Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-01-20
CHAPTER viii.
nLaaaIe. Lasaia ).

Two or three days later occurred q
painful episode. The small unsuspect-
ed germ Of 1t had lain ambushed in
a discourse Of Mr.. Shaw's, delivered
shortly after our arrival on the island,
on the multifarious uses of the cocoa
palm. He told how the juice from the
unexpanded fiower-spathes is drawn
off to form a potent teddy, so that
where every prospect pleases man may
still be vile. Cookie, experimentally
disposed, set to work. Mr.. Vane, also
experimentally, sampled the results of
Cookies efforts. The liquor had mere
~ been allowed to ferment, whereas
q complicated process is necessary for
the manufacture Of the true arrack,
but enough had been achieved to bring
about dire consequences for Cuthbert
Vane, who had found the liquid cool
and refreshing, and was skeptical
about It's potency.
Aunt Jane took the matter very
hard, and rebuked the ribald mirth of
Mr.. Tubbs. He had to shed tears over
Q devastating poem called "The
Drunkard's Home" before she would
forgive him. Cookie made his peace
by engaging to vote the prohibition
ticket at the next election.
Mr.. Shaw was disturbed over Cuth-
bert, who was not at all bad, only
queer and sleepy, and had to be led
away to slumber in retirement. Also,
it was exceptionally low tide and
Mr.. Shaw had counted on taking adj
vantage of it to work in the cave.
Now Cuthbert was laid up
"You and will have to manage by
ourselves, Magnus."
Nothing doing boat got to be
patched up-go out there without it
and get caughtr' growled the captain.
swell, lend hand, then. We can
be ready with the boat inside an hour"
The captain hesitated queerly. His
wandering eyes seemed to be search
ing In every quarter for something
they did not find At last he mum
bled that he thought he felt a touch
of the sun, and had decided to lay
off for the afternoon and make his way
across the island. He said he wanted
to shoot waterfowl and that they had
all been frightened away from the
cove, but that with the glass he had
seen them from Lookout thickly about
the other bay.
"very WELL" said the Scotchman
coldly. 81 suppose you must suit your
self. I can get the boat in shape with
out help, I dare say" saw him pres
emily looking In an annoyed and puz-
zled fashion after the vanishing figure
Of the sailor.
Mr.. Tubbs and the umbrellas soon
disappeared into the woods. I believe
the search for Bill Halliwell's tomb
stone was no longer very actively pur-
sued, and that he and Aunt Jane and
Violet spent their time enscOnced in a
snug little nook with hammocks and
cushions. | more than suspected Mr..
Tubbs Of feeling that such q bird In
the hand as Aunt Jane was worth many
doubloons in the bush. But In spite
of uneasiness about the future, for the
present l rested secure in the certainty
that they could not elope from the
island, and that there was no one on
it with authority to metamorphose
Aunt Jane into Mrs. Hamilton H.
Tubbs.
The waters of the cove had receded
until a fringe of rocks under the high
land of the point, usually covered, had
been left bare. l had watched the
emergence of their black Jagged sur
faces for some time before it occurred
TO me that they offered a means of
access to the cave. The caye-place
of fascination and mystery! Here
was the opportunity Of all others to
explore it, unhampered by any one,
Just Crusoe and l alone, in the fash
ion that left me freest to indulge my
dreams.
I waited until the Scotchman's back
was safely turned, because if he saw
me setting forth on this excursion he
was quite certain to command me to
return. and l had no intention of sub
hitting to his dictatorial ways and
yet was not quite sure how l was sue
cessfully to defy him.
The retreating tide had left deep
pools behind, each little cosmos OF