Talking swiftly and earnestly. he followed Davy toward thesquare little iron building, the conch outwardly making nosign that he heard. For, not many yards away, a handful ofconchs and negroes were at work on a half-completed shed.

Davy came to the store-room entrance, and opened it. Then.turning to Brice he said aloud in the wretched dialect of hisclass:

"Funny avocado fruits all pile up in yon. Mighty funny. Makeyo' laugh. Want to go see? Look!"

He swung wide the iron door and pointed to the almost totallydark interior.

"Funny to see in yon," he exclaimed invitingly. "Never see anylike 'em befo'. I strike light for you. Arter you, my boss."

0ne or two men working on the nearby shed had stopped theirlabor and were glancing covertly toward them.

"0h, all right!" agreed Brice. his uninterested voicecarrying well though it was not noticeably raised. "It seemsa stuffy sort of hole. But I'll take a look at it if youlike. Where's that light you're going to strike? It--"