Evening star., 1921-05-22

Fufuti beach lay stark and aching
white before him. The two thieves
had long since lost themselves among
the palms Down by the waters S eags
a couple of Bendeemcr's boat boys
were salvaging odds and ends ios'
overheard in an upset in yesterdays $
heavy surf. They did not waste a
thought or a look on him. He was
many degrees less important than a
lot Of other rubbish around there. He
might just as well. he might much
better. slump down in the sodden heap
amid the rest of the jetsam. And yet
he did not. And he did go on.
Fer some obscure. irrational human
reason he did go on. Perhaps because
OF the tiny coal in his breast. blown
red by Bendeemers blasting contempt.
On the southern tip of Fufuti stands
Tenbow head, the end of a rough lit
tie jut OF land known locally as the
Rocks, though there is neither rock
nor head. Tenbow is wreck of shat
tered coral terraces. clad in the eager
rise and which alone do profit. For
the rest it remains the island jungle.
a section apart and untouched, almost
impenetrable.
Junius Peabody began his explora-
tiJl of this cheerful region by falling
Oh his face in gully and bruising
his nose very grievously. He found
no trail to guide him up the slope.
The footing crumbled: tempting beds
of moss and fern slipped away at his
clutch; twisting lianas caught his
ankles and sent him a-sprawl He
had to creep among Jagged teeth that
sliced his fimsy garments and his
putty-soft flesh. And when loosened
mass slid gently over at touch and
caught and crushed an arm he scarce
| ly wondered whether any personal
power had directed. 1t was all the
same.
Fer long time he lay looking at
his pulped fingers and the driven
drops of blood from the quick of his
nails, sensing the exquisite pain al
most as luxury. hugging it to him.
But at length he stirred and began
to wriggle forward again.
If I'm going to die anyway" said
Junius Peabody, I'm going to die
doing this" Which was an extraor-
dinary remar rks on all accounts. :.
And so by dint of following some
thing and still following with unlim-
tied purpose over limited terrain.
he ran it down in the end and came
to the hiding place he sought.
A rooted instinct of the potentially
criminal had moved the beachcombers
Of Fufuti long since to prepare their
snug retreat in the heart Of the Rocks.
a level bit of shelf screened by lush
vegetation. with the een-stained
cliff for wall and the sapphire waters
of the lagoon below for forecourt
Hither they repaired in the intervals
Of lesser lawbreaking and free enter
tainment. always secure Of hearth and
shelter where the broad pandanus
spread it's shingles. And hither they
had brought the great treasure Of the
morning.
A truly homelike scene was that
on which Junius Peabody peered from
ambush above.
From the convenient branch Of a
tree the Sydney Duck had suspended
, by it's middle a single stout stick. At
one end of the stick he had slung the
stolen lump in fiber net. At the
other he had attached a battered tin
can Of the kind that the beneficent en-
terprse OF an American oil company
had spread to ~.ost of the dark parts
of the earth. On this balance Of an
ancient and primitive design he was
engaged in weighing his illgotten
: gains. squstting to the task.
,, eight pound" he declared. II figger
five quarts an arf. And five is ten
and the 'arf is ONE
S7IL~IS stood beside him in an
- attitude Of stolid skepticism. He
looked quite domestic and almost pa
ternal as he shuffled his broad feet
and lowered over the little larrikin
But the fists he carried in the pockets
of his dungarees bulged like cocoa
nuts. and his hairy arms were looped
! brown cables. A tough man for an
argument was Mynheer Willems
"Yaw," he was saying. But how
you know you got five quart and a
half?"
wy. any fool could guess near
i, enough" cried Sydney, with the su-
nerHunnS Vi0lenpa that his a a
mark. And you-v' big Dutchman
int you swilled enough beer in
yo"r time to Judge? Besides. the
: bally can 'olds three gallon-bound
, TO. There's one sure measure. 8.
, l say we got, anyw'y. eleven pounds
of this stuff. and I 'appen to know
that Bendemeer's fair crazy after it.
: He'll pay big: We ought to ave $4,000.
Chile, to snlit. Two thousand
silver dibs."
2 1t was cue to friendly feeling.
, that luscious phrase. The two men
: leaned >upon it as Sydney dumped
the balance and swung. the fiber, net.
. But it was also Il cue of another kind,
, for it brought Junius Peabody on
stage. He arrived by the simple
! process Of sliding in a bundle over
the brow of the cliff.
That's mine. \ he announced.
, The beachcombers stayed stricken,
which was pardonable. Surely there
never showed II less heroic figure on
a stranger defiance than that of Mr..
Peabody. torn, bedraggled, and be-
smearcd. There was nothing muscu-
lar or threatening about him. He
took no pose. He offered no weapon
He came on at them EmpinE. with
ruiverng lip and empty hands. even
with open hands. And vet the in
credible fact remained that he did
come on at them and continued to
come.
? It's mine" repeated Junius. "AH
mine. and I'm going to have it-all!"
Amazement held them motionless
!, for as long as it took him to cross the