a
T on
S lo w .
Kir John Franklin had made up his
m ind to discover the n o rth w est passage.
“ I can’t wait forever for the Panama
That’s too bad ! We had no
ticed it was looking pretty
thin and faded of late, but
naturally did not like to speak
of it. By the way, Ayer’s
Hair Vigor is a regular hair
grow er, a p erfect hair re
storer. It keeps the scalp
clean and healthy.
•• I im w ell acquainted w ith Aysr*» Rr.tr
V lro r and I Ilk a It very lunch. I would eape
n a lly recommend It ae an excellent d resting
for the hair, keeping it «oft ami aniooth, and
preventing the hair from snlttU nr at the
ends.” — M lh K lB F r i t z . Veedum . Mich.
yW
Made by J. C Ayer Co , Lowell, Maae.
Also manufhoturere o f
/ i uers
c a n a l," he said.
(•lan cin g at the latest disp atch es from
W ash in g to n an d aso ertain in g , to his d is
gust, th a t th ere was a n o th er deadlock as
to the q u estio n of the ty ;« of can al to Iw
adopted, and th a t S en ato r M organ was
nlwmt to m ake a n o th er speech, he gave
o rd ers for the im m ediate fitting out of the
ex pedition.
In
th e
Sw eet
S a l i « e < ,n r n t .
R e p o rte r— It'* to he a quiet wedding,
iai.’c it?
P ro sp ectiv e
Bridegroom
(p ro m in en t
w ard h e e le r)— Yes. a ir; tie «reddin’ ’ll
be q u iet enough, but we’re g oin’ to have
de gol-w hoppinest sh iv a pin » Ju t ever w as
pulled off in de p recin ’t !”
9 ln * l« T h o n g h t.
“I th in k ,” remarked C row ells the
other m orning at breakfast, “I'll get a
divorce."
"Good!” exclaim ed Mrs. G. “and I
w ish you w ould get one for me w hile
you are at I t ”
S arsaparilla .
pills .
The new administration and jobbing
house
building erected by the W. L.
CHERKV PECTORAL.
Douglas Shoe Co. as a part of its mam
moth manufacturing plant in Brockton,
Mass., was dedicated June 19. The
No M y s te ry a t A ll.
program included open house from 11
•"Speaking of stran g e and u n ac co u n ta
in the morning until 8 in the evening.
ble experiences,” rem arked the m an w ith
There
was a musical program and re
th e bulbous nose. “ I am rem inded of one
F if
th a t happened to a friend of m ine in the freshments were served all day.
autnm er of *U3. while he w as a t the Co teen thousand invitations were sent out
lum bian exposition. He w as in the F in e including over 11,900 retail dealers in
A rts building, looking at the p ictu re they the United States who handled the W .
M r. Douglas says
called 'B rea k in g H om e T ies.’ when he L. Douglas shoes.
h ea rd a voice behind him say distin ctly , that his three large factories, also the
‘T h a t’s w hat is h appening a t y o u r house, new building just dedicated, will al
o v er on the west side.’ H e tu rn ed and ways be open to inspection and visitors
looked to see who it was th a t spoke, and from everywhere w ill be welcome.
th e re was nobody n e a r him .”
The new jobbing house jast dedicat
“ Is th a t a ll? ” asked th e m an w ith the
ed w ill enable hurry orders for Douglas
fishy eye.
“ N o; the stra n g e st p a rt is to come. shoes to be shipped the same day they
W hen he w ent home in the evening he are received. The new building is 260
found th a t his youngest b ro th er had elop feet long. 60 feet wide and two stories
ed w ith the hired girl and gone to S t. high. The jubbing department occu
L ouis. It Lad taken place, too, a t the ex pies the entire lower floor and the new
a c t m om ent when he heard the voice. How offices of the Douglas Shoe company oc
do you exp lain th a t. I'd like to know ? cupy the entire second floor.
In the
W as it te le p a th y ? O r w hat was it? ”
new building there w ill l>e special offices
“ H ’u m p h ! W ho tells th a t sto ry ? ”
occupied by the Western Union and
“ T h e m an h im self— Ike S trin g h am .”
Postal Telegraph companies; also by
“ O, S trin g h a m tells it, does he? W hy, the telephone companies and there is
you gourdhead. th a t ’s the e x p la n a tio n .”—
an elaborate mailing department. The
C hicago T rib u n e.
completion of this new administration
R -r -r -r !
building marks the establishment of a
In sum m er garb, and w ith new stra w h at. modern, up-to-date wholesale jobbing
T he com m uter fared fo rth from his flat,
1 hoase and office building.
As ch .p p er as you please.
M r. Douglas has long considered the
S w iftly the "dum m y" bore him to tow n—
advisability
of a jobbing bonse, not
B u t sw ifte r dropped the m ercury down
only for the purpose of supplying his
Some 25 degrees.
own retail stores more readily, but that
V n e le A lie n .
the 11,000 dealers throughout »he
“ My boy,” counseled
U ncle
Allen United States handling the W . L.
S p ark s, “ it is a m ighty serious th in g to be Douglas shoes might l^e able to obtain
a young m an these days, and to have to shoes for immediate use with greater
m ake your choice betw een O p p o rtu n ity facility.
and R esponsibility. T h a t's w here a lot
The new building is said to be the
of you go w rong."
most complete and convenient of any
ever built for a commercial bouse in
S h e d d in g M ore I n fo r m a tio n .
the
United States, so were the expres
Mrs. Chugwater—Josiah, what ia a
sions of appreciation by the many per
pronunciamento?
Mr, Chugwater— Pronouncing amen to sons who visited it for inspection sin
anything you want to indorse. I should cere and of a highly congratulatory na
think you could tell that by looking at ture. Architertural beauty as well as
the word itself.
adaptability to the usee to which it is
to be put has been the aim in construc
H is Id e a o f a J o k e .
tion, and the reenlt is most satisfactory,
“Jones has a queer sense of humor."
to the visitor as well as the firm.
“ Huh?"
“ H e m arried bis dead w ife’s sister, you
R e a s o n a b le F n o u R h .
know . And now he refers to th e deceased
"A nd w h at a re you going to do when
a s hi» sister-in-law .”— C leveland Leader. you’re a m a n ? ” asked the v isito r.
“ I ’ve been th in k .n g ,” replied the b rig h t
T h e Rom e new spapers com m ent fa v o r
boy, "o f s ta rtin g a n elep h a n t farm in
ably on the scheme for the erection in
th a t city of a m onum ent to S h akspeare. V irg in ia .”
“ An elep h a n t fa rm ? ”
“ C e rta in ly . W hy n o t? T hey raise pea
The dowager Duchess of Abercorn, aged
n u ts th e re .” — P h ilad elp h ia Ledger.
92, has 150 descendants.
<^6, OUNCES
is the wonderful raising powder of the
Wave Circle. Thousands of women are
bringing greater health and better food
into their homes by using K C Baking
Powder. Costs just one-third what you
always pay. If you have never used it
you don’t know what you’ve missed.
,
D on’t wait 1 A ll grocers.
I
ÜES MAN?6
. C h ic a g o .
*O bk « aw S»*
25 ou n ces f o r 25 c e n t s
JAQUES MFG. CO.
C h ic s g o
*
T h e a r t” !!'
'P resen t«*’
free upon request.
A CELLULOID PLATE
W hen fitted Just right and satisfactory to
the wearer In every w ay, Is a th in g an y
d en tist can congratq ate h im s e lf upon. It’s
one of the products of tw en tieth c< ntury
d en tist y . Perhaps y ou ’re still u sin g on e
o f th - o!d ones. Suppose you le t us show
you a cellu io d plate ?
WISE BROS., Dentists
F a llin g B u lld lrg, Third and W ash in gton
» A. M. to 6 P. M. Hu l days 9 to 13
Main 2029
J
C H A P T E R X X I I I . — (C o n tin u ed .)
T h e ex p erien ced convict d isc ip lin a ria n
did not r a te th e ab ility of Jo h n Rex
highly enough.
F ro m th e in s ta n t th e
convict h ad h ea rd his sen ten ce of life
b a n ish m e n t, he had d eterm in e d upon e s
cap in g . am i had b ro u g h t all th e pow ers
of his a c u te am t u n sc ru p u lo u s in tellect
to th e co n sid e ra tio n of th e best m ethod
o f ac h iev in g hia purjtoaa. I lls p rete n d ed
piety h ad accom plished th e end he had
a ssu m e d it for. l i e had won th e confi
dence of M eek in ; am i into th a t w orldly
c re a tu re 's e a r he po u red a s tra n g e and
aad h isto ry . l i e w as th e son, he aaid,
of a clerg y m an of th e C h u rch of E ng
la u d , w hoae real nam e, such w as his
rev e re n ce for th e cloth, should never
p ass hia lipa. H e w as tra n s p o rte d for
a fo rg e ry w hich he. d id not com m it.
S a ra h P u rfo y w as hia w ife.
She, an
in nocent am , tru stin g girl, had d e te rm in
ed to follow her h u sb a n d to Ins place
of doom , an d had h ired h erself n t lady'«
m aid to M rs. V iekera. "M y g rea t so r
row is fo r th e poor w om an. She is in
S ydney, 1 h av e h ea rd , an d my h ea rt
bleeds fo r h e r.”
H e re Rex h eaved a
nigh th a t w ould h a v e m ad e his fo rtu n e
on th e hoards.
“ You m ig h t w rite to h e r.”
“ Yon know th e o rd ers, s ir— th e com-
n ia m ia n t re a d s all th e le tte rs sent. Could
I w rite to my poor S a ra h w h at o th e r
eyes w ere to re a d ? ” an d he w atch ed
th e p a rso n slyly.
“ N —o, you could n o t," aaid M eekin,
a t la st.
T h e n ex t d ay M eekin, b lushing w ith
th e consciouanesa th a t w h a t
he w as
a b o u t to d o w as w rong, said to hi* p en i
te n t, “ I f you will p ro m ise to w rite n o th
ing th a t th e ro m tu a m fo n t m ight not see.
R ex, I w ill send y o u r le tte r to your
w ife.”
" H e a v e n bless yon. s ir!” aaid Rex,
am i took tw o day» to com pose an e p is
tle w hich should tell S a ra h P u rfo y how
to act. T h e le tte r w as a model >>f com
position In one w ay. It s ta te d e v e ry
th in g clea rly am i su ccin ctly . N ot a de
ta il th a t could a s sist w ns o m itted , not
a lin e th a t could e m b a rra ss w as suffered
to rem a in .
Jo h n R e x ’s sch em a of six
m o n th s’ d elib eratio n w as set dow n in th e
c le a re st possible m a n n er.
H e b rought
his le tte r utisealed to M eekin. M eekin
looked a t It w ith an In terest th a t w as
h n lf su sp icio u s.
“ H a v e I y o u r word
th a t th e re is n o th in g in th is th a t m ight
not be re a d by th e co m m an d a n t Y*
Jo h n R ex w as a bold m an. b ut at th e
sig h t of th e d ead ly th in g flu tte rin g open
In th e c le rg y m a n 's h am , his knees k n o ck
ed to g e th e r.
S tro n g In his know ledge
of h u m a n n a tu re , how ever, he pursue«!
h,» d e s p e ra te p lan . “ R ead It. sir." he
said, tu rn in g aw a y his face re p ro a c h
fu lly .
“ You a re a g en tlem an . : I can
tr u s t yo u .”
“ No. R e x ,” said M eekin. w alk in g lo ft
ily Into th e p itfa ll; “ I do not rea d p ri
vate le tte rs .” It w as sealed, am i Jo h n
R ex felt as if som ebody h ad w ith d ra w n
a m a tch fro m a p ow der b arrel.
In a m onth M r. M eekin received a le t
te r, b e a u tifu lly w ritte n ,
from " S a r a h
R e x .” s ta tin g briefly th a t sh e had h eard
of his go o d n ess; th a t th e Inclose., le tte r
w as for h er h u sb a n d , and th a t, if it w as
a g a in s t th e ru les to give it him , sh e b eg
ged it m ig h t be re tu rn e d to her u n rea d .
O f course, M eekin g av e It to R ex. who
n ex t m o rn in g han d ed to M eekin a m ost
to u c h in g an d pious p ro d u ctio n , »»egging
him to rea d It. M eekin did ao, am i any
su sp icio n s he m ay h a v e h ad w ere at
once d isa rm e d . H e w as Ig n o ran t of th e
f a c t th a t th e pious le tte r co n tain e d a
p riv a te one, lnt»»n«le«l fo r Jo h n Rex only,
w hich le tte r Jo h n Rex th o u g h t so h ig h
ly of th a t, h av in g re a d it tw ice th ro u g h
m o st a tte n tiv e ly , he a te It.
T h e p la n of esca p e, w as, a f te r all. a
sim p le one. S a ra h P u rfo y w as to keep
a vessel h o v erin g ro u n d tli* so u th e rn
co ast of V an D iem en ’s L am , w ith o u t e x
citin g suspicion. T h e escap e w ns to b e
m ad e In th e w in te r m o n th s. If possible,
in J u n e o r J u ly . T h e w a tc h fu l vessel
w ns to be co m m an d ed by some t r u s t
w o rth y person, w ho whs to fre q u e n tly
land on th e so u th e a ste rn side, am i keep
a lookout fo r any e x tra o rd in a ry a p p e a r
ance alo n g th e co aat. R ex h im self m ust
be le ft to ru n th e g a u n tle t of th e dogs
an d g u a rd s u n aid ed .
“ T h is seem s a
d e s p e ra te sc h em e,” w ro te R ex, “ b u t it
la not ao w ild as ,t looks. I h av e th o u g h t
o v er a dozen o th e rs, an d rejected th em
all. T h is is th e only w ay . C o n sid er it
w ell. I h a v e my ow n p lan fo r escap e,
w’hich is easy if rescu e be a t h an d . All
d ep en d s upon p lacin g a tr u s tw o rth y m an
In c h a rg e of, th e vessel. You o u g h t to
know a dozen such.
I will w a it eig h
teen m o n th s to give you tim e to m ake
all a rra n g e m e n ts .” T h e eig h teen m o n th s
h ad now n ea rly p assed over, an d th e
tim e fo r th e d e s p e ra te a tte m p t d rew
n ea r. F a ith f u l to his cru el philosophy,
Jo h n R ex had pro v id ed sc ap e g o ats who,
by th e ir v icario u s ag onies, should a ssist
him to his sa lv atio n .
H e h ad d isco v ered th a t o f th e tw e n ty
m en in his gang eig h t had a lre a d y d e
te rm in ed on an effort fo r freedom . T h e
n am es of th e se e ig h t
w ere G a b b e tt,
V etch, B odenhnm , C o rn eliu s. G reen h ill,
H andera (called th e “ M o o ch er” ), ('o x and
T ra v e rs . H e w ould u rg e th ese m en to
th e ir fa te , and ta k e a d v a n ta g e of th e
ex c ite m e n t a tte n d a n t on th e ir ab sen c e
to effect hia own escape. “ W h ile all th e
island Is looking for th e se eig h t boobies,
I sh all h av e a good c h a n ce to alip a w a y
unm laaed.”
He
w iahed, h o w ev er, to
h av e a co m panion.
S om e stro n g m an,
who, If pressed h a rd , w ould tu rn and
keep th e p u rsu e rs a t b ay , w ould be u s e
ful without doubt; and th is comrade-
C H A I T E R X X IV .
T h e P r e tty M a ry —-as ugly an d evil-
sm ellin g a tu b as e v e r p itch ed u n d e r a
so u th e rly b u r s te r — h ad been lying on
nnd off C ap e H urville fo r n ea rly th ree
w eeks.
C a p ta in
B lu n t whs g e t t in g
w earied . H e m ad e stre n u o u s efforts to
find th e o y ste r b eds of w hich he w as os-
te n sib ly In search, but no success a tte n d
ed his efforts. In vnilii «,¡<1 he ta k e bout,
nnd pull into «»very cove an d nook be
tw een th e Ilo p p o ly te R eef am i Hcouten
Isla n d . In v ain <I,d he run P r e tty M ary
ns n e a r to th e rugged cliffs ns lie d ared
to ta k e her, and m a k e p e rp e tu a l ex p ed i
tio n s to th e shore. In vain did he —in
his e a g e rn e s s fo r th e in te re sts of M rs.
P u rfo y — c lam b e r up th e
rocks,
nnd
spend h o u rs in so lita ry
so u n d in g s in
B la c k m a n 's B ay.
H e n ev er found an
o y ste r.
“ If I d o n ’t find so m e th in g in
th re e or fo u r «lays m o re,” said he to his
m a te, " I sh all go back agnln. I t ’s too
d a n g e ro u s cru isin g h ere .”
victim he sought in Rufus Dawes.
Beginning from a purely selfish motive
On the same evening that Captain
Blunt made thia resolution, the watch
to u rg e his fellow p riso n er to absco n d
w ith him , Jo h n Rex g ra d u a lly
found
h im self a ttr a c te d into so m eth in g like
frie n d lin e ss by th e ste rn n e ss w ith w hich
his o v e rtu re s w ere repelled.
" H a v e you no frie n d s whom you wish
to se e ? " he ask ed , one ev en in g , w hen
R u fu s D aw es had prov«»«l m ore th a n
u su ally d e a f to his arg u m e n ts.
"N o ," said
D aw es, gloom ily.
“ My
frie n d s a re all d ead to m e.”
“ W h a t, a ll? " ask ed th e o th er. “ Most
m en h av e som e o ne whom they w ish to
see.”
“I have resolved. I sta y h ere .”
“ Lnd leav e y«»ur Innocence u n p ro v
ed r*
“ H ow «-an I p ro v e It? ” cried R u fu s
Da we«, roughly Im p atien t. “ T h e re s ie
«•rimes co m m itted
whi«*b a re
never
b ro u g h t to lig h t, an d th is is one of
th e m .”
"M ell." said R ex, as If w eary o f th e
d iscussion, “ h av e it your own w ay, then
You know best, T h e p riv a te dete«*tlve
gam e is h ard w ork.
I, m yself, have
gone on a w ild goose ch ase b efo re now.
I here s a m y s t e r y ab o u t a c e rta in ship
b u ild e r s son w hlch to o k m e fo u r m o u th s
to u n rav el, am i th e n I lost th e th re a d "
V s h lp b u ih le r's son! W ho w as h e?"
J o h n R e x p a u s e d in w o n d e r m e n t at
th e ea g e r in te re st w ith w hich th e ijnes
tio n w as p u t, and th en h asten e d to ta k e
a d v a n ta g e uf th is new open in g fo r con
v ersa tio n .
"A q u e e r sto ry .
A well-
know n c h a r a c te r In my tim e - S ir R ic h
a rd D ev,ne. A m iserly old cu rm u d g eo n ,
w ith a scap e g rac e so n .”
R u fu s Daw'es bit his lips to avoid
show ing his em otion. T h is w as th e se c
ond tim e th a t th e n am e of his d ead
fa th « -r h ad been »(token In his h ea rin g
" I th in k I rem em ,»er so m eth in g of h im ."
he said , w ith a Voice th a t
soitnde<l
stra n g e ly calm in his ow n ears.
“ A cu rio u s sto ry ." said Rex. p lunging
Into p a st m em ories. “ A m ong o th e r m at
(era, I dabble«! a little in th e p riv a te
in q u iry line of b u sin ess, and th e old m an
cam e to me.
H e h ad a son who had
gone a b ro a d a w ild young dog, by all
a c c o u n ts—am i be w a n te d p a rtic u la rs of
h im .”
“ 1 »id he get then» ?”
“ T o a c e rta in extent.
I h u n te d him
th ro u g h P a r is Into B r u s s e ls , fr o m Bru»
»els to A n tw e rp , from A n tw e rp b ack to
F a ris.
I lost him th e re .
A m iserab le
end to s long and ex p en siv e se arch , I
g o t n o th in g b u t a p o rtm a n te a u w ith a
lot of le tte rs from his m other. I sent th e
p a r tic u la rs to th e »hipbuil«1»r, an d by si!
a c c o u n ts th e Hews killed him . for he died
not long a f te r ."
"A n d th e so n ?”
"C a m e to th e q u e e re st end of all. T h e
«»Id m an h ad left him his fo rtu n e a
la rg e one, I believe— hut h e'd left E»i
rope. It seem s, fo r In d ia, an d w as lost in
th e H y d asp e e. F r e r e w as bis <*otisiu."
" A h !”
" I t an n o y s m e w hen I th in k o f It."
co n tin u ed Bex. “ W ith th e r e s o u r c e s I
had, too! Oh. a m iserab le fa ilu re ! T h e
d ay s an d n ig h ts I’ve spent w alk in g ab o u t
looking fo r B lc h a rd D evine, and never
c a tc h in g a glim pse of him ! T h e <d<| m an
g av e me his so n ’» p o rtra it, w ith full p ar
tic u la rs of his ea rly life, an d I su p p o se I
c a rrie d that* Ivory g im c rack In my b reast
p ocket fo r n ea rly th re e m ontha, pulling
it o u t to re fre sh my m em ory ev ery h a lf
hour. If th e young g en tlem an w as a n y
th in g like h is p ic tu re , I could
h av e
sw o rn to him if I ’d m et him in T itn-
b u cto o .”
“ Do you th in k
y o u ’«,
know
him
a g a in ? " asked R u fu s D aw es, In a low
voice, tu rn in g aw a y his head.
T h e re m ay h av e been so m eth in g In th e
a ttitu d e in w hich th e s p e a k e r h ad put
h im self th a t aw akene«! m em ory, or per
b a p s th e su b d u ed ea g ern ess of th e tone,
c o n tra s tin g so stra n g e ly w ith th e com
p a r a tiv e in co n seq u en ce o f th e them e,
had cause«, Jo h n R e x ’s b rain to p erfo rm
on«* o f those fe a ts of a u to m a tic s y n th e
sis n t w h ich we nft«*rward w onder. T h e
p ro flig ate son - th e likeness to th«» p o r
t r a i t — th e m y stery of Dawes* ||f«.; T h ese
w ere th«» links of a g a lv a n ic ch a in .
He
close«! th e c irc u it, am i a vivid A h ah re
vealed to h im — T h e M an.
W a rd e r T ro k a com ing up, p ut his
h a n d on R e x 's sh o u ld er. “ D a w es,” he
said , “ y o u ’re want«»«, at th e y a r d ;” ami
th e n , seeing his m ista k e , ad d e d , w ith a
grin, “ C u rse you tw o ; y o u ’re ao m uch
alik e o ne c a n ’t tell t ’o th e r from w h ich .”
R u fu s D aw es w alk ed off m oodily; but
Jo h n R e x ’s evil fnce turtle«! pale, and n
s tra n g e hope mad«» hia h e a r t leap.
“T r o k e ’a rig h t, we a re alike. I ’ll not
p ress him to escap e an y m o re.”
m an nt S ig n al HUI saw th e arm s of th e
se m ap h o re nt th e se ttle m e n t m ake th re e
m otions th u s :
T h e «••»•»» p h o ra w as furnlshe«! w ith
th re e revolving arm s, ti»«»d one sh o v e
th e o ther. T h e upp«»r one dem ited u nits,
and hn«l six uiotioiis, in d ic a tin g m is to
six. T h e m iddle «»tie den o ted ten s, ten
to s ilty . T h e low er one m n rk ed h u n
dreds. from «me hun«lr«sl to six h u n d red .
T h e low er an d u p p er a rm s whirl»«,
out. T h a t m ean t th re e h u n d re d uinl six.
A hall ra n up to th e top of (he post.
T h a t m ean t one th o u sa n d .
N u m b er l.’liMl, or, being In te rp re te d .
“ P r i s o n e r s A b a c o n d *«,.”
“ T h e re 's a b o lt,” s a id J o n e s , th e sig
n alm an .
The
se m a p h o re
sig n aled
ag a in —
“ N um ber 1 ,1 1 .”
“ W iffi a rm s !" Jo n e s snld, tra n s la tin g
ns he read . “ ( ’«»me here. H a r ry ! here'»
a go!”
But H a rry «11«, not rep ly , an d . looking
dow n, th e w atc h m a n «aw n «lark figure
sud d en ly fill th e d«»«»rway. T h e b«»aate<|
se m ap h o re h ad failed th is tim e, at nil
events.
T h e “ b o lte rs” had nrriv«»«, as
»<mn as th e sig n al!
T h e m an sp ra n g at his ca rb in e, but th«
In tru d e r ha«l alre ad y p«>s»e«se<| h im self
of it.
“ I t's no use m ak in g
a
fuss,
J o lie s*
T h e re a re eight of us. (» b ilg e
me by a tte m lin g to y«»ur sig n a ls.’’
Ju lies knew th e Voire
It w ss th a t o f
Jo h n R ex.
"R e p ly , c a n 't y o u ?” sub,
Bex, coolly. “ C a p ta in Burg«-ss Is In a
h u rry ,
I he a rm s of th e se m ap h o re at
th e se ttle m e n t w ere, hi fa.-t, g e s tic u la t
ing w ith com ical vehemeii«*e.
J«.lies took th e strin g s In his ban.Is.
and, w ith his sig n al b**»k «»pen before
th em , w as ab o u t to ack n o w led g e th e
m essage, w hen lt«-x sto p p ed him. ” H«»ii«l
th is m e ssa g e ." he »aid. “ Not seel»! S ig
nal sent to E a g le h a w k !”
J u lie s pause«,
irreso lu tely .
| | e w as
h im s e lf n co n v ict, an«l dren«i«»<l th e in ev
ita b le c a t th a t h«» knew wouhl follow
th is f a ls e m essage.
“ If they finds m s
o u t------ " he said . I t,., co rk ed th e c a r
bine w ith s«» deckled a m ean in g in hia
black ey«»s th a t Jo n e s bauiahe«! his h esi
ta tio n a t once mini began to sig n al e a g
erly. T h e re cam e up a clin k in g .f m e tal
an d a m u rm u r fro m below.
“ W h a t’s
keep in g yer, I »attdy ?”
All rig h t, ( je t th o se Irons off, an<l
th en w e’ll ta lk , boys. P m p o ttin g sa lt
«»n «»,«1 Burgess* ta il.” T h e rough Jest
w as received w ith a r« « r, an d Jo n e s,
looking m o m e n ta rily dow n from his win*
• >w <>n th e sta g in g , saw , In th e w an in g
g it, a g ro u p .«f men freein g th em selv es
fr.»m th e ir iro n s w ith a h a m m e r ta k e »
from th e gim r.l house; w hile tw o. a l
read y fr«-e.|, w ere c a stin g b u ck e ts o f
w a te r on th e beacon w oodpile. T h e se n
try w as lying bound a t a little «lis
t s nee.
N ow .
sa id th e le ad e r o f th is s tir -
- . •
. •
Jo n e a (.erfo rce o lw y cl.
“ Kay, »A „
r
• a p e a t th e m in es*
W a tc h <»n«tr««i
P o in t !
H end « hi to E a g ie h a w k ! ’ Q u ick
n ow .”
*
Jo n es. c.m pre<ie«i.|ing th e
force o f
t b s m a n eu v e r, w hich w.oil.l h av e th e
effect ,,f d is tra c tin g a tte n tio n from th«
Neck, e s e r u te d th e o rd e r w ith a g rin .
) o u 're ■ kn o w in g one. D an d y Jack**
said he.
J«»hn Rex ackno w |e.|g e« | th e co m p li
m ent by u n co ck in g th e ca rb in e. ’’H o ld
out y o u r h a n d s ! Je m m y V etch ! C om e
up. am i tie o u r fri«snd Jo n e s
G a b b e tt
have yon got th e axesT* ’T h ere’s only
«»ne,” . . i l l G a b b e tt. ’T h e n b rin g th a t,
an d an y tu c k e r you can lay y o u r l a n d s
on.
H a v e you tle.1 h im ? G n we g.r.
th e n ."
And In th e sp ace of five m in
ute« from t h e tim e w hen nn«ns|»ectln<
H a rry h ad been silen tly clu tch e d by tw o
form a, w ’>o rushe<| np«»n him «mt of th«
sh ad o w of th e h u ts, th e S ig n al H ill s t a
tion w as «leserted.
At th e se ttle m e n t Burg.-ss w as fo a m
ing.
N ine m en to seize th e Ix>ng B ay
’»•»at. an d get h a lf an h o u r's s ta r t of th«
a la rm sig n a l w as
an
unprecedente«!
ac h ie v em e n t!
W hat
could
W a rd e r
T ro k e h av e been at»out? W a rd e r T ro k r.
how ever, fo u n d eig h t h o u rs afte rw a rd *
disartn««l. gagge.l «m l bound in th«
»«•mb, h ad been guilty of no n egligence
H ow could he te „ . th a t a t a c e rta in
sig n al from D an d y J a c k , th e nine m en
be bad ta k e n to S te w a r t’s B ay Would
" r u s h " h im ; a n d . h efo ra he could d ra w
a pistol, tr a s s him like s ch ick e n ? T h e
w orst of th e gang. R u fu s D aw es, h ad
v o lu n teered f««r th e hnt.-d d u tie s of p ||„
d riv in g , and T ro k e h ad felt h im self se
cure. H««w coni.I he possibly guess th a t
th e re w as a plot In w hich R u fu s Dnw.-s,
of nil m en. h ad refu sed to Jo in ?
C onatnhle«. m o u n ted am i
on
f«»«»t.
w ere d isp a tc h e d to sco u r th e b u sh roum l
th e se ttle m e n t. B urgess, confident, from
th e rep ly of th e S ig n al H ill se m ap h o re,
th a t th e a la rm lia«l been given at E agle-
h aw k Isthm us, p ro m ised h im self th„ re .
c a p tu r e of th e g an g b efo re m any b o u rn ;
and giving ord«»rs to keep th e com m unl-
catio n a going, re tire d to d in n e r.
H is
convict se rv a n t had barel.v rem ove,, t|,„
soup w hen th e resu lt o f Jo h n R e x ’s
in g e n u ity b ecam e m a n ifest.
T h e sem*
ap h o re n t S ig n al H ill ha,I sto p p e d w o rk
ing.
" P e r h a p s th e fools c a n ’t see.” snhl
B urges. ‘‘Pir'* th«» b eaco n — am i an,Idle
my hors«».” T h e l,en«*on w as fired. All
rig h t at M ount A rth u r, M ount C om
m u n icatio n , and th e coal m ines. T o thn
w estwnr«,. tin» line w ns clerfr.
But n t
S ignal H ill w as no a n sw e rin g light. B u r
gess sta m p e d w ith rag e. “ G et
my
b o a t’s cre w re a d y ; am i tell th e m in es
to sig n al to W oody Is la n d .”
As ho
at«»od «»n th e je tty , a b re a th le s s nm ssen-
ger b ro u g h t th e reply. “ A b o a t’s ere w
to O n e-tree P o in t! F iv e men se n t fro m
E a g le h a w k in obedience
to
o rd e rs!”
B urgeaa u n d ersto o d it a t once.
T im
h llo w s h ad «l«»eoyed th e E a g le h a w k
g u ard .
“ (Jive w ay, m en !”
A nd (ho
bunt sh o o tin g in to th e d a rk n e ss, m ail«
fo r L ong B ay. “ I w on’t I»«» f a r heliiml
’em ,” said th e co m m a n d a n t, “ n t nu»
ni«>
rate.”
(To t>« continued.»
A debt la udorned by paym ent,
•w
♦