Okolona messenger., 1921-10-27
COPYRIGHT
THE BOBBS.MERRILL
COMPANY

| Captain Magnus, now-he was quite
Miss Brownies own find. assure you.
And as to old II. H.-Tubbs. you know
Miss Browne met up with him on the
boat coming down. The rum old chap
got ON her soft side somehow, and first
thing she had appointed him secre-
tary and treasurer-as though we
were. meeting of something. Shaw
was quite bit upset about it. say,
Miss Harding, you're bound to like
Shaw no end when you know him
he's such wonderfully clever chap" |"
had no wish to blight his faith in
the superlative Mr.. Shaw, and said
nothing. This evidently panied him,
and he continued to sound the praises
Of his idol. 1t seemed that as
soon as Miss Browne had beguiled
Aunt Jane into financing her scheme
Ia feat equivalent to robbing an in
fant-class scholar of his Sunday school
nickel-She had cast about for
worthy leader for the forthcoming
Harding-Browne expedition. Ar the
winds Of fame were bearing abroad
just then the name Of a certain young
explorer who had lately added anoth-
er continent or two to the British en-
pire. Linked with his were other
names, those of fellow adventurers,
which shone only less brightly than
that Of their chief. One Dugald Shaw
had been among the great mans most
trusted lieutenants, but now, on the
organization of the second expedition,
he was left behind in London, only
half recovered Of a wound received
in the Antarctic. His old companions
had taken again the path of glory, and
were far on their way back to the Ice
fields of the South pole. Only Dugald
Shaw was left behind
"And So" the even voice flowed on,
when l ran on to him in London he
was feeling fearfully low, do assure
you. A chap of his sort naturally
hates to think he's on the shelf.
swell, old Shaw was fancying there
was nothing for 1t but to go back to
his place with the P. & o., which
seemed bit fiat after what he'd been
having, and meant he would never get
beyond being the captain of liner,
and not that for good many years
to come, when cable came from this
Miss Higglesby-Browne offering him
command of this expedition. AS
neither of us had ever heard of Miss
Higglesby- Browne, we were bit
tloOred for time. But Shaw smoked
pipe on it, and then he said, Old
chap, If they will give me my figure,
Pm their man.. And / said, Quite so,
old chap, and I'll go along, too
II had to argue quite a bit, but in
the end the dear old boy let me come
after wiring the pater and what not.
And | do assure you, Miss Harding,
it strikes me as no end of lark-be-
sides expecting it to put old Shaw on
his feet and give us hatfuls of money
all round"
Well, it was plausible story, and I
had no doubt, so far as the Honorable
Cuthbert was concerned, an absolute
ly truthful one. The beautiful youth
was manifestly as guileless as small
boy playing pirate with wooden
sword But as to Mr. Shaw, who
could tell that it hadn't after all been
d trumped-up affair between Miss
Browne and him-that his surprise
at the message was not assumed to-
throw dust in the eyes of his young
and trusting friend? So great was
my faith in Aunt James gulllbility,
so dark my distrust of Miss Browne,
that all connected with the enterprise
lay under the cloud of my suspicion.
Mr.. Shaw, after even a casual glimpse
of him, one couldn't pictdre as a victim
| felt that he must have gone into the
enterprise with his eyes wide open
to its absurdity, and fully aware that
the only gold to be won by anybody
must come out of the pocket Of Aunt
Jane.
AS these reflections passed through
my mind l looked up and saw the
subject of them approaching. He lift
ed his helmet, but met my eyes un-
smilingly, with sort of sober scrll-
tiny. He had the tanned skinlOf a
sailor, and brown hair cropped close
and showing a trace Of gray. This
and certain dOur grim look he had
lnade me at first consider him quite
middle-aged, though l knew later that
he was not yet thirty-five. AS to the
grimness, perhaps, unwillingly con-
ceded, part Of it was due to a scar
which scanned the right temple to the
eyebrow, in straight livid line.
He was welcomed by Mr.. Vane with
joyous thump on the shOulder-blade,
Il say, old man, Miss Harding has
turned out to be the most fearful
doubling Thomas-thinks the whole
scheme quite mad and all that sort OF
thing"
n