Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-01-07
CHAPTER XIII.
Mr.. Tubbs Interrupts.

W. w DAVW q nOSSCn iiIhSll3 III Lite fJdL
ter of the Island Queen. 1t would TAXI
me a long while to get down through
the sand to the chest, but /, resolved Il
accomplish 1t, and borrowed Of Cookie
without his knowledge, a large iror
spoon which / thought / could wielt
more easily than a heavy spade.
But that afternoon | was tired and
hot--it really called for a grimmei
resolve than mine to shovel sand
through the languor Of a Leeward
island afternoon. Instead, / slept In
my hammock, and dreamed that | was
queen OF a cannibal island, draped In
necklaces made Of the doubloons now
hidden under the sand In the cabin of
the derelict.
Later, the wailing Of Cookie was
heard In the land, and / had to restore
the spoon to free Crusoe Of the charge
OF having stolen 1t. / said | had want
ed to dig with 1t. But Of course 1t oc-
CURED to no one that 1t was the treas
nre | had expected to dig up with
Cookies spoon.
A more serious obstacle to my ex-
plorations on the Island Queen pre-
sented itself next day. Instead Of put
ting to sea, Mr.. Shaw and Captain
Magnus hauled the boat UP on the
beach and set to work to repair Ii.
The preceding day had been filed
with hardship and danger-so much
so that my heart sank a little at the
recountal OF 1t. You saw the little
boat threading its way among the
reefs, tossed like seaweed by the
white teeth of gnawing waves
screamed at by angry gulls whose
homes were those clefts and caves
which the boat invaded. And all this,
poor little boat, on a hopeless quest
for no reward but peril and wounds.
Gutfibert Vane had a sprained thumb
which could not be ignored, and on
the strength of which he was dis
missed from the b~oat-repairing con-
tingent, and thrown on my hands to
entertain. SO of course | had to re-
nounce all thoughts Of visiting the
sloop. I should not have dared to go
there anyway, with Mr.. Shaw and the
captain able more or less to overlook
my motions from the beach, for | was
quite morbidly afraid of attracting at
tention to the derelict. II seemed to
me a happy miracle that no one but
myself had taken any interest In her,
or been inspired to ask by what chance
so small a boat had come to be
wrecked upon these desolate shores.
Fortunately In her position In the
shadow of the cliff she was incon-
spicuous, SO that she Night easily
have been taken for to lshlf of q large
boat instead Of sfsie whole OF a small
one, on.map~ss must before this have
asAwil the questioning notice of the
scotehman. AS to the captain, his at
tention was all set on the effort to
discover the cave, and his intelligence
was not lively enough to start on an
entirely new tack by itself. And the
Honorable Cuthbert viewed dereiicts
as he viewed the planetary bodies;
somehow In the course Of nature they
happened.
SO, assembling my excitements and
anxieties, | swung placidly In my ham,
mock, and nearby sat the beautiful
youth with his thumb carried tenderly
In a bandage. Was 1t merely my be-
ing so distrait, or was 1t quite another
reason that led him to open up so
suddenly about his Kentisb homer
Strange to say, instead Of painting for
tlls-stitle, Cuthbert wanted his broth
er to go on living, though there was
something queer about us spine, poor
fellow, and the doctors said he couldn't
possibly OF course | was surprised
at Cuthbert's views. for l had always
thought that If there were a title In
your family your sentiments toward
those who kept you out of 1t were
necessarily murderous, and your tears
crocodile when you pretended to weep
v their biers. But Cuthberts feel
ings were s human that | mentally /
ap0logized to the nobility. AS to
High Staunton manor. / adored 1t. 1t
ia mostly J~acobean, but with an an
cient Tudor wing, and 1t has a chapel
and q ghost and a secret staircase
and a frightfully beautiful and wicked
ancestress hanging In the hall mean
u portrait of her-and quantities OF
oak paneling quite black with age,
and silver that was hidden In the fam
lily tombs when Cromwelfs soldiers
came, and a chamber where Elizabeth
once slept, and other romantic details
too numerous to mention. II Is a little
bit u down and shabby, for lack of
money to keep 1t up, and Of course on
that account all the more enhancing.
The present Lord Grasmere lived up
TO his position so completely that he
had the govt and sat with his foot on
a cushion exactly like all the elderly
aristrcrats you ever heard Of. only
when ! inquired If his lordship cursed
his valet and flung plates at the foot
men when his foot hurt him, his son
was much shocked and panied. He
did not realize so well as I--from an
extensive course OF novel-reading-
that such Is the usual behavior of IT,
tied persons.
II was delightful, there In the hot
stiffness OF the, island, with the palms
fastling family overhead, to hear of
shat cool, messy, ancient place.
H1