Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13

~ NHFmllllOn again. anu i''N''N'~'
into a smile in spite of himself. lie
~ even went so far as to pat the
fingers that rested on his arm. by
Crumbs miss I'd ordered them to boil up
tina, tea when | saw you shoot out of the
fac,o,,, crook in YOUR surf boat, and TIL
Won reminded me. I'd clean forgotten It.
AID here vou've been standing and yarmng
70 me ON the front door sep all the t'he'
q,bev'u call the Mposo a dry boat win
vengeance If this tale gets about siaii
bo chaffed to death over it. Come up Oh
top" .,o
Mr. RaIearnie saw them ascending the
ladder and rushed into the chart mouse anu
nulled down three photographs 'n'' ii'''
hoo, fastened on the wall with drawing
pins since Miss Kate O'Neil.s depar'u'e <
He was thumped on the back by MS graf
fuI skinner. who caught him in the act vi
pocketing them. ,on,
"RaIgarnie. me lad" said Captain Image.
you'll have to keep that nara coha, VI
YOURS bent for two days longer You NC
pleased to hear that Miss Rates not GOING
TO throw us over yet. Just you go anu sec
the chief steward and cook and ask tieiii
what they've got left in the relrigerato''
And I went you to break the rule OF the
ship and make all the other passengers
Jealous and dine at my table in hohoF VI
the occasion Come in. mss, and please
take the settee. You'll ma TINS cusiiio''
soft and free from mildew.
Kate smiled gratefully on them poth,
'What dear good people you are. Ana l
made sure you would detest me, captain
when | tell you l want you to change from
your usual routine"
Captain Images face stiffened
Even though ii is to get / your Iloius
full of cargo which you would never nave
touched if it had not been for a hint that
lust came to me an hour ago.
I'VE carry mails. you know saia mas
doubtfully. and there's scheduled tinie
for call at the various points and bau
time for being late. Bad
But cargo. Let me suggest 10 you again.
cargo
well. Miss Kate, there's no other lady
on earth I'd say the same to, but III not
deny the fact-to you, mind, ana quite pc
tween ourselves-that cargo interests me
And letting you further into wh1ts cons:d-
cred one of the deadest of secrets, there are
times when cargo commission can just out
balance fines for being late with mails.
You see l guess what you have in your
mird miss. You want me to run back ana
take off the cargo that's waiting at Malta
Nulla before those Okky-men come down
and raid it
Miss O'Neiu lay back against the cushion
and slipped composedly at her hard-boiled
tea There" she said Il knew you'd con-
sent. There's only one little detail you've
made Il mistake about. How soon can you
be off? Judging from the music OF the
winches. you're working in the cargo here
at famous speed
''The mate reported to me just before
you came on board that he'd have the lot
shipped 10y ) o'c'ock. Those passenger
boys of ours that you We made factory boys
for the time being were working splendidly.
so Mr. Mate sad. But what's this little
mistake, Mss Kate? l can't go right away
back to O'Ne.n and Crevens factory at
Monk river. If that's what you mean.
"Oh. my dear Captain Image. don't think
me unreasonable. | shouldn't dream of ask
ing you to do such a thing as that. don't
even want YOU to go out over Smooth River
bar for the present. But I'd better tell you
just what's happened You see all after
noon the Krooboys who had run away have
been coming back. and some of the clerks
have turned up, and then came Mr.. and
Mrs. da Silva. We had quite gathering of
1t. and as Mr.. Carter set them all on to
digging holes and tidying things away as
they arrived, by-th,s time all the-well, you
wouldn't know there'd been fighting.
But the first to turn up at the factory
after you'd left me there was not one of
our own people. but a caller. He the
agent in charge of the German factory at
Mokki. He turned up in a dug-out, and he
gave us to understand that he was the
most frightened man in Africa. He said
his voyage down the creeks was one series
OF miraCu Gus escapes. He said he'd come
to take shelter under the British flag; but
when he found that by an oversight we
ndun got Such a piece OF furniture ABOUT
the place. and when he sa w the holes in
the walls and the roof and the-the-what
there was lying about under that blazing
sun In the clearing. he was quite of opinion
that he hadn't run far enough
The b'ighted Dutchman,' said Captain
Image contemptuouSly.
We'll, you see" said the head of O'Neill
and Craven confidentially. "a chance like
that suited me uncommonly well. To let
you into a secret of our Liverpool Office
had reckoned on increasing the output of
all our factories, and found / was doing II
even more than / had calculated upon. Con-
sequently when there was a big price bid
for palm oil and kernels for autumn deliy-
cry ] sold heavily"
''And now the King of Okky has put ju-ju
on you. stopped the roads, and there you
are caught. me lad-I beg pardon, Miss
Kate, / should have said"
"Of course II only worried me for the
ment These tight places are never really
tight II you take the trouble to think out
way through to the other side In this case
it's shown itself to be delightfully."- simple
I've bought out the German"
Captain Image grunted. Then I wish
you'd asked me for advice first. But per-
haps you haven't clinched the deal and
can back out of it still If you'll take the
tip from an old coaster like me, you have
tory's only worth scrap price"
That's all I've given for it"
And when you do get the oil out of il
that's stored there. If it hasn't been looted
creeks In his canoe, where are you? No
better than here. Your trade will be dead
The King of Okky's stopped all the roads"
Now. I'm just going to give you a little
geographical surprise. Have you got a
map?"
Capt Image indicated the drawers be-
meath the chart table Coast charts, of
course. which include the river mouths
but l should pile up the old packet in
week If l relied on them. I'm my own
pilot for the most part. Miss Kate and
that's why with Gods providence and a
sound use OF drugs I've managed to work
successfully on the coast all these years."
We'll, If you haven't got a map of the
back country here in your stock, carry
very accurate one in my head and If you'll
give me a paper and a pencil I'll draw out
something that will surprise you.
The girl leaned over the chart table and
began TO draw. and Capt Image sat back
on his camp stool and nursed knee and
frankly admired her He did not in the
least believe in this Mokki venture, and had
not the smallest intention of breaking in
upon his usual routine by going there. But
he had $50 he told himself a distinct eye
for the beautiful and for the romantic, and
he found his ideals in these matters very
considerably filled by Miss Kate ONeill,