The Ordway new era., 1922-03-24

OF course. Not once had thought
of It. Bare, stark, glaring up at the
sun. Law the stone carved with the let
tiers and the cross-bones. Forgetting
in the haste of my departure TO re-
place the vines upon the grave 1 had
left the stone to shout its secret to
the first conner. And that happened TO
be Mr.. Tubbs. Happened, 1 say, LOT
| knew that he had not had the slight
est notion where to look for the grave
of Bill Halliwell. This running to
earth of clues was purely an affair OF
his own picturesque imagination.
| wondered uneasily what he had
made of the uprooted vlnes-but he
would lay them to the pigs, no doubt.
In the countenance of Mr.. Tubbs,
flushed and exutant, there was no
suspicion that the secret was not all
his own.
Miss HigglesbyBrowne had closed
umbrella beneath her arm, and she
drew and brandished it like saber
as she took long stride forward.
"AIr. Tubbs," she commanded, lead
on!"
But Mr.. Tubbs did not lead on. "Oh,
no indeed" he said. "Old III. IL.
wasn't born yesterday. 1t may have
exclusive knowledge Of the where
about a million or two-ratln' 1t
Lows some considerable OF an asset.
And it's one l amt got the least idee
of partin with unless for inducements
held out"
Aunt Jane gave faint shrek. 1
had been silently debating what my
own course should be in the face Of
this unexpected development. Sud-
denly l saw my way quite clear. 1
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.
bereft both of the treasure and Of
Aunt Jane.
Little 1 dreamed whit surprises en-
suing acts of the play were to hold
for me, or their astounding contrast
with the farce of my joyous imagina-
tion.
l took no part In the storm that
ragged round Mr.. Tubbs. His face
adorned by seraphic, buttery smile,
he stood unmoved, while Miss Higgles-
by-Browne uttered cyclonic exhorta-
tions and reproaches, while Aunt Jane
sobbed and said, "Oh, Mr.. Tubbs !"
while Mr.. Shaw strove to make him
self heard above the din. He did at
least succeed in extracting from the
traitor a definite statement of terms.
These were nothing less than fifty per
cent of the treasure, secured to him
by a document. sealed and delivered
into his own hands. To suggestion
that as he had discovered the all-im-
portant tombstone, so might some one
else, he replied with tranquility that
he thought not, as he had taken pre-
cautions against such an eventuality.
In other words, as l was later to dis
cover, the willy Mr.. Tubbs had con-
trived to raise the boulder from its
bed and push it over the cliff into the
sea, afterward replacing the mass of
vines upon the grave
AS to the entrance to the tunnel. II
was apparent to me that Mr.. Tubbs
had not yet discovered it. Even If he
had, l am certain that he would have
been no more heroic than myself about
exploring it, though there was no
missing Peter to haunt his imapina.
ton. But with the grave as start.
Ing point, there could be no question
as TO the ultimate discovery of tbe
cave.
was SO eager myself to see
the inside of the cave, and TO know
whatever 1t had to reveal of the fote
OF Peter, that l was inclined to wish
Mr.. Tubbs success in driving his hard
bargain, especially as it would nrof,t
nlm nothing In the end. But this sen.
timent was exclusively my own. On
all hands Indignation greeted the rJv-
orous demands of Mr.. Tubbs. With a
righteous JOY l saw the fabric of
Aunt James illusions shaken nv tho
rude blast of reality. For WHERE wac
the Tubbs of yesterday-the honev.
tongued, the suave, the anxjous,v oh
sequious Tubbs? Gone, quite gopo
instead mere was Tubbs who cooked
MS helmet rakishly, and leered ropnd
upon the company. deaf to the claims
Oh loyalty, the pleas Of friendship the
voice OF tenderness-Aunt James
Manfully Miss HigglesbyB Browne
storined up and down the beach. She
demanded of Mr.. Shaw, of Cuthbert
sane, OF Captain Magnus, each and
seSefally' that Mr.. Tubbs be compelled
10 disgorge his secret. You saw tbot
she would not have shrunk from n roo
.n1 .,nen o1 racks and thumbscrews. But
mere were no racks and thumbscrew.
on the island. OF course we could have
invented various instruments Of torture
y reit l could have developed soms
ingenuity that way myself-but too ..
t0lIv wnlI wv Az