Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-12-19
CHAPTER VII.

On the girl. Tom Eanshaw's passion.
ate. stormy svowal had the effect Of
sort Of moral earthquake. 1t left
unstable and treachsrous; Il threaten
Cd to bring down about her ears the
whole structure q her life. The worry
thing she had relied upon for shelter
and security against outside troubles
and dangers. WAS, ON the instant.
1raught with greater danger than
any Of them.
For the Arst few moments after his
avowal she had felt no emotion other
than that of establishment and in.
credul1ty. Even when he asked her
II she could not marry him. anyway.
though the question revolted her. che
told the truth In saying that she was
not angry.
The anger came later, but n burned
into . flame that was all the hotter
for it hardness in hndling II must
have IN outlet somewhere. and ~
such. the promenade up and down the
other side Of De deck was altogether
insufficient.
The sight Of . small boat at the
foot Of the accommodation ladder
seemed to offer something better. So.
pulling on patf OF fur sauntlets. she
dropped into 1t. cast of the painter.
shipped the pair Of light oars It con.
tanned. and rowsd away without any
thought Of her dsstination-of any
destination whatever; without, even.
Q very clear idea Of what she was do
ing. She must do something; that
was all she knew. Certainly she pulled
away from the yachts side with no
idea that she was running into any
possible danger.
1t was half mile, perhaps. from
the yacht to the particular bit Of
shelving beach toward which she I'M
consciously propelled tho boat She
rowed steadily. without 30 much as
Q glance over her shoulder, until she
felt the CRATE Of the single beneath
the bow.
She became aware. not only that
she had unconsciously come ashore.
but also that the yacht was nowhere
to be seen. A bank of fog had come
rolling In from the eastward, 30
heavy as to render an object 100
PAGES away totally invisible. The
clump Of empty buildings here on the
beach could hardly be half that dis,
lance, ~ she remembered. yet looking
round from her seat In the row boat,
she could make out no more than
their blurred masses agaiost the white
Ice and sand which surrounded them.
She scrambled out OF the boat and
pulled II high up on tho beach. The
fog made the air seem cold, though
for the arctic Il was q mild night.
Two Of the abandoned buildings on
the beach behind her were mere
sheds. windowless, absolutely bare
never having served. evidently. any
other purpose than that Of storage
But the third. and larEest, as she 70.
membered It, offered shelter that
was becoming attractive. There were
some rude hunks in 1t where she
could rest comfortably enough; and.
unless she was mistaken. Scales had
lett in the hut . half-burnsd candle
which they had used in sxploring it,
dark interior. She had . boz Of VA
vestas in her pocket She could 20 in
there and make herself at home. and
e the Same time keep an ALERT ear
for q hail from the yacht.
She found the candle in the place
wheec she remembered Scales had
laid It down. struck q light and
wedged the candle into . knot-hols
She turned toward ono Of the hunks
with the idea a stretching out there,
and by relaxing her musclss, persuade,
perhaps, her overstrung nerves to 70.
lax. too.
She had taken step toward e in.
decd, before she saw. through the
muxk and candle SMOKE, the thing that
lay right before her syes-A 1othsr
large. brass.bound rosewood boz or
chest. It had not been here in The
afternoon whom they had entered thu
place. for they had searched its bare
interior thoroughly In the hope that
there might be something which previ.
Gus investigators had overlooked. This
box, st1 inches high and . foot long,
oe more. could not have been hers
then It was standing now In the most
conspicuous place In tho room-in the
vory middle Of the bunk.
Tho sight Of IL might vel have
caused establishment or alarm In The
lg1rfs mind. But IL was neither alarm
nor astonishmsnt that her next oct
sxprsssed. She dropped down on her
knees beside the rude woola0n bunk,
drew the chest up olpse In the tight
smbrsoe Of her young arms. laid hen
cheek against the cold polished sur.
face Of it, blscksnad wood, md cried.
Every question that might hsve
sskod itsok-how the thing could
have come there. and what its coming
might pretend 70 herself or to the
okher q the AuFora's peopls-was
bwspk away In sudden rush a nlial
Affection aud regret which The sight
OF II instantly aWoke. Il had reached
her with that sudden poignant stab
oe memory which inaaimate objects,
familiar By long association. seem ia
- mere potent % call up than II
Vsey persons oe the friends with whom
they aEe associated. The sight Of hen
father himself could hardly have had
- instantaneous ana overWhelminl
m eject upoa her % the sight Of this
el1 chest. vAich was one Of the EARL
nDe AZ h0F nnnr>NSAHln~. -A<h AA-