Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-12-16
CHAPTER v.
The CaptaIn's LEGACY.


taken to the matinee, usually the most
thrilling feature Of the spectacle to
me 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 it 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 intoxicat-
ing perfumes that had imagined in
my curtain landscape.
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 a height of nearly three thousand
feet. At its base on three sides lies
plateau. it's edges gnawed away by
the sea to the underlying rocky skele-
ton. On the southeastern quarter the
peak drops by series Of great preci-
pieces straight into the sea.
All the plateau and much Of the
peak are clothed with woods, 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. It's roof of palm-thatch
had been scattered by storms. Near
er the stream on bench were an old
decaying washtub and board. A
broken frying-pan and rusty AK
head lay in the grass.
In the hut itself were rude bed
stead, q small table ind q cupboard
made Of boxes. / was excited at first,
and fancfed 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 md Miss
Browne had been easily persuaded to
dispose themselves for maps.
The boats of the Rufus Smith had
departed from the island, and our re-
/
The thought of our isolation awed and
fascinated me as sat meditatively
upon keg Of nails watching the mir
acle of the tropic dawn. The men
we're hard at work with bales and
boxes, except Mr.. Tubbs, who gave
advice. 1t must have been valuable
advice, for he assured everybody that
word from his lips had invariably
been enough to make Wall Street sit
up and take notice. But it is a far
cry from Wall Street to Leeward
island. Mr.. Tubbs, ignored, sought
refuge with me at last, and pointed
out the beauties Of Aroarer as she
rose from the embrace of Neptune.
"Aroarer Borealis to be accurate, -
he explained, s'but they didn't use
parties surnames much in classic
tines
The glad cry of breakfast put an
end to Mr.. Tubbs' exposition of my
thology.
So does dull reality clog the feet of
! dreams that 1t proved impossible to
begin the day by digging up the treas
ure. Camp had to be arranged, for
folk must eat and sleep even with
the wealth of the Indies tot be had
for the turning of a sod. The cabin
was reroofed and set apart as the bow
er of Aunt Jane and Miss Browne. ]
declined to make third in this sane
tuary. You could tell by looking at
her that Violet was the sort of per-
son who would inevitably sleep out
loud.
"Hang me up in tree or any
where" l insisted, and it ended by my
having a tarpaulin shelter rugged up
in a group of cocoa-palms.
Among our earliest discoveries on
the island was one regrettable from
the point of view Of romance, though
rich in practical advantages; the
woods were the abode of numerous
wild pigs. You should have seen how
clean. how seenly, how Self-reSpectin9