Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-04-20

sun, lay the stone carved with the le
g ters aud the cross-bones. Forgettin
g IN b IL haste Of my departure to r.
0 place the vines upon the grave. / ba
I left the stone TO shout It's secret I
/. the first conner. And that happened 7
T be Mr. Tubbs. Happened. / say. fo
knew that he had not had the slight
est notion where 10 look for the gray,
OF Bin HaHiwell. This running +,
earth OF clues was purely an affair O
+ MS own picturesque Imagination.
] wondered uneasily what he hat
made OF the uprooted vines-but he
would lay them TO the pigs. no doubt
In the c%ountenance OF Mr.. Tubbs
flushed and exultant. there was No
suspicion that the secret was not ali
his own.
Miss Higglesby-Browne had a closed
umbrella beneath her arm. and she
drew and %brandished II like a saber
as she took a long stride forward.
Mr.. Tubbs, she commanded, lead
on"
But Mr.. Tubbs did not lead ON. "Oh.
wasn't born YESTERDAY. II may have
struck you that TO possess the sole and
exclusive knowledge OF the where
o a million or two-ratin' IL
lows SOME considerable OF an asset.
And it's one | amt got the least idee
OF partln with unless for Inducements
held nut"
Aunt Jane gave a faint shrek.
had been silently debating what NV
own course should be In the face Of
this unexpected development. Sud
denlx 1 saw my way quite clear
would say nothing. Mr.. Tubbs should
reveal his own perfidy. And the cur
tain should ring down upon the play.
leaving Mr. Tubbs foIled all around
hereft both of the treasure and of
Aunt Jane.
Little ! dreamed what surprises en-
suing acts OF the play were to hold
for me, or their astounding contrast
with the farce Of my joyous imagine
tion.
| took no part in the storm that
tHth tOhiA MI tuDnS. Ills ace
by a seraphic. bnttery smile
he stood nnmoved, while Miss Higgles-
hy Browne uttered c%yclonic exhorta-
and repr0HcheS. White Aunt jane
sohbed and said. "Oh. Mr. Tubbs -
while Mr.. Shaw stroye 10 make him
self heard above the din. He did at
east succeed In extracting from the
traitor Il definite statement of terrnS.
These We're nothing less than fifty per
'ent OF the treasure, secured to him
~ a document, sealed and delivered
nfo his own hands. To a suggestion
hat aas he had discoyeredGthe all-im-
,ortant tombstone, so might some one
Else. he replied With tranquility that
le thought not. as he had taken pre-
against such an eventually.
II other words, as | was later TO dis
the willy Mr.. 1ubbs had con.
10 raise the boulder from It's .
and push il over the cllff into the 7
ca. afterward replacing the mass Of
ines upon the grave. {
As to the entrance 10 the tunnel. Il z
ias apparent to me that Mr.. Tubbs q
ad not Yet discovered 1t. Even ifNhe c
am certain that he would have I
no more heroic than myself about y
Il, though there was no
Peter 10 haunt his imaglna- q
But with the grave as a start n
IS point, there could be no question T.
: TO the ultimate discovery Of the
ave.
| was SO eager myself to see
leI Inside of he cave. and 10 know G
hateyer il had TO reveal OF the fate I,
Peter. that | was inclined to wish a
II. Tubbs success In driving his hard "
especially as IL would profit 81
i'm nothing in the end. But this sen @
ment was exclusively my own. On p
! hands Indignation greeted the rig II
GUS demands OF Mr.. 1ubbs. With a K
ghteous joy / saw the fabric OF s
unit James Illusions shaken by the Fl
lde blast of reality. For where was
Tubbs of yesterday-the honey
the suave, the a~nxlonsly OBJ
-Quious Tubbs; Gone, quite 0 a
here was q Tubbs who cooked W
5 helmet raktshfy, and feered round "
BON the company, deaf to the claims "
loyalty. the pleas OF friendship, the st
lice of tenderness-A1nt James al
Manfally Miss Higglesby-Browne
up and down the beach. She
Of Mr.. Shaw, of Cuthbert
ane. Of Captain MagnuS each and IN
.yerally. that Mr. Tuhbs be compelled o.
disgovge hts secret. You saw that re
lie would not have shrunk from a reg. Ar
nen Of racks and thumbscrews. But
lere were no racks u thumhscrews
! the island. or course we could have
various instruments Of torture .,
i felt | could have developed some y
genuity that way myself-hut too IA -
ny well sfr. Fubbs K1ew the civllZIl
ed p~rejudlces of those with whom he Sc
I'd 10 deal. With perfect lmpunlty III
could strut about the camp, sure 70
az no weapons worse than words c,
ould be brought to bear upon him. "a,
at he would not even be turned ~
way from the general board 10 r,
on coconuts IN solitude. 49,