Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

3 ‘i fy over the side, I thought so little of it; only, I argued that it must be some- thing, or it would never have been among that lot. Lord! but I little knew what I'd got; not then. Why, the thing was as big as a fair-sized walnut. You may think it funny that I thought of the four diamonds first; but you see, 1 know diamonds when I see them. They’re things I understand; but I never _ saw a ruby, in the rough, before or since. Good Lord! And to think I’d have thought nothing of heaving it over. the side! 3 You see, a lot of the stones were not anything much; that is, not in the modern market. There were two big topaz, and several onyx and corneli- ans—nothing much. There were five hammered slugs of gold about two ounces each they would be. And then a prize—one winking green devil of an emerald. You've got to know an emerald to look for the “eye” of it, in the rough; but it is there—the eye of some hidden devil staring up at you. Yes, I'd seen an emerald before, and I knew I held a lot of money in that one stone -alone. And then I remembered what I’d missed, and cursed myself for not grab bing a third time. But that feeling lasted only a moment. I thought of the beastly part that had been the Skipper’s share; while there I stood safe under one of the lamps, with a fortune in my hands. And then, abruptly, as you can understand, my mind was filled with the crazy wonder and bewilder- ment of what had happened. I felt how absurdly ineffectual my imagination was to comprehend anything understandable out of it all, except that the Captain had certainly gone, and I had just as certainly had a piece of im- possible luck. Often, during that time of waiting, I stopped to take a look at the things I had in my pocket; always careful that no one about the decks should come near me, to see what I was looking at. ee Suddenly the Mate’s voice came sharp along the decks:— “Call the doctor, one of you,” he said. “Tell him to get the fire in and the coffee made.” : vaguely over the sea. Half an hour later, the “doctor” shoved his head out of the galley doorway, and sung out that coffee was ready. The watch below turned out, and had theirs with the watch on deck, all sitting along the spar that lay under the port rail. As the daylight grew, we kept a constant watch over the side; but even now we could see nothing; for the thin mist still hung low on the sea. i, Sir,” said one of the men; and I realized that the dawn was growing “Hear that?” said one of the men, suddenly. And, indeed, the sound must have been plain for half a mile round. “Ooaaze, ooaaze, arrr, arrrr, oo0aze—”’ “By George!” said Tallett, one of the other watch; “that’s a beastly sort of thing to hear.” “Look!” T said. “What’s that out yonder?” The mist was thinning under the effect of the rising sun, and tremendous : 105 CONNIE OOOKS (€)