEAND FORTUNE WEEKLY STORIES OF BOYS WHO MAKE MONEY Issued Weekly—By Subscription $3.00 per year. Entered at the New York, N. Y., Post Office as Second-Class Matter by Harry E. Wolff, Publisher, 166 West 23d Street, New York. No. 628. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 12, 1917. Price 6 Cents. LOST IN THE TROPICS © THE TREASURE OF TURTLE KEY - CHAPTER IL. THE RUNAWAYS. when there’s a railroad only a few miles awa By A SELF-MADE MAN. that would save time and shoe leather at the rate of three cents a mile.” “It isn’t anybody’s business how we travel, or what road “J don’t like the looks of this house, nor the people in it,” | we take to reach our destination,” replied Dick. said Dick Appleton in a low, guarded tone to his friend, Sam Atkins, as the two sat at a common dea! table, close to a window overlooking a creek that jutted in from the Patapsco River, a number of miles south of the city of Baltimore. “I’m sorry we stopped here.” “It can’t be helped now,” replied Sam, with a furtive glance around at the hard-looking characters, all of them evidently: sailors, who were drinking and smoking in pairs and groups at similar tables, in the low-ceilinged public room of a roadhouse, the name of which, displayed on a weather-beaten board over the door, outside, was the “Fish- erman’s Rest.” “Any port in a storm, you know. It is the only house we’ve sighted in hours, and we’re tired and hun- after our long walk. We’ve been on our feet since Seviight, and I don’t feel that I could stir another foot aw somebody urged me on with a hot poker. Then my stomach is that empty I can eat any old thing that looks like “I'm pretty well petered out myself,” replied Dick, “but just the same I wish we hadn’t come here.” “What are you afraid of, anyway?” asked his companion. “It isn’t like you to show the white feather. I never saw you do it at school, no matter what the odds were against ou. Then, after planning our escape from the academy, ook at the risk you took with the dog\yesterday morning. He’d have made a mouthful of me if you had not come to my rescue and put him out of business. After that, nobody can tell me you’ve got a drop of cowardly blood in your ; ” - Sunday-school oes, aS of it? We're not so flush at this table, waiting for the landlord to ; at, that the chaps in the room have ing us in a peculiar manner.” they, seeing that we’re strangers? Be- presence here in this out-of-the-way spot, hungry re, must have struck them as rather odd. They tell the landlord, in answer to his question, that v Baltimore, and I'll bet few people, un- tran the Chesapeake shore on foot _ “Why shouldn’t “That’s right; but we can’t prevent people being curious on the subject.” “It was necessary for us to take the most unfrequented and out-of-the-way road in order to throw our pursuers off the track.” Sam nodded. : “If we’d been caught and yanked back to the academy, Dr. Titus would have seen to it that we would not only have been punished severely, but that we wouldn’t have had an- other chance to give the school the slip.” “I’m not sure that we’re safe from capture yet. Dr. Titus may have notified the Baltimore police to be on the ; lookout for us.” é : : “I’m willing to take my chances with the Baltimore police, We don’t intend to remain long enough in the city for them to get a line on us. If they’re watching for us, it is at the railroad station.” “They'll have a sweet time looking for us there,” grinned Sam. At that moment Dick raised his eyes, and met the fixedl gaze of a low-browed, ugly-looking chap who sat by him- self at a small table at the end of the small bar. His scowling glance was so intent that it made the boy a bit uneasy. : It was full of malicious satisfaction, as if the young vis- itors occupied a large share of his thoughts, and there was some definite purpose in his mind. . Dick didn’t relish the interest the fellow seemed to be taking in them. : : ; He wvuld have called Sam’s attention to it, but was afraid his companion would turn around and look at the man, . Just then the landlord appeared from a passage in the rear of the room with a tray containing two plates, knives and forks, a dish of cold meat, a platter of bread, some butter, and two cups of coffee, _ ‘ He unloaded these articles in front of the boys and walked over to the bar to wait on a customer who wanted some liquid refreshment. The sight of the food cut short any further conversation between the boys for the time being, and with one accord they transfe a portion of the meat to their plates and began to eat like very hungry lads indeed. aby Loo = lone rascal scarcely took his eyes off them w ey were eating. - He’ had a bottle and a tumbler in front of him, and he drank of the contents of the former quite frequently,

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The rest of the crowd seemed to have got used to their presence, and ceased to pay any attention to them. The landlord, however, had his eyes on them a good part of the-time, though the boys were not aware of that fact. _ Dick and Sam devoured every scrap of meat and bread in sight and finished their coffee. Then they sat back in their chairs feeling much better. About this time a newcomer appeared en the scene. He wore a cap and a rough pea-jacket, had bushy side whiskers, and an authoritative air. He stepped up to the bar, called for whisky, and drank | it down like so much water. After a brief conversation with the landlord he turned to the crowd and said in a hoarse, fog-horn voice: “Come, my bullies, it’s time yow were shakin’ a leg for the schooner. We drop down the creek in twenty minutes. D’ye understand?” 3 The men seemed to take his words in the light of an order that was to be obeyed. : They arose from the tables like a covey of birds startled | by a hunter’s gun, and started, with a kind of rolling gait, for the entrance. ‘The newcomer, who appeared to be the mate of the | schooner, followed after the last man, and through the win- | dow at their elbows Dick and Sam saw the crowd making their way down a lane beside the creek. 3 One man only, besides the landlord, remainéd in the pub- lic room. ; This was the surly-looking fellow who seemed to be so - much interested in the two boys that they more than di- vided his attention with the rum bottle. _ Presently the landlord went to the door, stonnes outside, and walked over to a horse trough which was fed by a com- mon iron pump set on top of a wooden base. He leaned against the pump, pipe in mouth, and after looking up and down the road, glanced steadily off toward a} schooner that was hauled up alongside a small wharf in the creek about a quarter of a mile away. The boys looked in that direction, too, through the win- dow, following the movements of the sailors who had just “ft the roadhouse. They were tumbling aboard the vezsel while the mate paused on the wharf. Pretty soon the boys saw the schooner’s jib begin to rise from her short bowsprit. At that moment they were startled by a hoarse, thick veice behind them, ; “Well, my hearties, what be ye thinkin’ 0’ doin’?™ said the voice. (agater) hooker on the form and leeri i at the table near the bar. _ His legs seemed to be a bit unsteady, for he held on to the table with one huge, sunburned paw, while the other grasped a mussed per. : il bay, eh?” e boys turned quickly, and were confronted by the burly | countenance of the man who had sat by, -up newspa’ “No,” replied Dick, giving him a steady look. “We're go- ing to slip our cables for Baltimore after we have rested “Oh, ye are?” replied the man with a malevolent grin. _ “And what might ye intend to do there?” ae _. “What business is that of yours?” asked Dick sharply, for now that they had but one man to deal with he didn’t _ much mind what he said. The fellow, instead of blazing up, as Dick more than half x to a deep chuekle that » Fave to come all the way from his stomach, hooker struck by a white squall.” go RR ™ demanded Dick anxiously. | premises. my hearties.” “Slippin’ yer cables for a trip aboard some ister | LOST IN THE TROPICS. daily, down on the table before them, and pointed to an advertisement in a prominent column. It read as follows: “REWARD! “Twenty-five dollars and expenses will be paid to any per- son who will bring back Dick Appleton (aged 18) am Sam Atkins (aged 17), runaways, to the Oriole Academy, North view, Blank County, Maryland. Or fifteen dollars wijl be | paid for information leading to the capture of the said 9} “THEOPHILUS Titus, A.M., LL.D. Then followed an accurate description of Dick and Sam. “That fills the bill, don’t it, my hearties?” chuckled the | burly man. The two were staggered. ; . Although this was an unexpected shock, Dick did not ‘intend that he and his companion should be checkmated by | the half-drunken rascal before them. . “What have we got to do with this advertisement?” he de- manded as coolly as he could. “Now look ye, my hearty, to catch a weasel asleep ye’ve got to get up mighty early. Ye two are the lads that’s men- tioned in that there advertisement, and I mean to earn that | twenty-five benes.” : “How do you know we're the boys?” asked Dick. more to gain time to consider what he and Sam should do to ex- tricate themselves from a bad predicament than because he cared what the fellow’s answer would be. : “How do I know? I’ve got eyes in my head, and I kin | read what’s as plain as the nose on yer face. As soon as I seen ye come in at that door I knowed ye was the two chaps | what runned away from that school, so I made up my mind | to nab ye.” . | He Jaid one hand on Sam’s shoulder, and with the otner | reached for Dick. Ing | The boy sprang to his feet. put out one leg and tripped the” {unsteady rascal. : f F | He fell to the floor with a crash, bis head striking on a | heavy stone spittoon, which cut an ugly gash just over his left temple. | 8 man, for not a limb hen he rolled over like a dead : | moved, nor a muscle quivered. i CHAPTER II. DRUGGED. — : “Good Lord!” ejaculated Sam, with a thrill of horror, ei ge killed ey ge ¢ : os Pa ad “J hope not,” said Dick, casting an uneasy.-look th motionless man, particularly at the gash. which was bleeding 7 freely. “I guess he’s only unconscious.” ‘eis: ee | “What are we going to do now? We're sure to be ar rested for/this, and then the game will be up,” said Sam anxiously. ; ‘ “Who’s going to arrest us?” ? “The landlord.” 2 “The two of us ought to be a match for him.” ‘ “Rut there are others around the house who will help have to make landlord and tell him that the fe nd tacked us, lost his footing, and fell against the spittoon. That’s pretty near the truth, and looks reasonable.” “The fellow might come to while we’re ! matters to the landlord, and then he’d give us aways. The landlord would stand in with on the re- wen , and between the two of them our name wee be mud.” r + when he saw sailor on the floor. : he saw the boys trying to take French leave of the “ “Hold on there!” he roared. “Where are you young ras- es eals going?” Cree a Sy amie He rushed forward in time to pull Sam back into the ~ 7

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LOST IN THE TROPICS. 3 “Just going out into your yard, that’s all,” replied Dick. | it’s a wonder that he did not fasten this window before- “Are you sure you two wasn’t trying to beat it and leave | hand,” said Sam. me in the lurch, after feeding you?” said the landlord, who really believed that was their object. “No; but that chap yonder, when he attacked us, and then fell down and bumped his head against the spittoon, scared us. We thought he might have had a fit and passed in his checks,” said Dick. “So he attacked you, did he?” said the landlord. “He must have been drunker than I thought he was. No danger of Bill Spurgeon turning up his toes from a crack on the head. He’s had many of them sort of things. Come over and we'll look at him.” The boys reluctantly followed the landlord, who took care to keep himself between them and the door. He declared that Spurgeon would be none the worse for the blow he had reecived when he got his senses back, and made the boys help him carry the man to the back part of the room and lay him on the floor. “Now, my lads, I think you said you were bound for “Baltimore,” he said. “We are,” replied Dick. “If you intend to continue your way on foot you'll never reach the city before midnight, even putting your best foot forward. You’d better stay here all night. I’ll give you bed and grub for a dollar apiece. That’s reasonable, ain’t it?” | . “All right,” replied Dick promptly. Im advance.” ; The landlord took the money, looked at it to make sure it was all right, and put it in his pocket. vill you go to your room now and tidy up a bit?” he Said in a friendly manner. | Without waiting for an answer he grabbed Dick and Sam | lightly by the arm and led them out inéo an adjoining entry, | then upstairs to the second floor, which was the limit of the roadhouse in height. It was net part of the boys’ program to stup at this house all night. deed, they were both anxious to get on their way to- ward Baltimore as soon as possible. ~The landlord’s manner was mildly insistent, however, as if he ve ee upon his shoulders the direction of his young s’ affairs. “Here’s the two cases “This is a fine rocm for the money,” he said, opening the door of a small chamber in which there was a very ordinary ing-glass above it. The floor was covered with a dirty piece of rag carpet. “Just see if there’s water in the bowl,” added giving them each a light shove into th “Yes, there’s water,” replied Sam, taking a look. “T’ll let you know when supper is ready,” said the landlord, one in the room, the window of which looked th : “i the boys looked at each other. | re ee re r the landlord’s actions were suspicious. “Look here, Sam,” said. Dick, “I don’t fancy this man’s bed, two chairs, a washstand, and a shelf with a small look- while the mattress looked suspiciously thin. " the landlord, e€ room. % _ abruptly shutting the door. e same thought seemed to have occurred to both—that peg ‘Something behind it, or I don’t 1 know what I’m talking about. Maybe he’s seen the adver- tisement, too, and in to try and make the twenty-five lockeg.” ire 7 “Then we're prisoners 2” - “Looks that way.” “What are we going to do?” “That’s what we'll have to consider.”. “In trying to give the half-drunken sailor the slip we’ve ; nell trein the eine into the fire.” We mustn’t remaindn the fire till we ara burned.” “The is, how are we going to make our escape?” “It will soon be dark, then perhaps we can drop out the window. eb les th a ln md | he “He didn’t have the chance to do anything like that when ~ locked us in here.” ‘ “Which is likely to prove a good thing for us.” “T hope so.” “He said he’d let us know when supper was ready, but I guess that was a bluff.” “He may bring our supper up here.” “I hope he will, for that lunch we had only took the edge off my appetite,” said Sam. “If he does, we mustn’t let on that we suspect he is work- ing against us. We must give him to understand that we are perfectly satisfied to remain here all night. By that means we may throw him off his guard, and he won’t be so likely to hold us up and turn us over to the police, if they “You think he has seen that advertisement, es us, and intends to take us back to the academy and earn the twenty-five dollars?” “Looks that way to me. That advertisement occupies a prominent place in the paper, and has been seen and com- mented on by several thousand people.” “T'll .bet it has. Even if we get away from here we're likely to be identified along the road to Baltimore. Or if we reach Baltmore all right, some person in the city is likely to hold us up and turn us over to the police. if the don’t see their way clear to capturing us themselves. think we’d better make a change in our arrangements and give Baltimore a wide berth.” “The only fay we can reach the Eastern Shore, where you live, without tramping up to Wilmi n—for it’s risky to take a train—and then going down via Delaware, is by boat from Baltimore, thirty miles across the bay,” said Dick. “I suppose your stepfather knows by this time that yon: have hooked it from the academy.” “I think it likely that he does.” “What’ll he do if Dr. Titus fails to capture you?” “Put a detective on my track, if he hasn’t already done so.” “Can’t you uade him to gend you to another school? I'll bet or on will do that when I get home and tell him all I’ve been up against at the Oriole Academy.” “No. He and Dr. Titus are old friends. That’s why he sent me to that school. Anything the doctor says goes with him, while any kick I may make won’t count.” “Then you really mean to go out West to your mother’s ¥ sister?”, , “That is my intention.” ; “Won’t your stepfather suspect that, and send out ther after you?” : “Probably he will, but I intend to fool him. I’m going to keep out of his way till I get to b> twenty-one, and then ko won't have authority over me any .onger.” “I’m glad I haven’t a stepfather,” said Sam earnestly. “You’re lucky. Mine has had a grouch against me evér since my mother died.” “It’s a wonder he’s willing to spend money oh your educs- tion.” “He can’t help himself. Mother left a certain amount ¢f her money by will for that purpose. Mr. Edwards, however, has the right to pick out the school; that is why he made ft a point to send me to Dr Titus. It always will be my opinio» that he told the doctor to make me walk a chalk line.” “Which the doctor has done,” grinned Sam, 5 “Bet your life he has! That’s why I skipped out.” “He made it hard for me because I was your chum, an‘l so we lit out together.” . ‘ At that moment the boys heard the key click in the lock. oe door opened, and the landlord entered with a tray of “TJ thought I’d bring your supper up here. to save you the trouble of coming downstairs,” he said with an unctuous grin, as he deposited the tray on the bed. “Very kind of you,” replied Dick sarcastically. “When you get ange ng’ 4 n ‘ bed. I'll wake you in the morning about six, so you can you can shove the tray under the _ make an early start for Baltimore,” said the host, rubbing __ his fat hands together. “All right,” answered Dick. “As we're fagged ell right, e ‘ out, we'll turn in as soon as we’ve p' a8 oe. ee It is good, I raise my own pork, and them eggs is fresh.” race : ~ Copter ahs oe SeXS the supper off. That ham — ees it ‘

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LOST IN | their meal the landlord withdrew and once more softly turned the key in the lock. “He’s a foxy old rooster,” remarked Sam. “That’s what he is, but we’re going to. fool him just the same,” replied Dick. The boys, however, were ignorant of the trap that the astute landlord had laid for them. They ate their supper with great relish, and drank every ne Se the coffee; then they shoved the tray under the bed. “We'll wait half an hour, and then slip out of the win- dow,” said Dick. “Gee! but I feel dead sleepy,” said Sam inside of five minutes. “So do I, but the fresh air will wake us up when we get outside.” __ Sam yawned, and his eyes looked as heavy as lead. Dick looked at him. ; “Here! Don’t go to sleep!” he said. “Who’s going—going to sleep?” returned Sam. oe are. Gracious! I'll be off myself if I don’t look cat! The boy walked unsteadily to the window, threw up the crush and leaned out. For a moment the cool night air sat down on the chair. “Sam!” he cried. There was no answer from his companion, “Sam!” repeated Dick, louder. Still no reply, “T believe he’s—he’s gone—gone—to—-sleep.” He got up and looked over at Sam. The lad was stretched, unconscious, on the bed. “He is a—— I wonder what’s the mat—ter with me! I . feel—feel just as if. 51 A ; He dropped back into his chair, stared at the ceiling a moment, and then his head fell over on his arm and he was fast aslee dead to the world as a log. The foxy landlord had drugged the two boys. revived him, and he CHAPTER III. SENT TO SEA. ‘An hour later the door opened softly, and the landlord thrust his head into the room and flashed the lamp he car- ried in his hand about. : : He saw the condition of the two boys, and a satisfied oe grin wrinkled his hard-looking face for a moment. j ep “It’s all right,” he said to some one behind him. “Come _. mand take a look at ’em. You'll find ’em stout lads, both i of ’em. They'll make good hands aboard your brig.” The landlord entered the room, holding the lamp well up, and made way for the individual behind. nt “¥ yas a big, stout man, with mahogany-hued hands and face. , amis most conspicuous feature was a particularly large nose of a rubicund color, suggestive of close acquaintance _ with a gin bottle. A a dozen excrescences ornamented its streaky sur- - face, like good-sized warts, and rather added to its fiery t o2 ht : ‘ fieree look. : Jabez Caulder, and he was the captain owned by a Baltimore shipping firm that th American trade. Pan “make sailors of ’em 7 he 5 wanted Spurgeon bad, and connivance of the landlord, up the - out of the eouldn’t get he agreed to creek for the three in an hour,” {nS ee A ning: ee Sk it . | lighted THE TROPICS. The two men went downstairs. Catain Caulder paid the money over in the shape of a $100 bill, receiving $25 in change, and took a receipt. After the worthy pair had indulged in several drinks the skipper departed toward the creek, where a small boat awaited him. An hour later four sailors appeared at the roadhouse and the landlord received and treated them. Taking two of them to a small room on the ground floor, he pointed at Bill Spurgeon, who lay on a cot in his clothes snoring like a house afire. They took the sailor up between them and carried him out of the house. : The landlord then took the other two men upstairs to the room where Dick and Sam lay, in blissful unconscious- ness of the fate that was before them. One of the men grabbed Dick, the other Sam, and off they went with them. Bill. Spurgeon was already in the bottom of the boat when the two sailors arrived with the boys. Dick and Sam were tossed with little ceremony into the boat, and the sailors, taking up the oars, rowed down the ereck to the Patapsco River. The shadowy outlines of the brig Malta lay before them at anchor, Spurgeon and the boys were carried up her side and thence to the. foul-smelling forecastle, where they were _|dumped into separate bunks. There they were left to come to their senses at their leisure, while the brig was got under way, and was soon slipping down with the tide toward Chesapeake Bay. Reaching that big body of water, her nose was pointed southward, and she slipped down toward the broad Atlantic, about 170 miles away, under a light breeze. At eight o’clock next morning the brig was off the mouth of the Potomac River. Dick Appleton rolled over in his bunk, blinked up at the shaft of sunlight which shot down through the forecastle hatch, wondered at the strangeness of his surroundings, and then sat bolt upright and looked about him. : “Where the dickens am I?” he asked himself in great surprise. “This looks like the hold of a vessel. Why, it is a vessel! She’s under way, too! Good gracious! What am I doing aboard of her?” Then his gaze lighted on Sam, who was still snoring in the next bunk. “Why, there’s Sam! This is blamed funny.” Just then the mate of the brig came down into the forecastle to rouse up the new hands, who he thought had slept long enough. He earried a rope’s-end in one hand. This article, which the man was in the habit of using on the persons of the sailors to “freshen their way,” as he called it, had a hard knot at one end. “Hello!” he said, stopping in front of Dick. “So you’ve come to? Just bundle yourself on deck, and be spry about it! ‘ “Bundle myself on deck!” repeated Dick. “How came I ere? ‘ “T didn’t come down here to answer questions, my hearty. Start_yourself!” a Dick judged by the glint in the man’s eye, as well as the rope’s-end in his hand, that it would be the part of prudence to obey orders, so he jumped out ofthe bunk and walked over to the short ladder that led on deck. — As he put his foot on the ladder he heard a dull thud as the mate brought the knotted end of the rope down on Sam’s back, and this was instantly followed by a howl of pain from Sam as he started up and looked at his ag- gressor. : : “Get a move on!” thundered the mate, administering an- other whack that brought a second cry from the boy. Sam didn’t understand the situation even a little bit. He didn’t know where he was, nor why he should be assaulted in such an unprovoked ang savage manner. He was not a boy to take a from anybody with- _ out cause, and he was sure that he did not deserve a — whaling at that moment. The result was he resented it, and his resentment took — the form a blow straight from the shoulder, which imself. + as a whistle. ties his feet, ready to defend - of ight tiny the. mate’s nose, knocking the ro) > 2

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LOST IN The mate jumped to his feet boiling over with fury. Sam’s fist was hard, because he was accustomed to bag-* pecans in the academy gymnasium, and the man had elt it. i The blow had started blood, too. “You young sculpin!” roared the mate. “You shall pay dearly for that! Ill cut you into ribbons before I’m done with you!” “T don’t think you will,” replied Sam coolly. “I’d like to know what you mean by jumping on me without cause.” “Tl show you what I mean!” eried the man, springing at him with the rope’s-end swung aloft, ready for business, and ugly business, too. Dick, who had paused with one foot on the lowest step of the ladder, saw the danger that threatened his chum. As the two boys had always stuck by one another through thick and thin, he darted to his friend’s aid. Pe caught the mate’s descending arm and arrested the ow. , : The man turned and glared savagely at him. “Why, you measly little rat, are you butting in? You shall have a taste of the same medicine!” _He swung around to strike Dick, when Sam grabbed his arm this time. The mate fairly sputtered in his fury. The language he used made the air blue. He struck out at Sam with his page, hairy, tanned fist. but Sam ducked like lightning, an e mate spun around from the wasted force of the blow. As soon as he steadied, himself he grabbed Sam by the shoulder and brought the rope down on his back. The boy roared and jabbed him in the eye, while Dick, now pretty mad, struck him in the jaw. A furious scrap ensued, gina d which Sam was knocked like a shuttlecock into his bunk, and then the mate at- tempted to, annihilate Dick the same way. Dick, however, was so lucky as to plant a heavy short- arm upper-cut on the point of the officer’s chin, and ,he -went down and out. CHAPTER IV. UP AGAINST A HARD FATE. As the mate went down on the floor, completely dazed, Sam recovered himself. euy .. “What in thunderation does this all mean, Dick?” asked _ the somewhat bewildered Sam. “Where are we at? This isn’t the room in the roadhouse where we were at my last recollection.” . _. “Blessed if I know what it does mean,” replied Dick. ~ “We're aboard some vessel, that’s clear -nough, and the --- “yessel is in motion.” “JT don’t remember coming aboard any vessel,” replied ¥ att I. We must have been carried aboard while we e -—-»-—s “¥# that is so, then that blamed landlord is at the bot- tom of the matter.” A “I don’t see how we could be carried aboard this vessel without waking up and finding it out.” how we could, either; but here we are, not- a “J don’t see withstanding. I wonder who that fellow is we knocked out? If he’s the captain, we shall catch it hot when he comes to his senses. You must have hit him a good one.” J guess I did. Look at my knuckles. He’s. coming Pee ig now. Let’s get out of this before he sees us.” -Dick ran nimbly up the ladder, followed by Sam. ---- They found themselves standing on the raised roof of the forecastle, facing the long, narrow deck that ran as Deo Ah agi og, yn Perhaps Hee, ha were scattered about, engaged in -various ight dutie By v “The brig was under full sail, wafted along by a smacking tS sailing upon the otted with many small ng toward the a oe ari Pek op . —— y~ THE TROPICS. 5 The boys gazed in no little astonishment at their sur- roundings. The. Malta was an old, weather-beaten hooker that had faced the storms and surges of many ocean trips, and she did not look at all inviting. She sat deep in the water, too, for she was heavily laden with agricultural implements and other machinery © for Rio de Janeiro. “Better stir your stumps, my lads,” said a good-natured- looking seaman, passing below them at the moment. “I guess the cap’n’s waitin’ fer you aft. There he is yonder, standing at the break of the poop. He wouldn’t mind throwin’ a belayin’-pin at your heads if you put him out. Better hustle aft at orice.” : “Come on, Sam,” said Dick. “Perhaps the captain will explain things. There is certainly some mistake about our being here.” Dick sprang down on deck by way of the short ladder in front of the forecastle hatch, and started aft, with Sam at his heels. Captain Caulder had his eye on them as they advanced. He leaned upon the railing of the.poop and glared down at them when they came to a halt within speaking distance. “Now, you young lubbers,” he said, with one of his cus- tomary imprecations, “you know you’re shipped as lands- men, and the auicker you shake yourselves into place the better it will be for you both. I’m a man of few words, © recollect that, you pesky varmints. When I say a thing I mean it, and if you don’t obey quicker than greased elec- tricity ye’ll wish you had never been born.” : “Why, we haven’t shipped on this vessel,” replied Dick. “We’re not sailors.” “What’s that? Tell me I lie, do you? shipped. If you open your jaws again T’ll come down aud. knock the daylights out of you both.” ‘ The captain’s attitude was so aggressive that Dick kept quiet. ; “Where’s Mr. Nutter?” snorted the skipper. “Who’s he?” asked Dick. “The mate who routed you out 0’ the fo’cas’l, you lubber!” “We left him_ there.” : “He seems to be takin’ his time,” snarled the captain. At that moment the mate was seen driving Bill Spurgeon I say you have there out of the forecastle hatch with the rope’s-end. Apparently he was taking satisfaction out of the sailor for the damage the boys had done him, and Spurgeon knew better than to resent the attack. : The mate drove the sailor aft, and when he came within reach of Dick and Sam he struck each of them a heavy blow with the knotted ev ar To the astonishment both Spurgeon and the skipper, the boys sprang at the mate like young catamounts, and he had all he could do to defend himself. Captain Caulder called two seamen up to seize the boys. While the sailors held Dick and Sam the furious mate gave them a tremendous drubbing with the rope, until the boys fell, moaning and fainting, to the deck. “Get up!” roared the mate. He gave each a tremendous blow on _ the back. a This was the last straw to their endurance, and both ~ boys rolled over insensible. When Dick recovered his senses again the brig was much © farther down the bay. Nia He found himself lying, sore and bruised, in a bunk in | the forecastle. F Sam was lying in the next bunk, also sore and bruised, but not yet conscious. : Tuy is Dick, as he lay there, thinking, realized that he and his — chum were up against it pretty hard. pik aby It was clear to him now ‘hat it they had put their foot _ in it when they stopped at the Fisherman’s Rest roadhouse. — 3 The landlord had worked some hocus-pocus game upon ~ them that had resulted in their transfer from the second- story room to the forecastle of the brig. i on this matter had been effected Dick was unable — to guess, but it had been put through, and they would — have to grin and bear their hard luck, or take more thump- _ ings from the knotted end of the rope. Zee tate Dick was figuring things up Sam recovered his. piTalk about being as “you come to life?” asked Dick, * ms . ‘ ¢ . on : cae oor ‘7 iy a

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“That you, Dick? Have I come to life? I believe I’d feel better if I was dead. How do you feel?” “Let’s tall about something pleasanter. agen ge we’re going eae many ans and wry faces, Sam sat up in hi bunk, with his ‘i feet outside. ema i This a bs worse by a whole lot than being at the emy,” said Sam. ee so it is, though we did think that was about worst ever. “That was because we didn’t know any better. Now} we’re where We can’t run away, unless we jump overboard, and we're too far from shore to make it. by swimming.” I'd, like to know where the vessel is bound. Maybe we’re on the way to Europe.” net heavens! We'll be done up before we get halfway ere. ao if we get many more beatings like we had While they were talking the forecastle hatch was dark- th by the form of one of the erew coming down. : is individual proved to be Bill Spurgeon. a la eee over and looked at the boys with a long-drawn “Well, my hearties, how do you feel?” meee ~ you ne we feel?” re oe ge Dick agers pe reckon ye fee nder sore. lunged up t’ -a lesson to ye not to strike an officer ag’in. It’s a wonder he didn’t kill ye. I’ve known of many a man who made —. a sharks for less than that. Ye got off lucky, I ye. f “How came you aboard this ship?” on er a ship, sonny, but a brig—the brig Malta, Cap’a “Where is she going?” “She’s bound for Rio.” “Rio? “Where’s that?” “South America, you ignoramus!” ; , “Do you mean Rio de Janeiro?” " ag “< wit 4 mean, but it’s vat called Rio.” uw n’t say how you came al § Se! Pe Bi 5 ee crane Hr like yourselves.” ; s shang ? Ht Loewy and put aboard an outward bound hooker.” “Doped!; That means drugged.” Sit up and let’s * Bill Spurgeon n ~ “Didn’t you make 2 kick?” “What’s the use? If I een! , opened my jaw I’d have the soft end of a belayi ’-pin alongside the head. hen I found how bcm s ey nethin’ pod inate ks, ye don’t stand well with the LA ag either. I don’t envy Wat LS ye don’t jump overboard afore ye reach “ht hy we get dinner?” asked Piek, nie, like nia es oe usage. ee A y- limpdd back to’ the for the rest of the Sg LOST IN. THE. TROPICS. CHAPTER V. ) LEFT TO THEIR FATE. Next morning, when the mate came down into the fore- castle to rout the boys out he found them both seasick. “He threatened to lambast them again if they didn’t stir their stumps, but his threat had no effect on the boys, who | were in such condition that they didn’t care whether they | were thrown overboard or not. This was the first time in their lives that death had no | particular terrors for them. Seeing that they would be thoroughly useless, and only in the way on deck in their present condition, the mate left them and reported the bad shape they were in to Cap- tain Caulder. The skipper swore some, but as the brig was in the grasp of a small gale, he soon forgot about the boys. It blew hard all day, and the brig pitched and rolled like a chip at the mercy of the waves. Dick and Sam lay in their bunks, pictures of misery. Nobody bothered about them, except Bill Spurgeon. He jeered at them, and gloated over their unhappy state. They paid no attention to him, and so the day pas Of course they couldn’t eat anything, and night iedaeht them no relief. Next morning the gale had blown itself out, though the sea was running high. The mate came down and hustled them ‘out of their bunks with blows and imprecations. They crawled on deck, looking more dead than alive, but the sea air made them feel a bit better, though they staggered around feeling as weak as. cats. The mate fitted them out with sea-going togs from the stop chest, took Dick.into his watch, and turned Sam over to the second mate, In spite of the miserable shape they were in they were forced to hustle, and by degrees their sickness left them and they were able to eat a fairly hearty supper. Next morning they were all right once more, and Dick, as a member of the chief mate’s watch, helped wash down the deck. For three days tle weather held fine, and the boys were gradually broken into routine life aboard the brig. The mate, however, never lost a chance to lay his rope’s- end on their backs, or about their legs. He was taking his revenge on them for the blows they had given him that first morning. Dick and Sam saw that it would not be well for them to resent this treatment, for they were at the mercy of' their tyrant, and he was in a position to make things so hot on 3 a that death Ho Beg be a welcome relief to their So they made the best of things, and the mate gradually let up on them when he found they were doing the best they could and saying nothing. proaching the Bahama Islands, the weather turned bad, and the barometer gave notice of a coming storm Sail was greatly reduced on the vessel, and ere long the first of the gale struck her and she began to plunge about on the waves like a re&tless colt. ee the afternoon advanced the gale grew worse and the brig, being an old craft, and heavily laden, labored greatly in the heavy seas that bore down upon her and requently swept her deck. After the men had had steotchad.ecrone ti, eek to teme She Salers fea being: . carried overboard by the inrushing water. Along about dark a tremendous wave struck the port bulwarks a terrible blow and carried away a good portion of the woodwork, which was weak, and rotten in ces. That gave a better opening for the water to swee the deck, and from that time on.it was nearly always avagh. Both watches being required to be on deck to the brig under the op Siduaainoens, Dick a ~~ ohh ‘came | er, and took refuge under the shadow whe where they clung desperately to one of the life vanioa’s eax, for such was ete ree co ranoe On the afternoon of the fourth day, as the brig was ap- | “save the sailors from being”. ag the waves came aboard, which was every cones : “Say! this is fierce, Dick!” shouted Sam. in. his aw <f zr + = ree

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LOST IN ordinary tones could not be heard even Sat the closest range. “Do you think we’ll come out of this alive?” “It doesn’t look as if we would,” replied Dick; “but I can’t tell whether we’re in danger or not. THE TROPICS. 7 His stentorian, panic-breeding shout rang like a trumpet call above the whistling .wind and rasping cordage. With shouts of terror and dismay, the men aloft quit Every time} work on the instant and slid down the shrouds to the deck, the .brig makes a plunge I’ve been expecting to see her} while those on deck, with one accord, made a rush for the keep right on under, which would mean the last of us.| nearest boat. Yet up she comes again, shaking the water from her bows, | like a dripping dog. I’d give something to be back again in Oriole Academy, even if I had to go on a diet of bread and water for a month.” “How d’ye like it, my hearties?” cried a hoarse voice in their ears, as Bill Spurgeon joined them. “We don’t like it a little bit,” replied Dick. “Ho! ho! ho!” croaked the sailor. “This is the worst storm I ever saw in my life,” said Sam. “This is only a capful of wind,” chuckled Spurgeon. “Jest wait till ye see a real storm.” “A real storm! I think this is real enough. I don’t want to see any worse.” “Tt will be a sight worse afore mornin’.” ; “Then the brig will surely go to the bottom with all hands,” said Dick. : “Mayhap she will,” replied Spurgeon, without his former mirth. “She’s an:old tub, and loaded to the hatches with a heavy cargo ain’t got no confidence in her.” ; That was certainly cheerful intelligence, coming as it did from an experienced old salt, and Dick and Sam took a gloomier view of the.situation. am Every moment the storm seemed to increase in violence. The wind shrieked, roared and howled like the outburst ’ of _a million airy fi . Z What little canvas had been left exposed aloft was torn from the bolt ropes, leaving only tattered strips fluttering from the yards, «|: The brig plunged and rolled in what seemed a frightful manner to the boys, who believed that they never would By see daylight again. z iS They were wet to the skin, and shivered under the chilli- ness of the blast. ‘ Thus hours passed away, and the Malta still blundered on her course. ; : ; Suddenly the wind veered around to another quarter as the first streaks of dawn appeared in the Fast. Tt didn’t come as heavy as before, but it created a nasty cross sea that made the vessel roll worse than ever. - Another hour passed, and it was clear that the gale had blown itself out. Everybody aboard took new courage as things began to -. Daylight showed the destruction the storm had wrought in the brig. Y . Sails in rags, cordage hanging broken from the masts, badly smashed, and the deck covered the port bulwarks with the debris. co “Now, my lads, up aloft!” cried the captain. “We'll have that main-to’-gallan’ spar down. I can see it’s sprung from here.” : Most of the hands sprang aloft, several to attend to the te the others with their knives ready to cut away - the d canvas, after which they began splicing the snapped cordage. — ragge Dick and Sam were ordered to unship the life lines and + Sa sees the deck of the rubbish. Spare sails ‘were got up to take the place of those the gale had destroyed, while the cook lighted the gelley fire and started to prepare coffee for the men. ; hd While the brig presented a busy scene fore and aft, the _ eaptain called the chief mate and ordered him to sound the well. hi necessary precaution after such a h blow, : sialpoeneabi rita such an-old craft as the Male! ri ae + eee ig Seger ey ae must ise soles in yas mp er, and pper’s experienced eye, noting her labo: eee oer each plunge, judged she had shipped quite a bit. The mate was not away long. “When he returned to the poop he said to the captain Sam, was close behind the two men and heard ee seater Bs The Bie Took of water below, and gaining fast. She’s leaking} Dick 2 a sieve!” ; : “4 “You infernal rascal!” roared the skipper, striking Spur- geon a blow that sent him headforemost from the poop-rail to the deck, where for a few moments he lay dazed. ; To his chief mate he said: “Tell off four hands to work the pumps, and drive the others back to their duties.” The mate hastened to obey these orders, but the men received them in sulky defiance, declaring that they were _ not going to go down with the cranky old hooker. When the skipper saw these tokens of mutiny he sent the second officer for his revolvers. ¢ As soon as they were in his hands he jumped down, and rushing to the starboard boats, which the men were en- deavoring to lower, ordered the sailors to haul off. A low, ominous growl came from the men, and not one budged. Captain Caulder forced his way to the nearest dayit, and. seizing the tackle, cried: “Back, men! To the pumps! The brig can be saved!” “Go and man the pumps yourself!” shouted Bill Spur- geon, who, having regained his feet, had sprung over to the side of the demoralized crew. “You mutinous dog!” hissed the skipper. “Am I not captain of this brig?” “Of course ye are; and ye kin go down with her, if ye choose.” Then turning ‘to the men, he cried: “To the port boats, my lads! We ain’t got no time to lose. The brig is sinkin’ right under us every- minute!” “Stop!” roared Captain Caulder, as the crew started to follow Spurgeon. Instinctively the men obeyed, standing in hesitating ami sullen defiance. “Look here, you mutinous rascals!” he continued. “I have charge of this brig, and she shall be stuck to as long as there is a ghost of a chance to keep her afloat! Go, four of you, to the pumps, and the rest return to your work!” “She'll sink inside of fifteen minutes!” snarled Spurgeon. “Villain! Ill have you put in irons!” returned the cap: n. Spurgeon laughed derisively. . “Come on,’ follow me!”. As the men made a movement toward the port side the skipper. yelled: “T’ll shoot the first man that makes for the boats!” “Then shoot me!” sneered Spurgeon, starting to cross the deck. Crack! K Captain Caulder had taken a hasty aim at the rebellious sailor and_ fired, The bullet missed its mark, but entered the brain of a man close by, who, with a wild shriek, staggered back and fell to the deck dead. The shot enraged the men. js “Down with the cap’n!” roared Spurgeon. “He has mur- dered Tom Jones!” With howls of rage the men rushed at the skipper. Crack! crack! crack! spoke his weapon. ; Two men went down, one mortally hurt, the other seri- y- a Then the rush overwhelmed the captain, and the mate; also, who had sprung to his aid. _ There was the sound of blows, then the captain’s body rose in the air and was flung into the sea. The chief mate was pummeled into insensibility and left in the scupper. oe “The second mate was ted from interfering. “To the boats, lads! To the boats, for your lives!” shouted Spurgeon. “I’m cap’n now! Get water and provisions from the , not f es john of rum! Now, the work lively! The old hooker may go down any minute!” men scattered and got busy. PRPSIE. ne a ee a be the deine en ee it remained aloof, staggered by the desperate lock of Sn Se | Ev ee

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3 LOST IN THE TROPICS. and they were badly: scared at the thought of going to the bottom with her. The overthrow of the captain and mate put an end to all discipline. While some of the men, under the leadership of Spur- geon, got two boats ready for launching, the rest. brought water and provisions to put into them. The boys, who did not know what to do in this crisis, were pushed and shoved about as though they were useless bits of lading. They waited eagerly for a chance to get into one of the boats as soon as they were lowered overboard. Inside of ten minutes the boats were ready for launch- . ing, and were then lowered away. The moment they struck the water the crew swarmed into em. Dick and Sam brought up in the rear of the men who were tumbling into Spurgeon’s boat. As they essayed to follow, the rascal’s sharp eyes singled them out. ; “Back! back! ye young sculpins! We’ve got too many ' aboard now! Lower one of the port boats fer yerselves, and he hanged to ye!” As he spoke he lifted the oar-he was using. in fending off, and struck the boys on the chest with it, sweeping them from the bulwarks to the deck. Wild with terror at the idea of being left behind on the gains brig, Dick and Sam scrambled back onto the bul- warks. By that time the two boats, loaded with the crew, were a dozen feet away from the vessel’s side and rapidly in- creasing the distance. “Help! Save us!” cried Sam frantically. The only reply was a mocking laugh from Bill Spurgeon, a with an invitation to go to blazes. **We are lost—lost!” moaned Sam, as he gazed despair- ingly after the receding boats. CHAPTER VI. LOST IN THE TROPICS. “Oh, heavens! What are we going to do?” gurgled Sam, watching the retreating boats with staring eyes. - Dick, his chum, had too little sea experience to know what to do under the terrible circumstances. -- Bath clung to the bulwarks with a despairing grip, ris- ing into the air one moment and descending toward the wire pe next, as the brig rolled to port and then back ; ne the palteser mate had been taken off in one of the boats, i the chief officer lay where the rascals had thrown him down in the starboard scupper. — ; __ *We’ll' be drowned like rats in a trap!” groaned Sam. “The c villains! to leave us to perish out here in. mid- ocean! It’s an outrage!” - ‘ an “Let’s see if we can’t lower one of the r ining boats,” said Dick. “We must do something to get away from this y worked with anxious haste because It seemed t he Brig) was. very low jim the water Se iatad ane : akin, water Mf a : pH cut throu e oars, 1 s ‘ ®t, eRe et : ore . oe oe a a > TT re oe = 5 rette, but the boys knew nothing about that receptacle under the cabin floor. They filled half a dozen empty bottles, and a can or ‘two with water from the cask outside the galley, and that was the best they could do in that direction. “Now we’ve got to get her into the water,” said Dick. “That’s a ticklish job for us. If we don’t do it at the right moment, when the brig dips to port, we’ll upset her, and lose the little food and water we have aboard.” “Hello!” exclaimed Sam at that moment. “Who’s that lying in the seupper?” Dick looked where his companion pointed, and saw the form of a man doubled up close to the starboard bulwark. He seemed to be dead, but they were not sure of that. The excitement and anxiety they had been laboring un- der prevented them noticing the body before. “It’s one of the mates,” said Dick, starting over to the spot. “It’s the chief mate, then, for I saw Mr. Brewer in one of the boats as they left us in the lurch,” said Sam. It was the chief mate, as the reader knows, and the boys recognized him as soon as they reached his side. “He’s alive,” said Dick. “We can’t leave him to on the brig. Help me carry him over to the boat.” | Sam grabbed the mate by one arm, while Dick him by the other. . Between them they dragged the unconscious man across the deck to the spot where the boat lay. Placing him in the boat, with his legs urder one of the seats so as to hold him steady, they shoved the boat close to one of the bulwark openings. After watching the rise and fall of the brig, whose move- ments were now extremely sluggish, for she was danger- ously full of water by this time, and noting the exact moment when the boat ought to be launched, they finally shoved it into the sea. To their great satisfaction the launching was successful. The next time the brig dipped to port they sprang into the little craft, and, grabbing the oars, rowed away from the doomed craft. “We didn’t get away from her any too quick,” said Dick, as they paused some yards away and looked back. “Look how low she is in the water! I don’t see how she floats! I think. we can bless our stars that we were able to get away as soon as we did.” ; A low, rumbling noise reached their ears at that moment. This was followed by a loud explosion as the comp air between decks blew off the battened-down main hatch. It was this air, which, acting like the gas in a balloon, drown seized had materially helped in keeping the heavily laden brig afloat. © ' P “With its escape the vessel’s bows arose high in the air. then she dove forward, like a porpoise taking a header, and sank slowly out of sight into the depths of the ocean. “That’s the end of her,” said Dick. “And it makes me shiver to think how near we were to going down with her.” “That’s right,” muttered Sam, not a little impressed by their narrow escape. & With the brig gone, nothing greeted their eyes but a vast e se of blue, rolling water on every side. far as they could see, they were alone on the boundless deep. - i The boys had not the slightest idea where they were, but as a matter of fact’ they were in tropical waters, a few miles to the northward of the long string of islands known as the Bahama group. “How shall we head?” asked Sam. _ “We'll keep her head up to the wind. In fact, we've qt do that, or take the risk of being capsized,” replied CK. ‘ “The storm is over; why don’t the sea become calm?” * “Ask me something easier, Sam. I believe the ocean is always rough for hours after a gale of any kind, and we’ve come gh a heavy one.” “I wonder where the other boats are?” “Miles away by this time.” . cheers” ‘we can count on being picked up by some ves- se ‘ -

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A - boys reclined, half asleep, in rather ~~ rushed “While I row just dash some water in the mate’s face and try to bring him to,” said Dick. Sam proceeded to do as he was requested, but he found it impossible to arouse cohsciousness in the man. “He looks to me as if he wasn’t going to live,” but that is about all.” said | Sam at length, desisting from his efforts. “He’s breathing, | LOST IN THE TROPICS. 9 scrambled free of the undertow and escaped from the maw of the receding water. Before they realized that they had been cast upon a shore unknown to them, both they, the boat, and the body of the almost dead mate, were drawn by a powerful infiu- ence they could no more resist than they could fly. Before they had gone far, an inrushing wave capturel “The crew must have pounded him bad when they jumped) and bore them islandward again. on Captain Caulder.” . “They certainly did. I guess they hardly realized what they were about; otherwise, I don’t think they would have thrown’ the skipper overboard.” “The shooting of Tom Jones did the business. The sailors were in a bad temper, and that exasperated them beyond control.” “The skipper was a hard case. He handled us without gloves, and so did this man. If we hadn’t minded our p’s and q’s very close, it is hard to say what they might not have done to us. I’ll never forget that cowardly beat- ing this chap gave us the first morning while we were held by the sailors. It makes my blood boil to think of it. Tf I’d been free, and had a weapon, I believe I’d have tried to kill him. He’s a brute, and he’d been served rightly if he went down with the brig.” “Well, we didn’t let him go down with the vessel. It’s better to return good for evil in this world. A fellow al- ways feels better if he can heap coals of fire on his enemy’s head, as the Bible has it.” “I guess you’re more forgiving than me. I doubt if I'd have taken him off had I“been alone.” : “You probably wouldn’t have been able to.” The sun rose higher and higher in the heavens, and the boys soon e sensible of its heat. The clouds that had covered the sky at dawn were now gone, and Old Sol had full swing. The sea, however, seemed as rough as ever. The waves were sweeping the little boat southward, though the boys were not cognizant of that. fact. They rowed against the waves in a mechanical manner, more for the purpose of keeping the boat’s head up to the wind. © It wasn’t long before hunger and thirst made the boys aware that they had eaten nothing since the nicht before. ‘Accordingly they sampled their stock of provisions, drink- ing sparingly of the water, for they had but a scanty supply. The day seemed unusually long to them, but it came to an end at last. ~ Sam made two other attempts to revive the mate, but the m unknown to them, was suffering from a fracture an, « near the base of the brain, resulting from a blow jone of the infuriated sailors had given him with an iron belaying- pin, and it was only a question of time when death would intervene.. . ; ‘Had daylight lasted another hour: the bovs would have sighted a low-lying tropical island that lay directly in their th. Pathe waves had gone down a great deal by sunset, and the boys congratulated themselves over the prospect of a smooth ocean on the following day, together with the chance of a possible rescue, for hope springs un continually in the human breast, no matter how discouraging the outlook were brilliant with stars, though there was no moon, and as Dick and Sam looked up at the sparkling vault were deeply impressed with the.immensity of space, al thelr own unimportance, lost as they were on the es confines of @ tropical sea, the area of which seemed bound- As the night progressed conversation fla , and the uncomfortable attitudes. Unknown to pee they were drawing nearer and nearer _to the tropical : - *°Saddenly the boat was caught in the grasp of a breaker, forward, lifted into the air, and turned over, swiftl the most unexpectedly into the sea. Pree a a they might ee Ng soon Ue Sy ek AI They were tossed through the surf this time like a couple of pebbles and. rolled some way up the beach, Feeling solid ground under them, they instinctively dug their hands and feet into the sand, and the water receded without them. They lay there, panting, and wondering where they were. The next wave was a short one, that rolled all about them but had no power to dislodge them. Another big wave was coming, when Dick scrambled up, and seizing Sam by the arm, dragged him several yards up the shelving shore. ; Sam spat out a mouthful of moist sand and sea-water and sat up. “What the dickens has happened to us?” he sputtered. “We've gone ashore somewhere,” replied Dick. “Where’s the boat?” “Blessed if I know where it is!” “J wonder what land this is? I thought we were in the middle of the ocean, miles away from any land!” “That was my idea, too,” replied Dick. “We must be ashore somewhere along the coast of the United States.” “Then we’re as good as saved, after all,” said Sam, fee'- ing quite encouraged. “See any lights anywhere?” “Nary a light. can see some funny-looking trees—a’! stem, with leafy tops.” : “Qh, shoot the trees! What I'd like to see is a house.> “Get up! We'll walk higher up the beach, and see wha* we can make out.” Sam arose with alacrity. - “It’s blamed funny we should strike the shore so soon When the sun went down, not so many hours ago, there wasn’t anything in sight but water. I was sick of looking at it, for we’ve seen nothing else since the brig went down.” “Well, it is singular, I’m bound to admit. Hello! There’s a whole lot of water . Say, this must be an island we’ve struck, and not the States at all!” “That doesn’t follow. This may be a long tongue of land extending out into the sea.” “These trees look like tropical ones,” said Dick, pointing to half a dozen plantains that stood like a row of sentine-s ‘in front of them. “Maybe this is the lower coast of Florida,” hazarded Sam. ye don’t believe it’s the coast of anything. I believe it’s an islan “Tf it’s an island, there may be nobody on it, and the) we'll stand a good chance of starving to death, for our pre: visions and water have gone with the boat.” As this possibility presented itself to Sam his enthusiasm began to ooze away.. , os They might not be as good as saved, after all! “Don’t begin looking for trouble right off, old man, I’tl rather feel solid ground under me than be floating about in that boat ona wide sea. At any rate, while life lasta neve hope, so pin your faith to that,” replied Dick cheer- fully. 2 Although they were soaked to the skin, they did not feel so very uncomfortable, owing to the warmth of the tropical night air. : g 1 Besides, while they kept in motion the exercise sent the warm blood coursing through their veins, and overcame any ‘sense of chilliness. - 4 ' _In the hope of s¥ ning against some evidence of civiliza~ _ tion, or learning for certain if the: had island, the boys tramped alon a luxuriant carpet of plantain-trees oi en Presently a thick gr vegetation, mee’ aren i , ting more been upon : their feet staking deep in of banana-trees barred their fur- ve forced a passage for themselves, ok pe are no “heed * ee: » 2

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10 LOST IN THE TROPICS. came upon a rude hut, built of poles, boards, and palm | must be a regular stamping-ground for them, for ther> - branches, and anchored firmly to four plantain-trees which| are two more yonder. grew in the shape of a small square. _ “Hurrah!” shouted Sam; as soon as his eyes lighted on the hut. “Here’s a house!” “A hut, you mean; for it doesn’t seem to amount to a whole lot.” - Q '.«~ “J don’t care what it is. It’s a sign that people have been here, if they aren’t here now.” } “No doubt about that. The hut couldn’t have built itself. It looks as if it was tenantless.” ; As they drew near the hut they could discover no signs of recent occupation. es Clearly it had been abandoned by the person or persons who erected it. ‘ There was a peculiar kind cf furrow, plainly marked in : the sand, that led directly up from the beach to the door of the hut, where it doubled on itself and returned to the shore. It looked as if it had been made by some ponderous marine animal with a flat belly, that had dragged itself up there from the water’s edge and then returned by a parallel course. There was no door to the hut, just a narrow opening, throvgh which the boys ered when they reached it. The interior was pitch cack and all the boys could make sout was that the floor consisted of dried vegetation. “There’s nothing to braz of about this home-made struc- - ture,” said Dick. “Most anybody could put such a shack together if he had the few materials at hand. It looks inviting enough for us to pass the night in. I move we take possession, for I’m feeling dead tired.” - “We can’t sleep in our wet clothes, and if we take them off what have we got to cover ourselves with?” “Well, then, instead of sleeping in the hut, we can dig a trench on the shore and coyer ourselves with sand. [I bet that’ll_keep us warm.” ; Sam agreed that Dick’s proposal was worth trying, so they got out of their p garments, laid them out on the turf to dry, and then, burrowing into the sand. which felt, warm and. pleasant after having been exposed all day to a tropical sun, fatigue soon closed their eyes in deep slumber. ‘ : ‘ay It might have been an hour later that Sam was awak- 2 ened by a rough blow on the side of the head. Some large, unwieldy object was paddling its way through : the sand close beside him.» i To his startled eyes it looked twice as big as it really was, though in truth it was big enough. Mt “The animal, or whatever it was, seemed to be encased in a kind of heavy armor, through which protruded two staly flippers on the side nearest Sam, which furnished its _ motive power. . A Sam was so frightened he let out a yell and scram ® rising e: by the strange apparition that bled out of his bed of sand with } Hadn’t we better finish our sleep inside the hut? If one of those amphibious things crawleu over us while we slept it would smother us in a twinkling.” Dick agreed with his chum, and they adjourned to the hut, where they passed the rest of the night. CHAPTER VIII. THE STRANDED SCHOONER. The sun was well up when Dick opened his eyes nez- morning. Sam was still in dreamland, a few feet away. Every square foot of the interior of the rude hut was now discernible. Dick saw that it contained quite an assortment of nauti- cal odds and ends, such as rope, blocks, a kedge-ancho*, wood poles with blunt-pointed iron heads, and other articles, including a ship’s lantern with part of a candle in it. It looked more like a storehouse for marine junk than a habitation. : j “I suppose the person or persons who put up this hut were wrecked here, and they collected all this stuff from the beach. When they were taken off by some vessel—for I’m satisfied this is an island—they left the collection be- hind them.” : Dick walked outside and found his clothes and Sam's as dry as tinder, so he lost no time dressing himself. The surface of the sea had calmed down to a vase field of rippling waves that reflected the sun’s rays with a daz- zling glare. A gentle breeze whispered among the banana-trees m the grove behind, and on either side of the hut, and lightly rustled the leaves of the plantains and palms. - The vegetation along the center of the island looked ts che ‘green, while the beach lay hard and smooth and white. Taken altogether, it was a pretty picture to the unac- customed eyes of Dick. Asyhe looked around he spied luscious bunches. of ba- nanas ripening in the sun and in the shade of the long, pendant leaves. ; he The sight of them made him feel hungry, and he was soon munching the fruit with great satisfaction. ~~ While he was thus engaged Sam came to the door of the hut and looked out. . s He noticed Dick standing a jaws over something. “Hello, Dick! What are you eating?” “Bananas. ‘There are enough around here to small army. Get inte your clothes and come over and help yourself.” 3 few yards away working his Sam didn’t need a second invitation, for his appetite was on edge, and before five minutes had elapsed he had rd|a fat banana between his teeth. oe “Gee! thi tastes good, all right!” he said. 33 “No fear of our starving around here,” replied Dick. “I should say not. If this, is an island, tropical one. did not think we were so far south.” “lm pretty well | satisfied it’s an island. At-any rate, we'll soon out. it must be a RAs a feed at. “Th wé find somebody living on it. I don’t like the idea of cast ashore on an uninhabited island. Seems. as if there’d be less chance of getting off.” oer _ They’ talked about their chances of getting back to the States again until they had satisfied they started to explore the place thoroughly. As soon as they had ski / that they were indeed on an that. dicated on many maps ext as one of a string of dots known by the general e at . oy was tight, after all,” said Dick. “And an their hunger, then skirted the banana grove the sight: of water on all sides through the trees ahead showed them | island, and a small one, at Indeed, it was of so little importance that it was not in- | by its name, Turtle Key, but was put ae ti = : A Shs ee ioe 3

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a ~ Here, washed up on the ects As became A227 ~¢ ad LOST IN THE TROPICS. CC UFC he eee “Nor I, either. I prefer to be among the up-to-date evi- dences of modern civilization.” : Just before the boys reached the extreme end of the lit- tle island in this direction they came to a small grove of plantain-trees rising fifteen or twenty feet in the air. Long, narrow leaves drooped from the top of each, and among these nestled the fruit which the natives use as a substitute for bread. : : The heat of the sun and the exertion of walking had made the boys so thirsty that water seemed abso utely necessary. Where were they to get drinkable water? was the serious problem that presented itself to them. “Bananas are all right in their way, without drinking,” said Sam. “As this is a tropical island, we may find some cocoanut- trees on it,” replied Dick, though he wasn’t overconfident, for they had covered the island already from end to end and had noticed nothing that looked like a cocoanut-tree as they knew it by the pictures they had seen in books. Still, they had traversed a part of the island in the dark, 4nd had not looked at the trees with particular at- on. * They pushed into the plantain grove to rest under the shade of the leaves, when, to their surprise and delight, they came oe a small natural- spring which gushed out of a mass solid rock. y With a yell of pleasure both boys stuck their heads down to a kind of basin, holding’ perhaps half a gallon of water, “o drank of ‘the cool liquid until they had satisfied their rst. “Talk about luck! It couldn’t be better,” said Dick. “Now that we have an inexhaustible supply of water, we’re all right.” “I’q like to have some other diet than bananas alto- but we can’t live ‘gether, What kind of fruit is it that we see in these trees?” pas gre it up. The only way to learn is to sample it.” Dick climbed one of the plantains and tossed down some of the fruit.” In its raw state the fruit, even when dead ripe, is not palatable, especially to a person unused to the taste, ve ’ ef consequently Dick and Sam were disappointed when they sampled the specimens they got hold of. ss it ain’t ripe yet,” said Dick, making a wry face over his first mouthful. “Ripe! I should say not!” snorted Sam, throwing his away in dis After resting themselves, and taking another drink, they | out through the grove and found facing them the continuation of the beach —— eo the island. ore, they found th t ureck of a small vessel, which looked as if it had Sool ooner above the level of the deck. i - “J guess that storm we were in wrecked that craft,” said aan as the < boys stood looking at the remains of the see what’s shia of ea ti te Sam. Dick was as curious as his chum about ight ee ey wa teied teeter one be They entered the after part through a small sliding door- way. ; j The space was pretty dark, but as soon as their eyes accustomed to the gloom they saw four ‘open bunks, two on either side, filled with rump) ed and not very clean sleeping “in them had F ceiphic eed oll : mm caug em ei : 3 hustled t ave their vessel.” — mee hee ae ; tt is clear that the _didn’t saye her, and as they are not | ‘on the island themselves, chances are they were lost | overboard when she struck.” srs under the two lower bunks were filled with ight texture, end all sorts .ef personal belong- er loc! filled with knives, forks, spoons, s, charts in Spanish, books in the for the stumps of two masts appeared | Sam tition, or main hold, was full of bags of potatoes mostly, with a few casks of molasses. Dick, in rummaging around the ill-smelling cook-room, found a dozen boxes of matches, and put them in his pocket. “There are a number of articles aboard this wreck that will prove useful to us if we are compelled to remain any length of time on this island,” he said to Sam. “I hope we won’t be compelled to stay here long enough to make use of them,” answered Sam. “We have seen thé whole island now, and if we stayed a year we wouldn’t find any more of it to look at.” “That’s true enough. I’m glad we ran across the wreck, with its cook stove. We can try and capture a turtle now and have some cooked turtle flesh.” “That’s something. I’d like to see how turtle meat tastes,” said Sam. “A diet of bananas exclusively would certainly pall on our appetites pretty soon. Here’s a couple of fishing-lines I’ve found. Maybe we can catch fish some- where along the shore. Then we have loads of potatoes in the hold. We won’t starve while we are here.” The boys decided to take up their quarters aboard the wreck, as it rested on an even keel between a bite in We shore. Here they lived and passed a oe of their time during the two weeks that followed their advent on the island. Although they tried their best to capture a turtle at night, they failed to do so, the marine specimens being too foxv for them to outwit. Their diet during this time consisted of fish, mussels and potatoes, with bananas for dessert. Along the beach south of the banana grove they discoy- ered the bleached ribs of some vessel which had gone ashore there years and years before their arrival. The’ bulk of this wreck, which betokened an unwieldly craft in its original state, as compared with modern vessels, was buried in the sand. ‘ ‘ “Pll bet that vessel was wrecked béfore the flood,” re- marked Sam, as he and Dick stood looking at the whitened timbers shining above the sand. “It has undoubtedly been here a long time. You can tell that by the look of the exposed wood,” replied Dick. “Maybe it was wrecked here as much as fifty years ago.” “Or a hun perhaps.” *“T don’t see hi any wreck could last a hundred years exposed to the action of the sea.” “There is precious little of this exposed to the sea, or the weather. either, only the ends of a few ribs. Most of the vessel, if it still exists, is protected by the sand, which has buried it practically out of sight.” : “Well, never mind this wreck. What I’m interested in now is, when are we going to be taken off this island?” said “TI wish I could answer your question, but I’m as much in the dark as you are yourself. We've seen many sails in the distance—for instance, there is one yonder that seems to be drawing near us, but not one ever came anywhere near sig- naling distance.” ‘ “There doesn’t seem to be any heason why a vessel should put in at this island,” said Sam gloomily.. “It is me a long ridge of sand and rock, covered with vegetation and ot eee oe tank comapuadath tema wearer oka oe — small craft, but probably no one knows anything about it.” 5 The prospect of a speedy rescue seemed very poor to stranded them, and they returned to their quarters on the we feeling that fate was treating them very shab- y. CHAPTER IX. THE TURTLE CATCHER. i" generally the first -to tumble out of his bunk ‘anrise on the morning following pith oe waemigieeans iat _ Dick was in 7 eat a OR aaa.

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4 12 LOST IN THE TROPICS. > A dirty, weather-beaten schooner was slowly approaching the island under the light breeze that then prevailed. She was already within less than half a mile of the beach, and even as Dick looked her anchor was let go, her sails came rattling down, and she swung around with the drift of the tide-until her stern pointed toward the shore. Dick felt like shouting with joy, but restrained himself, and rushed back to the wreck and aroused his chum. z “What’s the matter? Time to get up?” asked Sam sleep- y- ‘ “Turn out quick! There’s a schooner close inshore! Here is the chance for us to get away from the island!” Sam was wide awake in a moment. The news of a vessel close inshore by which they could escape from the island made him as active in getting into his garments as a young monkey. As soon as Sam was dressed Dick piloted him to the place}, whence he could catch a view of the vessel. | “Glory hallelujah!” shouted Sam. “We’ll get off at last!” At that moment a boat was lowered from the schooner’s deck, and after several persons had got into her she was rowed to the beach. ; “I wonder what they’ve come after?” asked Dick. “What do we care what they’ve come after, so long as they take us off this Lord-forsaken stretch of sand?” said Sam. “Let’s go forward and meet them.” Accordingly the boys walked rapidly along the beach to- ward the spot where they saw the boat would land. Their presence on the island was immediately observed with surprise by those in the boat, especially by a foreign- looking, dark-skinned individual who sat in the stern and * stee When the boat was beached Dick and Sam were close by, ready to enter into negotiations for their rescue. “By gar!” exclaimed the foreign-looking man, who looked as much like a rascal as any man on two feet ever did, ap- hing the boys and coming to a stop in front of them, at the same time placing his arms akimbo. “What for you come here to dees key, eh? Dees is my island. You come to steal turtle, eh? Den I feex you pretty quick, mon enfants!” He spoke with savage emphasis, and his look was so menacing that the boys were not only much taken aback, but somewhat intimidated. Pe “What are you talking about?” asked Dick, recovering his nerve. “We’ve got nothing to do with the turtles that come here. We couldn’t steal them if we wanted to.” ‘Ha! Why you could not steal heem if I no come in my _ schoonaire ?” “Because we’ve got no boat.” “You have no boat?” answered the Frenchman incredu- ony, “No sloop or schoonaire, eh? How you come here, . en?” “We couldn’t help coming here. in the night.” heted F “Aha! You tell me truth, mon enfants?” said the for- __eigner, his face clearing a bit. ae an evidently believed him, for he assumed a more friendly ’ attitude. ‘ ~ “So you got wreck on dees island, eh? How long you been here?” : ; “A little over two weeks.” We were cast ashore “You sleep on a wreck, you say, mon enfant? What ees eet a sheep?” “No; a small schooner.” “Petite schoonaire? So?’ Anyt’ing in dat schoonaire?” “Several dozen bags of potatoes and half a dozen or more heavy casks.” “Ha! Bon! I go see heem. You will come wiz me. I find heem as you say, den we are good friend. Allez!” he said sharply to his four men, who stood listening to the con- versation, pointing at the hut. “Now, mon enfants, I go wiz you to ze wreck.” The trio started for the other end of the island, and soon came in sight of the stranded schooner. “Aha! Dat ees heem, eh! Ze hull look sound. S» zaire cea any dozen potato bag on board? In good condition, eh? “First class. “You eet heem? “Of course not. weeks ?” : “Ha! Oui! Perhaps you eat one hundred potato, he not count mooch.” When they reached the wreck the Frenchman merely glanced into the gloomy cabin and then made for the open hatchway. “You make ze light for me, mon enfant?” he said to Dick. “Sure! Go light the lantern and bring it here,” Dick said to Sam. His chum brought the lantern in a few minutes. The Frenchman took it and flashed it about in the hold. “Potato—oui!” he ejaculated with much satisfaction. “And dees barrel—aha! Eet ees molasses. By gar! Dees ees like what you Americaine call heem—peek up ze money. I take dees potato and molasses for ze price of your passage to Nassau, where my schoonaire, ze Jean Barbe, he go wiz ze cargo of turtle. Eet ees a bargain, mon enfants?” “Well,” said Dick, who knew that the Frenchman would” make money out of the stuff in the hold of the wreck, “you could throw in the price of our fare to the States, couldn't you?” “Throw. in ze price of—what you mean?” “We’re dead broke, and we want to get back to the United States, so——” “Ah! Oui. Je comprends. You have nossing in your pocket. You want a leetle money? I t’ink heem ovaire. Oui, I feex heem all right. Now, mon enfants, you tell me what you call yourself—dat ees, your name.” “My name is Dick Appleton, and this is, my friend, Sam Atkins.” “Vaire good. I introduce myself, too. , Pierre Gerard, of ze schoonaire Jean Barbe. Now we know each ozzaire, you come aboard and take breakfas’ wiz me.” “Sure we will!” replied Dick, delighted at the chance to get a square meal of something different to their late stere- otyped diet. ; They accompanied Pierre Gerard back to where the boat ay. : The sailors stood around waiting for him. | . He held a short conversation with them in French and ~ then ordered them into the boat. As soon as they had taken their places he said: “Now, mon enfants, in wiz you!” The boys got into the boat and the captain followed. he sailors shoved off from the beach and headed for the schooner. It em but a few lusty strokes to put them alongside the vessel. ; Three of the four sailors sprang aboard, and then the — captain motioned the boys to follow. =. We’ve been eating some of them.” Not mooch, I hope.” How could we eat much of them in two ee car tetas Gel | Ae Dew stepped deck, closely followed by Sam, th . e ‘ I agree e you away, t >) on deck, closely Iollow vy ’ ey “ eef no tell dat dees key ees good le ground.| came face to face with—Bill Spurgeon! . es important dat I keep heem a prenez| . . ; ys understood, and Dick promised him that they CHAPTER X. word about the island ga good turtle- TURTLE HUNTING. Be grinned and held out his hand. REE The surprise was mutual. — ' 4 Every- Spur looked at the boys as if he could hardly believe e as his senses, for till "had be rn Rapnee dpe that moment he

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The rascally sailor found his voice first. “Well, my hearties, so ye didn’t go down with the brig, did ye?” “No, we didn’t,” replied Dick sourly, “though you did) what you could to make us do so.” ae “You’re dreamin’, my laddybuck. We couldn’t take ye off in our boat, ’cause it was iull. I told ye to lower one of the port boats for yerselves.” : ‘ “Yhat was more than we could do, for there was a hole in the bottom of one, while the tackle of the other was jammed so we couldn’t make it work.” _ The rascal grinned at Dick’s explanation. “Then how did ye manage to get off?” “We launched the small boat on top of the galley.” “And wind and tide brought ye to this key, I suppose?” “Key!” ejaculated Dick. “What do you mean by that?” “This island, then, ye ignoramus! It’s called Turtle Key.” “How came you to be aboard this schooner?” “That’s my business, my hearty. I’m chief mate here, so yo’d better mind your p’s and q’s, or overboard ye’ll go to the sharks.” “We've got nothing to do with you. tain Gerard’s invitation.” “Dat ees right. E have invite them to breakfas’ wiz me,” chipped in the skipper, who had been listening to the con- versation between Bill Spurgeon and the boys. “I see dat you know dem, Mistaire Spurgeon. So much ze bettaire. Ve vill all get along veree nicelee togezzer. Now, mon en- fants, you vill follow me to ze cabin.” Dick and Sam, glad to part company with Bill Spurgeon, whose statement that he was mate of the schooner was not leasing news to them since it was settled they were to go the town of Nassau, on the island of New Providence, in her, hastened after the French skipper, followed by a bale- ful glance from Spurgeon’s eyes. ; Breakfast was placed on the cabin table almost imme- diately by the cook, a dark-skinned creole from the island of Martinique. It was nothing to D drawbacks the two boys enjoyed it, because it was really the best they had tasted since the treacherous supper they had partaken of at the roadhouse the night they had been shanghaied aboard the brig. “After they had finished they returned on deck and walked up and down, talking together. ; Captain Gerard remained in the cabin, and when Bill - Spurgeon went down to éat his breakfast the two rascals had a talk together about the boys. ss The result of the powwow seemed quite satisfactory to Spurgeon, Wha eaeardct Dick and Sam with a kind oft ma- . Jieious satisfaction when he next came on deck. When Captain Gerard made his appearance he ordered the anchor to be raised and sail set on the schooner. _---*The order was received by the crew wisn surprise, Nevertheless, they Rot busy, under Spurgeon’s directions, and the vessel was sailed around to the eastern point of the Ay where she was anchored as close inshore, opposite the wreck, as the captain dared take her. AAI, poats were lowered, into one of which was put tackle breaking out the cargo of the stranded wreck. | * The captain went ashore in one, Bill Spurgeon being in charge of the other. ae Dick and oligo Sad behind on sed neeeiaer. a errick was improvised and placed above of the wreck. _ a> of molasses were got out first. — | 1e of these le eben ned — boat in turn and ar ; to mer, where Spurgeon superinten eee eee ee relief the. lean Bape _ There were six We’re here on Cap- brag about as a meal, but in spite of its _ The barrels barrels altogether, and these soon found r board the Frenc! 'S vessel. By mitday everything the hold contained had been trans- to the schooner. —__ : ; The sailors had also ransacked i tever their LOST IN THE TROPICS. ees| island, mon enfants. 13 “You vill help row one of ze boat. See dat you do as you told. Turtle seare easilee. You vill go wiz Mistaire Spur- geon. He ees ze mate of dees schoonaire.” Dick and Sam did not like themidea of being under that rascal’s thumb, but. there was no help for it. “T’m afraid he means to make things hot for us,” said Dick, when the boys went on deck. “He’s a big scoundrel, and has never forgiven that knockdown I gave him in the roadhouse.” “It’s too bad he’s in authority aboard this vessel,” replied Sam. “It’s a mystery to me how he became mate of her. However, we won’t be under his thumb long.” “No, that’s a consolation,” answered Dick in a tone of satisfaction. “The captain said that on account of the pota- toes and casks of pie taking up so much space in his hold he will not be able to carry more than half as many turtles as he intended, so that he will have to cut short his stay at this island.” “[’m glad to hear it. to suit me,” replied Sam. As soon .as Bill Spurgeon had finished his dinner two boats were cleared for action, the ’renchman taking charge of one and Spurgeon the other. The rascally mate ordered the boys into his boat, and then gave them instructions as to how they should row as soon as a turtle was sighted. “Mind ye don’t scare the animal, or it’ll be worse fer ye!” he said, with a threatening shake of his head. The necessary implements being put in the boats, a?l was ready for business. , Suddenly Spurgeon made a slight motion with his hand, and the four rowers behind him altered their course ¢ little, peter their oars so slowly and gently as scarcely to cause a ripple. . Notwithstanding their cautious approach, the turtle they were hunting caught sight of the boat and sank like a shot. Spurgeon made a quick. motion with his hand, and his boat’s crew began to row with the utmost rapidity, striking their blades deep into the water. The turtle gave the boat a long and exciting chase, Finally, after half an hour of dodging about, the boat was stopped with a jerk. ‘ Down darted Spurgeon’s harpoon straight at its mark. We can’t reach Nassau too quick 4 The turtle was speared, and the float attached to the har- poon came to the surface. Spurgeon recovered the line and-held on to it. After a few struggles and spasmodic attempts to get away, its svirit was broken, and the tired turtle tamely al-- lowed itself to be dragged ashore. Bill Spurgeon put off in the boat again, without any un- necessary delay, and secured several more turtles before it became necessary to quit for the day. CHAPTER XI. A TREACHEROUS ACT. For three days, weather conditions being perfect, the hunt for turtles continued, at the end of which time the skier had obtained all the turtles he could take into his hold. After dinner, on the fourth day, preparations were made by the crew to get under way for Nassau. | Dick and Sam, who, as usual, had dinner with the Frersh- man in the cabin, were in a state of jubilation. ; The hour of their departure from the measly island, as. they called it, had at last arrived. — Kc They stood well forward, watching the small crew an up the anchor, and casting what they supposed to be the final glances at the island. sf Neither observed the approach of Captain Gerard rad Bill Spurgeon until the skipper spoke. _ “By gar! You are two lazee boy. What yo taire Spurgeon, we do nut want them aboard wiz us—nop *” “No, they’re only in the way,” replied Spurgeon,’ with a s ‘ bo bout. “Thréw . vindictive n, as the surprised boy turned al “gms overboard, ‘and: let-"enn’ find thelr way to the key as beet. «J they can.” “Ovaire wiz you both!" cried Pierre Gerard, eine Dik ae = and Sam a shove into the sea. ts. By gar! Yi “Now, then, . yu vill be tuckee if 26 a ele % a you. Pitt, nee!

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14 LOST IN In a moment or two they came to the surface, blowing water out of their mouths like a couple of grampuses. Followed by the Frenchman’s jeering laugh, the boys struck out for the shore# The only real peril they faced was from a shark, if one happened to be in that vicinity just then. Fortunately, they escaped that danger, and finally touched bottom and walked ashore. By that time the Jean Barbe was under full sail. rr made little progress, however, as the wind was very light. “Oh, Lord!” groaned Sam. “We’ve got to stay on this island, after all. Was there ever such beastly luck?” If the boys had only known it, they were on the eve of the greatest luck of their young careers. The boys watched the Jean Barbe until they grew tired, then they stripped and laid their clothes on the sand to dry. The schooner was perhaps three miles off the island when Dick called Sam’s attention to what appeared to be a dark, low-lying cloud on the distant horizon. “I yaw several flashes of light there,” he said, “I'll bet there’s a storm coming up.” “Let it come,” growled Sam. “I don’t care what comes up, unless it’s a vessel.” “Y’d sooner be on this key, as it’s called, than on the Jean Barbe, if she should be caught like the Malta was.” “It isn’t every craft that’s knocked out by a gale,” an- swered Sam. “If most vessels didn’t escape storms there’d be mighty few of them sailing the sea.” “That’s true enough, but the Frenchman’s schooner doesn’t look like a vessel that is any too staunch.” “[’ye got money to bet that she’ll reach Nassau all right.” “Probably she will, if luck runs with her.” “Luck always follows a pair of rascals like the skipper and Bill Spurgeon. You see that Spurgeon and his crowd that put off from the brig in the boat were not cast on an uninhabited island like you and me, but evidently reached some port, Where he found his chance to ship with the Frenchman. While a boys were os the cloud on the northeast horizon grew bigger and bigger. It looked black and threatening. Red flashes of light shot athwart it in an angry way, showing that a heavy gale was brewing in that quarter. The storm was too far off yet for the sound of thunder the ears of the boys. will be down on this island in the course of an hour or two,” said Dick, “and is likely to tear things up gen- erally.” . “We'll have to take refuge in the cabin of the wreck,” re- plied Sam. ' “Not much,” returned Dick. “That hulk wouldn’t last half an hour in a good blow. The wind has a clean sweep across the end of the island. It will be more than likely to lift the wreck bodily and carry it off to sea.” _ “There is only the hut then for us to take shelter in. It doesn’t look any too strong to my eye.” “Tl warrant it’s twice as safe as the wreck in a gale. e! Let us examine it.” They looked the hut over, and saw that it was well braced _ among the four plaintain-trees, besides having a good back- s in the grove. It. Ee exposed in front, however. to the coming storm. to e rain will come through that just like a sieve,” said > Pi Mi ° We'll be like a couple of drowned rats in there.” . *T saw quite,a piece of pea stowed a st o — R of the wreck,” said Dick. “We oe Ses Si Saitek hd teenth nt tet It wil sake whee a few ‘minuies, they routed out way ay and carried * % the hut, together with a coil nee After half an hour’s labor they had the hut in shape to st any kind of a downpour. F ne storm is coming on fast,” said Sam, pointing at the | m : covered half way to the zenith pally i riven conraeele by streaks of elec- ; Jean Barbe wae still in ht to the northwest, sail was little doubt bu t the “ees would catch h fy er good eek eee sO Es 0k YP AS 5 SERRE © oo THE TROPICS. “I think we’d better try and save a few things from the derelict,” suggested Dick. “I don’t believe there’ll be much left of her a few hours hence.” “What shall we save?” asked Sam. “The cooking utensils, plates, and so férth?” i “Yes; and the stove, too, if we can. It will be useful to us. . The boys got a hustle on, and by the time the distant thunder began to grow dist inet they had secured not only the stove and stovepipe, but’ everything else of any possible value that had not been looted by the schooner’s crew. That included the bag of potatoes, a revolver that Dick found hanging in a corner of the cabin, and a case of Amer- ican canned meat, which they had previously overlooked. In fact, there was nothing movable that they didn’t bring et so that they finally left the derelict completely de- nu As they could not tell how long the storm might last, they laid in a store of bananas, together with a big supply .of shellfish. Dick even caught a mess of fish for supper, while Sam put the stovepipe in place and secured a quantity of wood to feed the fire with. The air had grown quite still, and a dead calm prevailed all around Turtle Key. - This stagnant condition of things, in the face of that awful black pall advancing upon them made the two boys feel very uneasy. CHAPTER XIl. THE WRECK AND THE GIRU. The sky grew darker and darker, and yet everything was ~* still around the key. The lightning blazed fiercer and fiercer, and the thunder waxed louder as the moments passed. The aspect of nature was terrifying to the two boys. If the wind and waves had risen gradually they would not have been so impressed. That would have seemed natural to them; but this mys- terious calm in the face of that fierce commotion miles away gave them the creeps. “What’s that?” asked Sam suddenly. ~ A low moaning sound came to their ears out of the black- ness ahead. This was accompanied by light puffs of wind that died away and then came stronger 2° yonder!” cried Dick. ‘SI's coming!” A long line of white foam was advancing with great swiftness upon Turtle Key. It was the storm line. “We'll be swamped!” gasped Sam, turning pale. Dick made no reply. Two minutes later the tem struck the island and swept past it with a roar that tried the nerves of the two boys. The sea rushed clear up to the hut and swept across the island, flooding the little dwelling with an inch of water, which, however, soaked into the earth at once i The force of the wind was fearful, and the hut shook and staggered under it, but held firm to ‘its supports. Outside was one opaque mass, except where the white foam of the waters ¢ naers © oe the darkness between the frequent flashes of lightnin. The boys had witnessed wae a heavy os gg storm in the States, but nothing that compared with thi It quite pacer armas 5: the gale that had wrote the Malta, and that was no light one. For a long time the boys crouched in the one place, never _ uttering a word. “They were cowed by this fearful demonstration on na- se bucketfuls, bu aon diel e rain po lown in bu Ss, but not a trated the canvas-covered roof. a last they grew accustomed to the uproar of the ele-— the. fact that pas an hour had elapsed site = the storm © burst upon them, and they were still in the land of the | living, and seemingly safe in the hut, brought thelr courage pk see he le NS

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LOST IN THE TROPICS. OSES oe a a a ee “Not me,” replied Sam. “I’m satisfied to be where I am,” “You'll agree, then, that there are worse places than this, island?” ; “Bet your life there are—in a gale like this.” “Captain Gerard and Bill Spurgeon are having the time of their lives now, or I’m no prophet. If they and the crew escape they will have reason to be thankful.” “That’s right,” nodded Sam. If the boys had been able to look upon a storm-tossed section of the ocean, fifteen miles away to the westward, at that moment, they would have seen the last of the Jean Barbe, as, after an ineffectual fight, she was engulfed by the angry billows and sent to the bottom with all hands. Thus, unknown to the boys, perished the rascally turtle catcher and his scoundrelly mate, Bill Spurgeon, with all their sins upon their guilty souls. The storm raged until dawn, and then lulled almost as quickly as it had come up, leaving the ocean around about a sang caldron of foam and spray. i With the rising of the sun, nature resumed a smiling mood, though the wind blew strong and the surf rolled heavily along the beach. The boys then ventured forth to see what havoc the gale had done on the island. ’ Dick led the way to the eastern end, curious to learn whether the derelict yet remained on the shore. . They found that every plank of her had disappeared, and not a sign remained on the beach to téll that the hulk had ever rested her keel there. The boys returned to the hut, and then continued their walk in the opposite direction. “Hello!” ejaculated Sam suddenly. “Look yonder! There’s some kind of vessel ashore on the reef, off the western end of the island.” ; Dick followed the direction of his chum’s finger, and sure enough, wedged in between two black rocks, and surrounded by a cloud of foam and spray, was a small sloop yacht, about thirty-five feet long. Her mast had gone by the board,}and lay beating about in the yeasty -sea, held by its tracery; of rope. The boom, with its closely reefed canvas, hugged the top of the trunk cabin, and projected across the cockpit. As far as the boys could make out, when they had ap- roached the wreck as clonaly as the lirhits of the surf-swept Beach permitted them to do, the hull seemed to have received injury. : - mo grest was not a sign of life aboard of her, and the boys did expect to see any. le tion. _-'The ery was born ; : -- distinctness, and the piteous appeal galvanized: Dick into 7 - = > @ must save her, Sam!” hej cried excitedly 5 oid ied Sam. “We can’t go there in seemed to understand that an attempt was to be m her, and she made no further outcry or dem e to their ears by the wind with startling 15 | Sam understocd, and said he’d do his part. _Before his chum’s arrival Dick had divested himself of all his clothing but his trousers, and was ready to make the venture. As a big wave receded he followed it to the edge of the water line, took a header through the surf, and began swims ming out. He took edre to keep as near as possible in line with the reef on which the wreck was perched, so as to avoid the in- sare waves, the force of which the reef broke and sext- red. Being an expert and strong swimmer, he gradually dysw nearer and nearer the stranded sloop yacht. At last he was close enough to seize a rope that we from her bows. With the help of this he scrambled on board. om girl gave a ery of joy as she saw him come over the ide. ‘Taking care that the line by which he was connected with the shore did not get entangled with the wreckage alongside, Dick walked aft and jumped down into the cockpit. This brought him face to face with the fair and only occu- pant of the wreck. CHAPTER XIII. A TREASURE TROVE. _ “You have come to save me?” said the girl, looking anx- iously into Dick’s face. _ “I have, miss,” he replied. sides yourself?” “No. I was the only one aboard when the yacht slipped her anchor and drifted out of Clifton harbor, Watling Island, night before last.” “You were the only one aboard!” ejaculated Dick in sur- prise. : She nodded. wus you been at sea alone since the night before last?” “Yes.” ; ana about on the ocean?” ’ “« es.” 3 “I don’t see how you kept afloat last night in that storm.” “This boat couldn’t sink even if she capsized.” -— “Why not?” ‘ Oana she is fitted with four airtight tanks under the cabin.” “About what time did the boat go on this reef?” “Just before daylight.” “Tt seems a miracle to me that she*didn’t go-to pieces at once. She must have slid on to her perch here in an odd way. She seems to have glided into a kind of rocky cradle that holds her on an almost even keel. I don’t think another vessel would strike the same spot in the random way she must have done once in a thousand years. It was blind luck, and that’s what saved your life,” said Dick, who by this time had noticed that the girl was quite pretty, though she looked all broke up over her strenuous experience. of the last thirty-six hours. “What is y name, miss?” “Florence Strong.” . rs * ‘ “And mine is Dick Appleton. Now, if you will trust your- self to me, I will carry you ashore.” ; She was willing to do anything he said, so he helped her on top of the trunk cabin, bound. the end of the ropa around them both, for greater security, and then led her to ® point near the bow. After signaling to Sam he lowered himself into the water, holding the girl closely with one arm, ‘and with the other struck out for the beach, Sam tobi in slowly on the line, and thus preventing the. undertow from sweeping ‘them “Anybody else on the boat be- avd ey : fl i

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16 LOST IN THE TROPICS. . the West Indies for six weeks, during which time they had That suited the impatient Sam, who was on his feet in a visited the chief towns in Cuba, Hayti, Porto Rico, and other |-jiffy, and back the boys went to the hut, where they had islands. They had put in at Clifton harbor, Watling Island, for supplies, on their way home, and it was while her father and the small crew of two young men were ashore in the small “boat that the yacht had in some unexplainable way slipped her moorings and drifted out to sea, carrying the girl away with her. : The boys left Miss Strong in full possession of the hut, after showing her where she could hang up her clothing to the best advantage in the sun, and walked around the banana grove to the beach on the south side of the island. '. “She’s a pretty girl, all right, in spite of her wilted look,” remarked Sam as he and Dick strolled down to the spot where the bleached ribs of the old wreck stuck out of the sandy beach. “Yes, and a very interesting one, too,” replied Dick. . As Dick spoke his eye was caught by the glitter of a small, bright object shining in the sun. _It lay in a deep trench furrowed out by the storm of the = before in the midst of the bleached ribs of the ancient wreck. He jumped down into the iong excavation. and picked up the shiny object, which proved to be an old Spanish gold coin. “See what I found here!” he said, holding the coin up be- fore Sam’s eyes. “What is it? A piece of money?” asked Sam. “That’s what it is,” said Dick, tossing it to him. “You found it on the sand?” said Sam. “Right here,” replied Dick, giving the sand a kick with the toe of his shoe. To his amazement, three other gold pieces turned up: He pounced upon them, and found that they were similar in all respects to the one Sam held in his hand. _ “Gee whiz! Here is more money running around loose!” he “ exclaimed. The moment Sam spied the three additional pieces he sprang down into the trench and began pawing the sand. ‘He turned up six gold coins almost in as many seconds. _ “The sand is full of money!” he cried excitedly. ‘ Dick, just as excited as his , got busy, too, and al- d up contained one or two gold pieces. e . if this doesn’t beat the deck!” rgled Sam. “Where do you suppose all this money catio trom er __ “TE couldn’t tell you where it came from,” replied Dick; “how could I? One thing, however, seems clear to me. It ‘must have been aboard this old vessel when she went ashore “This 3 slow work,” said Sam, after they had accumulated _. Dick agreed with him, so they stopped to rest and to han- dle and examine the eighty-odd coins they had so far se- Pe ‘ "stl re are thousands of dollars’ here,” said Sam. s to dig the spot over until they night be our luck to have lighted we can. I wouldn't object to finding a (MAOMRY. RF whi: es a ee oe £ won't finda million, or a quarter of that. Don't you left the rescued girl. : CHAPTER XIV. THE TREASURE OF TURTLE KEY. They found Florence Strong seated in front of the hut, trying to untangle the tresses of her long golden hair with her fingers. f Her clothes had dried, and she had put them on again. | ee how do you feel, Miss Strong?” asked Dick with a smile. : “Pretty good, considering the experience I went through,” she answered with an arch look. “You must think me an awfully ungrateful girl, for I haven’t thanked you for sav- ing my life.” “Don’t worry about that. dered you a service.” “But you risked your life swimming out to the wreck of Sam and I are glad to have ren- the yacht. I can never thank you enough for that. I — you will understand that I am very grateful to you, Mr. Appleton.” “All right. I believe you. I suppose your father will get another vessel and go hunting around among these islands after the Niobe, in expectation of finding her ashore some- where?” said Dick. “My father will not leave these waters till he finds some trace of me,” she answered. ‘ While Dick was talking to the girl Sam was hunting around for a couple of suitable boards to use in digging after more money. Finally he found about what he thought would answer their purpose, and brought them forward. 5 “Want to go treasure hunting with us, Miss Strong?” asked Dick. 5 ‘' “Treasure hunting!” Florence exclaimed, opening her pretty eyes in surprise. “Yes. See the money we’ve found already.” And he showed the bunch of coins in his jacket. “Gracious!” she cried. “Where did you find all that money?” ~ “On the south shore of this island, back of this hut. Fetch one of those empty pots, Sam, so I can put these coins in it.” Sam got a pot in a minute, and Dick dumped the money into it. : “Come along,” he said. “You can lend a hand, Miss Strong.” “What can I do?” a “Pick up the money as we turn it up out of the sand. Fetch another pot with you, Sam. It will be handier than my coat to put the money in.” “How did the money come to be on the shore?” Florence _ asked, clearly astonished at such a circumstance. | *We found it in the midst of the wreck of an old vessel which must have come ashore on the island sixty or more | years ago,” replied Dick. : : “Dear me! How funny!” she said. “Are those bananas?” she asked suddenly, pointing toward. the grove. ba “That’s what they are. That reminds me that Sam and | I haven’t had our breakfast yet, and I suppose you’re half starved, too?” - ; I am Keer) hungry, though I had plenty to dn’t mind eating something, would you, Sam?” asked Dick. ! 3 “That money knocked all thoughts of breakfast out of my head. I guess we’d better eat before resuming work.” “J think so, too. Start a fire in the stove. There are fish and mussels enough left to make a meal for all of us.” Sam built a fire and Dick acted as chief cook. = In half an hour they sat down on the sand to their rude © meal, and Florence declared that the fish tasted fine, all — things considered. _ ; ghee to their repast off with bananas, and e pans and dishes the ay

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There was _ gladden their eyes. LOST IN THE TROPICS. 17 At first, no golden pieces appeared to gladden the hearts of the boys. ; They had to get rid of the sand they had already sifted of its precious freight. The first piece of money appeared through the air as Dick tossed a boardful of sand a yard or two away. Florence saw it shining in the sunlight and ran after it. After that the boy diggers grew more careful, and soon the coins began to jingle in the pot that had been provided for their reception. Perhaps fifty pieces had been turned into the pot when Dick’s board struck an obstruction. Getting down on his knees, and pulling the sand care- pies opel the broken remains of a stout box were re- v fs Further investigation disclosed the fact that it was full of golden coin, plentifully mixed with sand. ; Cina shouted Sam. ‘“Here’s the treasure chest at There seemed to be no doubt about that, and the boys had the pot filled to the brim with money in a twinkling. “Carry it around to the hut, Sam, and dump it on the floor, if you can’t find a better place for it,” said Dick, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. Sam hastened away, and while he was gone Dick told the girl about the adventures he and his chum had had since asf ran away from Oriole Academy. - He was about half through his narrative when Sam re- turned with the empty pot, and he paused long enough to refill the culinary article and despatch his friend with it back to the hut. By the time Sam got Back again, Dick was telling Flor- ence how they had been cast ashore on Turtle Key. “You can continue the story, Sam, while I act as pack horse,” said Dick. The pot was filled with coin. and Dick bore it to the hut -in a leisurely way, for he believed they had time enough and to spare to transnort several chests of gold, were they so fortunate as to find them. While he was absent Sam described the arrival of the turtle catcher and his schooner, the Jean Barbe, at the key, and their exciting experience at hunting turtles along the ‘north shore of the island. It took an hour to carry the last of the contents of the chest to the hut, and then the boys began digging for more chests. ‘It was warm work, and they had to stop frequently to rest and seek the shelter of the banana grove. By the time the sun was directly overhead they had found perhaps thirty more scattered coins, but had found no more chests. was quite a pyramid of gold coins in the hut to “Dick estimated that if the coins were worth $10 each there must be all of $100,000 in the pile. After dinner, which consisted of canned meat and ba- nanas, they in the shade of the grove, and talked, un- til, between the heat and the loss of rest the night before, the three fell into a sound sleep. t close on to sundown when they awoke. } xh Argel had gone down so much that there was scarcely ‘anv surf along the north shore. : Dick proposed that they should go to the western end of the island and see how the stranded Niobe fared ey soon came in sight of the yacht, and. found her now ‘digo and almost dry, on’ the top of the Having learned from Florence that there were many : things, including a small supply of provisions, on the Niobe that were bound to prove useful to them on the island, Dick on visiting the wreck and bringing some of icles ashore. x being comparatively smooth now. between the shore, Dick saw that_it would be an easy mat- Subsequently Dick looked into the small forecastle in the bow, and found it fitted with two bunks for the hands, a cookstove, and all the necessary culinary articles for pre- paring a good meal. 5 After a thorough investigation of the cabin, Dick took a square of oilskin and wrapped up a canister of coffee, an- other of tea, some sugar, half a dozen cans of condensed milk, several packages of crackers, some potted tongue, and sundry other articles. ; Tying the neck of the bundle tightly, as one would a pud- ding about to be put into a pot for boiling, Dick refastened fre long line around his waist and started back for the shore. The trip was easy, even with the big bundle to manage, as Sam helped him by pulling in on the rope. “That will do for this time, for it will soon be dark,” said Dick, dropping his burden and resuming his clothes. “What did you bring off?” asked Sam curiously. “You'll see when we get back to the hut,” was the reply, That evening, as darkness fell quickly over the island and the seascape, the rich aroma of good coffee permeated the atmosphere of the hut probably for the first time in its ex- istence, and the three young people partook of a tolerably decent meal, which included a mess of fresh fish caught by Sam. —_— CHAPTER XV. CONCLUSION, After supper the young people sat in front of the hut and talked. “Although Sam and I have never felt exactly lonesome here, still your coming, Miss Florence, seems to have made a whole lot of difference. You have increased the popula- tion by one-half ws much again, and that fact makes the island more cheerful.” “I'm glad to find myself of some use at last,” laughed Florence. “Oh!” she cried suddenly. “Isn’t that lovely?” She pointed’ across the undulating surface of the ocean to the spot where the moon was just peeping above the dis-. tant watery horizon, casting a silvery pathway across the mighty deep. The | boys admitted that it was a splendid sight. . They watched the moon as it soared above the water line and hung suspended in the deep azure like a glistening ball of silver. ” Whether the moon had a somnolent effect on them or not, certain it is they began to feel sleepy soon after it arose. The boys turned the hut over to the girl for her to sleep in, while they took up their quarters in the shadow of the banana grove. Y . Next morning, soon after sunrise, Dick and Sam were on the western shore, looking off toward the wreck. ay Lappe 3 go spoars ae ay soe time,” oe as 3 “All right,” repli ick. “Nobody is going top you. So Sam stripped, put the line about his waist, and plunged into the sea. After looking the yacht all over he returned with a small bundle of canned meat. Then Dick took his turn and brought off a number of things. : The boys made two trips each, and then returned to the hut with the results of their early morning exercise, to find Florence already up and a pot poe — 2 2 had fried toes” po gue for break- fast, with the Saeeiee banana as a wind up to the “with ; is Pe bon Abn e were a pirate, we n minutes Sam returned with the line which had | of costly pieces of jewelry, as good purpose in the rescue of the girl. Stila misht bare ‘heww & of rg, Poi a tied. the line’ abont his ing the oy 2: aoe Sor a ou reef. . . oS fevey end ot athe Tope to the, short bowsprit| “Tha t’s so,” nodded Sam. “If we quite roomy, and handsomely fitted up for - more these B) > ~- ‘Tim satisfied with search the wreck with db « P, A ee eM nd Bee x

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4 18 to do now is to pack that coin up for shipment so that we can take it with us when the time comes for us to leave the “How will we do it? island,” said Dick. : Make little bags out of pieces of canvas?” “Correct,” replied Sam. “No,” answered Dick. “That wouldn’t do. Anybody would be able to tell that we had a lot of money. in. our posses- sion, and would expect us to divide up, or even take it away by force. It would be a great temptation for some of these West Indians to do us up for the money.” ‘ “Then how are we to manage about it?” asked Sam a bit anxiously. “{ noticed a small tool-chest aboard the yacht. We must get it ashore, or at least a hammer, saw and nai Then we'll be able to make half a dozen small boxes out of the superfluous wood we have around. After nailing the coin up in them, I’ll defy anybody to say what is inside of them.” Dick’s suggestion was carried out, and within forty-eight hours the Spanish gold coin was all securely boxed, ready for shipment. : The treasure being now satisfactorily disposed of for the present, all the party had to do was to eat, sleep, and watch aopefully for an early rescue. A week went by, and they looked every day to see Flor- “ence’s father appear on the lookout after the Niobe and his only daughter. : During this time Dick and the girl became especially friendly. : Sam observed their growing liking for each other with- out making any remark on the subject to his chum. He got into the habit of gcing alone and leaving them to- ether. - The weather held uncommonly fine since the last storm, the surface of the ocean often lying as calm as a mill-pond. The Niobe remained Bplay on the rocks in the same position in which she had come ashore. By degrees the boys removed about everything of value from her. 2 A second and a third week had passed away since Miss Strong had been added to the population of Turtle Key, and still there was no sign of a vessel of any kind making for the island. ‘ “Your father must be almost convinced by this time that ‘you and the Niobe went down together the night of the storm,” said Dick to Florence, as they stood looking out to sea one night. : “Poor papa!” said the girl tearfully. “If he only knew where to look for me he would soon be happy.” “There are so many of these small keys, I’ve heard, that it is like hunting for a needle in a haystack to look them all over,” replied Dick. “However, we’re bound to get taken off some time, so cheer up, Florence.” ‘He put his arm around her waist, and she did not resist the familiarity. “Do you feel sure that no matter what happens Sam and I will stand by you, and see that you get back to your father as soon as possible?” : “Yes,” she said. 5 _ “Do you like me, Florence?” he said, drawing her closer to him. ie ' “Yes,” she answered. _ “Will you always like ag Aa _ He raised her head, and their eyes met. __ The temptation was too much for Dick to see a pair of red lips so close to his own, so he bent down and her. She hid her face on his shoulder, and after that they were iy to ae ; 7 _ Three days more elapsed, and then a sail appeared on the sastern horizon. _ Dick, Sam and Florence were eating their dinner at the sime and did not see it, for it was approaching the south side Re Be sg ey hes were washed, and they were sitting in the shade of the banana grove, when the sail, now plainly a a zed schooner, eame coasting in within half a of shore behind them. ~ ; on board were sweeping the island with their : and presently they made out the wreck of the Niobe 7 hs vse ra weaned right in at once me very much, even after we leave Sauing et fox ih a oad et Sar ee a ee : ee, eee LOST IN THE TROPICS. A boat was lowered, and put off with the ‘gentleman in it. He boarded the yacht and looked into the cabin. The decaying corpse of his daughter was not there. A singular circumstance struck him at once—the fact that everything movable on the vessel, even to the compass in the binnacle, had been removed from it. What did that mean? . That the wreck had been plundered by somebody, and, his child’s corpse probably cast into the sea! : The island showed no traces of being inhabited, but never- theless he decided to land and go over it, as a last forlorn hope. The boat was reached, and Mr. Strong, accompanied by the captain of the schooner, landed and started around by the north shore. They had advanced but a short distance before Dick, hap- pening to cast his eyes around the banana grove, saw them. With an exclamation he jumped to his feet. “What’s the matter?” asked Sam. “There are two men coming this way!” he replied excitedly. Sam and Florence jumped to their feet and looked. The girl’s eyes immediately recognized one of the new- comers as her father. With a cry of joy she ran toward him. Mr. Strong soon saw her, and he rushed forward to meet her with a heart overflowing with happiness. In a rew moments they were in each other’s arms. Explanations followed, and the girl introduced the boys to her father. Mr. Strong thanked them for the care they had extended to his child, and particularly thanked Dick for risking his life in Florence’s behalf. - There was no reason for remaining longer on the key’ now, so the whole party embarked in the boat, the boys not forgetting to take their boxes of treasure with them. erything else was left in the hut for the benefit of who- ever happened to land there subsequently. ; The schooner immediately sailed for Nassau, and reached that tovm on the following afternoon, where they went to a hotel with the money boxes, the coritents of which had been confidentially explained to Mr. Strong, who promised to at- tend to their shipment to the United States by the same steamer on which they would go themselves. In due time the party reached New York. Mr. Strong got the money boxes through the custom house, and sold the coin to the government for its intrinsic value. He received a check for $110,000, which was divided as follows: $50,000 each to Dick and Sam, and $10,000 to Flor- ence. As Dick was fearful that his stepfather, as his guardian, would take charge of his money by a court order, he handed his share over to Mr. Strong to invest for him, This precaution proved unnecessary, for Dick presently learned that his mother’s husband had died during his ab- sence, leaving his estate equally divided between his step- son and an only sister. Dick then asked Mr. Strong to act as his guardian until he reached his majority, and the gentleman gladly under- took the responsibility. Dick and Sam then went to an academy that proved more congenial to their tastes than Dr. Titus’ school, and when they graduated therefrom tuey went, into a business part- nership together. ; A year after, Dick and Florence were married, with Sam as the best man. All this happened many years ago, and to-day Dick and Sam are in their forties. ; They live in handsome homes, near together, in Mount Vernon, and never a week passes but they dine at one an- other’s houses. ; Each has his private den in a certain part of his house, and here they like to smoke their after-dinner cigar together and talk business. _ Sometimes their minds go back to the days of their boy- ~ hood, and then they find a peculiar pleasure in living over again the time when they were, lost in the tropics. : . s Next week’s issue will contain “TEN SILENT BROKERS; OR, THE BOY WHO BROKE THE WALL STREET /SYN- DICATE.” Send Postal for Our Free Catalogue.

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. 19 HELP YOUR COUNTRY! A WAR FOOD MESSACG’?. In co-operation with the National Wholesale Gro- cers’ Association, a leaflet bearing a war food mes- sage for the American home is being distributed by the Food Administration. This leaflet covers in an free and the only expense for the plant was the cost of erecting two large herd houses and the wages of the attendant. The sale of perishable fruits and vegetables interesting style the opportunities of the housewife| through the summer and fall season is being stimu- for conserving food supplies needed by our Army, Navy and allies. Grocers are asked to order quan- tities of this leaflet through the National Wholesale Grocers’ Association for distribution to théir cus- tomers. They are also asked to hand it to their local newspaper editors for publication. ‘ CANNING PERISHABLE FOOD. The Woman’s Central Committee of Food Con- servation in St. Louis has established a, cannery near the produce station. Each night after the com- mission market closes they take the surplus of per- ishable fruits and vegetables from produce houses and can them, under the direction of experts from the Missouri State University. This cannery is run on a co-operation basis, and the investment needed has been reduced to the minimum by paying women workers partly in canned goods and partly in raw material. The cannery also puts up surplus fruits and vegetables brought in by people who have home gardens in the suburbs. a THE USE OF COTTONSEED FLOUR. A cottonseed-oil mill in Texas is marketing cot- tonseed flour, which has been found suitable not only for mixing with wheat flour to make bread, but also for waffles, pancakes, sweet cakes and corn bread. It is said to make a very palatable bread and to be the most nourishing bread-making mate- rial known. It is used in proportions of 20 per cent. - eottonseed flour with 80 per cent. wheat flour, and the mill is making 24 tons of it daily. Bread made with cottonseed flour resembles rye and has found favor in communities where people of European nationalities live. With velvet-bean meal, cotton- seed meal, peanut meal, and soy-bean meal the South now produces more protein feed than any other ‘section of this country. . ' PORK FROM GARBAGE. The garbage from an Omaha chain of restaurants is being fed to 400 hogs, of which 100 are ready for - slaughter every three months. Pork is made so profitable that the Omaha Hotel Men’s Association is forming a hog-raising organization. Omaha’s city garbage is sold for $5,000 a year for hog feed- ing. Hull, Mass., has a herd of 325 hogs, which turn garbage into pork. One man manages the ‘entire herd, which started with young pigs bought by town’s committee of public safety for the s. Land for pasturing and housing is loaned lated by the produce dealers and the Office of Mar- kets, Department of Agriculture, through a new plan. Every morning a general canvass is made of the market to determine how much of each kind of fruit and vegetable is for sale, and where there is an extra large supply for the day the newspapers are notified and publish notices to the public that such articles are just then plentiful and reasonable in price. Notice is also given of articles which are scarce, and, therefore, likely to be rather high in price. This plan guides the consumer in supplying the table economically, and helps adjust surpluses and shortages. THE COSTLY BAG SYSTEM. The bag system of shipping grain on the Pacific Coast causes so much freight congestion and is sc expensive in~wther ways that efforts are being made tu install grain elevators as a measure of food con- servation. Bags for a 10,000-bushel wheat crop cost the farmer $500, an expense of over $1,000,000 to the State of Washington alone. They add to the freight weight, cause loss through holes, require a large force of handlers, and lead to unfair dedue- tions for the weight and value of the bags. Sacked grain requires twice as much storage space as bulk grain, and when the crop is moving there is a short- age of cars and warehouse space. Modern elevators eliminate all this waste and trouble. TO STIMULATE FISH BUSINESS. Kenneth Fowler, well known in the Fulton Market - fish trade of New York, is in charge of the fish sec- tion of perishable foods under the Food Administra- tion, serving as a volunteer. His work will be. to increase the production, distribution and consump- tion of salt and fresh water fish as a means of con- serving meats. It has been found that the fish trade is not well organized. The public knows only a few varieties of salt and fresh water fish, neglect- ing other varieties of equal food value which might be purch at lower prices. Fish is consumed chiefly on one day in the week—Friday—and neg- This makes it difficult for mer- | lected other days. chants to sell fish, so there are not enough retail outlets. Corresponding fluctuations in price de- moralize the wholesale markets. Mr. Fowler’s work _ will be constructive, beginning with suggestions for | better organization in the trade and followed by popular education, demand. wey - ——_ through publicity, to increase

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. OUT FOR EVERYTHING THE BOY WHO TOOK CHANCES By GASTON GARNE ° (A SERIAL STORY.) CHAPTER XXVII (Continued). He fled the country, in fact, and that was the last of his miserable blackmailing sheet, Society Doings. Allert was allowed to go, and he, too, left the coun- Within ten days word came from Texas that Ed- ward Kirk’s full pardon had been signed by the governor of that State. But that did not clear Ned, Chug or Gorrigan, the latter of whom was now at the Fulham place, acting as coachman. Mr. Fulham, however, “stirred heaven and earth” in behalf of those who had aided his brother-in-law. The best lawyers were engaged. The utmost pres- sure was brought to bear on the district attorney of the county. It resulted, at last, in the district attorney going before the Grand Jury. To that body the prosecuting officer presented the facts in the case, but added that, in his opinion, since Kirk’s friends had acted successfully to save an innocent man, no good purpose could be served by punishing these friends for a good act. After giving the matter very little thought, the Grand Jury returned a finding of “no bill.” Ned, Chug and Gorrigan were thereupon released in triumph. As for the charge made by Slippery Dan’s pals, that Ned had really planned the robbery at Crad- dock’s, that was so “thin” that no heed was paid to it by the Grand Jury. On the day of that finding, there was a jubilee at the Fulham house. People had begun to “take notice” of Ned War- ren once more. Now he was no longer treated as an outcast. T stead, he became a lion in that little town. Fe was restored to membership in the country club. That same Grand Jury returned indictments that sent Slippery Dan and his. two pals to prison for years to come. a : Pak for Ned Warren, things were right easy from With the little cee that he had put. by he went spear ve more and more As for Chug, that automobile-crazy youngster had the good luck to stumble upon a simple little device in connection with speed gears. He patented it, and now Chug draws from his invention all the money that he needs. Chug needs money enough for two, now, by the way. In the course of his wanderings he ran ‘across “the only girl.” Ned Warren, too, needs money enough for two, for he and Grace were wedded last June. Both he and Chug have their homes near the Fulhams. Ned, having money enough to need a coachman in these days, has Gorrigan sitting over the reins. Nor had any man ever a more faithful or honest servitor, for Gorrigan, having gotten free of the charge to which he owed his acquaintance with our hero, has never again tempted fate by dishonest deeds. “Sometimes, Ned,” sighed Grace, the other day, “T feel that we’re so happy that it’s too good to last.” “T’ll take a chance,” smiled Ned Warren. “TI al- ways got my best luck by taking big chances, any- way 1? THE END. eae ggg 3 OUT NEXT WEEK! : — GRAND SERIAL STORY ENTITLED TWO FOR VA CENT | THE CHEAPEST BOY ON ‘ BY GASTON GARNE EARTH : i Don’t fail to read the OPENING CHAPTERS NEXT WEEK

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. 21 FACTS WORTH READING FRANCE LOOKING FORWARD. France is already thinking of American tourists after the war and taking measures for their recep- tion and entertainment. The Monthly Review of BASEBALL GAINS HOLD ON BRITISH POP- ULACE. . is Baseball has gripped England, particularly in and around the London district, with such vim and the Touring Club of Fance prints a number of sug-| depth that it has easily outrivalled all other out- gestions received from members of the American Commercial and Industrial Mission to France a few months ago, among which are the following: Send- ing to the United States a hotel commission for the purpose of studying plans, prices, methods of man- agement and operation, ete., applicable to the French hotel business. Application of the best American methods for heating, ventilation, electric installation, elevators, bathrooms, kitchens, laun- dries, bars, baggage rooms, and automatic machin- ery of various kinds. Organization of a purchasing service by which each hotel could buy, at wholesale rates, material, furniture, and provisions. Simul- taneous construction of a number of new hotels in France. Sending young Frenchmen abroad every year to study the hotel business. : Centralization in a single office, with branch es- tablishments in the principal cities of the world, of all publicity work, for the purpose of systematically spreading information regarding hotels and travel- | ing in France. _ GLASS FOR COOKING UTENSILS. From time immemorial, cooking utensils have been made of pottery, because this was the only substance known that would withstand the heat of the baking oven and the rather rough handling of the kitchen, and that was in addition, cheap. Al- most the same ingredients are used in making pot- as are used in making glass, In pottery, these ingredients are molded into forms and are simply baked at a temperature just high enough to melt a glaze on the outside surface; but, in glass, they are melted into a liquid at a high temperature and then molded by pouring or blowing into various ‘The common glass that we have always known ig brittle, easily breakable, and never before has th been a glass produced that could be heated and suddenly cooled without breaking. But a new , now being made at Corning, N. Y., is used e par ial dishes and cooking utensils and can be ~ handled quite as roughly as any crockery. Every ie OG ‘ in ~ of the chemist in the qui , and not by any method of door sports at the present time. While it has been played for several years by many of the London soccer football clubs, not as an attraction, but sim- ply to keep the players in training during the sum- mer months, it appears certain, from the patronage given to the game during the last few weeks, that it has at last come to stay. The Canadian soldiers laid the foundation two years ago, but, with the arrival of the American boys, so much pep has been thrown into the game that the growing enthusiasm has carried the Brit- ishers away from their own summer sports. Last Saturday week 10,000 people crowded into Lord’s, the headquarters of the Marylebone Cricket Club; to see a game between picked teams of Canadians and Americans, which resulted in a win for the former by 12 to 3. FACTORY GIRL GETS $150,000. Miss Mamie Kelly, thirty-three years old, of Eliza- th, N. J., once a poor factory girl earning $2.50 a week, is now in possession of an estate estimated at | from $100,000 to $150,000. ne William Heal, sixty-nine, a wealthy: and eccentrie © bachelor, for whom Miss Kelly worked as house- — keeper and private secretary, left practically his en- tire estate to her. He died a few days ago. His will was admitted to probate in Elizabeth recently. Besides Miss Kelly only two other beneficiaries are mentioned in the will. They are Agnes Heal, a sis- ter, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Fannie Kerr, a niece, of Toledo, Ohio. Each of these relatives is be- . queathed $2,000 by the will. The bequests are left optional with Miss Kelly to be paid or revoked as she sees fit. Diipeet sleet ig Heal conducted a woodenware factory, employing more than a hundred operatives. Miss Kelly is now . in possession of the factory. She is running it, she says, as Mr. Heal would have her run it. < Heal was known in Elizabeth as an eccentric char-. acter. He had his residence built into his factory _ building. The apartments were luxurious. ork.

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. CURRENT NEWS Reuben Smuck of Red Lion, Pa., was stung by | bees so seyerely that he lost consciousness. When he discovered a swarm in a cherry tree he climbed up and sawed off the limb and brought it to the ground. He tried to shake the bees into the hive and they attacked him, and his body was soon cov- ered hy the insects. He finally became unconscious and was rescued by his wife. Shirt makers of New York and its vicinity will begin work soon on one of the largest orders ever given in the history of the country. The order, which calls for 500,000 dozen shirts for the men of the army and navy, means the employment of 10,000 persons. It is said that the shirt makers will be paid from $5 to $6 a week more on this contract than is usual for military work. Railroads of the country used more coal in 1916 than in 1915, the total having been 142,735,000 tons, or 24 per cent. of the entire output. Figures given out by the Geological Survey show that of the total coal consumed 136,000,000 tons were bituminous and §,735,000 anthracite, representing increases respec- tively of 11.5 per cent. and 8.5 per cent. over 1915. {In addition, the roads used 22,950 tons of coke. The Marine Corps rifle range at Winthrop, Md., is being worked to its fullest capacity. Hundreds of Marine Corps officers and men are taking weekly the full course of instruction in rifle shooting as applied to modern warfare. More than 73 per cent. of the members of the Marine Corps who fired the prescribed course during 1916 are qualified expert riflemen, sha ters, or marksmen. At the request of the U. S. Government five French artillery officers have been sent to this coun- try to act as instructors in the serving of heavy modern ordnance, with particular reference to both forms of “barrage” fire, at the School of Fire, Fort at Okla. The officers are Major Reille and Cap- ns Durette, Trives, Pierret and Monroe. No limit has been placed on the time they will remain at the School of Fire. EO robbers in a taxicab from New York the yther day held up Bird S. Bennett, paymaster for comb manufacturing concern of East Rutherford, . J., beat their victim senseless, threw him into vehicle and drove rapidly away. After they obbed Bennett of $2,100, which he had drawn} a bank for his Sai = the bandits him 0 ut of the nd disappeared. Ben- s ‘oma s short time later in a Baal srt Joseph Larsen, who was referred to as a “human goat” by the police because of his appetite for but- tons, needles, pins and glass, is dead of epilepsy and a complication of diseases at the county infirm- ary. When in a cell recently at the police station in Evansville, Ind., Larsen swallowed several needles and buttons in the belief that this would gain his release. He seemingly suffered no ill effects from the experience. Prior to this, one day, Larsen smashed a pop bottle and swallowed some pieces. A plan to safeguard American ships from subma- rine attack has been worked out by the Naval Con- sulting Board and a special committee appointed by Major-General George W. Goethals, U. S. A., and W. L. Sanders, charman of the board, has advised war relief societies to adopt as a safeguard for their ships this system, the details of which were not made pub- lic. Mr. Sanders was quoted on August 3 as saying that the plans have been approved by the Federal authorities who are now putting into effect through the war risk insurance bureau a lower insurance premium on ships equipped according to its pro- visions. In describing the work of the airmen at the front, Major L. W. B. Rees, of the British flying corps, stated recently that the British fly on three levels with three kinds of machines. The lowest are the artillery directors, who circle about in big figure eights some 6, 000 feet above the enemy trenches and flash back directions to the British gunners by wireless. Above them at 10,000 feet, are the heavy fighters with two men to a machine and able to keep the air for four hours at a speed of 110 miles per hour, At a height of 15,000 feet are the single- man, light fighters, capable of 130 miles an hour and of ascending the first 10,000 feet in ten minutes. The force of an avalanche wind is illustrated in a case recently reported by Mr. M. B. Summers, in charge of the Weather Bureau station at Juneau, Alaska. The wind occurred as the result of a heavy — snowslide into Gold Creek Gulch, near Juneau. This gulch is at the foot of the precipitous south slope — of Mount Juneau. On the opposite side of the | gulch, at a distance of 15 feet from the bank where the slide occurred, stood three cabins. The force of the blast generated by the down-rushing snow was sufficient to demolish these cabins completely and to carry the debris 100 feet up the slope. wind also rush laterally along the euch destroying — another cabin’ 500 feet distant. n the town of Juneau, a quarter of a mile sutiat, the force bo ¥ the wind was felt strongly, and the town was en- — wee in a blinding whirl of snow for several — The —

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. THE CAVE OF GOLD ae yeaa THE BOY MINERS OF THE ROCKIES By ED KING (A SERIAL STORY) CHAPTER V (Continued). “Ve’re no good, Bill. Ye hain’t no ackribat!” “Better go back an’ sot down in ther corner.” “My foot slipped,” mumbled Billi. “I’d a-done et then ef m’ foot hadn’ slipped. Do et nex’ timezh, all-ri’.” Then he recovered his balance—he had nearly fallen—and began swinging his arms again. Suddenly he paused, turned and looked behind him, as though deciding where he would alight; then he shifted his feet a few inches and began swing- ing his arms again like a couple of huge, erratic pendulums. _ He was standing right in front of the door now, and only about two feet from it, and just as he - seemed to be on the point of making the attempt to leap into the air, the door came open suddenly, and striking the woold-be acrobat in the face, sent him backward to the floor with a crash and a howl of rage and pain. _ “Hello!” exclaimed the- newcomer, a dark-faced man, dressed in the garb of civilization—store- clothes, the miners call them. ‘What have I done now?” “Ye’ve upset ther greatest ackribat uv ther age!” snickered a miner. “Yaas, ye’ve shore stopped him frum flip-floppin’ -_ onter ther back uv his punkinhead. ” “Like enuff ye’ve ‘saved ‘im frum breakin’ his neck.” ; “T wan’ revenge!’ howled the fallen man, rolling over onto his stomach and trying to scramble to his feet. “Show me ther man whatzh done thet an’ T’ll spill him all overzh ther floor!” ‘The stranger looked at the fallen man and laughed 4 aly ee “Sorry I upset the gent and spoiled your fun,” he oan Wi: e jest beat him to et, thet’s all,” grinned “< og fur ef ye hedn’ upset ‘im, he’d a-done et ; 5 right erway.” 'S a lie!” howled the miner, scrambling to his “[’d a-been turnin’ flip-flopzh all over ze floor feller hedn’ knocked me down. Whar is he? r’s ther blame scoun ’rel, aoe ‘Tl eat ’im el ere Ti = He gd. io Say Sify, bu deqnlyy and Sh. he said: ‘ Rigs, He had got onto his feet by this time, and had turned and just then he caught a glimpse of the jstranger’s face. Instantly his underjaw dropped, and his hand fell from the butt of his revolver, where he had placed it. “Oh, et’s—et’s ye, is et?” he remarked, somewhat lamely, and then he turned and made his way back to the corner and sat down. The spectators stared in amazement. They knew Bill Saunders was a rather tough character and that he would shoot on very little provocation. They had expected that he would do so now, but instead he had walked away without a word. It was evi- dent that he knew the stranger, and it was also evident that he feared him. “He seems ter know ye, stranger,” said Red Rollin, eyeing the stranger with considerable interest. “Yes, we have met before,” was the careless re- ply. “Down in New Mexico, I believe it was. He got gay, and I had to discipline him a bit. You notice that he doesn’t seem to want any trouble with me.” And the man laughed coldly. “Yaas, we notussed et,” said Pretty Pete, dryly. “Hey, Bill, hain’t ye goin’ ter turn them flip- flops?” called out a miner, banteringly. “Don’ give et up thet way, Bill,” from another. “T allers thort thet when ye said ye’d do er thing, ye’d do et,” jeered a third. “Go hang, all ye fellers!” snarled Bill. “I’m done, Iam! Here, bartender, bring me some whisky, an’ do et moughty quick!” “Sorry I spoiled the fun,” said the stranger. i § guess that in order to square myself with the crowd, I'll have to stand treat. Line up, everybody, and say what you’ll have.” “Whisky fur mine!” yelled Bill Saunders. “Whisky ev’ry time, ye bet!” : “Here, too!” “Thet’s me, all right!” There was a great crowding against the bar, and for a few minutes only the clinking of glasses and rude, boisterous laughter could be heard. The stranger’s eye fell upon the three youths, who stood back from the bar, waiting as patiently , as possible for the miners to get through

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24 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. “Here, you young fellows. You are not taking “No, we don’t drink,” said Bob. anything.” “Well, you can’t begin any younger. the bar and state your preferences.” “Water is good enough for us,” said Sam,, quietly. “And I guess none of us are thirsty just now.” The man advanced swiftly and faced the three. “T say for you to come up and have a drink!” he cried, fiercely. “It is an insult to refuse to drink with a man up in this country.” “We don’t mean it that way,” said George. . “Can’t help it. Actions speak louder than words, and when you refuse to drink with a man, you insult him more surely than if you were to call him a liar or slap his face.” “Better let em erlone, stranger,’ said Pretty Pete, with a grimace. “I tried ter make ’em drink with me, an’ 43 “Bah!” snarled the dark-faced stranger. “They’re eoing to drink with me, or I’ll know the reason why!” “Ye’ll probably know, all right!” chuckled Pretty Pete. “Are you going to walk up to the bar and drink?” queried the stranger. “No!” replied the three in chorus. “Then I’ll lead you there!’”’ and he reached for Sam, who happened to be nearest. Quick as a flash up into the air leaped Sam, out shot his feet, striking the dark-faced man in the chest and sending him to the floor with great force. He was temporarily stunned, and lay there, groan- ing and squirming, and gasping at a great rate. “T tol’ ’im ter leave ’em erlone,” said Pretty Pete. “But he wouldn’ listen ter reason,” ‘said Red Rollin. “No, he seemed ter think he knowed et all.” “He'll know more than he did before,” chuckled miner, _ “T wouldn’ give much fur yer hide, young feller,” id Bill Saunders. “Eugene Carroll hain’t ther man te let *imse’f be treated thet way an’ not git re- venge.” “He had no business ‘bothering me,” quietly. “I wasn’t bothering him.” — “Thet’s right !?......./ _ “This orter be er free country!” “He got on’y whut he desarved.” _“Thet’s so! Thet’s so!” then Eugene Carroll came to his senses and rose to a sitting posture with a jerk. He felt of his ‘chest wae a and then looked up and caught sight Weathe rome who had kicked him. -. With a quick motion he drew a revolver from a Ps “belt his coat and leveled it. SPI have our life, vite young dog!” L Aeninga said Sam, The scape of Ter in - Come up to | dalieine the report of the pistol-shot came a wild howl of pain from Bill Saunders. The bullet had hit him in the calf of the leg, in- flicting a painful but not at all serious wound. | “Ow-wow! Ouch-h-h-h!” he howled, leaping up and dancing around at a great rate. “Oh, my leg! Oh—ouch—ow-w-w !” He stepped on the toes of a miner who sat at the table adjoining, and that worthy, enraged at hav- ing his pet corns trampled, gave Saunders a kick and sent him sprawling on his face on the floor. “Take thet, ye blamed awkward elephant!” growl- ed the miner, “Here! No shooting in here!” cried the owner — of the Palace Hotei, running around and confront- ing Carroll, who had leaped to his feet, giving utterance. to threats regarding what he was going todo. “I can’t have things all shot up, ye hear?” “Oh, all right,” growled Carroll. “But I’ll have your life for this, young fellow!’’ and he shook his finger at Sam and glared in a menacing manner. “Not if I can help it,” replied Sam, coolly. He was a brave young fellow, and his life with a circus had given him some pretty rough experiences, and he was not as much alarmed as he might have been otherwise. He had heard men make threats before. Carroll threw a goldpiece on the bar and strode to the door. “T’ll see you again, young fellow!” he hissed, shak- ing his finger at Sam. “All right,” nodded Sam. at the same time.” “You shall pay for that kick with your life!” Then the angry man passed out through the door and closed it with a slam. “Thar goes er snake, an’ I’]l bet on et!” said Pretty Pete. -“V’ll probably see you CHAPTER VI RAISING THE WIND. “He’s er vicious one!” said Red Rollin. “He'll fix ye ef he gits er chanst, young feller,” said another, Bill Saunders limped to the door and opened ed and passed out, and as he did so, he said: “Ye bet he’ll fix ye, young feller!” Then he slammed the door shut and was gone. * “Bill kinder got ther worst uv et ter-night, didn’ he?” said Pretty Pete. ; “He shore did!” replied Red Rollin, with a hoarse laugh. Then one of the miners called out: “Give us somé more moosic, young feller. “if “All right,” replied Bob. ~ He placed the violin under his chin suid played a | lively, rollicking. air which elicited unstinted ap- : plause when he had finished. igi: (To be continued.) Me “e

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. NEWS OF THE DAY AVIATOR SAVES SWIMMER. Next winter the Hunters’ Club will make an effort An airplane piloted by Ralph Hanson the other |to secure a law making it unlawful to shoot or day played a part in saving the life of O. Perit, a ‘Lacoma newspaper man, who had been carried on an - ebb tide a mile out to sea. ; Mr. Perit, who is a fine swimmer, was caught in the strong outward current and carried beyond the breakers. He signalled for help and Aviator Hanson hastily “tuned up” his machine and, in the face of a strong wind, flew out to sea where Mr. Perit was struggling to swim back through the breakers. The presence of the aviator encouraged Perit to continue his efforts and, as the’/tide had begun to set shoreward, he managed to reach shore in an exhausted condition, where a large crowd enthusi- astically cheered both swimmer and aviator. EIGHT INTERNED SHIPS SOLD. Hight Austrian steamers, 50,915 tons in all, which have been interned in American ports since the beginning of the war, have been purchased by’ the Kerr Navigation Corporation, and will be placed in the transatlantic service by the Kerr Steamship Company. The transaction, which represents an investment of $12,000,000, was financed by Norwe- gian bankers. -H., F. Kerr said that not a little could be done to furnish relief for the present shortage of tonnage by acquiring all the remaining Austrian ships that have lain idle since the opening of the war. “The vessels,” Mr. Kerr stated, “not only can be acquired at a considerably less figure than woula be demanded to build new ships of equal tonnage, but they can be placed in commission in much less time.” UNUSUAL SIGHT AT MIDWAY, N. Y. When strangers enter Midway, N. Y., by auto- ‘mobile or railroad trains, they observe numerous mounds in North street at the corporate limits, disturb woodchucks. SPEAKS AFTER 35 YEARS. Able to speak and hear perfectly after thirty-five years as a deaf mute, Joseph Gertzolowitz, a cutter, was removed from Ward’s Island to the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrants’ Aid Society Building, 229 East Broadway, to await word from his only relative, a sister, Mrs. Lottie Cohen. For nearly fif- teen months Gertzolowitz had been held in the Man- hattan Hospital for the Insane, where he had been taken because, unable to make himself understood, his frantic gestulation had caused physicians to be- lieve his mind was affected. The cutter’s affliction dated back to his seventh year in Kovna, Russia, and the amount of money which his parents spent to cure him compelled them to come here to recoup. What became of them Gertzolowitz could not say. The only thing he re- membered was living with his sister somewhere in Monore street. About a year and half ago Gertzolo- witz wandered off from his home and could not tel] where he lived. Finally his excitement resulted in his commitment to the institution for the insane. Recently he recovered his lost faculties, and, after Doctor Pholson of Ward’s Island had examined him, he asked the Hebrew relief organization to try to find his relatives. WOULDN’T ENLIST CHINAMAN. Because he cannot fight for the United States in her war with Germany, George Chin is very sad. He is a Chinaman and is part owner of a restau- rant in Muncie, Ind. Unaware that his lack of cit- izenship prevented his being a soldier for the coun- try of his adoption, George, who is husky and healthy, presented himself before Lieut. Guy Hag- erty, recruiting officer for the National Guard. “I want to enlist for America,” he said proudly. “America has made me a man and I want to fight like other Americans if there is war. I want to show people Chinese are no cowards, besides.” Lieut. Hagerty explained to him that owing to the alien laws which prevent a Chinaman from be- coming an American citizen, one cannot be accepted as a soldier. ‘ se “But I am now an American,” said Chin, da- zedly. “I am no longer a Chinaman. I work here. I live here, I make more money here than I could make in China. I love America only.’ I become they reach the village hotel the majority of stran- gers are sure to inquire about the mounds. The mounds, are the work of groundhogs—and the wind. The earth surrounding the mounds is a light sand. Years ago woodchucks appeared in the sand lot and dug holes. After a time it was ob- rved that mounds had appeared in the sand lot. ‘The woodchucks had packed the sand so hard around the holes that the wind had no effect, but y it away from the holes for several feet, thus ing the mounds, ) At the approach of persons the woodchucks climb ho mounds and disappear in the holes. Many of nounds are very steep and the woodchucks often re: _ and often see little animals disappear in them. When several times before they are able to reach |the United States and to die for her, disappear, = swans rejected a aes

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2 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. Fame and Fortune Weekly NEW YORK, OCTOBER 12, 1917. TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS a PEURIe DOOR. Gio c~ dag ecjonsecovewced Seeecececees .06 Cents One Copy Three Moontide ......-ccccoccccccccccecs -15 Cents ne Cony. Six. Months. .cicccvcccccecs? sespcceson 1,50 " One Copy One WEEE Vsvcnccccsgdcagestviedesseresh 8.00 POSTAGE FREE HOW TO SEND MONEY—At our risk send P. O. Money Order. Check or Kegistered Letter; remittances in any other wey are at your risk. We accept Post age Stauips the same as eash. When sending silver wrap the Cop, in a separate piece of per to avoid cutting the sare rite your name and ad plainiy. Address letters to HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, 166 West 23d St., New York Good Current News Articles Indians of the Cheyenne River Reservation have begun extensive sheep raising and are receiving as high as fifty-three cents a pound for the wool. Hides and wool shipped from the reservation this season, not counting the sheep shipped for killing, amounted -to $6,270. ~ Petrified trunks of oak trees’ have been found thirty feet underground in sandpits at Fremont, Neb. A theory advanced is that the trees were buried several centuries ago when the stream that is now the, Platte River, cut its channel through, here. There are now no oak trees in the. Platte River valley except transplanted specimens. A scientific expedition, organized by the Smith- sonian Institution and the American Museum of the American Indian, which has been excavating among the Zuni ruins of Hawikuh in Western New Mexico, has exhumed a number of valuable Indian relies dat- ing back to the early sixteenth century. Profusely decorated pottery, baskets, tribal regalia and war implements were found in graves. Remains of walls _ beneath the site of Hawikuh in prehistoric times be-_ fore the Indian village was built. ‘In the time of the Civil War the term “shoddy” was used contemptuously with reference to the ma- terial employed in the making of either clothing or ie blankets. Properly, shoddy is a cloth made by com- Ps eae pression rather than by weaving. When badly made it pulls apart under slight tension. When well made ‘it resists tearing even better than woven cloth. It becomes, in fact, a fabric as durable as felt. One of the things to recommend shoddy is that rags can be used in its manufacture. There is a’ present ; ity that the United States Government, 1 has long excluded this fabric from bids for ies, will modify its specifications for — and American troops now landing in France have re- ceived a more careful and prolonged training than could possibly be given the most of the regiments hurriedly raised during the Civil War. The story goes that a raw battalion of rough backwoodsmen, ho had “volunteered,” once joined General Grant. _He admired their fine physique, but distrusted the |capacity of their uncouth commander to handle troops promptly and efficiently in the field, so he said: “Colonel, I want to see your men at work; call them to attention, and order them to march with | shouldered arms in close column to the left flank.” | Without a moment’s hesitation the colonel yelled to |his fellow-ruffians: “Boys, look wild thar! Make ene to thicken and go left endways! Tote yer \guns! Git!” The maneuver proved a brilliant suc- jcess, and the self-elected colonel was forthwith officially commissioned. Grins and Chuckles The Mistress—I am not satisfied with your refer- ences. The Applicant—Nayther am I, mum, but they’re the best I could get. Guest (studying bill of fare)—Waiter, I have 50 hellers (10 cents). Tell me what you recommend. Waiter—Try another restaurant. “I once knew a man who could speak seven lan- guages.” “What did he do?” \ “Kept still most of the time and listened to his wife.” She—So you told Lady Buncomb she looked as young as her daughter! That caught the old lady, I know. He—Yes; but it lost me the daughter. Dr. Bill (meeting former patient)—Ah! good morning, Mr. Jones. How are you feeling this morn- ing? Mr. Jones—Doctor, does it cost anything if I tell you? Elsie—Oh, you better leave those preserves alone. Ma said if she caught you at ’em again she’d dust your jacket. Tommy—lI know, but I ain’t wearin’ any jacket. I took it off on purpose. First Boy—Say, Johnny, did your mother lick you for playing hookey from school? Second Boy—You bet she didn’t! First Boy—How did you manage to get out of it? Second Boy—I told her if she licked me I’d holler loud enough to wake the baby, The two men who had entered the car seemed to want to occupy seats together. “Can’t you sit over a little?” they asked, stopping in front of a pale, scholarly man with eyeglasses. said, looking at them over his glasses; “but I wie = move over a little and see.” “T do not know,” he |

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: FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. 27 OLD GRAHAM’S GOLD. By Kit Clyde On the right bank of the Hudson, a few miles | above the city of New York, surrounded by stately trees and. what had once been a beautiful park, stands a large, roomy old stone mansion, The present owner of Graham Grange was an old man of some sixty or seventy years of age. He was regarded by his neighbors, as well as all who came in contact with him, as eccentric and miserly. Gerald Graham inherited Graham Grange ten years before the opening of our story from an uncle who had lived to a very ripe old age. The _ uncle was a very rich and also a very charitable man. When he died everybody for miles around the _ Grange felt that he or she had lost a very dear friend. _ After the funeral it was found that no will had _ been made, or if made, it was lost. Gerald Graham, up in the interior of the-State, was the nearest of _ kin, being the only child of his only brother, and he became master of the estate. A few days after Gerald Graham took possession of the estate he made a peremptory demand for every penny due, and would listen to no excuse. | In vain did their wives appeal to Mrs. Graham. - She could do nothing with him. _* She was a widow with one daughter when she _ married Gerald Graham. The daughter was about _ ten years old at the time, and he had a son two years older. She frankly told them that her husband was a hard man, and that the lot of the poorest one among them was a happy one compared to hers. : _ Time wore on, and the more people saw of Gerald _ Graham the less they liked him. They would have nothing to do with him, and when his hard-worked _ wife died there were no friends of the family to _ follow her to the grave. 2 Years rolled on, and Clarissa Clark, the step- daughter, grew into a beautiful womanhood. She _ did all the housework, for her stepfather would keep no servant. Of course he paid her no wages, and allowed her but two dresses and two pairs of shoes a year. His son George had grown to manhood—a strap- ping young fellow, with quite an aptitude for busi- ness ; but, though very rich, his miserly father would x0t give him a dollar with which to do business, ‘but insisted on his paying for his board and lodg- ing as long as he remained at home. ae ‘By and by the firm for which George was work- ine at a small salary failed, and he was thrown out of employment. He tried in vain to secure an- - other at any rate of pay he could get. Business was dull, and the market overstocked with men and ‘women seeking work. ~ ¢ he paid for his week’s board one day he 4 3 : : 2 a “This is my last dollar. I shall not be able to pay you anything next week unless I can find a situation.” | “In that case I shall not be able to board you, | young man,” was the reply. ‘ “Father,” said George, when he could command his voice, “I have paid you in advance for one week. |Give me back the money and I will go away now. dollars in my pocket than at the end of the week |without a penny.” The result was a quarrel, in which the old man had the advantage in being master of the situa- tion. At the end of the week George, having been went to the old man and said: | You surély will not turn him out of the house be- cause he is not able to pay his board?” “Why should I take care of one who is able to | work?” he replied, testily. ‘He is as well able to |work as I am.” | “So he is. All he wants is the work to do. is your son, and e: “Oh, never mind that, girl. He When a man is old to do so. He——” “Father, you ought to be ashamed of yourself!” Clarissa cried, her eyes flashing indignantly. “Silence, girl! Go on about your work, and let ime alone. I won’t have a big strapping fellow living on me that way. Let him take care of him- self. He is able to work.” “When George goes I’ll go, too, father!’ snapped Clarissa, turning to leave the room, “Eh! What’s that fou say! ungrateful hussy !” “Ungrateful!” she retorted. “Me ungrateful! Why, I’ve worked for you six years without a dollar in the way of wages!” “Wages! You had your board and clothes! What more do you want?” “Ten dollars a year pays for all the clothes you give me,” she retorted. “I can get a place at seven - dollars a month at Dr. Huntington’s, and I am go- ing to go there is George goes away.” While he was thinking of what he should say Clarissa léft the room and went to meet George. “T have heard all that took place between you,” said George. “You must not leave here, Clarissa. Stay with him till I come back again, or I shall never be able to hear from him or know how things are. Times won’t always be hard with me as they are now. Come what will, dear, I'll never forget you and your kindness to me.” That evening Clarissa prepared supper as usual, looking pale and tearful. Now that George was - gone the old house would be simply unbearable. She had not a single companion among the girls of the village, for the reason that not one of them dared _ to come to the house. The old man looked upat _ 2 a ear ee ne » Ata et Mt! “bv 24 A 'I’d rather be turned out of doors now with a few unable to find work of any description, Clarissa “Father, George has not been able to find work. enough to take care of himself he should be made - You go, too, you"

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28 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. “You spoke of going away because George has _ gone, Clarissa. If you do that not one penny of my money will you ever call your own. Do you understand that?” “That does not move me in the least, father,” she replied. “Money is a good thing to have,” said he, shak- ing his head. “Tt is of no account, save to buy with,” she replied. “If one does not use it, of what account is it? I have but two poor dresses. What good would a ~ million: dollars do me if I did not buy dresses and such things as I need? Listen to me, father. You have done a thing this day that heaven will pun- ish you for. You have turned your own flesh and blood out into the world without a dollar. George ‘oon as he could use his limbs he crawled to the sox, looked in, and then began tearing his hair and howling with grief over his loss. As soon as he could Gerald Graham reported his loss to the proper authorities, and was told that the proper steps to find the robber would be taken. But it was the last he ever heard of the precious gold that was stolen. One day old Dr. Huntington brought Clarissa a letter. It was from George, telling her that he had found a good situation in the city, and that he would send her a present for her birthday two months hence. Gerald Graham saw her with the letter, and knew it was from George, and asked her if it was. “Yes, father,” she replied, “he has a situation in is as good a son as a father was ever blessed with. | the city where he can make a good living.” But his father loved a dollar more than he loved his son. Be assured that no good will come to you. You will want George some day, and repent of what you have done.” With that Clarissa turned and left the room, ed the old miser to ponder on what she had sai A week later was rent day, and the old miser went among his tenants and collected several hun- | ‘dred dollars, ‘which he carried home with him and placed in his strong-box under the table in his bed- room, intending to take it to the bank in the morning. | About midnight Clarissa heard a groan, followed | - by a hoarse cry, coming from old Graham’s room. She sprang out of bed, threw on a wrapper, and hastened to see what the matter was. _. Just as she reached the door of the old man’s room she felt herself caught roughly by the arm, and a gruff voice say: “Keep quiet, girl, an’ yer’ll get no hurt!” She looked around, and by the dim. light of a. ‘candle saw a masked man at her side with a re-! volver in his right hand. Clarissa then sank down, woman-like, faint. “That’s all right, ” growled the burglar, turning away. “She is off my hands now, and I’ll attend to you, old man.” It was then the burglar espied the strong-box ander the table. He released the pressure on the a man’s neck and said: fet “Have you the key to that box?” — 4 : s “No. ” He searched. the old man’s pockets and found sev- ral keys, one of which fitted the lock on the box. rge! Clarissa!” he cried in his “agony, whilst the burglar was filling his pockets _ with the money he found in the box. _ When Clarissa came to she heard her stepfather groaning at a terrible rate. She scrambled to her : and gazed around the room. “Why, where is the robber?” she exclaimed. “He is gone with my precious gold. Oh, oh, oh!” -and the old man’s groans were awful to hear. ina dead | | Peters faite sare cut the old man loose, — as! they were married. “Give me his address.” She did so. That day the old man wrote to him to come home. George wrote back that he would never cross the ‘threshold of Graham Grange again until he coula do so independent of his father in a financial sense. That made the old man very mad. “Clarissa!” he cried, “I am going to make my will, ‘and if you will promise me not to give George Graham a dollar of my property I'll rake you my “p ll promise you that, father,” she said. The village lawyer came, drew the will, had it’ | properly signed and witnessed, and, after getting his fee, went away. That night Gerald Graham died in his sleep, of heart disease, and early the next morning Clarissa ; telegraphed the fact to George: He came up on the next train and went up to the house. Clarissa received him with open arms, and left the sole charge of the funeral with him. He-had the old man decently buried, and the day | following the village lawyer told him about the old man’s will. He was thunderstruck. | “Why did you not tell me about the will, Clarissa?” © he said a few hours later. “Because I did not think about it,” she said. “It — was made in my favor on my promising not to give you a dollar of the estate. I made the promise, of course, reserving the right to sell it to you. You ean have the entire property for one dollar. Can you afford to pay so much?” “Oh, yes,” he said, handing her the dollar. “Its mine now, is it?” a “Yes, it’s all yours.” : “Well, now,” and he took her hand in his, “I am going to buy a wife with it. I’ll give you the whole © estate for your hand in marriage. What say you?” ~ Woman-like, she had to pretend to faint, and then asked him if he loved her. = He vowed that he did, and a few months later

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3 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. THE NEWS IN SHORT ARTICLES CLOCK IN SIDEWALK. Thousands of persons daily hurry past the corner of Broadway and Maiden lane, New York, and in their haste fail to observe that. they are literally walking on time. They glance at the clock in the doorway of the Singer Building or the familiar clock face in St. Paul’s Church steeple. The timepiece in the vault light on the sidewalk at the north corner of Broadway and Maiden lane is stepped on and over unconsciously, although it is there to give the information which the hurrying folk are seeking at either of the two locations men- tioned. The clock has a square white face with black hands and numerals.. It occupies a space about ten by eighteen inches in front of a jewelry store. A heavy piece of plate glass protects it from traffic and the weather. Its long existence there is at- tested by the marred glass, which has become almost “frosted” with scratching from sand and dust ground under foot. PAPER CANDLES FOR SOLDIERS. A torch for use by soldiers in the trenches and in their dugeuts—a torch so simple that any child , Cia We. te ee ee oe kh E ean make it—is the invention of Mrs. Edward Gushee, wife of a New York physician. Mrs. Gushee and a staff of girls and boys are now mak- ing these torches by the hundreds, and intend to send them in large quantities to the front, accord- ing to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. To make one of these torches take a newspaper and with a ruler tear it into strips two columns “wide. Place six of these strips, one on top of the _ other—or tear six newspapers at once if you find this easier—roll them up, leaving a small hole through the center; tie the roll with cotton string; boil it in paraffin for twenty minutes, and let it cool. ‘ This makes a candle: which can be lighted with a match and will burn without smoke for three- quarters of an hour. It gives better light than an es ordinary candle, quite enough light) for a soldier to __ upper slopes ~ yead, write or sew by. Oe FORESTER SAVES LIFE. making of himself a sledge on the snowclad of Mount Hood Elijah Coalman, for- lookout on the mountain, brought to By service safety Hans Fuhrer, a badly injured mountain guide, who is in a hospital, in Portland, Ore., and 10 may recover. ‘Fuhrer had guided a she it, the top on the a de of an ax, iomenl party of men‘:and women descent Fuhrer fell on the sharp receiving a serious wound in the 11,000 feet up. When a mile from. it can now be given. Coalman, the lookout, had been watching the party through a glass from the summit and saw the accident. He slid, coasted and plunged down the intervening mile in a few minutes. With other members of the party he stanched Fuhrer’s wound. Then, throwing himself flat on his back, he drew Fuhrer on his body and directed those in the party to attach a rope to his feet. Holding the wounded man with his clasped arms, Coalman was dragged over the snow two miles to the timber line. There the wounded man was placed in an automobile and brought to this city. COST OF A SOLDIER’S EQUIPMENT. _ It costs $156.50 to equip an infantryman for serv- ice in France, the Committee on Public Information announces. This cost is divided as follows: Cloth- ing, etc., $101.21; eating utensils, etc., $7.73; fight- ing equipment, $47.36—total, $156.30. Items included under “clothing are as follows: 1 bedsack, 98¢.; 3 wool blankets, $18.75; 1 waist belt, 25c.; 2 pairs wool breeches, $8.90; 2 wool serv- ice coats, $15.20; 1 hat cord, 8c.; 3 pairs summer drawers, $1.50; 3 pairs winter drawers, $4.88; 1 pair wool gloves, 61c.; I service hat, $1.70; 2 pairs extra shoe laces, 5c.; I pair canvas leggins, $1.05; 2 flannel shirts, $7.28; 2 pair shoes, $10.20; 5 pairs wool stockings, $1.50; 4 identification tags, 2c.; 3 summer undershirts, $1.50;.4 winter undershirts, $4.88 ; 1 overcoat, $14.92; 5 shelter tent pins, 20c.; I shelter tent pole, 26c.; I poncho, $3.55; 1 shelter tent, $2.95— total, $101.21. Items included under “eating utensils” are food issued to each man to be carried in his haversack during field service, canteen and canteen cover, cup, knife, fork, spoon meat can, haversack, pack carrier, first-aid kit and pouch to carry it. The items under “fighting equipment” follow: 1 rifle, $19.50; 1 bayonet, $2.15; 2 bayonet scabbards, $1.13; 1 cartridge belt, $4.08; 100 cartridges, $5; 1 steel helmet, $3; 1 gas mask, $12; 1 trench tool, 50c.—total, $47.36. Prices are subject to frequent changes, so cannot be taken as absolutely accurate in every case. Steel helmets and gas masks are being bought in France and England, as well as manufactured in this coun- try, and the costs of those bought abroad and made here differ. The figure-given for a rifle is the cost of making the “United States rifle, model 1903,” generally known as the Springfield. The first 600,- 000 to 800,000 troops to go to France will carry this weapon. The so-called Enfield rifle, used by British troops, is being manufactured to equip other Ameri- can troops, and is known as the “United States rifle, model 1917.” This is being made on a “cost-plus-profit” basis so that no accurate figure for e's}

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30 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ARTICLES OF ALL KINDS THIEF PAWNS FIVE GOLD TEETH. The other afternoon E. C. Tiff, a lawyer of Syra- cuse, N. Y., entered his office in the Grand block, and as it was hot removed his coat and vest, and hung them on a rack. A few minutes later he left the office. He returned, and an hour later discovered that his coat and, vest had been stolen. In the pocket of his vest were five gold teeth, which had been broken from his plate. He notified the police, who, a few hours later, recovered the teeth in a pawnshop. The coat and vest and gold watch have not been recovered. RUNS NAKED FOR TEN YEARS. After running naked on a secluded isle of the San- ta Barbara group for ten years, during which time he lived as his ancestors had lived’ thousands of years before him on fish, mussels and game killed with a stone hatchet, Christian L. Bayer is now a soldier of the United States. ; They told Bayer a decade ago in Burlington, Ia., he had tuberculosis and his days were numbered. But when he came here to enlist. he passed a per- fect physical examination and was at once accepted. The life of a cave man had effected a complete cure. He stripped down and showed a body as tanned as his face. Bayer is a native of Denmark, 39 years old and weighs 162 pounds. -A THOUSAND GALLONS OF WHISKY POURED _ AWAY. An idea of the enormous quantity of liquor seized in supposedly “dry” cities is to be had from the fol- lowing news item which apeared in the Birmingham {Ala.) News: A small stream was discovered in Third alley, be- tween Nineteenth and Twentieth streets, recently, shortly after 1 o’clock, and in five minutes after the stream was located over 100 pedestrians passing along Nineteenth street had crowded around the same. At 2 o’clock hundreds of citizens were try- ing to give the new-born stream a name. _ Over 1,000 gallons of whisky and beer were stacked in the police aHay during the early morn- ing, and shortly after 1 o’clock Detective Wade smashed the first quart bottle of whisky against the City Hall building. ays 4 _ The crop consisted of what the purity squad has seized during the past six months. There were over twelve trunks filled with whisky and also about fif- teen suit-cases containing from twelve to fifteen quarts each was among the wreckage. It is esti- mated that between $2,000 and $2,500 worth of JERSEY PEACH CROP IS RECORD BREAKER. Peaches have delivered a punch at the high ‘cost of living that will be felt far into the winter by rea- son of the canning and drying of large quantities of the extremely bountiful and cheap supply of the fruit of New Jersey this season. : Not for years has there been such a harvest of peaches as is being gathered this season. The coun- trywide canning crusade has saved the peach ‘grow- ers from disastrous gluts in the markets which would have resulted from such a record breaking crop of fruit under. normal conditions of consump- tion. Daily Government bulletins on market conditions have helped shippers to avoid glutting the markets, according to C. Fleming Stanger of Glassboro, N. J., president of the New Jersey State Horticultural Society. Mr. Stanger says very little marketable fruit is going to waste in spite of the overloaded orchards. 2 Growers of this region are shipping a good many carloads of peaches every week into the New York markets, where the prices are a shade better, the growers says, than anywhere else just now. Bushel packages of the better grades of fruit are bringing anywhere from $1 to $2. MANY ATTACKS ON TRADERS REPELLED BY U. 8. FLOTILLA. The Navy Department has received from Vice Admiral Sims voluminous reports ‘of the work which the men and ships under his command have done since the flotilla of American destroyers reached England in May. ‘Those who have been privileged to read the ac- count of the three months’ operations say it is the most thrilling story of American naval achieve- ment since Cervera’s fleet was destroyed off San- tiago. The reports are replete with stories of American encounters with U boats and of the part played b your destroyers in saving crews of tor- pedoed merchantmen. Every page of the Sims report cites a case where the lookouts of the American destroyers and sub- marine chasers sighted a U boat and forced. it to submerge rather than accept battle. In many in- stances the report cites evidence seen by the de- stroyers’ crew indicating that they had succeeded in “bagging” a submarine, but the Admiral does not claim the actual destruction of the vessels. There is no “elaboration” in the report. 4 Admiral Sims also cites numerous cases in which the armed guard of merchantmen gave battle to submarines and compelled them to submerge. He indicates that the American gunners have proved’ — that there are no better in the world. ‘A

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’ romance, FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. 31 LAUGHABLE EGG TRICK, This is the funnies! trick ever exhibited ani always produces roars of laughter. The per- former says to the au- dience that he requires some eggs for one of his oxpegements. As no spectator carries any, be calls his assistant, taps him on top of the head, he , and an egg comes out of his mouth. is is repea unti) six eggs I: is an easy trick to per- and always ~ Wolff Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St., N. ¥. WILLARD-JOHNSON PRIZE-FIGHT PUZZL , Four strips of cardboard, each three inches by one D : and a half inches, showing Willard and Jobnson in various absurd postures. The solution in the puzzle lies in so arranging the strips that they show Wil- lara In the complete picture, the heavy- weight champion. Price, 10¢, by mail, postpaid, with directions. - FRANK SMITH, 383 Lenox Ave., N. ¥. RUBBER SUCKER. Rubber Vacuum Suckers The latest novelty out! Dishes and plates will stick to the table, cups to the saucers like glue. Put one under a glass and then try to lift it. You ean’t. Lots of fun, Always put it on a smooth surface and wet ‘he rubber. Manv other tricks can be ac- complished with this novelty. Price, 12 cts. each by mail, postpaid. Cc. BEHR, 150 W. 62d Strect, N. ¥. —— GOOD LUCK GUN FOB. The real western article carried by the cowboys. It is made of fine leather with a highly nickeled buckle. The holster con- ns a metal gun, of the same pattern as those used by all the most famous scouts. Any boy wearing one of these fobs will at- tract attention. It will give him an air of western ; The prettiest and most serviceable watch fob ever made. Send for ‘one to-day. Price 20 cents each hy mail nostnaid. H. F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn. N. Y. cs in each hand and twist) the iy pa ing on the discs and ulling, ‘untwist. This will coe bao 4 oe - tation 0 e whee When this _ton,” or whatever name STAB AND CRESCENT PUZZLE, The puzzle is to separate the one star from _ the linked star and crescent without using force. Price, 10 cents; 3 for 25 cents, by mail, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 238d 8t., N. ¥. MYSTERIOUS PLATE LIFTER. Made of fine rubber, with bulb on one end and inflator at other. Place it under a table cover, under plate or fect and bulb ts pressed underneath, object rises mysterl- ously; 40 inches long. C. BEHE, 150 W. 62d St.. New York City. CACHOO AND ITCH POWDER. As Itch powder, Cachoo and Bombs are unmailable, we cannot accept orders for less | than One Dollar’s worth of an assortment. They can be sent by express only, on which we will prepay the charges. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W GREAT BURGLAR PUZZLE. The latest most fascinating puzzle ever placed on the market. Patented May 30. It consists of four revolving dials, each dial contain- ing 16 figures, 64 figures in all. To open the safe these dials must be turned around un- til the figures in each of the 16 col- umn3s added to- gether total 40. The lan of the combination lock on the large ron safes that open on a combination of figures, Persons huve been known to sit up all night. so interested have they be- come trying to get each column to total 40 in this fascinating puzzle. With the printed key which we send with each puzzle the fig- ures can be set In a few minutes 80 as to tota! 40 in each colnmn. Price 1% cents: matied, postpaid. x. F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B'klyn, N. ¥. ELK HEAD PUZZLE. Just out and one of the most fascinating puzzles on the market. The stunt is to separate the antlers and re- join them. It looks easy, but try it and you will admit that it is without exception the best puzzle you have ever seen. fou et leave it alone. Made of silvered meta Price 12¢.; 3 for $0c., sent by mail. pos ald. ©. BEHR, 150 W. 62d Street, N. ¥. Oe THE SPIDER WEB PUZZLE. A very interesting Ut- puzzle. It consists heavily nickeled plate and brass ring. The object is to fet the ring from the side to the center and back. This is very hard, but we ive di ons making it A a Price, 10 cents each, by mail, postpaid. RANE SMITH, 383 Lenox Ave... N. ¥- SCIENTIFIC MINO READING. Wonderful! Startling! Sé- entific! You hand a friend a handsome set of cards on which are printed the names of the 28 United States Prest- dents. Ask him to_ secretly select a name and hold the Shek a . a rage Ae ° ame. L' flash comes the answer “Tincoln, Washing. he is thinking of. With t it the more puzzling it ith our outfit you can do i aby mt dhe” aeit parte or the Hon of the ev e more becomes. Hale'tasvthed® 4 as inven by a famo Price, with eomplete set WP cntas ana full instructions, 12 ts, mailed, postpaid. o REHR. ets + 62d St. New ‘Clty. rice 25c., postpaid. | 23d St.. N. ¥.} uzzle is made on the | and / ——— ee 2 to $500 EACH paid for hundreds old Coins. Keep ALL money dated Zz fore 1895 and send Ten cents for New Illustrated Coin Value Book, size 4x7. It may mean your Fortune. CLARKE COIN Co., Box 95, Le Roy, N. ¥. Boys and Girls Earn Christmas Money Send for 25 XMAS PACKAGES. Fach pack containing 48 assorted Xmas seals, Cards and Tags. Sell for 10c. each. When sold send us $1.50 and keep $1. We trust you. CHRISTMAS CARD CO., Dept. R. Beverly, Mass. JUMPING CARD—a pretty little trick, easy to perform. Effect: A select- ed card returned to the deck jumps high into the air at the performer’s eom- mand. Pack is held in one hand. Price of apparatus, with enough cards to per- form the trick, 1c. x FRANK SMITH, 883 Lenox Ave. N. Y. BLACK-EYE JOKE. New and amusing joker. victim is toic te hold the tubs close to his <7 59 ag 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- ceive the finest blacx-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 ume. Abso- lutely harmiess. Price;by mail l5e, each; ‘or 25c. C. BEHR. 150 W. 62d St., New York City. POCKET SAVINGS BANK. A perfect little bauk, handsomely nickel lated. Holds just five dollars (50 dimes). t cannot be opened until the bank ts full, when it can be readily emptied and relocked, ready to be again refilled. Every parent should see that their children have a small savings bank. as the early habit of saving their dimes is of the greatest importance. Alahits formed in early life are seldom for- tten in later years. Price of this little ank. 10¢.: % for %Se., matied, nostnaid. C. BEER, 150 W. 62d Street, N. ¥. IMITATION BED BUGS. This toy is an exact imitation of the friendly little fellow who shares your bed, eats out of your hand or leg and who ac- cepts your humble hospitality even with- out au invitation. The fact that he also insists on introducing all his friends and family circle, sometimes makes him most unpopular with the ladies; most every Zor know would have seven kinds cf fits she saw two. or even one, of these imitations on her bedspread. Six are contained in a transparent envelope. Price, 10¢ by mail. H. F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. Y. ET that 4 cannot be made to Ne down and yet by simply passing the hand over it, the per- former causes it to do so, This trick affords great usement. and is of convenient size to carry about. Price 10e. each by mall, post C. BEHR. 150 W. 62d St.. New York City, THE CANADIAN WONDER CARD ; Astonishing, wonderful, and perplexing! Have you Any child can work them, and yet, what that they do is so amusing the

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THE WAR FOUNTAIN PEN. A very handsome fountain pen case to which is attached a pocket holder neatly made of metal and highly nickel-plated. sires the use of your pen and he is very much astonished when he removes the cap by the sadden and loud noise of the explosion that oc- curs, and*yet a little paper cap does it all. Price, 35c, by mail, yostpaid. FRANK SMITH. 383 Lenox Ave, N. ¥. JITNEY BUS GAME. A circular metal box with a glass top. In- fixed at one side and a loose traveling little Ford. It requires an ex- pert to get the swiftly moving auto into the garage. This one grabs - J your interest, holds it, ; and almost makes you When you find after repeated trials Price 12¢, wild how bard it is to do the trick. Ly mail, postpaid. WOLKE Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St. N. ¥. ROUGH RIDER DItsC PISTOL. Made of nicely col- ored wood 5% inches long. ‘The power ig furnished by rubber bands. Ten discs of cardboard with each pistol. Price. 6c. each, by mail, vostpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23. St.. N. ¥. FORTUNE TELLING CARDS. The most comical fortune telling cards ever issued. Brae one a joke that will arouse screams of laughter. ey are shuf- fled. and one is drawa—red for ladies, whit« for yentlemen. On the drawn card is 4 mirth-provoking picture, and a few words revealing your fortune. Price 5c. sent by mail, postpald. C. BEHR, 160 W. 62d Street, N. Y. When your friend de | ets it, | side is a tiny garage | ) anybody to do it unless they know secret. Price 10c, by WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W,. 23d St., N. ¥. THE KAZOO. Made in the exact shape of a sub- marine. With this comical iustrument you can aud groom one of the finest seren- ades they ever received. Or, if you wish to use it as a ventriloquist, you will so completely change your voice that your best friend will uot recognize it. Price, 12c, by mail, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St., N. ¥, MAGIC LINK PUZZLE, A number of The them to- gether just ex- the same way wagicians Hnk their It looks dead easy. But we bed the mail, postpaid. RRS se 4 THE LUNG TESTER. We have- bere one of the greatest litle nov- elties ever produced. with this instrument you can absolutely test the strength of your iungs. It has an incicator which clear- ly shows you the num- ber of pounds you can blow. Lots of fun testing your Get one and see what a good blower you are. Price 5c, by mail, N. ¥. postpaid. FRANK SMITH, 383 Lenox Ave.. i THE RUBBER DAGGER, On account of the war we have substituted this novelty for the Magic Dagger. It is eight inches in length, made to look exactly like a steel weapon and would deceive al- most anybody at whom you might thrust it. But as the vlade is made of rubber, it can do no injury. Price 15c, by mail, postpaid. H. F. LANG, 1%15 Centre Street. Ereokiyn, New York. READ THIS ONE! “Moving Picture Stories” A WEEKLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED, TO PHOTOPLAYS AND PLAYERS PRICE 6c PER COPY BUY A COPY! ae THE BEST FILM MAGAZINE ON EARTH a little | give a bride | lungs. | TWO-CARD MONTE. This famous trick gets them all. ~ You pick up a card and when you look at it you find you haven't ts the card you te H thought you had. ; Price 10c, by mall, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St. N. ¥, MAGIC PENCILS. The working of this trick is very easy. most startling and mystifying. Give the case and three pencils to any one in your audience with tnstructions to place any pencil] in the case point upward and to close case and put the remaining two pen- cils in his pocket. You now take the case with the pencil in it and can tell what color it is. Directions how to work the trick with each set. Price 25 cts. each by mail. Wolff Novelty Co., 168 W. 234 St., JNUT AND BOLT PUZZLE. a A very ingenious puzzle, aCe aca \y consisting of a nut and bolt with a ring fastened nut is removed move the nut. on the shank, which can- FRANK SMITH, 383 Lenox Ave., ? s a postpaid. N. ¥- not be removed unless the The question is how to re- Price, l5e, by mail, poets: jo -Me THE QUESTION PUZZLE, Two links tn the form of question warks, fas- tened together at the top. The object is to disen- gage one link from the other, It cannot be done Hoe 9 ay : aie yes rice 10c, by mall, post- paid, with directions. WOLFF Novelty Co., 1683 W. 23d St.. N. ¥. HELLO PUZZLE Can you get the ring off? This puzzle is the latest cre- ation of Yankee ingenuity. Apparently it is the easiest thing in the world to remeve ee ek the block, but es hours of study t @iscover the trick, unless you know how te is @one. Price by mail, postpaid, 10c.; $ for 25e. H, F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. ¥. PRICE 6c PER COPY ENJOY YOURSELF! Magnificent Colored Cover Portraits of Prominent Performers! 32 PAGES OF READING EACH NUMBER CONTAINS New Portraits and Biographies of Actors and Actresses Six Stories of the Best Films on the Screens Elegant Half-tone Scenes from the Plays. 3 Interesting Articles About Prominent People in the Films ; Doings of Actors and Actresses in the Studios and while Picture-making Lessons in Scenario Writing, and names of Companies who buy your plays Poems, Jokes, and every bright Feature of Interest in Making Moving Pictures THIS LITTLE MAGAZINE GIVES YOU OUT EVERY FRIDAY MORE FOR YOUR MONEY THAN ANY OTHER SIMILAR PUBLI- CATION ON THE MARKET! Its authors are the very best that money can procure;its profuse illustrations are exquisite, ard its special arti- cles are by the greatest experts in their particular line. : : No amount of money is being spared to make this publication the very best of its kind in the world. Buy a copy NOW from your newsdealer, any number you desire - HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, 166 West 23d Street, New York City or send us 6 cents in money or postage-stamps, and we will mail you

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in ad FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY —LATEST ISSUES—— 612 Ina Class By Himself; or, The Plucky Boy Who Got to tha 593 Nat Noble, the Little Broker; or, The Boy Who Started a Wall Street Panic. 594 A Struggle For Fame; or, The Gamest Boy {n the World. 595 The Young Money Magnate: or, The Wall Streey Boy Wh» Broke the Market. 5 A Lucky Contract: or. The Roy Who Made a Raft of Money. i907 A Big Risk; or. The Game That Won. * S On Pirate's Tale: or, The Treasure of the Seven ‘!raters. 599 A Wall Street Mystery; or. The Roy Who Reat the Svndicate PON DMiek Hedler’s Mire: or. The Rev Gold Diggers of Mexico. po A Boy Stock Broker: or, From Errand Boy to Millionaire. 2 Facing the World: or, A Poor Boy’s Fight For Fortune. Corner. “Lambs.” mond Mine. 619 A Game Boy; or, 620 A Waif’s Legacy; or, How it Made a Poor Boy Rich. Bighting the Money op. 613 Rulling the Market; or, The Messenger Who Worked * After the Big Blue Stone: or, The Treasure of the Jungl Little Jay Perkins, the Broker: or, Shearing the Wall Stree’ ~ ¥16 The Young Coal Baron; or. Five Years With the Miners. 7 Coining Money: or. The Boy Plunger of Wall Street. 618 Among the Tusk Hunters; or, The Boy Who Found a Dia- From the Slums to Wall. Street Kings; or, The Little Speenlator of C03 A uP ease a Milion; or, How a Boy Worked It in Wall all Street. Stree : . ; Ww * 7. Sales Who Made His ~ Billy, the Cabin Boy; or, The Treasure of Skeleton Island. - ens ee ee ee ee ‘ eV eninae Luck; or,“ Ciimbing’ the Ladder of Fame and Po Ted, the Broker’s Son; or, Starting Out For aay % 4 24 Dick Darrell’s Nerve; , Fr Engine-House to Manager's 606 Out With His Own Circus; or, The Success of a Young ~Office.. pbs tea _ . Barnum. 625 Under a Lucky. Star; or, The Boy Who made a Million Ik 607 Playing For Money; or, The Boy Trader of Wall Street. Wall Street. : 608 The Boy Copper Miner; or, Ted Brown's Rise To Riches. 626 Jack’s Fortune; or, The Strangest Legacy In the World. 609 Tips Off the 611 Lucky In Wall Street; or, Brokers. Tape; or, The Boy Who Startled Wall Street. 610 Striking It Rich; or, From Office Boy to Merchant Prince. The Boy Who Trimmed the | Syndicate, 627 Taking Chances; or, Playing For Big Stakes. Lost In the Tropics; or, The Treasure of Turtle Key. 629 Ten Silent Brokers; or, The Boy Who Broke the Wall Streei For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, 6 cents. per copy. in money or postage stamns, '* HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, - 166 West 23d St., N. Y. IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS of these weeklies and cannot procure them from newsdealers, they can be obtained from the publishers direct. Write out and fill in your Order and send it with the price of the weeklies you want, and the weeklies will be sent to you by return mail. POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY. OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Nov 1. NAPOLEON’S ORACULUM AND DREAM BOOK.—Containing the great oracle of human destiny; also the true meaning of almost any kind of dreams, together with charms, ceremonies, and curious games of s. No. 2. HOW TO DO TRICKS.—The book of magic and card tricks, containing full instruction ow all the leading card tricks of the day, also the most popular magical illusions as performed by our leading magi- cians; every boy should obtain a copy of this book. No. 3. HOW TO FLIRT.—The arts and wiles of flirtation are fully explained by this litfle book. Besides the various methods of handkerchief, fan, WF opsk, rasol, window and hat flirtation, contains a full list of the language and sentiment of flowers. No. 4.0 HOW TO DANCE is the title of this little| book. It contains full instructions in the art of dancing, etiquette in the ball- room and at parties, how to dress, and full renantger| for calling off in all popular uare dances, “No. 5. HOW TO MAKE LOVE.—A com- plete guide to love, courtship and marriage, giving sensible advice, rules and etiquétte to observed, with many curious and interest- ing things rot generally known. No, 6, HOW TO BECOME AN ATHLETE, —Giving full instruction for the use of dumbbells, Indian clubs, parallel bars, hori- zontal bars and various other methods of developing a good, healthy muscle; contain- over sixty illustrations. No. 7. HOW TO KEEP BIRDS.—Hand- somely illustrated and containing full in- stro: ms for the Soph eget and training of the canary, mockingbird, bobolink, black- bird, paroquet, t, ete. No, 9.* HOW TO BECOME A VENTRILO- QUIST.—By Harry Kennedy. Every intelli- gent boy reading this book of instructions can master the art, and create any amount of fun for himself and friends. It is the est book éver- published. No 10. HOW TO BOX.—The art of self- * defense made easy. Containing over thirty ards, blows, and the differ- boy and in- structive box without an instructor. No, maf HOW TO WRITE LOVE-LET- TERS.—A most complete little book, contain- 4ng full directions for writing love-letters, when to use be ge giving specimen let- 3S. complete instructio writing letters to ladies on all subjects; also of introduction, notes and requests. No. 18. HOW TO DO IT; OR, BOOK OF ara It is life secret. and an re’s happiness by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on +» Publisher, - No, 14. HOW TO MAKE CANDY.—A com- plete hand-book for making al! binds of candy, ice-cream, syrups, essences, etc., ete. No, 18. HOW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL, —One of the brightest and most valuable little books ever given to the world. lvery- body wishes to know how to become beauti- ful, both male and female. The secret is simple, and almost costless, No, 20. HOW TO ENTERTAIN AN EVE- NING PARTY.—A complete compendium of games, sports, card diversions, comic recita- tions, ete,, suitable for parlor or drawing- room entertainment. It contains more for the money than any book published. No. 21. HOW TO HUNT AND FISH.—The most complete hunting and fishing guide are vena 9 ES Se full aggre a about guns, hun ogs, traps, trapping and ashing, together with description of game and fish. 5 No, 22. HOW TO DO SECOND SIGHT.— Heller’s second sight explained by his for- mer assistant, Fred Hunt, Jr. Explaining how the secret dialogues were carried on be- tween the magician and the boy on the stage; also giving all the codes and signals. No. 23, HOW TO EXPLAIN DREAMS — This little book gives the explanation to all kinds of dreams, together with lucky and |} unlucky days. No, 24. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS TO GENTLEMEN.—Containing full instructions for writing to gentlemen on all subjects. No, 25. HOW TO BECOME A GYMNAST. pgs eacern J full instructions for all kinds of gymnastic sports and athletic exercises. Embracing thirty-five illustrations. By Pro- fessor W. Macdonald, No, 26. HOW TO ROW, SAIL AND BUILD A BOAT —Fully illustrated. Full instructions are given in this little book, to- gether with instructions on swimming and riding, companion sports to boating. No, 27. HOW TO RECITE AND BOOK GF RECITATIONS.—Containing -the most pevvlar selections in use, comprising Dutch ialect. French dialect, Yankee and Irish dia- lect pieces, together with many standard readings. No. 23. HOW TO TELL FORTUNES — Everyone {s desirous of knowing what his future life will bring forth, whether bappi- ness or misery, wealth or poverty. You cau tell by a glance at this little book, Buy one and be convyineed. No. 29. HOW TO BECOME AN INVEN- It contains recipes for cooking meats, fish, game, and oysters; also pies, podatoas, eakes and all kinds of pastry, and a grand collection of recipes No. 31. HOW TO BECOME A SPEAK- ER.—Containing fourteen illustrations, giv- ing the different positions requisite to be- come -a good speaker, reader and elocutionist. Also containing gems from ali the popular authors of prose and poetry, No, 32, HOW TO RIDE A BICYCLE.— Containing instructions for beginners, choice of a machine, hints on training, ete. A oma book. Full of practical illustra- ons. No, 35. HOW TO PLAY GAMES.—A com- plete and useful little book, containimg the rules and regulations of billiards, bagatelle, backgammon, croquet, dominoes, ‘ete. No, 36. HOW TO SOLVE CONUNDRUMS —Containing all the Jeading conundrums of the day, amusing riddles, curious catches and witty sayings. No. 38. HOW TO BECOME YOUR OWN DOCTOR.—A wonderful book, containing useful and practical information in the treat- ment of ordinary diseases and ailments com- mon to every family. Abounding in useful . and effective recipes for general complaints, No. 39. TOW TO RAISE DOGS, POUL- “TRY, PIGEONS AND RABBITS.—A useful wnd instructive book. Handsomely illustrat- No. 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS,.—Including hints on how to cateh moles, weasels, otter, rats, squirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. Copiously illustrated. No, 41. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN’S JOKE BOCK.—Containing a great variety of the latest jokes used by the most famous erd men. No amateur minstrels is complete without this wonderful little book. No, 42. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK STUMP SPEAKER.—Containing a varied as- sortment of stump speeches, Negro, Dutch and Irish. Also end men’s jokes. Just the thing for home amusement and amateur shows, No. 48. HOW TO BECOM®= A MAGICIAN, -—Containing the grandest assortment of magical illusions ever placed before the public. Also tricks with cards, incantations, ete, No, 44. HOW TO WRITE IN AN AL- BUM.—A grand collection of Album Verses suitable for any time and occasion, embrac- ing Lines of Love, Affection, Sentiment, Hu- mor, Res . and Condolence, also Verses Suitable for Valentines and Weddings. No. 45. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK MIN- STREL GUIDE AND JOKE BOOK —Some- thing new and very instructive. Every boy should obtain this book, as it contains full instructions for organizing an amateur min- -strel troupe. recelpt of price, 10c. per copy, or 3 for 25c., In money or postage stamps, by 16s West 28d dt, N. 1s