Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-11-17

1ENy9%NG
!oeeS-MERRlLLC or1PAMY.
worked, and slapped the noble youth
affectionately on the back when he
came and got in the way with anxious
industry.
As I wanted to observe develop.
ments-a very necessary thing when
you are playing Providence chose
central position In the shade and
pulled out some very smudgy tatting,
sort Of Penelope's web which there
was no prospect Of my ever complet-
ing. but which, served admirably to
give me an appearance Of occupation
at critical moments.
Mr.. Tubbs also had sought shady
spot, and was tanning himself with
his helmet. From time to time he
hummed, in a manner determinedly
gay. However he might disguise 1t
from himself, this time Mr.. Tubbs had
Oversh0t his mark. The truth was,
since our arrival on the island Mr..
Tubbs had felt himself the spoiled
child of fortune. Aunt Jane and Miss
Higglesby-Browne were the joint com
manders of the expedition, and he coml
manded them. The. Scotchman's the
oretical rank as leader had involved
merely the acceptance Of all the re-
sponsibility and blame, while authority
rested with the petticoat government
dominated by the bland and willy
Tubbs.
But now, faced with the failure Of
his coup d'etat, Mr.. Tubbs' situation
was, to say the least, awkward: He
had rlsked all and lost 1t. But he
maintained an air Of jaunty self-con-
fidence, slightly tinged with irony. II
was all very well, he seemed to i'm.
ply, for US to try to get along without
H. II. We would discover the impos.
sibility Of it soon enough.
Aunt Jane, dropping, had been led
away to the cabin by Miss Higglesby.
Browne. You now heard the voice
Of Violet in exhortation, mingled with
Aurt James sobs. I seemed to see
that an ear Of MFR. Tubbs was cooked
attentively in that direction. He had
indeed erred in the very wantonness
Of triumph, for a single glance would
have kept Aunt Jane loyal and prodi.
gal Of excuses for him in the face of
any treachery. Not even Violet could
have clapped the lid on the up-welling
font Of sentiment in Aunt James heart
Only the cold Conforming eye Of H. H
himself had CONCEALED that tepid flow
The morning wore on with ever-in.
creasing heat, and as nothing hap
pened ! began to find my watchful
waiting dull. Crusoe, worn out per
haps by some private nocturnal pig
hunt, slept heavily where the drip Of
the spring over the sbrim of old
Heintz's kettle cooled the air. l be.
gan to consider whether 1t would not
be well to take q walk. with Cuthbert
Vane and discover the tombstone I'LL
over again. knew nothing, Of course,
Of Mr.. Tubb's drastic measures with
the celebrated landmark. AS to Cuth.
bert's interrupted courtShip, depend.
ed on the vast excitement Of discov-
ering the cave to distract his mind
from it. For that was the idea, Of
course -Cuthbert vane and would
explore the cave, and then whenever
liked I could prick the bubble Of Mr..
Tubbs' ambitions, without relating the
whole strange story Of the diary and
the Island Queen.
But meanwhile the, cave drew me
like magnet. jealousy desired to
be the first to see 1t, to snatch from
Mr.. Tubbs the honor Of discovery. And
wanted to know about poor Peter
and the doublo0ns that he had gone
back to fetch.
But already Captain Magnus had
,forsaken the post Of duty and depart
ed on an unknown errand. Could r ask
Cuthbert Vane to do 1t, too? And
then I smiled a smile that was half
proud. might ask him-but he would
refuse me. In Cuthbert's simple code,
certain things were "done," certain
others not. Among the nots was to
fail In standing by a friend. And just
now Cuthbert was standing by Dugald
Shaw. Therefore mods and becks and
wreathed smiles were vain. In Cuth-
bert's quiet. easy-mannered, thick.
headed way he could turn his back
calmly on the face Of love and follow
the harsh call Of duty. even to death.
It would not occur to him not to.
And he never would suspect himself
Of being a hero that would be. quite
the incest part Of It. e
And yet I knew poor Cuthbert was
an exploded superstition, an anachro-
nism, part Of q vanishing order Of
things. and that the ideal which was
replacing him was . boiler-plated mon
ster; with ciockwork heart and brain.
named efficiency. q And that Cuthhert
must 60, along with his Jacobean ma. ma.
nor, and his family ghost, and the
oaks in the park, and everything else
that couldn't prove Its right to live
except BY being hne and lovely and
full Of garnered sweetness Of the
As IT,