Show N ir 5 bah iah raf CO ANY LAND HOJ ha 1 synopsis jane fr arding respectable and fald bpi spinster ster n but never too old to td think of marriage with more money than brains Is I 1 inveigled by a strong minded spinster was miss Y browne into an expedition to hunt for buried aured treasure cp pp leeward island iler iier niece V virginia I 1 larding undertaking to stop aier gets bets on ion tho tl vessel engaged tor for ibe ahe hunt and in the agni confusion I 1 Is 1 unwillingly I carried siong by ma i means concealing her bw distaste for or the expedition and her contempt for its members virginia makes the acquaintance of the honorable 1 cuthbert Cul hbert vane and Ls Is somewhat impressed by his explanation of the presence of himself and shiaw CHAPTER III continued 4 mr shaw looked at me steadily his ees were the kind that eem to see till ill and reveal nothing I 1 felt a hot snark of de flance rising in ray my own and indeed it Is too baa ad 11 lie said bold coolly that the trip should pot not be more to miss bliss hardings liking the rough dougl edges of his scotch burr had been smoothed down by much wandering but you knew at once on which tide ft af the solway he had seen the light it Is wt ja question of my liking I 1 retorted to preserve tin on unmoved and lofty don leanor though my illy heart beart was beating aithar quickly at fading actually crossing deword with WIM tho redoubtable tr ir this man alio had often fined faced death I 1 could not refuse to believe ats s steadily as tie lie wits was facing me n now ow it Is not nt at nil all a am 0 of I 1 my liking or not liking the trip but of the trip itself being quite the wilder thing ever heard out of a storybook story book I 1 all ah yet jet the world would be poorer af it certain wild trips had not bien been taken j 1 seem peem to remember one chris Colum columbus busi for instance I 1 by n vivid lightning flash of I 1 felt that this adventurer wit laughing at me under ills his sober et lor ilor even ottri stirling ing roe me up tip its as one duos does tin an angry kitten i yes I 1 flared out but columbus did not inveigle linel gle a confiding old lady to go along lui him I 1 of course couise aunt anne Is not properly pro perli speaking ape living nl old lidy indy but blit it wils iauch more to pose iloe ilo e liei her as one for the th i i jt it hii ns 4 effective to judge the sudden firm otting i of ills his th lad lie quietly nn letl lend it halt below tal will yoi il they are overhaul in III some of our ault tween decks lie he waited amul imul the honorable cuthbert looking rather dazed hit lind retired we e stood emli other lily iny breath oming coming rather hurriedly MIS misa 3 ding lie he sald slowly sl oili wits as it 11 bitter word oid you bald III mv bly heinl head went ent mp bitter I 1 flung hack back but Is it not true it Is for you ion to anetter answer 11 no it Is not mot for me to answer because it Is not for foi you sou to ask put nut since you talk of anve inveigling let 1 nu ie ghe give you the AlMory of my lily connection with the expedition y you oil will understand then that I 1 had nothing to do with organizing it but wn was inertly en to do my hest to tarry carry it through to success 1 I have already heard a version of the matter from mr vane and you ou think he be Is lit in the con on sp piracy iracy too certainly not I 1 replied hastily 1 I mean of course I 1 know lie told me exactly what he believes liling himself elf then I 1 suppose you ou consider con gider that he was inveigled too tool 1 I sin not required to consider sir vanes status at all I 1 replied with dignity it Is my aunt whom I 1 wish to protect and suddenly to my lily dismay my voice grew husky huski I 1 hail to turn my illy head aalde and blink hard at the sen sea lie he stood looking down tit nt toe he was a big man though of lesser height than the superb Cut libert in it a way I 1 quite and what I 1 dont understand always makes me uncomfortable very well inell he said after a pause maybe your opportunity will 01 camo acme it would be a pity indeed it if silsa harding were to require no protect ing and a young soung lady her 1 I ill such it II good will to it hut but if louwill iou you will take mice ho suggestion of if it nian mail of rather in mid r e than your our own onn yoli bip cyell wait until tit alie ocen slon arises allies it 1 Is imil really to waste your oui ammu ammunition nillon like ahli 1 I aare laic say I 1 nut niu not n master of strategy I 1 cried furious tit at myself fol my moment of weakness mid and at fr tile alie softening tone vilich hii crept into ills his voice 1 I niu alit honest ali and wiwik I 1 see aunt junc bunc cd liy by tills this violet person anil and indeed I 1 have sten seen no reason leason to think chilt browne 1 Is 13 3 not n most excellent andy inter air shaw st stiffly lilly antl anil let me any uy 1 miss harding aim dang here we are all whether we e wish to be or no tui and ifor six weeks or armore more on the we shall see no faces hut but our own are ace we to lie be divider divided from the lly quarrels qua are maybe even the ile men of 0 us to lie be set by the lie cars ani a lit the bickering of women n on ien like the flick of a whip came lie file cerini certainty nty that he was as thinking of the honorable nud and that I 1 was the rock ou on ameti david and jonathan friendship inight split otherwise I 1 suppose ass Ilig glesby Browne and I 1 might bave clawed each forever without interference frow froni him Mem really lly I 1 said with I 1 hope well simulated scorn since I 1 ani am quite alone acal rist half a dozen of you I 1 should you could counton count 0 putting down any rebellion on my part very easily I 1 I 1 repeat I 1 had no other object in along though I 1 was really along than to look after ny my aunt AJ to the treasure re asure of course I 1 know perfectly well that there any anil and I 1 turned my bach and looked steadily out to sea after A moment or two I 1 heard him aln turn on his fils heel beel and go awny it was none too won for I 1 hail had already begin to fee dunom for rny my handkerchief any way I 1 hail had had the last word the rest of my lay day was loi lonely iely for the beautiful youth probably by malevolent le design was mas kept busy between f 1 7 but columbus did not inveigle a confiding old lady to go along with hiell alecks mr air danced attendance on oil aunt anne and miss aronn aromi so ft as that I 1 already began to tee see sonjo homo of my illy worst fenis fears re allred there was for nie me to tit alo but tu to rellie to ti my berth uril tl 11 tattered reI copy of oc huckleberry finn which lil cli I 1 found in ili the cabin at dinner havink the honorable cuthbert tit at my elbow it wals MS easier than not to ignore everyone else directly dinner wits was at till 1111 end clemorse lessly captain INI magnus agnus led the honorable cuthbert Cul hbert away I 1 retired to huckleberry finn but a face with a scar running to the eyebrow looked ni ill at me front from the alie pages and I 1 held colloquies collo with it in I 1 sold said all the brilliant and cutting things which had occurred to me too late I 1 was thus engaged when a cry rang through the ship land hol hoi CHAPTER IV the isle isalt of fortune I 1 dropped my book and ran on deck everyone else was already there the great gleaming orb of the tropic moon gooon was blinding as the sun away to the faint translucent line of the horizon rolled an infinity of shining sea straight ahead rose a dark daric conical mass it was the mountainous shape ot oc island everybody was craning to get a clearer view Il hall lall isle of Fort fortune unel 1 exclaimed miss brown browne I 1 think my iny ablit would not have I in IMI n surprised it if it lind had begun to ruin doab aion tho dock 1 I ia bet vc dollt put it over soule some on oil then thein original idlers fellers icy 1 cy cried ni air tub higher lind higher the skyline iiii cut the durk dark fie fred fiet t of the its as the freighter s KIP t PI akil 11 1 I v valiantly nt y sheer and from froin the se bea rose it 11 line or of black cliffs tind and above them thein a single pelik threw its shadow for far neross the water faintly we vc mode out the white line of the breakers foaming at the foot of the tha cliffs we coasted slowly along looking for the mouth of the little boy bay meanwhile we had collected our belongings and stood grouped about the deck ready for the first thrilling plunge into adventure my aly aunt and nd effis browne blow ne had tied huge green veils over ever their cork helmets and were clumping about in III tremendous hobnailed boo boots t a all the luggage I 1 was allowed to take wits ns in fit it a traveling Innell ng bag and a ai guain tuck obligingly by the took cook speaking of cooks boots I 1 found we wa lind had one of our own a coal black negro with grizzle wool tin an unctuous voice olce anil and the manners of an old school fain family ily retainer so far as I 1 know his name was cookie I 1 suppose he be had received another once from his sponsors in baptism but if so it vas tas burled c I 1 in ili oblivion IN now ow a narrow gleaming gap appeared in the wall of cliffs and tha freighter rustled and lay to iegan began a bustle at the davits and shouts of lower awall and for the first time line it swept over me that wit wai were to be put ashore in boats kunt aunt jane burst out in lamentation she seq would not could not go in a boat she had heard all her life that small boats were most unsafe why the captain sail right up to the island its as she had expected and put us ashore even at panama with only a little way to go slip had felt it suicidal here heie it was not to be thought of but the preparations tor for this desperate step went on apace and no one heeded aunt jane but mr tubbs who had hastened to succor beauty in distress then aunt jane clutched at ur mr shaws coat lapel as lie he went by and lie stopped long enough to explain pa that vessels of the freighters size could not enter the bay and that there really was no danger and that aunt jane might wait if she liked till the last boat as it would take several trips to transfer us and our baggage I 1 supposed of coarse couise that this would include me and stood leaning on tha th rail watching matching the first boat fade to a lark dark speck on the water when ben mr vane appeared at my elbow ready teady I miss alias harding you are to go 11 n the next boat with me I 1 asked especially oh hanks I 1 I 1 cried fervently ha fla would be much nicer than mr tu blis to cling to as B I 1 wont went down indeed lit ha was wa a so tall that if it were at all a shallow place I 1 might use him as it a stepping stone ston and survive I 1 hoped drowning men gurgle very much meanwhile mr vane had disappeared over oer the side and a sailor was lifting me and setting my reluctant feet on the strands of the ladder goedl Goo dl by aun auntie tiel I 1 cried as I 1 bev bei gun gan the descent dont blame youri your self too much everybody has got to td go some time you know and they sa say dro drill awnings bitsy with a stifled cry aunt jane tor for rook ook mr 1 tubbs and hew flew to the rail I 1 wn was j aready out of reach leach uli oh Virgin hil she walled oll oh my in dear child 1 tr if it should be the tha last parting i give ghe my mv jewelry and things to baby I 1 I 1 found strength to call back then the firms nimg of the honorable mr ml vane received tile me the strong rowers bent their backs and the boat shot out over the mile or two of bright blight water between us its and the tha island gaoat we t slow swells lifted us we lye dipped with a soothing cradle like ti motion lotion I 1 forgot to be afraid in lite hie delight of the warm wind that fanned banned our cheeks of the moonbeams moon beams that hint on oil the cret cre t of every ripple were splintered to a dancing lights I 1 forgot fear forgot miss illg glesby gk aby browne forgot the lie harshness of the lie scotch character oli glorious glorious I 1 cried to ethbert vane not so dusty eh eb lie he came baete back lit in their ridiculous english blang now till HII american would have said soma little old moon thail we certainly have our points of superiority all around the island white cliart inclines of breakers breal cers foamed on oil ragged half acen reefs reefa now our boat felt fell the lift of the hie great sh shoreward breward rollers and sprang forward like a living lil tiling thing the other boat empty of all but the rowers and returning from the island to the ship passed us with a hall we were in the little bay under the shadow v of the frowning cliffs at the henf head of the bay a quarter of a mile away lay a broad white beach shining under the moon at the edge of dark woods beyond a fire burneil burned it threw into relief relict the tha black moving shapes of men upon the tha straight tor for the sand the sailors drove the boat she struck it with a jar grinding forward heavily tho the men sprang overboard wading halfway to the waist and the arms 0 of the honorable lion grable cuthbert vane hod had me up and were bearing me safe rind ind dry to shore mr bit shaw approached and the two tile men greeted each other tn in their offhand l british way As we coul ant well under the circumstances maintain it 11 notion fiction 0 of mutual invisibility air shaw with a certain obvious hes ital it i turned to me only lily lady passenger eh nope hope youre not wet through cookies malting correl coltre dver yonder 11 1 I say shaw cried the beautiful youth enthusiastically ilass ilard ings tit the most ripping sport you knowl not the least nervous about the trip I 1 assure yoi yo i I 1 A close cloie call thought one time old nep had got a st atran ran gle hold all right TO BE CONTINUED |