The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-07-11
Next Week
The Little Gray Shoe
A Novel
A Week!
PERCY J. BREBNER
Continued from Our la. ts.ue)

tcontlnued from Our Last issue
r FOUND Williams looking down
into a twenty five foot excava-
ton. A single old colorcd man
was with him. tho Waterman OF the
deserted plant. who was explain
Ing some affair OF the previous
week.
"Dey done shot at me. MIsteh
Williams" Tho old fellow raised
his stick and pointed northward tc
the blue wall OF cypress which was
the nearer side OF Laure's isle:
Yes. suh--dey done snuck ou,
o. John-theFool and Glib me nah
wa'nln'."
who did,"
Dem ole pirate folkses. Mex
boat Ah'm goln' out Reckon ole
Armand's ghost done snuck back
when 20 start TO cutiin' up his
island"
Uncle Piney. you 20 get US
some breakfast" Virgil said. and
smiled at me aside. '1rll send you
out front II you want to go" But
when the old fellow had hobbled
away. the land boss face grew
long. Last one / could keep on
the Job here-ths old yarns about
this place got them clean scared
away"
We walked about the melancholy
ruin and breakfasted in the shade
OF Uncle Piney's shack.
Those New York fel.los don't
know the dredge Is runnin'. They
told me TO lay her mp with the
work on the pumps"
Well" ! put in. Just how did
you get the money!"
Money!" he smiled benignly.
"Nobody's got any money-mueh.
Big Jim and the fel.los on the
dredge-why. they Just believe
that's all"
] took a stalk OF cane and walked
out past the sheds where eighty
thousand dollars worth OF ma.
chinery was rusting and two thou.
sand sacks OF cement were turn.
ing TO stone, and thrust II down
in the salt swamp ooze outside the
leyee. There was no bottom: the
stuff was thinner every foot OF the
way.
II understand now. the story OF
the baby buggy" | said dryly.
Virgil. have you the nerve TO say
that some day you'll sell this for
farms7"
Yes. sch. II have TO stand 'em
on end and dry 'em out"
And when we were off again in
the launch. speeding up the canal,
the Texan pointed southwark.
They tried plantin' once-cane
and rice-and then the sea came
in on EN- in 81" He looked cur.
iously into the forest cove. "And
while we're passin' III Introduce
you TO the Baron OF John-the-F Fool"
The baron7"
He smiled with his gentle toler.
ance. even at Cell. who would not
greet him. Then, swinging the
wheel over. the boat drifted on
into this glade OF the sunken for.
est. On a platform, hung from
trunk to trunk above the water. sat
a slab and palmetto hut with a mud
chimney rising at one end. To the
cypress spikes beneath was moored
a flat-end johnboat. Virgil lifted
the johnboat paddle and slammed
II nightly upon the boards. And
there waddled out OF the swamp
shack the most curious figure OF
a man / had ever seen.
Vast and rotund was he. with
faded sash OF silken brilliance
aboU his waist, and in his green
hat was stuck a rooster feather
He removed a remarkable pipe
from his mouth, and then bowed
down to us.
"Ah, the gentlemen have arrived
Allestandro-assist the gentle
men!" He pounded on the plat
form.
And around that shack came the
manikIn ManIlaman who had
brought US 10 Isle Bonnie in his
IuRger yesterday.
His master gave us q benign eve.
MY good frlend-and bad luck
20 him and his schemes-has not in
reduced us as gracefully as he