Show 7 1 ni n i an SERIAL i STORY arl 7 THE SMUGGLER by ELLA MIDDLETON by ray walters tj hy J lt Lip lippiatt platt boj SYNOPSIS three girls elizabeth gabrielle and started tar for canada to upend spend th the summer bummer there on boari board st eanner they th r w by an apparently dement de ment i ed stranger ahoi bag forging L to one of them took enjoyment in scrutinizing tin Izing a photo bf the trio elise shared har her stateroom with a mrs mr graham also bound for canada the young women on B t epi ank n g tour met mrs biro graham anxious anxiously i t a w a husband who had 9 manla for or sai sailing linw they were introduced d u ced to lor lord d wilfrid anil and lady adith A a cottage by the wean was waa rented hy by the trio for the summer bummer elizabeth teamed auit efriend a friend of her ber fat fathers tiers wa waa to call two men called caled one of them bellin being the lie queer achink stranger on the steamer tt amer the twirls were not tit lit home but dise discovered by the DIP on one af f the men m n was waa elizabeths fathers R mend 1 e n d the men proved to tx be john C he a and nd gordon bennett nen nett the pirty party was wan t at d 0 of f the search for ern CHAPTER ill continued Contini jed mary anne proceeded tp tell us with much circumlocution and attention to detail that the prey previous lous summer a famous band of smugglers had bad carried on successful operations under tinder the very noses of our customs officials located in the little town just across the water and had completely baffled said official in their efforts effort Ef arf W uphold law and justice S she he added that a pollee police boat had recently been assigned to lo the station which patrolled the shore with flash ang searchlight ready to pounce upon many any unwary small craft lurking with out lights in dark coves or inlets and a large reward had been offered tor for the capture of the chief offender but law finished mary anne ex wot good does that do when e can stay agh and dry this side f id the h border Is e coln to tn the states fur id fd like to know when e can stay ere miss elise and waller in dl imon ds I 1 admitted that he would be foolish to thus tempt providence and mary anne resumed thoughtfully pinching up ll 11 the skin akin on her round red rad arms glA Buty loo kin fur ira ini pore roeller Rf eller and the polito Is s fur the money land im in jail no common man mail e to Is they say but mayhap one of these ere islanders wot cornea comes fur fuk the summer with their steam yachts and their fine cloes all ali well jails no fur im than fur the likes 0 us and heeln that the gentleman today to day was waa very likely lookin and cayll spoken but qute quite unbeknownst to tad me I 1 wondered beggin your par barding ding misu elizabeth it it was ira I 1 ear ar so much talk about in g the vil village bige will you be havin clear sou soup agan tonight to night miss ia As you you plea tse mary anne ellzabeth spoke absently and joined us its in the living room with an air of suppressed excitement do you think its possible she inquired laying mr gordon bennetts card on the table as though fearing it might explode no I 1 dont gald gabrielle Gabr lelle bluntly TVs its just servants gossip dont think about it any more of course after that we tallied talked of nothing else and when lord wilfrid and lady edith edilh came up that eveni even i ing we told them all about it beginning with our experience on the steamer lord wilfrid disposed ot of the steamer episode in one ne succinct word woid drunk he said with a shrug of his bis shoulders and really it seemed not improbable now that it was suggested to us lord wilfrid appeared in a now new light that evening he was so talkative and agreeable he also corrodo grated crated mary alary annes story about the a smugglers mug lers and gave us a good deal ot ol information on the subject ct the vil aage was quite excited ho he said and the fishermen who hired sailboats could talk of nothing else 1 I confess he said with ills his slow drawl draw my sympathies are with the poor poor devil of a smuggler lie he must be a clevet J fancy to 0 o be worth suha such a I 1 i il 4 faa according to 0 t mary i iline anne h he a ear can waller in diamonds di monds remarked ga laughling laughl ng XII ah indeed dmd lord wilfrid opulent but uncomfortable I 1 should imagine well I 1 wish blin kanak luc luck may i 0 I 1 I 1 I 1 wilfrid di afar aril interrupted hla his sister in laughing band and you A magistrate at homel I 1 well suppose I 1 am returned lord wilfrid it Is my misfortune not xay my fault and im sure my sym path patrise lel are nearly always with those wi we condemn so glibly I 1 instantly conc conceived elved a warmer liking for lord wilfrid for I 1 thought such ouch worthy of admiration and I 1 see that gabrielle and elizabeth wora were likewise impressed in deed now that he be had cast aside hla his mantle of ellry silence he adroved himself very ury pleasant indeed and everi even suggested sailing parties and various other ways of 0 passing 10 the i time aa for he rem remarked aked 44 1 I think this Is as aa good a place as a anywhere to top stop and breathe a bit and its so lolly jolly well I 1 isolated dont doat you know thit that one w moderately safe from ones dear div alve hundred friends so I 1 fan fancy cy it will 11 I 1 b be quite a while before we move on provided edith can tolerate her accommodations I 1 thought I 1 saw a shadow cross his bis sisters sister s fare face but she answered him gently he was happy she was also so he 14 turned to gabrielle i and told her he had hired a boat by the week eek and was ready to take taked ua out atit at any time we have a boathouse but no boat remarked gabrielle gabryelle Gabr lelle and we cant I 1 get inside it because mary annes brother inconsiderately lost the key perhaps one of mine will fit suggested lord wilfrid producing his fits key ring let us ui try and see so wb we all went down the steep flight of steps to the little boathouse b be neath the bluff and waited anthe sll sli W while hile he tried th the parlous various keys va with n no 0 suc success cees 1 we are right under the cottage said elizabeth and yet one can hardly see it ilont believe I 1 like it down here it Is so dark and creepy suppose we go back the water washed against the blip with a sullen sound and it was undoubtedly very dark so dark we could hardly distinguish one from another suddenly however a beam of light illuminated the little dock so dazzling in its brilliancy that we were completely blinded and stood blinking helplessly vis its a searchlight I 1 said with great originality and added by way of encouragement it will be gone in an instant hut but it I 1 dont know how long we stood motionless in the white light but it seemed an ail eternity to me and gabrielle Gabr lelle said afterward that she felt perfectly transparent and as though her every thought was blazoned abroad for the world to read lord wilfrid leaned against the door of the boathouse shading his eyes with hla his hand ellzabeth elizabeth who stood beside hlin him said he swore softly under I 1 I 1 we told them all about it his breath for my part I 1 did riot not blame him for certainly it was most unpleasant but so BO also was the jn intense darkness into which we were plunged by the unexpected removal of the light and with one accord we made for the steps leading back to the cottage it was then that elizabeth lost her nerve and gave a stifled scream this Is liable to happen at exciting moments when she encounters a mouse or a spider for instance but that night when we were talking it over in my room she told us she could not understand why ahe did it just then but she all at once felt very queer and oppressed and relief of some sort was necessary so she scream screamed ea in a suppressed choking way quite heartrending to bear and instantly the searchlight was back again laying i bare bare our very souls and prying into every nook and corner of the slip and the steps leading down to it this time we did not stand petrified but scurried up the steps as fast as alpos possible and the light obligingly followed as making a white pathway all the way back to the cottage gabrielle Gabr lello gave a vexed little laugh as we regained the veranda she dislikes to show the white feather at anytime but especially at a false alarm one would think we had never spert seen a searchlight she sala eald I 1 as lord wilfrid drew a chair forward land and down looka she continued there to IB our enemy I 1 think wo we looked tn in the ahe direction she pointed and saw what whar appeared to be a very small tugboat about to vanish around the point perhaps I 1 suggested it is a the wat boat looking for smugglers and they suspected us ua that be exciting no said ell elizabeth z abeta with a little shiver it would 0 uld be horrid I 1 should not like it a bit why said lady edith this poor child la is quite white and shaking and there was nothing to be afraid of after ill all let us ua go indoors I 1 think I 1 would like the lamplight myself so we went inside lighted the lamp with its red shade while lord wilfrid told tod us ua about big game hunting bunting in africa and other guest and elizabeth held a low voiced conversation concerning handmade hand made lingerie and other subjects of cf mutual interest it seemed to me lady edith was waa tired tonight for she was paler than usual and sometimes her head drooped a little wearily as though h it its to of hair was burdensome ifer lips smiled readily however and I 1 got fao 6 absorbed watching her ber dimples copie come and RO go I 1 entirely forgot to show enow any interest inte iest in the pursuit of big game which a as lelle said aftel aate ward was certainly rude on my part f lord wilfrid was doing his best U ot ft entertaining athen t hen at last they rose to go and had oen even started down the steps of the veranda lady edith turned and came back alonea lay laying ingher her alendor white hand on mine niane and slipping her bet other arm around elizabeths waist 1 I hope you will pardon me she said gently 1 I do not mean to be officious fi and of 0 course at home we looked at such things differently she be paused as though ah she I 1 found expression orl difficult and then continued with some hesitation dut but you ion are just three girls living here alone and ive been thinking about what yon told us tonight and it has made me a little uncomfortable it Is so BO easy to bo be imposed upon that were I 1 in your place I 1 would be very cautious about admitting ous oua young men now please dont misunderstand rae me will you sha he looked anxiously into our eyes as she ehe spoke and as we involuntarily smiled in response she kissed us its and rejoined her brother without another word it was her first advance beyond the ordinary courtesies of more and we were gratified fied as well as surprised lor for with all her grace of manner she had bad an air of reserve difficult to penetrate even had we pe been bold enough to attempt it her words carried weight too for when sir mr gordon uennett bennett repeated his call within the week he was informed that the ladles ladies begged to be excused and elizabeth wrote home that shed she did not like things she bad heard about him and did not think ehg sh cared to know him at all we sat for a long time that night by the open window in my room watching the brightly lighted boats threading their way among the islands for elizabeth said bald the ocean seemed so wide and lonely out of their own window she did not care cara to look at it and she continued pushing the sleeve of 0 her blue kimono away from her arm as for that bo boathouse I 1 will never go there again after dark I 1 had bad the queerest feeling i ghosts suggested gabrielle Gabr lelle or perhaps rats rata they would have the same effect on you they well you may laugh said elizabeth solemnly and I 1 know I 1 acted like a fool but I 1 was waa just sure some one was there or something felt as an though some one besides ourselves was breathing oh I 1 cant explain it at all but I 1 was next to the boathouse and soi something moved inside maybe it was a rat but anyhow I 1 dont go down there any more after dark for while I 1 might be able to cocoi copo with men provided I 1 had bad on my best clothes and my most engaging expression rats and mice and spiders are too much tor for me ant il dont rit caris care who know sIt U I 1 1 m p ne HE CONTINUED D |