will not have to speak so loud."

Dickie came to Gregory's rescue and explained the situation to her aunt.
Then she added in a low voice:

"You must have been stung by another of those ideas of yours."

During the remainder of his visit Kenneth Gregory was content to remain
in the background. McCoy made a few efforts at conversation as he noted
Aunt Mary's eyes roving longingly in the direction of the checker-board.
Then Miss Lang, much to every one's relief, began to monopolize the
conversation. Beckoning Gregory closer, she said:

"I want to give you just one bit of advice though I don't suppose you'll
heed it coming from an old lady like me."

As Gregory encouraged her to go on, she exclaimed:

"Stay away from Diablo Island." Seeing that she had aroused his
interest, she went on: "You're going to ask me why, and I'll have to
answer that I don't know except that it is a dangerous place and has
been the cause of a number of strange accidents during the past few
years. I used to warn my brother to stay away from there. He only
laughed at my fears--at first. When he lost the _Kingfisher_ at El
Diablo he called it bad luck. Any boat was liable to be run down, he
said. Then came the wreck of the _Crane_ off the south coast of the
island and not a body ever recovered."

"Aunt Mary thinks there's ghosts and everything else at Diablo," Dickie
whispered. "If you give her any encouragement, she's as bad as my
fishermen."

Gregory noticed that although the girl's words were intended to ridicule
the idea, the expression of her face showed that her aunt's words were
not regarded by her in the light of idle gossip.

"For a time after that," Miss Lang continued, "my brother stayed away
from Diablo. When fish were scarce he went back. He hadn't had his nets
out a week before he lost them all. No one ever knew what became of
them. Will was getting worried though he tried not to show it. He was
about ready to give it up when your father bought the cannery and came
to Legonia. For a while after that fishing was good everywhere. As long
as they stayed away from that accursed island things went well. But they
were not satisfied. So they sent the _Eagle_ over there. The last they
heard of her she was anchored in Northwest Harbor."

The room grew very still as the old lady continued:

"That worried them. Because they could not find out what became of her.
The fishermen began to refuse to go there and I thanked God it was all
o