The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-10-28
Copyright, 1914, by Harold MacGsathl

| GIdllOu lie SOllSluuSo SA1S
portant enough for Braine himself to
take a hand in. So the following night
he departed for Boston, from there to
New York. He proceeded at once to
the apartment Of the princess. where
tBraine declared that he himself would
go to the obscure village and claim
Florence as his own child. But to
insure absolute success they would
charter Morse's yacht and steam right
up into the primitive harbor.
When Vroon left the apartment Nor
ton saw him. He was a man OF I'm
pulses, and he had found by expert
ence that first impulses are generally
the best. He did not know who Vroon
was. Any man who called on the
Princess Perigoff while Braine was
with her would be worth following.
On the other hand, Vroon recognized
the reporter instantly and with that
ever-ready and alert mind. Of his set
about to lure the young man into a
trap out Of which he might not easily
come.
Norton decided to follow his man.
He might be going on a wild-goose
! chase, he reasoned; still his first i'm
pulses had hitherto served him we'll.
He looked careworn. He was con-
yinced that Florence was dead, despite
the assertions Of Jones to the con-
trary. He had gone over all the mis-
haps which had taken place and he
was now absolutely convinced that his
whilom friend Braine and the Princess
Perigoff were directly concerned,
Florence had either been going to
or coming from the apartment. And
that memorable day Of the abduction
! the princess had been in the dry goods
shop.
Vroon took a downtown surface car,
and Norton took the same. He sat
huddled in a corner, s%uspecting
tl.at .Vroon was watching him from a
corn,r Of his eye. Norton was not
keen today. The thought Of Florence
kept running through his head.
The car stopped and Vroon got of.
He led Norton a winding course which
at length ended at the door of a tene-
ment building. Vroon entered. Nor.
ton paused, wondering what next to
do, now that his man had reached his
destination. Well, since he had fol-
lowed him all this distance he must
make an effort to find out who he was
and what he was going to do, eau
tiously he entered the hallway. AS
he was about to lay his hand On the
newell post of the dilapidated stairs
the floor dropped from under his feet
and he was precipitated into the cellar.
This tenement belonged to the
Black Hundred; 1t concealed a thou
sand doors and a hundred traps. Its
history was as dark as its Railways.
When Vroon and his companion,
who had been waiting for him, de-
scended into the cellar they found the
reporter %insensible. They bound, blind
folded, and gagged him quickly.
Saunders" said Vroon, you tell
| Corrigan that I've a sailor for him to.
night, and that l want this sailor
booked for somewhere south Of the
equator. Tell him to say to the mas
ter that this fellow Is ugly and DISC
bedient. A tramp freighter, whose
captain is a bully. Do you understand
me?"
II get you. But there's no need to
go to Corrigan this trip. Bannock is
in port and sails tonight for Norway.
That's far enough"
"Bannock? The very a Well,
Mr.. Norton, reporter and amateur de-
t~ective, 1 guess we've got you fast
enough this time. You may or may
not come back alive. Go and bring
around a taxi; some one you can
trust. I'll dope the reporter while
you're gone.
Long hours afterward Norton
opened his aching eyes. He could hard
ly move and his head buzzed abomi-
nably. What had happened? What
was the meaning Of this slow rise and
fall Of his bed? S%hanghaied?
Come out O. that now, We skulk.
err" roared a voice down the com
%panionway.
"Shanghaied!" the reporter muir,
INJURED. He sat up and ran through
his pockets. Not a sou-markee, not a
match even; and a second glance told
him that the clothes he wore were not
his own. They've landed me this
time. Shanghaied! What the devil
am I going to do"
Dye hear me?" bawled the stri-
dent voice again.
Norton looked about desperately for
some weapon Of defense. He saw an
engineers spanner on the floor by the
bunk CROSS the way, and with no
small physical effort he succeeded in
obtaining 1t. He stood up, his hand be-
hind his back.
"All right, me buckle! I'll come
down an git ye!"
A pair Of enormous boots began
to appear down the companionway,
and there gradually rose up from
them a man as wide as a church door
and as deep as a we'll.
Wait a moment" said Norton, grip
ping he spanner. Let us have a per-
feet understanding right off the bat"
We're going t. have it, matey.
Don't we worry none"
Norton raised the spanner, and,
dizzy as he was, faced this seafaring