Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, January 20, 1915, Page 3

By LOUI Adthor of “The Fortune H, Flames Licked Out All Over the Schooner. For thirty minutes nothing hap- pened, other than that the sound of the fisherman’s launch was stilled. It rested moveless in the waters, two gures mysteriously busy in the cock- pit, the Seaventure's dory trailing be- d it on a long painter. iradually these details became plurred, and were blotted out by the closing shadows. The afterglow in the west grew cool and faint. The crimson. waters darkened, to mauve, to a translucent green, to Far up the coasi two eyes, peering over the horizon, stared steadfastly through the “(hatham lights,” were, Abruptly he dropped the glasses and jumped up. “Hear that!" he cried. Now the humming of the motor was again audible and growing louder with every instant; and Alan, getting to his feet in turn, infected with the excite- ment of Barcus, could just make out at some distance a dark shadow be- neath the dim, spluttering glimmer ot light, that moved swiftly and steadily toward the Seaventure, “What the devil!” puzzled. “You uttered a mouthful when you said ‘devil’!” Barcus commented, grasping his arm and hurrying him to the landward side of the vessel. “Quick—kick off your shoes—get set for a mile-long swim! Devil's work, all right!” he panted, hastily divest ing himself of shoes and outer gar- ments. “I couldn’t made out what they were up to till I saw them lash the wheel, light the fuse, start the wctor, and take to the dory. They've made on grand little torpedo boat out of that tender—" He eprang upon the rail, steadying himself with a stay. “Ready?" he asked. “Look sharp!” By way of answer, Alan joined him; the two had dived as one, entering the water with a single splash, and com- ing to the surface a good ten yards from the Seaventure. For the next several eeconds they were swimming frantically, and not uptil three hun- dred feet or more separated them from the schooner did either dare pause for breath or a backward glance hen the impact of the launch aziinst the Seaventure's side rang out ecross the waters, and with a husky roar the launch blew up, spewing sky- wards a widespread fan of flame. Over the Seaventure, as this flamed and died, pale fire seemed to hover like a tremendous pall of phosphorescence, a weird and ghastly glare that suddenly descended to the decks. There fol- lowed a crackling noise, a sound as of the labored breathing of a giant; and bright flames, orange, crimson, Violet and gold, licked out all over the schooner, from stem to stern, from deck to topmasts. It seemed several minutes that she burned in this wise—it was probably 0ot so long—before her decks blew UD and the flames swept roaring to he sky. > the time Alan and Barcus, ewim- ming steadily, had gained a shoal [Phich permitted them footing in "ist-deep waters, the Seaventure hai burned to the water’s edge. dark, Barcus said they he demanded, CHAPTER XIV. A Double Escape. On Nauset Beach, in the shunk of a midsummer night, two men sprawled on the sands, eome distance back from the water, and listened to the Leavy tBunping of their overtaxed hearts, a0d panted. Now and again one would lift h“ml and stare cut over the biack € rters at a little line lames about a mile off s L mained to witness te 1 the two 1 b 1 1 ha ¢ t i ) from Portland to New Yor far out again one (I b ht of a l :ople had bee iy r i s vl ster wh 2 ta a % 1 v At « t h more ea 1 gentlemen t I can't unders se damned t 1 d be asses er 1 the Seaventure and on her replied: “Did they? that way—doesn't 1t lldn’t, why were we permitted ' swim ashore at our elegant lelsure’ There was mothing to prevent thelr M%ing round to cut us offt.” “Maybe they did, at that, and missed U, Mr. Law-and-Order!” "Bt “We were a wee mite excited you've 8% to admit. It's just possible we "t hear the moise of thelr oars. A2d- it's plack enough for them to overlooked us. A man's head 2 the water fan't really & consPic | n_g dark night” S JOSEPH VANCE nien,” “ The Bra.s Bowy, —_— Donrrlnl.nu.byuu.x.. tinued from Last Wednesday.; THE EVENING TELEGRAM LAK seph Vaace “Tell me, Barcus, est symptom of civili. “(‘h‘\'ham villags. miles br un inlet a lu or so Mr. Law gro; “Then ther ! | :U's the near- | wl 22! a4 Mr. Barcus, | . and cut off ! wide at that.” ul house on to the s v said nothing whatever to | on reflected | | | i With a Cry: “Rosel" had the lifesaving patrol to look to for protection. But the service is sus- rended in June and July.” A silence commenced eloquently on this assertion, broken ouly when Mr. Law voiced a thought bred of long and malignant observation of the schoon- er's green eye: “I'd give a deal to aboard that vessel.” “You don't mean you think your reg- ular young wom . know who's “It's possible Judith kidnaped Lose fu P That's not so far from Clou @ motor car could it that schooner before sha have cau ed to waylay us, this m \\“.n botter way to take ni And are of an able-Lodicd, fulltempered you'vy kid than to ship her sorr o by the care of trustworthy hallic “Don’t ask me—TI've ¢ for one of ht aw, “I'd and see millic dollarz—1 would cision A mement cr so later line of little flames went out altogether and | unexpectediy; ard the owner of xlml Tate Seaventure fancicd he could hear. even at that distance, the h of charred and smoldering timbers eucked and drowiied out xit,” he announced plaintive “exit Seaventure,” with heroic gestu “R. I P. a good little <hip! Alan Law sat up, abstractedly serub- und bing a crust of sand fr his checks and commented soulfully “Oh— damn!” “That goes double here,” his com- | panion rejoined And the way I ! gee it, I've zut a right to do all the cussing at this juncture of our hero's | but fascinating adventures I'm the injured party—it was my boat, and now it's gone. I'm bre for fair. * he pursued 1 ndictivel . per troubled the si- tkea whisper ¢ sound from far ually it gath- A lenca, a little flu across the Nb::c _me recognizable as ered volume, the liep of cautious oars. = -'T'x: golng away from heraa 3 B;w}n announced guardedly, anf pmgh ered his legs under him preparal to_rislng. n Law insisted, 1 turn and grasping the other arm "ey've got to land— oL —ard lcave the boat while they loo% for us. Well, then, to prevent our hiding in the the next breath, “Look out!" he ked With no warning whatever, ana within fifty feet of them, a ghastly flare broke out in {ull blaze on the surfoce of the water, revealing the ® 07 & dory which had drawn in unseen under cover of the profound darkness, and at the same time dis- cov its occupants the two startled figures on, the beach. Before they could etir the weird ight glimmered on a polished weapon the bow of the boat, a spiteful e of reddish flame spat out, a bullet sang between Messrs. Law and Barcus, and with a sad thud of disap- bointment buried itself in the sands of the wave-eaten bluff behind them. Like twin autematons stirred to ac- tion by the report, the two turned and wn the beach, to escape 3 ea of illumination. Other shdts sped aiter them, but none was so well aimed, and presently, inding a in the bluif, they SWung ofl into the grateful shelter of the night-w ved dunes. Meantime the dory had grounded on the beach, and its several occupants— 1 men, appar- break four or five of thewm entiy—ju of the fugitives, following the tracks in the sand. The blackness v of the night, v, conspired with the sa rinth of the dunes to sa ion how- 2 laby- e Alan and Within another five minutes—while sull the pursuit floundered and blas- phemed at random a round quarter- mile to the south—Mr. Law and Mr. Barcus wera noiselessly squirming on their bellie like two snakes in the beach-grass, up the back of a ten-foot bluff. And prosently from its brow they looked down on the spot where the dory lay. only its bow out of water, its stern afloat, under armed guard. Very slowly and stealthily Alan got to his feet and swung back over his shoulder a heavy club of driftwood. A match spluttered beside the dory and flamed in the still air, relleving with its reddish glow a bronzed and evil visage. The guard puffed fast and had the tobacco well aglow when the sky took advantage of his trustfulness and fell upon him like an avalanche. scended the face of the bluff in two miniature landslides, dug themselves out, and by the time the dazed and disarmed guard had sufficiently recov- ered to cry out for help the dory was | of course—and was brought aboard at | a hundred yards off the beach and ! | making excellent time in the direction of that lonely green light. They wrought with the oars llke men possessed, yet with a machine- like precision that drove the boat fast and furiously—witliout attempt to still the splashing of their blades. Con- | cealment of their purpose from those who remained ahbc the schooner was out of the question. The shouts, the shots, the jplay of flashlamps along the beach-—as though Bedlam had looscd half a dozen lunatic will But that siivulated delay was sev- eral times multiphed before Alan showed up on deck to find Barcus bending a laborious back to the can stan. “Lend a hand, can't you?” Barcus complaired, blowing heav 1 didn't interrupt your amours just to get an audience. The sooner we get this anchor in—" Alan checked him with a hand on his arm. “What's that?” he demanded in a tone tense with apprehension. The muflled ruv ng of a heavy-duty marine motor drifted down on the ~ wings of the sluggish wind. . me to Davy Jones' locker. 5 | she explain her presence aboard?” Simultaneously Alan and Barcus de- | “Don’t ask me—I'm afraid to guess!™ “But they couldn't possibly!" “Since when did you set up to be a judge of possibilities? Nothing prob- able ever ppened to you in all your yong life—'s far's I can make out. As for me—I know there are at least two life-saving stations on Nauset, both with modern equipment--motor life- boats and all; and nothing will ever versuade me that pack of. wolves would stick at breaking in and confis- cating one of the same. It's as likely as not—only more s0. Our present b s to get the h—1 out of here —and not udvertice our exit, either. Take that port light in and dowse it, while T do the same by the s Then duck below, warn your Dulcin and put out the cabin lamp. That way if this blackness and cur bull I holds—we may manaze an eva- nly « 'P'"lx"‘ of 1 pitch 2 hour for lh() [ s to grope their 1t the decks d familiarize them- \‘lH\ tha idiesyucr of a strange twe-master. Nevertheless, the en4 of that period found the schooner with cany full and sheets taut. a good easterly breeze abeam, swiftly Wwedving 4 wake southwards—the light on Monomoy point watching her curi. o<l from over the starboard beam “Hear anything more of that power beat?" Alan asked, joirning Parcus by the wheel, ne scives “Nothing—wind too fresh. yourself easy on the soft side of a plank here. I'll land you a kick in the slats when so minded—or when it's your trick at the wheol.” With a chuckle, Alan obediently | stretched himself out on the deck. “I say—Law!” “Well? “You seem pretty easy in your mind about this young woman below. To ELAND, FLA., JAN. 20, 1915, i3 cof otlLer shipping sounded & concert of discordance—the man- power horn of a catboat crying the warning whistle of a coastwise steamship and the impertinent drumming of a motor- bout’s exhaust with the muffer cut out. This last boxed the compass, sound- ing now near, now far, though the com- plaints of other shipping diminished in volume and died away in the dis- tance, giving place to others still, the vlutter-plutter of that motor was never altogether lost; if at times it faded, i* seemed certain always to return in even louder volume. Vainly strainicg his vision against the blank pullor of the encompassing fog, Alan wondered, worricd, dreaded! At irregular intervals, starting from preoccupation, he would manipu- late the brass pull on the wheel-box, proveking the horn's stuttering blasts of protest. But the need for unremit- ting vigilance and exercise of the fog- signal failed none the less to reconcile Alan to that blatant clamor which so widely and so hideously advertised their whereabouts. If there were anything still to be feared from Judith and her crew—if, ance, as Barcus had suggested, ad sought out one of the life- stations on Nauset beach, ap- propriited its power-driven lifeboat and rencwed the pursuit, if ever they heard that horn there would beyond question be the devil to pay! The loneliness of his vigil was even- tually relicved by the appearance on deck of the woman Alan loved. The tableau that greeted her vision as she emerged from the companionway, of the haggard, unshaven wretch at the wheel and the other who lay at his feet, where Le had fallen, In a stupor of fatigue, instantly wrung from Rose a little ery of solicitude. quick to do what little she could to alleviate their discomfort. For Barcus , she fetched a pillow and blanket from i the cabin, and this one suffered her Make ' ~and prepared a makeshift bn‘aklut‘ | | me, she's the same that tried to send | How does “Much as I surmised,” Alan replied. | “I fancy they chloroformed her while 0 tie wisps upon the holy peace of night—must have be yed the fact | that they hud turned thoe tables long re the ry lett the inchiore shoals. The cc wonest precautlons, how- | ever, made them pause and rest upon their oars while yet a lit'le way from Only an ominous sll:nce rewarded the utmost efforts of their straining sonses; no sound was audible other than the gentle whine of an ungreased ' block; nothing was visible beyond the | sinister glare of that alinost stationary green laniern, “What think?” Barcus inquired in a dubious undertone, No tellin, Alan replied «ame manner. “All a chance.” in the | was sluggish and stiff and sore in all | hi; she slept in that hotel in Portland. | ministrations without once muulng from his slumbers. Then hastonlng forward, she got the galley fire going for her half-famished lover. Warm food and hot coffee—such an they were—lending a little tone 101 Alan's spirits, he was presently able ! to discuss their situation with some ! Yet mnothing could gloss , the fact that the problem confronting ; optimism, back to the deep-throated | And she was ' | QDI IRFOSVFOSOLVPOEOIAPOFIFOPONLEO LEQPOFOIUECIOPOPOR 2 Q rules for the school children, and will be o pleased to give one to every child whe will & call at the Laundry oftice, o by > hislalls & | PG HSPIEPOIOTOE PO CEHP B OB STPFOIF SO0 1003 them was one whosee solution baflled || thelr utmost ingenuity—one the simple ! contemplation of which taxed their Whether or no, Rose woke up in a ' closed motor car—bound and gagged, ' Gloucester about midnight.” “Simple when you know how,” Bar- cus commented. “Of couree, 1 always did say that truth was a stranger to fiction, Cuddle down, now, and I'll talk you insensible.” His accents already merging in with the swish of the 'longside waves, the bubbling of the wake, and the many- toned composite voice of the ship in being, unconsciousness like a cloud deseended upon Alan's overwearied faculties. He woke mutinously, with a yawn y of a tarnished that fos pressed tace of the waters, a mist 5o thick that from the stern the wulst of the vessel was almost invis- ible, the bows completely so. Barcus stood over him, at the wheel, fairly reeling with weariness, his eyes Ylocd-shot, swollen, and half-closed in a face like a mask of fatigue, “Can’t keep this vp much longer,” he apologized thickly; “stood it about as long a8 1 can. Take your trick and give me forty winks,” Grateful solicitude brought Alan in- stantly to his side, though he himself and a shiver in the g daybreak, to find heavily upon the limbs. ‘You're a bric !" he protested. “Why “You've got that gun handy /"—with ' didn’t you call me sooner?” reference to the rifle ot which they | had despoiled the victim of the sky's ill-faith. “Here."” “Then—Ilet's go to it! Give way!" A dozen lusty strokes brought them alongside the schooner, and as the dory scraped the walst of the larger vessel the two yonng men dropped , rose, and seizing the low gun- lifted themselves to the deck. sthing opposed them; the deck was of other footsteps thun their 2 schooner as eilent as only a becalmed ickly oa walel ship can be. further cousultation, Alan aft and down the compan- nvay to the cabin, where a dim light 2 smoky lamn swinging in bove a clnttered table doors one dis- the other was Of the two statercom 1 an empty cabin, the handle roughly, Alan 1 ound within. Paus- 1 thrill of fearful d ith of incredulous urled him- : At the he thinks he marked “Not for taking a chance; W me any to find out I'd kis ong giri by mistake— that is, unless she didn't care for technique. “In that case,” he allowed, “T guess the sequel would be apt to prove tol- able agonizing!™ ers‘;m:ien minutes later a hail from the deck broke the embrace of the lovers: “Below there! a-coming!” “Righto! Half a migutel” net, | veseel; “No didn’t. good; I knew the way-—you That is, I did until this ac- courage and intelligence to the ex- treme. He summed up: “I can't sce any- thing for it but father and Judith are | determined to have my scalp, and I'm hanged it I can see how to protect my- | | selt without taking a leaf out of thelr strange voice cried out with an ac- . di books. What I'm most afraid of is that some time I may forget it's a woman I'm defending myselt ngnlnnl.' When a fellow’s fighting for his very life he can't always stop to calculate the weight of his blows.” The young man sighed, shook his head, laughed uncertainly, and held her closer to him. “Don't fear; I'll find some way out without injuring either of them. T promise you that!” He scaled the pledge upon her lips. And in that moment of their obliv- ion to the world from some point for- ward a mullled er: tancously with the dull shock of colllsion with a smaller vessel, and a ut of high exultation. Before either Alan or the girl could ngage the decks rang loud with a rush of booted feet pounding aft, The figures of the boarding party | < i were already taking shape through the | | | fog as Alan sprang toward the coms panionway to fetch the rifle. this action his feet slipped on planks greasy with moisture deposited by the i : He went down | surcharged atmosphere, with a stumbling thump, and an in- stant later two men fell bodily upon him—active, strong fellows in the dress of fishermen. He was suffered to rise only as a prisoner, helpless in the grasp of two pairs of powerful cursed fog closed down a couple of hands. hours ago. Now—God knows where e ember of the boarding Party Was Juditk Trine. s in a row and a minute and if the devil takes care own we may possibly escape be- ing run down.” With 2 sigh, relinquishing the wheel, he collapsed upon the deck and was almost instactly asleep. The wind had fallen until barely enough air stirred to keep way on the she moved in silence, a spec- tral ship upon a spectral sea of long, 1 say—Law!—wind | 0lly swells and the complexion of lead. \ Hither and yon in the obscurity, fog- | | 1 i He saw Barcus, rudely roused and still dumb with sleepy confusion, in nG better case— jerked to his feet and held captive by two more fishermen. A fifth had taken charge of Rose,l clamping her wrists in the vise of one big hand. The sixth and sole other member of the bourding party, likewise in the reugh-and-ready garb of a fisherman, h sounded simul- | was Judith Trine. | Down the side a heavy Ife-boat | ground its way astern, the loose end | of its painter clinping over the rail! even as Alan caught sizht of it. (So | it seemed Barcus had guessed shrewd- Iy!) |3 Obscrving this, one of the men in ! charge of Alan made as if to leave him to the other, addressing Judith | & for perm m to prevent the loss of | the lifeboat. She stepped him with | a peremptory gesture { ‘No—let it go. We'ra better off | without it. Hold t¥ man fast till I feteli a rope. We'll make sure of them both this time 1, s0 al 11 Soried t ¢ 3 t forepart of the schooner hen As it 3 ansy ! by shrill and hoarse cries of terr r of warning from a dozen ihroats, Alan found him- | | | nelf released, his captors leaping for \ thelr lives (o the taffrall. He caught an instantaneous glimpse [ of the knife-llke bow of a great steam- er towering above the two-master— sweeping toward It at a speed which | raised & smart jet of white under the outwater, And in ! RIVALING THE SUN in fire and brilliancy is the collec- tion of old mine diamonds in our show cases. Come and enjoy its dazzling beauty. There are rings, diamond studded bracelets and watches, sunbursts, braelets and many other articles of utility and adornment. There are gems of ev_ ery size and of every price. Guaran- tee with each of coufse. A pleasure to show gbeds. 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