CAPTAIN KTJDD'S TREASURE.
1 T eighteen, beinat a homeleM omhnn ,u
secure to myself a collegiate education, in a fit of
desperation, like many a foolish youth, I resolved to go
to sea. Now, in my old age, I can afford to confess that
my highest ambition was to imitate the exploits of Cap.
tain Kidil I had desired to become a good and useful
man, failing which I flew to the opposite extreme. Ac
cordingly I hastened to Bangor, the nearest seaport, and
shipped on board a small fishing smack.
The Siro, Captain John Gray, belonged at Deer Isle,
in Penobscot Bay. After a cruise of some weeks we went
to Deer Isle and remained several days. Little Deer
Isle was formerly a portion of the larger island, evidently
cut off by the action of the waves, but accessible to even
footmen at low water. The small island was quite a
curiosity, and I passed a whole day in visiting it Many
portions were covered with masses of broken rocks but
between them was tillable land and several small farms.
To a country boy, like myself, there was much that wns
wild, weird and fascinating, and I greatly enjoyed my
explorations.
Towards evening, on my return, I passed near the
house of Peter Hardy, of whom I had been told and
warned that he was crazy. He saw me coming and mot
me, shaking hands as though an old acquaintance,
although he had never even heard of me before, as I
supposed. He asked numerous questions about who I
wns, and finally said:
" I think you.are. the young man I have been looking
for. I have a daughter, sixteen years old, and guess you
would make her a good husband, but I must ttBk you one
question more, and if you can answer that right you may
Imve Lucy;, but if not, then you are not the young man I
am looking for. Now, what do you say, is it a bargain ?"
" Certainly," I replied, for I remembered that in all
the stories I had read about the freebooters of the high
sea the luxury of booty was heightened by the romance
of beauty.
"Well," he continued; "now don't be in a hurry to
answer; take time to think, for I want you to answer
right When do you cut your hog-yokes ?"
This was a poser. I did not care so much about a
girl I had never seen as I did not to be beaten by a man
who seemed like a half fooL So I thought of all the
times possible that one should cut hog-yokes. Then I
rejected from the list all but two namely, rainy days
and Sundays.' Between these I could not make choice.
Nervously thrusting my hand in my pocket I felt a
copper penny. Then a happy thought occurred. The
date of the cent should settle it If the date was odd I
would answer "Rainy days"; if even, "Sundays." I
drew it out It Was odd, and I answered accordingly.
He looked distressed, but before he spoke I corrected
myself and said that I meant Sundays. ,
" My poor boy," he began, " I am very sorry for you.
You have missed a chance of being Governor of Maine.
Lucy must marry a Governor; and if you could only have
answered me right you might have married her right off,
and ivnim 1
forty-five years ago; wouldn't he have had a 'good timo
keeping mo till I wns oleoted ? The fact is, I hnve hardly
ever boon Governor of any State in nil my lifo. )
He turnod to leave mo, nn.l I resumed my walk. Soon
after, hearing him call, I turnod, and he lokouod mo to
come back. Curiosity prompted me to do ho. His wife
had joined him, and appoarod to bo arguing some point
with groat earnestness. When within hearing I caught
these words from hor:
" I say he is the very young man; I guess I ought to
know. I had the dream, not you, nnd I say he in the
one." .
"Never mind tho hog-yokes," said rotor Hardy, as I
joined thorn; " I will answer tlmt question for you. The
time to out a hog-yoke is when you are going through tho
woods and boo a forked bush that will mnko one. Cut it
nnd carry it home, and some time it might save half a
day hunting for one. But here's my wife; she wants to
talk to you a little, and then you can come into the house
with hor."
He sauntered away in n listless sort of maimer, and
then Mrs. Hardy said to mo, with great earnestness:
"A spirit has appeared to mo in a dream throe time
and. showed you to mo. He told me you would oomn
here just before haying, and we should hoo you just an
we have this afternoon. He told me just exactly where
Captain Kidd buried Ids money on this island, nnd said
that aftor you had helped us through haying, then Home
Sunday night you nnd I would go to tho plane, I would
koop reading all tho timo tho sixty-first Psalm. The
ghosts will come nnd threaten you, hut they can't hurt
you lis long as I koop reading. You koop on digging nnd
you will soon come to a groat iron jMtt with an iron cover,
all filled with gold, and you shall have half of it"
She paused, looking mo earnestly in the face, as if to
see what impression had loon made upon mo. ' Hut I was
puzzled even worso than over tho hog-yoko question. I
had signed shipping pajters for four months and had
served but two months. Captain Gray was not the man
to let me off, and it soomod one of the condition tlmt I
must help through haying. I explained my environ,
meats, when she said;
"Can you swim a mile?" .
Yes, two of thorn." . '
" All right; we can manage it"
" Can I alwnys live with yon after we find the gold ?"
" Certainly."
" Have you a daughter named Lucy ?"
"Yes."
" Is she handsome ?"
" Come to the house and see for yourself."
I followed her in. Klie gave me no Introduction,
only said:
"That is Lucy " xiinting towards what I sti!! think
the most perfect imago of female loveliness at H tweet
sixteen " that has ever crossed my vision.
I had started out with a view of Wmiing a pirnto, in
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order tnai 1 inigui nave plumy ui niuiii'y. urn wim win