| Show Al Valhalla 40 ethelbert walsh COPYRIGHT ON THE ISLAND SYNOPSIS 1111 shing in idle fashion from a private dock dick van van ness watches a ship the pelican which lie ho recognizes as th h elien con his fathers thero fa yacht before e his death and finan cl III re baor verses forced h him irn to part with it A man whom he hears a girl who accompanies film address as mr blake lands landa from tile the yacht the girl drops lier her liand bag in the stream and dick recovers it thanking him nhe ahe gives elves him her visiting card she in im alloe alice cutler niece of stephen cutler business ri rival val of the t he older van ann ness dick overhears conversation between make and captain hront of tile the pelican which tells tella him the tha yach to la bound on oil a voyage of adaven ture dick determines to con ceal himself and sall sail a stowaway with the party stephen cutler invalid cornea comes at aboard oard with his niece and the ship sails malls lit in his retreat dick overhears conversations between blake and captain drent which appear ap nar to denote note something nom ething a falater ter CHAPTER IV continued 4 yes tea if nothing happens tile the barometers falling failing 1 4 little but I 1 guess yvell well got ahead of any storm it seems to bo be breaking behind us instead of ahead there was a second or two of silence then blake added you understand just what to do when I 1 give the signal you roust must sail avray anyay dont stop to ask questions and dont mind what others say any get off at once and hung hang around marsh wet inlet until you got get a wireless from me suppose your wireless ashore dout dolt work it wol work ill see to that im 8 of an expert if anything Is wrong with it ill soon repair it dont worry about that you think you can keep the old man quiet no wont bother me any was the quiet reply accompanied dick imagined by a smile of confidence e well good night 1 we wc dont want to be seen together alone I 1 shant ot speak to you again unless the others are around dick heard them move across the cabin la in opposite directions captain brent went outside on the deck and mr blake crept back to hl his state room dick forgot his cigarette and permitted the light to go out iffe ha was pondering the words of 0 the two men they puzzled him and awakened in his mind the old suspicion that there was ivaa something in the cruise not put down in the itinerary of steve cutler 1 I guess ill weep sleep over it he decided smiling maybe I 1 wont show myself quite yet blakes a slick chap and brent looks like a prize fighter lie he slept fitfully until morning and with the dawn of a now new day came a new resolution ile he would see ahe he adventure through as planned and not expose his hand until they landed in the hope that he would overhear more conversation to enlighten him lie kept his bis ears open every time anyone entered the cabin but as aa it was it a beau day most of the passengers remained on the deck and nothing of consequence happened it was late in the afternoon when a commotion on deck aroused him from the trump tramp of many feet he concluded that something unusual had happened but he was a little disappointed when alice cutler passed through the cabin and said to her maid get my things ready marle well land before dark once again the desire to step out of his hitting hiding place surged up in dick but he suppressed it now that relief from his bis intolerable position was in sight he want to mako make a had bad break if the family landed before dark the yacht would be partly deserted and the opportunity of stealing forth unobserved would come to him half an hour later the screw of the yacht slowed its revolutions dick judged they were approaching land or passing through some crooked channel that required caution the en gine room bell clanged repeatedly and the yacht varied its speed accordingly the came a slight jur jar and vibration sharp orders from brent another jim and then the propeller ceased its activity they were nt at vol val halla balla and the voyagers were landing dick listened Impatiently to the bustling commotion outside until it cju aub t bided ile he waited a full half hair hour after that tomake euro they were ashore then he quietly touched the spring that controlled the secret panel and As the later flew open he craned hla his head bead forward the cabin was empty with a smile of relief lie he stepped out one foot hud scarcely touched the carpeted boor when a shriek that filled tile cabin with echoe startled him 41 aund the way from him with her hack to the opposite wall crossing tier her belf elt with bib hands stood marle lifer hr arf bulging with fear ane ahe had seen him bin emerge from tile the dusty compartment n materializing out of a blank nat will 11 ns it 1 t were and nil all the superstition of f her antu anturo was aroused shriek ter shriek hr lek tilled filled the cabin dicks first impulse was to step back and tilde dognin but tile girls discovery of him made that courso course impracticable lie ile closed the annel with a touch of the spring and sprang back into the gloom of tho the cabin the door of nf a stateroom stood open and through it lie ho plunged without looking around at almost the lie same instant captain brent appeared in the cabin and demanded of tile maid the matter you yelling for aarle was unable for n few seconds to recover tier her wits alts she kept on shrieking and crossing herself until the skipper shook tier her by the arin aria quit thakill that I 1 lie ho commanded shut up and tell mo me tho the matter A ghost 11 she eho stammered between chattering teeth rt ft come right out 0 ot the wall come come comei I ghost your grandmother I 1 growled drent brent now dick waited to hear no more the stateroom he was in opened directly upon the deck re lie slipped the catch noiselessly and stepped out it was dark and there was no one on that side bide of the yacht in gloom he be saw BOW the dark outlines of trees and rocks with the land rising abruptly from the water to a sort of peak topped sit off by a low rambling structure 1 I lose hose oil chimneys linneas stood silhouetted against the sky like gaunt fingers lights twinkled here and there in the distance some stationary others mo bovini vini and voices broke the stillness occasionally as aa one called to another at his left the phosphorescence of the ocean gleamed fitfully in the half light the had landed at a dock that jutted butted far out into tile tha writer water dick glanced at the end measured the distance to the island and decided that hla his safest way would be to drop overboard and swim sim ashore the commotion in the cabin caused by I 1 marles screams had extended to the dock and running feet could bo be heard approaching pro aching climbing over the rail ho he lowered himself with a rope until his feet touched the water ile he silvered Ehl Wil vered a lit tto tie at the chill and then dropped noiselessly in the cold brine and began swimming quietly toward the shore Al arles alarta after nil all helped him for it drew the attention or of the whole crew to the cabin and by the time any one thought of searching the outside of it dick was pulling himself upon a rock completely sheltered from view lie he sat there wringing his clothes when marlo accompanied by brent crossed the gangplank and landed on the dock she was still protesting that she had seen seeh a ghost lie ile came right through the wall capon brent site she moaned 1 I behrl nearly fainted when I 1 saw him better not tell mr air cutler you saw a ghost on his yacht if you dont want to be fired replied brent now get up tip t to 6 the house or miss cutler will captain interrupted a voice valve out or the darkness H tints till all this noise about mr cutler sent me down to inquire dick lecog recognized the voice of mr air blake nothing but a hysterical woman growled brent she thought she saw something a ghost and she let out a shriek like a tog fog whistle hustle tier her up to her mistress I 1 got enough to do without looking after her olier 01 ol Oli mr blake walled marle on my word a and nd honor boner I 1 saw something a man thought you said it was waa a ghost jeered brent well sir it wag a roan ghost n tall young roan man with dark hair and black eyes with n white face brent laughed hoarsely we got a lot of dark men in the crew marle good lookers too nut but I 1 never saw him before he was not in the crew lie ile was waa different a gentleman gentle rann blake and tho the captain exchanged glances and the latter finally said well if hes aboard marlc marie ill find hm film and when I 1 do ill bring him up for you to identify it if hes a gentleman he be wont try to frighten you again but between you and me and tile the fishes I 1 dont believe there was anybody it if there wasat was it was one of the crew brenc bren turned and walked away marle adarle shuddered and murmured oh no sir he ono one of the crew 1 I 1 know all of them go up to the house marte marie slake make I 1 inter interrupted erupted sharply your mistress la Is waiting for you CHAPTER V in the darkness dick had little opportunity port unity to explore his surroundings with any anny degree decree of satisfaction and rather than risk discovery through blundering he contented himself with watching the yacht tied up ut at the th dock until the moon came up then with its rays anys making funking everything as an clear na as day he fie clIm climbed beI the rocks and cautiously mado made hla his way la in tile the direction of the house it aris a i big rumbling rambling affair in the moonlight low of roof but spread out over so BO much ground that it bulked large and formidable it blended so fio well with the rocks and trees treca that it seemed a part of the landscape growing naturally like it huge mushroom A vom the ground itself lights twinkled in different windows but n portentous silence e seemed to brood over it there were no voices to break tile the silence no laughter no music nothing of human origin dick concluded conclude eliat the occupants were ere so eo tired with their long sort sen trip alint eliat rest and sleep wore were demanding their attention this conclusion pecked corroborated when the lights in ili the windows began to go out one ut at a time until the groat great building was wrapped iri in glo gloom olli the last light to bo be extinguished was or on the upper tipper floor lit in the front of the build building ilig when it disappeared dick shivered slightly ns as it if left suddenly in tile cold hilt but utmost almost immediately it flared dared up again brighter than before it seemed for nil art instant that an increase of its candlepower candle power had been miraculously given to it it twinkled brilliantly for n ino moment ment and then went out again this did not startle dick but when it appeared again t rind wont went out as before ho be blinked he stared ot tile win low dow ni watching for its reappearance it crime in time twinkling an instant as before and then went out fur for the last time looks like a signal of some kind lie fie mused then recalling words of blake to captain brent he swung around and glanced down at the dock A peculiarly bright light was shining plot f om the masthead of the yacht and ao dick looked it dipped three times then remained motionless drent brent answering he said first up at the window and then down at ai the yacht he glanced watching for a renewal of the signals but they were not repeated the house was wrapped in darkness and the lights on the yacht stationary but the latter did not remain so BO for long yhale dick looked they begun began moving seaward gliding gilding through tile darkness with an almost imperceptible cep tible motion captain brent evidently had received his signal from mr blake and was leaving with the yacht for marsh inlet there to wait for further furt lier orders ordera by wireless 1 I wonder what want it alt all means dick mused 1 I suppose I 1 ought to arouse old man cutler and toll tell him ile he was suddenly cut short by two shadows moving across tile the moonlit way in his direction he hu had d barely time to duck behind a clump of bushes before they were upon him dick caught sight eight of a man and woman but their identity was uncertain until they began to talk 1 I tell you marle mr blake was saying a little irritably you must be careful or spoil the whole plan for us if you appear too faril familiar lilar with me miss alice will take notice it was risky for you to call me out suppose shed caught you at my door what difference does it make if she did I 1 was the quick retort you love me dont you then what else nuitt matters erg aless cutler has her lovers I 1 dont see why I 1 cant have mine too dont talk 11 int hat way marle interrupted blake biake harshly we can cant it be ordinary lovers not here I 1 why not we were in the city why Is it different down here the moonlight beautiful yes replied blake moodily its it a good night for stilling sailing captain brent will be out of sight long before morn ing where Is he going coln 7 not back hoille no hell hang bang around until I 1 want lalni out of sight of course ill HI instruct 4 him by wireless ile he stopped suddenly and asked illow how does alls alice take it site she suspect anything of course does slie she no why should slie she but in tile the shrugging tier her shoulders it may be different she was furious when slie site found the servants here now the scene Is transferred to th the e mysterious island the plot TO CONTINUED |
