| Show J II 11 1 J 1 The After House Housefly By fly MARY ROBERTS RINEHART Copyright O 1923 by Tim The McClure Newspaper Syndicate I I You Yo should h have e called me me- Jones I said sharply And no nonsense of that sort with themen tho the men He lie looked hurt but m made de no reply beyond his cap And while I am mentioning that I m may y speak of the tho ch changed attitude ie of ot the men men t toward oward me from the timothey put me In charge Whether the deference deter defer ence once was wa-s to the office rather than t the he man or whether In placing me meIn men In i n authority they had merely exI expressed ex- ex 1 I pressed a general feeling that WasI was was- I with them rather than of them I Ido Ido I do not know The result In any case cane I Iwas was tho tilO same They deferred deterred to me whenever possible brought large i and small Issues alike aUke to me served I Ime me my food alone agai against st my protestations pro pro- t and while navigating the ship on their own responsibility t took ook care to come to be for tor authority authority author author- i ity ty for everything Before I went below that morning I suggested that some of tho the spare c canvas be used to erect a shelter on time the after deck and this was done The rain by that time was driving steadily steadily steadily-a a summer rain without I wind Tho The men seemed glad to have occupation and from that time on the tent which they erected over the hatchway aft of the wheel was their living and eating quarters It added something to their comfort I was not so certain that it added to their security Turner was violent that day I found all an four Cour women awake and dressed and Mrs rs Turner whose whoso hour it was on dut duty In a chair outside outside out- out side the door The Tho stewardess her arm in a sling was making tea over overa a spirit lamp and Elsa was helping helping helping help help- ing her Mrs Johns was stretched on a divan and on the table lay a small revolver Clearly Elsa had told the Incident of tho the key I felt at once the at atmosphere atmosphere at- at of ot antagonism Mrs Johns watched me coolly from under lowered Th The stewardess openly scowled Ana anc Mrs Turner rose hastily and glanced lanced at Mrs Johns as if it in doubt Elsa had her herback herback herback back to me and was busy with the cups Tm Tin afraid youve you've had a bad night I saidA saidA saidA said A very bad night Mrs Turner replied stiffly Delirium Vary marked He has talked of ot ofa ota ofa a white figure figure we we cannot quite make It out It seems to b be Wilmer Mr Vail van She had not o opened ened the door but stood nervously twisting her fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers b before fore it The had no effect She glanced g helplessly at the others None she said after atter a moment Elsa Lee wheeled suddenly and glanced scornfully at her sister eister Why dont don't you ou tell him she demanded Why dont don't you ray eay ay you didn't give give- the bromides f Mrs Mn J Johns h raised herself herselt on her elbow and looked at me Why should we sh she he asked How do we know what you OU are giving him You are not friendly to him or to us We Wo know what you are trying to do you do-you you are trying to save yourself at any cost You put puta a a. guard at the companionway companion You rail off oft the deck for tor our safety You drop the storeroom key In Mr II Turners Turner's Turners Turner's Tur Tur- ners ner's cabin where Elsa will win find le it and will be obliged to acknowledge she found it and then take It from her by force so you can show It later on and save yourself Elsa turned on her quickly I told you how he got It Adele I tried to throw itOh itOh It it- it Oh if you Intend to protect him I am rather bewildered I said slowly but under the circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances I suppose you do not wish me to look after atter Mr Turner We think not not from from Mrs Tur Tur- ner nor How will win you manage alone Mrs Mr Ir Johns got up and lounged to the table She wore a long satin negligee of ot some sort draped with lace It lay around her on the floor in gleaming lines of ot soft beauty Her reddish hair was low on her neck and she held a negligently negligently negligently gently In her teeth All An the women women women wo wo- wo- wo men smoked Mrs Johns incessant incessant- ly hr She laid one hand lightly on the revolver and flicked nicked the ash from front her with the other We have decided she said Insolently Inso mao that if it the crew may establish establish lish Ush a line dead-line so may we Our line dead-line is the foot of ot the compan- compan One of ot us will ill be on watch always I am an excellent shot I do not doubt It I faced herI herI her I am afraid you will suffer for air all otherwise the arrangement Is good You relieve me of ot part of the responsibility responsibility re re- re- re for your our safety Tom will bring your food to the steps and leave It there Thank you With good luck two weeks wi will see us In port and then then then- In port You are taking us back Why not She picked up tip the revolver and examined it absently Then she glanced at me and shrugged her shoulders How can we know Perhaps this is a mutiny and you are on you ou way to some godforsaken godforsaken island That's the usual thing among pirates Isn't it I have no answer to that Mrs 1 Johns I said quietly and turned to i I where Elsa satI sat j I I 1 shall not come back unless you I send for me I said But I 1 want you OU to know that my one object In j I life lite from now on Is to get you back I safely to land that your safety j i comes first and that the vigilance j I on deck in your Interest will not be relaxed Fine words the stewardess I muttered The Time low mumbling from Turners Turner's room had persisted steadily Now It it rose again In the sharp frenzy that I had characterized It through the tile thelong thelong long night Dont look at me like that man he cried and then lies Hes lost a I hand handl A hand Mrs Turner went quickly Into the cabin and the sounds ceased I looked at I Elsa sa but she avoided my I eyes I turned heavily and went up the companionway It rained heavily all that day Late In the to afternoon we wo got some wind and alt all al hands turned out to trim sail san Action Acton was wag a relief and tho the weather suited our disheartened II 1111 I I II I I 1111 i I stD state better bete than had the te PlU pitiless August sun the glaring white ot deck and ad canvas and the heat jB The heavy drops broke on top of the Jolly boat boat joly-boat andas and andl 1 as the tile wind came care up it rode behind bel be- be l hind nd us like a live lve thing Our Out distress signal hung sodden too wet we to give more mo than a a. deject deject- cd ed response to the wind win that tugged at It i. i Late in the we sighted a large steamer steer and wh n a as darl darkness ness came on she showed no Indication of changing her he COurs B Burns and I sent up a rocket and blew the foghorn steadily She al altered al al- toned her course and then came to towar towards towards to- to war wards s u us and we ran up our code coda fl flags gs for immediate assistance coe bushe but bu she veered veere off shortly after alter and went on her way We Ve made mae no further fur tur ther effort to attract her attention Burns thought her a passenger steamer teamer for the Bermudas and ananas and s her way was not ours she could not have been of much assistance XVI XVI-A A A KNOCKING IN THE THEl HOLD m mOne One or two of ot the men were a I ready showing signs sis of ot stran strain Oleson OleSOn Ole Ole- son the tile Swede developed a chili chI followed by fever and a mild mid delirium de ele an and Adams complained of sore throat and nausea Oleson's illness was genuine enough Adam AdamI Adams I suspected of malingering le lie He had told the men he would not go EQ up to the crows crow's crows nest again without a revolver and this I would no not permit permit I Our crew numbered nm nine with with the cook and Williams ele cle jf en But the two negroes were no not seamen and were frightened into J state bordering on collapse Of t the themen e emen men actually useful there were lef left leff only five Clark Clark 1 McNamara amara Char Charle He lie le Jones Burns and myself myself and I Iwas was a negligible quantity as as- asre re regarded regarded re- re the working of ot the ship if With Burns Burs and myself on guard duty the burden buren fell fen on Clarke Mc lIc- lIc Namara and Jones Jones A of ot mine that W we release relee Singleton was Instantly vetoed by the men men I r Iwas 1 was arranged finally that Clarke Clark and McNamara take alternate watches at the tho wheel and Jones i be given the tho lookout for the night i ibe to tobe be relieved by either Burns Bus or my my- my self j I watched the weather anxiously We were too short shor handed to maase man mai manage age e any sort of a gale and yet yet the th urgency of ot our return made it un on unwise wise to shorten shoren canvas too much It was as well wel perhaps that I 1 ha had ha so 10 much to distract my mind fro fron the situation In the after house home The second of ot the series of ot curious curl curi cur ous Incidents that complicated ou our ou return Yo voyage age occurred that nigh night I was on watch from eight bels bells midnight until four in in the morning Jones was up in the crows crow's cw's nes nest McNamara at the wheel wheel I was at atthe atthe atthe the starboard forward corner corer of the tIle after house looking over the rail raU I L thought that I had seen th the lights nf dm Th The rain had c ceased but this the te night was wa still very er dark ark I heard head a st sort sort of ot rapping from front the rap forward forrd house and took a a. step toward it It listening Jones heard it too and called caled down downto to me ner nervously to see e what was wa wrong I called up to him cautiously to come down and take te my place while I investigated I thought It ft f was Singleton When Jones had tae taeup taken up his position at the companionway companion companion- va way I went forward The knocking knocking knock knock- ing ng continued and I traced it i to Singletons Singleton's cabin His window was was open being too to small smal for danger but barred across with wih strips strips' of ot otwood wood outside like those those- In the aft ar er house But he was wa at the door hammering frantically I called to him through the open window but but the only answer was renewed and louder pounding 1 t I ran around to his door and felt for the key which I carried What That is J the matter mater I caled called Who To is it Leslie e. e For Gods God's sal sake e. e open the tho door I unlocked It and threw it open He retreated before me with his his his' hands out and huddled against the wall wU besides tho the window I struck a match His face was drawn and a distorted and he held his arm ar up uP as if it to ward off a blow I lighted the lamp for there were were no electric lights in the forward house and and stared at him amazed maze Satisfied that I was ws really realy Leslie Lle he had stooped and was fumbling tumbling under the window When ha he straightened he held something outto outto out I to t me in the palm of ot his shaking I hand I saw saW with surprise that it Hi I was a tobacco pouch i Well Wen I demanded It t was on the ledge h he be said aid Hoarsely I put it there myself myself All An the time I Iwas was wa pounding I kept sa saying ng that if It i was wa still sUU there It i wasn't true true true-I'd true true-Id Id I'd Just fancied it If I the pouch was on the floor Td rd d' d know Know t what Continued Tomorrow |
