I said, 'I'm not drunk. I'm sober and serious. You've
got a cellar below here, haven't you?' "'Well, and what if I have!' Moss retorted, drawing a step closer and
running his eyes carefully over me. 'What if I have! There's no harm
in that, is there?' "'You keep all your stock down there,' I went on, 'and more beside. I
can see a hat-pin with a gold nob, that's not your wife's, and a pair
of shoes with dandy silver buckles, that's not intended for your wife,
nohow.' "At that Moss made a queer noise in his throat, and I thought he was
going to have a fit. 'What--what the devil are you talking about?' he
gurgled. "'I wish I had had you with me--then, Matt, for you could have
doubtless summed up the woman to him--she was a blank to me--I only
divined one had been there. 'Yes, Mr. Mossy,' I said, 'you're a gay
deceiver and no mistake! I know all about it!' "'Do you,' he said, eyeing me excitedly. 'Do you know all about it? I'm not so sure, but in order to avoid running any risks, drop your
voice a bit and have a cocktail with me!' "He poured me out one, and I went on softly, 'Well, boss Moss,' I
said, 'we'll leave the female out of the question for the present. Underneath this cellar of yours, is a pit.' "'I'm damned if there is!' Moss snorted; 'leastways, it's the first
I've ever heard of it.' "'And in this pit,' I said, 'is the skeleton of a Spanish buccaneer
called Don Guzman, who landed in this port on August 10, 1699, and
after robbing and slicing up a family of the name of Hervada, who
lived on the site of what is now the Copthorne Hotel, was hurrying off
with all their money and jewels, when he fell into a pit, covered with
brambles and briars, and broke his neck.' "'And you expect me to believe this cock and bull story,' Moss
growled. 'Being out of a job so long has made you balmy.' "'It hasn't made me too balmy not to see through the way you deceive
your wife, Moss,' I said. 'I'll bet she would think me sane enough if
I were to tell her all I know. But I'll spare you if you will take me
into your cellar and help me to do a bit of excavation there. But
promise, mind you, that we will go shares in what we find.' "'Oh, I'll promise right enough,' Moss replied. 'I'll promise
anything--if only to keep you from talking such moonshine.' "Well, in the end I prevailed upon him to accompany me, and we went
into the cellar--just as I had depicted it--armed with a pick-axe and
crowbar. Moss growling and jeering every step he took, and I, deadly
in earnest. "'It's under here,' I said, halting over a flagstone in the corner of
the vault. 'But before we do anything you had better hide that hat-pin
and these shoes, or your missis will find them. She'll hear us
scraping and come to see what's up.' "Moss, who was in a vile temper all the time, made a grab at the
things, pricking his finger and swearing horribly. In the meanwhile I
had set to work, and, with his aid, raised the stone. We dug for
pretty nearly an hour, Moss calling upon me all the time to 'chuck
it,' when I suddenly struck something hard--it was the skeleton and
close beside it, was the bag. You should have seen Moss then. He was
simply overcome--called me a wizard, a magician, and heaven alone
knows what, and fairly stood on his head with delight when we opened
the bag, and hundreds of gold coins and precious stones rolled out on
the floor. He wanted to go back on his word then, and only give me a
handful; but I was too smart for him, and swore I would tell his wife
about the girl unless he gave me half. When we were leaving the
cellar, of course, he wanted me to go first, so that he could follow
with the pickaxe, but here again I was too sharp for him--and I got
safely out of the place with my pockets bulging. I went right away to
Prescott's in Clay Street, and let the lot go for three thousand
dollars. I wonder how Curtis has got on!" They walked together to the hotel, and found Curtis busily engaged
eating. "I've worked hard," he said, "and now I'm in for enjoying
myself. I've made them get out a special menu for me, and I'm going to
eat till I can't hold another morsel. I've starved all my life and now
I intend making up for it." "Been successful?" Hamar asked, winking at Kelson. "Pretty well! Nothing to grumble at," Curtis rejoined, pouring himself
out a glass of champagne. "First of all I went to Simpson's Dive in
Sacramento Street, and started doing the tricks we discovered
yesterday. Not a soul in the place could see through them, and I made
about two hundred dollars before I left. I then had lunch." "Why you had lunch with us!" Hamar laughed. "Well, can't I have as many lunches as I like?" Curtis replied. "I had
lunch, I say, at a place in Market Street, and there I read in a paper
that Peters & Pervis, the tin food people, were offering a prize of
three thousand dollars for a solution to a puzzle contained on the
inside cover of one of their tins. I immediately determined to enter
for it. I bought a tin and saw through the puzzle at once. Bribing a
policeman to go with me to see fair play, off I set to Peters &
Pervis'. "'I want to see your boss,' I said to the first clerk I saw. "'Which of them?' the clerk grunted, his cheeks turning white at the
sight of the policeman. "'Either will do,' I replied, 'Peters or Pervis. Trot 'em up, time is
precious.' "Away he went, but in a couple of minutes was back again, looking
scared, 'They're both engaged,' he says. "'Then they'll have to break it off,' I responded, 'and mighty quick. I'm here to talk with them, so get a move on you again and give that
message.' "If it hadn't been for the policeman I don't think he would have gone,
but the policeman backed me up, and the clerk hurried off again; and
in the end the bosses decided they had better see me. They looked
precious cross, I can assure you, but before I had done speaking they
looked crosser still. "'You say you've done that puzzle,'--they shouted--'the puzzle that
has stuck all the mathematical guns at Harvard and Yale--you--a
nonentity like you--begone, sir, don't waste our time with such humbug
as that.' "'All right,' I said, 'give me some paper and a pen, and I'll prove
it.' "'That's very reasonable,' the policeman chipped in, 'do the thing
fair and square--I'm here as a witness.' "Well, with much grunting and grumbling they handed me paper and ink,
and in a trice the puzzle was done; and it appeared so easy that the
policeman clapped his hands and broke out into a loud guffaw. My eyes! you should have seen how the faces of Pervis and Peters fell, and have
heard what they said. But it was no use swearing and cursing, the
thing was done, and there was the policeman to prove it. "'We'll give you five hundred dollars,' they said, 'to clear out and
say no more about it.' "'Five hundred dollars when you've advertised three thousand,' I
cried. 'What do you take me for? I'll have that three thousand or I'll
show you both up.' "'A thousand, then?' they said. "'No!' I retorted; 'three! Three, and look sharp.