, 1909-05-13

DaCK COuNuiSiNtiy uut 1 went 4,
steadily to he end.
81 am not, as you naturally en-,
posed. a Chilean, but a native of Nor,h
America. My name is Stephens.
was in Valparaiso under most mn
pleasant circumstances, seeking yainl, |
to escape from the country, ana
bounded by the secret police becauss |
of my connection lately with a revo
l%utionary movement along the Bolivia,
frontier. The merits of that afai, |
need not now be discussed, but I had
become insolved In 1t through certain
business connections, and had al,
tanned Valparaiso after much hard.
ship. seeking escape by sea. There I
discovered every avenue closed
against me, and was reduced 10 a des
perate plight. / was In hiding from
the governmental authorities when I
risked almost certain discovery-las,
evening. A little later-after you lef,
| the hotel-a man who l was led to be.
lieve represented the Peruvian gov.
eminent, approached me with n
TRANCE proposition, which, however
| promised immediate release from nv
dangerous p~redicament, and, likewise
a suitable reward for the successful
performance of a certain service.
am a sailor. and the particular duty
required of me was TO be performed
| upon the sea. | was asked to assume
the position of a Peruvian naval can.
| tain, incapacitated by sudden illness.
~ % SGrl rise aaG DO. : II a Lhii
,,-,., a-a.a.aI 4Lg,. .H-. ,rupH4 u
-leralda. then SUI osed 10 be lying at
anchor, poorly guarded. in the outer
Llrbor off the government docks. For
that purpose | was presented with 4
Peruvian naval commission"
My glance wandered from the mo-
tionless woman fronting me in such
white silence to Celeste, who had sun
back upon the bed, her blue Eyes
staring at me across the brass rail, ev-
identity experiencing difficulty in trans
lating my rapid English speech.
Il had enjoyed but little opportunity
of examining the particular vessel we
were thus employed to capture, as |
dared not leave the hotel except after
II ghtfall," | continued, more slowly.
Yet | knew her place of anchorage,
and that she was a steam yacht OF
some 700 tons burden, schooner-rigSed,
with lines promising great speed. 9th
erwise | relied entirely upon the
knowledge of the officers under me.
We boarded what l believed to be the
Esmeralda soon after midnight, over
came the small harbor watch with lit
tie difficulty, captured the engine
room. and, by holding a gun at his
ear, persuaded the engineer to operate
his machinery in Jul service. The
very ~audacity of the attempt brousht
comparatively easy success. The MAN
cabin had been secured by my orders
when We first arrived aboard, and !
came below just now, after all danger
seemed far astern, to learn II any
officers were hidden away here. | had
examined all the other staterooms,
finding them empty, and at last
opened this door in my quest. Not
until | saw you did | in the slightest
realize that we were on board the
wrong vessel, nor that we were en-
gagged in anything except an honorable
~entu of war"
That the hasty details of my story
both startled her and impressed her
with its truth, was evident enough, yet
her lips curled with contempt, and
her eyes remained unbelieving.
How many men accompanied you?
"A crew of 20, with two officers
"Peruvians, | presume%
NO. madam" reluctantly, 'hotch'
potch dragged from the seven seas"
Her expressive face darkened, her
fingers clenching again nervously
about the chairback.
And you really expect me to be
lieve that preposterous tale!" she
burst forth. Indignation shattering all
ordinary bounds of speech. You
must, indeed, think very highly of my
intelligence. You-why, you are a
s~ea-robber, a p%irate!"
My cheeks flushed at the harsh
words. | could feel the surge Of blood,
yet met her gaze quietly.
i have told you the exact truth
Lady Darlington, as | promised" | re
turned, seeking to speak calmly, with
out any real hope that you would be-
ieVe. Yet want you to try. 1t is
all bad enough as it stands, without
e~ndeaVoring to make it appear worse.
She leaned slightly forward. clearly
impressed to some extent by the grayf
ty of my manner.
Then prove it,"
How"
BY steaming directly back to Val
paraiso and delivering up this stolen
vessel to its lawful owners"
sounds simple enough, but
do you realize what our probable fate
would be-"
she clasped her hands tightly, press
ing them against her breast.
What do | care!" the contempt In
her voice grown bitter. You have
lone the evil, by your own confession:
now you should paw the price. You