The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-08-03

HHuueut uFlV1n Dy my WFOHRS 10 the
cruelty of SCATTERING his illusions.
"Who ever heard of pirates treasure
that wasn't m0onshine7 The moment
/ had read Aunt James letter telling
of the perfectly absurd business she
was setting out OH rushed down by
the first boat OF course 1 meant to
take her back with me, to put stop
to all this madness: but was too late
and you are glad Of it, dare say r.
IL can't help being glad, you know"
he replied, the color rising to his in
genuous cheeks. s"It's so frightfuIIy
Jolly having you along. Only I'm sor-
~ you came against your will. Rath-
er fancy you had 1t In your head that
we were a band OF cutthroats, Ell?
Well, the fact is L don't know much
about the two chaps Miss Browne
picked up, though suspect they are
q very decent sort. That odd fish,
Captain Magnus, now-he was quite
Miss Brownies own find. assure you.
And as to old Fl. 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 a meeting OF something. Shaw
was quite bit upset about it. I say,
Miss Harding, you're bound to like
Shaw no end when you know him
he's such a wonderfully clever chap 70
/ 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 a
worthy leader for the forthcoming
Harding Browne expedition. All 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 adventures,
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 / 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 a bit fiat after what he'd been
having, and meant he would never get
beyond being the captain of liner,
and not that for a 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
Hgglesby Browne, we were bit
foored for time. But Shaw smoked
a pipe on 1t, and then he said, old
chap. If they will give me my figure,
I'm their man. And said. Quite so,
old chap, and I'll go along. too
81 had TO argue quite 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
1t strikes me as no end OF lark-be-
sides expecting 1t to put old Shaw on
his feet and give us hatfuls of money
all round"
Well, 1t was plausible story, and
had no doubt, so far as the Honorable
Outhbert 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 Id hadn't after all been
a trumped-up affair between Miss
Browne and hiln-that his surprise
at the message was not assumed to
throw dust In the eyes OF his young
and trusting friend7 So great was
my faith In Aunt James gullibiIity,
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
or him, one couldn't picture 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 It'd be won by anybody
must come out OF the pocket of Aunt
Jane.
AS these reflections passed through
my mind looked up and saw the
subject or them approaching. He lift
ed his helmet, but met my eyes un-
smilingly, with sort of sober scru.
tiny. He had the tanned skin of q
sailor, and brown hair cropped close
and showing a trace OF gray. This
and certain tI0ur grim look he has
made me at first consider him quite
middle aged. though I knew later thai
he was not yet thirty-fiTe. As to ths
eaR