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< - ^ - ^7^"-r ^ r- ^^r hfl I ?? V K y.y ^? VSHr (Continued from last week) j CHAPTER XIII Tho Fate of a Prisoner. The Seminole headed straight out Into the lake. No sound of movement or speech reached West's ears from the cabin, and he settled down Into moody I forgetfulness, still staring dully out through the open port. What was to be, would be, but there was nothing for him to do but wait for those who held him prisoner, to act. He was still seated there, listless, Incapable even of further thought, when the door was suddenly unlocked. He had barely time to arise to his feet, when the man with the red mustache stepped #vlthln, facing him, as he pushed tightly shut the door behind.. The fellow's eyes saw the severed rope on the floor, and he smiled, kicking the strands aside contemptuously. "Smart enough for that, were youV he asked. "Well, I would have taken them off myself. If I had. thought nbout It. How did you manage? Oh, I see; rather a bright trick, old man." The man's tone, and air of con fldenee wns Impressive; beyond dnnlit hp fplf- tlint Uio r-oi.il" V..V vuiuo nnc ill I in his hands. West drew in his hreutli sharply. "May I nsk a question or two?" "Fire away; I'll nnswer as I please." "Who is the woman on hoard?" "Mary, you mean? Ilohart's wife." "She came from the place on Wray street last night In an auto?" "Yes; I brought her along myself." "Alone?" "There were twe of us, Mark and ] -why, what are yon driving atl" "Just putting some broken threads together. Then Natalie Coolidge Is not on this yacht?" "I should say not. What would we be doing with her out here?" "Where is she, then?" "Oh, I begin to see what brought you aboard *o easily. West. Yon inuu)iiii ivc iiiiu uiv limy Kiiiiin|itMi and was sailing off with her. Some stunt, that. What put the idea in your head?" West hesitated a moment, hut decided a truthful answer would do no harm. "I knew an automobile had driven out of the alley buck of Mike's place; and that a woman was In It. When 1 j?ot away a little later. I picked up a message?a note which had been dropped. It was written In a woman's hand hut unsigned?" "The Uttle cat! She dropped IrT" "It seems so. You forjmt yourself that time. So she wns with you. was she?" "I don't know what you month I told you who were with me. Go on; what did the note say?" "It was only a request for the police to search the Seminole at once." "Oil, that's the way the wind blows. But you preferred to tackle the job yourself. I am certainly obliged to you, West." * "You have no reason to be. I took that note to the police, and they are on the case. They are combing the city right now for llobart, and If they get him, this bubble of yours Is likely to be pricked." "H?I, they won't get him. There Isn't a fly-cop In Chicago who could locate Jim in a week, and as for V..?o1U lw?ll....A -b - -bi- I iiniuMC! inrntrtr mi* Mie in ijuuu unit; to take eare of herself.* . "But where is she?" "At home, of course, If you uust know?'Falrlawn,' isn't thnt the name of the place? We left her there on our way to Jackson park." "Then the girl was with you?" "Spilled the beans, didn't I? That f comes from talking too much. However, there Is no harm done. Sure she left with us, but we dropped her out at Fnirlawn. It was her machine we were riding In. Say, you've questioned me about enough, so let up. Listen now?you will stay in this stateroom until we get ready to let you out. Don't try irtiy funny business, either, for If you do, you are going to get hurt. There Is a guard outside In the cabin, and we are not afraid to shoot out here on the lake. Nobody knows where you tire West; so, If ^ mm 44If You Want to Live, Keep Quiet." you want to live, keep qul^t?that'i milAiUaS I II .!!",?! 1*1 I U I U/< ^1'. H r wlmmfiJWWMllk COPYRIGHT 1922 fey AUBEO AKNOPf Mt He odipped out, closing and locking the door behind him. West, more thoroughly confused .than ever over tlie situation in which he- found himself, paced the brief length of the narrow stateroom, and then paused to sta?? moodily out of ttie port. He had learned little of the slightest | value; merely that Natalie had been of the party leaving In the automobile the night before. She, undoubtedly, bail been the one who had dropped the note. Then, In spite of all they I said about her, In spite of what she I had told him, she was actually a prli"f? oner, desperately begging for assist* ance to escape. As to the other thing! llogan hud told him, the probability was tliev wero nin?tl? lino ? . -"J "cai un?| not believe the girl had returned to] I "Fairlnwn," the story did not soundl j natural. The longer he thought It all over, the more thoroughly was he conI vlnced the girl and he were both prisoners on the same vessel. Yet what eould he do? He sunk down, with head In his hands, totally unnerved?It wai his fate to attempt nothing; only to wait on fortune. Mark brought In food, merely opon? Ing the door slightly, and sliding 11>? tray In on the floor. No words wer< exchanged, nor was the tray removed until Just at twilight, when the fellow nnnearod nun in on n ainiiii,? ..o..-,;? It became dark, but no light was fui> nlshed. Outside the clouds bad thick) ened, und a heavy swell was tossing tlic vessel about rather roughly. Seem, ingl.v the engine was merely endeavor I Ing to maintain head-way, with n? port In Immediate prospect; they wen steering aimlessly Into the promise of a stormy night. No sound reached him from the cabin, ami finally, won out mentally and physically, Wesl flung himself on the lower hunk, and lay there motionless, stating up hits the Intense darkness. Lying there motionless, yet widt awake. Ills senses nlert nrml/t the labored efforts of the vessel, th< slop of naves ana Inst the side, the rush of water astern. The Seminole rolled heavily, yet there was nothing at all alarming in her actions, and I West felt no premonition of illness, or fear as to the sea-worthiness of the little craft. He endeavored to arouse himself, to keep awake, but dually fatigue conquered, and be sank Into a deep sleep. He hud no knowledge of how long ibis slumber lasted, or what suddenly awakened him, so startled :it the moment that lie sat up in the berth, staring into the blackness. Was it a dream, or a realityV Had some one spoken? He could neither see nor hear anything; the boat seemed to be motionless, not even throbbing now to the beat of the engine?the silence was uncanny. Something was wrong, must be wrong. Where were they?at anchor in some iiarnor or ncipicssiy, adrift on the lake? Tlu> yaehl rocked gently, as though the swell of the sea no longer huiTeted her; there was no sound of action on the deck ubove. Then he heard a voice again, outside, reaching him this time plainly through the fcpen port. "All set, Mopes," it said sharply. "Come on down. You finished the job?" "Ay, ay, sir," the answer gruff, but with a tinge of excitement In the tone. "She's fixed all right. Hold hard, now, mate." West leaped to the port-hole, and, PTwIlMIVfiridl a ...... ?. nimmil. If land was near it remained invisible, nor could be even be sure of the close -proximity of a boat. There seemed to be a smudge there afethe left, a. black, lumping shadow, shapeless against the background of sea; yet he could not be sure. Even us he gazed at It doubtfully, the dim object disappeared, fading away like u mirage. Something told him that mysterious shadow was a bout, a boat filled with men, creeping away silently into the night, fleeing from the yucht, and vanishing into the darkness What coil hi such action mean? Had every one gone, leaving the vessel totally abandoned, a wreck buffeted by the surges, doomed to go down, unseen, Its final fate unknown? Unknown! The word rising to his bruin was the answer. There was the crest of the plot. What could be easier, or safer, than this ending? Who would 'ever know the truth? Who could ever prove anything, even if they suspected? And who was there to sus|iect? It was a plot infernal. Hut If Natalie Coolldge was also nrlsoner mi l?rwnr,l ?'lm? "> 1 Wasn't tliut the very thing most prnh-, aide? Of course It was; how foolish he had been. These inen, recklessly criminal, as they were, would never sacrifice the yacht, and risk their own 1 lives, merely to put him out of the way. He was not important enough for that; he was hut an Incident. While this was?must he?a carefully arranged plan. The girl then must he the real victim?his own plight arose merely because he chanced to ho there, and the villains dare not leave him alive to tell the story. The certainty of this acted like an electric shock. He must find the girl, and serve her. Surely she must wel come ins coming to tier assistance now. She would be alone, free to reveal the truth of all this strange mix-1 up of affairs; perhaps the old trust, the old confidence between them would he renewed. The hope Instant-1 ly inspired action. Ills caper eyes searched the narrow confines of the stateroom for some- possible weapon with which to assak) >he door. The toot stool alone itemed mailable. . ^ . ... ,v . ' * \ I yriti >r>^ f lii v/tt -' - KwI5klS^thl>.ft^r lU?^agnld?r, ham-1 pered by the narrowness of space, he struck again uud. again, with alt hie Strength, until suddenly the lock gave, and the door hurst open. He stepped, cautiously forward, with hands outstretched, and his groping Angers came in sudden contact with the cabin wall, which he followed, circling to the left. In this manner iw , succeeded in Anally locating the door opening out on to the deck, anil 1 weaved his wuy across to the righthand stateroom door. It was locked the key gone. He must break a waj in; hut first he must explain to her, so as to spure her the sudden trlght of such an assault, lie rapped shurplj on the panel. "Miss Coolldge: you are there, ar? you not?" k , 11 "Yes; who Is that?" almost a ?ry ol J .1..11..i.t t~ ? uc>.fj..v in me voice. "lou^-you Iiuve a voice I know." "I am Matthew West; but do not ask questions now. The yacht is going down, and I must hreuk this door ic to release you. Stand back while 1 smash the boards. You hear und ui> Iderstand?" | "Yes?yes; I km safely away; havt I no fear." A lantern's flickering light revenled the weapon lie required?a heavy hatchet, and he snatched it up, ani began to splinter the wood with well directed blows. He worked madly feverishly, swinging fhe sharp bladt! with ail his strength and skill, goug ' lng out great splinters of wood, ant! Anally forcing the lock 'to yield. lit sprang eagerly through the opening 1 the hatchet still in his grasp, ant faired her. aii instant both paused, and thot she cried out in sudden relief. ' Oh It is really you. Captain West. I knou' now. What lias happened? Ilow dl< you come to he here?" ; "Not now," lie insisted. "Don't as) me now. Just come as quick as yoi can. There Is no time for nnythlnj 1 hut action. Quick; let me take youi i hand." i She permitted him to draw liei i through the door on to the hlurk, de sorted deck. West, bracing himscll to the sudden plunging, managed t? I reach the rail. He drew hack, sick a' i heart at the sight of tlie waves lap 1 ping the side almost on a levol with tlie sloping deck on which lie stood. The sight brought him home us never . before, the drear deadly peril in which tllOV II" ..."..I.I - V..VJ mv? V. A1C ?> IMIIU III Ml MUllt* IllfUIlM of rescue;, he must! He was bark In- < stnntly, grasping her arm.. "Quick," lie cried. " "?u knew this i yacht; wliat small boats did she car- 1 ry ?" "Only the one; the .other was so warped it had been taken ashore." "Was there no li/e-raft? There must surely he something of that kind." "Yes, there Is; I remember now. It Is forward there, near the englne-rooin hatch." The deck was already sloping to port in a dangerous degree, and West was compelled to cling to the rail, as they slowly made pussuge forward through the darkness. He lonitei* the me-ratt at last, securely fastened-to the side of the deck house, and, leaving the girl to hold herself upright as best she could, began to hack It loose. Working with feverish impatience, he realized suddenly that his companion had deserted the place where he had left her and was also tugging and slashing at the lashings of the raft. These finally yielded to their blind attnck. Without the exchange of a word the two grasped the sides and shoved the thing hard down against the port rail. "Walt now," he cried exultantly. "Stay behind, and brace yourself against the hatch-cover. I'll get under110,111, mi. 1 uff '?- *?-- ??? -<.<?? ?>.u mil vntc v/n uie rail Wie two of us must shove It free overboard." She understood instantly, and, with a single swift trance at her dimly revealed figure, \\>st straightened up, hearing the full weight on his shoulders, every muscle strained to the utmost, as he thus pressed it over Inch by inch across th^ wooden barrier. Suddenly the great unwieldy mass slid forward, poised Itself an instant on the rounded rail. The yacht rolled sharply to port. Hinging both on to the deck together, hut sending the raft crunching overboard, clear of the side. West grasped Natalie, and drugged her to her feet, but, even us he held her in his urnis, ready to leap out into tiie blaek water, the shuddering vessel, with a last despairing effort, partially righted herself, and staggered on. \ mi .von jump 10 wit' ran rrom me rail?" he asked. "It Is either that, or the water. Are you afraid to try?" I "Afraid?no. Hold me; yes; that way, but?but what ure you going to dor I, "Follow, of course; but I shall take to the water. There are no oars here. Nothing to use as a substitute for them. I'll hnve to swim, and push that old ark as far away as possible. Are you ready?" j She poised herself, held steady by the grip of his hands, her eyes on the dark outline of the floating raft. There was no hesitancy, no questioning. "Hay when," lie said sharply. "Now." | She sprang forward, gnd came down, sinking to her knees, and clinging fast, as the raft bohbed up and down under her! sudden weighty dipping until the water rolled completely over it I CHAPTER XIV The Coming of Dawn. West leaned far out, and could perceive little exoept a bare, shapeless, outline. "I)ld you make It? Are you all, right r "Yes, I'm safe enough. But?but Captain West, I want you to come." i "I'm coming. Watch out,now?good I Here goes." He made the plunge, coming up to the surface close lieslde the raft, the , which ne quivBij iniipvu wun his hands. IIt? swam steadily, urKinx thp unwieldy rnft away from the' menacing side of the vessel, driven by the necessity of escaping the inevitable suction when she went down. Gradually the distance widened, until there extended a considerable waste i between the two. Satisfied I 666 quickly relieves Colds and LaGrippe, Constipation, Biljouaness and Headaches. I j. "1" iiimh She Went Down Bow First. j that they were far enonprh away foi aafety, he clambored cautiously upoi the platform, the plrl as carcfullj making room for him on the few drj planks. There wns nothing to sav, nothing 8 to do; for the moment at least thpj S were safe, and perhaps morning woulf E hrlnj; rescue. Suddenly West straight IB ened up, aroused by a new interest?!! surely that last wave went entlrelj R over the yacht's rail; he could see tin white fleam of spray us It brokit; and yes. there was another! Then, almost without warning, the end came. She went down how lirst, the stern lifting until West could discern the dark outlines of the screw, and then dropped like a stone, vanishing almost instantly. "That is the last of the Seminole," West said, feeling the necessity of strengthening her. "Hut it is nothing ; to frighten you. We ur*. safe enougli j here. Hut you must keep your nerve; i ?e may no annul lor nours yet lierore we are picked up." "You are sure we will be?" "Tito probability Is altogether in our fa\or," lie insisted, us much to encourage himself as her. "This is Lake i Michigan in^ summer time, and botits are plying everywhere. We shall sure- j ly be sighted by something when day- i light returns." She was silent a moment, with head ; again "bent forward. "What do you suppose became of | the men who desortnd iho viwiit ?j1i? asked, her voice natural and quiet. "Ashore, perhaps/by this time. They ' were certain they had done a good Job, and eager to get away safely, llogan never deemed it possible for us to get away alive. As it wus, the escupe was almost a miracle." "A miracle!" softly. "Perhaps so, yet I know who accomplished it. I owe my life to you. Captain West," site paused doubtfully, and then went on impulsively. "Won't you explain to me now what it all means? How you came to he here? and?ami why those men sought in this way to kill me?" "You do not know?" "Only in the vaguest way; is it my fortune? I have been held prisoner; lied to, and yet nothin r 1ms been made clear." "It is a devilish conspiracy that has Kor>n nlnf n I.,,," ?? I.H.. mi -...... I MWM |MWiicu IVI a ivn^ Millie, ninu i umn be a dozen Involved in it, one i way or another, but, as near as I can learn, the chief devil, the brains of the j gaiiB, Is the fellow named Hobart. ' Have you known him?long?" "No." she said doubtfully, "not unless Me other name was Jim. There wus fellow they called Jim. 11c wa< |_ rny jailor after that woman locked me Into a room." J s "wnere was this?" "Why surely you must know. In that 1 cottage where we stopped with Per- ] elval C'oolldge." i He drew a deep breath, more tlior- ] oughly puzzled than ever. What could i he lier puruose to make so nolo au effort to deceive? Ilis heart sank, but he determined to go on, and learn how far she would carry this strange tale. I 1 Perhaps out of the waiter he could i discern some truth. "The fellow's name is Jim, all right, ' Jim Hohart. The woman passes as his wife. You knew nothing of all this?" "No; I only saw the man twice; lie was very rough then, und swore when I questioner] him." "And the woman?" "She would not ta'k, either; oidy once she told me that Percival Cooiidge had committed suicide. That made me wonder, for I believed ho had something to do with my being held there. What did he say when he returned to the auto without me? What explanation did he make for my , absence?" "Explanation! lie needed none; you came out of tlie cottage with j him." i "I? What do you mean?" ( "But I saw you with my own eyes, j tnibiui ??.. ? --11 *i - --- Itiincu nun .roil, mill nil Ullff l?l IIS drove hack to 'Fairlawn' together. My jf!?(1, Miss Natalie, have you lost your v mind? Do you even deny dismissing | me from your sen-fee?" N She gazed at him through the | gjoom, utterly unahle to eomi>reliend. "I must liave. If what you say is true." she admitted, "For I eertuinlv ? have no such recollection." ? He stared off into the black nlfcht, his lips pressed closely together. \ Could this he false? Could she sit r there calmly, in the midst of such peril t ns surrounded them, and still de? llberntely end?nvor to deceive? *1 "And you knew nothing of the death i of Perclval Coolldge, except what was ( told you hy thnt woman?" "She brought me a newspaper which < T roiitl tliftf vvmia nil T L'noie " ' "And In that house on Wrny street whore I met you again last night. And > you tnlkod with mo; tri?*?I to pot me to quit following you. Ton surely haven't forget ton that nl ready ?" She dropped hor faoe wearily into her hands, and her volee sounded listless. "I?T almost believe you are the crazy one. Captain West. I swear 1 have never knowingly met. or spoken to you since v.e drove to that cottage ao Sunday. I cannot believe what you Vj-U-.V. ? inAiii 1 A A Chemi FER ??????????? t i Especially n \ Mr. C Will be ou not HOL1 BE!s say." "Yet It Is true, every word true"; lio asserted stoutly. "Why else should I he here? You returned witli us tu 'Kairlnwn,' nnd we chatted togethei pleasantly all the way. Later you seemed to change, and discharged me rather rudely. Then Perclval Coolldgl was killed?shot down hy an assassin You were at the Inquest, and testified The next day you discharged Sexton and later he learned, and reported t< me, that some one called you on th< phone from Wra.v street, and wanted you to come over there at once. \ fount! you there, and this fellow IIo bnrt with you." "Rut. Captain West, I never ?au you; I never left the room in the third of/irtr vi-Kneo T ???o o l/\/il?o/1 1? nt.vic i ivuii iui i\r\? in, when they took me away In a inn chlae to the yacht. "You dropped a note In the alley enclosed in a silver knife?" "Yes, I did. Did you ftnd 11 ?" "Sexton did, and that was whal brought me here." "But It Is all so strange," she ex claimed despairingly. "How could I have done all these tldnjrs, been In &l lU'ge places, and yet know nothing ibout 11? Could I have been drugged >r infltlenced In stnne way by those >eople?" "1 do not believe you were either i.vpnotized or drugged. Good G?<1; v 11y did I not think of this solution lefore? I must have been blind; that vus not you; I can recall a hundred ittle things now to convince me." "What is it you mean?" "Another woman played your part; I ivnmuii WAn<1nM#nllu lib ven to the voice. There is no other lolutlon of tlie problem. And that rereals tlie plan of robbery?to Ret you ?ut of the way, and then have her ake tlie fortune." She sat silent, motionless, apparenty unable at once to grasp all" the nenning in his words. Then she point>d >awny into the distance. 1 "See, there is light over there," she >xolaimed eagerly. "That must he the list, and It is morning." lie lifted his h"ead, and looked where die pointed. A dull, gray light topped he waters, and the sky above held a 'nint tinge of crimson. The wan glow iceented the loneliness, and for the noraent left him depressed. Nothing lliiiciirnd within pumro nt leak the drear monotony of gray sea ind sky. Neither felt any desire to (peak; they couhl only stare out siently across the desolation of waters, reeling their helplessness and peril.. Her head saqk forward Into her fafi I Vmericai a v ui v ui ical Con TILIZ IIGHES GRAD1 nade for Cottor Veevil Conditio >. P. DOUG r Representive. see you, call on LIS BR01 J N ETT3VILLE, "See, There is Light Over There." hnnn^. ee rr??nn?-i? sue would rails shul out tlu> whole woinl picture, and West aroused by the slight movement glanced quickly aside. His bam I sought her own, where It gripped foi | support, and closed over It warmly. "It cannot be as bad as It seems,' ; he Insisted, trying to ?ay the word! i cheerfully. "I know these waters, anf i they ate never long deserted. Luck ' will change, surely; perhaps withlt ! the hour we shall be nicked on nm ] can laugh at all this experience. ^ She lifted her head, and their eye! met frankly. [ , "I am not afraid," she protested i "Not physically, at least. Truly t havt | not felt fear since you joined me Captain West." "Illit you are very tired?" "Perhaps so. yet I have not though! about that. There are other tilings you do not believe in me." "Why say that?" he asked in aston Ishment. "There is no question of tin kind between us now." "Truly, is there n??t ? What was 11 you Isdieved mo?-that?tluit I wni part of tliis conspiracy?" "1 do not know what I believed, II I actually believed anything. Miss j Natalie," he explained rather lamely ' 1 "I CUAUQL make the SitUttliQO. alio % .. ' ' ' * , * V \. \ "'J "IN tl pal L Ml ipanys ;ers ? T E i under Boll ns I LASS If he does him. : [HERS I s. c. . I I ' I pother clear oven to myself. Under i the circumstances, you cannot condemn me justly." "Condemn ! I drunot. How could I? You must have kept faith In me, nevertheless, or you would never be here now. That Is what spems marvelous to me?that you actually eared enough to believe." "I realize now that I have." he said gravely. "Through It all I have kept a very large measure of faith In you." "Why should that faith have survived?" she questioned persistently, at though doubt would not wholly leave her mind. "Surely there was never a madder story told than the one I told you, and I couldn't have proven an Item of It." "Vet it has shown itself true," he Interrupted. "You actually believe, then, that there is another woman?a counter. feit of myself?" "It Is the only theory feasible; yon have convinced me of that. Will you believe what I say?" "Implicitly." "Perhaps it sounds like a fairy tale," ' he spoke frankly, his eyes seeking her own, all their surroundings forgotten In the eagerness of the moment, "hut I will tell you the exnct truth. Ilefore this misunderstanding occurred you > I inwi * ? - . . ...??? vvni.uwi in IIIU, UlldlCU lilt", ill" though I was a stranger and I believed absolutely In your story. I had I that basis to rest on. Then I got hobl of various odds and ends of evidence which convinced me that something was wrong?that you were actually < being conspired against. I even gained I a suspicion that F'erclval Coolldge was ' the actual leader of the conspiracy. ' Yon could never have been made prisI oner in that cottage without his connivance; he must have lured you there 4 for that particular purpose, so thai this otter glri could take your place without danger of discovery. The rea' I sou for I'ercivnl's participation Is on1 I ly a guess, hut my theory is foe felI low loll) Wi i illtr Mill four ?*?*?! , 1 the time for final accounting whs so near, lie had to take a desperate ! chance !n order to save himself. "My own theory Is tliat when Hohart , learned what I'erclvul Ooolldge proposed doing, his own crindnul tendenf cies told him that here Was some easy 5 ( money. The girl was tindouhtedly Wholly under his control; some denizen f of the underworld prfnddy. Slie had i ( already played her part autlicieutly I VV a*I I lit IliJ.u * rv# " , I " v.. I," VWIIMUVU 1IW1FUU "l . | ^Continued on Last Pago)