The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-07

fortune that he had been so we'll guided.
 Miss Aida was neither unaccus- toned to fiattery nor impervious to 1t. In addition. her interest was excited by the face and garb of the intruder. He was not more than 22 or 2s. The face was richly colored by hot suns. and its expression was strangely alert and imperious. But the features were soft and of truly feminine beauty.
 His costume was in the style be- fitting the sailors of his day. but the stun was velvet and finest duck. and the ornaments of fouled anchors were of solid bullion, while heavy twisted gold lace and braid decorated sleeves. shoulders and waist.
 When her uncle arrived the sailor made mischievous allusions to the business that had brought him. so that Aida soon suspected that the famous Skinner of the Seas stood be- fore her; a suspicion that did not~fes- sen her interest
 Despite the beseeching glances of Mynheer van Beverout, the sailor in- sisted on enumerating all the contents of the bales of contraband that the men of the Water Witch had landed. and when the alderman excused himself to get the gold for payment of the rich freight, the young stranger unrolled 8 small bale and showed Aida such laces and embrofd cries that she for got everything else in her delight
 While they were thus employed there came a sudden step on the bal cony. and Captain Ludlow entered through the open window. His sus- picion. aroused byl sounds and lights that he had seen as he approached. was quickened by the sight of the contra band articles lying at .Altda's feet Jealousy, added to his professional keenness. had led him to approach carefully. and he had heard the nams "Water-Witch" pronounced by the fan tastically garbed sailor before he en- tered.
 The young man. far from being alarmed. merely laughed when he saw the officer of the Queen. If the Ad- miralty Court itself were here, big wigs and high staffs. 1t would be at 8 loss to bring us to conviction. Captain Ludlow" said he. "Our lockers and holds are as empty as if they had been swept" The alderman was not as light hearted as the rover when he found the naval captain on the scene. He framed elaborate explanations. which the rover confirmed with jocular com ment that denied their truth. Captain Ludlow. like most naval men of his day. despised the business of hunting smugglers. and dismissed from his mind any thought of either arrest ing the free trader on land or report ing the secrets of the alderman's busi- ness. But he was determined to get the craft.
 Without a. word he hastened to his boat and urged the crew to take her at top speed to the cruiser. Before dawn her towers of canvass swept in from the Sandy Hook and toward the cove
 AS soon as she rounded. the man-of- war came full in sight of the brigan- tine; yet that vessel lay as still and deserted as If there were neither a soul on board nor an enemy in sight. The light canvas of the corvette now melted from her and left her under her three topsails and jib. Although her course to the brigantine seemed clear. none aboard knew the channel. and a black cloud rising over Staten Island showed that one of the great squalls of York harbor was coming fast.
 They dropped a boat to sound the entrance, but before 1t had proceeded far a flash of lightning seemed to split the harbor. Instantly the wind came, The topmen lay out and furled the can vas for their lives. The bay became a sheet of foam in a twink ling. The ship lay over till the water spouted through her scuppers and poured on deck. "Hard-weatherw shouted Ludlow. The ship, falling off before the wind, | coursed along parallel with the coast like & race horse. Nothing was visible except lines of driving raia and sh eets of water that frothed white as the ship glanced the waves.
 As soon as possible the anchors were cleared and the vessel. stripped of her sails. was brought around. There was tremendous struggle between wind and ship. Then she ceased her surges and held.
 Almost as quickly as the scene had darkened 1t cleared again. The sky be- hind the cove grew bright. Every eye was turned toward it. It was empty! There were wild tales told that night aboard Her Britannia Majesty's cor vette Coquette. A topman swore that he had seen the sea gYeeh drift by overhead in the scud of the tempest while he was furling.
 "If she be sailed by mortal hands" said the boatswain, where is she? She couldn't beat out of the cove against that souau. and even if she could she