Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-03-17
CHAPTER XIV.

@1ERCY BARROW, unexpected,
III made his first visit to us the
Ill very next evening. He saun-
- tered in with a Mexican corn
husk cigarette between his lips, carry
ing n lantern, blew the light out and
sat down with careless greeting, as
though he had seen us only the day
before.
"Hullo, boys" said he, been busy?''
"How are ye, sir?" replied Handy
Solomon. Good Lord, mates, look at
thatl
Our eyes followed the direction of
his forefinger. Against the dark blue
Of the evening sky to northward glow
ed faint phosphorescence, arch shap-
ed, from which shot, with pulsating
regularity, long shafts of light They
beat almost to the zenith and back
again half dozen times; then the
whole Illumination disappeared with
the suddenness Of gas turned out.
Nov, / wonder what that might
be?" maryeled Thrackles.
Northern lights" hazarded Pull.
Eve seen them almost like that in
the Boring seas"
Northern lights your eyer sneered
Handy Solomon. you may have seen
them in the Boring seas, but never
this far south and in August, and you
can kiss the book on that"
what do you think, slr?" Thrackles
inquired Of the assistant.
Devils fire." replied Percy OAR
row briefly. "The islands little
queer. I've noticed 1t before"
"Debbil fire." repeated the niger.
barrow turned directly to him.
Yes, devils fire, and devils, too, for
all I know, and certainly vampires.
Did you ever hear of vampires, doc
tori?
no" growled the niger.
well, they are women, wonderful,
beautiful women. A man on n long
voyage would just smack his lips to
see them. They have shiny gray eyes
and lips red as raspberries. When you
meet them they will talk with you and
go home with you. And then when
you're asleep they tear little hole in
your neck with their sharp claws, and
they suck the blood with their red
lips. When they aren't women they
take the shape of big bats like birds. y
He turned to me with so beautifully
casual an air that I wanted to clap
him on the back with the joy of 1t.
by the way, Eagen, have you no.
ticed those big bats the last few even
ings over by the cliff? can't make
out In the dusk whether they are
vampires or just plain bats" He d.
rected his remarks again to the mig
ger. Next time you see any of those
big bats, doctor, just you notice close
If they have just plain black eyes
they're all right. but If they have
gray eyes, with red rims around 'em,
they're vampires. wish you'd let
me know If you do find out. It's in
teresting"
Don get me near no bats" growled
the niger.
where's Selover?" inquired Oar.
row.
Gle stays aboard" fastened to say
wants to keep an eye on the Ship
'That's laudable. What have you
been doingy'
We've been cleaning ship. Just
finished yesterday evening"
"What next?"
1--WE were thinking of wrecking the
Golden Horn"
"Quite right. Well, If you want any
help with your engines or anything OF
| the sort, call me-"
He arose and began to light his Ian
tern.
II hope as how you're getting on vel
there above, STRIP ventured Hand,
Solomon insinuatingly.
Every well. thank you," replied
Percy barrow dryly. Remember
those vampires, doctor"
He swung the lantern and departed
without further speech. We followed
the spark of it until 1t disappeared il
the arroyo.
Behind us beloved the sea. Oyel
against us in the sky was the dull
threatening glow of the volcano. Abou
us were mysterious noises of crying
birds, barking seals, rustling or rush
ing winds. l felt the thronging ghost.
of all the old worlds superstition swirl
ing madly behind us in the eddies thai
twisted the smoke of our fire.
We wrecked the Golden Horn. For
ward was rlsted out donkey engine
which we took to pieces and put to
got In sol>
for all the running parts had to b
cleaned smooth and with the excep
tion of rudimentary knowledge OF
the part Of Pull and Perdosa we wer,
ignorant. In fact we should not hav,
succeeded at all had It not been fo
Percy barrow and his lantern. Til,
first evening we took him over to tn,
cliffs edge he laughed aloud.
a"Joye, boys, how could you guess
bill wrong?" he wondered.
With a few brief words he set II,
right, Pull, Perdosa and listening in
tently, the others Indifferent in til,
hopelessness- Of being able to compre
bend. OF course we went wron,
again i'll our next days experiments
but DarroW was down two or tire,
timesfn week and gradually we edget
toward practical result
His explanations consumed but |
few moments. After they We're fin
ished we adjourned to the fire.
| Thus we came gradually to bette
acquaintance With the doctors assist
ant. In many respects he RENAME,
always puzzle to me. Certainly til
i ~