The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-10-15
NO MANS LAND

draw1 was missing; and you look Ike
any other ordinary mutt, out Of your
pretty clothes-but / got your num-
Der in due course OF time. That
break you made about the gun when
was pulling my bluff about knowing
people By the feel of their faces
you forgot yourself then, and hadn't
any moro doubts. did some tall fig-
uring before got completely hep, but
a little work with wireless rounded
the story out. You see, you had the
yarn Of the Corsair's trouble down too
pat and GLIB for 1t to be without a
grain Of truth; you gave me that
much to go on. :. .. And then
well, we knew one man certainly, and
probably two, had been on the island
in the fog yesterday morning ana
butted in on the funeral obseQuies Of
my ill-advised young assistant, Power,
and 1t didn't seem In reason they'd
be content to let the matter rest at
that-'specially after going to the
trouble Of breaking Chang's head in
return for being shot at. So
got busy, as I say, and the fog help
ing I fixed things up very prettily.
II warned Voorhis-he's sloping for
safety now; sent the tug after the
Corsair, unhappily too late-it's evil
dent your friend, the Secret Service
sleuth-"
How did you guess that?" Coast
demanded huskily.
Considering what I've been up to,
what was the likeliest guess? I
wasn't sure until you gave 1t away
Just now-merely satisfied such was
the case. Well, as l was saying,
I worked the wireless pretty stead
ily-was happy enough to pick up a
message to the Scylla-a revenue cut
ter, ! take bordering her here to
bust up a nest of smugglers; and
spiked that gun with another mes
sage, couple Of hours later, revoking
the order as being based on false in
formation. And, finally, L got my
friends on the mainland to make up a
little party to fetch me of. So, all
things being pleasant as afternoon
tea, came down to gloat over you a
little. Hope you don't mind"
why" said Coast-"since you'd
made up your mind about newly
did you hold OF this long? To laugh
at me?"
Partly, Mr.. Coast, partly. There
were other reasons. One was don't
bear you any ill-will; which you'll
allow is pretty decent of me, sconsid-
ering the rotten way I've treated you.
I don't kill In cold blood without a
pretty good reason. Van Tuyl's
mouth had to be shut, you know-or
rather, you don't know why, and
likely never will; and Power was
threatening to split on the game here,
20 he had to be taken care of. But
you I'll be candid: to begin
with your life wasn't worth tallow-
dip; made up my mind to eliminate
you with neatress and Dispatch
when your back was turned, for
choice. But then I began to think
the game was about up, so far as No
Mans Land was concerned. So, what
was the use Of making q bad matter
messy? You were harmless, and !
didn't hate you hard enough to want
you murdered-unless you made It
necessary. So voted for the laugh
instead Of the funeral"
DO you think for an instant I In.
tend to let you go7"
"Youf What've you got to say
about IT. Don't be silly; I'm going
and not to the electric chair, either.
shall just quietly drop out of your
ken for good and AIl-and some day
you'll be grateful. Look what q cute
little island I'm making you q pres
emit of-God knows I've no further use
for It; you're welcome. Same way
with my wife: I was rather fond Of
her, once. but now you can have her.
OF course thereM be some delay