nd."

"Then," remarked Curly, with conviction, taking a huge chew off his
plug, "then that must shore have been one hell of a island!"

But the narrator went on unmoved: "I reproved the others, and they
resented it. There was a great battle with the natives one day, of
which I remember but little. I seem to have been left insensible on
the field. When I recovered, I saw dawncing off across the sea the
figures of all these different persons except Sir Harry--who, of
course, was with me in the battle. Sir Harry was still with me, quite
sober at lawst, and quite dead, I do not know from what cause. I was
left alone.

"It was thus, gentlemen, that I acquired, by right, as I think, my
title which I assumed--awfter acting for a time as Viceroy for her
Britannic Majesty--as the King of Gee-Whiz. For a while I lived there
alone. Awfterwards, in some way, which I do not quite call to mind at
present, I appear to have been discovered. It was shortly awfter that
I received my decoration--I beg your pardon." He flushed a dull red.
"It was nothing, of course," said he. "As to saving Sir Harry, it was
only what any other fellow would have done in the Army or the Navy--I
don't remember which.

"So, gentlemen, I've told you my story as a gentleman should. I've
been deucedly down on my luck ever since then, and I cawn't tell you,
really I cawn't, how I happened to be here and in this business as you
found me. There's many a younger son, in the Army or the Navy, who
knocks about and gets a bit to the bad. I hope you'll not lay it up
against me, I do indeed!" His head dropped forward on his chest. "I
was stone broke," he whispered, "and I'd not a friend on earth."

"And so you drifted here," said Curly. "Well, it's about the right
place. Heart's Desire's wide open."

"It wasn't so bad," resumed the stranger, wearily, passing his hand
across his forehead; "it wasn't so bad down here for a time. I didn't
mind it, being alone, that sort of thing, for you see I was alone on
the island for so long. But the trouble was that I was followed all
the time--have been for more than a year now--by that cursed King--that
damned fiend that I thought I'd left long ago! I'd go out into the
sunshine, and there he'd be, walking, and bounding, and jumping along,
anyway I'd look! He'd follow me like a--look! look! there he is now.
See!"

He raised a trembling finger and pointed to a spot in front of the open
door. A black shadow