Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-02-14

through his glasses.
'Rides too high for spar or any,
thing of that Sort" said the JUNO,
lieutenant.
"She's a small boat" came in the
clear tones Of the lookout, "driftin
down."
ANY one in herr" asked Carter.
Cant make out yet, sir. No ones
in charge though, sir"
Captain Parkinson appeared, and
Garter pointed out the speck to him.
Eyes. Give her full speed" said the
captain, replying to question from
the officer of the deck
Forward leaped the swift cruiser, al
too slow for the anxious hearts OF
those aboard. For there was not one
of the Wolverines who did not expect
from this aimless traveller of desert
seas at the least leading clew to the
riddle that oppressed them.
"Aloft therev'
"Aye. aye, SIR"
"Can you make out her build?"
"Rides high, like a dory. sir"
w oSAA lA4CkS ~ 0Oky Ou tuC lLuu6u'
ing Lass?" cried Forsythe.
ION her stern dayits," answered
Trendon.
ut is hardly probable that unat.
tached small boats should be drifting
about these seas" said Captain Parkin-
son thoughtfully. "If she's q dory
she's the Laughing Lass boat"
"That's what she is" said Barnett
"You can see her build plain enough
row."
mfr. Barnett, will you go aloft and
keep me posted?" said the captain.
The executive officer climbed to joiH
the lookout. AS he assembled those be.
low saw the little craft rise high and
slow on a broad swell
Same dory," said Trendon. "I'd
swear to her In Constantinople."
"What else could she be?" muttered
Forsythe.
"Somethin' that looks like man in
the bottom of her." sang out the crows
nest. 1.-TWO of 'em, think"
For five minutes there was stiffness
aboard. broken only by an occasional
low voiced conjecture. Then from
aloft:
Two men rollin' In the bottom"
Are they aliyey'
"No, sir. Not that can see.'
The wind, which had been extremely
variable since dawn, now whipped
around couple of points, swinging
the boats stern to them. Barnett, put
ting aside his glass for moment, call
ed down:
"Thats the one, sir. can make
out the NAME"
aGood," said the captain quietly. eve
should have news at least"
elves or AicGuire,n suggested For
sythe In low tones.
.."pr Billy Edwards" amended Car
ter:
!.Not Edwards" said Trendon.
"How do you know" demanded For
sythe.
"Dory was aboard when we found
her the second time, after Edwards
had left"
Can you make out which of the mer
are in herr" hailed the captain.
'Don't think it's any of our people,
came the astonishing reply from Bar
nett.
"Are you sure"
II can see only one mans face, sir
It isn't Ives or MCGUIRE. He's {
stranger to me-"
ut must be one Of the crew, then"
mo, sir, beg your parding," called
the lookout. Nothin' like that in oul
crew, SIR"
The boat came down upon then
swiftly. Soon the quarter deck wa.
looking into her. She was of a typ
common enough on the high seas, ex
cept that a step for a mast showed
that she had presumably been used fo
Swimming about open shores. OF he
passengers one lay forward, prone ant
f quiet. A length Of sailcloth spread
over him made 1t impossible to see hi
garb. At his breast an ugly protuber
ance, outlined vaguely, limited a de
formity.
The other sprawled aft, and at /,
nearer Sight of him Some of the mel
broke out into nervous filters. Their,
was some excuse, for surely such ,
Searecrow had never before been til,
sport of wind and wave. A thing o
shreds he was. deliberately ragged, /
face overrup with scrub of beart
and preternaturally drawn. surmount
ed with a stiff dried, dirty cloth semi
tprban, with q wide. forbidding stail
along the side. worked out the likeness
to a makeup.
"My Godw cackled Forsythe with ,
historical explosion, and again IN.
God!"
A long drawn, irrepressible aspira
ton Of expectancy rose from the war