The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1914-12-18

larry or ST. petersburg, VladivOStok,
Shanghai, as the villagers-some O..
them-might have spoken of Boston.
There were one or two old timers
among the audience. They had been
to all these parts. The stranger knew
what he was telling about. After tell
ing of his many voyages he asked if
there was good bathing beach near
by. He was told that he would find
the most suitable spot near Captain
Barnes cottage just outside the vii
lage
AN say, Mister, seen anythin' in
tn papers about missin young wom-
an?" asked some one
Missing young woman? What's
that?"
The man told the story of F7orence's
leap into the sea and her subsequent
arrival at the cape.
That's funny" said the stranger.
Il 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. It hurts
business. What's the young girl look
| iike?"
Florence was described infinitely. The
stranger teetered in his chair and
smoked. Finally he spoke.
"She probably was 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 insurance 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 tomorrow he'd blow his
head off, and we'd have to pay his
wife. But nowadays policy is not
worth the paper it's written on if a
man commits suicide under two
years."
"You amt tryin' to insure anybody
in town, are you?"
"Oh, no. No work for me when
Im on my vacation. Well, I'm going
to bed; and tomorrow morning I'll go
out to Captain Barnes beach and have
a good swim. I'm no sailor, but 1 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 prevent sudden and violent attack
of cramps. And it was a rare piece
of irony that the poor girl should save
the life of that scoundrel who was
without pity or mercy. AS she saw
his face a startled frown married her
brow. But she could not figure out the
puzzle. Had she ever seen the man
before? She did not know, she could
not tell. Why could not she remem-
Der? Why must her poor head ache so
when she tried to pierce the wall of
darkness which surrounded her men
tally?
The man thanked her feebly, but
not in his heart. When he had suffl-
GENTLY recovered he returned to the
village and sought the railway station,
where the Western Union had it's Of
fee.
Il want to send a code message to
my firm. Do you think you can fol-
low it?"
L can try" said the operator.
The code was really Slav; and when
the long message was signed it was
signed by the name Vroon.
The day after the news came that
Florence had jumped overheard off
the banks, Vroon with dozen other
men had started out to comb all the
fishing villages along the New Eng
land 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 if she was alive there was
still a fighting chance for the Black
Hundred. He had had some idea of re.
naming in the village and accomplish
ing the work himself; but after DELHI.
GRAFTON he concluded that it was i'm.
portant enough for Braine himself to