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Show r With an exclamation, Urmo ml zed the steering w heel and swung It over to the right. "There she Is," he crli'd, and then: "Excuse me for taking the wheel that way, but 1 wan afraid I'd lose her." "I don't see her," said Porter. "No; but something dark cut oil tho lights of that Blenmer. Hold her ho." Ho let go the wheel and peered ahead. Presently they both Haw a spot of blacker blackness in the night Porter Por-ter Het the motor at half speed "Have you got a bull's f ye lantern?" asked Urine In an undertone. "Yes, In that locker." Ornie stooped and lighted the lantern lan-tern In the shelter of the locker. "Now run up alongside," be said, "and ask If they need help." The outline of the disabled boat now grew more distinct. Porter swung around tow aril It and called: "Need help?" Alter a moment's wait, a voice replied: re-plied: "Yes. You tow me to Chicago. 1 pay you." It was a voice which Orme recog-Inzi recog-Inzi d as that of the Japanese w ho had been with Maku In the attack at the Peru Marquette. "Can't do that." answered Porter. "I'll take you 111 to Evatiston." "No!" The tone was expostula-tory. expostula-tory. "I go to Chicago. 1 fix engine pretty soon." At this moment Onne rnised his lantern and directed Its light Into the other boat. It shone Into the blinking eyes of the Jnpane3e, standing by the motor. It shone (ireat Heaven! Was be dreaming? Orme could not believe bis eyes. The light revealed the face of the one person he least expected to see for, seated on a cushion at the forward end of tho cockpit, was the girl! CHAPTER VII. A Japanese at Large. What was the girl doing out there In mid-lake In the company of her enemy? Orme had seen her enter the house of her friends In Evanston; had bidden her good-night with the understanding un-derstanding that she was to make no further move In the game before the coming morning. She must have left the house soon after he walked away. Had she known all the time where the Japanese was? Had she hunted him out to make terms with him? If that were the case, her action Indicated Indi-cated a new and unsuspected distrust of Orme himself. Her failure to call for help when Orme and Porter came up In their launch seemed to show that her presence In the other boat was voluntary. And yet Orme could not believe that there was not some simple explanation which she would welcome the first chance to make. He could not doubt her. The Immediate thing to do, however, how-ever, was to find out Just what she desired. de-sired. Suppressing his excitement, he called out: "Girl!" At the same time he turned the lantern lan-tern so that his own face was Illuminated. Il-luminated. "Mr. Orme!" she cried, rising from her seat. "You here?" SYNOPSIS. At the rxin of a soiled hat Hubert Drme savea from arrest a uirl In n blurk louring cur who has cuused a traffic Jhiii pri Mate street, lie buys 11 new but Mil I Is Klven In clmriKe u five dollar bill with: 'Ueiiiemlier the person you pay I Ilia to," written mi It. A second time hi helps tlm tHily In the Min k ear, nn.l learns I lint 111 loin 1111. 1 H.-ssie Walllnghitin tlev have mutual friends, but K'iIiim no further hint tf her bleiility. e dm. overs another Inscription In-scription on tlm market bill, which. In a futile attempt to decipher It. he copies snd place the enpv In a drawer In his sparimeni. Honor pontol, mouth Aimrl-rnn. Aimrl-rnn. culls, and chums tin- marked hill. Orme refuses, and m flxht ensues In which I'oritol la overcome He culls In Renor AlcatrHfite, minister from his country, coun-try, to vouch for blin. Drme still refuses In give up Hm bill, urine for a walk and sees two Jnps attack Alcatianli'. Me fescues him Keturntnn to his rooms lirniu Is attacked by two Japs who ef-fc ef-fc a fori Ihle exrhnnije of the marked Mil for another. Urine Mints the drl of llui black car within- for him. Klie 11 m Wants the hill. irine tells his storv. Hlui feroKiilzes one of I he Japs as her father's tuller, Maku. The second Inscription on I he bill Is the key to the hhhni( place of inportant papers stolen from her father. toih Jap ami 8011th Americans want tlm rapers. Orme and the "lini" Marl out In he black car In quest of the papers. In the university Kroun Is In Kvanston the hiding place Is I.m ateil Maku and another an-other Jap are there Orme f.s Maku and the other Jap escapes. Orme llnds tu Maku's pocket a fold.-d slip of paper. II.-takes II.-takes the girl, whose i.ume is Hiill unknown un-known to blm, to the home of a friend la Kvanston Het uriiitiK to the university grounds Hi me nets In conversation wl'h a r:uard nt the llfo-Hiiviuu station They ii'iir a motor boat In trouble In the darkness dark-ness on th take CHAPTER VI. Continued. "I know why he went out so far." remarked Porter. "Ho is running without lights." "That In Itself is suspicious, Isn't It?" Orme asked. "Why, yes, I suppose so though people aren't always as careful as they might be. Our own lights aren't lighted, you see." "Have you any clue at all as to where she Is?" "Only from the direction the sou 1 mis came from Just before the explosions ex-plosions stopped. She hud headway enough to slide some distance after that, and I'm allowing for It and for the currents. With the lake as It Is, she would bo carried In a little." For nearly half an hour they continued contin-ued straight out toward mid lake. Orme noticed that there was a slight swell. Tho lights of Kvanston were now mere twinkling distaut points, far away over the dark void of the waters. Porter shut ofT Ihe power. "We rnuBt be pretty near her," he said. They listened Intently. "Perhaps 1 steered too far south," said Porter at last. Ho throw on the power, and sent the boat northward In slow, wide circles. The distant steamship bad made progress toward the northeast bound, perhaps, for Muskegon, or some other port on the Michigan shore. She wa3 a passenger steamer, steam-er, appparently, for lines of portholes and deck-windows were marked by dots of light. There was no other sign of human presence to be seen on the lake, and Orme's glance expectantly ex-pectantly wandered to her lights now and then. At last, while he was looking at It, after a fruitless search of the darkness, dark-ness, he was startled by a strange phenomenon. The lights of the steamer suddenly disappeared. An Instant later they shone out again. "At your service." He smiled, and turned his eyes for an Instant on her companion. The face of the Japanese was a study. His eyes were narrowed to thin slits, and his mouth was formed Into a meaningless grin. Orme spoke to the Japanese In French "Maku has confessed," lie said. "He Is under arrest." . The faco of the Japanese did not change. "Do you understand?" asked Ormo, still In French. There was no answer, and Orme turned to the girl and said, In French: I don't think he understands this language." "Apparently not," she replied, In 1 the same tongue. "Tell me," be went on, "are you there of your own will?" "No " "Has he the papers?" "I think so. I don't know." "See If you can manage to get past him, and I will help you Into our boat." "I'll try." She nodded, with a brave effort to show reassurance. Orme frowned at tho Japanese. "What are you doing with this young lady?" he demanded. "No understand." "Yes, you do understand. You understood un-derstood well enough wheu you robbed me this evening." "No understand," the Japanese repeated. re-peated. The girl, meantime, had moved slowly from her position. The two boats were close together. Suddenly, after a swift glance from Orme, the girl stepped to -the gunwalo and leaped across the gap. Orme reached forward and caught her, drawing her for a brief Instant close Into his arms before she found her footing In the cockpit. "Splendid;" he whispered, and she tossed her head with a pretty smile of relief. Porter had been standing close by, the bonthook In his hands. "Is there unythlng more to bo done?" be as..ed or Orme. "Yes, wait a moment." The Japanese bad made no move to prevent the girl's escape. Indeed, while she was leaping to the other boat, be balanced jilmself and turned to his motor, as though to continue the work of repair. "Now, then," called Ormo, "you must give me those papers." "No understand." Tho Japanese did not even look up from bis task. Orme turned to Porter. "Olve me the boathook," he said, and, taking It, he hooked It to the gunwale of the other boat, drawing the two crafts together. His Intention was to use the boathook to bring the Japanese to terms. Hut the Oriental was too quick. His apparent Indifference vanished, van-ished, and with a cat-like pounce, he seized the boathook and snatched It from Orme's grasp. The action was so unexpected that Orme was completely tap n by surprise. sur-prise. He made ready, however, to leap In unarmed, but the Japanese thrust the blunt end of the boathook at him, and the blow, which struck him In the chest, sent him toppling backward. He was saved from tirtu-bling tirtu-bling Into the cockpit by Porter, who caught blm by the shoulders and helped blm to right himself. The two boats tossed for a moment like corks In the water. When Ormo again leaped to the gunwale, the Japanese was using the boathook to push the craft apart. A final shove widened the distance to six or lght fewt. The Jump was Impossible. Im-possible. Even If the boats had been nearer together It would have been folly to attempt an attack. Stepping down Into the cockpit, Ormo bent over the girl, who had sunk down upon a cushion. She seemed to be content that he should play tho game for her. "What Is wrong with his motor?" he said. "Ho you know?" She answered In an undertone: "I shut off the gasoline supply. He wasn't looking. He didn't see." "Cood for you, Girl!" be exclaimed. "Where did you do it? At the tank?" "No I'nfortunately the valve Is at the carbureter. Oh," she continued, "we must get the papers!" Orme turned to Porter. "Are you willing to take a risk?" he askid. "Anything in reason." The life-ssver life-ssver grinned. "Of course, I don't understand un-derstand what's going on, but I II back you." "This Is a good, stout tab we lire In." Orme hesitated "I want you to rani hi r nose Into that other boat." Porter shook his load. "That's going pretty far.' he Fald. "I don't know that there Is warrant for It " "It won't lied to be a bard bump." Orme explained. 'T don't wutit to hurt the fellow." "Then why ?" "To frighten hlui Into giving up some papers." Porter looked straight Into Orme s ejei. "Do the papers belong to you?" be demanded. "No." Orme spoke quietly. "They belong to this young lady or, rather, to her father. This Japanese, aad the other one, there on the shore, stole them." "What Is the lady's name?" "I can't tell you that." "Put the pollci " "It Isn't a matter for the police. Please trust ine, Mr. Porter." The life-saver stood irresolute. "If this boat la damaged, 1 11 make It good five times over," continued Ortnu. "Oh, It wouldn't hurt the boat. A few scratches, perhaps It's the other boat I'm thinking of." "It's pretty grim business, 1 know," remarked Orme. The younger man again studied Orme's face. "Can you give me your word that the circumstances would Justify us In ramming that boat?' It flashed over Orme that he bad no Idea what those cli'cuiustahci a were, lie knew only what little the girl had told him. Yet she had as sured him again and again that Hie papers were of the greatest Importance. Impor-tance. True, throughout the affair, thus far, with (lie exception of the blow he hud givell Maku, the persons concerned had oil end 110 dangerous violence. The uiyslei ions pipers might contain Intormaiion about South American mini s as little P01I tol had suggested; they might hold the secrets of an International syndicate. syn-dicate. Whatever they were, It was really doubtful whether the necessity of their recovery would Justity the possibility of slaying another man. Perhaps the girl hail unconsciously exaggerated their value. Women who took a hand In business olteti tost the sense of relative Importance, And yet, she had been so sure; she had herself gone to such lengths. Then, too, the South Americans had hired a burglar to break Into her father's house, and now this Japanese had abducted her. Yes, It was a serious game. Orme answered Porter. "I give you my word," he said. Porter nodded and tightened bis , II) B "At Ihe very least, that fellow has tried to abduct this young lady," added Orme. "All right," said Porter. "Let her 1 go" The other boat had drifted about . 19 leef away. Orme called out: I "Hello, there, Japanese. Will you , give up the papers?" No answer came. "If you won't," cried Orme, "we are going to ram you." "Oh, no!" exclaimed the girl suddenly. sud-denly. "We mustn't drown blm." "We shan't," said Orme. "Hut we will give him a scare." Then. In a louder voice: "Do you hear?" The only reply was the tapping of metal on metal. The Japanese, It seemed, was still trying to find out what was wrong with his motor. "Well, then," Orme said to Porter, "we'll have to try It. Hut use low speed, and be ready to veer off at the last minute." "He'll try to fend with the boat book," said Porter. "If he does, I'll get him." "How?" "Iihso." Orme picked up a spare painter that was stored under Unseat, Un-seat, and began to tie a slip noose. The girl now spoke. "I suppose we shall have to do It," she said. "Hut 1 wish there were a 1 ss dangerous, a less tragic way." Hsrdly knowing what be did, Orme laid his hand gently on her shoulder. "It will be all right, dear," le whispered. whis-pered. If the word embarrassed her, the darkness covered her confusion. Porter bad started the motor, set ting It at a low speed, and now be was steering tns boat In a circle to gain distance for the charge. "I've lost the other boat," exclaimed Onne, peering Into the darkness. "She's off tin re," said Porter. "You iHii't si e Iht, but I kr.ow the direction." direc-tion." He swung the launch around and headed straight through the flight, "Hold on tight," Orme cautioned the girl, and coiling his lasso, be went to the bow. The launch moved rf adlly forward-Orme, forward-Orme, straining his eyes In the eu-d eu-d ator to distinguish the other boat, saw It at last. It lay a few points to Marboard. and Porter alter d the course of the launch accordingly "Make for the stern." called Orme, "and cripple her propeller. If you c an " Another slight change in the rourse showed that Porter understood As the lessening of the distance be-ten be-ten the two boats made It possible to ciHtlr.B'ish the disabled fpec dT more clearly, Orme saw that the Japa nce was still tlnkiring with the mo-tor. mo-tor. He was busying bimnif as though be realized that be lad no In pe of escape unless he coulj rtart l is beat. Narrower, narrower, grew thj Inter-vei.'ng Inter-vei.'ng gap of dark water Drme braced hlmto If for the M101 k. In bis le't band was the roib-d painter; In lis tight, the end of the ready noose, which trailed behind Mm on the decking deck-ing It was long since he had thrown a lariat. In a vivid gleam of memory he taw at that moment the tot, dusty New Mexico corral, the low adobe bulM'ngs, the lumbering cat'.le ar.d thf calloping Lor si. s vt the raotti. HP H I rtr4 T Far SoatK" |