"A friend of mine who was a great friend of Captain Shannon's told me
once that the Captain had produced a new species of rose and that he
had been awarded a gold medal by the American Horticultural Society.
The Captain told my friend that he used to wear it on his chain but he
lost it while working in his garden here. Wasn't it a pity? I don't
suppose you have ever come across it?"
"Not that I know of," returned Miss Katherine composedly.
When she got home she went immediately to the library and to the
drawer that held the ancient golden coin that Joseph had found. She
took it to the kitchen where she scraped and brushed it well. Behold!
there was the name of the American Horticultural Society on one side
and on the other the inscription:
"Consequitur quodcunque petit!"
* * * * *
When Mr. Horton returned from his visit to the Boulbys, he told his
wife of the gratifying results and of Miss Boulby's wish that she and
other church workers would call upon her.
"The brother was strangely moved," concluded Mr. Horton, "and the
sister was greatly softened."
Mrs. Horton and her friends did not delay calling upon Miss Boulby.
That lady has been walking on air since the above-related conversation
with Mr. Murphy and was in a very sweet and forgiving mood. She
allowed her callers to talk just as much as they pleased and on the
subject dearest to them. They discussed and re-discussed every phase
of church work. Miss Katherine professed herself willing to make
endless quilts for the missionary box, pin-cushions for the bazaar,
socks for the Old Men's Home and cakes for the sewing circle. The
minister's wife was dazed by such liberality and when Miss Katherine
spoke of the number of years her brother had been deacon in their home
church, and of her own activities in every conceivable church society,
the ladies felt that a terrible injustice had been done this exemplary
brother and sister.
When Miss Katherine had seen that her words fell on receptive ground
she still mellowed that soil by tempting refreshments after which she
proposed a walk in the garden. As Joseph was from home she offered
slips, roots and seeds without number. At last she came to a rose tree
which, she judged, would do as well as any other and she launched into
the story of Captain Shannon's experiments to produce a new species
and final triumph.
"We knew," said the unblushing Miss Katherine, "that he had been
awarded a medal by the American Horticultural Society. Mr. Murphy, who
is an old friend of the Captain's, told us he had lost the medal in
the garden, so we began looking for it. Come with me and I'll show you
where we found it."
Miss Katherine did so, elaborating on the trouble they had taken to
discover it.
"It is solid gold," said she, "and we were afraid that the boys might
suspect what we were looking for and come at night and hunt for it, so
we set Bruno to watch at night, but fortunately we found it. Come in
the house and I'll show it to you."
As Miss Katherine watched her visitors go away she said to herself:
"I confess that all I said this afternoon was not strictly true, but
there are times when a prudent woman will deviate somewhat from the
exact truth."
* * * * *
When Miss Katherine had bade Mr. Murphy good afternoon, on the day of
his startling disclosure concerning Captain Kidd's treasure, the
aforementioned gentleman fell to chuckling.
"I'm in a devil of a fix, but I've saved the house from destruction,
that's sure. I'll trust her to make peace with the neighbors and then
I'll gradually ease her off the Captain Kidd proposition and then
there should be plain sailing. But Jehosaphat! What about that chart?
Well, I'll just have to get some paper and a pencil and go back to the
shore and draw it, that's all. I can't lie worth a darn. I've got to
get myself in a worse mess every time instead of lying out."
So saying, Mr. Murphy procured the paper and pencil and retraced his
steps to the shore where he labored long and arduously, for he was
neither an artist nor a cartographer.
In a couple of days Mr. Murphy informed Miss Katherine that he thought
he had located the right spot and that afternoon, they would begin
their search. Miss Katherine was to join him at the spot where she had
found him the day they became partners in this affair. He would be
laden with the necessary tools. Miss Katherine asked if she should
bring a bag in case of success, but Mr. Murphy said no, they were more
apt to find it if they acted as if they thought they wouldn't.
At the appointed time and place the junction of the forces was
successfully accomplished.
Miss Katherine and Mr. Murphy sat down side by side to study the
chart. The latter explained that he had worn out the original and this
was a copy he had made. The chart fully came up to Miss Katherine's
idea of a chart.
"Now you can see if you study it," exclaimed Mr. Murphy, "that it's
this bit of shore that's meant. See where it juts out here by the
pine tree! Well, just look down the shore there and you'll see the
very spot. From there just follow along and compare the chart with the
shore. Line for line, ain't they?"
"Isn't that remarkable!" exclaimed Miss Katherine. "What a wonderful
observer you must be to have noticed the similarity! But wouldn't you
think there would be changes in the shore line since the time this
chart was made?"
"Well, you see it's sheltered here," returned Mr. Murphy. "That makes
a big difference."
"Oh does it?" cried Miss Katherine.
"Oh, yes!" replied Mr. Murphy.
"And now where is the treasure?" asked Miss Katherine.
"Well, the first place I'd try is right in this little hollow. We'll
go right along to it."
Mr. Murphy shouldered his spade, pick and axe and directed Miss
Katherine to the spot, a little sandy hollow between two little sandy
mounds.
"Now you must keep guard while I dig," said Mr. Murphy. "It wouldn't
do to let others into the secret you know."
Miss Katherine was quite disappointed, for she had anticipated
watching the excavation sink deeper and deeper until the spade
suddenly struck the iron lid of a box, and a king's ransom glowed at
their feet. But she realized the wisdom of this request and
uncomplainingly complied with it.
In silence and with inward protest Mr. Murphy plied his spade until he
was obliged to straighten his aching back. He looked at his task
mistress entreatingly, but she was on guard and had no eyes for the
toiler. The poor man gazed about him in distress. Would he fall from
grace if he took a little rest?
Fortunately for Mr. Murphy, at this moment, Miss Katherine's eye fell
upon the little lunch basket she carried. A pang of remorse shot
through her heart as she turned and beheld her hero leaning wearily
upon his spade.
At the suggestion of lunch Mr. Murphy climbed out of prison with such
alacrity that Miss Katherine's soft heart suffered another pang. But
as pity is akin to another, warmer and tendered passion let us hope
all was working for the highest good of Miss Katherine and Mr. Murphy.
Whatever hopes of a prolonged rest that gentleman had at first
entertained were soon destroyed by a word or two from his inexorable
partner, and again the gentle chuck, chuck as the spade struck against
the soft sand, was the only sound that broke the silence.
Miss Katherine, though not watching the digger, kept time with his
steady spade and strained her ear to catch a clink instead of a click.
That would announce the bursting of an old leather bag or the
striking upon an iron box. There it would be! Gold! Gold glittering in
the light after years of darkness!
"Damn it!" broke in upon Miss Katherine's golden dream.
In mild surprise she turned about and beheld her erstwhile obedient
partner hurl his spade from him and scramble out of the deep hole he
had dug. Rebellion was written on his face, but as he approached Miss
Katherine there was something much softer and infinitely agreeable to
the female eye in his expression.
"Confound it all!" said Captain Peter Shannon, "let's stop this
foolishness and get married."
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Punctuation errors have been corrected.
Archaic and variant spelling is preserved as printed.
The following emendations have been made:
Page 6--Katharine's amended to Katherine's--... so readily
consented to Miss Katherine's going ...
Page 7--be amended to he--... why wouldn't he come back ...
Page 9--Katharine amended to Katherine--However strongly Miss
Katherine became convinced ...
Page 19--ever amended to every--"There is unusual strength in
every feature, ..."
Page 20--captain amended to Captain--... to--er--the
Captain--ah--when he returns ...
Page 21--captain amended to Captain--"Ah, you think that the
late Captain was ..."
Page 27--by amended to my--"Bless my soul!" exclaimed Miss
Katherine, ...
Page 31--snbstantials amended to substantials--She had heard of
such substantials ...
Page 32--Pue's amended to Poe's--... for she had been reading
Poe's frightful tale of the black cat, ...
Page 36--hook amended to book--... for he often put a book in
his pocket ...
Page 37--llustrations amended to illustrations--... and looked
at the illustrations.
Page 39--aainst amended to against--... which, in hitting
against a stone, ...
Page 42--your're amended to you're--"... but I wouldn't say
you're right, Willie."
Page 46--seem amended to seemed--... as he seemed to elicit
just what he desired.
Page 48--know's amended to knows--"Everybody knows he isn't
expected ..."
Page 53--thing amended to think--I think the picture's got all
the strength ...
Page 53--a sweak amended to as weak--... I ain't as weak as
water ...
Page 54--villian amended to villain--"If I'd ever had a villain
like that Silver ..."
Page 54--one's amended to ones--... the ones the Captain read so
much, ...
Page 55--omitted double closing quote added--"... Now you know
all about Captain Kidd?"
Page 55--horde amended to hoard--... it's my opinion that some
of his hoard lies right along this shore ...
Page 57--omitted word 'he' added--The Captain told my friend
that he used to wear it ...
Page 57--Consequitar amended to Consequitur--"Consequitur
quodcunque petit!"
Page 59--forunately amended to fortunately--... but fortunately
we found it.
Page 60--everytime amended to every time--... in a worse mess
every time ...