The St. Johns herald., 1922-05-18

full. I used to wonder whether in the
 event of tornado he would not warm
 into positive genlality. Perhaps 1t
 would not have needed a tornado, if
 had not begun by suspecting him
 of cOnspiring against Aunt Jane's
 pocket, or if the Triumvirate, in-
 spired by Mir. Tubbs had not sat in
 gloomy judgment on his every move
 ment. Or if he hadn't been reproached
 so for saving me from the cave, in-
 stead of leaving it to Cuthbert Vane-
 But now under the stimulus of speaking his mind about MT. Tubbs the ScOtchman whistled as he 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-I chose a central position in the shade and pulled out some very smudgy tatting, a 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.
 Mir. Tubbs also had sought a shady spot. and was tanning himself with his helmet. From time to time he hummed. in a manner determinedly gay. However he might disguise it from himself, this time MT. Tubbs had OvershOt his mark. The truth was, since our arrival on the island Mir. 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 com manded them. The Scotchman's the oretical rank as leader had involved merely the acceptance of all the re- sponsibllity and blame, while authority rested with the petticOat government dominated by the bland and willy Tubbs.
 But now, faced with the failure of ais coup d'etat, Mir. iTubbs' situation was. to say the least, awkward. He had risked all and lost 1t. But he maintained an air of jaunty self-cOn- fidence, slightly tinged with irony. It was all very well, he seemed to i'm ply, for us to try to get along without H. Fl. 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 Aunt Jane's sobs. 1 seemed to see that an ear of Mir. Tubbs was cooked attentively 'n 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 cOntemning eye of H. H. himself had cOngealed that tepid flow.
 The morning wore on with ever-in- creasing heat, and as nothing hap pened I 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 brim of old Heintz's kettle cooled the air. I be- gan to consider whether it would not be we'll to take a walk with Cuthbert Vane and discover the tombstone all over again. 1 knew nothing, of course, of Mir. Tubb's drastic measures with the celebrated landmark. AS to Cuth- bert's interrupted cOurtship, 1 depend ed on the vast excitement of discov- ering the cave to distract his mind from it. For that was the idea, of Vane and I would explore the cave, and then whenever I liked I could prick the bubble of MT. Tubbs' ambitions, without relating the whole strange story of the diary and the Island Queen.
 But meanwhile the cave drew me like magnet. 1 jealOusly desired to be the first to see it, to snatch from Mir. Tubbs the honor of discovery. And I wanted to know about poor Peter and the doublOOns 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 ask Cuthbert Vane to do 1t, tOO7 And then I smiled a smile that was half proud. I 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