The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-10-23

newport.
there in a rack. Then he darted back
and with ringing strokes began his as.
sault upon the wall. Suddenly from
within he heard a womans shrek.
Neal" cried Annette's voice within
and it was the voice of a girl beside
herself with agony and fear Neal
it is Annette. Come, for Gods sake.
come"
Neal delivered one more crashing
blow, then he motioned to his fellows.
Come, boys" he said, there's not
a second to lose. This thing has got
to CO."
The corridor was fairly broad The
little squad of sailors withdrew and
huddled against the opposite wall.
! Then as one man this human batter
ing tam lunged and lurched across the
hall and propelled itself against the
already splintered partition.
With a crash the secret door went
| down, and with a bound Neal was in
the room. Annette, her dress torn,
her hair disheveled, struggled with
the brute in one corner of the room
Ponto had released her With bound
he crossed the room and jerked aside
the fireplace, disclosing a secret exit
He crawled through the aperture and
disappeared
Hernandez, stupetied with astOnish-
ment. yet had an expression of tri
ullph and glee upon his face lie was
TRUSTING yellow parchment into his
pocket. Annette with final struggle
slipped from the brutes grasp and
/ darted toward Hernandez, calling to
! Neal
Neal Neal" she cried, he's got
my fathers map"
With, one spring Neal was upon Her
nandez. He snatchej back the hand
with which Hernandez was pushing
the map into his pocket. The map
came out torn and crumpled An
nette. beside herself, snatched at it
with both hands Neal grabbed at it
and also got hold. Hernandez still
held ii in his iron clutch.
All this took place in an instant. In
another instant the three had fallen
back. each in separate direction. The
map had parted and each clutched a
piece of it.
Hernandez. with an oath, turned
and Owed into the secret passageway.
Five minutes later the fastest boat
along the shore-the boat which Inez
Castro called her own--was chug-
| a. fItf N mi I'm
ures huddled in her bottom-the brute
and PoIto and their chief, Hernandez,
They had wriggicd somehow through
the surrounding circle. had zig gagged
in and out of shots--had made good
their escape.
When the chase was over Neal re
turned and half apologized to Inez.
Sorry, Miss Courtiei, - but
: they've made away with your fast mo
torboat. We couldn't get to ours in
time. We landed half a mile or so
just up the shore. How do you feel?'
Better" exclaimed Inez Its the
excitement, the noise. the pistol shots
they have made me well again.
Neal thrust his hand int his pocket
and pulled forth crumpled piece of
..,r !IIcat.
IWhat did you get, Annette?" he in
guirel
Annette thrust her hand into her
dress and pulled forth her own tat
| tered position lnez, watching, bent
her heiI t. listen. Neal and Annette
spread tLl r two pieces OF the map out
upon the little stInl Between them
they had the bulk If the lower portion
/ ct the map IL was blank surface
: save fer three things-a little tail of
the island sticking down and the words
| longitude and latitude, and moth.
iI.s else Annette laughed in glee
We've got everything We want,
| she said to Neal. What is here is
important. What the man with the
s1ber cut upon his face has got is OF
nc use tC him or us We beat him
to it, Neal, we beat him TO it.
Over on the bed Inez, in her crouch
ing attitude, still listened. wondering
CTO BE CONTiNCED1