Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-16

of Hugo Loubeqqe and his crafty manner.
mo fear; I don't understand" Her voice
quavered.
"I mean he understands who is master of
this boat now. He attempts to give me orders,
to bribe me to force you to give up some papers,
to threaten me" Wetherel broke off with
laugh, coming bit closer to her even as she
retreated before him. "As though anyone could
force me to harm you," he leered
"What do you wantP" Even as she spoke
thrill of conscious triumph surcharged her
she realized the tremble had left her voice and
with its departure had come again that strange
feeling of self-assurance
Wetheren halted uncertainty, held back by
her change Then the heplessness of the small
tense figure crouching in the shadows her eyes
dark pools of defiance set in face of pallid
determination gave him courage and again he
moved closer. His voice was hoarse now, his
great hands clasping and unclasping.
"Want?" he repeated then with short,
barking laugh, ST want the papers and want
you"
ST don't understand" though her voice was
steady, her expression showed his meaning to be
clearer to her than anything else in the world.
He leaped forward, clasping her about the
waist with his great arms, the right hand NOV
ing toward her mouth, closing the delicate
lips and smothering her cry of wild alarm.
"Want you," he cried "I want you and 1
want the papers. Loubeque knows it, but he's
out of the way now Give me the papers and
will keep them away from him! Give me the
papers"
He sprang back with low-toned oath of
surprised increduity as her brittle laugh
echoed through the cabin Slowly, step at
time, inch by inch, Lucille forced the man to-
ward the door, In smothering her screams he
had freed her light arm and her tiny fist, fight
ing against his beating at his body had encoun-
tered his revolver which she deftly abstracted
and had pressed against his chest.
"The papers are quite safe where they are"
she murmured sweetly, the CLINT in her eyes
belying the tones. "Come, captain, don't try to
take this gun away from me. That would be
foolish. Remember I am accustomed to firearms
and that you have placed me in position where
] should not hesitate-to use bullet. Come, cap
tain, let's see how the men you have bullied like
the sight of you now"
Wetherell opened his lips to curse but there
was an expression of icy determination on the
girls face, in the tense lines of her figure, in the
tremorless feel of the gun against him that made
him do her bidding. He told himself that it
all a joke preposterous thing, but the feel of
the weapon continually brought him back to the
stern reality of the predicament his carelessness
had brought him into Only when he felt the
cabin threshold beneath his feet and knew an
other step would bring him in sight of the
did he halt, the maxillary muscles swelling def
antly. Lucille laughed again, the mrthless,
brittle laugh, emphasizing it with sharp nudge
of the gun sight.
1t was scant fifteen seconds the man and
girl stood there, their eyes challenging. But the
eyes of Lucille were steady, determined those of
the captain were truculent, defiant. Then Weth-
erell finched and dropped his murderous express
sion. Quickly he looked up once more and for an
instant Lucille feared she had gone too far
Then, with surly shrug, Captain Wethere
marched across the threshold and upon the deck
before his men, while Lucille felt the Joy of such
a triumph as she had never known before Her
plans were formulated for the next move, had
been prepared from the instant she drew the
mans own gun upon him. Risky it was and with
slight chance for success, but---there was q
chance. 1t sufficient.
Wetherell sullenly moved before her.