Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24

Slowly the tears gathered in the boys
eyes, filled them full and overlooked them.
Once or twice his pale lips twitched:
then. holding out his hand, II promise"
he said.
Then his unsteady lips widened into
sort of grin of agony. "And yesterday at
this time" he said. II was calling Cayley
a knave and a murderer-Cayley!
His composure broke down there COM
pletely. He rolled over on his face. buried
it in the crook of his arm. his shoulders
heaving with smothered sObs.
The old gentleman closed his eyes and
waited He could not watch; he could
not go away, and. for a long while, he
could not speak Finally, when he could
command his voice, he began again talk
ing quietly of something else.
Its strange to me- he said, that we
ever recovered possession of this yacht
at all, let alone that we were able to
recover it without 1t costing us the lie
of a single man. This gang must have
had leader, and clever one. The way
he Unanswered his men to keep them out
of sight while he drew away first one
party and then the other from the yacht,
was piece Of mastery strategy He
worked it out perfectly In every detail
He got possession Of the yacht without
even firing a shot that might give the
alarm. And even with the warning we
had and with the help Of the fog. l don't
see how we defeated man like that
His success must have gone to his head
and made him mad"
HE was probably killed in the first
volley our people fired when they got
aboard" said Tom DULY. He alone could
have accounted for half dozen of you.
if he'd even had a chance-a giant like
that
"a giant"'
IT think he must have been the leader"
said Tom. HE was the first man to come
aboard, certainly"
But what makes you call him a
giant?"
Because he literally was. He struck
me down with just one blow. and as he
raised his arm to strike L saw that his
shoulder-cap was above the level OF my
eyes; and pass for a tall man."
His father abandoned the subject
abruptly and for a while contrived to
| talk of other things; of the details Of
the fight and how different members of
the crew had borne themselves.
But his mind was filled with a new
| terror. and as soon as he could feel that
his son was in condition to be left alone.
he left him, with broken word of ex-
cuse. He must either set this new terror
at rest, or know the worst at once. There
had been no one. either among the sur
vivors or the slain of the Walrus party,
who in any way resembed the monster
Tom had described.
bridge to talk again with Capt. Warner.
He thought that they had sounded the
depth of despair that former time when
they had talked together there. but in
this last hour he had sounded a new
abyss beneath 1t all. He knew now why
the yacht had been so easily taken He
knew all the details Of the devilish plan
which had so nearly succeeded. More
Roscoe from the time when Capt Planck
| had taken him aboard the Walrus. down
| to the hour last night when he had
| sprung into his boat again and pulled
| shoreward. Capt. Planck was dying, and
/ old Mr.. Fanshaw's questions had enabled
| him to enjoy the luxury Of a full confess
sion.
So they knew now, those two men who
| talking over the horror Of the thing-they
knew that Jeanne was not alone upon
that terrible frozen shore. The man
Roscoe was there. too.
A sound on the deck below attracted
| Mr.. Fanshaws attention. Tom, with the
aid of a heavy cane. was limping pre-
cariously along the deck toward the
bridge ladder, and. to their amazement.
when he looked up at them, they saw
| that somehow. his face had cleared. There
was a grave look of peace upon it.
1--WE thought Of something he said.
| after he had clambered up beside them
| 1--WE thought of something that makes
it seem possible to go on living, and even
| hoping
The two elder men exchanged a swift
| glance. He was not to know about
| Roscoe. If he had found something to
hope for, no mater how illusory. he should
| be allowed to keep ito hug it to his
| breast, in place of the horrible, torturing
vision of the human monster which the
| other two men saw.
What is it you've thought of. Tom p
| his father asked unsteadily.
'It's-its Cayley. He's there with her:
| I'm sure he is He turned away little
| from Capt. Warner and spoke directly
| to his father. Il don't know how 1 know,
but it's as If 1 saw them there together.
He has fallen in love with her, I think.
I'm quite sure she has with him. I want
ed to kill him for that yesterday, but
now" his voice faltered there. but the
look in his eyes did not change-the light
of a serene, untroubled hope.-"He 8
| there with her." he went on, land with
Gods help he'll keep her alive until we
| can get back with the relief
| He said no more, and he clutched the
rail tight in his gauntleted hands and
| gazed north. across the ice.