Page 7 Advertisements Column 2

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 30, 29 December 1883, Page 7

•THE J/.hYoTEKIOUS BOX.

W& noticed him, I remember, -from the very first-; and we had three good reasons for doing so. In the first place, he -as the very last passenger on board, arris* ng i.ideed just when the bell was ringihj* as a signal to clear the ship. in the second place, he was rather a re-markable-looking fellow altogether — tall, gaunt, sallow, and stern, "with along, lean lace, and a cold, grey eye, and, as we all declared, a niauiu>i air of 1 mystery abuut him. evon from the beginning., Last, but by no means least, 'of our grounds of suspicion was the tact that our mysterious fellow - pas* engei brought ou board with him an oblong wooden box, very much like an overgrown pistol-ea.-e. of which he seemed far mort 1 cwtul than oi the well-Avorn leather portmanteau wliich was "the only oilier arbiele oi baggage that he seemed to possess. I r was evidently not very "heavy, for one sailor shouldeied it with ca-o. it could not be called inconveniently large, for when its nutter beirged to be allowed t«o keep ij m his »tate-xoi;m instead of stowing ir. in 'he hold, neither raptuin or pu:o..T iii;u!v' the slightest objection. It Mas not labelled " Glass u ith Care,'' or anything of that sort, as wo could all >ea lot aui\syh T et.j and yet its roastd'* nervous anxiety le-.!: it shoaM be damaged or even bumped against anything hard was so marked that u\ ei'yono ))a r an to have dismal suspicions ns to it;; pos?>! I i!o contents. But just at iirst we had someiiiing else to think about, for the iirst three days of oui voyage were a perfect chapter of aVciderits To begin \\ ith. we were thrown late a . starthv; by having to wait more than an hour tor the mail. Then, when v.c wen just outf-ide, on came it log, which forcer u.s to lie-to till late iv the aiter.ioou, ket . • up all the while a chorus of bells and log horns worthy of a Chinese wedding. And us soon as the fug cl'Mrcd. it \vnMirveiHled by a pour of rain vliir'i i:i.?pire< a facetious saloon passenger to ask tue cap tain, at dinnertime, who ..her fishing wa. allowed on the after-dec k. Bur by the moni.ng or the fourth d;'y th( gala feOtmod to ha\ o spout ils> force, and we were at liberty to turn our attention one* laoiv to the m/s'enous pas?en^er and hi.* equ illy m\i>teuoas ho\. The foimer seemed quite as anxious to preserve hhitse'f f''om contact v. ith any thin j> on board as he had been to pre->eive hi? package, for he never spoke to anyone, and always answered «• s si only <\« possible (when le a i&w ered at all) w lienovei 1 anyone 6>pokt to him. As for the box itself, h was a greatoi m/zle than ever. The stewards Reported oat he !iad warned tliom so earnestly i^a' isl to'iclunj.- 1 it, or even going neai it, as to imply th?ifc tho contents, Whatever Jicy might be, were something very dangerous indeed. But, as if he had his doubts wl. ether even the fear of some unknown >erii would be strong enough to keep them -rom meddling with tho precious package if they o-ot the chance, he spent most of his time below, and as he had taken a whole .-tate-room for him-elf (or, rather, for him?Jf and hlj \,o\), I here v.-as zio lisk of any)>ie disturbing hi -a there. •'1 think he* a Fenian oarrvinq; over one f tlioscdt 1 io5cdv i »anm • to -pedoes to .Liverpool,' -iid a yo tug I-.rih.3b. officer, homeward •inn 1 1101.11 1 01.1 far v! x " More 1 'ceh a i nnk c^crk .obsoondinc u'i s.ic.c," u'r.]. ted a hi j, rea-j'acecl )t' % n-f!,)L!ii)er fioni u UKMshiru. '•13^. .a >'t !o.i " ciio'ijh for that," n "to'l ct i.ik^ Xc v W\-vor. " i'o'-l , >•, all v all. iLV nothing mnr> -'i'ic «i i v"c or picture foi '.1 i I \k\^ '■ „'" 'j v-iyjr. > iooherl rli?appoir.tefl, for thi- ••)* idea w liit. h ! i v] «.omeliow never occurred i is. ii.. ee'.-".l :i > ardl md likel\ v) ,^h, a id ii w i<, a sad eoi,;o-down atte 1 oar r .n mtic Kr." ¥ «.'»niirgs. Bat j s zh^n a new nun w^ given to the '. .. .i^. •. ir ,i i( v;, v iry, keea eyed y )Uth »ho ha I lutl.crto I.cen p^rfocLly silent. "a 1 in" hi- .-.li.ct pipe out of l.i-, mouth, he ii M •' >>v'y and eiri^ ..ttically : "'lV.ni'' " --t. bovb ; but I reckon I oul 1 toil 'or u-hat i; is !" '•What? What?" cried everyone, eagerly. "A baby," answered the Yankee youth, with the solemnity of perfect conviction. At this there was a shout of laughter, so upnuri iv,- th it a passing steward peered amazedly into The smoking-room to see what 'I tho *un co 1^ d bf» about. But the gentleman was not £i whit <J)iU>hed. " L-iu^ii as :nu( ii as you like, boys ; but hat, I -•!■/ It Lick to. Esery day, regular, it brevcf .st and at tea s I've seen that critter .ttet i. \l had !ii> sli.-ie, .start tor Lia etateoomwith a c. ;) of 131;!^; and a hunk o' M-ead, and if tint don't mean a baby some vhar roun', I'm a Llexikin V There was i go 101 a i .->tart, for we now <• ".lumbered to have seen the stranger do iM 6 *, «-tn 1 wondet^d that v. c had not no'iced it beioie. For a tew momenta everyone was in nigh .'ne at the upjuuant. Milutioii of the riddle ; cit tlie lemo.^elti-s NeAv Yorl.er t^eedily ■ i^h' >d cuv .m>\v b'MM happi'K '■ Yon Ye consM'able out there, stranger," '■)joct n .i lie ; "for the baby that could be (! iys abonid snip, or an^w licre else .Liier, without raising one oqiri.i. has go I o be 'liscovere.l yei. I've got three of ni my -elf, and I ougetto know." Vliii hi. anew ji.ible argument throw u=Ii b.H I ]* to vhci-o w e were before, and « .lien silence followed, broken ac length b; •ne of Ihe Iniskcit and boidcob spirits 0 fir omnany *' Jiaby or no baby," said he firmly. 'J'm b':und to get at the ins and outs o ""lr^ job, somehow . Kifher I'll know what"; i-i:le th.it 00 k btifove it goes ashore, orl'i over ieavj this ship again !" But this valiant pledge seemed likely to 0 unredeem'"] a F tci' all ; for, r,? if the lan of myf-Vry h;->'l known of tho plo; 'ittihing :i<niin.st him, he seemed to be, i. jowl) 1';1 '; ni >ie viiignut L-han evei. Diy iol.osvei ticiv, until at length we •Miie in bi K ihii of i^uecns^own, where tl, 1 'e'isiicv vi- in 1 ui'l, and the secret of tbi jo:-. 'WUj ti .-eorptslil). Dar the tnnO came at la«t. Bronkra s ?' » is li-'.ruly over ih.it morning, when •• ',ew/ml h> t . peel Ah xbe do >r of the fct.mngt) —who hail reiiied us usual with his mill •'1 br 'an— announcing that the captair raulci! iiim Hcaicuiy had he di&appcare> .\hen i.Lc youth popped into liis loym. The next m.nnent a terrible ciy startled 5 \V .1)], iM-'liino; to uhe rsj>ot, wd fo:in'"' 'id jj: -'do box open, and the yout.. .LiMg^Jinif in the colics of a huge black am.. ■. tale .^/iak.' ! For a iv.k Miont all wai conhision, but th<, <Lrang >•, v/ho had y\rA> "etur"ed, sprang lilt •igh{ni,i^ to Vuo bi« j akfa^ttf#Jlo, filler acuj •atl) uu'lu, an.l Mitifc in iront ot tho snake ■".liCinfcly f he litter umvonml it.solf from iinptive, who reeled helplessly against tti' vail. ' ' You're move frightened than hurt* youn oiler," said his rescuer, coolly, "forth, nake's quite a harmless so/t, arid as tarnas a pot cat into the bargain. I kept hip lark- while I could, ftir I didn'fc want hiiL hurt, after stumpin' all Louifciandto gib him j for the London Zoological ; but you'd best not touch him agin, for hi? bread's miglity fond of a fool, and I that's why he w i3o gpry to git liold of u Tit Uitef .... , &. .i. , „ j. .1 \&w,\, ■„