The Ordway new era., 1914-10-30
THE TREY O'HEARTS
CONTINUED from Page ~

signals of other shipping sounded .
concert of discordance-the man
power horn Of a'catboat crying the
warning back to the deep-throated
whistle of a coastwise steamship and
the impertinent drumming Of motor.
boats exhaust with the mufler cut
out.
This last boxed the compass, sound
ing now near, now far. though the com
plants of other shipping diminished
in volume and died away In the dis
tancs. giving place to others still. the
plutter-plutter Of that motor was never
altogether lost; II at times It faded.
It seemed certain always to return In
even louder volume.
Vainly straining his vision against
the blank pallor of the encompassing
fog, Alan wondered, worried. dreaded!
At irregular intervals. starting
from preoccupation. he would manipu-
late the brass pull on the wheel-box.
provoking the horns suffering blasts
of protest. But the need for unremit-
ting vigilance and exercise of the fog.
signal failed none the less to reconcile
Alan to that blatant clamG which 80
widely and SO hideously advertised
their whereabouts.
II there were anything still to be
feared from Judith and her crew-if.
for instance. as Barcus had suggested.
they had sought out one of the life
saving stations on Nauset beach. ap
propriated Its power-driven lifeboat
and renewed the pursuit. II ever they
heard that horn there would beyond
question be the devil to pay!
The loneliness Of his vigil was even
tually relieved by the appearance on
deck of the woman Alan loved.
The tableau that greeted her vision a.
she emerged from the companionway,
Of the haggard. unshaven wretch At
the wheel and the other who lay At his
feet. where he had fallen. IN a stupor
Of fatigue. instantly wrung from Rose
q little cry Of sotcitude. And she was
quick to do what little she could to
alleviate their discomfort. For Barcus
she fetched = pillow and blanket from
the cabin. and this one suffered her
ministrations without once rousing
LIE BkuuUCEb. 1uCh A01S0AAAB
forward. she got the galley fire going
and prepared makeshift breakfast
for her halffamished lover.
Warm food and hot coffse-such ~
they wsre-lending = little tone to
Alan's spirits. he was presently able
to discuss their situation with some
optimism. Yet nothing could gloss
the fact that the problem confronting
them was one whose solution bahied
their utmost ingenuity-one the simple
contemplation Of which taxed their
courage and intelligence to the ex-
treme.
He summed up: II can't see any.
thing for It but father and Judith arc
determined to have my scalp. and I'm
hanged II can see how to protect my
self without taking leaf out Of their
books. What I'm most afraid Of II
that some time may forget its .
woman I'm defending myself against.
When . fellows fighting for his very
life he can't always stop to calculate
the weight Of his blows"
The young man sighed. shook his
head. laughed uncertainty. and held
her closer to him. Don't fear: I'll
hnd some way out without injuring
either Of them. promise you that!"
He sealed the pledge upon her lips.
And in that moment of their obliv-
ion to the world from some point for
ward q munied crash sounded stimuli.
taneously with the dull shock Of .
collision with . smaller vessel. and .
strange voice cried out with an &C
cent Of high exultation.
Before either Alan or the girl could
disengage the decks rang loud with
rush Of booted feet pounding AFT.
The figures Of the boarding party
were already taking shape through the
fog a. Alan sprans toward the COM
panionway to fetch the rife. And in
this action his feet slipped on planks
greasy with moisture deposited by the
surcharsed atmosphere. He went down
with q stumbling thump. and an in
stant later two men fell bodily upon
him-active, strong fellows in tho
dress OF fishermen. He was suffered
to rise only as a prisoner. helpless In
the grasp Of two pairs of powerful
hands.
He saw Barcus, rudely reused and
still dumb with sleepy confusion. in
no better case-jerked to his feet and
held captive by two more fishermen