New-York tribune., 1889-12-22
A TURN OFTHE KEY.
on THE YACHT CoRMoRaNr.

| Il.
"weIIi Good-by, Madge, and take care Of you,..v,
| the gig is alongside, 50 / suppose / must be on!
| but wish 10 goodness you had let me chuck tl,.
whole thing over when spoke about 1t this morning.
hate leaving you all by yourself on Christmas PSs'
| Well, at any rate. slant be late
so spoke Bertic Hepburn, the owner Of the yaeha
! Corm0rant, sS smart schooner ever aew m.
white ensign, to bis wife, who was standing rather
dlscOnsolately al the door OF the main cabin whil.
her husband struggled into a huge Oskin.cost ps
paratory 10 going ashore.
10 was Wild night, dark as pitch, the rain yas
falling In torrents. and Icy wind blowing strairt
from the Apeninncs did not make matters more oofa-
Portable. The Cormorant had been weather-bound M
the arbor of Port Ercole, unimporant town. about
eighty miles north OF Clvita Yeccla, for nearly q
week there was absolutely nothing to be seen there:
but the harbor good one, and the weather out
side was decidedly dirty
They had been cruising for about three months in
the Mediterranean, and meant TO proong the cruise
till spring Berthe Hepburn was a man, who, happy
and contented everywhere, was never so happy a.
on board his own yacht, and he was more fortunate
than many yacht-owDers I'm one respect. inasmueh ~
his wife, pretty, charming Madge Hepburn, was u
devoted to a seafaring ifc as he was himself.
She had not even grumbled over their forced detcn-
ton at Port Ercole as so many women would have
donc and it she who had insisted on Bere Keeping
his engagement 10 dine Win inc Nlse-oonsul on
Christmas Eve. That unfortunate gentleman, whose
life, passed among people with whom ne mad moth
ing in common, was one round OF dull routine, was
delighted TO welcome the owner OF any stray Yacht
driven by stress of weather into the snug haven Of Port
Ercole and, the arrival OF the Cormorant had come
on board I'm state to bid them 10 dinner AT the shabby
house dgnifed By the name Of Her Britannia halestys
Vice-C0nsuate. Madge had sent an excuse, Der
fcctIy true one that bad cold prevented her comm.
ashore i'm such weather but she would not hear OF her
mail H 6e all right Bertics She said have no
end of letters to write. wishing everybody Happy
nticr absence OF i0vaty about the meal and she got
though n quickly as possible, much 10 inc secret
JOY Of the steward. who had his own plans for his
IF Won please Ma'am.' said he, as he cleared the
things away, Sc" should like to go ashore this evening
IL Won have no objection
oh no. certainly You are welcome 70 60
"H you please, maam,' said her maid nve minutes ig
tba
in the cathedral tonight. and he viii take me ashore
to have look at them ~ You een' Dnnne said hep
mistress "but Pm afraid you'll get very wet land
Their departure in the dnghey FIVE minutes after
seemed to leave the yacht wonderfully quiet. There
not sound to be heard % @ but ed he dp RI e Gf s sssr
The sailors all snug In the focsle out no soand
Of voices came IRON nn snens dereiet r as Car as any lie
on board was concerned -, ,-,on,,,,o ..
Madge Hepburn who was 6ot5 H. Ioss IN s1 ass
OF herself. We must keep each other company,
Chevot,' said she 70 the big bscEane,sn oheepooSs
absolutely to enter into conversation, MS manner
showed decidedly that he dd not Es m 10 gd Se M snq
stretched himself half a dozen times, ana sIowy ana
heavily & shG frn 0t Syeread o I eaP minute ad =" later told M
Hepburn he preferred the cold and wet on deck 10 e
society Ihe sness I'M seeea me- hnS NOR 3d notceS befr,
how chilly the cabin had grown had the steward peels
board she would have had the stove renglts. e,e
she did not To disturb the sao's she could sette
tSongbt o5 she raSsacked tbe boolsheIves but she
seemed to have read everything. and was not In tie
mood to rercad even Rider Haggard or Rhoda broasa-
THANK goodness said she there goes four bellsa
there Is no good sitting In this cold gloomy cabin aiy
longer. shall be OF TO bed -. r.. anal,
pretty bird on its futed hangngs twined roses anc
s S while agss s tpGS snd eGPsd eseae bs
somehow tonight it did not seem cheerful the lamp
was not burning 50 brightly as usual and once e,d sa1 a.
in her pretty BERTH Madge could not see to rcd" ~
She tres to sleep but never felt more vide aWskG t
Joy that in hour at latest her husband VII DC osc
All h Is Wrapped IN Stiffness II S No S so"hS Se ia Tach 91 Ss
deck "'' But STAY @ that surely @ louder soSnd than
mHHled to be oars all the same there IS distinct
splash. and a sort of Jar on the ships side MadSe
become prcternaturally sharpened: she hears foot
step soft as velvet on the S GSe Come rsI 6n SSsrd e
alone the party who, headed by the captain had gone
ashore. .,.
is It that is going on There comes low deep growI
from Cheviot, growl that ends in an odd Kind Of
Light steps seem to cross the deck and come down
the companion. aud through the keyhole of her door
she is out Of her berth and at her door-aias il has
got no key and those in the yacht whoever they are
have got her at their mercy
For few minytes the poor child feels utterly CON
s nG 1 eep Of sfGsn Ss sr s sST s s
is hanging on a hook, puts out her light and cauti.
ousl-for her life depends on it-opens the door ana
looks out
There is little bit Of passage between her and the
main cabin, from which comes dim light a falnt
sound.
The companion ladder is between the two cabins
and the passage is nearly pitch dark while there i
always the friendly shelter Of one or two unused
Shall she wait in her cabin, perhaps to be caught
like rat trap; shall she crawl along the pas
sage. make dash for the companion and get on des
10 OiV ha IN al Shp
Three steps and She is croucbing at the foot Of us
stair and can into the saloon on the floor,
with his back to the door. one man kneels, and she
sees him filing empty bag with all the yachts
and another beetle-hrOwed and brawny Italian ruian
has his hands on heap. OF sovereigns, the broken
is i'm the main cabin. lie is standing beside an open
drawer his head partly turned away from the a9or
but Madgc feels he is the greatest danger ana tat AT
any moment he may look round. A.
As she stands there her eye fails on % tne strShs @
Eeg Gsg amoi sau + m ouc % IT, If she did but reach it, could
she lock them in before they could stop her Apove
all would the key turn se HG%s m nors rmity SUSu Pu
Madge Hepburn is no coward and the nehtng blooa
Of wild border strain runs h3ty III her VeliN' ~
C0ncealment was now Of no use: she sprang at the
door and she did so the third man turned ana saw
one second had suficed for Madge. The door banged
to the key was stn indeed but terror gave her fingers
the burglar actually touched the door handle the boy
shot home. a volley Of Italian oaths and blow
which all but knocked panel out of the door foowe
Int Madge seemed as il she had wings to her feet.
She flew deck and now what Is that winch Iall,
on her ear, but the blessed sound Of oars But aas!
What is that black form that at the same moment sns
sees stretched on the deck. and what Is the darA
stream that stains its surface? She does not know
Her ewes are dim her fail her and when Berue
Hepburn Jumps board the first thng ne sees Is ms
pretty Madge in dead faint AT MS ie"t lying "crVS
the lifeless body OF poor Cheviot
The noise the three rufians make in the cabin soon
gives him the cew TO what has happened, and before
poor Madge has recovered her senses free tight has
taken place, and the Italian gentlemen were gSoa
deal knocked aboat by the English sailors, they
deserved double much they got and the vlcecon.
sui made il his business to see they got 1t In the long
In some mysterious manner these sea robbers nsa
discovered that the owner and good many OF tM
crew OF the Cormorant had gone ashore, and th@
thought they would have it all their own wsy. o,