La Junta tribune., 1911-12-30

= oil Gown. should say. fos. Of ceorsa
3sy'u fhrUw him to feed the ahsska"
Tbsre was = cbsne~. = bsre .hn.sv
tAai 0iIb~rt Mss yet alive. a.. mtgh
b. pFt's'u~r oD another lstand. ,srr
, baps su6erinx ioru urr rnilsss shaa a.
esose the hiding i'is,x of the I~~sM
Lester thought alsui ii,e-~ thing,
while the sun sank and = giortDus
moon aro~~ to light the world viii
silver rndisusr. 4 iitil- bss-1e s;,sAns
up frUn, The .buth. and i.--i~s !eanec
against ihe trunk Of N isa'n srd turned
Ais fare 10 it- .Voiiug touch.
1hen h~ heard IL. Family. sweetiy
II was borne IN ib~ wing. VI the Wtnd
and swept over his head In signing
tuneful melody.
This was the haunted island Of the
natives. Was II the spirtf Of Giiisrt
Olds seeking TO hold cummunicn ton
with his friend,
After nD invigorating cup OF coffee
Lester made = thorough exnniInatiou
OF the Island and found many traces
OF Gilberi's occupation. There WAS his
former camp not thirty feet AWAY
from the site Of Testers matched hut.
There wns good sized tent pitched
here and many utensils scattered
around There were traces OF tram
pling bare feet In the sand around the
tent door. and Lester counted that
there must have been dozen men be-
sides Gilbert Olds. for the iatiers foot.
prints were easily distinguished from
the others, FOR be had worn shoes.
There was no doubt that Gilbert Olds
had been attacked by natives from the
neisbborine Islands and carried nway
TO death Or captivity,
A careful search OF the most proml.
pent palms along the shore did not re.
veal one that had n hollow trunk OF
tha, In any way seemed 70 oYer n
hiding place for some Of the most
splendid pearls OF The east. Early in
the afternoon the wind sprang up
again from the south. and almost im-
medintely Lester heard the signing
music OF the nixuf before.
lie shook Oh the feeling Of uncanni-
ness ut the strange sound and tried
TO place It's source. OF one thing he
was certain that IL lowered over the
tail palm beneath whi,'h he had sat
the uight b~for-. He stood beneath
Its slender. rapering trunk and looked
wbufuliy upward at the thick iuft of
branches above his head. II he only
had the steel spurs of n telephone
wire man tn. mounting Of that tree
would lie small matter.
All nj one. there stood plainly be-
fore him as II written ON the sand n
picture In long forgotten geography
OF his youth II WAS n drawing of a
south sea ISLANDER climbing the hare
trunk OF palm tree. The man had
tied a long scarf about the tree and
his own waist. and then. bending back
ward his bare fsri pressed against the
tree. h. Drnc,-d himself against the
scarf and slowly a>.~nded.
II was ditiicult feat 10 perform. but
Lester wRs no mean athlete. ana there
was thin cashmere blanket that
would form an excellent brace for the
ascent. He kicked oE his shoes. twist
ed the blu nkef Into a rOpe. tied himself
TO the tree with plenty Of slack and
tried. He failed utterly. While he
rested. bruised and scratched. another
idea came to him. and he Immediately
put II into practice. His bag ulso pro-
duced long coll VI nexib'e rope
which had -...in,.d To him n useful nd
junci TO his travelling kit In the trop-
les. A half hours play with this re-
suited Ia his ins-.'ing n thick bunch OF
the top branch..- and pulling II taut.
Now. with The roIs In his hands ana
the brace once more In place. Lester
gradually drew himself up 10 The tuft'
ed top os the palm. where he rested
panting among the brSn' he-. while the
weird music played almost In his ears.
Now that he WAS NJ here II WAS
easy TO md the source OF the hidden
melody. An a-olIan harp fashioned
from cigar tox md some strings
from GlltHrt = Hihuuolu WIS Suhuuk
ly concenl.-d In the brnnche~ where ev'
cry puii Of the south wind resulted IN
q strain Of music. Why had Gilbert
placed the harp there Was II pre-
caution agninsi hi. possible capture by
th. natives. and did II Indicate the
palm tree which contained the pearls
Lester believed II did.
lie found the pearls easily. Just b~-
neath the tufi-d top n square outline
vas cut In the trunk. Lester thrust
the binG. of his knife Ia one wedge
aud pri-d II ois'n like little door The
pl,hy trunk had is~n followed out. and
there. wrapped In mn oIIskln Tag. were
the pearls which had rust = n'orc u
lives since the fame u their presence
90 the island had guue sbroad.
With the paris 10 his b.'~om iIes'es
slipped down sUm the irs~ Just ~ ihs
sun sank below the horizon. Lister
when the nuvn was rising be- sai