| Show In Valhalla h end and Out I SAFELY HIDDEN SYNOPSIS SYNOPSIS Fishing In idle fashion from a n private dock Disk Van Ness Nesa watches a n ship the Pell Pelican an which ho he recognizes as tho the Beacon Deacon his fathers father's yacht before his death and financial reverses forced him to part with It A man whom he hears a girl Irl who accompanies him address as Mr Blake lands from the tho yacht acht Tho The girl drops her handbag In Inthe Inthe inthe the stream and Dick recovers It Thanking him she gives him her visiting card ard She Is Alice Cutler Cutler Cutler Cut Cut- ler niece of ot Stephen Cutler successful successful suc sue business rival of the cIder ci cider elder el- el der Van Ness Dick overhears a n conversation between Blake and Captain Brent Drent of the Pelican which tells him the yacht Is bound on a voyage of ot adventure Dick determines to conceal himself and sail sail sail-a a stowaway stowaway- with the party Stephen Cutler It appears Is an Invalid sailing for tor his health CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 3 When he wall walked ed away n Dick moved a camp stool near the railing and contentedly contentedly con- con puffed away at his cigarette lie He was apparently Interested only In Inthe Inthe the he scene on the dock and never ne once turned his head sideways or back back- ward He felt that eyes were watching watch watch- Ing ng him but he wasn't sure The Tile minutes sped along slowly and nod after the third cigarette his head sagged to one side as If he slept He snored nored once or twice He was conscious once of a a catlike footstep coming around the forward cabin and halting near him but he continued to snore peacefully Twenty minutes and he was still In the same position Out of ot the corners of oC leis his closed half e eyes es he saw Captain Brent rent go down the gangplank and walk aft where the men were finishing their lob Job oh of coaling the yacht Once out of his fits sight a a remarkable change came over o over Dick De He lie sat t slowly upright and gazed swiftly and keenly around the d deck ck He was alone on it Not a person was In sight Without further dea delay he le picked up his Ills package and darted for Cor the main mal saloon cabin Once in it itt he closed he-closed closed the thedoor thedoor thedoor door softly and stared stared around The place was vacant He lie gave vent to a chuckle of relief The The cabin was n not t much changed from the days s 's when his father Cather owned It lt The Tile furnishings had been reupholstered reupholstered up re holstered and the woodwork done over o and a few leiv pictures distributed around hut but In the main It was exactly as as he had always known It It was home to him and arid a great desire to shout and and proclaim the fact made him lighthearted lightheart- lightheart ed for a moment But a babel of ot voices on the d deck ck warned him hm that any moment Captain Brent might return and find him gone He crossed the richly carpeted floor Hoor in a few strides and came to a ahalt ahalt ahalt halt in front of a paneled m wall ll He lie gave one swift glance up and around It and then dropped down on his knees Ills His hands shook a little as he fumbled fumbled fum- fum bled at the base with nervous ous fingers Ills His breath came and went ent in little sharp tremulous waves He lie knew that the critical m moment ment had arrived that would decide the success or fall fall- uie ule of his scheme Like a bank burglar opening a safe with the f fear ar arof of the police beating on hs his brain he lie le played his bis hands up and down fully ully and with precision hunting for something that time had dimmed In his memory Suddenly a low ow exultant cry escaped escaped escaped es es- his lips His fingers had touch touched d the thing he had been searching for It wa was wad a tiny crack between the molding molding moldIng mold- mold Ing an and 1 baseboard It was was hardly wide enough l to to admit the blade of a pocket knife With one finger pressed on it for tor fear of ot losing It n Dick hick got his knife out ont of his hs pocket et and opened the smallest blade bade Inserting the point of this In Inthe Inthe inthe the crack he pressed It hard against something that gave forth a soft ling metallic sound The effect of his manipulations would have ha startled Captain Brent Drent had he be appeared then but ut to Dick it vas was no more than he lie expected The narrow narrow narrow nar- nar nar nar- row panel before him slid slowly to toone toone toone one side revealing an an- opening In the I I wan wall about the size of a small state state- room The secret compartment in the wall had been designed by the architects of the yacht acht to satisfy a whimsical fancy of or Dicks Dick's father It had been used as asa as asa a storage place for special papers and securities that the elder Van Ness often carried away with him on long cruises It was never designed for human occupancy and when Dick glanced In 11 It he felt a chill of doubt The Tho dust aust of years had accumulated over the floor showing that it had not been ben used by the present owner of the yacht Dick had guessed right that the secret of it had not been passed on with the sale of the craft and no noone noone noone one In refitting the interior had stumbled upon the spring that opened the panel It was Just about wide enough and long enough for a man to stretch himself himself himself him him- self and m move ve about without bumping his elbows or scarring his shins It II was high enough for the tallest man with an open register above through which the air all of the cabin escaped The presence of this register of ot Iron grillwork Instead of exciting sus sus- allayed the curiosity of anyone anyone anyone any any- one inquisitive enough to want to thump the walls to see If there was a II space behind Approaching footsteps on the deck brought Dick ick out of at his reverie of in In- decision With a shudder he wiped B By B y- y George Ethelbert Walsh Copyright 1925 by W W. O. O Chapman Service away the worst of ot the dust and stepped Inside lie lle hesitated again beCore before be- be ore fore closing the panel Then Captain Brents Brent's booming voice aroused him Wheres that young oung fellow with the package he called angrily Dick touched the spring and watched the he panel pane slide noiselessly in position At the same moment the cabin door opened with a bang and Brent stamped inside Search the yacht I 1 he commanded If you find him bring him to me Ill I'll teach each him to snoop around No not In n here I Hes He's not In the cabin Search below decks 1 l Nevertheless he made a careful examination ex ex- of e every ery possible hiding place lace in the cabin Dick holding his breath heard him tramping around opening and closing doors and lockers and even thumping the soft cushions Once he lie stopped In front of the regIster register reg- reg Ister ster and and remained quiet for so long that Dick feared he had discovered some clue Tb The spring had been a little mUe rusty and possibly It had not closed com com- The presence of ot a little lIttie dirt Urt or rust near the crack might excite Brents Brent's suspicion Dick drew a sigh of relief when the man man finally moved awa away and after another tour of ot the cabin walked outside on deck Its an even chance cap that Ill I'll go with you on this little mUe trip he mused grinning to himself Anyway you'll have a hurd time finding me A little light entered the compartment compartment compartment compart compart- ment through the register and as the si I 1 t f I Well Be There by Tomorrow Night Wont Won't We Captain It Was Mr Blake Speaking air all from the cabin escaped through this the suctIon created kept his narrow narrow nar nar- row quarters fairly well ventilated I wont won't smother he reasoned 10 looking kIng up P Plenty nty of air lie He glanced at his package and smiled again Grub and drinks enough for fora a week he drew forth a cigarette and started to light it but checked himself Smoking forbIdden forbidden forbidden forbid forbId- den he said In ln a 11 rueful voice olce That hard Iu lucid luckl I Then Ihen in n a relieved voice he added At night lt when e everybody's asleep I can light up The ventilator will carry carry away the smoke and odor After that he tried to ma make e himself as comfortable as possible In his narrow nar nar- narrow row quarters It was some satisfaction satisfaction satisfaction tion to to know that he would be far fill more comfortable than in tle the coal bunkers where he had first thought of hiding As As a stowaway Im I'm pretty prett well off oft he decided Nothing to do but eat drink and sleep with a quiet smoke at t night lIe He opened his box and distribute distributed dis distributed dis- dis tribute i Its contents around in the corners c counting th the number umber of sandwiches sand sand- and bottles of ot drink Making a mental calculation he concluded that with careful rationing he lie would not suffer surfer for a week Then milkIng making a pillow of his ills coat cant and box he lay down and tried to kill time with sleep The noises outside did not alarm him Coal was still pouring Into the bunkers and the tramping of ot many feet accompanied b by loud orders and anH oaths convinced him that the search was still going on Now that he felt secure this tills did not concern him and listening dreamily to the confusion of ot sounds he dropped oft off Into restful slumber lIe He woke with a start finally Unable Unable Un Un- a able le at first to collect coned his senses he sat upright and stared around him Over his head a stream of electric light entered through the register Outside voices sounded so clear cleur and distinct that It gave him a shock at first The Jar and vibration of the yacht told him they were ere under way A querulous voice was saying Blakes es e's a fool tool Alice I dont don't think this trip will do me any good I L could rest at home home home-don't don't dont need a change at atall all never did never never- did like salt water water sure sure to be seasick Wheres Where's Doctor Alster Hell Dell have to rive give me roe some some- I thing to make me sleep Im I'm wide wideawake's awakes awake's an nn ow owl What's that Infernal racket about I dont don't know mow uncle Ill I'll find out Please dont don't excite yourself You know the doctor says the change will do you yon good Dick recognized the voice of Alice Allce Cutler It wont won't I came the explosive contradiction oon- oon It will make me worse I IGo Go on deck and send Blake to me meno meno meno me- me no send Doctor Alster I Ive I've got to have lave some relief from this pain Tell TeU him to hurry There were soft footsteps across the he carpeted floor and a moment later the he cabin door opened and closed Dick could hear bear loud breathing of ot one in la great pain CHAPTER IV Without premeditation Dick had hud placed himself in the position of beIng being being be be- ing an eavesdropper to every bit of gossip and conversation that took place pince in the main cabin In Ia planning to get aboard the Pelican he had hardly hardly hardly hard hard- ly given consideration to the thought that the open register would woold admit any and all sounds lIe He was a little startled when he found how distinctly even a whisper was vias carried to him It was as if the cabin was a great sounding soundIng sound sound- Ing board with Its focal point of wave vibration at nt the register over his head The first night he learned from detached detached de de- de remarks things that both en enlightened enlightened en- en lightened and bewildered him Steve Cutler was going on a cruise much against his own will through the urgent advice of Doctor Alster Aster the family physician and of ot Mr Blake Blako his private secretary with Alice his niece as a n loving but firm con co The theory of ot Dicks Dick's that the cruise was to hunt for some hIdden hidden hidden hid hId- den treasure received a n severe ere severe Jolt The yacht acht was bound for Valhalla an Island off oft the southern coast that thai had been fitted up at great expense by bythe bythe the millionaire for a quiet winter re re- re- re sort It was a small Isolated Island without any communication with the mainland and far enough from the lanes of ot travel to protect the occupants occupants occupants pants from visitors and curiosity seek seek- ers Cutler was a sick man according to the testimony of I his physician and unless he took a rest of a n few tew weeks the Inevitable breakdown would fol fol- fol low Angered both at the doctor who condemned him to a n period of f Isolation Isola isola- ton tion and at nature for playing him such a shabby trick the old man fumed and fretted When he realized the actual situation situation situa situa- tion Dick regretted the course he had taken talen The romance of the voyage voyage suddenly lost its flavor There was a chance of adventure ad on a deserted Is Island Island island Is- Is land with a party of ot searchers for burled buried treasure but a small privately owned place even If It were a mere dot on the ocean far from land offered little of oC romance romance and less of en ad ture There would be servants on It a small army of them perhaps formal gardens and cultivated fields conventional conventional conventional conven conven- summer houses golf links Unes tennis tennIs tennis ten ten- nis courts and till all the artificial Inventions Inventions Imen of ot civilization to amuse amuse visitors There would be hardly a wild nook or cranny where he could hide and make himself comfortable Disgusted by the outlook he felt inclined inclined in in- to abandon nil all secrecy and step I forth from his place of concealment and con confess Cess They could do nothing more than hold him as a stowaway and make him work vork for his passage On the whole that would not be onerous I IThe The presence of Alice Cutler would I add a little zest of romance to the I experience The second night out his cramped prison began to teh tell on his liis nerves Too roo much inaction was worse than too much exer exercise Ise Scrubbing the deck ded under the angry eyes of Captain Brent seemed preferable to remaining In the Ule narrow compartment The main cabin was deserted and Dick struck a match to light a ciga ciga- rette It was his orie one consolation and now that he be was indifferent about his future he lle lost his usual caution Only one electric light was burning In the cabin and the stillness o of the place lace got ot on his nerves Ill get out tonight and take a n good rest on one of those cushions he mused Captain Brent will get a Jolt when he finds me there He lIe grinned at the thought Suddenly he lie became conscious of the tho presence of some one in the cabin The soft fall of f a foot toot on the thick carpet near his hiding place was Ivas as followed fol lowed a moment later by y the opening and closing of a door Another footstep foot footstep step heavier ier and clumsier than the first reached his ears The The- two met not far from the open register so that their whispered words could be distinctly distinctly dis dis- heard Well be there by tomorrow night wont won't we captain 1 It was Mr Blake speaking Dick la s apparently safely hidden hidden hid hid- den and able to overhear what goes on What next TO DE BE CONTINUED |
