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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1905)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNINO; OCTOSSR 1. IZZ3.: .. . . 1 . 1 S HOKX J:LS or : ffJJL ELECT LB .5 TORI Collector of tlie Port By ROBERT W. Author of The Mystery ofChohse," "Tha Red Republic," Eto. - "(Copyright by a 8. MoCIura st Co.) y "1 will grow round him In bU place. Grow, live, 41. looking on hie face Die, dying elaap'd In his tmbrc." ., Tennyson. . :'f Y"- ' . . IN winter the port. Is closed, the pop. - ulatioa migrates., the eoUeetor f ' thai port aalls southward. There la nothing left bat black rocks Kieethed In Ice. where Icy seaa clash and ' splinter and white squalls howl across the headland. When the wind alackenS -fthd the tnlet Trecaea. spotted scats nrtm ; up ud down the ragged edges of the '". c. sleek, restleaa heads raised, mild yea fixed on the tarbld shallows. '' In January bllsxard-driven anowy owls iwhlrl Into the plnea and sit all day In v the demt-twlllght the white ptarmigan , ." covers the softsr anow with winding ' tracks, and the white hare, huddled in bis whiter form." play a' hide and seek with hla own shadow. - ? - In February the Port-of-Wavss Is till untenanted. A few marauders ap pear, now and then a steel-gray panther, from the north. Making over the anow ' after the white harea; now and then a . '" ntub-tailed lynx, asaan-faosd, famished, snarling up at the white owla. who look , down and anap their beaka and hiss. The first bad on the Indian willow -' brings the firat Inhabitant back to the Port-of-Wavea, - Francis - Lee. -superintendent of the mica quarry. The quarry men follow In batcbea; the willow tns els see them all there; the wind flowers wltneaa the defile of the firat ' shift through tha plnea. On tha last day of May the company's flag was hoteted on the toolhousea. the . French-Canadians oaaa down to repair : the maty narrow-gauge railroad, and ' Lee. pipe lighted, aea Jacket buttoned "s to his throat, tramped up and down tha . tract with tha lumbar detail, chalking and condemning sleepers, biasing spruce and pine, sounding flab plate and . rail. . nd shouting at Intervals until the washouts were shored ugv wlndfalla backed through and landslides and bowlder no longer blocked the progress Of the company's sols looemoUve. : The first of June brought sunshine . and black flies, but not the collector of the port. Tha Canadians wsnt back to Saints Iaola, across tha Una; the whlte throated apexrow'e long, dreary melody broke out In the clearing'a edge, but the collector of the port did not return. That evening Lee, smoking his pips on the headland, looked out serosa tha , sunset-tinted ocean and aaw the white ..cuiia settling on the shoals and tha fish- hawka soaring overhead with the broad red aun glint en . their wings. The , smoke of a moaa smudge kept the files a war: hla own tobacco amoke drove care V away. Inoldentally. both drove Wil liams away a mere lad. In baggy blue - .Jeans, smooth-faced., dear-eyed, .with tan on wrist and cheek. , "How did you cut your hand?" asksd "" Lee. turning his head aa Williams moved away. ; --mi" ranlled Williams. briefly. 'After a moment Williams started on , . again.' "Come back," said Lee; "that wasn't . what I had to tell you." He sat down on ths headland, opened ' sv Jackknifs and acraped the ashes out of hla BlDo. Williams came slowly up, - and stood few paoea behind hla ssoul- ;V dsr. .' ' - .. , ,c - -Bit down," aald Lea. , - Williams did not stir. Leo waited a moment, head alightly turned, but not far enough for him to aee tha figure motlonleea behind, hla shoulder "Its none of my business," began Lee. "but. perhaps, yon had better know that yow have deceived nobody. - Finn came and spoke to mo today. Dyee knows It; Carrots and Lafty Sawyer know It I should have known tt my aelf had X looked at you twice." ', . The June wind blowing over tha ' arsis carried two white butterflies ovsr ths cliff. iae watoneo mem airuggie back to land again. Williams watched .. Lee. "I don't know what to do," said Lee, after a, silence; "It Is not forbidden for i, women to work in the quarry, so far as I am aware. - If you need work, and " prefer that sort, and If you perform your work properly, I shall not Inter fere with you. And I'll see that tha ,. . men do not." ' . Williams stood motionless; ths smoke t from tha smudge shifted west, than south. "But." continued Lee. T must enter you properly on tha payroll; I cannot ' approve of thla masquerade. Finn will ae you In the morning; It is unnsoss nary for me to repeat that you wlU not be disturbed." ' There was no answer. After a silence Lee turned, then rose to his feet. WU- Hams was weeping. - Lee had never noticed her face; both fiun-tanne4 hands hid It now; her felt . hat was pulled down over the fore head. "Why do you some to the quarry V . be asked, soberly. She did not reply, "tt Is men's work." he said;. "look at FourhaodsL jTott cannot dojt!!A.: She tightened her hands over her . eyes; teara stole between her fingers ' and dropped, one by one, on ths young graaa. - -'If yon need work If you can find nothing else I I think, perhaps, I . may manage something better." he said. : "You most-not stand tbsre crying .. listen! Here come Finn and Dyce, and I don't. want them to-talk all over the : ranrp." -Finn and Dyee came toiling up the headland with newa that the weat ' drain was choked. ' They glanced askance , at Wllllama, who turned her back. The aea wind dried her eyes; It stung ber torn hands, too. She unconsciously placed one aching finger in ber mouth and looked out to sea. . "The dreen'g bust by the second windfsll." said Dyoe, with a Jerk of his stunted thumb toward the forest "If . them sluice props oaves in. tha tlm ber'a waited." ' Finn proposnd new sluice gates; Lee objected, and swore roundly that. If the damage waa not repaired by next even ing., he'd hold- Finn reeponslble. . He told thrra he was there to save ths ' company's money,' not to experiment - with It; he speks sharply to Finn of last year's extravsgsnea and warned him not to trifle with ordera "I pay yo to follow mr directions." be said; "do so, and I'll he reaponalble to the owpayt dlaohey, -and I II hold X9n.i0i,the, f halk mark every time." Finn . eullenly shifted his quid and orided: Pyre looked rebellious. ; -"Tou might as WHI know," continued . Lae "lat X mean -what X aay Tou'lr CHAMBERS find It out Do your work.' and we'll get on without trouble. Tou'U find I'm Juat." When Dyes and ' Finn bad shuffled away toward tha coaat. Lee looked at tha figure outlined on tha cliffs against tha sunset sky desolate, lonely little fig ure In' truth. " - ', "Coras." aald Lee: "if yon must have work. I will give you enough to keep you busy not In the quarry, either do yon want to crlppla yeural i that pit? - It's no place for children, anyway. Can you write properly?" The girl nodded, back turned toward him. - "Then yon can' keep tha rolls. duplicates and alt Toull have a room for youraelf In my shanty. I'll pay quarry wages." ' He did not add that those wsges must coma out of his own pocket.' The company allowed him no secretary, 'and he wag too sensitive to suggest one. I don t ask yon where you come from, or why you are here," he aald. a little roughly. "If there la gossip, I cannot help It" He walked to the smudge, and stood la the amoke, for the wind had died out, and tha black files were active. : "Perhaps." he - hasarded, - "yon would like to 'go back to to where you cams from? I'll send yon back." .- Bhe shook her .head. "There may be goaalp-ln camp. The slightest movement of her shoulders Indicated her thdltf er snoe. . Lee relighted hla pipe, poked the smudge and piled damp sjoss on It. "All rights he aald; "don't be unhappy; IH -do what I eaa to make you comfortable. Tou had better come Into the smudge, .to begin with." She came, touching her eyes with ber hands, awkward, hesi tating. He looked gravely at her clumsy boots, at tha loose, toll- stained overalls. "What la your name?" ha aald. with out embarrassmsnt. ' "If y name la Helen Pin a" She looked up at him steadily; after a moment aho repeated her name, as though ex pecting him - to recognise it Hs did not; ha had never before beard it, so far aa he. knew. Neither did ha find in her eager,- wlatful face anything fa miliar. How should: ha remember her? Why should he remember? It nearly six months ago that, anowbound rn tha little village on tha Mohawk, ho and tha directors of hla company left their private Pullman ear -to amuse themselves at a country dance. How should ho recollect the dark-eyed girl who had danced tha "fireman's quad rille" with him, , who had romped through a reel or 'two with him, who had amused him through a anowy even ing? How should ha recall tha careless country incident the corn popping, the apple race, the flirtation on- the dark, windy atairway? Who could expect him to remember the laughing kiss, the meaningless promises to write, the promise to return soma day for another dance, and klaa? A week later he had forgotten the village, forgotten the dance, tha popcorn, the stairway and the klaa She never' forgot. Had he told her he loved her? He forgot It before she replied. Had ha amused himself? Passably. But he was glad that tha anowplowa cleared the track tha next morning, for there was troubls In Albany and lobbying to do. and a rival company waa moving wheele with in whoela to lubricate tha machinery of honest legislation. So It meant nothing to him this epi sode of a anew Blockade; It meant all tha world to ber. For montha aha awaited the letter that never came. An Albany Journal mentioned, hla name and profession. Shs wrote to ths company, and learned where the quarry lay. She waa young and foolish and nearly broken-hearted; ao aha ran" away. Her first sentimental idea waa to work her self to death, disguised, under his very area. When she lay dying aha would reveal herself to him. and he would know too lata the -value of such a love. To-this end she purchased some shsars to out her hair with, but the mental picture aho conjured waa not Im proved by such a sacrifice. She re colled her hair tightly, and bought a slouch bat. too big. When, arrived at the quarry, aha. aaw him again, shs nearly fainted from fright He met he twice face to face, and aha waa aatound ed that ha did not reaognlse her. Re flection, however, assured her that her disguise must be perfect - and she awaited tha dramatic moment wh,en ah should reveal herself not dying from quarry toll, for aha did not wish to die now that shs hsd seen him. No she would live live to prove to him how a woman can love live to confound him with her constancy. Shs had read many romances. Now, when he. bade her follow htm to the headland, ahe kneWlinr-had'been discovered; shs was weak with terror and shame and hope. Bhe thought he knew her; when he spoke so coolly, shs stood dumb wttb amassment; when he spoke of Finn end Sawyer and Dyce, ahe understood he had not penetrated her . disguise, -except from hearsay, and a terror of loneli ness and desolation rushed over . her Then the Impulse came to bids her tdent tlty from him why, she did not know. Again that vanished when he celled her to come Into' the smoke. As she looked up at him har heart almost stopped: yet ha did not recognise her. Then the oourage of despair aelaed her, and shs told ber name. When at length shs comprehended that he had entirely for gotten her, forgotten her very name, fright sealed her lips. All the hope- mesa and horror of . her i position dawned upon her all ahe had believed, expected, prayed for, came down, witb crash. . , ' As thsy stood together In tha smoke of tha smudgs shs mechanically laid her band on his sleeve, for her knees scarcely supported her. -"What rs It; does the -smoke make you dlsay?" ha asked. She nodded; he aided her to the ellff'e edge, and seated hsr on a boulder. Under the cliff the sunset light reddened . the sea. A quarryman, standing on a rock, looked up at Lee and pointed aeaward. "Hello!" answered Lee, "what la It? Ths Collector of ths Port?" Othsr quarryman, grouped on the coast, took up ths cry; the lumbermen, returning from the forest along tha Inlet, paused, ax on shoulder, to stare at the aea. Presently, out In ths calm ocean, a black triangle out the surface, dipped, gilded landward, dipped, glided, disappeared. Again tha dark point cams Into view, now close under ths cliff, where 10 feet Of limpid water bathes Us base. "The Collector of the Port I" shouted Finn from ths rocks. Lea bent over the cllffa brink. Far down Into the eleaf water he followed the outline of the cliff. Under It a shadowy bulk floated a monstrous shark, rubbing its length softly, aa If in greeting for old ac quaintance sake. The Collector of the Port hsd returned, from the south. . ": ' ,.; II. Ths Collector of ' the Port and the company were rivals; both klllsd thllr men, the one at aea, the other in the quarry. The company objected to pela gic slaughter, and aent some men with harpoons, bombs and shark-hooka to tha Port; but ths Collector sheered off to sea and waited for them to go away. Tha company could not keep the quarryman from bathing; Lee could not keep tha Collector from Pori-of-Wavea Every year two or three quarryman fell to hla share; the company killed the even half dosen, . Tears before the quarrymSn had named the ahark; the name fascinated everybody with Us sin ister conventionality. In truth, he was Collector of the Port an official who took toll of all who ventured from thla Port, where nothing entered from the aea save tha sea Itself, wave on wave after wave. In tha superintendent's office there were two rolls of victims victims of ths qusrry and victims of tha Collector of tha Port. Penalona were not allowed to famlllea of tha latter class; so, ; as Dyce said to Dyce's dying, brother, "Thank Ood you was blowed up, an' aay no mora about It Hank." There was, ourlously enough, little sn-Imoslty-ngatnst-thsi Collect or of the Port among the quarrymen. When June brought the great ahark hack to the Port they welcomed him with sticks of dynamite; but nevertheless, a weird sense of proprietorship, of exclusive right In the biggest shark on the coast aroused in the quarrymen a ssntlment almost akin to pride. Between the shsrk snd tha men existed an uncanny comradeship, . curiously In svldsnce when the company's imported shark-destroyers appeared at the Port "O'wan now." observed Farrely. dlvU a ahark yell get In tha wathar. me buckal . Is It sharks ye ll harpoon. Sura, th company's full o thlm." Tha ahark catchers, harpoons, bombs and .hooka, retired after a month's use less worrying, and tha man Jeered them as they embarked on tha gravel train. "Dhrop a dynamite shtlck on tha nob av his nibs!" shouted - Farrely 'after them meaning the president of the company. Tha next day. little Caesar l'Homcatdlau, indulging in his semi-an nual bath, wss appreciated and accepted by the Collector of the Fort and hie name waa added to the unpensloned roll In tha off loo of ths company a superin tendent Francis Lea. Helen Pine, aittlng alone In her room, copied the roll, made out the duplicate, erased . little Caesar's name from the payroll, computed the total back pay due him and made an order on the com pany for-f 10.11. Then ahe rose, stepped quietly Into Lee's office, -which adjoined her own room, and silently handed him the order. Lee wss busy, snd motioned hsr to be seated. Dyce snd Finn, hats in hand. looked obliquely at her aa shs seated herself snd Isansd on ths window ledge. fees turned toward the sea. She heard Lee aay; "do on, Finn"; and Finn began again in hla smooth, plausible voice: "I opened the ssfs on a f la tear, an' Ood knows who uncoupled the flat Then Dyce signaled go ahead, but Hen derson, hs sex. Dyes signaled to back ker up, an' the first I see wss that flat hangln' over the dump dock. Then ahe tipped up like a aeesaw, sn' slid ths safe Into the water tt feet sheer at low tide.' T nala about the Una. kM nulAtlv "Rig a derrick on the dump dock, and tell Klnny to get hla diving kit ready by I o clock. Finn and Dyoe exchanged glances. "Klnny, he went to Bangor last night to see about them nsw drills," said Finn, defiantly. 'Vho aent him?" asked Lee, angrily, "Oh, you did, shr "I thought you wanted, them drills," repeated Finn. ' Lee's eyes turned from Finn to Dyes. There waa. In tha sullen faces before him. something thst hs had never be fore seen, something worse than sinis ter. Hs recognised it Instantly. Tha next moment ha ' aald, pleasantly: "Well. , then, tell Lefty Sawyer to take his diving kit and be ready by I. If you need a new ladder at the dump dock. Bend ons there by noon. - That Is all. men." When Finn and Dyes had gone, Lee sprang to hla feet and began to pace the offloa. once ne stopped to light his pips; once he Jerked open the top drawer of hia table and glanced at a pair of heavy Colt revolvers lying there, cocked and loaded. He sat down at hla desk after a while and spoke, perhapa hair unconsciously, to Helen, aa though he had been speaking Jo her, since Finn snd pyoe lslt: "They're a hard crowd, a tough lot and I knew It would come to a crisis sooner or later. Last ysar they drove ths other superlntsndent to resign, and I waa warned to look out for mysslf. Now they see that they can't use me, snd thyp mean to get' rid of me. How dared the messenger unlock tha safe before I waa notified!" She turned ' from tha window as ha finished; hs looked at her without see ing tha oval face, tha dark, questioning eyes,- tha young, rounded figure Involuntarily bend ing toward him. They tipped -that safe off ths dock on purpose." he said; "thsy-sent Kinney to Bangor on a fool's er rand. Now Sawyer's got to go down and aee what can be done. I know what hall say. He'll report the safe broken and . one or two "cash - boxes mtssing, and he'll bring up tha rest and wait for a chance to divide with hia gang." He etarted to his feet and began to pace the floor again, 'talking- ail tha while: "It's coma to a crlaie now. and I'm not going under If any one should ask youL I'll face them down; I'll break that gang as they break atone! If I only knew how to use a diving kit and If r dared with Dyce at tha lifeline" Half an hour later Lee, aeated at his desk, raised his pale face from hla hands snd for tha first time, became conscious thst Helen sat watching him beside the window. - "Can I do anything for you?" ha asked with an effort Bhe held tha order out to htm; he took it examined tt and, picking up a pen, signed , hla name. "Forward It to ths company." ha said; "Caesar's family will collect it quicker than the ahark collected Caesar." He did not mean to shock ths girl with cynicism; Indsed, It was only auch artificial Indifference that enabled him to endure the misery of ' the Port-of-Wavea misery that - came under hla eyes from sea and land Interminable, hopeless, humsn woe. What could he- do for the lacerated creaturea at tha quarry? He had only his salary. What could he do for fam lllea made destltuts? Ths mica-crushed and cut and blinded the Collector of the Port exacted bloody toll In spite of him. He could not drive- the dust choked, half-maddened quarrymen from their one solace and balm, the cool, healing ocean; ha could not drive the Collector from tha Port-of-Wavee. "I didn't mean to speak unfeelingly." hs said; "I feel such things ' very deeply." - To hn surprise and displeasure, she replied: "I did not know ou felt any thing." i She grew scarlet sftsr she ssld Its he tared at her steadily. "Do you regard -ma as brutal?" be asked, sarcastically. "No,", shs said, steadying har volca; you are not brutal; one must be human to be brutal." Conscious of the splgrsm, hs looked st hsr half angrily, half Inclined to laugh. "Tou mean I am devoid of human feeling?" ' : "I am not hers to criticise my em ployer," aha answered faintly, . "Oh but yoa have." . . " She wss silent "Ton said you wars not aware that I felt anything. Criticism is implied, isn't It?" hq persisted, with bojtlsti imps tisnce. v' She did not reply. He thought to himself: '1 took her from the quarry, and thla la what I get" She divined hla thought and turned little pale. - She could have ana wared: "And you sent ma to ths quarry for the memory of a klaa." But ahe did not speak. Watching har' curiously, he noticed the gray-woolen gown, the spotless col lar snd cuffs, the light on her hslr like eyes,- the young, rounded I bU I.' V M I figure Involuntarily bend- I 1 111 11" . I V'ai I log toward him. I J pi . favt ... I Thsy tipped -that safe .' F'fil 1 2s I ' off ths dock on purpose." " III v T mllr he aald; "they-sent Kinney I I II t ' to Bangor on fool's sr- , I II "1 2-r k rand. Now Sawyer's got ' y . ps-e , ' "T; to go down and aee what ' can be done. I know what " VTr, i- S3 .sv 1 hall say. Hs'U report the ... ' 1F-1? safe broken and one or ll -7T" I ifaVZirsj r 173 two "cash boxes mtssing. r- h V 1 light on watered silk. Her young face I Slowly Sawyer divested himself of the was turned toward ths window. Fefclumsy diving suit; ons after the other the first time It -occurred to him thst shr- might t be lonely. He wondered where site came from, why shs had aought Port-of-Wivea among all places on sarth; wbat tragedy could have driv en her from kltf and kind to the haunts of men. Shs seemed so utterly slone, so hopelessly dependent, so young, that hla conscience smote him, snd hs resolved to be a little companionable toward her, ao far aa hla position of supsrlntendent permuted. True, be could not do much; snd whatever he might do would, per haps, bo misinterpreted by her, certainly by tha quarrymen. "A. ears fell ore tna sock- today.- na said pleasantly, forgetting shs hsd been present at the announcement of disaster by Finn and Dyes. "Wouldjrou ilka ta sea the diver go down?" She turned toward him and smiled. "I, might Interest you." hs wsnt on, surprised at tha beauty of fter syes; we're going to try to bolat tha aafa out of fifty odd feet of water unless It is smashed on ths rocks. Corns down when I go at I o'clock." . Aa ho spoke his fscs grew grave, and he glanced at tha open drawer by his elbow, where two blue revolver barrels Isy shining In ths morning light At noon shs went into her little room, locked the door snd sat down on ths bed. Shs cried steadily till I o'clock; from i to I aha spent the time In obliterating all tracea of tears: at 1 hs knocked st her door, snd shs opened It, frteh, dainty, amlllng, and Joined him. tying the strings of a pink sunbonnet under her oval chin, t - lit Tha afternoon aun beat down on the dump dock, where the derrick awung like a atumpy gallows against ths sky. A dosen hsrd-fsced, silent tiuarrymen sat around in groups on the string piece; Fsrrely rsksd out of ths firs in the rusty little engine; Finn snd Dyce whispered together, glowering st Ijefty Sawyer, who stood dripping In his div ing suit while Lee unscrewed ths hel met snd disentangled tha lines, - Behind Lee, Helen Pine est on a pile of condemned sleepers, nervously twist ing and untwisting tha strings of her sunbonnet When Sawyer was able 10 best and be heard, Lee listened, tight-lipped and bard-eyed, to a report that brought a roallcloia sneer to -Inn's face and a twinkle of triumph Into Dyce's dissi pated eyes. "The safe Is smashed , an' tha door open. Them there eight cash boxes Is all that I can aee." He poln.ed to the pile of Bteel boxes, still glistening with salt wstsr, and already streaked And blotched with orange-colored rust. : "There are- ten - boxes,"- said Lee, coldly; "go down again." " , Unwillingly, sullenly, Lefty Sawyer suffered himself to bs investsd with the heavy helmet; the lines and tubes were adjusted, Dyoe superintended the de scent and Finn seised the signal cord. After s minute It twitched; Lee grew white With anger; Dyce turned away to conceal fi grin. When again Sawyer stood on the dock snd reported "that thr-two -cash -boxea were hopelessly engulfed in the mud, Lee sternly bade him divest himself of the diving- suit with reasonable celerity. "What you goln' to- do" asked Finn, coming up. "Is It your place to ask questions?" said Lee, sharply. "Obey ordera or you'll regret It!" ' "lie's goln' down himself," whispered Dyce to Sawyer. The diver cast a sav age glance st Lee, snd hesttsted. "Taks off that suit!" repeated Lee. ' ' Finn, scowling wfth snger. sttempted to speak, but Lee turned on him snd bade him to be silent he pushed ths lssden-soled shoes from him. Lee watched him with mixed emo tions. He had gone too far to go back now he understood that Flinching at such a moment meant chaos in ths qusr ry, snd hs knsw thst the last shred of his authority snd -eontrol would go If hs hesltsted. Yet, with all his hesrt snd soul, ho shrank from going down Into the sea. What might not such men do? Dyes held the, life line. A moment or two of suffocation would such - men hesitate? Accidents are so easy ,, to provs, and signals may be easily mis understood. Hs lsld a brace of heavy re volvers on the dock and amiled. - As Dyce lifted tha helmet upon his shoulders he caught "" last gllmpss of sunlight Snd blus sky and green lesvss brief vision of dark, brutal faeeaw of Helen Pine's colorless, frightened fscs. Then he felt himself on the dock ladder, thea thousand teat seemed to fall from his feet and the dusky ocean enveloped him. On the dump dock silence reigned. After a moment or two Finn whispered to Sawyer; Dyoe Joined the group Farrely whitened a bit under his brlck-l rsd sunburn snd pretended to 'fuss, atl hla' snglns. Helen ; Pine, heart beating furiously, watched them. . She did not know what they we,re going to do what they were doing now, wlth?-the air tubes. Shs did not understand such things, but shs saw a Una suddenly twitch In Dyce's lingers. and she saw murder in Finns syes-. Before shs knsw what shs wss doing shs . found herself clutching . both of Lee s revolvers. Finn saw ber and atood petrified : Dyce gaped at tha leveled mussles. No body moved. After a little while the line in Dyce's band twitched violently; Finn tsrteds,nd awore: sawyer - said dis tinctly: "Cut that line!" - . The nest Instant ahe fired at him point blank, and he dropped to the bleached boards with, a howl of dlsmsy. Ths crack of tha revolver , echoed and echoed among ths rocks: a silence that startled followed. Presently, behind hla engine, Farrely began to laugh; tws quarrymen near him got up and sham bled hastily away. "Draw him up!" gasped the girl, with A desperate glance at tha water. Finn, tha foreman, cursed and flung down hla lines, and walksd away, curs ing. ...... "Take tha lines, Noonan!' aha cried, breathlessly. "Dyes, puU him up!" When tha great blank-eyed helmet ap peared, ahe watched .It as though hypno Used. When, dragging his leaden feet Lee stumbled to the dock and flung one or the two missing cash boxea at Dyce a feet, shs grew dlssy, and her little handa ached with their grip on ths heavy weapona. ' Sawyer, atupld. clutching his shat tered forearm, never removed hia eyef from her race; Dyce unscrewed the hel met shaking with fright "There, you lying blackguard!" gasped Lee. pointing to the recovered cash box, "take them sll to my of tics. wnere i ll settle with you once and for am I'll And the other tomorrow." Nobody-replied, Lee,-flushed with ax. eltement snd triumph, strlppsd off his diving dress before he became aware that aomething besides his own splsods had occurred.- Then he say Lefty Saw yer, bedabbled with blood, staring with sick, surprised eyes at somebody woman, who sst huddlsd on a heap of sun-dried sleepers, sunbonnet fallen back, cocked revolver in either hand, and. In her dark eyes, teara that flowed ailenuy over her colorless cheeks. Hs glared at Dyce. "Ask hsr." muttered Dyoe, doggedly. He turned toward Helen, but Fur rely, behind hla angina, shouted: ""Faith, shs stood off th' gang or tha breathln below wud ha' choked ye! Thank ths lass, lad. an' mind ahs's a gun- whin ye go worrltln' the fishes for the coom pany'a cash box!" - a s e .. e . e e ' . e "That night Lea made s speech- st ths quarry. Tha man listened placidly. Dyoe. araassd that he was iot dis charged, went back to nurse Sawyer, a thoroughly cowed man. Noonan, Far rely and Phelan .retired to their shanty and got fighting drunk to the health of the "colleen wld the gun"; tha rest of the men wsnt away with wholesome con victions concerning their superintendent that promised better things. "Didn't firs Dyce no, hs didn't" wss the whispered comment Lee's policy had dona its work. V As for tbs murderous mover of' ths plot the plausible foremen, Finn, hs hsd shown ths whits feather under fire, and bs knew the men might kill him on sight It's sn Irish characteristic under such circumstances. . - Lee walked -back form the quarry, re alising his triumph, recognising that ha ewsd It neither to his foolhardy Im pulse nor yet to his mercy to Dyce, snd Sawyer. He went to ths house and knocked at Helen'a door. She was not there. He sat slons in his office, sb sently plsying with pen snd ruler, until the June moon rose over the ocean and yellow sparklss flashed among tha waves. An hour later hs went to the dock, snd found hsr sitting there alone In tha moonlight She did not repulse him. Her Inno cent hour had come, and ahe knew It, for aha had read auch thlnga In ro mance. It came. But shs wss too much la love, too sincere, to. use a "setting so dramatic. She told Kim aha loved him; shs told htm why she had come, to the Port-of-Wavea, why she had remem bered ths kiss and tha promise. She rested her hesd on his shoulder and looked out st tha moon, smaller and more silvery now. Shs was contented. Under the dock ' the dark waves lapped musically. Under the dock Finn, atrlpped to the akin, plunged eilently downward for tha last cash box, trust ing to senss of touch to find ths safs. But what hs found wss too horrible for words. ' " - -r "Hark," whispered Helen: "did you hear something splash?" Lsa looked out Into the moonlight; a shadow, a black triangular fin, cut the silvery aurfacs, stssred hither ' and thither circled, sheered seaward, and was lost Thsn came another splash, far out smong ths wavss. "Ths collector of the port." said Lee; he Is making merry In the moonlight" "Ths Leather Funnel," by Sir A. Co nan Doyle, will be published next week. On ainssar Is Chin. From a Report by United States Consul ' Cloud, Hangachau. - Chinese' merchants when questioned ss to ths rssl difference between the ' wild root from Klrln and the cultivated variety from the United States admit that ths difference Is mostly imaginary, but that sines ths Manchurlan glnssng comes from ths emperor's mother coun try and from the aame soil out of which hn, ths Son of Heaven, sprang, ths Chi-, ness regard It as Infinitely more effica cious ss a "nourishing" medicine and aa a "life-giving remedy" than ginseng from any other part of tha world could possibly be. "Foreign ginseng" (American! Is mora aastly crumbled thsn, ths Manchurlan, which la very hard, semi-transparent snd so shaped aa to resemble the Chi nese character for man, Jhe root being forked. The strange form of ths root so llks tbs human body, renders It mors valua ble In the ayes of tha Chinese. This superstition is largely ' responsible for to abaurdly high price of Manchurlan ginseng. rt, ' " NO great quantity 4 of any medicine that sell for J4Hr tl an ounce esn ha sold In China, where .the amount of money per capita la so small. So It la that thsy turn to whst they call "forslgn ginseng" (tbs American) as aheanatv '-v- . ; '..:... - ' r . . -:,v ,vv7;'T '"; r v . f
