Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-24
By Louis joseph Vance
Author of "7'he Brass BOOL -"
"No Mans Land, " Etc.

4 SlOn with quiet WOTu OF CduNAoH.
e sim afr'ide you'll ave to excuse me
now, miss. 1 ave my work within il,
/ the saloon. and If anybody was to see
E US they might suspect we lad somethin'
( you're right" Cynthia agreed. But
49,. Acklin you won I
fail me?" .-r
"Never. fear, miss If I my sly SO,
: I'm quite a bit fond of Mr.. Crittenden;
= 'e's the right sort. If ayn't every dy
one as the chawnce to be of service to
gentleman like 'im-or Idly like
yourself. eyether. I'm only too glad.
I. Now If you'n just ring for ne
from your styteroom, after dinner
Just as if you wanted a bottle Of
drinkin' water-you can and me what
ever's to go in the tin. Myke it as Ut
tie as you can do with, please, miss.
. And then later, as soon as the
coasts clear I'll let you know by tap
pin softly ou your door.
= NV I turn off the lights now, miss?'
In a fever Cynthia made her way,
unremarked, back to her stateroom,
: there to secrete the bathing suit against
the prying eyes of Madame Savaran,
who. the girl firmly believed, might be
; counted on to stamp the project with
a prompt and cogent veto the instant
she conceived the least suspicion of
what CYNTHIA had in contemplat ton. Ahd
mot without valid reason; deep down in
her consciousness Cynthia knew that
she was both mad and blind with love;
that in saner senses she would have
, hesitated long ere committing herself
, 10 any action one-half as wild and cx-
travagant as this, however extreme her
solicitude for the wounded man or des-
perate her fear of further persecution
on the part of Perez; that in its last
analysis this mad precipitancy of in
tent this readiness to risk everything
woman must most value on a turn of
chance, meant simply that her passion
, for Bruce Crittenden was stronger than
her will or reason.
| She would not, therefore, let herself
think save along the line of preparation
for her fond adventure.
She surprised herself with her readi-
J ness to ,dissimulate and deceive, with d
store of artifice and cunning subterfuge
her possession of which she had never
heretofore suspected Successfully TO
} feign lassitude and need of quiet and
rest, at a time when every inch of her
was vibrant with sustained excitement
to succeed in hoodwinking the shreWd
and discerning perceptions of Madame
Savaran--was in itself no mean achieve
ment in a histrionic way. That appar-
; emily she did so succeed filed her with
] an illogical citation. as something augur-
I ing an suspicious outcome.
Early in the evening she managed to
: get permission to retire, leaving
madame 'cheerfully whetting her powers
{ of vituperation on SidOnie's ineptitude
as an antagonist at double-dummy
: BRIDGE ...
II About o'clock Acklin answered her
bell, took away the packet she had pre-
pared for him and brought her a bottle
r of fresh drinking water to disguise the
: transaction
Better not risk 'er EARN my knock,
miss" he advised in a hurried whisper,
with a jerk of his head to indicate the
stateroom occupied by Madame Savaran.
III ave all ready for you, and be
within at the foot of the for'ard com
! panion-w'y at eight bells-midnight. 1t
won't be safe to stir till then-nor till
later, if they 'aven't finished up with
the cargo by that time. Wyte till the
, ship quiets down. If I'm not there.
wyte till 1 come; and I'll do the
/ syme. -. :"
Cynthia signihed assent. He hurried
1t was after 10 before Madame Saw
, aran elected to go to bed; and six bells
sounded their mellow Ginning through
the vessel before the old lady said good
, night and turned off the light in her
There followed hours of nerye-racking
, suspense in torment.
Not till two bells-one in the morn
ing-did the putting and snorting of
Fdonkey engines, the clangor of windlass
rawls, ,the shift and scuffe and pound
of feet upon the decks and the husky
, blatancy of mems voices die out upon
: the still and peaceful bosom Of the
night, wlreh the Orion ceased to rub
shoulders with the Cynthia and swung
loff to her former anchorage.
. f. Yet another half hour elapsed before
Madame Savaran's snorts and COM
, plants against procrastinating sleep
, had BY degrees become absorbed in reg
, lular If slightly stertorous respiration.
Then Cynthia sat up on the edge of
her berth. and with infinite precautions
slipped out of her night dress and
into her bathing suit.
Fastening the straps of black cloth
, sandals round her slender ankles in
their heavy black silk stockings. she
stood up, in black from head to foot
, save for the fair wan glimmer of her
arms and neck and face and the bright
ler glow Gin the dim starshine that
, drifted through the port of her closely
! coiffed hair of gold; for she had no
rubber cap. "A heavy mantilla of black
Spanish lace-madames gift-thrown
. over her head and shoulders served
|, ineasurably to deepen the effect of ALI
, embracing shadow.
Moving as softly as a shade of night
|, itself. with infinite stealth she found
, the door and let herself out into the
dark alleyway, reclosing the door with
out sound.
Listening a breathless moment, she
was treasured by the sustained drone of
Madame Savaran's gentle snore; and no
, other sound alien to the night life of the
vessel was audible to alarm her. In
deed, if anything, the quiet was more
than ordinarily noteworthy, after the
uninterrupted uproar of the last 20
hours or so. Officers and men alike,
with hardly an exception, the crew of
the Cynthia rested in SAUNDERS so pro-
! found that they were as if drugged. No
, hour could have been selected more pro
, pitious for her undertaking.
Yet it was with a faint heart timId
to the least alarm, that Cynthia moved
forward. cropping in the obscurity, to
! the forward companionway, and de-
scended. There was no cowardice in
= her temper, but a soul-shaiing terror of
being discovered and held back.
Acklin was waiting at the bottom of
the steps, masked in murk so absolute
that Cynthia could not say whether he
were there or not. until his whisper
warned her and her fumbling hands