Show THE t SMUGGLER By 1 ELLA MIDDLETON TYBOUT Illustrations by Ray Walters eup7Hrb t IWIjbjr J H UpplUCuUlo y SYNOPSIS Three girls Elizabeth Onbrlello and Kllho started for Cinmdii to spend tho summer there On bourd steamer they were frightened liy nil apparently demented dement-ed stranger who flndltiK n bag belonging 1 to tine of them took enjoyment In Heru t m tlnlzInK n photo of the trio Elise shared her stateroom with u Mrs Graham also bound for Cnnndn The young women on u HlKhtseelncr tour met Mrs Graham nnxloualy nwnltlnx her husband who had a mania for sailing They were Intro lured to lord Wilfrid and Lady Edith A cottage by the ocean Wits rented by the trio for the summer Elizabeth 1 learned that a friend of her father was to call Two men called one of them being the iiueeractlnK stranger oh the steamer The girls wero not at home but discovered by the rards left that ono of the men was ICIIzabetbs fathers friend The men proved to be John C Illnke and Gordon Bennett A wisp of yellow hair from Mr Grahams pocket fell Into the hands of Kline Mrs Grahams Gra-hams hair was black Lady Edith told the girls of a robbery of Jewels at the hotel Fearing for the safety of her own gems she left them In a safe at the cottage cot-tage Mr Gordon Uennrtt was properly Introduced explained his queer actions returned the lost bag and told of mysterious mysteri-ous doings of a year before connected with the cottage Exploring the cellar one of the girls found a sphinx cuffbut ton the exact counterpart of which both Gordon Dennett and Indy Edith were found to possess also Else alone explored ex-plored the cellar overhearing a conversation conver-sation there between Mary Anne and a man He proved to be her son charged with murder The young women agreed J to keep the secret Lady Edith told a story of a lost love In connection with the sphinx key Elise and Gordon Bennett Ben-nett discovered Lady Edith and Mr Graham I Gra-ham the latter displaying a marvelous baritone voice CHAPTER XContlnued Lady Kdlth rested her chin on her hand and thought a while Mr Blake and Mr Graham gazed at the lovely face grown suddenly serious as she pondered the question and I knew that Gordon Bennett forgot my very existence exis-tence as he leaned forward awaiting her reply It Is hard for mo to realize she said slowly never having been tempted How can any one know what he would do until the time comes Interrupted Inter-rupted Mr Graham as to yielding to an Impulse well why are wo given 4 Impulses If not to obey them Isnt that rather a dangerous theory Lidy Edith laughed as she spoke but there was a note of anxiety In her voice and she glanced Involuntarily at her brother who still maintained his sulky silence A very dangerous theory remarked re-marked Mr Bennett but to return to our discussion Smuggling Is a hazardous business Lady Edith and It requires some courage too for one r practically takes his life In his hands especially stormy nights when the sea runs high Yes ejaculated Mrs Graham yesOh I Oh I dont know said her husband hus-band It has Its compensations One lives you knowlives Think of a I nlsht out there with the waves moun talus blgha stiff wind and raining perhaps Black sky black water lack everything and the uncertainty I d about landing your cargo safely i Then the sail back again triumphant nnd exulting you and the elements aone together Cant you taste the sM spray Cant you feel I the boat ct through the water Cant you Harry He paused abruptly and turned to hb wife I beg your pardon Juliet he said very gently1 quite forgot your aversion to the water or I wouldnt have let myself go As Elizabeth often Insisted there were nice things about Mr Graham niter all His patience with his wifes vagaries were certainly most commendable com-mendable yet 1 found myself reaching 01 out after her hand as though I understood T under-stood and sympathized with her strange attitudewhich I certainly did not Meanwhile the little boat sailed on and whether It carried a smuggler with his Illgotten spoils or my treasures treas-ures from the Land of Dreams wo never knew for It slipped away Into the darkness as quietly as It had emerged I felt as though 1 had lost a something very valuable as I looked out over char empty water and the on a I suing silence brought mo no vaguely blissful dreams but rather a sense of uneasiness and Impending danger Our fire had burned Itself away Into a bed of embers where charred bits of wood occasionally sent forth feeble flames as the night wind brought them renewed life The moon climbed high in the heavens as we sat listening to the waves wash over the rocks while tho embers glowed and paled and glowed again In Indignant protest against their relegation to tho ashes I 1 of the past I Presently Lady Edith turned to Graham Slug sho said And Harry Graham nb yed without lieUonsdJIJ demur Locking up at t 1 r arse enmeera o tho rock where she sat with Elizabeth Iio smiled and removed his cap If It will give you pleasure he said quite simply She made a gesture at assent and after a moments silence he began to sing softly at first then his voice gradually attained Its full compass I have never heard a voice Just like Harry Grahams BO strong and yet so sweet It had a wonderful depth of tenderness about it too and we listened entranced unwilling to lose a note or a word of his song which was quite unfamiliar to me at least Out of the purple distance Over the surging sea Home on the winds of heaven Cometh a Volco to me Bee how tho white gull restetli low oer the tossing spray Pausing awhile U listen Before It Is I up and away 1 I Oer the trackless waste of waters Where nameless thousands 1 sleep Krom tho realm of endless silence Cometh the Voice of the Deep Hark to the whispering water Bringing u message to me Child of the restless ocean Thy destiny waits for thee Where the faraway dim horizon Touches the mistbound lien There lleth An Unknown Kingdom With Its gates ajar for mo And fo like the gull Im resting At pence oer the tossing foam Just waiting listening longing For the Voice to call me home Dont Oh Harry dont Mrs Graham had risen and was gazing at her husband with widely dilated eyes and arms extended It was a cry of Irrepressible suffering apparently wrung from her against her will I reached her first being nearest and as I slipped my arm through hers I found that sho was trembling and very cold Mr Graham had reached his wife almost as soon as I had and his voice was filled with genuine solicitude Why youre cold ho continued awfully cold your lips are quite blue and trembling This night air has been too much for you as you feared Im sorry I urged you to come but I thought you would enjoy It She clung to him oblivious of our I presence Take me home I must go home And so you shall He spoke gently as one calms a frightened child and still retaining her hand turned to Elizabeth Im really very sorry but we must go home It has been an awfully Jolly evening Mrs Graham Is a bit unstrung un-strung shes not strong you know I 1 If I I IhI 1i I I N i P I I = A t I I 1 p gyp a l l r mn My Ring It Is GoneMy Ruby Ring I shouldnt have allowed her to stay out so long in the night air And of course I shouldnt have sungP We murmured polite if slightly incoherent In-coherent regrets and tried to look as though nothing surprising had happened hap-pened but I think wo were all relieved when the Grahams finally departed As we watched their retreating figures fig-ures gradually grow smaller In the distance Gabrlcllo voiced the question that trembled on my lips Why shouldnt he sing Nobody was ready with an Appropriate Appro-priate reply for It really did seem as though one endowed with so enviable a gift should be permitted to use It at will I shivered a little for tho embers no longer sent out any heat and the wind from the ocean had suddenly grown damp and chill Lady Edith also shivered and drew her cloak closely about her I think we too must go she said I am sorry the evening has ended It has been very delightful and I shall always remember It I should suppose Mrs Graham would remember It also remarked Gnbrlelle but I dont believe she thought It delightful Wo were gathering up our wraps I preparatory to going homo ns she spoke and Mr Blake had Just taken possession of the shawl spread upon I tho rockwhere I Elizabeth bad been sitting sit-ting when she uttered an exclamation My ring It Is gone my ruby ringThis This ring was Elizabeths dearest possession and the pride of her heart I It was a marquise formed of seven rubles surrounded by diamonds and as all of tho stones were unusually good It was really very valuable We I wero aghast at tho catastrophe and hastened to help her look for It It cant be gone exclaimed Gabrl elle turning over sticks and stones < auspiciously It must bo hare j1t was too loose 1 should not have worn It I must have rolled Into till I water and I shall nnvr sea It again Elizabeth spoke In the hushed torn In which ono refers to those recently removed by death Dont feel that way about It said Lard Wilfrid roused at last I am quite sure we will find It Lets see you sat hero with Edith nnd Graham i and Mr Blake Just below It might have caught In the fringe of the shawl Perhaps Mr Make will kindly shako It Mr Blake complied without tcsult Useless also was tho ensuing search of the rocks although they were gone over Inch by Inch tho men lighting matches to oaiplno dark crevices while we scrutinized the most Improbable Im-probable places nnd tried to peer Into horapidly rising water At last wo gave It up and prepared to go home each In turn assuring Elizabeth Eliz-abeth that when morning came so would surely find her ring but nevertheless heless secretly convinced that It wits Irrevocably gone Ive had a good time barring the last half hour snld Gordon Bennett ns he took my shawl have you Y I dont know what Elizabeth will ever do without her ring was my evasive reply Give her another The Jewels your ship Is bringing you are far more valuable val-uable Nonsense I Interrupted Cant you see that she Is unhappy mid we are all worried Please dont worry he said tomorrow to-morrow morning bright and early Ill have another look at the rocks Im rather a good prophet and something tells me sho will get It again If 1 cant find It Ill get a diver and see what he can do But I dont think wo will need him for when daylight comes It will probably be discovered exactly where sho dropped It Anyway Any-way there Is no use giving up a thing as lost until every possible means of finding It Is exhausted You wont worry will 0111 These practical suggestions were very cheering and I l 7ned to repeat them to Elizabeth Sti was saying goodnight to the Campbells who had decided to return to the hotel along the shore To my surprise I heard Lady Edith also suggesting the services serv-ices of a diver They are quite wonderful you know she was saying and all sorts of things have been recovered from the ocean Yes added Lord Wilfrid we will all have another look tomorrow and If It Is not to be found by daylight I I know of an expert diver However Im sure when the tide goes out It will u be left among the TOCKS So by degrees our guests departed and we returned to the cottage rather rath-er depressed and inclined to consider the evening a failure Mary Anne met us holding the door hospitably open and smiling expansively expan-sively slvelyWell Well she remarked and did you ave a good time And didnt I ave a good supper Wo told her about Elizabeths loss and she listened In silence lint her ruddy face grew serious and her Jaw dropped as we described our search among the rocks and our theory that the ring had dropped into the sea Lost is IU she said at last dont you fret Miss Elizabeth dear I know them rocks Inch by Inch and Ill ave a look mesclf so I will Jest go to sleep and rest easy now We were glad to follow this sensible advice but I think wo all were some tlmo In getting to sleep I found myself my-self thinking of Mrs Graham rather than the lost ring and wondering vaguely why sho did not like to hear her husband sing The puzzle was too much for me and I was Just slipping into a blissful state of unconsciousness I unconscious-ness when I thought I heard a step under my window I TO BE CONTINUED |