Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-12-31

vealed themselves, cut deeply and ir-
regularly into the sloping face OF the
stone. Below was the h%alf-intelligi
BILE symbol of the crossed bones.
There was something in the utter
loneliness of the place that caught
my breath sharply. AT once had the
feeling of a marauder. Here slept the
guardian of he tre%asure--and yet In
defiance of hin | meant to have 1t.
So, too, had Peter-and ! didn't know
yet what he had managed to do to
Peter.
With an impatient SILVER l got up
quickly from my knees. | whistled to
Crusoe. who was trotting basily about
on mysterious intelligence conveyed to
him by his nose. He ran to me joy
fully, and l stopped and patted his
warm vigorous body.
Let BIZ walk. CrQsoe," | remarked.
"let him He needn't be a dog in the
manger about the treasure, anyhow"
Now came the momen which ] had
been trying not to think about. | had
to find the entrance to the cave, and
then go into 1t or part with my own
esteem forever. | went and peered
over the cliff. The ledge was there
not an inviting ledge, nor one on
which the unacrobatically inclined
would have any Impulse to saunter.
but a perfectly good ledge. on which
| had moi the slightest excuse for de-
clining to venture.
There was truly nothing dangerous
about the ledge. 1t was nearly three
feet wide, and had an easy downward
trend. Yet you heard the hungry roar
of the surf below, and try as you
would not to, caught glimpses of the
white swirl of 1t. | moved cautious
ly, keeping close to the face of the
cliff. Crusoe, to my annoyance, sprang
down upon the ledge after ne. ! had
n feeling that he must certainly trip
me rs | picked my way gingerly along.
An angle in the rock--a low dark
entrance-way-it was all as Peter had
described it. | peered in-nothing but
~impenetrable b~laekness. | took a hes
itating step. The passage veered
sharply, as the diary had recorded.
Once around the corner. there would
be nothing but darkness anywhere.
Suddenly portentous and oyerwhelm-
ing. there ROSE before me the unan.
swered question of what had become
of Peter on that last visit to the cave.
Unanswered-and unanswerable ex
cept / n one way: by going In to see.
Whereas | had so far thought prin
cipally of the treasure, I now began
to think with intensity of Peter. What
ironic stroke Of fate had cut him down
in the very moment of his triumph!
Had he ever reached the cave to bring
away the last of the doubloons? Were
they still waiting there unclaimedi
Had a storm come up on that last
night, and the weakened cable parted,
and the Island Queen gone on the
rocks. drowning Peter in the cabin
with his gold. Then how had Crusoe
got away, Crusoe. who feared the
waves so, and would bark at them
and then turn tail and run?
Speaking OF Crusoe, where was hei
| realized that a moment ago he had
plunged into the passage. | heard the
patter of his feet--a pause. A queer
dismal little whine echoed along the
passage. / heard Crusoe returning
but before his nose appeared around
the angle of the tunnel his mistress
had reached the top of the cliff at q
bound and was vanishing at a brisk
pace into the woods.
With bitterness. as l pursued my
way to camp, | realized that ! was
not a heroine, Here was a mystery
1t was the business of a heroine to
solve 1t. Now that | was safely away
from the cave. | began to feel the itch
of a torturing curiosity. How, with
out going into the terrifying place
alone. should I find out what was
theref Should | pretend to have ac-
cidentally discovered the grave. lead
the party to IL, and t~hen-again acct
dentally-diseover the %tunnell This
plan had its m~erits-but i discarded II,
for fear that something would be
found in the cave to direct attention
to the Island Queen. Then | reflect
ed that very likely the explorers
would work round the island far
enough TO. find the sea-mouth of the
cave. This would take matters en-
tirely out OF my hands. / should per
haps be enlightened as to the fate of
Peter and the last remaining bags Of
doubioons, but might also have to
share the secret Of the derelict with
the rest. And then all my dreams Of
playing fairy godmether and shower
ing down ON certain heads-like Goals
of hre-torrents OF beautiful golden
doubloous, would be oyer.
On the whole | could not tell wheth-
err | burned with impatlence to have
the cave discovered. or was cold with
the fear OF 1t.
And then. SO vigorous is the instinct
to see ones self in heroic postureS, l
found I was trying TO cheat myself
with the p~retense that l mea pres
emily To abstract Aunt James electric
torch and. returning To the tunnel
mouth. plunge In dauntlessly.
FTo BE C~oNTINuED)