Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-25
ONE in this deserted island as in May

ss IN THIS deserteo isiahd as In May
II found 1t here, Miss Deane." he an
swered.
Luckily she interpreted there as ap-
/ plying to the cave
Let me see it. May III
He handed 1t to her. She could make
| nothing of it, so together they puzzled over
4 It. The sailor rubbed 1t with a mixture
| letters and sort of diagram were reveal
ed. AT last they became decpherable BY
exercising patient ingenuity some one had
| indented the metal with sharp punch
| until the marks assumed this aspect,
Iris was quick-witted ut is plan of
| the island" she cried.
Also the latitude and the longitude"
What does j. s. mean?"
| Probably the initials of a mans name:
| let us say John Smith, for instance"
And the figures on the island, with the
| * and the dot?' 81.
Il cannot tell you at present" he said.
take 1t that the line across the island
| signifies this gap or canon. and the small
| 1ntersectfng line the cave. But 80 divided by
1, and an * surmountedg by a dot are
cabalistic. They would cause even Sherlock
barely started one."
She ran to fetch a glowing stick to enable
him to relfght his pipe.
Why VI. do you give me such nasty little
dlgs! she asked. you need not have
stopped smoking just because stood close
to YOU"
Really, Miss Deane-"
-, Ihere,. don't protest like the smell of
that tobacco. l thought sailors invariably
smoked rank black stuff which they cali
thick twist ~
i am beginner as sailor After a few
reach perfection" ~
Ihelr eyes exchanged a quantity pleasing
chalienge. Thus the man-"She L. deter
mined to learn something of my past, but
she would not succeed"
And the wOman--'rTha bob
close as an oyster. But will make him
open his mouth. see If don't"
she reverted to the piece of tin. ut looks
quite mysterious, like the things YOU read
ure" 'e
Yes" he admitted 'It is unuuestionab,v
a plan, guidance, given to a person not
previously acquainted with the island lint
cognizant of some fact connected with If
Unfortunately, none of the, buccaneers can
bring to mind frequented these seas The
poor beggar who left it here must have had
some other motive than searching for a
cache"
Did he dig the cave and the well, Won
der?" "
Probably the former, but not the well. No
man could do it unaided."
why do you assume he was alone?,
He strolled toward the fire to kick stray
log. 1T Is only idle specula ton at the best.
MISS Deane, he replied. Would you like
to help me drag some timber up from the
peach? II we get few big planks we can
build a fire that will last for hours, We
want some extra clothes, too, and it will
soon be dark
The request for cooperation graft
ned her. She complied eagerly and
without much exertion they hauled
respectable load of firewood to their new
camping can ground. They also brought num-
per OF coats to serve as coverings. Then
jerks tackled the lamp. Between the rust
ana the soreness of his index finger it was
d most dlficult operation to open it.
hn cur,,
ana made WICK by unraveling a few
strands of wool from his Jersey. When
night fell, with the suddenness of the trop-
domain. --
They were both utterly tired and ready to
drop with fatigue. The girl said Good
night. but instantly reappeared from be-
Am 1 to keep the lamp a1ght?'' she in
quired.
please yourself, Miss Deane. Better not,
perhaps. 1t will only burn four or five
hours, any way
Soon the light vanished, and he Day down,
his pipe between his teeth, close to the
caves entrance. Weary though he was,
he could not sleep forthwith His mind
was occr'ded with the sgnsson the canister
head.
80 divided by. 1; an * and a dot" he
repeated d. several times. "Whax do they
Suddenly he sat UP, with every sense aIer,
and grabbed his revolver Something i'm
peiied him to look toward the SPOT a few
Ieet away where the skeleton was hidden
1t was the rustling of a bird among the
trees that had caught his ear
He thought of the white framework of a
once powerful man. lying there among the
pushes, "a ioned forgotten, horrifc. Then
he smothered a cry of surprise
by JoYe! he muttered. There Is no
x and dot. That sign is meant for a
skull and cross-bones. 1t lies exactly on
the part of the island whore we saw that
queer-looking bald patch today First
thing tomorrow, before the girl awakes, I
must examine that place"
He resolutely stretched himself on his
share of the spread-out coats, now thor
oughly dried BY sun and fire. In a minute
he was sound asleep
Go be continued tomorrow