by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XXIII TREASURE AT LAST
With the aid of a flashlight Pant and Kirk were exploring a vastwarehouse filled with sacks of chicle. They arrived in their taxi andhaving been admitted, had been told in a general way where they wouldfind the last cargo that had arrived.
"Here! Here it is!" exclaimed Pant at last. "I can recognize the weave ofmy grandfather's sacks."
"Perhaps," he said after a considerable search for his particular sack,"the thread has been accidentally drawn out and lost."
"If it has," panted Kirk, "we'll open up every one. We--"
"There! There it is!" Pant pounced upon a sack. The green thread shonealong its side.
With trembling fingers he cut the cord that bound it. A moment later,carrying a mysterious package wrapped in palm leaves, the two boys passedout of the door.
A second taxi was hailed. "We'd better go back to Uncle's office," saidKirk. "He--he's awfully square, and knows a lot. He'll tell us what todo."
Pant scarcely heard him as he was crowded once more into a taxi. His mindwas in wild commotion. At last he was in New York, in possession of avast treasure. Whose treasure was it, the old Don's or his own? He hadread George Elliott's Romola, remembered Tito, the traitor to an old man,and recalled his terrible end.
"I will not be a traitor," he told himself. "If the treasure appears tobelong to the old Don he shall have it, every penny!" At that histroubled mind found rest.
"I suppose," said Kirk, "that you have wondered how I came to be at theold Don's."
"Often," said Pant.
"Well, you see, my Uncle is my guardian. He holds nearly half the stockof his Company in my name. When I am of age it will be mine to manage. MyUncle believes I should know all there is to be known about the business,from the jungle to the wrapper," he laughed.
"So he sent me down there. He got the Carib giant for my bodyguard, andtold me to go where I chose, only to keep my eyes open. I came at last tothe old Don's. I liked it so much up there that I stayed a long time."
"Glorious, wasn't it!" said Pant. "I'd like to live there with the oldDon for a whole year.
"This," he said, patting the package beside him, "will make the old Donrich."
"The old Don! It's yours!" Kirk stared.
"It's his by direct inheritance."
"How do you know that? Is there a monogram or a coat of arms on the box?"
"No."
"Then you will never be sure." The younger boy's tone was earnest,entreating. "Don't spoil the old Don by making him rich."
"It's not for us to decide what a man's rightful possessions will do forhim," said Pant thoughtfully. "The only question for us to ask is, 'Arethey his?'"
"Perhaps," he said after a moment's silence, "your Uncle can help usout."
"I am sure he can," said Kirk.
Nothing could exceed the astonishment of the chicle magnate when, havinglifted the lid of the ancient silver box, his eyes fell upon the treasureof pearls within. Instinctively, he stepped back and locked the door tohis office.
"That's the greatest treasure that ever rested on my desk," he whispered."We must get them to the vault for the night. And you say they belong toKirk's friend, the old Don?"
"I will tell you," said Pant. Sitting on the edge of a chair, leaning farforward, muscles tense, eyes aglow, he told the story of the beatensilver box from beginning to end.
"Well," sighed the magnate when the tale was told. "That's quite a yarn.Wouldn't believe a word of it if it weren't for this." He touched thesilver box.
"Legally, in a court of law," he said, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully,"your old Don wouldn't have much chance. You could hold the pearls.Anyway, in this case possession is nine points of the law. You have onlyto pay the duty on them, then sell them."
"But I don't want--"
"You want to do the square thing," the magnate interrupted. "Then why notcall it a case of salvage, and split the proceeds fifty-fifty. That willgive each of you more money than you are likely to have any use for, andcertainly more than you need.
"If your grandfather is interested in chicle," he added, "tell him I'llsell you an interest in our Company. Then in years to come you and Kirkwill be partners. Pant and Kirk, Chicle Exporters. How does that sound?"He threw back his head and laughed.
"Great! Wonderful!" they exclaimed together.
The beaten silver box took one more ride that day--to the Custom'soffices. There it was placed in a vault until the value of the pearlscould be settled upon.
A few days later the pearls were parcelled out in groups and sold toseveral dealers for a considerable fortune.
A few days after the docking of the _North Star_, a happy group sat abouta table in a small dining room of the most sumptuous of New York hotels.They had met there, Johnny, Pant, Kennedy and Madge, for a farewellfeast. Business had been disposed of, and the Kennedys were going home.
"Johnny," said Kennedy as he rose to stand before a pretty openfireplace, "it would be nice if we might have a bit of a wood fire. Makesa fellow feel sort of cheerful."
"Not there. You couldn't," said Johnny. "That's not a real fireplace. Ithas no flue."
"Then what is it for?"
"To add a suggestion of comfort."
Only half satisfied, the old jungle man sat down.
"Seems a bit stuffy," he said a moment later. "Let's open a window."
"Those are not windows," said Johnny. "They are looking-glasses that seemwindows. We are probably a half block from any outer wall. This hotelcovers an entire block."
"A sham!" said Kennedy, rising. "This whole thing's sham. This is myparty. I'm paying the bill. There's a real ship with a real cabin down inthe harbor. There are real windows in her that look out on a real harbor.I propose that we eat there."
So aboard the ship they dined and talked. The food was good. The talk wasbetter. Old days and new were discussed. Pant was to sail with theKennedys. He was going back to Central America to make his grandfatherand the old Don comfortable for life. The Kennedys were going home. Thatwas quite enough for them.
Johnny, who alone was to remain, felt a little lonesome.
"Some day," Johnny said to Madge as they parted, "when I am tired, whenthe rush and push that is our America gets too much for me, I am comingback to Stann Creek, to listen to the thrum of the banjo and the Caribs'song, to watch the moon rise over the jungle and to smell the forbiddenfruit ripening on the trees."
"Please do," said Madge Kennedy, brushing at her eyes.
"The latchstring's out and the door swings in," said Kennedy, grippinghis hand, "and may God bless you for all you have done." So they parted.
Pant returned to the jungle. There he was destined to remain for many aday to come; for was not his Grandfather there and the old Don, and lastbut not least, the beautiful Senorita Ramoncita Salazar? What bettercompany could he ask and what more thrilling adventures could be foundthan awaits one at every turn of jungle trail?
As for Johnny, the city with its imitation fireplaces, its mirror windowsand much more that is artificial and unreal, could not hold him long. Oneday he met a curious sort of chap with a strange hobby. Fascinated bythis man's tale of adventure, he joined company with him. The story ofthese fresh adventures in a land far from tropical wilds will be found inour next book, "Johnny Long-Bow."
The Roy J. Snell Books
Mr. Snell is a versatile writer who knows how to write stories that willplease boys and girls. He has traveled widely, visited manyout-of-the-way corners of the earth, and being a keen observer has foundmaterial for many thrilling stories. His stories are full of adventureand mystery, yet in the weaving of the story there are little threadsupon which are hung lessons in loyalty, honesty, patriotism and rightliving.
Mr. Snell has created a wide audience among the younger readers ofAmerica. Boy or girl, you are sure to find a Snell book to your liking.His works cover a wide and interesting scope.
; Here are the titles of the Snell Books:
_Mystery Stories for Boys_
1. Triple Spies 2. Lost in the Air 3. Panther Eye 4. The Crimson Flash 5. White Fire 6. The Black Schooner 7. The Hidden Trail 8. The Firebug 9. The Red Lure 10. Forbidden Cargoes 11. Johnny Longbow 12. The Rope of Gold 13. The Arrow of Fire 14. The Gray Shadow 15. Riddle of the Storm 16. The Galloping Ghost 17. Whispers at Dawn; or, The Eye 18. Mystery Wings 19. Red Dynamite 20. The Seal of Secrecy 21. The Shadow Passes 22. Sign of the Green Arrow
_The Radio-Phone Boys' Series_
1. Curlie Carson Listens In 2. On the Yukon Trail 3. The Desert Patrol 4. The Seagoing Tank 5. The Flying Sub 6. Dark Treasure 7. Whispering Isles 8. Invisible Wall
_Adventure Stories for Girls_
1. The Blue Envelope 2. The Cruise of the O'Moo 3. The Secret Mark 4. The Purple Flame 5. The Crimson Thread 6. The Silent Alarm 7. The Thirteenth Ring 8. Witches Cove 9. The Gypsy Shawl 10. Green Eyes 11. The Golden Circle 12. The Magic Curtain 13. Hour of Enchantment 14. The Phantom Violin 15. Gypsy Flight 16. The Crystal Ball 17. A Ticket to Adventure 18. The Third Warning
Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--Left the reference to hominid warfare for the amusement of readers.
--Relocated promotional material to the end of the book, and completed/corrected the list of books in each series (using other sources).
