Enterprise news-record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1910-1911, 1911-01-18
implicitly. r


with great attention to somethi ng ne
was telling her.
When Hozier was relieved and sum-
moned to a meal In the saloon uth
Norrie and some of the ships oN vh
officers Iris was nowhere visible. h
went straight to her cabin and knocked.
"Who is it?" she asked.
81, Philip. Will you be on deck in
a quarter Of an hour"
mo"
"But this time l want to tell you
something"
"Philip, dear, I am weary. l must
rest-and-I dare not meet you"
"Dare not?"
81 am afraid of myself. Please leave
me-"
He caught the sob in her voice, and
1t unnamed him. He stalked off, rag
ing. While off duty he kept strict
watch and ward over the gangway
in which Iris cabin was situated. 1t
was useless. She remained hidden.
AS Coke had told Iris she might ex-
pect to be ashore about 2 o'clock,
she waited until half past l ere COM
ing on deck. Despite her unalterable
decision to abide by the hideous COM
pact entered into with her uncle and
Bulmer, her first thought now was to
find Hozier.
Iris was thoroughly wretched and
not little disturbed by the near pros
pect of landing in q foreign country
which would probably be plunged into
civil war by the mere advent Of De
Sylvia. 1t need hardly be said that
under these circumstances Hozier was
the one man in whose company she
would feel reasonably safe. But she
could not see him anywhere.
| At last she hailed one of the Androm-
eda's men whom she met In gang
way.
"Mr. Hozier, miss?" said he. "Oh,
he's forrard, right up in the bows,
keepin lookout"
This information added to her dis
tress. She ought not to 60 to him.
Full well she knew that her presence
might distract him from an all i'm
portant task. So she sat forlornly on
the fore hatch, waiting there until he
might leave his post.
The steamer crept on laZily, and Iris
fancied the hour must be nearer B
o'clock than 2 when she heard Ho-
zier's voice ring out clearly:
"Buoy on the port bow"
There was movement among the
dim figures on the bridge. A minute
later Hozier cried again:
'Buoy on the starboard bow!'
She understood then that they were
in marked channel Already the road
was narrowing. Soon they would be
ashore. At last Hozier came. He saw
her as he jumped down from the fore
castle deck.
"Why are you here, Iris?" was all he
said She looked so bowed, so hum
bled, that he could not find it in his
heart to reproach her for having
avoided him earlier.
81 wanted to be near yOu," she whis-
pered. IL am frightened, Philip.
am terrified by the unknown. Some
how on the rock our dangers We're
measurable; here we shall soon be
swallowed up among whole lot of
people"
They heard Coke's gruff order to the
watch to clear the falls of the jolly.
boat. The Unser Fritz was going dead
slow. On the starboard side were the
lights Of a large town, but the op
posite shore was somber and vague.
"Are we going to land at once In &
small boat?" said Iris timidly.
81 fancy there Is a new move on
foot. A gunboat Is moored half II
mile downstream. You missed her be-
rause your back was turned. She has
steam up and could slip her cables in
minIte. They saw her from the
bridge, of course, but ] did not report
her, as there was a chance that my
hail might be heard, and we came In
SO confidently that we are looked on as
local trader"
He took her by the arm with that
masterful gentleness that is so com
forting to woman when danger il
rife. They reached the bridge. Some
sailors were lowering boat as quiet
ly as possible.
Dom Corria approached with out
stretched hand.
"Goodby, Miss Yorke," he said. az
am leaving you for a few hours, MOI
longer. When next we meet l ough
to have sure grip Of the presidential
ladder, and l shall climb quickly
Won't you wish me luck?"
. II wish you all good fortune, Don
Corria," said Iris. May your plan'
succeed without bloodshed."
; "Ah, this is South America, remem
ber. Our conflicts are usually shor
[ and fierce. Au revoir, Mr.. Hozier. b!
. daybreak we shall be better friends"
San Benavides also bade them fare
well with an easy grace not who'll.
devoid Of melodramatic pathos. Th