Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-12


.ov.,od haskell in the bow. of the little
notorboat; then she took her piaee'
while the captain pushed away from
,be landing steps and grasped tne
u,hsel all I'm one agile motion, born OF
long experience on the waters OF 1"ii
lake.
"wbere is the island?' asked Carol
.,.ar tbev had fairly started on the
blue water. ,,, 49,,
"ye can't glimpse 1T till we turn
pine Tree pint; kinder queer that your
cousin or-was Steve Atwood your
.o,sir did We saw" asked the captain
inquisitively.
"He was my fathers cousin' fepieu
Carol. with an air of reserve.
.weIl. was saying it's mighty queer
that out of all his money ne shouiu
leave YOU nothing but Pine isiano mere
You can't do nothing but sell IT. mss.
/ hear you're from New York city
Work there?"
Yes"
$50 I heard. 1t was all printed In
the newspaper when Steve ATWOOD
died-how he left Pine island to little
cousin who was bookkeeper or some
thing like that in the city. The paper
said it was too bad that Mr.. At"oou
hadn't left a/sum of money so his
orphan cousin could do something with
il but I dunno-you can sell the island
If Won want to- There's summer folks
would like 1t for camp.
Carol made no reply. Her blue eyes
were dreamily fixed on Pine Tree point
but her thoughts were far from Euli
lake and the odd inheritance left by
her eccentric relative, Stephen ATWOOD,
the many times millionaire. How easy
If would have been had Cousin stephen
only left her a sum of money instead
of the valueless island in this Maine
lake, She sighed bitterly as she re-
membered the clause in Stephen At
woods will which said that the island
was not to be sold within. five years
after his death.
If he had left her a sum of money
she might have given up that Office po-
sition and gone away to seek the health
that was so necessary to her successful
future. She was pale and delicate look
ing. CITY born and bred, and the strug-
gle TO earn her bread and butter was
growing more difficult every day. She
was taking her annual two weeks va
cation in the month of May instead of
August. so that she might loc;s> over
the property.
The breeze ruffied the placid surface
of the lake. pickerel leaped now and
then. and occasionally from the bushy
thicket along the shore mild eyed deer
peered at the speeding boat and its pas
sengers.
There's Pine island" pointed the
captain as they rounded Pine Tree
point into the upper end of the beauti-
full lake.
1T is beautiful cried Carol. breath
less with delight, as she gazed at the
small green island that was her very
own.
1t was set like an emerald in the blue
of the lake. and from amid the thick
growth of pines Carol could glimpse
red roof.
You be'ant going TO stop there
aloner argued Captain Hussey as he
brought the boat up TO small stone
landing.
For few days." said Carol prac-
tically I'm not afraid up here in this
beautiful country. Why, there is more
to fear in the big city where have al
ways lived
That's all very WELL" decided the
old man, "but 1 guess I'll leave old
Watch with you. He can have little
vacation here along with you and hunt
rabbits TO his hearts content. You
can bring him back with you"
Watch, the big collie. who had been
asleep at his masters feet, pricked his
beautiful ears at the sound of his name
and leaped ashore TO jump around
Carol, who had reached the landing
without assistance.
Now. that is kind of you. Captain
Hussey.' cried the girl. taking his re-
luctsnt hands into her little white ones.
Il believe that you brought Watch
along on purpose"
"The missus made me do it," protest
ed the captain as he picked up the
basket OF provisions packed by his
wife for the young stranger "She
thinks you're crazy to stay here all
alone for two weeks. and 1 amt telling
what 1 think about it. You know I
done ali / could to keep you away, but
amt never found the woman yet that
would listen to >reason-no, ma'am!
and see how you get along. And now
I'll look into the lighthouse and see If
that tidy little skiff'is still there. If it
is you can use it TO run away from the
island If things get too lonesome for
you. Can you row."
"Oh. yes" laughed Carol. give
learned to do that on my summer vacs-
tons"
Good. Well. If anything bothers you
or you get lonesome you jest pack into
the skifr and come over to the main
land. You'll find the latchstring always
out on the Hussey house"
Thank you thousand times" cried
Carol gratefully.
First Captain Hussey took the bunch
of keys from Carol and unlocked the
boathouse. Here everything was in
perfect order. the cedar trimmed row.
boat, the oars, the fishing nets anu
n0las oil mad with n aarafnI hard