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WILLIAM ttA/IILTON 05B0RAB~ A\/t/10R (f "PCD MOUSE." "WMim rmv "catspaw" "5U/C BUCKLE/' ETC. oo/?Y/?/c/vr, /9/s, ay i U/Ll/Art HA/V/L 70/Y \ ' - - tiOV?L/ZEO r/?OM THC Wioro PLAY or prtooucfo o/ me PATfiC CXCHAMC, JflCj 8YNOPSI8. On tho day of th? eruption of Mrtunl Pelee ('apt. John Hardin of (ha itltmoi Prlnceoff rencue* itv?-year old Annette Illrigtnii from an open boat, hut i? forceo to leave behind her father and hln com panions. JiiriKton 1b assaulted h y Her and J 'onto In a vain attempt U ?et paper* which Jllngton ha* to "end uhoard the Princes* with hi* daughter, pan*? proving his title t<> th* l"nt 'itlund of Cinnabar. lllnuton's Injury causes 'iln mind to become a blank. Thir teen yearn elapse. |lernandez. now an opium smuggler with Popto and Inez, .1 female accomplice, and tho inlndlen' brute that once whh IJIriifton, come to Heaport, where the widow of Captain Hardin la living with her won Neal and Annette Illnaton, and plot td meal the papers left to Annette by her father. THIRD INSTALLMENT THE FAILURE CHAPTER XI. May the fleat Man Win, Neal Hardin, clad in liia Ufa-saving uniform, Hat upon tho gunwale of Mia lifeboat, gazing seaward -ever sea ward. He wan seeing visions? alwayB visions of the sea. 'lie caught An nette's hand in his own. Ho turned to her. "Annette," ho cried, "I've got to do it ? I cun't help it. Jt calls to me ? tho ?ea. It's In ray blood." Tho girl sullied ? a bit sadly per haps. Ilut her eyes glowed. She re turned the pressure of Neal's hand with hor warm, strong, girlish grasp. fit's in your blood," she repeated, "your father was a hero of tho sea ? he saved mo? you saved mo, Neal. You've got to go." "You ? want me to?" he asked. "Yes, I want you to." "I'll go," said Neal. Tho girl held In her right hand a newspaper? tho current issue of tho local Seaport weekly. "I saved this just for you. Ixjok. Head it, Neal," she said. She pointed to an item on tho first page. CONGRESSMAN PRIME AN NOUNCES PRELIMINARY AN NAPOLIS EXAMINATIONS. Congressman James J. Prime of Sea port announces that the preliminary examination for candidacy for Annap oIIb finals will be held at the High School heri on Thursday next at 9 a. m. The congrc68man'o privilege is limited to but one appointment. May the best man win. "Its your chanco, Neal," said tho girl. She placed a hand upon 1?Ih Bhoulder, and at hor touch tho blood ran through his veins like wino. "You'ro tho best man, Neal," ?ho ?whispered, "always the best. man. You're bound to win." Congressman .Fames J, Primo was a Seaport man ? and tlu> biggest man in that shore town, lie had sprung from boatbuilding, seafaring ancestors; he Knew 8i.>URoing folk.; he . liked them. And lie liked the sea. And tho pleas attest thing ho did,, ho was wont to tell his friends, was to recommend clear-eyed, .clean limbed young fellows for Annapolis. At the very time that Annette and Neal were Kitting in the lifeboat gazing eeaward, tho congress man was at the pos-t olllce, surrounded by a circle of old cronies, holding forth upon tho navy. As ho talked he exam ined his mail, oi>enlng It with a clumsy forefinger, lie had mail aplenty ? small i envelopes and big ones, long and short. Three times ho 'dropped a letter, onco he dropped a check ? somebody picked them up for him. Then, unknown to himself, and un seen of anyone about him, ho acci dentally dropped something else upon tho floor ? a long, folded printed paper. He didn't miss it; and when Congress man .InineH J. Prime moved ofl in the direction of his home, a human being slouched over to that corner, placed a concealing foot upon the folded paper, "struck a match and lit a cigarette, stoopi d suddenly and with nicotine stained lingers, picked up the docu ment,. Tin ( 'mealing foot and tho nlco tinc si a d timers belonged to a young and ;.ny gentleman of the name of .Ku v. , Ichor. He thrnpt t!v- document Into his pocket and tin !,.? t*.o, moved off to some loss i .1 i hmo. When ho reached a pl;m-> !?-- i-i-blic, lie exam ined his find, it.- uh;! disappointed at first. Ho was pn pared for anything j of interest. Hut he was di.-gusted when I he opened the document and read its | headlines: Questions and Correct Answers to ; be used in Preliminary Competitive J Examination for Congressional Ap- i pointment District of New Jer sey, for Navy Academy, Annapolis. Duplicate. It didn't interest him, but he glanced o\er its contents; then thrust it Into his hip pockci and went his way ? smoking a cigarette. CHAPTER XII. The Spider and the Fly. Hack in the Hardin cottage by tho sea, Miss Ireiro Courtier ? known in other and leas reputable Circles bv the name of Ine*.' Castro ? limped (not ungracefully) downstairs from tho room she had been occupying for some time, and entered the living rgom. "Under your kind cure," sho said to Mrs. Hardin, her hostess -and In her tono wan the slightest fbrelgn accent I urn no well again, that I must It ave you." She paused. Joo Welcher pushed OPO? the door and slouched into the room, Inez Castro Klanced at hiin no duoti voly from under her long lanhwa und werit on. "With the aid of Mr. Joey Welcher," she proceeded, "I have consulted time table^ and I find very good connec tions on tho next train." She opened her hundbag, and took out bills, "And," she added, "I Insist on paying board." Mrs. Hardin held up her hand. "Miss Courtier," she returned, "I can't think of It. You have tukon what we call pot-luck with uu. You have been friendly with us, and I hope we have been friendly with you." Inez smiled and shrugged her pretty shoulders. She glanced casually at Joo Welcher. She slightly ralsdd 'her eyebrows ? she watched Joey as & cat watches a mouse. And Joe ? ho was watching something, too ? the cash tMt Inez was holding in her hand. Inez groaned suddenly and put out her hand. "Stupid," she said, "I have forgot. My outer banduge. I must return." She returned the inOnoy to her hand bag and laid It down upon the table. Then she left the room and went up stairs. Mrs. Hardin, Welcher'e foster mother, sniffed the air. f ? "Thero's something burning In the ? kitchen, Joey," she exclaimed, "if Miss Courtier comes down I'll be right back." She, too, disappeared. And Joey ? easy-money Joey Welcher, was left alone with tho handbag and the bills. Joey listened for an instant, then tiptoed forward, seized the handbag and drew forth the roll of bills. Ho needed money badly ? he had to pay a debt of honor, which means a gambling debt. IIo opened tho 'roll of bills and peeled off a few whero their absence would least be noted, and then restored the balance of the bills to tho handbag ? thrusting his uharo into his pockot. Inez Castro, seated halfway up the stairs, watching through an inch of open doorway, smiled to herself. Then she tripped a bit noisily, and Irregu larly ? to show her limp ? down the stairs and gilded gracefully into the room. Joe lit a cigarette and watched her. He was nervous, but game. He 1 watched her closely. She took up her bag and once again took out tho bills. "My charming hostess," sho ox ! claimed, "where' should she bo?" | "Sho should be here," said Jooy, i evading her glance, ".wait a bit, I'll get her." . ' I IIo got hor, and Inez resumed her j former conversation ---once more in ; plating upon payment for her board. Her offer was quite as insistently de clined. She sighed prettily and clicked shut hor bag. Welcher also sighed ? with unmistakable relief. She turned i to him. I "The one-horse vehicle?" sho asked. "Outside," said Welcher, offering his j arm, "boy's ready ? time that you were j off." Oneo at the station Inez bought a ticket for New York. Hut when the train? a local ? drew up at Ixmesome 'Cove, three miles north of Seaport, Inez dropped ort tho rear platform of ? tho last car, and waited on tho far I side of tho track until the train was out of sight. There way no station at Ixmosome Covo ? merely a shed. Swift I ly Inez crossed the track and passed j this station and then sped on down i toward tho shore. Sho reached a nar rov strip of beach, stepped down to I the v nter's edgo, and looked about her. Suddenly she saw what she waa looking for? a bandanna handkerchief thrust above-a clump of bushes. On | the side of this clump of bushes } vv;ik a rook. Inea rained her parasol i and sm.t.tered gracefully toward this I rock, and composed herself ? also gracefully In tho shadow of tho rock, j Hefore doing so she peered into the : bushes, noted tho presence thero ot j throe shadowy figures, and nodded 1 slightly, in recognition. A n^jin with a | foreign accent spoke. "What progress?" ho queried anx iously. "Hest in the world," sho answered, "wo have a new recruit." She changed hoi* position. A man thrust his head and face for a mo ment out of tho bushes ? a face acros# which was a saber cut; a livid scar For a moment, with their heads to^ get her. the two whispered. Tho man with a scowl of satisfaction, finally withdrew his head. Inez rose to hei ; fet>t and looked about her. ' Where Is this Lonesomo Cave Inn | then?" sho queried. "Half a milo farther up tho beach? . follow tho shore lino ? turn In at th* | cove Follow the water lino ? It takei ! you there Good luck." CHAPTER XIII. Tho Honor Slip. A crowd of thirty? more or less ? ccnurefitiff-lrtwut the step* or the school building In Seaport, n. J. N< <>l was tlu-ro. Home of the tjblrty be Kut'w and tome he didn't. Neal started suddenly. A hand wss laid upon his shoulder. He turned. Joey Weigher, his foster brother, faced him Joey smiled. "Neal," he said, "1 think I'll ,take a hack at this Annapolis exam myself." i For a moment Neal wits taken buck j Then be recovered. "(lorry," he re- | turned, "I'm glad of that. When did ^you dcclde?" "Hefore you did," replied Wel< i ? ? "I'to had thlB up niy sleeve for a yV-ar or so. I've been boning on the quiet ? boulng hard." It was quite truo that he had been boning hard a nd p|so on the Quiet He had been studying the examination paper dropped accidentally by the con* gressmun In the locul post office, and he had mastered every answer by heart "You bet your life I'm going In," he said. Ten minutes later Neal and Welcher were seated tilde by sido at desk** in the old-fashioned little schoolroom The examination questions had been written ou the ample blackboards that completely circled tho room. The ex Umlner had copied them from bla printed list of questions. There was a knock on the door ^n<i the congressman cattle in. The exam iner left his desk and met the con gressman half way. He whispered to him. "How goes it?" asked the congress man. "I've only had the chance to look over young Hardin's papers as they came In ? he's been the first to flnlnh They look good to me. Thoy're well high perfect. Thero ho la, now. He's all through." "May the best man win," said the congressman, "he looks the part at any rate." He glanced ^jDout the room; he Beemed to be trying to re member; then he remembered. "Say, look a here," he Bald, "Heecher's letter says he mailed me a duplicate of those questions and answers; aud I'll swear I saw a duplicate when 1 read his note ? did I hand you two or one?" "One,"/ returned the examiner. He stepped back to his desk. Neal handed in his final paper. The examiner thrust in front of Neal a Blip of paper and a pen. "Sign this, please," he Again a friendly band wan placed upon his tshoulder. Again* it wa* Joe Welcher. He sighed with relief. "Look here. Joe," he pleaded, "you don't think I did this thing?" Joe shrugged hla shoulder*. "It's all right, Qld man," he said finally, "re member, no matter what haa happened I'm your friend " Hide by Bide they enterod the cot tage. Annette waa there? bo was Neal's mother ? both waiting eagerly N'cal ittode to the table, and faced to the two women, the young one and the old. He started to Bpeak. Then he slumped down Into h chair and hid hln face in his hands. "I'm disgraced," he cried, "you? you tell 'em, Joe." Welcher told them ? vyith consider' able unction, putting in fancy touchea of hln own. Neal sprang to hla feet? hla face ablaze with anger and deterioration. "Never mind," he cried, "I can't get Into Annapolis ? but 1 can get Into the navy and I will. Mother ? Annette ? Joe ? I've got to go ? the navy calls for mo, I'm going to enlist. I've got to CHAPTER XIV. Wind and Limb. Dreas suit case in hand Neal stopped In front of a cigar store In New York. Next to the cigar store was an en trance to a stairwny that led to the second floor above. In front of this entrance paced an officer In uniform "Recruiting station?" queried Neal, saluting. "Nothing but," returned the man in uniform, "you're as welcome as the flowers in May. Ascend." He waved his haud Invitingly. Neal ascended. Half an hour later ho had regularly enrolled? ho was an apprentice sea man in the navy. The United States at lta own expense shipped him with a squad of recruits to the naval train ing school at Norfolk. As the hours flew by, Neal's eyes were opened. He loved the sea ? had always loved It. He plunged Into the life of an apprentice seaman. He wrote hie mother and Annette that afternoon after drill was over. "This is the life," he said to them, "I've been fighting all the afternoon ? aiming thirteen inch guns at hostile battleships, handling a cutter; splicing "I'm Disgraced," Cried Neal. "You Tell Them, Joe." aald. This is what it said ? and Neal signed it aa requested: I do colemnly declare on my honor as a gentleman that I have neither ob tained nor given aid of any kind dur ing the course of this examination. Neal Hardin, Candidate, Ho had no sooner finished signing than Joe Welcher approached the desk. "Through, Joey?" queried Neal, "I'll wait for you." \Yelchor signed his own honor slip. Neal wafted ? and while ho waited, he thrust his hand into his coat pocket. Thero was something unfamiliar thore. Involuntarily ho drew it out** it was a crumpled printed paper. The examiner's eaglo eye was upon it In an instant. "Haven't been cribbing, boy?" he'; exclaimed. "No," stammered Neal, "I? I don't know what it is." The examiner know] it however, for the thing it was. He ; grabbed Neal's hand and snatched the paper from him. "Oh!" ho said, "tho missing duplt* j cato ? questions and answers both. No 1 wonder Hardin's papers wero well nigh perfect." , * Ho turned to the congressman ? who nodded understandingly. "I don't know how it got there/" stainmored Neal, "I didn't put it there ? I never saw tho thing before. On my honor ? " "Pah." cried tho congressman, his eyes flashing, "look at It ? thumbed and soiled ? he's had it for a week ? he's learned tho thing by heart." Angrily ho tore up tho honor slip ? ? tore up Neal'e answers ? and thing them to the floor. Ho pointed to the door. "Go," ho exclaimed, "'the navy's welj rid of sneaks like you " Once outside his pace slackened. He didn't want .to go home. And yet h?v must go homft ? he'd have to tell them all about It ? tell his mother ? tell An-, nette ? how much would they believe? ropes, tying sailor's knots, cutting off imaginary heads with cutlasses ? and tonight for the first tlrao since the eruption of Ml. Pelee, I'm sleeping in a haminpck. This Is the life and no mistake. We even have the pie that mother used to make." . Neat's letter reached homo next day. j And next day something else hap pened. Joe Welcher burst into the liv . ihg room at the Hardin cottage, early | in the evening, with the local papor, j ptlll damp from the press, in his hand. "I've just sent one of these to Neal," | he said, "and here's a copy for you. f Read It, Annette. Now what havo you j got to say." 4 j Annette read It. This Is what it i said: r:,r ? ' JOSEPH WELCHER OF SEAPORT j WINS ANNAPOLIS APPOINTMENT. jr In Congressman James J. Primes ! recent competitive examination for the Annapolis appointment, Joe Welch j er, our young townsman, came very ' near.the hundred mark and distanced i all bis fellows. Good work, Welcher. : Seaport will back you through Annap ' olis and through the navy. Becorpe an admiral. Hitch your wagon to a star. Mrs Hardin, Joe's foster mother, caught him in her arms. "Roth my boys- Nenl and Joe ? In the navy," she exclaitv.td. 4,Y?'k." returned Welcher, with a sneer, "but there's a difference. I go in as an officer ? and Neal's nothing but a common seaman, understand?" ! Annette Hushed, but gave no other i sign. CHAPTER XV. , Finesse. It was romewhat early In the morn .ing. Joe Welcher, seated at a round table in the Seaport house bar, still celebrated with three boon compan ions, his succosa as a passer of com (Continued on Last Page) < .w WANTED hnvc^u.r.rW of SMUT CoUon'suE ^d Cotton Picker. Bag*. TK? South (? in the .addle and Ker.hew count, i, one of the be.t countie. in thi..t?U and m.k.ng ? .?mI. than any of our neighboring count.*., 1^1 er . aroate?t harv??t year we have ever tx> year w.11 be the gr a ha, raUed 36,000 b.^ ,, penenced K.?hawn^0bi. r ^ m.ke a Ur|, ^ cotton m o y J*. Hay and Pot?toe crop. Hog. v,i|| follow corn and there i. a tremendou. corn crop. GET READY FOR THE BIG HARVEST V .. will want a mower. We ore agent, (or th? C, iard Mower... The mower that i. lighted Emer.on over nil other mow. ZmcZlt Si STwill demonstrate to you the ?n?, feature.. CANE. MILLS More Sugar Cane and more Syrup. The ChstU i S3!? i. the one that ha. the reputation, we h.v, ?cy f0r thi. mill and carry a .tock of the.e milU. 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