The Washington times., 1913-03-06

sailant the maid taking up the appeal,
in her fright unconsciously reverting to
her native tongue. and in turn forcibly
silenced.
All the while he was running, heed
less of his injured foot-pitching, slip
ping, stumbling, leaping-somehow max
ing progress.
Now the moon had lifted above the
beach far enough to aid him with Its
waxing light. and. looking ahead. he
could distinguish dimly about the COCK
and upon il shapes that seemed to bear
out his most alarming apprehensions.
The powerboat was passably distinct.
her white side showing plainly through
the tempered darkness. Midway down
the dock he made out struggling hs-
ures-two of them, he judged: man
at close grips with a frantic woman.
and where the structure joined the land
a second pair, again a man with
woman, strove and swayed.
the night grew brighter with The spec
tral glow Of the moon and the mir
roring waters. But. for all his haste.
he was too slow; he was still fair thir-
ty yeards away when the struggle OF
those on the dock ended abruptly with
the collapse of the woman: it was as II
her strength had failed all in an instant.
or as IL she had tainted.
He saw the man catch her up sud
denly in his arms, where she lay limp
and unresisting. and. bearing her thus.
step from the stage to the boat and
disappear from sight beneath the coam-
ing An instant later he reappeared.
standing at full height in the cockpit.
without warning his arm leaped out
and a tongue of fame ietted from his
breath a bullet buried itself in the low
earth back of Whitakers left. Heed
less, he pelted on.
But the shot seemed like a signal for
the end Of the other struggle at the
foot of the dock. Scarcely had It sound
ed ere Whitaker saw the man lit fist
and dash II brutally into the woman's
face. Without sound audible at that
distance she reeled and fell away. The
man turned, ran swiftly out to the end
of the dock. cast OF the painter of the
boat and jumped aboard.
She began to move away as whitaker
set foot upon the planks. She was
twenty feet distant when he found him.
self both at its end and at the end Of
his resource. Already he could hear the
spark was advanced and the throttled
opened In another moment she would
be heading away at full tilt.
Frantic with despair. he thrashed the
air with impotent arms. a fair mark his
white garments bright against the dark
background of the land. Aboard the
moving boat an automatic huttered,
splitting nine shots in as many seconds
The thud and slash of bullets all around
him brought him to his senses. Chok-
ing down his rage. he ran back to the
land
On the narrow beach. to one side Of
the dock. small. fat-bottomed row.
boat lay. its stern afoat, its bows
aground-as left by the women sur
prised in the act Of launching 1t. Whit
aker jumped down and put his shoulder
to its stern
As he did so, the other woman reused.
got unsteadily to her feet. screamed !:
toward him. She was-as he had as
sumed-the maid Elsie.
M'sieur," she shrieked, thrusting a
tragic face with bruised and blood
stained mouth close to his.
"Ah. msieur-ma6age-ces canailles-
Yes. know. he said bruskly. Get
out of the way-don't hinder me-"
The boat was now all afoat. He
jumped in. pumped down upon the mid
die thwart and fitted the oars to the
rowlocks.
But m sieur, what will you do
Don't know yet," he painted: fol
low them-keep them in sight
The blades dipped; he bent his back
TO them; the rowboat shot away.
A glance over his shoulder showed
him the boat of the marauders already
we'll out upon the bay. She now bore
running lights; the red lamp swung
into view. as he glanced. like an OBJ
scene and sardonic eye. They were.
then, making eastward; He wrought
only the more Justify with the oars.
Happily, the Fiske motor boat swung
at a mooring not a great distance from
the shore. Toward IL he shaped his
course directly. Soon he had run along
side.
Dropping the oars, he rose. grasped
the coaming, and lifted himself into the
cockpit Then. scrambling hastily for
ward to the bows he disengaged the
mooring hook and let 1t splash As
soon as this happened the liberated
Trouble began to drift slugRishly shore
ward. swinging broadslde to the wind
and waves that drove her.
Jumping back into the cockpit. Whita-
Eer located the switch and closed the
battery circuit. An angry buzzing broke
out beneath the engine-pit hatch. only
to be drowned out by the instant re-
sponse Of the motor to single turn OF
the new-fangled crank Whitaker had so
openly approved on the previous morn
Ing.
He went at once to the wheel. Half
u mile sway the tail-liGht was slipping
swiftly eastward over the silvered wa
ters He steadied the bow toward II,
listening to the regular and business
like chug-chug Of the motor with the
concentrated lnteNtnss1 VI p"S Ssl'iah
with an ear to the bosom OF a patient.
But the throbbing he heard was true. II
slow.
Already the boat was responding to
the propeller. resisting the action OF
wind and water, even beginning to
surge heavily forward.
Hastily kicking the hatch-cover out OF
the wa l.. he bent over the engine. solved
the puzzle of the controlling levers. ac-
celebrated the ignition and opened the
throttle wide.
The motor answered this manipula-
ton with an instantaneous change OF
,un~: the staccsto drumming OF slow
speed merged into Ions. incessant
rumble like the rolling of tUoscore
sna re- drums And the Trouble leapeG
like a live thing and settled to its work