Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-04-05
CHAPTER xx--TBE SHAREHOLDERS.

CHAPTER XX--THE SHAREHOLDERS
What relation is Amyas Fame to the
queen," 1 asked Field, as we sat smoking
our pipes in the veranda of his house, and
watching the crescent moon as it rose out
Of the mist beyond the Painted Rocks.
He is the eldest son of her fathers
younger brother, and the ~ext in the line
o. succession"
"You mean that if she were to die, he
would become king7"
Not king; protector"
81 mean protector. have no certain in
formation on the subject, but / take it for
granted that she Is not married."
NO." laughed Field. NAB is not mar
ried. wish she We're"
Nor likely to be?"
"Not that am aware of; nor do think
she favOrs anybody"
"Does anybody favor herr"
"Oh, dear, yes! Most of our eligible
young men would be glad to become Mab's
husband. But suppose she will choose
| for herself in good time"
do your Fair Island ladies propose,
thenp
LAS often as not Denzil was a strong
advocate for the equality of the sexes; he
said that when young woman takes a
| fancy to any particular young man, there
Is no harm in her telling him So"
"And is that principle acted on at pres
enU?"
"As often as not. 1t is sometimes one
way, sometimes the other"
then asked my host how it was that the
queens expression of desire to visit Eng
land should have caused so much surprise,
not to say horror, among those who heard
her
"She said that did she2" exclaimed
Field, Mortified in his turn. What will
she be saying next, l wonder? l don't
think she was in earnest, though. She
often says outrageous things, just to startls
people; and 'pOn my word, she succeeds. /
can easily tell you why they were sur
prised. Her great -great-grandfather was
one of the wisest men that ever lived. We
have to thank him for all our happiness
and prosperity; and there was nothing he
more insisted upon than the necessity Of
preserving our independence; and SO long
as we maintain our isolation and keep the
existence, or, at any rate, the Whereabouts
of Fair Island secret, we shall be safe from
molestatiOn. In his time he would lot
nobody leave the island, except, perhaps,
for sail round the coast on any pretext
whatever; and the rule has been enforced
ever since. | ought rather to say that no
body has ever so much as expressed a do
sire to break It. (NIr. Fame was wise in
his generation. The visit Of British man
of-var might have been rather awkward
for him and some of mis- companions) You
| may Judge, then, what sensation Mab's
declaration of a wish to visit England
which she could not well do without quit
ting the island-must needs create"
81 think | understand the great DenZirs
motives for laying down such a rule"
| said. But how about strangers who
come here by accident like Bolsover and
myself, for instance' Are they not allowed
to leave3'
"The contingency does not seem to have
been contemplated. All that Denzil said
you will find it in his valedictory address
written few months before his decease-
all that he said was, Resist hostile stran-
gers to the death. but friendly strangers
welcome and give them of your best :"
Nothing about letting them goa"
Nothing; from which / infer that he
| did not desire to lay down any general rule
on the subject, but rather that his success
| sors should deal with any case that might
arise strictly on its merits"
$50 my fate depends on Queen Nab.
Suppose, now, that after awhile-I am in
| no particular hurry-suppOse | desire to
| leave the island, how shall l carry my pur-
pose into effect-how get away Assum-
| ing, of course, that the queen makes no OBJ
| lection"
''In that big ship of yours. How elsef"
eff our chance of returning to England
depends on BolsOver and me getting the
Diana past the Painted Rocks and through
the mist, to say nothing of navigating her
across the Atlantic, | am afraid we shall
have to stay here for the term of our natur-
al lives" l said, gloomiy.
Aud would you regard that as amisfor-
tune? Where can you find a pleasanter
country than this, or one where you could
enjoy greater measure of prosperity and
contentment' The queen and the Council
of Nine would be only too glad to give you
land and slaves, and build you a house, and
with your fair skin and red hair and beard
you would be sure to have eligible offers
of marriage"
"My hair is not red it is chestnut" in
terposed, impatiently.
Call it what you like; only mean that
1t Is very beautiful hair. Everybody ad-
mires it. The girls cannot keep their eyes
off you. And | am sure you will not find
finer women in the world than the Fanes
(my mother was a Fane), and if their COM
pleXions cannot be described as exactly
European, they have a beauty all their own.
1t is merely a matter of taste"
In this opinion was able cordially to
concur, although I did not say las l
thought that piebald compilations were not
to my taste. As to Mr.. Fields proposal
that / should settle on the island for good
observed that, tempting as it was, | did
not see my way to accept it; that did not
take kindly TO the idea of never seeing
England and my friends there again, and
that if my mother did not receive news of
me before long, she would be broken
hearted. To this he made no answer, and
after some further conversation | repeated
an inquiry had already made more than
once as to the position of the island; and
producing a chart | asked him to give me
at least an approximate idea of its where
abOuts.
Not at present." he said, with a quiet
smile. You have only been here two or
three days; why are you so eager to know
everything Have patience my friend"
So | returned the chart to my pocket,
and resolved, on the first opportunity. to
put the same question to Miss Nab To
tell the truth, felt rather disappointed
that she had not invited me to spend the
evening at the Queens House formerly
Protectors House,, as found her dwelling
was called.
Before we separated for the night, Field
informed me that, as the shark-killing ex-
petition would set out at sunrise we
should have 10 breakfast by candle-light,
and that l was to be one of the queens
guests on board her own yacht.
am always punctual, and at five the
next morning entered my hosts dining
room, arrayed in my fiannels, and We
reached the ietty at the very moment that
the sun emerged from the sea and chased
the shadows from the mountain top.
We had not long to wait. The day was
hardly born when the island queen, fol-
lowed by a gay company of male and fe-
male Fanes and their kindred (who alone
were admitted to her intimacy came
trooping down the hill. She greeted me
very graciously, and invited me to join her
Party. an invitation which, need scarcely
say, was accepted with thanks"
Rather TO my surprise, her yacht, the
'Sunffower," was a schooner OF some sew
enty tons burden, solidly built, and well
fitted and found. So soon as we were on
board. the order was given to weigh an
Choir and make sail, and, followed by sew
erai other yachts and crowd of similar
boats, We moved slowly-the wind being
hght-dowu the creek
IT