As Farnsworth paused, Cranston put in an appropriate comment.
“A good example, Farnsworth,” said Cranston. “Why don’t you buy out all other shares in the missing treasure the way Van Woort did?”
“Because a fool and his money are soon parted,” returned Farnsworth. “Not being a fool, I prefer to part with my money slowly. Still, if Ronjan wants to sell out entirely, I am willing to buy. But getting back to history -”
Pausing long enough to pour a round of drinks, Farnsworth proceeded.
“Old Van Woort hired a smuggler named Caleb Albersham to go out and urge Master Glanvil to come into port. It was a smart move, for Albersham was close to a pirate in his own right. Maybe the fact that Albersham was still at large was supposed to influence Glanvil, but it didn’t.
“After a few trips, made secretly of course, so the authorities wouldn’t interfere, Albersham went out again and this time he was supposed to have papers on him guaranteeing a safe-conduct to Glanvil. I suppose Van Woort paid for them too, through the proper official channels.
“Anyway, it was too late. A storm was coming up and Albersham’s sloop, the Rover, which left openly that trip, headed square into trouble that the Good Wind had already met. It was a bad wind for the Good Wind, because she went down off Skipper’s Rock and the Rover failed to outride the storm.
“Wreckage from the Good Wind was found on Skipper’s Rock and chunks of the Rover washed ashore out toward Montauk Point, where she was carried by the hurricane. So here’s to the Good Wind and the Rover” - Farnsworth raised his glass - “and salt your drink with a few tears for old Thales Van Woort whose fortune lies off Skipper’s Rock.”
It was the first time that Margo had heard the detailed story of the missing treasure, but she wasn’t crying over Van Woort’s loss. She was thinking of a legend she’d heard once: how mermaids were supposed to hover around sunken treasure, and the connection made her think of the Central Park banshee.
The ringing of the telephone was summoning Farnsworth into his living room and with the conversation lulled, Margo glanced toward the deep gloom of the park, only to hear Cranston’s calm and accurate query: