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Show lie Mutiny of the AllaSross THE STORY Floyd Un win and Howard BettinKton take dinner with an old college chum, Alfrf-d Gibbons, financial mjKcnate Unwin produce pro-duce a written pledge taken by the three at collude to help each other In advernity, explain ing ' that hd needs flnanntal assiHt-ance assiHt-ance to educate Iiih son Bob and daughter Mary. G lb bona uroffs at the "It Kill y" of the pledge, hot njrrera to make a place fur the daughter In hia organization Mny llnwln is stiiiotrapli';r to a wealthy debauchee, Klur Rnd-w Rnd-w av. Calling r Gibbons' otlice, u arranffid, M ry Is aked To betray her employer's so-rets and rufuaea. Karlway plans an ooan voaffe to recover from the ef-fv!s ef-fv!s of dlnslpntlon. Mary Is to i ;o as necretary, her brother to accompany her. BettlriBlon, painting- on the Maine coast, Is k Idnnped, and ta ken aboard a voasel. His clothes are found by Olbbs, a fugitive from Justice. CHAPTER IV Continued Bob sauntered o(T feeling that he had come face to face with men more evil than he had ever known before. On the deck above his sister was; he had been told he must not venture there. Above that deck was the wireless wire-less house, In which he was deeply Interested. He had seen a cheery young man In uniform, who had been pointed out as the wireless operator. But between the two was a great gulf fixed. "Sparks" was an officer. Perhaps Per-haps Bob had entered upon his new task with too great an enthusiasm. He found himself called upon to do certain greasy and oily offices usually performed by engine room help. Metz-ger, Metz-ger, the chief engineer, swore at him vldouBly when he began to ask questions ques-tions about the engines. On the vhole, he found himself, for the first time In his life, distinctly unpopular. Barnegat Light was In sight when Bam, at midnight, came Into Betting-ton's Betting-ton's cabin. "The Boss gays you can see him Bow." he growled. Bettlngton followed him along a 51m passage to the extreme stern of the vessel. Here he unlocked a door leading to a companion way which brought him to a quarter deck at the after part of the yacht. There were two big wicker chairs and a table. Sam motioned him to sit down. Then he knocked at a stateroom door and Was bidden to enter. "You're to go In," Sam said a few moments later. "I'll wait here." It was not surprising that a certain emotion of excitement and, perhaps, apprehension seized 'upon the painter lis he moved toward the door. What manner of ruffian was he to confront? And what was It that he had been predestined for? A man who could hold a turbulent and ferocious brute like Sam In thrall, would probably be mne of greater power and violence than he. Never, Bettlngton confessed, as he entered the stateroom, had his prejudgments pre-judgments been more at fault. This was no towering bully, no disciple of the strong-arm school of underworld aristocracy who looked at him. Apparently Ap-parently the man was of the same Bocial class as himself. The Boss was a little, slender man, delicate of feature and limb. His face had that Ivory pallor one associates with extreme old age. And yet, he did not seem to be an old man. He was emillng as Bettlngton entered; he smiled while he talked. "I am afraid," said the Boss, after waving his guest to a seat, "that you have not enjoyed your voyage." "I have not," Bettlngton returned. "I may tell you at once, that I resent the whole occurrence. It has been one outrage added to another. That they had their origin In a mistake I know very well, but the effect Is Just the same and I demand to be put ashore at once." "We are provisioned for a year," eald the Boss calmly, "and most likely shall not touch any port for one month." "I shall," snapped the painter. "I think tiot," the other corrected gently. "I expected you to wake these protests. Sam has told me of your attitude and I admire It. The wise man differs from a fool In knowing Just when to try to make terms. We are here to talk business." "Look here," Bettington began, "I explained to your first murderer out there, that there had been some mistake mis-take of Identities. My name Is Bettlngton Bet-tlngton ; I am a painter of seascapes and my studio Is on East Thirty-fourth street" The Boss took from a small table a New York paper. "Did you have a pleasant funeral?" he asked suavely. He passed the paper over the table and pointed out an obituary notice tucked away in an obscure spot, "Read It," the Boss commanded. The paragraph was headed: "Well-Known Marine Painter Killed. "Falls From Fire Escape In Dark." Bettlngton read an amazing description descrip-tion of his death, burial and life's work. The chief witness at the inquest in-quest was Floyd Unwin. Unwin had been amazed to see 1.1s friend, whom he thought to be out of town, and climbed to his studio to call upon him. The rooni3 were seemingly In darkness dark-ness and none answered the knock. In the morning the Janitor had discovered dis-covered the mutilated body In the yard. Floyd Unwin find h had identl-!fled identl-!fled It. "It was a jlever idea, said the Ey WYfiDUAM MARTY?) COPYrilGHT IN THE C. 8. ff.VU S. rvlc IioH.s, "bin 1. too. read the papers. In the Idiom of (inker. I have called your blulT. In almost evel y case I have hud to do timt to i;it iny crew. Take Sam. for example. Sam. under another name, was ili.ln rather well bootleum acro:-s the Canadian line. In Itah'ety he was on the way to become be-come n-Hpocted. It wi:s necessary to remind him (hat he had broken from Daniii mura I was compelled to build up his real past. I hold It over him " The r.oss waved his delicate hand airily. "It is a truism that knowl. eilce Is power. I have Just told yon by what method I have the whip-hand of what you call my 'first murderer.' " "Hut why put me In possession of it?" Bettlngton demanded. "That strikes me as a very unwise step." "Kecnuse, my dear Andrew Orme, I have Just as strong a hold over you." Bettlngton made a gesture of despair. The Boss had not the look of a crazed man; but this sort of talk pointed to an egocentriclty not far from megalomania. megalo-mania. He had the delusion of power. "Andrew Orme," said Bettlngton. "Who Is he?" "I'll tell you." The Boss passed a box of cigars to the other. "Andrew Orme did very well at Yale. He was on his way to become a great surgeon. sur-geon. Then he found within himself the curse of gaming. He needed money. He found he possessed the dangerous gift of copying signatures. So he forged. And when he was discovered dis-covered he killed the man who threatened threat-ened to give him up to Justice. He had committed his murder In San Francisco and was sent to San Quen-tln Quen-tln as a life prisoner. He escaped and was absolutely lost from view. That was almost ten years ago. I found him by accident. I was automobillng In New England and needed water for a boiling motor. I went to a fisherman's fisher-man's shack. There I found one Jonathan Jona-than Glbbs, disguised with a beard and clad in the roir h garb of a fisherman. Much the same picturesque costume as you wear now. I did not tell him that I knew him. At that time I had no possible use for him. It was not until three years later that I made u i of my knowledge." One thing was cleared up, at all events. Bettlngton had been shanghaied shang-haied because he was thought to be the fisherman whose clothes he wore. He saw now how strangely fortune had deserted him. Out here at sea, he could not prove himself to be the man he- was. And the mysterious death of a man like enough to himself to be Identified by Dnwin all added to the difficulty of setting himself straight. He remembered how Gibbs had feared he had entered his rude shack for some Inimical purpose, And Sam had let fall that Gibbs had been shadowed. And Bettington recalled that Glbbs had been much more fearful fear-ful In manner than any honest fisherman fisher-man had the need to be. Undoubtedly Gibbs was Andrew Orme, surgeon and forger. . . . And Howard Betting-ton Betting-ton was dead and buried. The anxiety that his face betrayed, led the Bosi to think he had come to a saner way of thinking. "I am offering you a far better way of living than ever you had In Maine. When we are through with this trip you will have money plenty of It and can spend it, and your life, in some southern port." "And if I don't accept?" The smile of the other man grew Irritating. "None knows of your being aboard but my men. There are only three of the men who are not for me: Hal-lett, Hal-lett, the captain, his nephew who is the wireless operator, and a lad named Unwin. They can be eliminated . . . . so can you." Unwin. So that was why he had seen his old friend come aboard. It was his mechanically-minded son who was among those of the crew presently to be eliminated. A mood of unusual cautloD took hold of Bettington. As skillfully as possible he must learn what was required of him and to what perils those on the ship were to be put. "But If you eliminated me," he said easily, "you would put yourself to some Inconvenience. You've put my cards on the table without any aid of mine. What about your own cards?" "The sensible man," said the Boss. "Is the adaptable one. I am glad you are seeing the wisdom of readjustment. readjust-ment. Here are my cards, Andrew Orme. This boat was chartered, through my advice, by Elgar Radway. the multi-millionaire. He Is aboard now with his wife, a noted beauty, and a girl secretary. This boy Unwin, of whom I spoke, is the secretary's brother." Bettington hoped the other did not see the slight start he gave when he realized that Mary Unwin was here. He remembered now that she was Radway's private stenographer. He thought of Sam, of Metzger and those other IH-omened men who would be likely to make up such a crew as this. Something of the horror he could not conceal betrayed Itself. "Do not be alarmed," said the Boss ; "this is an expedition planned only for the possession of money. The women will be safe as long as I rule; be sure of that." "What Is the scheme? Blackmail?" "Something simpler and cleaner. Radway has come aboard, as he himself him-self almost believes, to rest. He has , t arduous tasks before hlrn. I know and lie realizes It imw that he has come aboard to till himself with the rich food an l alcohol his physicians have forbidden him fur a year. "Every year. I find, he lias spent n month In this manner. At the end of these trips he pies back to his office and works like ten men. ISut this year he lias had hardenini: arteries and planned to be temperate. That was why lie b.'Oimht his w ife and the girl. . . That was why lie sent nie this telegram." The hos showed Bettington I lie wire Mary Unwin had sent to "Clements," liar Harlmr. "11" honestly Intended to stay sober or moderately so." "And won't he?" "At dinner tonight he was offensively offensive-ly drunk. I heard his wife whisper. 'After what you promised me. Eiitnr.'" "Then you are a uuest here?" it explained the luxurious stateroom In which the Boss sat, "1 am not," said the Boss. "I occupy oc-cupy an anomalous position; In a sense a derogatory one. It so suits me, for our purposes, to play the part of the steward." Bettington wondered why he felt a disinclination to ask this man who and what he was. He realized that he was In the presence of one from whom emanations of evil and unusual paw "I'll Tell You." The Boss Passed a ' Box of Cigars to the Other. powers were given out. He was annoyed an-noyed to admit it With Sam or the rest of the crew it was different. They feared that the knowledge might bring them, If they forced him through disobedience dis-obedience to use it, to death or imprisonment. impris-onment. But no man had such a hold over Howard Bettington. . And yet he experienced uneasiness In the presence of this small, eternally smiling man whose neck he could wring with his powerful grasp as easily as one might choke the life out of a fowl. "What part am I to play?" Bettington Betting-ton asked. For a time, at any rate, he must seem to fall in with the other's plans. "It may be very little," the Boss said. "This is how the matter stands. Radway can afford to be away from his office for a month. He has so arranged ar-ranged things that he Is safeguarded for that time. But to stay away longer would ruin him. Another financier. finan-cier. Gibbons, Is a dangerous antagonist antag-onist When the time comes, Radway will be offered the choice of ruin or a ransom of one million dollars. He will bluster, threaten and fight. In the end he will do as I have arranged." "But the captain and the others?" "Will be eliminated. I have taken every precaution. I shall seize the ship and dictate terms." Bettington thought a moment "That's all very well," he cried, "but you can't carry off into captivity an International figure like Radway. Why, man, they'll send gunboats out and every ship we pass will be looking look-ing for us. There's no disguising a craft like this." "There will be no alarm. Letters will be prepared written in Radway's hand, explaining that his health is benefiting slowly and that he will remain re-main away for a few weeks longer. Mrs. Radway will write to her father, the senator, and the girl secretary will send postals to her parents. They will disarm all suspicion." "How?" Bettington demanded bluntly. blunt-ly. "You'll threaten them with violence vio-lence unless they write? The women won't do it, nor Itadway either!" "Nevertheless they will be written. For what purpose do you suppose Andrew An-drew Orme, master forger. was dragged from Blackport. Maine?" The Boss took some papers from a drawer. These he passed to Bettington. Betting-ton. "Here are letters written by Mrs. Radway and her husband. Study them closely. You are to berth In the next stateroom." He led Bettington into an adjoining cabin. From It another room was seen. "That," said the Boss, "is the doctor's doc-tor's office." He pointed to a parch ment on which the name John Waite was inscribed. Bettington saw that Waite had taken his degree of doctor of medicine in the University of Penn sylvanla fifteen years before. "You will be known henceforth as Doctoi va!te," said the Boss. "You will probably have very little to do, but u was fortunate that Radway required a j physician. Otherwise you would have had to become a member of my crew. The real Doctor Wnite, over whom I have some siight hold, lent me this and some implements of the trade, dru.'s and the rest of it. You will probabU have to prescribe some sedatives seda-tives for lUidway." IlettiiiLTton knew nothing of medicine; medi-cine; he quailed ut the b'eii of having to look after a really sick person. "Vmir position as an officer will give yun entry to the main saloon." the I '.oss went on. "You will be able to gain the cnnlidence if the women and report to me what happens. In the role I have assumed 1 hear much, but nor enough.'' Heltiriglr.n was glad to know that he would be in a position to watch over L'nw in's girl. It is true she would not yet know ids name. He supposed, until lie had decided what bL'st to do in the face of dangers, he hud better keep up the masquerade. The Boss took his acquiescence as a matter of course. It was not conceivable con-ceivable to that arrogant spirit that there should be insubordination. "You will understand." he said, "that as a ship's doctor you will have little In common with the ship's steward. Of me you know nothing, except that I serve Elgar Itadway." "Hut I should like to know more," said Bettington. "To the best of my knowledge I have never seen you before. be-fore. How Is it you know me? They call you the 'Boss.' What does Radway Rad-way call you?" "1 am William Clements to him," said the other. "I am William Cleu-ents Cleu-ents to you. There is a stone over what the world thinks is my body, in a prison graveyard. I have expiated In the world's eyes all my faults." He leaned forward and his thin hands clenched again. "And yet, Andrew Orme, 1 shall make such a name for myself, that it will eclipse what the world knew of me ere it thought I died." "Mud," thought Bettlngton. "Crazed with the delusion of power." Aloud he remarked : "I see you don't wish to tell me anything. Very well ; I am not curious." "You will find Hallett, the captain, a disagreeable and suspicious man. He resents my presence. Remember, that you came aboard just before we sailed. He will be annoyed that you did not report to him. In your stateroom state-room you will find all the clothes you need. If you take my advice you will turn in now." The advice was in the nature of a command; but as it suited his own convenience to get rid of Gibbs' clothes he bowed to it. Bettington was glad to be in his new quarters. He could not sleep for a long time. By what blundering ways he was to save Uuwiu's children from harm he did not know. There must be, at least, a dozen men aboard, all under the domination of the Boss. The ship could no doubt be worked easily enough with Hallett, his nephew and Bob Unwin out of the way. Assuredly As-suredly his defiance of the Boss would aid none of them. There was a helplessness help-lessness about the situation comparable compar-able with nothing on land. CHAPTER V A Millionaire's Holiday Bettington was awakened in the morning by a small boy who was the bearer of coffee and rolls. He announced an-nounced that breakfast would be served in the main saloon within the hour. "This is all I need," said Bettington. "What's your name?" "They call me 'Slivers,' " said the boy, "but my real name Is Augustus." When he had dressed and shaved Bettington experienced the satisfaction satisfac-tion of a fastidious man In finding himself once more in clean apparel. On the quarter deck he found the Boss, who smiled the even, ungradu-ated ungradu-ated smile of the night before. Today To-day he was in a neat blue and gold uniform. "1 had better Introduce you," he said, "to Hallett and then to the rest. It is most important that the women trust you. Hallett has already infected in-fected them with some distrust of me." He led the way to the upper dock, which was also the boat deck and that on which the wireless room was. Hallett wus a square built man and a capable sailor. lie was embittered at having no higher cor mand than this pleasure craft when his former companions were masters of oceangoing ocean-going liners. He was perpetually In a state of annoyance at the curious position occupied by Clements the steward. Actually Itadway, on whose favor he was dependent, had decided In several Instances that Clements must be obeyed. It wus bitter to a man who had decided ideas on the importance im-portance of his office. "Well?" he snupped, turning to the steward. "What is it?" "This Is Doctor Waite, Captain," he answered. Hallett from the beginning set himself him-self to be hostile. "When did you come aboard?" Bettington said what he had been told. Hallett spoke bitterly about shipboard etiquette and modern ways. Then he turned abruptly away as his nephew came up. This wus a pleasant-faced man of three-and-twenty, who obviously shared his uncle's opinion of Clements. The boy seemed excited and worried. "What do you think of the skipper?" Clements asked. "A hard man to handle," Bettlngton returned, "as ail obstinate men are." "He's of no importance," Clements said idly. "Did you notice how 'Sparks' seemed to be upset? Something has happened to his wireless. He finds he can't adjust It and has to call In the electrician, who is one of my men,- to help him. I shall let it work for a few days." Again that calm assumption of absolute ab-solute power from the little, slender man in his absurd livery. "When I decide that no messages may be sent or received, Graumann will get busy. Look, that's Radway." Radway had come on deck to walk himself Into a condition which would permit him to enjoy an unnecessary luncheon. "Cocktails," he commanded, as he caught sight of Clements. He stopped short when he saw the stranger. "Who's this?" "Doctor Waite," Clements answered. "You wired me to ship a physician aboard." "I remember now," Radway answered. an-swered. "Why haven't I seep you before be-fore this?" His manner was abrupt and hard. He looked doubtfully at this tall, self-possessed self-possessed man who returned his glare tranquilly. "The doctor doesn't like to confess to being a bit seasick," Clements answered an-swered readily. "Then a cocktail will do him good," Radway decided. "Bring four. You know my kind ; just a dash of absinthe ab-sinthe In them." When Clements had gone and there seemed something strangely out of place lh sending such a man on such an errand Radway turned to Bettington. Bet-tington. "I eat too much and I drink too much and my arteries are made up of calcium, they tell me. Like the rest of them, you will preach temperance. temper-ance. You are not here for that. You are here to patch me up if the need occurs." "Patching won't help you much," Bettington remarked. "If you're not up to the Job, I'll tell Clements to ship some one who is." Abruptly Radway turned on his heel. He did not in the least mind if he had left his physician angry. The anger of fools and a poor man was a fool, in his opinion had no weight. The sea air was beginning to make him hungry. This would mean a rich luncheon served as that artist, the fat chef, alone knew how. A feeling of well-being pervaded him at the sight of the cocktails. He told Clements to pass one to the doctor. "We can't wait for the ladies," said Radway, and threw his drink down with a single movement "1 wish I could sip like you," he said to Bettlngton. Bettlng-ton. "When I want a thing I want all of it, instantly. As the ladies don't seem to be coming up, why let their cocktails go to waste?" (TO BE CONTINUED) |