| Show in V ah OIL 11 a haftl n d argon gaw MW t SAFELY HIDDEN SYNOPSIS shing in idle fabulo fash loii i i from rom a private dock disk V van an nen 13 watches a ship fillip tile pelican which he recognizes as aa the th beacon n hla fathers yacht before deiaco h hl L a d c and financial re rove vera raea e a forced him to part with ft I 1 A man whom he hours a giri bin who enles hlin him add addreal relas an aa MY ift blake acconci lands ands from the yacht the girl drops tier her handbag in tho the stream and dick recovers it thanking him title alia gives him tier her visiting card she klio Is alice cut lor ler niece of B stephen cutler successful 1 business join of ess rival of the tha older van ness dick overhears a conversation between blake and captain tain brent of the vatican pelican 1 va which h pa ch tells him the yacht Is hound on a voyage a of adventure dick determine vora n c to conceal himself and sail a 11 a stowaway with the party fit stephen ephen cutler it appears app oara la Is a an n invalid salling balling for life hla health CHAPTER ill continued 3 when lio lie walked awny dick moved a camp acamo stool near the railing and contentedly tent edly puffed bufred anway at ills cigarette ile iio was apparently interested only in tho the scene on tile dock and never neer once turned lila ills blead sideways or backward ile he felt that eyes were watching him but lie he sure the minutes sped along slowly and fitter the third cigarette ills hla lead head t sagged nagged to one side eldo ns as if 1 lie ho slept ile he I 1 snored once or twice lie ile was conscious once of a catlike toot footstep step coming coining around the forward cabin and halting bolting noar near him but lie he continued to snore peacefully twenty wint minutes ites and lie ho wits was still in the sni same position out of the corners of his talf closed eyes lie ho saw sav captain brent go down the gangplank and walk aft where the men were their job of coaling tho the yacht once out of tits his sight a remarkable change came over dick ile he sat slowly upright and gazed swiftly and keenly around the deck lie was alone on it not a person was in sight without further delay lie he picked up ills his package and darted tor for the main saloon cabin tinco once in it lie he closet closed tile the door softly and stared around the place was vacant ile he gave vent to a chuckle of relief tho the cabin was vita not much clinn changed ged from the days when ills his father owned it the furnishings had been re up holstered and the woodwork done over and a tow tew pictures distributed around but in the it was exactly as aa he had always known it it was blind to jilin him and a gre great at desire to shout and procia lin the fact mado him lightheart od cd for a moment but a babel of voices on the dock warned film that any moment inocent captain brent might return and find him gotie gone lie crossed the richly carpeted floor in a few strides and came to a halt in front of a patie paneled led wall ile he daive anve one swift glance up and around it and then dropped down on tits his dilees 1 ills hands shook a little as lie ho fumbled fit at tha base with nervous fingersh lils ills breath came and went tn in little tremulous waves lie ile knew that tile the critical moment had arrived that would decide the success or failure ui e of ills scheme like a bank bur burglar glitt opening a safe with thil fear of tal police beating on tits ills bruin tie ho hillyed tits lils hands handa up find down fully all ind with precision hunting for something that time lind had dimmed in tits his li omory suddenly a low exultant cry es ca called ills tills lips ills fengers had and touched the tiling thing lie he hall had been searching for it wits was a tiny crack between the molding baseboard it was enough to admit the blade of a pocket knife with one finger pressed on it for fp four r of losing it dick got ills knife out of ills pocket and opened the smallest blittle bl nde inserting the point of tills in tile crack he pressed it hard against something that gave forth a sort tinkling metallic sound the effect of ills manipulations would have san startled captain brent had lie he it appeared then but to dick it was no more than lie expected the narrow panel before him sit slid slowly to one side revealing tin an opening in the wall about the size of a small state i room room I 1 alie secret compartment in the wall had been designed by the architects of tIley the vacit lc lt tu to satisfy n whimsical fancy of dicks father it had been used as it storage borage pince for special and securities that tile the older elder van ness often carried away with him on long cr cruises ulses it was never designed for ali linnian ian occupancy and when dick g glanced I 1 ahod in it lie felt a chillog chill chIl lof of doubt the dust dunt of years had accumulated over the floor showing that it hud had not been be il used by the present owner of the yacht dick had guessed right that the secret of it lind not been passed on with the sale billo of the cruft crall and no one ne in n re fitting the interior Int eilor had stumbled upon the spring that opened tile the panel it was just about wide enough and long bolig enough forn fora man to stretch cli him blin belf find moie inove about without bumping its ills elbows cl los or scarring tits shins ailing it ws wits high enough for the tallest ninn with mth an open register above through which the air of the cabin cs escaped tile presence of tills this register of iron grillwork instead of exciting suspicion dicion allayed tile the curiosity of anyone inquisitive enough to want to thump th tho walls in see it if there was a hollow space behind footsteps on the deck brout tit DICK out of tits hla reverie of iny 0 11 sli alan aview m shudder lit hp dived YA r B y george ethelbert baash 40 copyright 1921 1925 by W 0 chavaly Cht service awny tho the worst of the dust 0 and nd stepped inside ito iio hesitated again before closing the panel then captain 1 bronts 11 cats booming voice aroused him bam wheres that young follow with tile tho package lio fie callei angrily dick touched alio spring and watched ached tile the panel slide noiselessly in position at tile tho moment tho the cabin door opened with a bang find and hrent brent stamped inside search tile tho yacht I 1 lie ho commanded if you find him bring him to me ill teach cadi him to snoop around no not in hero here I 1 iles not in tile tho cabin search below decks 1 nevertheless lie ho made n careful ex nini of every possible hiding place in tile cabin dick holding his breath heard him tramping around opening and closing doors and lockers find and even thumping tile the soft cushions once he stopped in front of tile the register and remained quiet for so long that dick feared lie he had discovered some clue the spring lind had been a little rusty and possibly it had not closed completely ely tile the presence of a little dirt or rust near tile the crack might excite brents suspicion dick drew a sigh of relief when tile the man finally moved away and another tour of the cabin walked outside on deck its an even chance cap that ill go 90 with you on tills this little trip lie ho mused grinning to himself anyway have a hard time finding me A little light entered tile the compartment through tho the register find and as the I 1 X WN EM M F well be there by tomorrow night wont we captain it wag waa mr blake speaking air from the cabin escaped through this tile the suction created kept ills his narrow quarters fairly well ventilated 1 I wont smother lie he reasoned reas oneil looking up anty of air lle lie glanced at his fits package tin and sni smiled tILi again grub and drinks enough for a week 11 unconsciously lie he drew forth a cigarette and started to light it hut but checked himself smoking forbid ion den lie he said in a 1 rueful voice olce hard luck 1 then in n relieved voice he fie added at night when nheu everybody Is asleep I 1 up the ventilator will carry away tile the smoke and odor 11 after that lie ho tried to make himself as comfortable its as possible in tits his narrow quarters it was some satisfaction to know that lie would bo be far more comfortable than in alo coal bunkers where lie had first thought of hiding As a stowaway vin im pretty well off lie he decad decided d nothing to do but eat cat drink and sleep with a quiet smoke fit at night light 11 allu u opened his box and distributed tri buted its contents around in the corners counting the number of sandwiches and bottles of drink making a mental calculation lie he concluded that with careful rationing lie he would not suffer for x week then making a pillow of his coat and box lie he lay down and tried to h kill time thile with steel sleep tile the noises outside did not alarm him coal was still pouring into tile the bunkers and tile tramping of many feet accompanied by loud orders and oaths convinced him that the search was stilt still going on now that lie he felt secure i tills lid did not concern him and listening dreamily to tho the confusion of sounds he be dropped oft off into restful slumber lie he woke with a start finally un tin able at first to collect tits his senses lie he sat rat upright and stared around litin him over tits his head a stream of electric light entered through the register outside voices sounded so clear and distinct that it gave him a shock at first the jar und end vibration of the yacht told him they were under way A querulous voice was saying blaken Ul aken a tool fool alice I 1 dont think tills this trip tep will do aub adb any good I 1 could rest at hoghe dont need a cli cannee tinge at all never did like salt water sure to be seasick wheres doctor alsap r hell have hare to give me ine arn thing to make mo me sleep im wide la awakes wakes an owl what that infernal racket about 1 I dont know uncle ill iii tind find out please dont excite yourself y sou OU know inow the doctor says the change will do you rood good 11 dick recognized the voice of alice cutler it montill won wont tIll I 1 came the explosive contradiction tra diction it will make roe me worse corsel go on deck and send blacic to me no send doctor alstedt vve lva got to have sonio some relief from froin this pain tell falln to hurry there vero lvere soft footsteps foot stepa across the carpeted floor and a moment later tile the cabin door opened and closed dick could hear loud breathing of ono in great pain CHAPTER IV without premeditation dick had bad placed himself in n tile the position of boing being on 1111 eavesdropper to every bit of gossip find and conversation that took place inthe in tho main cabin in pin planning nning to get aboard tile tho pelican he had hardly given consideration to th the 0 thought that tile the open opeil register would admit tiny and all sounds ile he was a little startled when lie he found how distinctly even a whisper was carried to him it was wali ns lis if the cabin was waa a great sounding board with its focal point of wave vibration at the register over his head the first night lie he learned from detached remarks things that both enlightened and bewildered him steve cutler was going on a cruise much against his own will through the urgent advice of doctor alster the family physician and of mr blake tits his private secret secretary nry with alice tits hla niece as aa a loving but firm cocon co con sPi the theory of dicks that the cruise was to hunt for some hidden treasure received a severe jolt tile the yacht was bound for valhalla an island off the southern coast that had been fitted up at great expense by tile the millionaire for a quiet winter resort it was a small isolated island without any communication with tile tho mainland and far enough from the lanes of travel to protect tile the occupants from visitors and curiosity seek ors ers cutler was a sick man according to the testimony of tits his physic physician inn and unless lie took a rest of a few weeks the inevitable breakdown would follow angered both at the doctor who condemned him to a period of isolation and at nature for playing him such auch ii a shabby trick the old man fumed and fretted when lie ho realized the actual situation dick regret regretted teI the course he hail had taken the romance of the voyage suddenly denly lost its flavor there was a chance of nd adventure venture on a deserted island with a party of searchers for burled buried treasure but a small privately owned place even if it were a mere inere dot on the ocean far from land offered little of romance and less of adventure there would be servants on it a small army of them perhaps formal gardens and cultivated fields conventional suni summer nier houses housea golf links tennis courts and all the artif artificial lelal inventions ot oc civilization to amuse visitors tewo would be hardly a will wild nook or cranny where lie could little hide and make himself comfortable disgusted by tile lie outlook lie felt inclined to abandon fill all secrecy and stop step forth from ills his place of concealment and confess they could to do nothing more ilian hold him as a stowaway stow awny and make him work for ills his passage on tho the whole that would not be onerous the presence of alice cutler would I 1 add a little zest of romance to tile the experience tile the second night out hta his cramped prison began to tell on his fits nerves too much inaction was worse than too much exercise scrubbing the deck under the angry oes eyes of captain brent seemed preferable to remaining in the narrow compartment the main cabin was deserted and dick struck a match to light a cigarette it was his one consolation and now that lie he was indifferent about its hla future he lost tits his usual caution only one electric light was burning in n tile the cabin and the stillness of tile the place got on tits lila nerves ill got get out tonight and take a good rest on one of those cushions he mused captain brent will get 11 jolt when lie he finds me there ue he grinned at tile the thought suddenly tie he became consel conscious oils of the presence of some one in the cabin the soft fall of f a foot on the t thack I 1 i JC k carpet near tits his hiding place was followed a moment later by the opening and closing of a door another footstep heavier and clumsier than tile first reached its ins ears the two met not fur from tile the open register so that their whispered whimpered words could be distinctly heard well be there by tomorrow night wont we captain it was mr blake speaking dick Is apparently safely hidden and able to overhear what goes on what next ato TO OB CONTINUED |
