Show S I x 4 BLACK BLACKSHEEP'S BLACKSHEEP'S V j I SHEEP'S 1 1 I GOLD GOLDby H 4 by 4 4 F Beatrice Grimshaw 4 ont by Irwin 4 4 V 4 Copyright by Hughe 4 Massie 81 k Co ii H 4 A A I I. I Il l THE STORY On a PJ pleasure ur trip In to eastern vaters eaters Philip Philip- English World WorM war veteran now a trader n in DU the Island of at Papua New plunges overboard to toe ave ave e the lire life of at a musical comedy t known as Gln Gln SUng mory become Interested In Pia Pla airier member er of ot a wealthy sow row ow South Wales family He Hells ells her of ot his knowledge of ot a 11 o gold Held field on the b- b ind and Gin Sling tells teUs him Pla Pia engaged to Sir Richard Fan- Fan haw His holiday ended Amry Amry Am- Am ry arrives es back at Daru He an Englishman Spicer here on business or r a syndicate of ot which which Fan Fan- haw Is III head Fanshaw's name to Amory a long forgot en Incident In which he wit wit- essed th the escape of ot Fanshaw rum rom rom a leper colony He tells ils ds friend Bassett about It and to Inform Laurier He to Thursday Island to send he message Amory hears Fan- Fan w h ac dictate a message which that tha the secret of the theold theold old ld field is le known Amory nets with an accident that lays Im up for Cor three weeks red he sails sans alone nIone for Port presby A storm compels him himo o o put In at Thursday Island here he finds ends Fanshaw I. I I IF VI 12 I t doesn't matter maUer I 1 thought ht t miles nes I Is only only eg eight miles I s and n Je e were there not much mUCh behind him mm i id ed cd d up my little dinghy slung It the light-green light water and pulled I was getting up anchor when It to me to look and see what haw haw might be about What I puzzled me He h had bad d got his en- en going but not thrown In the the h. h The launch was drifting a the tide but no start had made I 1 hoisted sail and got r r way lien the wind had laid hands on onni nd ni mainsail and we were running y 7 r t gave the sheet a turn round eat elt at and looked back The launch under way was beginning to eat pace as ns It was said she ate up b ut on as much speed as you like watching her Ill do It Itt It- It t this wind wInd wInd-In in forty minutes and ands s good enough Nevertheless I Ir r 1 not feel quite easy it seemed Ie ie e that Fanshaw was yas Just the sort inn ian lan to keep a card up his sleeve That card could he have I arI arI ar- ar 1 I I with myself I can say Bay enough d I will to will to put a dozen weddings land and once put off once off once let me time time time- stopped seized the tiller and ched the boat oVe over Josh osh I 1 said to myself is that t card my man F For r he had haded haded haded ed the launch and was heading thirty miles an hour straight hour straight me I J I I had heard of Sir Richards Richard's fig ng g as ns an airman In the war went I fig ag g through my head bend His fierce ck his ek-his his famous stunts y he was vas stunting now He might ably would cut my boat In two spill me In a shark haunted sea n ti and a half miles from the maln- maln 3 f He might merely wreck himIn him him- In the attempt Anyhow he hent hent I nt ot to try That was Fanshaw 11 1 swear even as I saw him drIvet drive t down on me I found time some- some to think G d uG-d d Richard Fan Fan- v r if you weren't the biggest vII vII- what friends we two d have been 1 l same moment I had reached the tIle sporting rifle that lay loaded e 8 clip cUp beside the deck deckhouse house lung flung t limy my shoulder and shot him dead lead I 0 Q fell from the wheel of the launch I t down Into black blue water eland 1 and was gone tIe lie launch released from control t t f ahead furiously 1 I stayed a aute aute ute watching It wondering whether uld get to the mainland without Ing g anything and what would be of Its arrival empty If it It did l id td little thought of ot myself though IB ut vaguely aware that my own life Ilfe ht lit some day be forfeit to pay for tor life Ufe I had bad that minute spilled Into ocean It did not seem latter tatter very much Nothing seemed For now I understood that fig ig g during the red years of war warnot l Inot not ot been the s same me n ns as this killing 4 I I felt myself for the first time timey y days blood guilty DUty ie wan Ulan had tried to run me down but l but but I had not even attempted to toe oe e e. e to maneuver out of his hla way d shot hl him not because he be was ig j g to ram my c cutter but because ras vas on his way to marry Pia her rier th that thought came strange rethe re- re 1 the chill stupidity cleared away 11 Aimy my brain Had I not said I m d give my life lIte for her Had Bad I done It ll potentially y K It anyone 1 came to know of the business of I ping I should hang banK M as sure garc I l- l as ae G God made little apples Good GoodWell Good Well and good That seemed to wipe out the stain I cannot explain I 1 Ican Ican can only say how I felt n about out It I 1 Ican Ican can only tell you yon that I 1 steered the cutter with a light enough heart henrt towards the back of ot the Island took a great sweep out to sea and made mad for tor Port again by a round that I 1 calculated calculated would bring me Into town towards afternoon When I came In hoisting the yellow flag that asks aRks the for for tor the doctor and I 1 was was left to wait some time At last Ins the doctors doctor's launch came out and freed treed me the customs let me go with on nn easy casy question or two Scarcely had I 1 landed before half my It acquaintance 8 It seemed were seemed were about me with one another for or fI first st chance chanc to relate related the event of ot the day Sir Fanshaw had taken out his launch early that morning and had never nc come back and the la launch had been sighted actually coming corn com corning ing In f from rom Fisherman on Its own till tillIt tillIt tillit It ran aground on a shoal When they got to It th there re wasn't a soul on onboard onboard bo board rd and no no tra trace of the bridegroom but his gold cl arcase Fisherman and andi i t the e su surrounding roundIng sea sen had been fruit fruit- I 1 sr st r s t r She Was Setting on My Knee By and By I By-I I Dont Don't Know Where I Had Found a Chair lessly searched but the bridegroom had bad utterly vanished and It had been necessary to call In the Anglican parSon parson parson par par- son to meet the unlucky bride and break the news In the midst of the clamor I gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered my goods and escaped thankful to have passed the barrier that I 1 had unconsciously feared the feared the question I had been awaiting with anxiety untold un un- told told Did you see anything hear anything of an accident I 1 c couldn't have convinced any anyone one with a denial of the facts I should have had to deny But they had deceived deceived deceived de de- themselves ass assumed med without question In their eagerness to tell me all about It that I could have nothing on my part to tell If It I had doubted my safety 1 did not doubt It now I 1 climbed up the thelong thelong thelong long steep stony path that led to th the house where Pia Pla might be found The native In a government tunic who came to the steps answered my Inquiry with she stop Would she see me I 1 scribbled my name on an envelope and sent It In by the nath native athe e. e She would see me The boy came back pack to say lay that she talk you ou come It seemed too easy too simple I 1 felt almost afraid This was waa Pla PIa slowly vly coming through the curtains at the end of ot the veranda Graver older changed hanged I I. I saw her I I saw too that the change chang was not not not- not nots as s It might have been the been the work of the last few hours Whatever had altered her was less rece recent t than the tragic end of her bridegroom She had Indeed the look of one who has been half stunned by by an an unexpected blow and scarcely yet recovered but the grief the wild despair of love lore parted from love In fulfillment's very hour hour these these were not hers hera 1 I had almost feared the meeting been afraid of ot what I might feel In her presence might terribly with shut lips Ups remember I 1 thought my mylove mylove love might have been clouded by the shadow of ot the day as hers hera might have been dimmed by time I was to learn here for the first time and the last last since since It was for tor all time Ume after what after what love could mean and do There Ther was not between us the bar of ot any difference distrust the chill chIlI of any variation or shadow of ot change In the scented flower-scented semi-dusk semi we met she who should that day have been the bride of another another another an an- other man I who had bad that mans man's blood upon my hands hand and It was a as asIf asif If the tile long months since Inee we parted on the great liner at Goode Island hat had been a and a q as If nothIng nothIng nothIng noth noth- Ing no one had ever come between Nothing of all ab the explanations ai all the talk that should ld have bave been b between be twe tween us two got Itself said quo For For no moment we we we- stood tood fI filling our hU hungry rr eyes wl with h one one another and and I I. I think I was JD In t that at moment as p pale l ns she Then Q our arms arms is were Ver round each other and the honey of the sweetest kiss In Ia all the he world was on my lips Ups at last shewa he wa sitting on on my my knee by bi ant antby and nd by by J I dont don't know where hex J I h had bad d found a chair chair and and vwe began t to t talk lk but 1 it was not the talk had figured What are arc you you going going to da tl till l we weare weare e eare are are married was the first thing tiling I Ire re remember ember asking her ber And An-a she Oh Ob Oh go home and male make Da e eIt It up with Dad and Mother r F sup sup- R RI pose I I did not ask her what she had bad to tomake tomake make up up I was vms too busy swallowing a large lump of disappointment Somehow Somehow Somehow Some Some- how I 1 had thought but hought-but but that of t course was as Impossible I a I-a a girl witS money curse urse curse her money I 1 and andl I with without o out out i even eien even f enough ough cash to to buy stores for my trip Well I If anything on oft earth was sure It was sure that I should have enough to pa pay for everything g I i fancied a cled when when I 1 came back from that trip The more more reason reason reason-if If r reason ason was wanted wantEd J wanted for for r getting away at t once For leaving her her That hurt She went on talking She sat there thereon on my knee as if It it had been a chair her arms supporting her round my neck and yet I felt that for tor the moment moment moment mo mo- mo- mo ment she had withdrawn herself a little You see they thought thought thought-at at least Mother did Dad wasn't there there there- that there was too much hurry about about- And now she faltered her face tace turned In the dusk a little away from me me About About the marriage I did not answer Richard cabled she went on He uHe said he was starting earlier than he had expected on his exploring trip through the unknown parts of Europe And he said one never knew one would come ome back And he asked me to meet him here and marry him before he be left I was still sUH silent I uI telegraphed she went on I Isaid Isaid Isaid said yes Mother didn't like it It She said he could put ort off his trip come cometo cometo to Singapore we we were staying at Government house house and and do the thing decently She almost forbade me to leave But well But well Mothers Mother's pretty clever she knows when to stop She said at last that If I was bent on marrying mar mar- tying some one It was better Richard than than-than- han than I III know So she let me go She couldn't come herself herselt my sister Anne had joined us and Mother thought his excellency was rather taken taken taken-he's he's hes a widower y you u know And that made her determined to stop If the heavens fell tell Well So I-So So I came And AndI I I-I- I I Let me go I did not struggle to hold her by so much as a n finger or a fold told of her dress I knew that for the moment something 1 other ther than love or I had her In Its grip Death The thought of ot today of the man who was to have held her In his arms lying tossed with tangle and with shells at the bottom of the Coral sea I understood x She came back as I 1 had known she ehe would In a minute or two and shielded by the darkness let me wipe the tears from h her r face tace There there sweetheart I found myself saying as one consoles a cry cryIng cry cry- Ing lag child when Its fit of tears Is past Dont mind about him Wm He wasn't worth worth Its uIt's not that Its It's because Im I'm not sorry sorry not not really sorry Almost glad I 1 never should have dune done It I was wa mad to promise But Bui you you you-you- you As clearly as If she had spoken them I hear heard the words You left me There was something t she said Bald presently something I didn't quite grasp about It alL aIL If U ever you know any more about the whole thing thing- Richards Richard's trip and the hurry he was In and whatever else I 1 mayn't have heard heard I I know you'll tell me If U ever I 1 know anything more than I 1 do know about It It I told her let 1 will certainly tell teU you And to myself my mr- self I added God forbid your kno know Ing tag half halt what I do now or ever r. r TO BE CONTINUED |