Putnam patriot., 1915-02-26


 feet of me.
 Who is this? Oh. you. Craig?" he questioned sharply. Not asleep yetT
 Not even drowsy." l said pretend Ing an ease I was far from feeling
 You think favorably of my plan. hope"
 Il see no reason to refuse. if the pay is all right.
 Tt will be. trust me for that. A beautiful night this-the air as soft as June was about tn turn in. but de- cided to take whiff on deck first"
 Rather captains duty is 1t netE'
 Il believe so. in regular service. but this is decidedly irregular The fact is, that while l am the owner Of this vessel and technically in command 1 am no navigator merely give my general orders and trust the seaman ship to Herman He is perfectly trust worthy and capable. aSd 1 never inter- fere The last voyage l doubt fl l was on deck twice, although. of course. he added soberly. my word goes if l should care to exercise au- thoritys
 What are those lights off yonderf' | asked, pointing.
 shore lights.
 "Then we are steering eaStYH
 "A hit south of east. yes; odd course for Honduras. you think"
 nodded wiling enough to let him talk
 ..tt-,, . ,.ta,.f,,,~ tha oap,a safa Craig: that's ali he explained. both hands gripping the rail. You see. We cleared for Santingo and are not anX- ious 10 be seen and reported hy any westhound ships Tomorrow We will be hidden among the islands off the vest Florida ooast. Then. as soon as it is dark we will shoot out under fnll steam into the gulf The chances are we'll cross the lane unobserved. If we should intercept q liner. she won't identify LIS i'll the dark as We burn no lights By daylight we'll be we'll beyond their lookouts and can steer straight course"
 The proximity of the man irritated me. 1 wanted to be alone. where l could think out some feasible scheme of escape.
 "I have had enough for tonight l said finally, and am going to turn in
 Best thing you can do." he coin cided but without looking toward me. will follow suit as soon as l smoke cigarette. See you tomorrow
 When 1 awoke the sun was shining of n0la nd glancing forth caught the dazzle of the water rhe vessel was notion less. apparently riding at anchor. tte sea barely rippled by gentle breeze. The breakfast table was set for one, and the black steward was iolling Idzily in chair. At sight of me he got to his feet
 "Ah suah thought you wasn't neb- Der goin' ter wake up. sah.' he said genially. showing his teeth. An bin waitin' fer yer more'n two hours, An reckon"
 For me. Have the others eaten them
 Mostly, sah. mostly. De captain he nebber eat no breakfast. He say ct ain't good fer his libber Yaw. yaw! But de mates dey both bin down."
 What time is it?'
 Most TO- sah."
 Has Mrs. Henley breakfasted yet?' I asked
 Who. sah?"
 ''The lady you have on board"
 He scratched the wool on his head Il oi. nd hA St as though uncertain what he had best answer.
 "Ah suah nebber know'd dat wus her name. sah. No. sah. Ah nebber done suspected it. Yes sah. she had her breakfast. but An reckon she didn't eat much"
 "You served her here at the table,"
 No, sah; ill her room. sah. his voice low. De captain he unlock de doah an then lock it agin iou like sugah in your coffee, sah?'
 1 found the after deck entirely de serted. and there was no one visible on the bridge. Two OF three sailors. the anchor watch, were forward en- gagged in some service about the cup Sldls diQ ltitON W NS HN fAPHthS tht deck amidship 1 heard Broussard's voice at a distance. but could not To- cate him. However. no one paid the slightest attention to me as 1 stood smoking and gazing curiousiy around Everything appeared peaceful enough We were lying in q small harbor with in a hundred feet of the shore l sauntered forward toward the bridge. aiming to exchange greetings with the creole mate. Broussard was not a man to expect favors from and 1 had hated him with the first glimpse of his face. yet he possessed his racial characteristic of irnpuisive speech and was thus far more approachabe than the grun German first officer. Per haps if he believed me an accomplice he might be led to talk.
 How yon com on ze deck. m 'sieur" he asked. his eyes threatening. 'I thought you down below. locked in all tight" and ne waved an expressive hand aft.
 Gro Be Continued.)
 Real Wisdom.
 Since courtesy cannot be made con- 1c n