The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1912-05-17


quiet their chatter, yawn. stretch and
slip below to stuffy staterooms.
He suffered a dreamy eye to rove
where IL would. greedy of the nights
superb Illusion
Four bells-two oclock-chimed
upon his consciousness like physical
shock. He verified the hour by his
watch and, reluctantly enough. agreed
that 1t was time he got himself to
bed. He half rose from his chair. then
sank back with an inaudible catch OF
his breath. Without warning the APP
partition OF white-clad woman had
invaded the promenade deck. For an
then, with a nod of recognition. he
identified Mrs. Prynne.
Unquestionably unconscious Of his
presence in the shadow, she fell to
pacing to and fro. Now and again,
she stopped. and with chin Graded in
her small hands. elbows on the rail.
watched the approaching cliffs Of
Arabia; then. with perhaps a sigh, re-
turned to her untimely constitutional.
Partly because he had no wish to
startle her. partly because he was
glad to watch unohserved the had
rare eye for beauty, the O'Rourke),
the wanderer sat on without moving,
stirred only by active curiosity. The
strangeness Of her appearance upon
deck at such an hour fascinated his
imagination no less than her person
held his eye. He gave himself over
to vain and profitless speculation.
Why. he wondered, should she
keep to her cabin the greater part of
the evening, only to take the air when
none might be supposed to observe
her?
Why. II not to escape such observa-
ton? Then, he told himself, he must
be right in his supposition that she
had something to fear, someone to
avoid. What or whom? What was 1t
all, what the mystery that, as he
watched her, seemed to grow, to cling
about her like some formless, i'm
palpable garment?
Events conspired to weave the man
into the warp and wool OF her affairs;
more quickly than he could grasp the
reason for his sudden action. he found
himself a-foot and dashing aft at top
speed. But an instant gone Mrs
Prynne had passed him, unmolested
and wrapped in her splendid isola-
ton; and then from the after part of
the deck he had heard a slight and
I'd Of
scuffiing sound.
In two breaths he was by her side
and found her struggling desperately
In the arms of a lascar-a deck-hand
on the steamer.
At first the strangeness of the busi-
ness so amazed O'Rourke that he
paused and held his hand, briefly
rooted In action. For although 1t was
apparent that she had been caught off
her guard. wholly unprepared against
assault, and while she struggled fierce
ly to break the lascar's hold. the wom-
an still uttered no cry. A single
scream would have brought her aid !;
yet she held her tongue.
The two, the woman's slight, white
figure and the lascars gaunt and SIN
envy one, strained and fought, swaying
silently In the shadows, tensely. with
the effect of a fragment Of some dis
ordered nightmare. But then, as the
lascar seemed about to overpower his
victim, O'Rourke, electrified, sprang
upon the mans back. With one strong
arm deftly he embraced the fellow, an
elbow beneath his chin forcing his
head up and back. With the other
hand O'Rourke none too gently tore
Then wrenching the two apart, he
sent knee crashing into the small OF
the lascar's back. all but breaking him
in two. and so flung him sprawling
into the scuppers.
Without word the man slid upon
his shoulders full half-dozen feet,
while O'Rourke had momentary
glimpse Of his face in the moonlight
-dark.skinned and sinister OF express
sion with It's white. glaring eyeballs.
Then. in one bound. he was on his
feet again and springing lithely back to
the attack: and as he came on a Jag
ged CLEAN of moonlight ran like light
ming down the sinuous and formidabl lie
length of kris. most deadly Of
knives.
O'Rourke fell back a pace or two.
His own hands were empty; he had
nothing but naked fists and high cour-
age to pit against the lascar and his
kris. Keenly alert. he threw himself
into a pose OF defence
But O'Rourke had forgotten the
woman; It was enough that he had
made possible her escape. and he had
no thought other than she had fed. 1t
was. therefore, with as much surprise
as relief that he caught the glimmer
of her white figure as she thrust her
self before him and saw the lascar
bring up In the middle of leap. his
nose not an inch from the muzzle OF