Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-18


faction he felt at thwarting her. They played
chess together, dined together, with always the
armed Difference between them, a state Of mind
so obvious as to have been ludicrous had they
not both been conscious of it. Many times
she thought the strain was more than she could
bear, when she doubted the wisdom of this trip.
And always would come morbid pictures of her
sweetheart to sustain her in her determination
10 clear hlm OF the charge under which he rested.
1t was on the eighth day out that the spy
suddenly sprang to his feet. darting swiftly to
the door of the stateroom. She stared at him in
astonishment, amazed at the change which had
come him. His life must have made him
more than unusually sensitive to impressions for
a full quarter hour elapsed after he had resumed
his seat before n barely perceptibe thudding
sound came from beneath the deck.
Perhaps it may have been the premorition
of the silent man. perhaps forebodng of disaster
on her own part that took her to the deck The
captain had quit the bridge and stood at the
door OF the engine room, his face betraying tho
anxiety he tried to conceal from his passengers.
Louder, louder grew the thudding sound, follow
ing now by retching like the ripping of a rot
ten CLOTH
"a boiler in the engine room," Loubequo
said quietly when she returned to his suite.
She stared at the spy incredulously. He was
seated In the great chair as though such thing
was of the slightest possible consequence to him.
HIS lmpassNe countenance was more sombre
than ever and she realized with sinking heart,
that her impulse to appeal to him in this hour
OF deadllest peril would be of avail.
lessness, a thought of which she felt ashamed
for the second. If worst came to the worst this
man would attempt to save to take with him
ms most priceless possession. If only she could
ind out where the stolen papers were concealed
she would get them. 1t was not wrong to take
advantage of the weakness of physical invalid
who possessed such giant mental strength.
Mingling with the horrid retching sound
came long hiss. The spy sprang to his feet
again and opened the door. Passengers were
rushing wildly about the decks, their faces be-
traylng the abject terror they felt. At the rail
stood the Captain and Second Mate supervising
the lowering of the life boats. white faced
steward banged against the door, thrusting his
head inside
Fire" he whispered, then, as though
ashamed for the fear which had robbed him of
his voice Its fre-to the boats"
Lucille turned away, a sickening feeling
clutching at her heart. Fire! Fire out here on
the broad ocean and never sight of land since
Manila! What could she do? She suddenly was
conscious of Hugo Loubeque's swift motions.
The spy darted across the room and drew from
the top drawer of his desk package of papers
which he hurriedy replaced she turned.
There was something on his countenance which
told her the truth, told her that he had re.
vealed the secret of the stolen papers. He slapped
the drawer shut reassuming his aspect of indf-
ference as he brushed her away from the door,
Quick as the spring of cat she had secured
the papers while he stepped to the deck appar-
emily to study the situation When he returned
she was moving carelessly about the room, wear
so innocent an expression that he studied her
suspiciously second. Their eyes met and he
sprang to the DESK slapping open the drawer so
violently its contents fell upon the floor. As he
whirled upon her she in his face that the
truce was at an end, that he knew of his loss
and would stop at nothing to regain his secret.
Swiftly she sprang through the open door,
losing herself in the mass of passengers huddled
against the rail. Looking back she caught a
glimpse of the white faced coolies and Chinese,
staring in sulen despair at the passengers whose
turn it was to enter the life boats while they
must wait, under threat of the revolvers in the
hands of the officers. Behind them little cork
screw sprals of steam reached out caressing
fingers, twining about them and then innocently
losing themselves about the tunnels. And al
ways, always sounded that horrible Kissing
sound from below, the sound of unbrdled fire.
Lucille felt overmastering impulse with.
in her to remain with this terror anything save
the great, threatening that looked SO
monstrous now, waiting the tiny crafts that
creaked down from the davits. Then powerful
arms were about her. She felt herself being
lifted and hurtled forward, huddling down in
the crowded boat that being lowered to the
waves.
She would have thought the ocean calm
ordinarily, but the boat spashed upon It's
bosom, the sailors striking easily into rythmical
swing, she realized the power of this mighty
body of water that invited the frail boat to be-
come part of itself instead of striving to COM
bat it with such meagre thickness of rounded
wood
hand reached out and rested upon her
shoulder. For a second she was unconscious of
it, then something steadying, indomitable about
the clutch of finger tips made her turn. Hugo
Loubeque smiled into her eyes, smiled with the
pitying expression of invincible one who
grieves for the weakling that dashes against him.
Her eyes upraised toward the boat, a mass
of whitish smoke through which leaped
playful reddish flames. Now and then a figure
would dart toward the rail and lunge overheard,
the bodies striking the water in great circles
that lost themselves in one another And for
second the thought came to her that even that
inferno of ship was preferable to this man be-
side her.
''Well played, Miss Love-" the spy murmured
sillSily. But fear you must return the"
piercing shrek made him turn swiftly,
shrek that lost itself in the heavy crunching of
wooden oars against wood. Came horrid bump
ing that seemed more like the crunching of a
wild beast upon bones than anything she had
ever heard. Heat, intense, steaming, beat upon
her cheeks. She looked up and only the dark
hulk of the Empress 1oomed above her, only
urid flame illumined the heavens.
She was conscious of her heavy clothing,
sodden now with water; was conscious of the
ack of support. Something long and wooden
tilted against her and instinctively her fingers
clutched the oar which had foated out to her
from their boat which had been tossed and
crushed against the burning liners side. Again
she looked up.
The Empress of white flames
now, flames that seemed to carry it down, down,
1own like some boat of fabled ages. The soft
breeze caressed her cheeks its very tenderness
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