Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1922-01-26

| worked, anu slapped Ine nODIe youth
affectionately on the back when he
came and got in the way with anxious
industry.
AS / wanted to observe develop
ments-s very necessary thing when
you are playing Providence chose
a central position in the shade and
pulled out some very smudgy tatting,
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.
Mr.. Tubbs also had sought shady
spot, and was tanning himself with
his helmet. From time to time he
hummed, in manner determinedly
gay. However he might disguise it
from himself, this time Mr.. Tubbs hao
Overshot his mark. The truth was,
since our arrival on the island Mr..
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
Oretical rank as leader had involved
merely the acceptance of all the re-
spOnsibility and blame, while authority
rested with the petticOat government
dominated by the bland and willy
Tubbs.
But now, faced with the failure of
his coup d'etat, Mr.. Tubbs' situation
was, to say the least, awkward. He
had risked all and lost it. But he
maintained an air Of jaunty self-cOn-
fidence slightly tinged with irony. 1t
was all very well, he seemed to i'm
ply, for us to try to get along without
H. H. 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 James sobs. seemed to see
that an ear of Mr.. Tubbs was cooked
attent4vely in that direction. He had
indeed erred in the very wantonness
of triumph, for a single glance would
/
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. III.
himself had CONCEALED that tepid flow.
The morning wore on with ever-in-
creasing heat, and as nothing hap
pened 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. 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. knew nothing, of course,
of Mr.. Tubb's drastic measures with
the celebrated landmark. AS to Cuth-
bert's interrupted cOurtship, depend
ed on the vast excitement of discOv-
ering the cave to distract his mind
from It, For that was the idea, of
cOurse-Cuthbert Vane and would
explore the cave, and then whenever
l liked could prick the bubble Of Mr..
Tubbs' ambitions, without relating the
whole strange story Of the diary and
the Island Queen.
But meanwhile the cave drew me
like magnet. jealousy desired to
be the first to see 1t, to snatch from
Mr.. Tubbs the honor of discovery. And
l 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 it, too? And
then smiled a smile that was half
proud. 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
fail In standing by friend. And just
now Cuthbert was standing by Dugald
Shaw. Therefore mods and becks and
wreathed smiles were vain. In Cuth-
bert's quiet, easy-mannered, thick
headed way he could turn his back
calmly on the face of love and follow
the harsh call Of duty even to death.
1t would not occur to him not to.
And he never would suspect himself
Of being q hero-that would be quite
the incest part Of It
And yet l knew poor Cuthbert was
an exploded superstition, an anachro-
nism, part Of a vanishing order Of
things, and that the ideal which was
replacing him was a'boIler-plated mon
ster with clOckwork heart and brain,
named Eficiency. And that Cuthbert
must go, along with MIS- JacObean ma
nor. and his family ghost. and the
oaks IN the park. and everything else
that couldn't prove its. right to live
except BY being fine and lovely and
full OF ghrnered sweetness Of the
past
Al this point In my medlfations the
door Of the cabin opened and Mss
browne came ont. looking sternIy res
olute AuN. Jane followed. very pink
about the yves and nose With