Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-11-10
CHAPTER v.
The captaln,a Leoacx.

When in my tender years I wal
taken to the matinee, usually the mos
thrilling feature Of the spectacle tC
mo was the scene depicted on the
drop-curtain. Directly was seated
lin the. body-and had had my hat
taken Off and been told not to wrig-
gle, vaulted airily over the uncon-
scious audience, over an orchestra en-
gagged in tuning up, and was lost In
the marvellous landscape Of the drop
curtain. The adventures which / had
there put to shame any which the
raising Of the curtain permitted to
DE seen upon the stage.
I had never hoped to recover in this
prosaic world my long-lost paradise
Of the drOp-curtain, but morning re-
vealed 1t to me here on Leeward
island. Here was the feathery foil
age, the gushing springs, the gor-
geous flowers Of that enchanted land.
And here were the soft and lntoxicat-
ing perfumes that l had imagined in
Leeward island measures roughly
four miles across from east to west
by three from north to south. The
core Of the island is the peak, rising
to height Of nearly three thousand
feet. At its base on three sides lies
a plateau, Its edges gnawed away by
the sea to the underlying rocky skele-
ton. On the southeastern quarter the
peak drops by series of great preci-
pices straight into the sea.
All the plateau and much Of the
peak are clothed with woods, a beau
tiful bright green against the sap
phire Of sea and SKY High above all
other growth wave the feathery tops
OF the cocoa-palms, which flourish here
luxuriantly.
The palms were nowhere more
abundant than in the hollow by the
cove where our camp was made, and
their size and the regularity Of their
order spoke Of cultivation. Guavas,
oranges and lemons grew here, too,
and many beautiful banana-palms
At the side Of the clearing toward
the stream stood hut, built of cocoa
palm logs. Its roof of palm-thatch
had been scattered by storms. Near
er the stream on a bench were an old
decaying washtub and a board A
broken frying-pan and a rusty ak
head lay In the grass.
In the hut itself were a rude bed
stead, a small table and a cupboard
made Of boxes. was excited at first,
and fancied we had come upon the
dwelling of a marooned pirate. With
out taking the trouble to combat this
opinion, Mr.. Shaw explained to Cuth-
bert Vane that cOpra gatherer had
once lived here, and that the place
must have yielded such profit that
he was only surprised to find It de-
serted now. Behind this cool, en-
phatic speech I sensed an ironic zest
In the destruction of my pirate.
After their thrilling experience Of
being ferried from the Rufus Smith
to the island, my aunt and Miss
Browne had been easily persuaded to
dispose themselves Cor maps.
The boats Of the Rufus Smith had
departed from the island, and our re-
ations with humanity we're severed.
me thought Of our isolation awed and
me as / sat meditatIvely
Ipon a key Of nails watching the mir
lcle Of the tropic dawn. The men |
we're hard at work with bales ana
Ioxes, except Mr.. Tubbs who gave
Idvice. It must have been valuable
ldyice, for he assured everybody that |
word from his lips had invariably
'een enough to make Wall Street Sit
Ip and take notice. But 1t Is a Ear
nv from WAN Street to Leeward /
sland Mr. rubbs, ignored. sought
efnge with me II last and pointed
ut the beauties Of Ar0arer as she
cse from the embrace Of Neptune.