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253 been on the maintop of the North Star—several times—when it was pretty rough."

The girl was determined, so they wound around the jutting rock to the path in the cliff, while Spanish Dick sat him down tailor-fashion, in a nook just out of the wind. From his faded shirt he drew a much-stained pack of cards, and proceeded to tell Alfonso s fortune in some Spanish lingo, shaking his curly-head and earrings the while.

"Ah, my little Alfonso, thou hast no head to see things that are not in front of thy nose, but thou hast a loyal heart and, as the Americano says, it is white, though thy hide be yellow.' The cards tell good things for thee—very good things. Thou wilt be very happy with great bones, and a place in paradise, where little dogs with souls like thine can bark at the stars, and moon, and wear no collars or chains—that is after a little time—a very little time—in Purgatory.

"Now a little fortune for us." The cards slapped on the rock. "No—I do not like that! That ace of diamonds comes again and again, between the dark lady and knaves with the winking eyes—no I do not like that."

Hugging the sea wall to steady themselves against unbalancing puffs of wind, the young folks crept around the jagged, coiling path to the mouth of the cavern.

Gaining the opening, they started to enter the airy first chamber, when Ben, remembering, placed his hand on her elbow, guiding her past a little heap of objects that lay scattered on the floor.

Sally, peering in towards the dark recesses, did not notice them until Ben spoke.