Frank Merriwell in Mexico: The Search for the Silver Palace — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Shimmin y Gristmas!’’ - With surprising strength, the man on ee - “the bed of grass sat up, stretching out his hands, gazing away across the sunlit sand- _. plain beyond the open door of the hut, and cried: ‘*T see it now—-I see it once again! .. There, there—see it gleaming like a daz-| gling diamond in the sunshine! -: beautiful towers and turrets! - is of pure gold!. treasures untold! | See its That dome Within those walls are There are precious stones in pro- fusion! And all this treasure would make ss f a thousand men rich for life! But it’s not _ for me—it’s lost to me forever!’ With a stifled moan, he fell back into Frank’s arms, and was lowered on the bed of grass. Vel, Professor Scotch hastily felt the man’s ie pulse, listened for the beating of his heart, and then cried: “Quick, Frank—the brandy! It may be too late, but we’ll try to give him a few more minutes of life.” ““That’s right!’ palpitated Frank. ‘Bring him back to consciousness, for we have not yet learned how to reach the Silver Palace.”? There is no such elace as the Silver Palace, *’. sharply declared the professor, as he foreed'a fen drops of brandy between the lips of the unfortunate man. fellow has dreamed it.” ‘The ‘**Perhaps.”’ ‘‘Perhaps! Why, Frank, I took you for a boy of more sense! Think—think of the absurdity! It is impossible!’ ‘It may be.”’ ‘Tt know it is.”” maype you don’d nefer peen misdooken, brofessor?’’ insinuated Hans, -* recovering for a moment from his dazed ito me. ~ condition. . _ The professor did not notice the Datch’s. boy’s words, for the man on 1 the bed of | a There are great vaults «, of gold and silver ornaments, bars and “Ingots! \ haf der broof. ge | FRANK MERRIWELL IN MEXICO. grass drew a long, fluttering breath and — slowly opened his eyes. | “YT thought I saw the palace once more,’’ he whispered. lusion.”? ‘it is alladelusion. Such a place as this Silver Palace is an absurd impossibility. The illness through which “you have passed has affected your mind, and you dreamed of the palace.”’ “Tt is not so!’’? returned the man, re- proachfully. ‘I have proof! me—you will not believe?” | Be calm—be quiet,’? urged the pro- fessor. You doubt precious to you now.”’ ‘‘That is true hastily whispered the man. ‘‘It is not The fever Iam dying of—no, no! The water from the spring you may see behind the hut—it has destroyed many people. ‘This morning, before you came, a peon found | me here. He told me—he said the spring was poison. The water robs men of strenoeth—of life. I could not. understand him well. He went away and left me. I] could see him running across the desert, as if from a plague. And now I am dying —dying!” “But the Silver Palace?” Frank Merriwell. that.’ ‘*Vah,’’? nodded the Dutch lad; peen fergetting dot, ain’d id?’ ‘The proof,’’ urged Frank. you have proof.’? “Vou are forgetting ‘vou ‘“You say “Vah,’? put in Hans; “you say you Vere id peen?’ “It is here,’’ declared the unfortunate, as he fumbled beneath the straw. are my countrymen—you have been kind Alwin Bushnell may never re- turn, It is terrible to think all that treas- ure may be lost—lost forever!” : Whois Alwin Bushnell ?”? ‘Tt was alla de- “That is true,”’ nodded dhe professor, 7 “This excitement will cut your _ ‘|life short by minutes, and minutes are ; minutes are precious,’’ fluttered “Vou. (C(O) iS (CO)