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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1946-09-05, Page 6TREASURE OP THE SEA By George E. Walsh T . SYNOPSIS CAAPTElt 11:.. °Ircunlatances force. Dialt and Pettigrew to get Into different lifeboats. The •boats have to separate in the storm. A wave ,upsets and sinItS the boat in which -Dlok is riding:Ire saves. himself by clinging to a few boards torn from the boat. Everyone else drowns. After three tortured days, he fishes ina mass of seaweed and eats the shrimps he Rods. -These re- store hiswillto live, He dimly makes out •what seems to be a sail in the distance. The sail vessel ap- proaches and Dick sees that it is a two -masted lugger, probably a fishing boat. The crew pull Dick aboard. They are all black men of the mixed 1ndirn and Negro stock called Carib. The evil -looking cap- tain, Tueu, ie. part white. CHAPTER 111 Dick concluded that he would be a hard customer to deal with, and it would be- much better to court his friendship than to pro- voke his enmity. Black Burley, the mate, was nearly as tall and powerful as the skipper, but his black shiny face and swarthy limbs proclaimed the pure Carib Negro. 'While he was eating and drink- ing, Captain Tucu grunted and broke the silence. "Where'd y'drift from?" he ask- ed gruffly, his words singularly free from the taint of his black ancestor's dialect. "From the City of Bahia — wrecked four days ago," Dick re- plied, wiping his mouth. "Struck something in the storm, reef or • n- other ship, and went down in half an hour. Four hundred people 'aboard—sten, woolen and little children. I was in the last boat that left her, and we capsized— Glory! It was awful!" * * * He closed his eyes an instant as if to shut out the memory of it. When he opened them again, Cap- tain Tucu was asking eagerly: ' 'snythiu' left? Lots o' wreck- age from a steamer floats." "Nothing but the small boats," replied Dick, "and they were filled with people." The half-breed nodded hir head and stuttered something to his mate in a dialect that Dick could not translate. "Where was this steamer?" de- manded Turn, turning suddenly to Dick. "What latitude?" Dick Jordan shook his head. "I don't know. I'tn not a tailor." The skipper's face clouded with disappointment, and an ugly scar across his left cheek showed red, mottled with white. Dick did not like the looks of it, "Carib renegades," he reasoned to himself. "Sea scavengers—half fishermen, half pirates They'd kill me without batting an eyelash if it suited their purpose." * * IIe glanced past the semi -circle of black faces and he saw the wide, heaving, limitless sea The shock of being adrift upon it for another period awakened his mind from its dull lethargy, He had to stay aboard the lugger until they reached shore or met another ship. He smiled craftily, and spoke slowly. "Wait a minute, captain! Conte to think of it, I'm wrong. I heard the wireless operator calling for help and giving the steamer's posi- tion. I'm something of a wireless expert myself. It was—it was—" He hesitated and cocked bis head sideways in the attitude of one recalling something that elud- ed his memory. "I got it", he ad- ded a moment later. 'It was North latitude 13—and 80 or 81 —yes, that must have been the longitude -80 or 811' To Dick's surprise, Captain Tu - cu •broke in abruptly: "The Roncador Bankl" Black Burley nodded his head, and rumbled: "We can make it in five hours." Roncador Bank was a mystery to Dick. They seemed to know where that was. Perhaps, after all, that was the explanation of the queer accident. The City of Bahia had struck the reef in the night of the storm and foundered as a result of it. "If I can make thyself of service to them, they will •keep Dick mused to himself. "There- fore, ' I must make myself indis- pensable, But how?" "If f sail with them, .I'11 know too much—find out -things they'll, want to keep secret. Therefore, I'll be no better off in the end than now. They'll never put me ashore. On some dark night, ^ P11 ' disappear, unless—" His mind stopped abruptly. He was jolted out - of his reverie by the shadow of the skipper in front of him. When he looked up, how- ever, he was smiling in spite of the shock. "You rescued me in . the nick of time, captain," he said pleasantly. "Another hour in the water, and I'd been done for. I'm mighty grateful." Captain Tucu nodded, but made no comment. Dick felt that his fate was hanging by a slender thread. The indecision on the oth- er's face was menacing; but the smile never faded from Dick's lips. He continued easily: "When we get to the spot where the steamer went down, I may help you find something of value." The captain's face grew sud- denly and eager. "What's that?" he demanded, stepping nearer. "Smuggling, you know," Dick went on, feeling his way careful- ly, "isn't a lost art. It's still prac- ticed." * * * He winked and grinned, with the intent of simulating special knowledge. Tucu stepped closer and scowled, but behind the scowl was an eager expectancy. "Y'was smugglin'?" he deman- ded, thrusing his face close to Dick's. "That isn't a fair question, is it, captain?" laughed Jordan. "If I confessed to it you could—could— oh, well,' he added, shugging his shoulders. "I guess you wouldn't arrest me—not if we divided the stuff!' he winked again, anxious at heart but on the surface smil- ing and complacent. Would the man fall for the bait? The skipper was eyeing him, half in doubt, half in eager ex- pectancy. All the avarice of his nature was in his eyes. But he was slow and crafty—not child- - like as his half Carib brothers. "What is it?' he grumbled, checking his impatience. "Why specify?" retorted Dick, half rising. "It's enough that it's valuable—a rich haul." A gleam of anger shot front the other's eyes. To pacify him, Dick added: "I picked them up in South Am- erica at a big bargain. If 1 get then in the United States, they'll he worth—worth—well, I can't get them through. The City of Ba- hia's gone to the bottom. So, of course, the jewels were lost, too". * * * Captain Tucu interrupted with an oath. "Y'left 'est aboard!" he growled. "Y' didn't have sense enough to save 'est?" "Hold on, captain! If you're going to cuss me for a fool, I'll shut up, and you'll never get a sight of the jewels. I said they'd gone down with the steamer. Wouldn't that be the natural con- clusion of their owners when they heard of the foundering of the City of Bahia? For all I know every mother's son aboard, ezcept me, was lost. You couldn't expect me to save smuggled goods under such circumstances, could you? That lets me out as an agent for —for—" He smiled craftily, watching the expression of the half-breed's face and eyes. He was following him —nibbling at the bait. Dick drew an unconscious sigh of relief. The skipper was eyeing him, half in doubt, half in eager expec- tancy. "They didn't go down then?" snapped Tucu, "Ye—ye—got 'ern?" Dick chuckled at his eagerness. The Quality Tea lrSALADA TEA FAMILY IS BOXED IN E. E. Parker of Green Cove Springs, Fla., refused to be baffled by the housing shortage. He built this combination home and gasoline station for himself and family out of ammunition boxes discarded by the Army and Navy. CHRONICLES of GINGER FARM By Gwendoline P. Clarke • • • . r Last Friday I think we all felt like saying—"Bring out the band, run up the flag—we are through with the harvest." Yes, "all is safely gathered in" but not without incident. There were just about six or seven more loads to get in when, in drawing up the first bundle on Thursday morning, the solid oalc beam to which the track is attached, splin- tered and broke, crashing right into the mow over the swing beam. Of course, a huge bundle of sheaves went with it. Partner was halfway up the ladder on his way to the mow when it happened. Had he been in the stow dear knows what would have been the result. As it was no one was hurt but it meant a lot of extra work - pitching sheaves straight from the wagon into the ;tow. Of course the track can be fixed but, like so many other repair jobs, the question is — "wlten?" On Friday we celebrated the end of harvest by taking in a show— a very appropriate show and coin- ing at an opportune time—"State Fair". It is a long time since we enjoyed a movie like we did that one. It didn't seem like a movie— it was just life on the screen — .VN nota rrnce.v, Tots love soft cuddly dolls. De- light thein with this brother -and - sister pair, each made of one sock. They are a very easy toy to make. These stock dolls cost next to nothing to make and arc sewn in no time. Clothes . are removable. Pattern 88d has pattern; directions. Send TWENTY CENTS in coins (stamps cannot be accepted) for this pattern to the Needlecraft Dept., Roots 421, 73 Adelaide St. West, Toronto. Print plainly PAT- TERN . NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. "If I had them," lie said easily. "you could take them. There's all I brought away with tae." He pointed to the collection of the things from his pockets he had spread out in the sun to dry. The skipper scgwled in perplex- ity. His face assumed crafty sus- picion, as he turned upon Dick with an ugly leer. "If y'kitow where they are," he said slowly, "ye'd keep a whole skin by tellin' me. I ain't wastin' time talkin'. Y'know where they are?" "Sure, captain — or pretty near it," smiled Dick impudently. "I put them overboard with a string at- tached to 'em—and a float to the end. Reckon I could pick up that float." (To Be Continued) which, after • all, is what a good show should be—althoughmany are far from it. Or are they? I suppose what I really mean is that "State Fair" is life as we like to visualize it, whereas "Lost Week - End" may be just as true all inter- pretation of life but hardly the kind to give one any satisfaction or up- lift, As I sat down to write this col- umn I was just thinking of all the things that can happen in one week—not just on this farm but all through this or any community. Take this district for instance: from one farm a frail little woman was taken to hospital; a shower was given for a returned man and his English bride; a young mother was operated on for appendicitis; a little boy was badly bitten by a dog; a well -driller moved in and began drilling for water on a farm where it was urgently needed. All that within the space of a mile— to say nothing of the things that happened that I know nothing about. And yet some folk think nothing ever happens in the coun- try. Actually a whole story could be woven around each of those in- cidents — a story that would be chock full of human interest. But back to Ginger Farm. It is nearly a month since Daughter was home, And the reason? — car trouble. I was talking to Daughter yesterday and of course I suggested train or bus service as an alterna- tive. "Oh mother," was the answer. "don't suggest it. Only an emerg- ency will stake me travel by train or bus again for a while. It is really awful." Then I remembered the reason. Last time and friend Bert cattle by bus, Bob took them down to the Queen Elizabeth on a bank holiday night to catch the return bus from there. They stood waiting for over an hour while bus after bus, jam- med to the doors, went whizzing by. Finally they stood on the high- way where a passing motorist took pity On theta and gave them a lift to Toronto. So that's how they got back that time. Niece Joy does a little better coming up from Hamil- ton although yesterday she had .to stand mi-st of the way. It looks as if the next few weeks around here will be like a game of "Washington ?oat". Thursday means exit for Betty. Saturday Joy finishes her hospital field work in Hamilton aitd will be here for an indefinite holiday and after that McGill for her. Sometime in Sep- tember we exp,.ct another neice, and after that family comings and goings are problematical. Conte to thinlc of it there seems to have been a redundancy of females this summer, doesn't there? I have been telling Joy that while she is here I think I will leave the family to her tender mercies and take a couple of days off myself. That is one idea for a holiday but yesterday 1 hit on another. 1, told them if they would all go away and leave the at home alone it would be just as good! The only hitch to that plan is the fact there would be still' cows to milk and chickens to feed. Come to think of it I don't really want to run away from work —I only want less of what 1 don't want to do and more time for what I.want to do—if you know what 1 mean. BE FIRM ! Always insist on Maxwell House Coffee. It's Radiant -Roasted by a spe. tial process that captures all the extra flavor and goodness of the superb Maxwell House blend. ISSUE 36-1946 Sunday School Lesson The' Perils of Covetousness Exodus 20:17; Proverbs 11:23, 24; Luke 12:13-21, Golden Text, — He that trusteth in Itis riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. — Proverbs 11:28: The Tenth Commandment The Tenth .Commandment is the most inward of all the command- ments because it forbids not an ex- ternal act, but a hidden mental state, which is the root of nearly every sin against a neighbor. 'Covet- ousness is the unlawful desire for something which is another's. The righteous man lives to give all possible "good to others but the wicked man will receive the just re- ward of evil, the displeasure of -Al- mighty God. Generosity, whether in thought, word ordeed, brings peace and joy . in this life. But the niggardly, those who withhold what is due to others, will suffer, loss. Folly of Covetousness The' parable of covetousness pic- tures the man who was concerned solely with his own affairs. His rapidly increasing wealth brought him anxiety and care, He was per- plexed to know where to put his fruits. Having built his barns and be stowed his good therin 'he would take his case. The rich man neither addressed God nor his fellow man, only his selfish self, "my soul'.', He told his soul that he had "much - goods laid up for many years." But his soul had nothing laid up, only his body, and that not for many years, but for a few short hours. The place to lay up goods for many years is not new barns, but heaven. They are laid up there by giving them away. A Fool in God's Sight God cut short his selfish pro- jects, his foolish dream, by calling hint from time into eternity. Death makes the richest man a pauper in a moment, The question Christ asks, then "whose shall these things be"? brings home to us the uncer- tainty of ncer-taintyof riches. They are ours only while we live. How necessary it is, Give Baby Air , If you would save him front many coughs and colds and pos- sibility of other ailments, get baby out into the fresh air as often as possible. Officers of the Child and Maternal Hygiene division of the Department of National Health and Welfare at Ottawa, warn mo- thers against leaving little ones in hot, stuffy kitchens, or in rooms where they are several adults. Con- finements of infants, they say, make them pale and irritable, and upset their feeding. They need as much air as the doctor thinks good for them. Modern Etiquette By Roberta Lee 1, When a person is being intro- duced to another, is a courteous acknowledginent necessary, even if the introduction is for any reason not agreeable?' 2. What is the correct distance from the dinner table that :..per son's waist should ,be, not to be too far or too close? 3. When a young ratan it to be married, isn't- it all right to leave the matter of his ushers' clothes to them? 4. \l When a young man takes a girl out to dinner, and she knows he doesn't earn much money, should site be very modest in what she orders? 5. When one is to have a small wedding in tine minister's hone, is it all right to send wedding an- nouncements? 6. Is it rude to begin a telephone' conversation by saying, "Who is this?„- - ANSWERS 1. Yes;; the well-bred person will extend a courteous acknowledgment under any condition. 2. Abv,ut eight inches. 3. It is better for him to tell theist what they should wear. ,4, Yes, but she•shouldn't overdo it. The young man would not -ltave invited her if he- didn't have the money, andif she ordered merely a sandwich and coffee, Ire might re- sent it, 5. Yes. 6, Yes. It is in the place of the person who calls to identify .himself quickly. that we should use them wisely. Thus. does Christ point the para- ble against the rich man and against all who lay up treasure on earth. He who lays up riches for himself, wlto is a self-seeker, will be miserable and fearful when death conies; but he who uses his wealth for the sake of the King- . done will be rich in faith, hope, love and from such riches not even death can separate him. They are his for all eternity. IMPOSSIBLE TO HIDE the fact that Maxwell House Coffee is expertly blended,. The superb Maxwell House blend results from a tradi- tional knowledge and skill of the art of coffee blend- ing. 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