Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-12-05
said Hestor, air1ly. The servants are

said Hestor, airiIy. The servants are
yours to command, but will issue all
necessary orders to the captain
You gentlemen, who have such grea,
interests under your control, mus,
! realize that, in such an outing as
have planned, Capt. Waters must not
be annoyed with conflicting orders.
have provided everything for your
comfort, and am sure you will thank
. me for the treat have in store for
Z you. I will rejoin you in few mo.
ments. l wish to study our charts
and determine our course for the
night. Then we will have some music
in Social Hall. would like to see
you for few moments, Sidney; if
the gentlemen will excuse you"
Mr.. Hammond hesitated moment.
Mr.. Carmody stepped to his side and
spoke few words in a low tone.
Sidney listened, and bowling to him
and the others, joined Hestor and
followed him into his private state
rooms at the forward part of the
deckhouse.
swell, I'll be damned!" said Mr..
Haven, with perhaps justifable en-
phasis, as Hestor smiled graciously
and departed with Sidney Hammond.
''We are kidnapped"
did you just find that out?"
drawled Mr.. Kent, as he reached for
another cigar. II knew that five
minutes ago.
you take it mighty coolly," said
Mr.. Haven, glaring at the big specu-
lator. "One would think that the
kidnapping of six of the wealthiest
men in New York was an EVERYDAY
event by the way you take it,"
Il have seen stranger things than
this happen" said Mr.. Kent. sTake
it easy: Take it easy. You will get
Pence excited"
Mr.. Pence had passed the stage of
excitement. He was lost in the
depths of despair. Had one of the
marines entered and commanded him
to walk the plank it would not have
added to the weight of woe which
overwhelmed him.
Mr.. Palmer j. Morton had taken
no part in the brief proceedings
which had accomplished this revolu-
ton. He grasped the situation from
the moment Hestor made his first
declaration, and realized that
whether their dilemma was the re-
suit of plot or the whim of a
maniac, that arguments and force
were useless. Mr.. Morton prided him
self that he could divine the mach
nations of the cool-headed BUSH
ness schemer, but was he expected
to cope with. the fantastic plots of a
crazy man? 1t was enough to know
that he had been duped. He must
devise way out of the trap which
he had helped to set.
Gentlemen he said, .this is a
serious affair, but we must meet it
coolly and with elaboration. 1t is
of no avail to storm and rage. We
are Gagged, and it will do no good to
beat our wings against the bars.
feel myself largely at fault in this
affair, but all of us are likely to make
mistakes and to suffer lapses in
judgment. In this"
"Mr. Norton" interrupted Mr..
Rockwell, ."I think speak for all
present when say that we do not
hold you in the least responsible for
this ridiculous event. 1 should have
done the same thing. So would any
of u.s."
II thought that newspaper trust
one of the best things I ever heard
Of" said Mr.. Pence, and his eyes
frightened for the moment at the
thought. 81 figured it out that the
stock would have paid 20 per cent.
dividends on the original investment.
Oh, it is awful!'
Mr.. Pence evidently did not refer
to the magnitude of the vanished div
ideRds, but to his present Sorrow.
"We must retire to one of the
staterooms and consider what can
be DONE" said Mr.. Morton. 81 pre-
sumo the owner or the officers of the
boat will not object to our move
ments, so long as we comply with
the rules of discipline. We have been
informed that the yacht is ours, and
l suggest that we select our state
rooms and meet in one of them and
confer together"
"You can do anything you please"
said Hestor, who had entered the
room, and had overheard the latter
part of Mr.. Morton's remarks. "But
the hour is early, and there is plenty
of excellent wine straining against
the corks in the effort to escape and
enhance the jollity of this occasion.
Besides, we are going to- have music.
have attempted to reconcile Mr..
Hammond to his fate, and know he
will favor MS with song"
"Mr. Hestor.''
The speaker stopped. Capt. Wa
ters stood in the door, and his hand
was on the arm of a gentleman
whose face and pose constituted a
55:6E5 AH[ 8