Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-08-29

SW~6I o'T~O, 1--WE y
near Capt. Barnes cottage just outside the
village.
An say, Mister, seen anythin' in tn pa
pers about a missin' young woman?" asked
some one.
Missing young woman7 What's thatT
The man told the story of Florences leap
into the sea and her subsequent arrival at
the cape
That's funny" said the stranger. al
don't recollect reading about any young
woman being lost at sea. But those big
liners are always keeping such things under
cover. Hoodoos the ship, they say and turns
prospective passengers to other lines. 1t
hurts business. What's the young girl look
likeT'
Florence was described infinitely. The
stranger teetered in his chair and smoked.
Finally ne spoke.
She was probably insane. That's the
way generally with insane people. They
can't see water or look off a tall building
without wanting to jump. My business is in
surance, and we've got the thing figured
pretty close to the ground. They used to get
the best of us on the suicide game. A man
would take out large policy today and to-
morrow he'd blow his mead off and we'd have
to pay his wife. But nowadays a policy is
not worth the paper it's written on if a man
commits suicide under two years."
You ain't tryin' t insure anybody in
town, are you"
20, no. No work for me when I'm on my
vacation. Well, I'm going to bed; and to-
morrow morning I'll go out to Capt. Barnes
beach and have a good swim. I'm no sailor,
but like water"
He honestly enjoyed swimming. Early the
next morning he was in the water, frolicking
about as playfully as boy. He had all the
time in the world. Over his shoulder he saw
two women wandering down toward the
beach. Deeper he went, farther out. He
was bold swimmer, but that did not pre-
vent a sudden and violent attack of cramps.
And it was a rare piece of irony that the
poor girl should save the life of that scoun-
drel who was without pity or mercy. AS she
saw his face a startled frown marred ner
brow But she could not figure out the puz-
zle. Had she ever seen the man before? She
did not know, she could not tell. Why could
not she remember? Why must her poor head
ache so when sne tried to pierce the wall of
darkness which surrounded her mentally?
The man thanked her feebly, but the graf
itude was on his lips and not in his heart
When he mad sufficiently recovered he re-
turned to the village and sought the railway
station, where the Western Union had its
office.
al want to send code message to my
firm. Do you think you can follow it?"
can try" said the operator
The code was really Slav; and when the
long message was signed it was signed by
the name Vroon.
Tne day after the news came that Flor
ence had jumped overheard off the Banks,
Vroon with a dozen other men had started
out to comb all the fishing villages along the
New England coast. Somewhere along the
way he felt confident that he would learn
whether the girl was dead or alive. If she
was dead, then the game was a draw; but il
she was alive there was still fighting chance
for the Black Hundred. He had had some
idea of remaining in the vilage and accom-
plishing the work himself; but after delibera-
ton ne concluded that it was important
enough for Braine himself to take a hand in.
So the following night he departed for Bos-
ton, from there to New York He proceeded