Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-01-01


lifted his eyes from his intent watch
on the shore line and said: Hes
coming"
knew who he" meant and shiv-
cred at meeting Withersbee on those
black waters. Then my ear caught
the "puff-puff" of a launch.
Down in the boat. fellows. he's 60
Ing to fire." shouted Clarke. Dudley
and l dropped. Six times In rapid
succession his revolver cracked. But
a swiftly flying launch is not easy to
hit and we heard the bullets whistle
overhead.
Withersbee's boat was almost upon
us when Clarke gave the wheel n quick
twist and our pursuer shot past with
in three feet of our gunwale. AS he
threw the wheel Clarke's right arm
shot into the basket AT his side. ! saw
his hand come out holding n writhing
black object. He swung 1t about his
head once and let go. ! saw II hurtle
through the air and strike the doctor
full between the shoulders. Withers-
bee dropped the wheel and stood up
trying to fight the thing OF while his
boat, free OF her helm. swung round
in circles.
Suddenly he sprang to the gunwale
OF the boat. threw up his arms and
| with a piercing. terrified shrek disap-
peared In the black waters of the bay.
Clarke shot our boat over to the
| staggering derelict, reached over her
side and stopped her engine. ! held
| the gunwales together while Dudley
leaped into the doctors boat at a
bound and returned bearing in his
powerful arms the unconscious form
Of a young woman. The figure In the
stern sat fixed and motionless.
Dudley swiftly cut the ropes which
bound her. ITS she. It's she" he
.muttered. Clarke felt her pulse. She's
only tainted" he said. We fell to
chatting her wrists and Dudley scooped
up n handful OF sea water and bathed
her brow.
Al the tavern, after Miss Mason had
been safely slowed away in a clean
warm bed by the motherly landlady
we patched together the ragged
threads of the story over the best in
the landlords cellar.
First" said Clarke. 'if you are
Oliver Dixie. whose was the body that
DIR. withersbee shipped to Chicago In
an opium case?'
He was another attendant. n young
fellow by the name OF Frank Williams.
We were very similar in appearance
even to the filings in our teeth.
81 didn't worry much about her for
he treated her well and she seemed
to be in no danger from him. and had
seen so many terrible things In cases
where he didn't want to marry them
that was sort OF hardened to II any
way. was the watchman OF tho
whole place after Williams disap-
peared and the only white man about
| the institution. all the rest being
Chinks. talked with Miss Mason
on the sly sometimes but | paid no
attention to her appeals until one day
she mentioned the name of Mr.. Dud-
| ley here. He was one OF my boyhood
| football heroes and ! determined to
do something.
But. Clarke. how did you see
through all this when we were in Chi
cago?" | asked.
Il didn't see through 1t by any
means. Only saw some things
which you didn't. Part Of 1t you
know. Then 4 connecting link was
the zinc can which I recognized at
once as one used in smuggling opium.
picked up the threads of Miss Ma
sons case where | had dropped them
before. and the list of guests con-
firmed my hazy recollection that there
was one from Etteso. The name OF
the town did not strike me the first
time, of course, but the name OF the
| doctor did. for while turning the case
over in my mind | thought Of some
thing which should have remembered
the first time. II was that once In .
Clark street opium den | had heard
the name 'Withersbee' in a cautious
whisper. My visit to Chinatown con-
firmed this. have Chinaman there
that l depend on a good deal. and In
reply to my question OF who was the
greatest dealer in smuggled opium IN
the country he whispered 'Withers-
bee,' swearing that he would never live
to see another day for having told.
Dudley and Miss Mason were mar
ried the next spring and Clarke and
are often guests at their beaudful
Lake Forest home. Withersbees 80
called asylum. from which. aided by
the powerful Chinese tongs in which
he welded great influence, he conduct
ed his extensive smuggling operations,
now atones for Its past sins as one Of
the prin cipal outposts in the war
against The Great White Plague"
Copyright. 1905. by W. q. ChApman-) .
Copyright In Great Britain)