Show amp am MINIM it im vy B george ethelbert walsh Copy copyright richt loie by W 0 chapman serl edw na m CHAPTER XIV continued it goob good 14 news dicer dick site she asked smiling into his 1119 fuco face undo s conscious and blogh bf irilli to remember things oh iti sure hell get Iet better terr 1 im kind glad of mis alice hut but you sold sald something about a help billa yes ye I 1 forgot its nearly her hen steaming nt at full p 1 and do you wu know dick I 1 think its a navy vessel a revel revenue tue cutter or torpedo boata I 1 dont know which anyway aini its g cot 0 I 1 suns guns on it and it looks awfully fierce und and warlike where Is it lie he demanded and whirling tier around lie he made tier lier lend lead him back to the top of the cliff there ia lit 1 plain sight S heading cone for f the island under forced draft wit ang 8 IR scrappy looking torpedo bout boat tier her deck lined with willi blue jackets dick smiled 1 I guess tile the pellet pelican want tile lie only one that picked up MY ro S 0 S she certainly acts us as if 1 she was in a liuro 11 the IB kin girt by ills his side suddenly turned grave and suld tile the most inexplicable thing oil oh dick I 1 almost wished it coming it wits was go ing to be so nice on tile the island with out without now I 1 suppose therell be a crowd I 1 ile he looked at tier her waveringly queer sensations tit nt ills heart strange lights 1 dancing before his 1114 eyes ees like a annn seized with alth vertigo lie ha staggered toward tier her caught one of tier her dinnos in ills his and opened ills his mouth to speak but captain brigett at that illon moment lent appeared a pair of binoculars in ills his hands As sure as youre born mr air ann ness lie he said its a warship good news of course it Is muttered dick in disgust Jis gust anybody could see with ills his naked ees it a scow or row rowboat boat barnett lowered his glasses and stared at him in ania rement then ihen he turned to alice and seeing tier her flus hushed lied face he grunted and walked away CHAPTER XV the torpedo boat sprite had picked up dicks wireless at sea and hurried to the island but the pelican was ten miles nearer and beat tier her by a small margin of 0 time the arrival of the warship completely demoralized captain brent berlt and ills his confederates after a threat hi cat of tile the commander to blow b up the cave with a depth bomb they surrendered and sulkily per emitted themselves to be taken prisoners dick avas not sorry coiry that the responsibility lity of capturing and holding them was transferred to an others shoulders on the warship lp where the prisoners were put through a separate and collective grilling lie he learned details of the plot that cleared up many man points mr bir blake had token taken advantage of ills position ot of trust and confidence as mr cutler butlers Cut lers private secretary to manipulate the stock market for his own benefit using a brokerage firm of questionable reputation as a con federate knowing that tile enforced absence of steve cutler would create a panic in the stocks supported suppo ite d b him lie had planned skillfully fully to bring about tills situation through the suggestion of doctor alster lie he admInIs administered tere d a drug tit that lit slowly weakened the old mans health gradually breaking down lile his iron will until he was apathetic and in differ ent ile he became alternately pee vial and irritable followed by long periods of gloomy depression ills his own family physician was unable to diagnose ills his case by working worl on his employers employer ii mind wh when en in tills weakened condl condi tion blake won the ae rower power to speak and act for him in marly important matters ile he had captain johnston dismissed and brent installed in tiia 1119 of ills his periods of then in one III place ace dejection lie he prevailed upon cutler to accept a temporary change of physicians after that the success of the plot was assured doctor alster kept his ra pa dent weak and roen trient tall ally depressed depres aed i until it was as time to spring their coup captain drent brent had been to Vulli valhalla alla to install the secret wireless plant in the cave cae and when he returned arrangements arrangement s were completed for the second step in tile the scheme doctor alster had bad warned cutler that a 11 period of tk solute rest was vas essential and tie he recommended a trip valhalla alice had unwittingly unwitting to and when she fallen into inta their plans plan to that of t the he persuasions added he acl P others other s the ille old man had grumbling ly yielded for tile the trip hud had all AH preparations actions ills his pretense of left to blake been down ahead to 0 tending sending tile servants open opel tile the big house wits was in keeping witt with the rest of 0 f ills his underhanded aben YOC acht lit arrived knavery iery ki that eliat no servants servant Is found ond md it 11 aa the island to appe anred to were vre or on tha than n oin I 1 one ne I 1 its ills oe de plausible t bore ore ex acute cuse 0 of r sending th the e macli v c I 1 t servants ber was wa 8 a ic apted tack forr for more nore S until her gust miss I 1 sis cu cutler r ti at if f lil double iv aling were mere ti aroused roused by dick the hie had morely ste allied olt off to to marsh inlet libio eliere it was ns in ili com coin mun leation with jtb the island mul and also wilh alli it 11 ho hole wireless station blakes lakes Il in niesa sages poa to his bro liers were MIO M IO thus relayed to the and nii sera received via lu tile Mic vile lits wireless in the battle way ay I 1 the lip binns original idea lind had been to commit no crime that could be traced to him but insul two to factors developed eloped that upset ills his plans one wits ia ills growing passion fur for alice cutler which when lie ho had tier in ills power on the island developed into a madness nind ness that lint caused him to overreach himself lie he had made love loe to marle for purely selfish purposes purpose using tier er its as an instrument for furthering ills ends but when vlen site elie became obnoxious and threatening he took the first opportunity to rid himself of tier lier in III a n moment of rage rind nud passion lie he had pushed tier her over oer the cliff to what seemed certain destruction the other oilier factor that lind conflicted with ills his interests intel ests was as the obstinacy of the stock market to move just as lie he wanted minted it at first it was violently ll 11 A pr ow dick I 1 almost wished it comino depressed by till nil sorts of rumors concerning the health and even elven death of steve cutler but after that if fir had reacted teil and recovered some of its normal tone to make matters worse for wake blake he had to protect ills his iri margins argitis with the stocks and securities of ills his employer which holcli lie he had abstracted from ills his private and deposit vaults and placed where lie could get them thein easily ills brokers had called by wireless for more and more margins until tens of thousands of dollars worth of stevo steve cutlers butlers Cut lers securities had been turned over to tb them blake blahe wits was not only a ruined man but a thief and absconder conder unless the market turned so he be could recoup his losses and replace the stocks and bonds before ills his employer returned the scheme had been blasted by dick who from the first had appeared as the mans nemesis accidentally tally and then intentionally crossing his path at every important turn to checkmate him steve cutler had come out of his comatose condition partly as the result of doctor alsberg Al ministrations ministration s just as captain brent appeared afterward the surgeon vt the torpedo boat took him film in hand and before the warship was ready to bull ball with her prisoners the old man though weak ft us mentally nearly normal cornin nor nin alice explained in detail what had happened on the before dick was as summoned to cutlers butlers Cut lers bedside the old man looked pale but grim ard in a fighting moud ile he nodded as I 1 dick entered well sir youre a chip of the rid dd block I 1 I 1 lie suld mild 1 11 I know knew henry vun van ness when lie was it boy henry and I 1 grow grew up tit together fighting our batties in III knee breve breeches lies before we locked horns on oil the lie street ini im old to meet 3 iou il sir 11 dick grasped tile withered red liand hand ind and some re lily now sir air continued tile thu money ina magnate grinte what vall I 1 to do for you I 1 owe you everything every tiling nnnie true your price dicks hend head went up tip 1 I any lie replied coolly nil willits repent it 1 1 I tiny price sir I 1 I 1 do it to be rewarded thank you just the alio mime hut but by gad air you must have a price every man hast then I 1 must be tile exception he smiled As aa lip lie did so go ills his eyes drifted across tile the bed to tile girt girl opposite for it moment lie wasi was quiet and drea dreamily tully thoughtful suddenly lie ha laughed good and shrugged ills shoulders yes yei I 1 have a price he said hut but its too high for even you to pay imy you to do it I 1 pay snorted cutler you think eliat scoundrels ruined mo ino so do I 1 cant buy what I 1 want I 1 young man you dont know me I 1 could buy huy buy dick turned abruptly awny avny 1 I cant discuss it any further lie ho said 1 I have mentioned it 13 ise 0 elded and looking boldly front from one to tile other jit another iother would have to pay more than you mid and I 1 dream of asking tier her to foot tile the bills that another pay my bills I 1 roared the old man as dick moved to tile the door what does lie he mean alice lie he lung flung tit at ills ail niece 1 I I 1 dont know camp cam the etain mering reply accompanied by a rich flood of cari caridine nine to tier her cheeks dont krio know I 1 dont know I 1 repented the man on tile bed by pal miss I 1 I 1 believe youre keeping something from me if you were a man id say you were lying to me oil oh uncle I 1 mur murmured inured alice burying tier her face in the pillow 0 0 0 0 0 two days litter later when tile the pelican was wag homeward bound dick had tile the deck in tile the absence of captain barnett in the misty moonlight a figure wrapped in n cloak stood close to him swaying a little each time the yacht lurched so that ho he had to support lier her with tin an arm A you have such funny notions dick she whispered alf al you really love me stop talking about my money why it mine anyway undo uncle may die and leave it to char ity 1 I wish he would I 1 mean leave it to charity not die was tile the gloomy retort arent you deliciously frank and delightful when you talk that inyl way site she laughed hugging the arni ani to which she crang marry me ine if I 1 were ivere poor but bec because ause im rich you want to jilt tile nie no not that dear he interrupted holding tier her close ill litile to marry you rich or poor I 1 love you so BO hut but I 1 wish there such a difference in why im a failure dear a total failure I 1 lie ile waved his arms e eloquently ly before I 1 left the city I 1 was down and out and I 1 shipped aa a a stowaway I 1 cant forget that well ill help you to forget it she replied kissing him now listen I 1 love you and not what youve got or got ill love ove you as a stowaway or failure or successful business man all there is 13 to it I 1 what else really matters dick nothing I 1 gues lie ho murmured a little dizzily pressing his lips to hers hera 11 and rid forgetting all his objections in tile tha blass of the moment till END |