The Washington times., 1921-04-17

1880 - e~~~o hs~sS
low my waist.
On the empty space Of the con-.
creted veranda door my shoes went
tapping. tapping. with q noise that
seemed curiously loud as ! went
from door to door, trying the fast
enings of the shutters and finding.
in every case. that they we're
secure.
But must get.in." said to my.
self. III I can get In I shall be
queen Of the whole island and live
as I like, and no one. no one at all.
will come to trouble me for ever so
long," The idea, as French people
say. "sang to me-"
Who has not had the dream of
finding q deserted house. some
where very far away-a house all
prepared for living In but empty of
inhabitants?
This fairy tale had hold Of me. I
almost forgot my troubles In hunt
ing, breathlessly. for an opening; In
regretting that none could be found;
In running to the woodshed and
fetching the woodaxe that knew
would be there and battering With
all the strength In my healthy
young arms at the shutter that COW
,~aE ~~A ~ <hA Annpa
It gave way easily enough; IN the
islands fastenings are not made to
stand siege. It disclosed, as had
expected, the usual pattern OF glass.
panelled door, locked inside.
This was disappointment. 1
might, of course, break the glass,
but could not easily get through
the opening of the pane. Besides,
some instinct-I scarcely know
what-warned me not to denude
the house of Its defences by rem
dering q door useless.
"They would not take the keys
away with them," ! thought.
There would be no sense in that.
. They've hidden them"
walked all round the house and
through the woodshed. No likely
looking hiding place commended It.
self to my fancy until I reached the
range of corrugated iron tanks that
received the water from the roof.
THAT will be it,"I said, and i'm
mediately crept under the tanks.
Beneath the third tank, hung by q
leathern string. I found the missing
keys.
The door that had unshuttered
was not hard to open; found Its
key almost at once. almost ran
into the house. 1t was such an ad-
venture! .,.
Darkness and dust and long rays
of sunshine slanting through the
louvres. A large room front, q
large room back. Smaller rooms.
oblong In shape, at each end. Fur
niture and ornaments showing out.
as ones eyes got accustomed to the
gloom. A billiard table In one Of
the small rooms. In the front large
room q polished floor. shining like
water in the darkness of deep for
est; rugs of lion and leopard skins;
clubs and spears and savage he'll
NETS, Of forms unknown to me,
upon the walls.
I saw here none of the cane and
basket furniture almost inevitably
found in island houses. The chairs
and couches were Of carved brown
wood, inlaid with figures Of pearl.
A faint, delicious smell pervaded
the whole room could not name
1t at first until bent in The dusk
to examine the pearl inlay upon an
armchair; and then I recognized 1t
for sandalw8od. The whole suite
was sandalwood, the rare. the
treasured!
"It must have cost goodness
knows what" thought, going on
with my Investigations.
There were no ornaments In the
room save two, the Venus or
Cnidus and the Boxer" from the
Vatican. magnificently reproduced.
not In marble but In wood.
Upholstery there was none; no
prudent furnisher uses 1t In coun-
tries where centipedes and scor-
pions abound, but cushions OF
blood-colored satin, larger than l
had ever thought cushions could
be, were scattered recklessly every
where.
The walls were panelled In GER
tain beautiful island wood. deep
rose In color, veined like some ex-
quisite mineral and family scented
like a flower.
I stood In the centre of the room,
my eyes by now accustomed to the
cool, dim light that filtered through
the louvres and looked at 1t all
with satisfaction. I almost felt as
IL owned 1t.
"They must be interesting peo-
ple," l thought, recalling the usual
well-to-do island home with its
glass and brass hanging lamps. its
suites of tortured basketwork cush'
ioned with screaming plush, Its
eruptions OF "hand-painted" land
scapes in gilt frames, its staring
photograph engagements and idiot