The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-01-09

You may depend on it." Tom as
sured him. Il have known for some
time that Flint was looking for VIII
lard-and more especially for John
Calls
The detective sharply interjected:
He's on this yacht right now-dis-
abled. That's why you happen to be
here; you were hired to take his place.
I'll see to it that he doesn't get away
from you. Strikes me you have oppor-
tunities that old Flint would appreci-
ate"
The man no longer tried to dissem-
BILE.
II see that you have me spotted all
right. Cornelius is my name. What's
the game? Phineas had no time to
put me wise"
"He couldn't have told you so very
much" replied Tom-"little more than
/ can myself. / am not in Wizards
confidence, but / have the best of rea-
sons for knowing that whatever it is
he's up TO. it is strictly on the level"
"H'm-m-m," Cornelius unused. that
makes my position a bit difficult,
doesn't it,"
Not particularly SO. All you have
to do is play fair. If anything crook
ed shows up you can count on my as
sistance. But the orders are strict
about going and coming, and you
couldn't expect me to make an excep-
zion of you, Flint or anybody else. On
my side, | shall say nothing to Will
lard about you
Cornelius picked up both bill and
letter, returning the first to his pocket
and tearing the second into tiny bits.
FLINT will be all up in the air over
not hearing from me- he remarked;
but if | can't, | can't. You have the
dead-wood on me now. Have you any
idea what was in that box they
brought aboard last night?"
Not the slightest" returned Tom.
"It looked d whole lot like a coffin"
Tom filed and lighted his pipe,
while Mr.. Cornelius sat and watched
him intently. AS the same idea bad
occurred to the first-named, he could
not disparage it now. Cornelius broke
| the silence:
Collins, you know, are only used
when there are dead people to put in
| them. Any cadavers around here that
| you've noticed?"
You're a nice cheerful chap, be-
lieve me-" retorted Tom. mo, there
are none. 1t can't be Calls, because
| he's getting well-saw him less than
! an hour ago."
Just suppose" Cornelius went on
meditatively, that Willard is expect
| ing somebody to die-at a given time,
| say
Hang it ALL" Tom cut in. "You
/ don't think the man is plotting DELHI
crate murder, do your"
Cornelius did not say what he
| thought. He sat considering.
Well" he said at last, rising, 81
guess I'll have to take your word for 1t
that everything is all right until see
different. But a coffin"-he shook his
head dubiously-"it don't look good to
me-" Whereupon he took his depar-
| ture.
Shortly after nightfall Tom saw Will
lard and the man Cornelius board the
launch and go ashore, and he watched
them with a quickened sense Of antici-
patton.
"If that sleuth Is worth darn" he
reflected. now Is his chance to get
word to Flint
He did not witness their return, but
about an hour later he had glimpse
| of Cornelius and one of the other
young men, CARRIED in soiled and worn
overalls and jumpers, like a pair of
stevedores.
Somewhere around half-past nine,
! the coffin-shaped box once more aD-
| peared.
But now, instead of two men, all four
| of Wizards retainers were carrying 1t.
! Indeed, it would scarcely be too much
to say that they staggered with it, SO
! heavy had it grown, and so marked
was the contrast between the ease and
Indifference with which it had been
brought aboard, and the extreme eau
ton with which it was being handled
now
| Wizards patent explosive flashed in
TO Toms mind. After all, was it not
possible that he was about to perpe-
trate some appalling disaster, and
that Paige and Jessie had been won
over to whatever extreme mistaken
principles he justified his conduct by,
so that they to believed them to be
right and high-minded? With an inn
minent sense of the mans powerful in
divfduality Strong upon him, the idea,
hideous as it was, was not altogether
impossible.
Willard was himself experimenting
the box's conveyance with such anx-
ious regard and solicitude that Toms
misgivings swept over him again, in
tensifed a hundredfold.
With no clearly defined purpose in
mind, he involuntarily stepped up to
the gangway, as they began to nego-
tiate the difficult descent Of the ac-
commodation-steps.
You need more help there, don't