The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-12-04

cunning.
The heads of the Black Hundred
must be destroyed. Those were the
! orders. What good to denounce them,
to send them to a prison from which,
, with the aid of money and a tremen-
dous secret political pull, they might
| readily find their way out? They must
! be exterminated, as one kills off the
/ poisonous plague rats of the Orient.
A woman? In the law of reprisal
| there was no sex.
Shortly after the telephone episode
| (Which rather puzzled the princess)
| she received a wire from Braine, which
| announced the fact that Florence and
/! five had escaped and were coming to
New York on train 70. 25, and ad-
vised her to meet the train en- route.
She had to fly about to do it.
When Captain Bannock released
Braine, he had been in no enviable
frame of mind. Tricked fooled by the
girl, whose mind was as unclouded as
his own! She had succeeded in bribing
| coal stoker, and had taken him un-
awares. The man had donned the dis
guise he had laid out for shore ap-
proach, and the blockhead Bannock
had never suspected. He had not rec
ognized Norton at all. 1t was only
! when Bannock explained the history
of the shanghaied stoker that he real
lied his real danger. Norton! He must
be pushed off the board. After this
episode he could no longer keep up
the pretense of being friendly. Nor
ton, by a rare stroke of luck, had
forced him out into the open So be
it. Self-preservation is in no wise
looked upon as criminal The law may
have it's ideas about it, but the in
dividual recognizes no law but its own.
1t was Braine whom he loved and ad-
! mired. or Norton whom he hated as
dog with rabies hates water With
Norton free, he would never again
, dare return to New York openly. This
| meddling reporter aimed at his ease
and elegance.
He left the freighter as soon as a
boat could carry him ashore. The
fugitives would make directly for the
railroad, and thither he went at top
speed, to arrive ten minutes too late.
"Free!" said Florence, as the train
began to increase its speed.
Norton reached over and patted
| her hand. Then he sat back with a
sudden shock of dismay. He dived
hand into pocket, into another and
another The price of the telegram
he had sent to Jones was all he had
had in the world; and he had borrowed
that from a friendly stoker. In the
excitement he had forgotten all about
such a contingency as the absolute
need of money.
Florence, I'm afraid we're going to
have trouble with the conductor when
he comes"
"Why?"
He pulled out his pockets sugges-
lively. Not postage stamp. They'll
put us off at the next station. And"
with a glance in the little mirror be-
tween the two windows, Il shouldn't
blame them bit" He was unshaven,
he was wearing the suit substituted
for his own; and Florence, sartorially,
was not much better off.
She smiled, blushed, stood up, and
turned her back to him. Then she sat
down again. In her hand she held a
small dilapidated roll of banknotes.
II had them with me when they
abducted me- she said. Besides,
this ring is worth something"
Thank the Lord" he exclaimed
relievedly.
So there was nothing more to do
but be happy; and happy they We're
They were quite oblivious to the pecu-
liar interest they aroused among the
other passengers. This unshaven
| young man, in his ragged coat and
soiled jersey; this beautiful young
girl, in a wrinkled homespun, heI
glorious blonde hairy awry; and the
way they looked at each other during
those lulls in conversation peculiar
to lovers the world over, impressed
the other passengers with the idea
tnet something very unusual had hap.
/ pened to these two.
The Pullman conductor was not es.
pecially polite; but money was money,
and the stockholders, waiting for their
dividends. made it impossible for him
to reject it. The regular conductor
paid them no more attention than to
grumble over changing $40 bill.
So, while these two were hurrying
on to New York. the plotters were
hurrying east to meet them. The two
trains met and stopped at the same
station about eighty miles from New
York. The princess, accompanied by
Vroon, who kept we'll In the back.
ground, entered the car occupied by
the two castaways.
In the mirror at the rear of the car
Norton happened to cast an idle
glance, and he saw the princess.
Vroon. however, escaped his eye.
| BE careful. Florence" he said. .sThe