The Washington herald., 1914-05-31
CHAPTER XVII.
At the Pier.

HUGO LOUBEQUE stood little apart from tho
eager passengers gathered at the rail, watch
ing the giant harbor of the Golden Gate creep
ing about them, encircling them. His eyes
glowed with a somber fire but no muscle of his
face betrayed by so much a twitch the delight
with which he welcomed land after his wander
ings, the perils through which he had emerged.
To these others, the sight meant home their
country, the land to which they belonged and
which belonged to them But to Loubequs it
meant bitterness, gall. 1t meant the country
that had been his but which had cast him forth,
an unworthy son unfit to be its citizen. His eyes
fastened morosely upon the slender, pretty slip
of girl clinging to the rail, her lips parted as
she watched the deck, black with eager friends
and relatives, coming closer, closer.
So close the passengers could make out
faces, so close they could call greetings to those
ashore, then slow crunching the great ship
swung into her moorings. Hugo Loubeque slow
ly lifted the cigar from his mouth and waved it
in deliberate circle that ended with its tip
pointing toward the slender girl. He caught her
eyes and smiled at the expression of terror, of
fear in them as he saw she had marked his ges-
ture.
Came a crowding forward in the center of
the throng upon the deck The gangplank thrust
its nose out, out, until it rested upon the dock,
the narrow gangplank that was all remaining of
the vast ocean distance separating these pes
sengers from their homeland. Some of them
looked about in surprise at sound of cultural
OATH They saw a tall, somber, saturnine pas
senger, smoking cigar, his eyes fastened upon
a squad of blue coated policemen, edging their
way from the rear of the throng into the exact
center. They wondered.
Lucille tripped down the gang plank. Once
more the man who had uttered the oath lifted
his cigar Came quick upheayal in the throng.
The spy smiled to himself then moved toward
the plank. He looked down upon the crowd of
men surrounding the slip of girl, surrounding
her so closely she hidden from sight. The
policemen were fighting their way to the ship
Came scream in womans voice. Loubeque
bent forward, his knuckles showing blue white
ness from the ferceness of his grip upon the
liners rail.
Help, Help, Cap"
The officers whirled in the direction of the
girls voice. The crowd of men jammed closer,
resisting. without the appearance of resistance,
the shoulders of the law. From outside the jam
darted woman, clad in deep mourning. Easily
the throng of gave way before her. Her
arms were about the neck of the girl who had
screamed, smothering her lips with kisses.
my poor, dear sister" she sobbed uncon-
trollably, her arms about LuciIle's waist, bear
ing her through the crowd of men.
The captain stood at Loubeque's elbow, his
face troubled. The policemen fought their way
to the center of the group to find no woman
there. Their leader, a sergeant, stepped toward
the captain.
'You sent wireless. sir, regarding a young
The captain turned to Loubeque his eyes
threatening.
'.The girl" he demanded. what has become
Hugo Loubeque laziy pointed his cigar to
ward a black, high powered motor car leaping
out into the city's street
"The insane girl?" he smiled. Il believe l
saw her step into that machine, Captain"
The sergeant waited curiously. Knowing
there was something between the two men,
scenting the atmosphere of hatred, he waited.
mo use now, sergeant" sighed Lucilles
friend.
Hugo Loubeque deliberately lighted fresh
cigar then. still smiling. stepped toward the
plank
Continued Next Week.l