The Forrest City times., 1913-04-11
CHAPTER iX.-Continued.

There's no other explanation, he decided, conclusively
 You mean he committed suicide?'
 Gall it what you like, sir"
 But there was no reason for him to do such a thing" I objected
 "I understand he's been pretty Ill. sir"
 He was Ill, yes. But he was on the road to recovery" And then, with the realization that I was speaking of Cameron in the past tense, as though 1t were already settled that l should never see him alive again. shiver of horror swept over me. l know Mac Leod observed 1t, for he said:
 There's been a drop in the tenn perature, in the last half-hour. It'll be more comfortable in my cabin, sir, If you don't mind coming in, and talk ing the thing over bit"
 Good Heavens, Macleod" I ex- claimed. turning on him with nervous savagery. do you expect me to sit down and talk calmly at such a mo ment? 1 can't. It's all l can do to stand still here for a minute at a time l feel l must do something. It's torture to have ones hands tied this way"
 'I think 1 know how you feel sir. But walking the deck will do no good, and if you could calm yourself enough to talk 1t over quietly, we might get down to something that would guide us. so to speak"
 Guide us?" I repeated.
 Yes, sir It's not impossible, you know, sir. that when he went over board he was picked up"
 The light from his cabin porthole illuminated us both, and now as he looked at me he must have seen my perplexity.
 You said yourself, sir" he ex- plained, that you thought you heard the exhaust of some sort O craft not far away"
 It was this reminder. think, which brought back my l-gathering wits and steadied me to perception of the real importance of the captains plea, Of one thing, at least, I was assured :: Cameron was not suicide. How he could have gone over the taffrail with out my seeing or hearing him, I should never be able to understand, But gone he was, and 1t lay upon me to dis cover by whose assistance this mar vicious disappearance was accom- plished. And so 1t came about that. controlling my futile unrest, l was presently seated in MacLeod's swivel chair, while he. from a place on the side of his berth. fired pointed ques- tions at me, which either answered as best I could or returned in kind.
 Now maybe it's none of my busi- ness. Mir Clyde, but in view of to- nights occurrence l think it's perti- nent to know why there was such a thorough inspection of the Sibylla be- fore We sailed, and such lot of eau tion regarding the crew. That was the first of his volley. and for mo- ment 1t staggered me. l recognized. however, that this was not time for quibbling, and as Macleod had been for years staunch soldier in Gamer on's army of employees, l saw no harm in letting him know the truth.
 "l'r tell you" l returned, frankly, ''but it's not to go any further. In the past nine weeks MT. Cameron has been receiving a series of threatening anonymous letters. The last one came a week ago today; and in 1t this was named as the date for the climax"
 Climax" he repeated, questioning ly.
 Yes. Today, the letter stated, Mir Cameron would disappear"
 The calm. phlegmatic young captain did not start. He simply narrowed his eyes in thought
 That's odd" he said, gravely, Slammed odd" And then, after a sec onds consideration, he asked, Was that-but of course it was-why he took this cruise?"
 "No," told him. That was not his reason; though 1t was mine."
 did rot mean to be enismatic, bu. [ syppose l was. for Macleod showed