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Show : George Ethelbert Walsh (Copyrlf ht. 1025, br W. O. Ch.pm.n.) SerT, g CHAPTER XIV Continued 14 "Isn't it good uews, Dick?" she ! BSked, smiling Into ills face. "Uncle's conscious, and begins to remember tilings. Ob, I'm sure he'll get better!" "I'm glad of that- Miss' Allce- But ynil said sonietliing about a ship." "Tea, I forgot. It's nearly here, I gaming at full speed. And do you k, off, Dick, I think it's a navy vessel ;1 revenue culter or torpedo boat! I i d 'i't know which. Anyway, it's got 1 gv.is on it, and it looks awfully fierce a; warlike." 1 Where is it-?" he demanded ; and w'.irllng her around he made her lead ' h; i back to the top of the cliff. There, in plain sight, heading for ti.n island under forced draft, was a I gc:appy-looking torpedo boat, her deck ! li; ad with bluejackets. ! Dick smiled. "I guess the Pelican i wasn't the only one that picked up i-.y S. 0. S. She certainly acts as If I siie was In a hurry." The gin by his side suddenly j turned grave, and said the most in-i in-i explicable thing. "Oh, Dick, I almost j tvished it wasn't coming. It was go-j go-j lng to be so nice ou the island with-'.' with-'.' out without Now, I suppose there'll be a crowd I" : He looked at her waveringly, queer sensations at his heart, strange lights dancing before his eyes. Like a man seized with vertigo he staggered toward to-ward her, caught one of her hands in his, and opened his mouth to speak ; but Captain Earnett at that moment appeared, a pair of binoculars in his hands. "As sure as you're born, Mr. Van Ness," he said, "it's a warship. That's good uews." "Of course It is," muttered Dick In disgust. "Anybody could see with his naked eyes it wasn't a scow or ronboat." Harnett lowered his glasses, and stared at him in amazement. Then he turned to Alice, and seeing her flushed face, he grunted and walked away. CHAPTER XV The torpedo boat Sprite had picked up Dick's wireless at sea, and hurried to the island; but the Pelican was ten miles nearer and beat her by a finmll ninrTin nf tinip TMip HrrivMl nf the warship completely demoralized Captain Brent and his confederates-. After a threat of the cQmmander to blow up the cave with a depth bomb they surrendered and sulkily permitted per-mitted themselves to be taken prisoners. pris-oners. Dick was not sorry that the responsibility respon-sibility of capturing and holding them was transferred to another's shoulders. shoul-ders. On. the warship, where the prisoners pris-oners were put through a separate and collective grilling, he learned details of the plot that cleared up niany points. Mr. Blake had taken advantage of his position of trust and confidence, as Mr. Cutler's private secretary, to manipulate the stock market for his own benefit, using a brokerage firm of questionable reputation as a confederate. con-federate. Knowing that the enforced absence of Steve Cutler would create a panic in the stocks supported by him, he had planned skilfully to bring about this situation. Through the suggestion of Doctor Alster, he administered a drug that slowly weakened the old man's health, gradually breaking down his iron will until he was apathetic and indifferent. indiffer-ent. He became alternately peevish and irritable, followed . by long periods pe-riods of gloomy depression. Uis own family physician was unable to diagnose diag-nose his case. By working on his employer's mind when in th's weakened condition condi-tion Blake won the power to speak and act for him in many important matters. lie had Captain .lolinston dismissed, and Brent installed in bis place. Then in one of his periods of dejection he prevailed upon Culler to accept a temporary change of physicians. physi-cians. After that the success of the plot was assured. Doctor Alster kept his patient pa-tient weak and mentally depressed until It was time to spring their coup. Captain Brent had been to Valhalla to install the secret wireless plant In the cave, and when he returned arrangements arrange-ments were completed for the second step in the scheme. Doctor Alster had warned Cutler that a period of absolute rest whs essential, and he recommended a trip to Valhalla. Alice bad unwittingly fallen into their plans, and when she added her persuasions to that of the others, the old man had grumblingly yielded. AH preparations for the trip had been left to Blake. His pretense of sending the servants down ahead to own the big bouse was in keeping with the rest of his underhanded- knavery. When the yacht arrived, ard It was found that no servants wre on the Island, be appeared to e more perturbed than any one. His P'auslble excuse or sending the yacht back for more servants was accepted Miss Cutler until her suspicions , of his double dealing were aroused by Dick. The Pelican had merely steamed off to Marsh inlet, where It was in communication com-munication with the island, and also with a shore wireless station. Blake's messages to his brokers were thus relayed to the shore, and answers received re-ceived via the yacht's wireless in the same way. The man's original idea had been to commit no crime that could be traced to him. . But two factors developed de-veloped that upset his plans. One was his growing passion for Alice Cutler, Cut-ler, which, when ho hilfl hor in nlo power on the .Island, developed Into a madness that caused him to overreach over-reach himself. He had made love to Marie for purely pure-ly selfish purposes, using her as an instrument for furthering his ends, but when she became obnoxious and threatening he took the first opportunity oppor-tunity to rid himself of her. In a moment of rage and passion he had pushed her over the cliff to what seemed certain destruction. The other factor that had conflicted with his interests was the obstinacy of the stock market to move just as he wanted it. At first it was violently MWM "Oh, Dick, I Almost Wished It Wasn't Coming." depressed by all sorts of rumors concerning con-cerning the health and even death of Steve Cutler, but after that it had reacted and recovered some of its normal tone. To make matters worse for Blake, he had to protect his margins with the stocks and securities of his employer, em-ployer, which he had abstracted from his private safe and deposit vaults and placed wdiere he could get them easily. His brokers had called by wireless for more and more margins until tens of thousands of dollars' worth of Steve Cutler's securities had been turned over to them. Blake was not only a ruined man, but a thief and absconder, unless the market turned so he could recoup his losses and replace re-place the stocks and bonds before his i ,.rtt-,1v11o,i The scheme had been blasted by Dick, who from the first had appeared as the man's Nemesis, accidentally and then intentionally crossing his path at every important turn to checkmate check-mate him. Sieve Cutler had come out of his comatose condition, partly as the result re-sult of Doctor Aister's ministrations, just as Captain Brent appeared. Afterward Aft-erward the surgeon uf the torpedo-boat torpedo-boat took him in hand, and before the warship was ready to sail with her prisoners the old man, though weak, was mentally nearly normal. Alice explained in detail what had Happened on the isWnd before Dick was summoned to Culler's bedside. The old man looked pale, but grim and in a fighting mood. He nodded as Dick entered. "Well, sir, you're ft chip of the eld f:;-g:: swstt jat-r-x- -.-- - - block I" he said. "I knew Henry Van Ness when he was a boy. Henry and I grew up together, fighting our battles bat-tles in knee breeches before we locked horns on the Street. I'm glad to meet you, sir." Dick grasped the withered hand, and murmured some conventional reply. re-ply. "Now, sir," continued the money magnate, "what can I do for you? I owe you everything. Name your price." Dick's head went up. "I haven't any," he replied coolly. "Eh? What's that! Repeat it!" it 1 I T rlirln't do it to be rewarded. Thank yon, just the same." "But by gad, sir, you must have a price every man has !" '.'Then I must be the exception," he smiled. As he did. so, his eyes drifted across the bed to the girl opposite. For a moment he was quiet and dreamily thoughtful. Suddenly he laughed good-naturedly, and shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, I have a price," he said, "but it's too high for even you to pay. You couldn't do it !" "Couldn't pny It!" snorted Cutler. "You think that scoundrel's ruined me so I can't buy what I want! YounR man. you don't know me. I could buy buy " Dick turned abruptly away. "I can't discuss it any further," he said. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. Besides" Be-sides" hesitating and looking boldly bold-ly from one to the other "another would have to pay more than you, and I shouldn't dream of asking her to foot the bills." "What's that another pay my bills !" roared the old man, as Dick moved to the door. "What does he mean, Alice?" he flung at his niece. "I I don't know," came the stammering stam-mering reply, accompanied by a rich flood of carmine to her cheeks. "Don't know ! Don't know !" repeated repeat-ed the man on the bed. "By gad, miss! I believe you're keeping something some-thing from me. If you were a man, I'd say you were lying to me." "Oh, uncle !" murmured Alice, burying bury-ing her face in the pillow. ' Two days later when the Pelican was homeward bound, Dick had the deck in the absence of Captain Bar-nett. Bar-nett. In the misty moonlight a figure wrapped in a cloak stood close to him, swaying a little each time the yacht lurched so that he had to support her with an arm. ( "You have such funny notions, Dick," she whispered. "If you really love me you'd stop talking about my money. Why, it isn't mine, anyway. Uncle may die and leave it to charity." char-ity." "I wdsh he would I mean leave it to charity, not die," was the gloomy retort. "Aren't you deliciously frank and delightful when you talk that way 1" she laughed, hugging the arm to which she clung. "You'd marry me if I were poor, but because I'm rich you want to jilt me." "No, not that, dear," he Interrupted, holding. her close. "I'll have to marry j you, rich or poor, I love you so, but j I wish there wasn't such a difference I in Why, I'm a failure, dear, a total failure!" He waved his arms elo- I quently. "Before I left the city I was down and out, and I shipped as a stowaway. I can't forget that." "Well, I'll help you to forget it," she replied, kissing him. "Now, lislen; I love you, and not what you've got or haven't got. I'll love you as a stowaway or failure or successful business man. That's all there is to it! What else really matters, Dick?" "Nothing, I giiens." he murmured a little dizzily, pressing his lips to hers and forgetting all his objections in Ilia bliss of the moment. TUB END. |