The Press., 1911-10-18
The Coral Bead
 A Story of the
 China Sea By CLARISSA MACKIE
By CLARISSA MAcKIE
by American Press Asso-
 ciation 1911.

more solitary tracks. JOnn AnSOn pleasure craft, the Linda, had been overtaken by a typhoOn shortly after she rode out of the Formosa strait.
 It had happened suddenly, of course, after a stifing hot day, when the sea lay calm and unwrinkled, yet full of iridescent color as polished abalone pearl. There was a low murmur aloft that had increased to screaming fury of sound by the time things were made snug aboard the yacht. Then the whirlwind of inky clouds whistled down upon them driving them relent- lessly coastward, battling for hours against the monster element.
 There were no women aboard, mere ly the host and his two guests, Ellis and Lyman, the captain and crew of eight men and the chance for saving their lives was perhaps one in thou sand.
 The sturdy Linda had fought to keep her course south, but the force of the storm veered her head ever toward the coast. They had suffered the worst of the typhoon and were still battling with the tail of it when out of the twilight mists of spray there rocked beside them a large Chinese junk, her rail lined with double row of ugly yellow faces and murder in every weaponed hand.
 Instantly the men on the Linda were alert. It did not need Captain Lees shout of "Piratesy' to arm them with pistols. They even succeeded in rip ping the canvas from the brass cannon and swung it about, trained on the junk. The storm drove the junk crashingly against the yacht. While a score of pirates grappled with hooks there was a rush aboard the Linda, a retreat under the onslaught of the crew. AnsOn remembered being grasp ed about the waist and hurled into space.
 When he recovered consciousness he was in some foul smelling place, knocking about with every onward plunge of some vessel. -
 A groan aroused him to action With every muscle quivering in agony he moved slightly and touched a foot the foot of white man, he judged, for 1t was clad in a canvas shoe with a rubber sole.
 "Who is it?' he asked sharply. 'This is Anson."
 by groan.
 "Here I am, Anson. For Gods sake what has happenedY'
 "Blest if I know" grunted Anson, feeling in his pockets for a matchbox. His search was rewarded, and present ly there fared a light that revealed a. small and filthy room with strongly barred door. It was destitute of fur niture, and there were but three ob- jects within it, Anson, Ellis and their friend Lyman, who even now was struggling to a sitting posture. T be-. Heve my ankle is sprained," he said.
 'Tm pretty we'll bumped up, but my bones seem to be whOle," remarked Anson from his dark corner.
 Same here," put in Ellis. q move we massage Lyman's ankle into some shape again perhaps 1t isn't sprain we all need to be in the best of con dition if we have to put up fight"
 Good for you," said Anson heartily, and then he and Ellis groped their way across the floor to Lyman's cor her and soon were vigorously kneading and rubbing his injured ankle.
 Wonder what happened to the Lin da," remarked Ellis after awhile, voic- ing the thoughts of his silent compan- ions. Doesn't seem as if she could have ridden out that gale, does it, Jack?
 "I've given her up," said Anson quietly. "I hate to think what has happened to Lee and his men-they were fine lot of chaps"
 Perhaps they are aboard the junk as well as ourselves" suggested Ly man. Let's give a yell-a good American howl that will raise any white man aboard"
 But their concerted shouts could not ride above the din of waves pounding against the round sides of the junk. The clumsy craft bobbed and rolled like a barrel in the sea, and 1t was only by bracing themselves against the bulkheads that they could maintain a stationary position. t..
 "What keeps the blame thing from filling and going down?" asked Ellis after awhile. Seems as if any one of those waves could fill her up, and we be caught like rats in a trap"
 The three sat up and endeavored to pierce the gray gloom of the place.
 "Got any weapons?" asked Anson suddenly. ......-.s. ..-...>. '''My revolver, as usual" said Ellis.
 'Same here," from Lyman.
 "Tve got a knife. An. here they cUIueT
 As by one accord the three Ameri- cans drew together in corner of the room and awaited the opening of the door, through which there now pierced a dancing light In a moment there passed in three Chinese sailors, rough and ugly looking customers, who hus- tied tbeir captives out of their prison cell into the hold of the junk and from thence by rude ladders to the daylight and fresh air of the upper deck.
 The three drew deep breath and looked around. The junk lay at an chor in a wide creek that debouched upon yellow stream. The natural formation of rocks that formed the shore at this point had been cleverly contrived by artificial means to form a strong place of defense. A little party of richly dressed men were en- tering one of the low arched entrances that appeared to pierce the solid rock.
 By kicks and threats their captors made the Americans understand that they were to go ashore, and soon they had landed and were being ushered through the same low entrance they had observed.
 As each bowed his head and entered there was little doubt in his mind that he would ever emerge from that noun tain of rock. If he did 1t would not be alive. if a Chinese pirate lives up fN hia 11U1v rnpI1fo +i0r