The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-01-22
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to his patience. He seized Braine b.
the shoulders and hustled him out O
the house.
i Bring your proofs, mister, an
nothin' more,n be said; but till y
bring 'em, keep away from this cot
tage."
4 And, simple-minded sailor that he
was, he thought this settled the mat
ter.
That night he kept his ears open FOL
unusual sounds, but he merely wasted
his nights rest. Quite naturally, he
reckoned that tbs stranger would
make his attempt at night. Indeed
he made it in broad daylight, with
Barnes not hundred yards away
calking dUry whose seams had
sprung aleak. Braine had Florence
upon the chartered yacht before the
old man realized what had happened
He never saw Florence again; but one
day, months later, he read all about
her in newspaper.
Florence fought; but she was weak,
and so the conquest was easy. Braine
was kind enough, now that he had
her safe. He talked to her, but she
merely stared at the receding coast.
All right; don't talk if you don't
want to. Here" to one of the men,
take her to the cabin and keep her
there. But don't you touch her. I'll
break you If you do. Put her in the
cabin and guard the door; at least
| keep an eye on it. She may take it
into her head to Jump overheard"
Even the temporarily demented are
not without a species Of cunning.
Florence had never seen Braine till
he appeared at the Barnes cottage Yet
she revolted at the touch of his hand
On the second day out toward New
York she found box of matches and
| blithely set fire to her cabin, walked
out into the corridor and thence to
cred it had gained too much Roadway
to be stopped. The yacht was doomed
They put off in the boats and for half
a day drifted helplessly.
Fate has everything mapped out like
a game of chess. You move a pawn,
and bang goes your bishop, or your
knight, or your king; or she lets you
almost win a game, and then check
mates you. But there is one thing to
be said in her favor-rail at her how
we will, she is always giving odds to
the innocent.
Mike Bannock was in the pilothouse,
looking over his charts, when the look
out in the crows nest sang out: 1.-TWO
boats adrift off the port bow, sir!" And
Bannock, who was first-class sailor.
although a rough one, shouted down
the tube to the engine room. The
freighter came to halt in about ten
minutes. The castaways saw that they
had been noted, and pulled CALAMITY
at the oars.
There are some things which sci
ence, well advanced as it is, cannot
explain. Among them is the shock
which cuts off the past and the coun-
tershock which reawakens memory.
They may write treatise after treatise
and expound, but they never succeed
in truly getting beyond that dark wall
of mystery.
At the sound of Jim Norton's voice
and at the sight of his face-for sub |
consciously she must have been think |
ing of him all the while-a great blind |
ing heat-wave seemed to burn across |
her eyes, and when the effect passed |
away she was herself again. A Wild |
glance at her surroundings convinced |
her that both she and her lover were |
in danger
Keep back whispered Jim. Don't |
recognize me-"
"They believe that I've lost my
mind, and I'll keep that idea in their |
heads. Sometime tonight I'll find a
chance to talk to you"
1t took a good deal of cautious ma
to bring about the meeting.
''They shanghied me. And thought
you dead! 1t was all wrong. 1t was
a trick of that Perigoff woman, and it
succeeded Girl, girl, love you better
han lifei"
81 know it now" she said, and she
Kissed him. HAS my father appeared
7et?"
mo"
do you know anything at all about
lim?" sadly.
Il thought did. It's all tumble
o me. But beware of the man who
brought you here He is the head of
ii our troubles; and il ne knew was
N board he'd kill me out of hand
He'd have to-" /,
Braine offered Bannock $1,000 to 1
urn back as far as Boston; and as /
hammock had all the time in the world, /
arrying no perishable goods, he con- |
ented. But he never could quite I'M |
erstand what followed He had put 1
florence and Braine in the boat and I
lnded them; but when he went down \
, see II Braine had left anything be- a
Ind, he found that individual bound \
I'D gagged in his bunk. d
CHAPTER XII. :