VOL.- xxxv
MRS.J. E. ZIMMERMAN
Holiday Presents.^,
Enlarged and Improved
Facilities for Gift Buying.
£t : w s - F w- Su ts '! HANDKERCHIEFS.
VALUES Waists, Wrappers,
IN Silks. Dress Goods and a'l Etnen handkerchiefs,hand-emoro: .ere<!
kinds of Holiday Novelties machme-eaihroidered and hemstitched,
We have enough rales-people to give scallor ' e ' l edges, lace trimmed, drawn
careful attention to all and prompt de- threa ' ! *'-< rl£ i,n 'l initialed—the most
liveries. Come and do your gift buying complete collection ever assembled On
now, while the assortment is compltte. I°* l * le most popular for Xmas;
prices range from 5c up to 75 \
Dress Goods in Patterns Ladit*'Linen Initial Handkerchief -S' !
Men s Linen Initial Handkerchiefs 25c
for Holiday pre *r.U— neatly folded and Women's Lace and Embroidered
bound :n satin -ibbon from fi 50 Handkerchief*, 6in a trix ri.25 •
to <l5O0 —plsin co'ors, inixtnres and ... „ „, . ..
blacks—Percale, Seersucker .nd C.inv- Hankerchief 3 »xes, OJov-s, \eils. !
ham Ittcas Patterns. I Collar and Cuff Boxes. Fancy Mcdalion !
liox Fine Stationery 25 . and 50c
nn , • c Pur Scarfs, Neckwear, I'ocketbooks, i
Jackets, Pans, Table Linens, |
Finest line of D>»!ls from France and Umbrella*. Mufflers, Blankets j
G.-imany, Kid Imdy dolls and jointed Art Department fall to overflow with j
dolls, sleeping dolls and wide-awake l«autiful novelties for Xnris gifts—Ar
dolls; rlresAt-'l ami undresscl <l<»lls— ; Ltneus, Sofa Pillows and Fancy lias 1
prices from 25c up kets, etc.
MRS. J. E. ZIMMERMAN.
—!
iNow Is Your Time
To Buy
Winter Footwear
&&XXX&XXX
We find we are overstocked -to j in.ny g,r, 1 Yes, entirely too many goods
and we mast reduce our stock and reduc ?it fjuickiy, we ns.-1 mei-, and we are I
X' lliK to close out a great many X o.*l* in the next few week', ami they are toiuj;
very . heap It will pay you to com- miles to attend this gieat Shoe Sale for her
: re the very low prices they will GO AT:
Km' GrS iH ** Ladies' Rubber Boots ,
e Sl*?.*' l ' S"° Hoy's Rubber Hoots J, 1
Vouth.Oi Shoes yx: Men', Rubber Hoot J, s „
Jf'JW c,,t n ° x .. r 'T < ?, hoCH *' '5 Wen's Felt Hots and Over
Mll 't' V,* l i, ShfJe * 75C La/l.es' iDong..!:, Flexible Sole
Misses Kangaroo Calf Shoe, 50c Sh.iea 1
l*ov » Kip Loots fj.no Misses' Fine Dress Shoes 75c
Children's Fine lirn.i Shr« -s joe
I
Complete stock of Rubber and Felt
Goods of all kinds Boots and J
Shoes made to order. At all times
a full stock of sole leather and shoe
makers supplies of all kinds.
\
* Repairing Promptly Done *
JOHN BICKKL.
BUTLER. PA.
PAPE'S.
1
Our Xmas stock of Diamonds, Watches, Clocks,
Jewelry and Silverware is large and complete.
Wc have a few special bargains which j
wc wish to call your attention «/»: I '
Genuine Cut Diamonds for $3.75.
A Little Larger one for 56.00.'
Ask to see lhem.
Watches.
WE HAVE FROM $2-50 UP-
I
Be sure to give us a call for we can and will save you money.
122 S. f\aiti St., fs ut k r , Pa-
Old Gold and Silver taken the same as cash.
Highest market prices allowed.
to
; HE IS A WISE HAN ;
\ 4
f WIIO Hi;< I ItKM IIIH CLO'l 11l N<; $
t
\ J. S. YOUNG,
t #
5 j
Thi* kinhlk, Klylc, lit itixl c«-ii«-nil make
1 M|( of' Ills Hiiiln j
J "PELL their own STOF^Y
V.,, , , ~,% V. . .... ~ , ,
f =| .STRIVING FOR EFFECT.
1/ fr\. ill /\ •' won't liny ( I'.ihnu' fur tie purpose
I V \ V t— W' r "HC'liiiK iiioiiev. They d'-ire to K'tthe
> \ "(A \ \ ■, V""* 1 f'ssihle results for the money expend
\\ \ 71 [\ I—J 9'"' 1 Not cbetp food* tmt (oods u cheap at
iv VV I ftthey can lie •oM mid jm.i'l. up prosily, ff
jp —\ ,j K \l I- ( Kjrou wsnt th« rorrert thin/ ;.i th<- rornrt
T" I ! if h -« r ' rt ' rn " on us, wc nave ie<lnr« d our ■ -priii#
! 1 1 ll IV AJ " ' ~u," , nt?r If"*!* down to tuak' room for
\ ll| / \ |'" lr ' ,t,v y »«'((lit K(*kl«,
' /ll I
ii .' ll n ||j | Pits Guaranteed.
r- Merchant Tailor.
142 N. Main St., Bqtler
"THE BUTLER CITIZEN.
Hood's Pills
Are prepared from Na
ture's mild laxatives, and
while gentle are reliable
and efficient. They
Rouse the Liver
Cure Sick Headache, Bil
iousness, Sour Stomach,
and "Constipation. Sold
everywhere, 25c. per box.
I'repared by C.I. Hood i Co...Lowell.Mass.
This In Your Opportunity.
On receipt of tc-n cents, cash or stamps,
a generous * ;n.ple will be mailed of the
most popular Cat irrh and Hay fever Cure
(Ely's Cream Isa>.n sufficient to demon
strate the grc .i. uie;:tß of the remedy.
ELY BROTHERS,
56 Warren St , New York City.
Rev. John Rei<], Jr.. of Great Falls, Mont.,
recommended Ely's Cream Balm to me. I
can emphasize his statement, '"lt is a P^ 8 '"
tive cure for catarrh if used as directed."—
Kev. Francis W. Poole, Pastor Centrai Pres.
Church, Helena. Mont.
Ely's Cream Bairn is the acknowledged
criTf- for cn*arrh and r'-a'ains no mercury
nor any injurious drug Price, 00 cents.
Butler Business College.
Butler, Pa.
Several New Courses.
New Management.
Musical Department under the di
rectoishipof Prof E Otto Davis, a
graduate of the leading European
and American Conservatories of
Music, and a finished musician. On-,:
of the finest in the stat'-. I'iano,
Voice, Violin, Orchestration. In
strumentation, Composition, I'iano
Tuning, htc Everything und«*r the
head of music.
Business Department.
Reporter's Shorthand Course giving
til-- graduate an average speed of 175
»<>rd-> per minute. Expert Accountant's
Book-keeping Course, which prepares
the graduate for any kind of book-keep
ing and exj>ert work, and deals especial
ly with Joint Stock Company and Cor
poration Accounting.
1 Students can enter at any time Call
lor write for prospectus. Call on or
I address
A. F. REGAL, Prin.,
327 S. Main St., Butler, Pa.
Peoples' Phone 271.
! lull 174
Braun's Pharmacy,
Cor. 6th St. and Duquesne Way.
Pittsburg, Pa,, L. D. Telephone 2542.
Wholesale and Retail.
Imp >r.cr .iiui Jobber of Drii'.;s,
• In rnit als, IVrfumes, Soaps,
]it iisljcs, Etc.
The only louse west of New
Vork carrying a ( ill line of
Mcy rs' urease, I'aint , and
theatrical goods.
Physicians' Prescriptions
L-Niv.'.H, >v
Wholesale and retail
dealer in Lubricating and
illunuiiatmg ('ils, ( apital
Cylinder, Dynamo, Water
White .and Standard Gas
Ln;;irie Oils, Gasolein, Ucn
zine, I'araffme Wax and
I'etrolatum.
Address all mail orders to
W. F. Braun.
Pianos.
The Chickering-Chase Bros. Co. j
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
Manufacturer* ol
Grand and Upright Pianos
Have placed on exhibition at
No. 317 S. Main St., Butler, Pa.,
a '.ample lot of then fine Upright Pianos.
These Pianos, coming direct from the
factory and sold to you by the manu
facturer, means * l-irgc saving in the
purchase of a piano.
The celebrated Chase Brother', and
I lack ley I'iaiH * arc endorsed by all lead
ing arti'its.
These pianos can be bought on easy
terms to suit the purchaser. Piano# and
Organs taken as part payment in ex
change.
t'onie and see them and make a
I selection for Christmas.
We Can Save You Money.
w. R NEWTON,
Kcprcaentative.
Don't Shiver!
vVintcr is lu—c and you need
limn; I'.ianl.'ts, Koiji:.-., Sl'.i;;lis,
Sleds, B< lis 01 something about
your llorv; or ham what is the
use of your around and
paying twenty-five per cent, more
for them than you can l>uy tin tn
here lor.
kctncmbi i we are the largest
wholesale and retail deab-rs in
ottr line in Ihe state We pay no
rent, no in'ueHt on borrowed
capital, I •'•!< after our busine-is
ourselvi s and pay no salarit s,
piy spot cash foi t.vtrythiny, we
buy all f'-t yom benefit which you
• when you ileal here. ' all
and Hei: any way.
MARTINCOURT & CO.,
No. 12X K. Jefteisoti St.,
S. 11. MAK'I I V <JI HI , 1
J. M. 1.M.'.HM.1;. f " H<
I'. S. We also *.el| Trunk* and
r Valise:;
BUTLER, I J .A., THUHSDAV, DECEMBER IM 8
-M ||lp||ps I |m 7
CLAREnCE HERSSPT riErt/.
[Copyright. by J B Lippincott Co.]
niAPTER I.
"Henry M. S;cvtf,s. Manila (via ITor.g
--1 Xor.gr.
"Uuolni -BU-; ndcd. Cancel unshipped
i orders. Ijrav, I..'irri:- jja A* Co. balance to
j date. f&> L\.\Tl.\i. ai COMI'AST."
I remember as if it happened but
j yesterday the queer feeling which
! i-anie over uie whei 1 rea<i the forego
i ing cable. It hud been an unn.-ally
warm day for March, and 1 was trying
to keep eool in th- lounging-room of
the European club, on the river bank,
a short distante from the city. My
business in Manila wa.-> practically fin
ished, and ' w:.s. anticipating a feu
days of recreation before ihe llong-
Kong steamer !• ft. upon the following
Tuesday, when the message was hand
ed me by one .( the native boys em
ployed by the club.
It was such a thorough surprise thai
for several moments I did not realize
♦he position in which it placed me. I
nad oeen the eastern representative of
I.aritine & Company foi o.'ir twoycars.
and, although at y savings had disap
peared throng', a scries of ill-advised
investments, my position seemed such
t secure one that money matters sel
dom troubled me. Now. however,
after drawing from the Manila bank
ing and shipping 1 ouse the amount
mention* .1 i t.ip dispatch, my entire
capital >o.isisied of something less
than three huinlieo «!<>lJars, and i had
no idea which nav to look for employ
ment.
Two of me leading Manila merchants
happened to be in the club at the time,
and after can puling the purchases I
had made from tin m on behalf of my
house I cabled to Hong-Kong and
Shnngnai In the hope of heading off
shipments ord. red there during the I
previous month. Then, driving to my j
bote ir, Hinondo- the Oriente—l set
lied mattei> as far as lay in my power,
and was ready for dinner before eight
o'clock.
The Oriente. being new and pro
gressive, sets one of the best tables in
the easl. and, a experience with orien
tal life brings the conviction that
neither hurry nor worry is con
ducive to good health, I took my time
over the meal. Then, lighting a che
root, I walked down the IC-coltn as
far as the Puciiic d'l'spana, which con
nects Hinondo'.villi the old walled cit
adel of Manila, and, leaning against
the hand-rail under a solitary electric
light, watched the canoes and hancos
on the I'as.ig while I tried to-do alittlc
figuring as to my immediate prospects.
Three hundred dollars would land me
in New York by careful management,
but there was no certainty of employ
ment when I reached there; and the
rm'ilira 'uetweirt niiiDiiaiiia wra
Singapore that an immediate opening
In the east seemed unlikely.
At first I could think of nothing but
my uncomfortable predicament. Hut
after awhile the influence of a good
dinner and tin* soothing qualities of
the climate began to make themselves
felt. I found myself watching the
motley crowd of all nationalities
which paved ind repassed across the
bridge, the crowds of laughing Mestl/.a
and Visaya girls .trolling along
through the Pasco to hear the military
bum) at I.uncta, groups of Chinamen
sauntering about after the day's busi
ness, rnd Spanish officers driving In
carromata* with the ladies of their
families. Down the river were rows of
► mall coasting steamers and brigs,
each spar and funnel nut lined distinct
ly by electric lights on the quays; be
yond them, a red -pari from the light
house upon the northern mole, arid
cattered lights from larger vessels
which lay at anchor two or I liree iniles
out In the bay.
Wfille watching these, I noticed a
government launch coining up the
river. The Ininlinr step* <,f the <iuay
Uere but a feu | ae> below the bridge,
and I could easily •■< 1 the faces of two
men as they stepped a horc from her.
They were both strange to me. but
there was something about the walk
of om which seemed familiar. I pre
sume my own face must have been dis
tinct, as I leaned over the rail, for the
man glanced scurchlngly at me as he
climbed f o the . tree t level. \ t fl rst lie
turned and walked away everal steps,
evid*-ntly under the Impression that he
had made a mistake, then came back,
a'< if to cros . th« brid"ge in front of me
We looked each other In the eye for s
second; then he stopped, and said:
"If you're not Harry Htevcns, of New
York, I've madi tlichiggr-.t mistake of
my life."
I grasped the outal retched hand and
began to see •something familiar be
hind the brown beard.
"Yes, I'm Harry Stevens, but hold
on a minute. Weren't you with the
Oceanic Sfetuii'hip company, several
years ago? I'y.love! It can't be Hick
llalstead? What? Well I'm blessed!
Where on earth iWd you drop from?
You have changed, and no mistake."
"Possibly. Hut you haven't, old
chap; I'd know you anywhere. Say.
look here, we've got a heap to talk
about: come up to the club. No, never
mi mil t he carroma ta; It's cooler on t he
river. We'll go up In fhe launch."
"Hut how the d'-uce? I thought
>hc belonged to the goveitiinent ?"
"That's right ■■> do I. for the pres
ent." We had lake our seats In the
»lern, and were gliding up the motion
less stream. "I've been In command of
thai tranip, tlie Counte of llevon, for
over a year you see her lights out
there, two mil) from the mole mid
the biggest stockholder In the com
pany that owns her is old I.eon
Kami re/., "f l.iv rpool nd this place,
■iii when ih< l-liide I'ona[>e, thai used
to carry mail to th' Carolines and
bud rones, ran fi-h'.i*' fin Ksplrltn
Hull to, Kamlre/ch:, i |c red theCountes*
to the j/ovi Mini' nl her until the com
pari I n e julf I spare aunt hi rof their own
boats with big enough coal capaelty t«»
make the trip. That was last Septem
tier, and they luaililge thing- <0 slowly
tbfet I'm .till running -uipplio- out to
those Islanders, once in tlirei months,
w'tl. a Seufeli engine) r and a Spanish
i re w. con nee t Ing with 'h <■ Me. ugerie*
boats at Haigon the r< I of tin- time
Now tell me under what the canopy
brings you out here."
"Hihliicim!. of course; you didn't
think I was traveling on my monry,
did you? I've been buying ( iiii n
goods, assorted devils, and Manila in(it
ting for batlf Ine <V to. m bont Iwo yea rs.
Hp to three o'clock this afternoon i
pet led to keep f,ii buy Ing t lie in until
uiy liver refused to stand the climate,
but about that l thi* cable changed
:ny plans for •... ." HaUtcad looked
" thoughtful as he read the message !
j which I l.a- >'• ! hi - - We had reached
3 the club quay, and v. re climbing to i
♦he balcony, uher.- the boy presently 1
t brought us cigars: cr.ff e.
"M-ii:-ni-in —how ■ will it take
you to close mn'.t.rs up for the com- j
f pur.y ?"
r "They're settled m.w, as far as any- ,
f thing I can do. I? v.iil be a month be
fore they can get letters out here, but
the orders air. ady ~liipi <-d will have to ,
be paid for. Larrinaga's people told j
me this evening that they knew old
. man Lantine to be individually good
r for all the bouse bought. This cable,
however, winds up my connection with
them for the present."
"And you haven't decided what
v ou're going to do next?"
"Not yet. I'U probably go to Ilong-
Kong on Tuesday and see how things
■ look there."
"Why not take a little vacation?
You've been working hard, and a rest
would do you good. Itun out to the
I.adrones with me. It's a fine voyage
at this time of year, and I'm so sick of
talking mixed language* that it'll be
I a perfect godsend to have an old friend
along. Come now, what do you say?"
"Why, I don't know. I'd like nothing
better, if—m-m-in-m —there's really
no rea.-on why 1 shouldn't. When do
you sail?"
"About midnight."
"What, to-night?"
"Sure. I only came ashore to get my
papers from the custom house, and ]
should be getting down there as soon
as I finish this cigar. The mail's on (
board now, I gue->s. You're stopping I
I at Ihe Oriente, of course; how long
will it take to get your duds together?" i
"Fifteen minutes. Hut how about a '
passport? The commandsnte'« office i
closed at noon." I
"That's all right. No one'll stop you
on a government launch, mid I'll tukc
care of the rest. Come along." 1
In three-quarters of an hour Ha'-
stead and I reached the (jiiay with my t
f>
" Si. Srnor I "
luggage, and 20 minutes later we were
climbing the Countess of J)evon s ac
commodation ladder out in the bay.
I'he Spanish mate «tood at the top and
touched his cap. llalstead looked
along the gangway and said:
"All the passengers aboard, Mr.
Diaz?"
"Hi, sen or."
"Pilot come off with Mr. McPher-
SOTI ?"
"fji, senor."
"All right. Oet your anchor up find
find how much -he's drawing. Tell
Mr. Moreno to lie careful that Iron
buoy doe- n't foul the screw this time
and have the quartermaster bring Mr
Stevens' luggag' up to my room. The
steward can give the passengers bis
cuit* and coffee If they want It before
turning in there are only a dozen, I
think and eat the ladies' party at
my table in the morning. Now, old
chap" (turning to me), "I'm going to (
give you the extra berth in my cabin,
and vou <an do you p|c:nc on board
00 to sli ' p now. if you like, or bring
ii •tool upon th. bridge and 'moke I
shan't turn until after breakfast."
"II that's the case, I'll stay with
you. .Ins! to humor my fool curiosity,
1 wish you'd explain why you slart at
such an ungodly hour. There's no bar
to croM, so the tides can't make any
diIT. rcnce."
"No; there's plenty of water, but
utter passing ('ape Santiago there
isn't another light in the strait. There
are two dim ones on the no'theas' cor
ner of liurias Island, but they're not
visible to west'ard, and I want to see
where I'm navigating between Burlai
and Tieao. We'll get there about five
o'clock to-morrow morning, -ought to
pass Santiago at breakfast time to
day, «o that during the night we'll
have plenty of elbow room."
"Suppose you strike rain or fog?"
"We won't. This is the morning of
March 20, Isn't It? Well, two weeks
from to-morrow it'll be sultry, and
still, ond hot as Tophet. After that
the alr'll smell like a furnace until
April 21. Then there'll be a hurricane
in this bay that will send a pile of ships
ashore and spread cor/i'gateil Iron
roofs all over the landscape, and from
that time to about theflr-t of October
the ueathei'll be simply hellish rain,
hurricanes, fever and mud. In other
words, the southwest monsoon will
have sei in for six month*. You ought
i to know when the moi,-oon changes.
If you've been out here two years.'
"Well, I Hippo-.' I ihould, but I've
I sj.cnt the summers In Yokohama am!
Shanghai, and tin} don't make so
, much difference up there.
It was a perfect night. The wind
j ! had died down until there was scarce
I , J' a ripple i.ii the water ami each pin
! ticiilar star was reflected In It. lie
lights of I nvite, on our left were fast
dropping astern; and, approaching
, i orregldor Island at the of
| the bay, about three oldock, the moun
tains of th" Piquito on the south head
with the Sierra dc Marlveles on the
, north rose like dark blm ghosts 4,000
fi et In the air. ' orregldor it self stood
I over •>'»(» feet above high water, the
, light on lis summit filling flic rocks
with grotesque shadows as we passed
j e'ose under it.
llalstead occasionally called my at
-1 tintion to solnc proml/jent point, but
Jie nut too closely occupied In watch
i log the different bearings to talk very
much; and, although we didn't drop
s the pilot until well past f ape Santiago,
i ' could see that my friend preferred
I to know himself Just how tils ship was
b< Ing navigated. After a six-o'clock
I breakfast we turned In and slept un-
til ndon. Then we went below and
sat down at our fir.-t meal with the
passenpers, only four of whom spoke
our language, so that the conversation
was mostly carried on in rudimentary
Spanish.
CHAPTER n.
The captain's cabin was an exceed
ingly comfortable one. with a large
thart table in the middle, cushioned
transoms around tht sides, and sev
eral luxurious rattan chairs. It was
situated upon the hurricane deck di
rectly under the wheel-house, and had
large windows instead of the usual
torts, so that we had an uninterrupted
Mew of everything that was going on.
W hile I smoked an after-dinner cigar
i-r.d enjoyed the breeze which blew
through our quarters, the strange and
rapid succession of < vents that had
lesulted in my being bound for the
most forgotten corner of the i arth's
surface struck me very forcibly. Every
f< u moments some reminiscence of
eld times would occur to one or the
other of us. and I finally asked Ital
■ fead if he were married.
"No." he said; "I'm not. I was just
going to ask the Mine question. It
stem? rather odd that we tuo should
\ave reached the age of—let's see; I'm
2.~i. and you can't be' far from it—
without settling down. Do you know,
old chap. I'm beginning to think 1
haven't made much of a success In
life."
"Oh, I dou't know. You're likely to
hatt a ship as loug as you want to go
to si a, aren't you? And the house
would probably offer a fairly good
berth ashote, if you felt like taking it."
"I suppote so. as long as the pres
ent management remains unchanged.
J»ut, even so. there's no chance of
making a fortune at it. Here we are,
you and I, two jnen in the prime of life,
and able thoroughly to enjoy all the
good thing-, in it, yet I suppose we are
likely to keep on drudging for some
or.e else at long as we live. In the
ong run the fellow who persistently
drudges comes out ahead, and then
lie's too old to enjoy his good fortune.
It takes a young man to apj i elate
the things that money will buy. Now
why can't we strike a bit of luck some
where. find a buried treasure or some
thing at the sort, and then live like
princes In London or New York, in
stead of frying our gizzards out In
the East Indies? Isn't there a fairy
godmother that we might propitiate?"
"M-m-m, I don't seem to remember
any In my family. But. speaking of
treasure, aren't we sailing over pretty
much the same track as -hat followed
1 y the old galleons?"
"That's right; same track, to a mile.
To-morrow morning f'll show you
Port Sr.n Jacinto, on the Island of
Ticao. where they used to wait for a
favorab!e wind in beating through the
Pan Bernardino passage. Anson's
ships watched for them just outside
•he 'Kmbocadero.' as it is called In
Spanish, and they all stopped at tlie
Ladrones for pigs and water on the
voyage across."
"Well, weren't they usually loaded
Hth a pretty rich cargo?"
"Rich! Why. man, the Acapuleo gal
lon brought between two and three
millions iu silver dollars, gold doub
loons and Indigo to Manila, once or
twice every year. You see. the junks
used to come down from Hon" Kong
'r. March or April, loaded \vith,fcilk luro
t>nu"ht and. after keeping what they
wanted for personal use shipped to
Acapulco on speculation. Mexico was
a viceregal province then, and the
Philippines was a subdepcndency. The
return galleon brought the proceeds
of these speculations; though, us the
holctas, or shipping permit* for trans
portation space, were Issued by the
gobernadors for revenue, they prac
tically amounted to a Philippine sub
sidy."
"That's about as I remember It.
There were a good many galleons
wrecked on the coral islands, weren't
there?"
"Lots of them; they were great un
wieldy tubs, always loaded beyond
their carrying capacity. And, by the
way, that reminds lue of un Instance
which I happen to know about, more
or less directly. Last voyage, Padre
Julian, who has been in charge of the
mission on Saipau for .to or 4U years,
came home with inc. Ihe old chap
is a good deal of u student, and has
the history of these islands at his
finger-ends' best judge of rum and
sherry I ever saw. I used to fill him
up with good liquor, jmt to see lilm
enjoy It and hear the stories he told
when the stuff got Into his blood.
Among other things, he told me one
night about the loss of Nucstru Scnora
de Sevlllu In 17«i0 on the Santa Itosa
Itccf, somewhere south -of (luajaii.
The padre was pretty mellow, and I
guess said more than he meant to, for
I never could get another word out of
liihi about the wreck. It seems that a
native in one of the flying proas the
Island catamaran*, you've heard of
them found an unconscious ofHccr
lashed to a spur several miles out at
sea, and turned him over to Fray lg
undo, who wus then running the
church nt Agunu, when he came In.
The fray and his brother priests suc
ceeded In restoring the man long
enough to get his account of the
wreck, together with the approximate
position of the galleon when she
struck; then he died. Being methoo
lenl old chaps, they jotted the story
all down, and Fray Ignnclo signed It.
I hen, llk<- the pious old Imbeciles that
th«'\ were, they burled the document,
with several others, in the fray's
sarcophagus when he got through
with life. I belle ic he and his bo* ate
now In the crypt under the church
The story seemed striil«ht enough,
and 1 guess there's no doubt of there
being two or three millions of good
rusty money lying lit the bottom of
the ocean, south of Ouajan, to this
day. It might as well be in the Bunl'
of Kngliind us far us we nre con
cerned. Another case of life's little
h oni« • . Ikll *t it V"
"Mow deep Is the water there 7"
"Well, the Alert got from id.OOO to
4,Di)O fathoms near there iu IHHI say
two to four miles. Why, were you
thinking of diving for It? '
"Not exactly. 1 meant the depth oil
th 111 reef."
"Oh, Hunt a Itosa? 1 couldn't tell you
that. 'I here are no soundings) of It,
even on the Spanish charts, though It
was la id dow non 1 >lll ry tuple's a nil (an
tova's older maps. Dumpier salo. lie
found It In IOH ii, four fathoms under
water. One of the galleons struck on
it In tiding to avoid his ships while
they were lying at (iuajan, and had a
deuce of a time ttlng off. but no cap
lain has seen th. kllghtCSt Indication
of a reef there since that time. Most
nf th<se Islands are volcanic, you
know, and It may have sunk to the
three or four tulle level.
"Very sllkely. till, the ships that,
looked for It uiitrhl have been there at
a time of year when the weather was
unfavorable for l» search.
"Vuu mean ?"
'•'l hat, as bi| 1111e protmble, they may
hiiv>- been cruisltrg during 'he sum
trier. I hat would be the southwest
monsoon, wouldn't it? Raic, fog. hur
ricanes—"
"That's so."
"And the water might have been so
lumpy that careful sounding would
have been out of the question."
"Hardly. They wouldn't attempt to
sound in bnd weather, unless for their
own sa:ety. Still, they might not have
happened to try it when they were
over the exact snot, and the -hifring
of the mon&oon might make anything
like an accurate search impossible.
Oh. I wouldn't venture to say that
there is no reef dure; its existence
and position are not definitely known,
that's all. But suppose there is. Sup
pose for the sake cf argument that its
lagoon isn't more than luO feet or
so deep, how much chance do you
thii Iv there would be of finding even
lie fragments m" a hulk lost there 12(1
; years npo'.' Why. man, it would have
a coral jacket on so thick that you'll
ha\« to use dynamite if it were above
water. Coral deposit increases at the
1 ate r.f an eighth of an inch a Near, 01
more, according to A -a-si/: that
would make make a tliicl 1 i> - of about
■ls in 'k s. Ai'di: '_ r shell-ii. h and other
: marine growth, it w« u'<! 1 «■ safe to fig
! nre t u u or three feet, wouldn't it ?"
"Probably; but I thought that coral,
diuto(..:i>'Cae. and fcramir.ifera depos
ited | i rpendiculariy on these volcanic
atolls V"
"Thai's so. If the wreck lay in a
bold | :ticn some of her ride timbers
might >ii!l be exposed, or at least cov
ered \er< thinly. Harry-, what crazy
notion have you got in your lieudV
There isn't one chance in a million ol
an attempt to raise that treasure be-
ing suecissful. It would l.e folly to
think of trying it without a fully
' eqoipped w recking steamer ar.devrn
then you'd have piracy to contend
' with at orgy cur crew
' "Well. I became Irtere-trd in the
story. \i.d then the idea 1 ccurred t.
me that. 1 inp out of a job. there would
be nothing to I iec'i r my Inv - titrating
the tli:':g n lit!!. .Itbl fo: the s:ike ol
1 >s*gnme it. ; ,w -we 1. : i'ht as well
' amuse c;ir> !ve»with 'M anything,
-snji-c I were to ieave r!,l turner
nt (Sua.an; l.at"- th. ■. -t and most
southerly l.adrone. 5-11 *! It? Ilight.
Then sis;:;, e I >Uiu'i! happen to get
hold of Fray i m count of the
' shipwrecked olllcer. a:.d should find fr
it ji!»t where the galleon went down.
' I'd very likely f(et inv self into 11 serious
, *crape, but just suppose I should man
age to see the document sifter all. Then
suppose I took a little trip some day
on one of those (lying catamarans—
they make I knots sometimes, if I re
member correctly- and succeeded in
locating this reef. Suppose I had a
diving suit with me; there probably
isn't such a thing between 'Frisco and
the Yokohama navy yard, but imagin
ation is cheap. Suppose I actually
found something that looked like an
old wreck, crusted over w itli coral, and
tried a dynamite cartridge on it. Sup
pose 1 found something there, and
stowed it away until you could join me
eh ?"
HaNtend was filling his pipe as I
spoke, but his fingers t rem bled a lit tie
lie took several long, meditative puffs
without saying a word. Then he got
up and licgan to pace the deck, up und
down, back and forth. Presently he
cleared the table and spread upon it an
linray chart of the western Pacific be
tween New (iulricn und Japan. Aftci
tfrrf ifi imrttnrrn 1 nrror, uinert trr .enrr
consulted. The conversation had
drifted casually Into this channel from
its association with the l.adrone voy
age, but the subject was taking hold
of us with the grip that such seeming
impossibilities often will; and all sorts
of wild absurdities flushed through my
mind as I watched the captain s fa< e.
After what seemed an hour of calcula
tion over the chart and directory, 1m
said:
"That reef husn't been found by any
vessel since 1710, but it isn't safe to ac-
9l
fi x/ $
•Thai ret I hain't b«cn lound by My *•»»•!
since >740-"
cept the fact as conduslre evidence
against It M present existence. It is a
difHcult mutter to tlx the position of
.my ship exuctly on a chart. Compass
deviation, or trifling errors IN the ad-
Justment of ii sextant, may easily make
a illfferenee of several miles. Then
again, these ISIBIKIS are probably the
most unfrequented portion of the
earth's surface. I don't know of A spot
HI. seldom visited HH the badroncß; the
upverniiH lit itself only cominunlcutes
With them four times a year. Now,
that galleon would have been ap
proacblng ffom almost due east, mas
Ing for (iuajan I'ort Han I.IIIHII Apra.
The prevailing winds, being no'theas'
to eas', would drift the coral frag
rncnt* over to west'ard, forming a shoal
In goon and breaking an entrance to
It on the lee side. In that cafe, a ship
i|7lder f„| r headway would either drive
firmly on to the first bold ledge or
■ hove herself over the ridge Into the
lagoon. Ho that, reasoning from pure
thepry, the chances are against her
having Mink along the more prcclplt
011s face, which may go straight down a
thousand fathoms or more. Ihe same
prevailing no'thcastcrly wind and
waves which break and scatter the
coral grit to leeward would have 11
tendency to crumble the deposit on a
hulk in the same direction, leaving one
side, or one end, more or le*s exposed
If Nuestra Senora de Hevilln was head
Ing about west when she struck, with
the intention of Just clearing Tocos
reef at the south end of (jiiajun, and If
>iie lodged firmly In that position when
sin- sank, her for'ard part would be
pretty well sealed in with coral, but
tin' liiich poop, where most of the specie
WHS carried, might not hnve more
than 11 n Inch or two of Incrustation.
Theoretically, the possibilities of re
covering any of that money amount to
this: If the Santa KOBB reef exist* to
day as It diil In I7i,W, If that galleon
drove up' 11 It 11* I hate been figuring
out, if a man were provided with div
ing apparatus which would enable him
to uiak' 1 n careful and protracted e*
auiiiiatlon of the ledge under water,
also pick and cartridges to work with
and If It were possible to preserve ab
solute M crecy as to his operations, or
to traiMport the stufT without exciting
suspicion, there's just about one elm 11 re
■ 1 11 thousand that he might get as far
us a livllUed country with it. As for
taking any of the natives Into I}is 5011
lldenei will. the old navigators
named them 'Ladrones' wlieii the
Islands were discovered. That means
'thieve ' In Kngliili, and from my e*
01 lieln e there lust VOVlllfC 1 should SUV
the hereditary taint is not ret extinct.
They "re a peaceable lot generally, but
you can't depend upon them. In ISM
ai:d IS9O the Kanakas at Yap murdered
fven Sj aniard in the place, just after
that affair in which the (ierinan war
ship l.ti- fried to grab the Carolines
for tin' kaiser.™
"That's a prettj formidable lot of
"ifs." 1 should say. How many people
do yo«: suppose know anything about
this particular wreck?"
"That depends how often Padre
Julian has talked of it in his cups.
When he found that he must have said
eometliing to me abcut the affair dur
ing one of his irresponsible periods, li
nt tempted to pass it off as a yarn; then
he shut up on the subject like a clam.
I doubt his havingan idea that it would
be possible to recover anything from
the galleon, or that he thinks the mat
ter anything 'mure than a church se
cret which his regulations would for
bid him to r- veal. In that caso. possi
b!y tw> oth r priests besides himself
may know of the facts; but it isn't
\f !\ lliai they have disturbed the old
lay's collin to verify then). On th*
Jther hand, there is u chance that his
teuson for leaving the island where he
iia* remained so long may be a deter
mination to consult nautical authori
ties in Manila and figure out the prac-"
ticability of locatiug the wreck."
"Then, e\en if we should consider
the matter seriously, there would be
no time to procure divings-apparatus
from Yokohama or elsewhere? If the
padre really has anything of the kind
iii view he might complete his prepara
tions and return by the next steamer
at the latest, mightn't he?"
"Kasi'v. That would give him six
month- away—time enough to get al
most anything he wanted. Hut, old
chap—it is the strangest coincidence I
ever knew—there are a complete div
mg-stiit and equipments on this very
steamer, now, in the after hold."
"What! You don't mean it! Why,
how the dev —" We were glaring at
each other excitedly and with mi al
most superstitious feeling. From
mere speculation, the subject was as
suming a tangible reality that was
fairly startling.
"Yes, I do mean it. It seeius as if
the fairy godmother had determined
to shike our skepticism just when we
were denying her existence. Old Ap
pleby. in Singapore, had an idea a
year ago that lie wanted one of the
best and latest improved diving-suit*
that money could buy. Whether he in
tended to go hunting for trensure him
self or not. I don't know—the Malay
pirates lost hundreds of their luggers
in the strait but when we were load
ing for London he handed me 50 sov
creigns to buy one for him. aud on
reaching port I got the finest thing of
the kind to be hud. It can be used
either with or without an air-pump.
There is a knapsack chamber which is
provided with chemical arrangements
for renewing the oxygen and can be
chargt d with i-ompressed air by means
of a geared pump so that the wearer
may stay under v. ater for three hours;
I believe it's un improvement on the
nouqunyro! idea. Well, I was quite
pleased with the thing, and knew Ap
pleby would like it; but when I made
Singapore again they told me the
cholera hail been too much for the
poor fellow, and his executors refused
to accept the package. There was no
nting the i»/.«reet.
and have lugged it around ever since."
"Well, I'll be ! Say. Dick, this
seems to pretty effectually dispose of
your biggest 'if:' how about the
others? See here, old fellow; you and
I may go to our grave* without ever
seeing n million of money, or the
hundredth part of it; yet I don't be
lieve there are two men on earth who
could enjoy life more If they had such
a sum. At this moment f don't know
where to turn for an immediate in
come. If you should get into difficul
ties with your owners you might be
pretty short for awhile, yourself.
Now, the whole combination of cir
cumstances since yesterday ufternoon
seems providential to me, and I feel
like making a determined attempt to
get that money. Why, suppose we
should have the luck to recover a mil
lion each! 1 ><> you know what such a
sum would mean in London or New-
York ?"
"I)o I? \V« li ! Hy I hi- great horn
h [ too u, 1 'in \\ it li y mi, 11 HIT) ! l«Ut how
in ? lon n't leave the ahlp,you know.
And it would be folly to depend upon
b< ing m*nt out here next trip. The
('OIIUICHK IK only chartered, iind they
hate like the mbiehlef to employ any
thing bill Hpunixh bottouia—"
"Well, now, hold on; one thin# at u
time, and we'll get ahead fanter. How
long before you expect to get through
the lalandi thla trip? There may be
time enough to do aomething."
"About 17 or 1H day*, from the time
we arrive at Yap to the day we leave
(IIIIIJan. Hut, don't jou nee, that won't
help IIK any. tJuaJan I* the last stop;
I go Mmight back to Manila from
there. You might get from Yap to
Onajan on one of the eatiimariiiiH, but
the native* are no navigator*, and It
would be pretty rlaky bimlne**."
"It would be out of the qucatlon
Illlike (iuajnn tlri>t, 1 nuppoM?"
"lint her. <»f coil rite it might be
done, but at the rl*k of liming my coiu-
IIIIKHIOII and getting Into hot water bc
nldc*. You fee, the regular trip for
yenm haa been to make llrnt, be
.-■auac the Caroline and I'elew govern
ment* there Include two lieutenant
colonel** ii K gobcriiador*. agnlnat one
IN the I.adromn. From Yap the ahlp
gficH to l'onynlpete, or Ponape, the
largeM lulnnd in the Caiollnea, and
from there to (iuajati. Thl» trip, a« It
happenx, I'm Inatructed to take In
KIIKIIIC nl*o, nt the east end of the
group; «o yon Ker a change of eourae
might raUe considerable unpleanant
neaH."
"If thesn inlanders were a filleted
ultli either push or discipline. It
might. But the\ seem to take life
jiictty i asy don't trouble themselves
about lit tie thing*. Couldn't we think
up a valid excuse for changing the
course machinery or coal some
thing of that kind?"
"Coal wouldn't do. We're carrying
more than enough to get back on. and
tlicre's lit tlc or none In the Islands. As
for machinery in' we-1 1 Look
here. Harry; u-can't put a thing Ilk"
this through without assistance. We'll
have to take tome one into our confi
de nie, though it may not be necessary
1„ .1" SO entirely Now, McPherson
my engineer, has sailed with me, off
and <•■> for several years, and Is under
obligations t<. me besides. The nature
of those obligations I won't discuss;
It Is sufficient that while I don't take
any stock in average human nature, I
can rcH upon I.is doing anything In
f lie mor Id for me; and If we should get
hold "ft hat money I'd like Mae to have
a share of It. even If It were only a
t tli is 11 one We won't tell him the
whole . heme .it first, but lie can help
ns more than anyone else, and will
keep his mouth shut, too, What do
>Oll say? Shall we let hllll III?"
"By nil menu*. From what I've seen
of Mac J like 111 111 very much; and, M
you say, «e need all the assistance we
No. SO
can saleiy get. , , 'J*
Hals tend l sent one of the quarter* ,
masters below for McPherson, andlQ
a few minutes he appeared in the dioor*
way. Glancing along the deck to see
that no one was within hearlnjf, the
captain closed, the door and said l :
"Mac. I've known you and>Steven9«o
long that 1 thought you should be bet
ter acquainted with each other. We
were talking of the voyages you and
1 ha\e sailed together, and thought
we'd like to have you join with us in ft
little speculation. Whether there will
be much of anything in it or not we
can't say: in fact, it wouldn't W fair to
raise your anticipations by going into
the particulars. But we are willingto
agree that if (he scheme should be
successful we'll do what's right. I
I guess you know me pretty.well, and I'll
answer for Stevens. Now, are you will
ing to help us with no more of an ex
planation than that?"
"Aa think ye needna* ask me thit,
ITanlstead. Ye kin mak' yersel' easy
thit A a'II do onvthing ye saay wt* lft
; tie adoo a boot it. We be three amang
faariners oot in this parrt o* the warld,
an' Aa fancy we'd best pull tagither."
j "That's what I thought you'd, say,
Mas. Now, it seems to me necessary
that Stevens should get to Guajan as
soon as he possibly can. He will go
ashore there and start thing* moving.
Whether we will be able to communi
cate with him again this trip is rather
doubtful; but if we don't, you and I
have got to put it up for another voy
age out here when we see Ramirez. If
the compania happen to have the other 3H
boat ready, it'll be no fool of a job,
cither. The question just now is, how
are we going to change our course
without getting into trouble with the
government? With some ironclad,
reasonable excuse, we might do It
How much coal have you?"
j "Saemthing oonder a thoosan' ton.
Tha government 'ill pay for but nine
knots nn lioor, an' thlt'll lenve a
plenty for emalrgencics, oovcr an'
abuve what Aa'll burrn In thn foor
wiks."
"Then you could safely shove her up
to 12 or 13 knots, if we wantcdito hustle
• little, without running short?"
"Ay; ye can have mair ef necessary.
She's made her foortcen In smooth
rater."
I "Well, the Yap people are the only
ones who would really kick. Even they
would stand five or six days all right
as far as leaving for Manila goes. But
if we happen to have any sea-sick pas
scngers, they'll never forgive the extra
days of unpleasantness as long as they
live; and I don't remember whether
any of them ure going to Tomil or
not —"
"There's but cne for Yap—thacura—
tha yoongest of tha twa padres."
"And one padre is fifty times worse
to deal with than the ordinary) pas
senger; the chanqes arc that he can
turn the whole machinery of govern
ment against a fellow if he chooses."
"Ay, thlt's vcrra true. ButelyeVe
tha padre's cenfiucnce wl' ye, it'equlte
anlther matter. Aa've a thocht in ma
liald thit yc may nrrange It wl' then
twa."
"Let's have it, That's what we
want to get at."
"Weel, tha oold padre's a verra een
flential moil. Aa'in toold thit he's
tac be thaliaid o'all tha Ledrrones, an.'
he's vcrra ainxlous tae reach Saipan ar
iWti Err Hill WIIIB llBWi
moon (I. Noo, Aa'm thlnkin' thit ef Ai
wair tac stop tli" oingiiie—say three
days from this—an' gaivc oot thit ma
shaft wair cracked, ye might say ye
wair foorced lac put in at Apra,
where ye'll get a coople o' rings from
tha wrlckaigc o' the Dutch tramp thit
wair east ashoore there twa year agoo.
Aa kin scrratch tha shaft sae 'twill liae
tli' appearance o' a crrack tae ma
SpcnniKh alngincers, an' there's na
ithcr plcss where ye'll be laik tae And a
bit o' luachcenery. Then ye'll aix
plaln tha scetuatlon tac tlia padre, an'
saay thit ef he'll gie a rcpoort in
Mancrla hoo tha chcngc o' the coorse
kem aboot, ye'll carry him tae Saipan
—thct he'll not hae tha trcep tae mak'
on a prooa."
llalstcad and 1 looked at each other,
Mcl'hcrson's idea seemed practical
and plausible. There was no question
whatever that a padre of sufficiently
good standing could smooth over
about nnytlilng he pleased, and, If an
obligation to himself were part of
the iregularity, It seemed very likely
that he would see there were no ques
tions asked. While we were discussing
the matter, 1 couldn't help mention
ing my Instinctive dislike to Padre Se
bastian He was one of your plausible,
fat and oily men, who study human
nature almost from their infancy and
lead your thoughts in spite of you.
In fact, my acquaintance with the
Jesuits In the cast had given me a
wholesome respect for that marvelous
penetration which Is so important a
factor In the Influence they exert
upon all classes. Both the captain
and the engineer agreed with me that
the padre was a dangerous man in
more ways than one, but could see Qt
reason why his peculiar influence
»l.iiilld be exerted against us.
Having come to a definite under
standing that we would investigate
the wreck of the gnlleon as far os Uiy
In our power, It was difficult to get
the matter out of our minds. Several
'lines we were on the point of tak
ing McPherson more fully Into our
confidence, but. while we trusted him
is one of ourselves, It seemed that mat
tirs were scarcely ripe for that yet{
mil I don't think he had the faintest
suspicion a* to the exact nature of
the scheme. What the tie was be
i ween him ami Halstoad I never knew,
<..>« It «n». sufllob n'!j slroni to make
the engineer follow my friend's sug
gest lonn blindly; and his assuranco
Hint Mao should be squarely treated
if the speculation proved successful
lieeined to have all the weight of a
bond. We agreed thai it would be
unwise for ns to be seen in frequent
conversation; so, beyond an occa
rlonal Inspection of the machinery In
his company, I saw very little of Mo
l'liurson.
fro sr. coxTiNcao.l
■ ■■
This ll■ v»r«l In K»a'""^-
Cyclist (to sleepy-looking villager)—
Are you .* native of this village?
Villager Ami what?
Cyclist Are you a native of the vil
lage?
Villager Hey?
CyclUt 1 asked you if you were a
native of this place.
Mrs. Villager (appearing at the open
door, acridly)* Ain't yc got no sense,
Jim? He means wu* ye llvln' here
when yer wus born, or wu* yc born
before ycr begun llvln* here. Now an
iwer *1 in. —London Tit-Bits.
A Oomesllo Kslsms.
Thn Caller—J'm all mixed up as to
what to do.
Hostess—What about?
Caller— I'vo got to get tea anfl a
butter dish, and I don't know whether
to get the tea where they give away
butter dishes or the butter dish where
they give away tea/-Travellcr'» UfG
i Mil- . _ . - •