The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, December 21, 1922, Image 3
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(Continued from la?t week).
S C
| CHAPTER XV
# H"
Escape From the Raft.
The raft drifted aimlessly on, tin
' waves lapping Its sides, and tossing li
P About aa though In wanton piny. Th?
girl lay quiet, her face upturned, un
conscious now of her dread surround
Ings; and the nian swayed above her
v ' hla head bent upon his breast, botl
sleeping the sleep of sheer exhaustion
It was the startled cry of Natulb
*?,?*> ir ? * *
f ~ wmai, ii/uoru fi tiuu uruUgllt fill
- . drooping head upright. She was slttlnj
tip and pointing excitedly behind him
"Oh, see there! Look where I poln
?Isn't that land?"
The raft rocked ns he swung hli
body hastily about, and gazed lntentlj
in the direction Indicnted. He rubhc<
his eyes, scnrcely able to credit till
- Sight, half believing It a mirage. Yei
> the view remained unchanged; It wai
land, a bit of the west shore, a shor
promontory running out Into the laki
toward which the raft, Impelled hj
some hidden current, was stendll)
drifting. Ills arm clasped the girl li
sudden ecstasy.
Xt^"Yes, It's land, thank God!" he ex
1 waimed thoughtfully. "We are float
?.i-' tag ashore, Natalie?saved in spite o
- ourselves. Why, we could not liavi
been so far out in the lake, after all
I ought to have thought of that b?
fore; those villains would never huv<
dsscrted the yacht In mid-lake, am
taken to the boat. They must huvi
known they could make shore easily.
"You don't supposo tlicy lunded hert
do youi"
"Not: very likely; even If they did
they f)re not here now. Not one of
them has a thought but that we wont
down In the Seminole. Now they'll
pull off their graft, and pull it quick.
ThftV fi!*P imf lalfoi'btir
Natnllo, waiting for ghosts to appear;
they are hack In town hours ago."
"Hut what can we do?"
"Get ashore first, of course, and discover
the quickest way to return to
the city. I figure *ve have a l>lg advantage.
We know their real game
now, and they are so sure we are hoth
dead, they'll operate In the open?
walk right Into a trap. Hy this lime
JtfcAdams must have discovered some
clue oh to the whereabouts of liohart.
With him iinrlar n?*i*out om?1 ->nr otA..t?
told, some of these fellows will confess,
and It will all he'over with.
"It Is twilight alrond.v?the sun has
gone down behind the IdiitT, hut it will
" " require an hour yet for this raft to
drift Into shallow water. You swliu,
you told me?"
"Yes, very well Indeed."
"Shall we risk It then together? It
is not far to the end of the point yonder."
She looked where he pointed and
"jrv^ed, glancing hack into his questioneyes.
K "Why, that involves no danger at all.
I will do anything to get off this raft."
R$? The two slipped silently over the
V ?dge of "the. dipping raft, and struck
tttt ror the nearest point of land. The
distance was greater than It had
eemed, the twilight deceiving their
yes, while their clothing had a tendency
to retard progress. Weakened
by lack of food, and buffeted by cross
currents, both were decidedly exhausted
by the time their lowering feet ilnr
fclly touched bottom.
I "Oh," Natalie exclaimed breathlessly
ly, "That was glorious, but I hardly
p"-r
I / l
If
_"^r? r
"That Was Glorious."
fold enough strength left to moke It
Ifcrhy, It Is almost dark already. I snnnot
see the old raft at oil. I?I wish
It would oonie ashore; It gave you t?
, WKs Matt."
.???> #And you are not sorry, even now,
litfe here on shore?"
t ivh.. t . 1, .. i i ?i_i
X 0INIJ I ?? II.V * *1111 1 III- Mil | F| Mf.M ^|l |
|? all the world this minute. I iiir
I *j|t0S with you, and you love me?who I
4$0ra con I ask? Is tlint silly, dear?'
HHn lan|h$(l, and kissed her. neither
f ' a thought to tlieir dripping gtir
?' '0S*Otn, or a regret for the hardship!
I love you, Natalie, ilhar," h<
answered. "So It Is not silly at all
| ^ #he,t?r aLKl
II
f MM^r x|b?^OTn| mcKflfl
If j / !# M V?| I m| HMHHPj
^3S8fSHE2SS.;fii capyqiawt 1099 ^
ALFRED A KNOPF m*
Are you strong enough now to climb
tlie bluff?"
She notified her readiness to try, too
happy for words, nnd luuul In hHiid
they tolled their way upward through
I the gloom,
I r
, CHAPTER XVI
The House In the Bluffs.
The cleft In the bluff was both nat*
J row and steep, but it gave them passage.
At the upper end Natalie's re.
i serve strength suddenly deserted her,
I nnd she snnjc down on the grass, labor,
i Ing for breath, feelinu unable to ml.
vunce n step fancier. The days uu<|
nights of excitement, coupled with Inch
of food and sleep, had left her physl.
rally weakened; now suddenly, even
her will and courage both gave way.
"No, It Is nothing," she explained In
a whisper. "T am Just completely tired
out, I guess. You go on, Matt, and
tlnd some place of shelter. I'll Just sit
where I aui now until you come hack?
only?only don't go very far away."
She held out her hand, and endeav*
ored to sndle.
"Desert me! Of course you are not,
dear. I am bidding you go. I shall
not mind being left here alone. 1 am
so tired."
West felt the Importance of gu!nlnj|
a view inland before the closing dowq
of night obscured everything, and
therefore reluctantly left her alon<
there while he made Ids way to the top
of the ridge. It was a wild, brokeq
i country revealed to his gaze, a land n|
i-mpn miii ravines. rugged and ptctun
esipie, 1?tit exhibiting no evidence ol
miuls. or inhabitants. Then his e.ve<
caught a tiiin spiral of smoke risins
from nitt a narrow valley nlmreit ill
roctly beneath where he stood, tlx
depths of which were totally om>
cenled from sight. As he stared al
this, uncertain of its reality, a alngli
spark of Hirht winked out at hint
through the darkness. There was ce*
In Inly ft habitation of snhte ?tlnd hhl?!
n ii'vay down there. If he could only
leave Natalie there In safe hands. kn
the security of a home, however hu?uhie.
food would gi\e him strength to
push on alone. West turned and has
toned hack through ih<* woods, clam*
boring down the slope of the ridge in
darknoss to the spot where lu> had
loft the girl. For tho moment lie
could not distinguish her presence in
tho gloom. and, fearing ho might have
gone astray, called Iter name aloud.
"Yes," she answered. "I am here;
to your right. I atn standing up. Have
you discovered anything?"
"There is a house of some kind over
yonder in a hollow just heyoncl the
rldi'e "
i
r
I.. ..... .
He grasped her arm, helping her to
elainher up the steep hunk, suddenly
becoming mvnre that the sleeve felt
dry.
"Why, Natalie, your clothes see in to
have all dried off already; mine are
soaked through," he exclaimed in surprise.
She laughed, a faint tinge of mockery
in the sound.
*N"o mystery whatever. This light
stuff dries quickly, exposed to the air.
Did you think you had hold of the
wrong girl?"
The tone of her voice stunir sliirhtlv.
causing him to make a sober answer.
"That would, of ^course, be Improbable,
but I have been so completely
deceived, even by daylight, that 1 dare
not affirm that It would prove Impossible.
Your counterfeit Is certainly a
wizard."
"She must be. But n?
away from her"
suspicion redown?"
She led
| inir "
...i me tnnerenee?tins was
not the Natalie of the rnft. She was
ton Irritable; too sharp of speech. Hut
then, no (tnuht. she was tired, worn
out, her nerves broken. So lie drove
the thought from him, clinging close
to her arm, and vaguely wondering
bow she was able to trace the path so
easllv. II. thU lima ?vnn Woul I,?
recognise tlifit they were proceeding
along >i well-used pnth. and he wus
not surprised when she announced the
, presence of the house before them,
. pointing out the dim shadow through
i the gloom.
i "That Is no hut?* he exclaimed in
surprise. "It looks more like n inan(
slon."
"And why not?" pleasantly enough.
I "I have always heard these bluffs
, were filled with summer homes, t'n.
fortunately this one appears to be de>
sorted."
"Rut there mint he some one nhoiit
here." West Insisted. "For this was
, the house I snw froin the ridge. and
there was a light burning then In one
f of the- windows, and there was a wisp
of smoke rising from a chimney."
She stepped boldly forwurd, and
' Placed hat band on Um knob at tt*
"Why," she whispered, excitedly. "ItT
la unlocked; see, I can open it. Perhaps
something Is wrong here. What
shall we do?"
"Knock first; then if there Is no resiwnse,
we can feel our way about Inside.
My matcheR are all wet."
She rapped phnrply on the wood:
waited for some reply, and then called
out. Not a word reached them from
within. West, his teeth clinched,
stepped In through the open door, determined
to learn the secret of that
myRterlous Interior. With hands outstretched
he felt his way forward, hy
sense of touch alone assuring himself
that he traversed u hall, carpeted. Ids
extended arms barely reaching from
wall to wall. He encountered no fur
mture, and must have advanced some J
two yards, before Ills groping dls- .
closed the presence of a closed door
on the left. He had located the knob,
when the outer door suddenly closed,
as though blown shut by a draught of
wind, and. at the same Instant, his
eyes were blinded by a dazzling outburst
of light.
This came with such startling, unexpected
brilliancy thnt West staggered
back as though struck. For the Instant
he was positively blind; then he
dimly perceived a man standing hefore
hint?a man who, little by little,
became more clearly defined, recognizable,
suddenly exhibiting the features
of Jitn Hobart. sarcastically grinning
into his face.
"You ore evidently a cnt of nine'
lives, West," he said sneeringly. "Hu?
this ought to he the last of them."
For a moment West lost all contro'
over himself, lie was too completely
dazed for either words or action;
could only stare Into that mocklnj
countenance confronting him. en- 1
denvorlng to sense what had really oc- '
cur rod. He was undoubtedly trapped 1
again, but how bail the trick been no 1
compllslied? Wbut devilish freak ol
luck bad thus thrown them once tnort '
Into the merciless hands of this ruf '
flan? lie even ventured to turn lilt
bead, and glance at the girl. Sin 1
"stood leaning hack against the closet
door as though on guard, her unmv
ered hair ruffled, a scornful, defiant
look In her eyes,, the smile on her Upi
revealing the gieaui of white teeth. It
spite of a wonderful resemblance, a
mysterious counterfeit In both features
and expression. West knew now
this was not Natalie Coolidge. lie had
I permitted himself <o he tricked again |
by the Jade; the smart of the wound
angered him beyond control.
"You are not Miss Coolidge," bo in- '
sisted hotly. "Then who are you?" '
-in- um^m-ii. rvmi'nuy enjoying the
scene.
"oli, so oven Cnptnin West has at
last penetrated the disguise. No, I
am not tlo> lady you mention, If you
must know."
"liten who are you?"
She glanced toward Tlobart, as
though questioning, and the man answered
the look gruffly.
"Tell hint if you want to, Del," he
said, with an oath. "It will never do
the guy any good. He's played his
last hand in this game; he'll never get
away from me again. Spit It out."
"All right," with a mocking curtsey.
"I've got an idea I'd like to tell him;
It Is too good a joke to keep, and this
I
"You Arc Not MIm Coolidge."
I
fellow lias certainly been an easy t
mark. I.ord. but I could hnve had you .
making love to me, If I'd only have j
said the word?out there on the hills '
'hey! You sure are plumb i
tills Natalie Coolldge.
night goods, Isn't it, Mis*
Vest ?"
much for Miss Coolldge,
it you mean."
lo; and you've put up a
r her too, my boy. I'd
If I wasn't on the other
see we can't be easy on
ise of that. Sentiment
f> one thing, while busi- [
r. You and I don't befame
worlds?bee? You
jlame me because I was
, can you?"
ot; what would you make
me believe?'
"I thought I'd put It that way so
you'd understand, that's all. There's
a difference In people, ain't there. I'm
lust as good looking as this Natalie
Coolldge, ain't 1? Sure I noi; you
can't even tell us apart when we are
dressed up alike. I could come In here,
and have you make love to mo inside
of twenty minutes. Hut we ain't a
nit aiiKe, ror an mat. sues a iany,
and I'm a crook?that's the difference.
She's been brought up with all the'
money she wanta, while I've had to1
hustle for every penny since I was a 1
kid. I was brought up a thief, and I
don't know anything else. I never did
care much, but In this Coolhlge mat-,
ter, I've got Just as much right to all
that kale as she has?so naturally I'm
going after It."
"As much right, you say? Why,:
who a re. you?"
She Stood lin straight nnii Innltpri at
htm, her eyes burning.
"Me!" scornfully, "why I am Delia
Hobayt?'PimngQiJ Del.' they call p?e."
666 quickly relieves Colds and.
LaGrippe, Constipation, Bilious*
ess sad HeasUokse. )
'Te^ but that la fbot what jw
mean; that gives you no such right a
you claim. You are Hobart'a daugl
ter, then?"
"I didn't say so, Mister Gaptai
"West. I told you my' moniker, that'
all. Jim here brougCT me up, but h
ain't no father to me, and his wit
nln't my mother. It took me a *hll
to find that out, but I got the thin
straight at last. I hhw then Just who
those two were driving at; first
didn't take no particular interest i
the scheme; then I got to thinking ut
til finally I hated that soft, down
thing; d?n her, she'd robbed me. an
I hud a right to my share even if
had to steal it."
"What soft, downv thine?"
"Natalie Coolldge! Rah, I went ot
to aee her once. Jim took me' and w
hid in the garden; and when I cam
hack I was raving mad. Lord, wli
should that little idiot have everythln
while half the time I was hungry?"
"You mean you envied her?"
"Envied, h?1! Didn't I have a right
Wasn't she my twin Bister? Dldn
she have It all, and I nothing?"
He gasped for breuth at this sudde
revelation. Then he laughed, coi
vlnced It could not be possible.
"Who told you that?"
"Why, .don't you believe It? Ha
he never said a word about It t
you T'
"Certainly not. I am sure she poi
season no knowledge of ever hnvln
had a sister. Moreover, I do not b?
lleve It Is true. If you had proof r
such relationship, why didn't you o
to her, and openly claim your share";
"Co to her! me? l?o you hear tin
Jim? Isn't he the cute little iixci
Why, of course, she knew It ; thei
wus mulling doing on the divide U
ail straight enough, only we cculdn't
prove It by law; anyhow that is what
they told me?so we got at It from
another direction."
She seemed so convinced, so earnest
In iier statement that West lu perplexity
turned to glance at Ilobnrt.
"1 >o you make this claim also?" h?
asked.
"What claim?"
"That this girl Is a twin sister te
Natalie Coolidge? Why, It is preposterous."
"Is 't? D?d If I think so. Now
look here. West; I don't know xJus1
what the Coolidge girl has been told;
maybe she never even heard she had
a twin sister. If obey ever told hei
that file had, then they must have told
m-r ui>n xnar tne sister (lied in in
fancy. Anyhow, that's how it stands
an (he records. There were just twc
people who knew different?do you gel
met One of them is dead, but one o1
them is still nllve."
"Which one is dead?"
Terelval Coolldge; he knew to<
much and got gay; he planned to coj
the whole hoodie. The fact is he start
ed the whole scheme, soon as ht
learned who Del wns, and planned 11
all out."
"But If this girl was really entitlec
to a part of It, why not claim It bj
law?"
"We talked about that, but tin
chance didn't look good. Everythlni
showed the second child died; hosplta
records, doctor's certificate; then
wasn't a link In the chain we coul<
break."
"But who was tlje other witness?
the living one?"
"The nurse; 6he made the excliangt
of the dead buby for the living one. I
was easily done, as the child wa
rcully sick."
"But for what obje; t?revenge?"
"Sho woo J *
s/?v ??<>o ^wi, uim yieiueu T(
temptation, rercivul Cooiidge pnl<
lier to make the exchange. I huv<
never been able to leurn what hi:
original purpose was, but she think:
he believed the stolen child was n boy
and that later, through him. the Cool
idge money might be controlled. How
ever, the woman lost her nerve, am
disappeared with the Infant. Sli
brought It up as her own in the West
where she married again. I am lie
second husband, and that Is how
learned the truth."
"The woman on the yacht?"
"Yes. yon saw her. The child wa
brought up in our life; I figured 01
this coup for yeurs, und finally whei
all was ready, we came hack Eas
again. I had a plan, but I wasn't quit
sure it would work until I conld se
the two girls together. After that 1
was like taking candy from a kid
II?1, you are the only one who ha
even piped off the game."
West looked closely at the man, whi
was thus coolly boasting of his ex
plolts, and then at the silent girl
whose eyes sullenly gave hack thel
challenge. What did It all mean
Why were they calmly telling bin
tl^se things? Was It merely th
egotism of erhue, pride of achieve
ment? or did Hobnrt hope in soin
way to thus win his assistance, or a
least ins silence?
"Why do you tell all this to mt
Hobart?" he asked shortly. "You d<
not expect ^le to play with you in th
game, do you?"
"You !" the fedow laughed coarselj
"We don't care what you do, yo
young fool. Del started this talking
and 1 let her go on. Then, when sh
stopped, I thought you might as wel
learn the rest of It. The fact Is, West
we're fixed now so whatever you knoN
won't hurt us any. We have as goo
as got the swag; and. to make It ahsc
lutely safe, we've gut both you an
the girl. I'll say this for you, old mat
you've sure put up a game fight,
don't know how the h?1 you ever go
ont of that yacht alive, or ever liny
pened to drift 1b here. It was nott
lug hut hull luck that gave us
glimpse or you tossing round on the
ruft?but ufter tliut It was dead easj
Del here Is some actorlno."
"You say you've got the swag?"
"All but In our hnnds; nobody ce
get It away from us. The court orde
was Issued today: the entire estat
placed, In accordance with the term
of the will, In the possession of Natl
lie C'oolldge. Once the proper recdc
Is signed, all moneys can be checke
out by her. That about settles 1
doesn't It ? Tomorrow Del and I wl
go down to the city, and turn th
trick, and after that there is nothln
left but the get-away."
It was a cold-blooded proposltloi
but neither face exhibited any regret
both were Intoxicated by success; ui
troubled by any scruples of cot
clench West felt the utter uselesi
ness of nn attempt to appenl to elthei
"Where ift Natalia CoolldareY' h
(.Continued oa teat page)
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; Agricu
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Weevil Co
Mr. D. P. DC
Will be our Represc
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Horns R!
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