Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-04-07
CHAPTER II.

f~IHE three river thieves in thesex-
quiSitely furnished houseboat
III worked with deft rapidity 1t
- was the woman's swift, intui-
tive part TO discover hiding places; the
lean Jakes to discriminate in values;
Big Ben's, with nippers end hammer
and screwdriver, to rip off brssswork.
to open drawers, to reni and tear and
splinter If need be. Within an 1ncredi
bly, short space OF time they had the
skiff piled high with the richest and
the best which the houseboat had con
tanned; then they spread the tarpaulin
over their plunder and disposed their
punches of celery so that the green
leaves protruded in fringe from un-
der the edge of the tarpaulin; then the
heavily laden skiff, with its four pas
sengers and its loot, wormed its way
clumsily from amid the barges, look
ing like an innocent farmer boat.
The sun. now a golden ball in the
eastern mist. looked down upon a
harborage busy with the pursuers of
the little runaway bride. Henri and
Marie were swishing swiftly; Ned and
Bobbie and Iris were leaving the dock
in Bobbie's speedy little cruiser; Homo
ria Blye and the well known and just
ly famous private detective, Bill Wolf,
were putting out into the river in the
Eagle Eye Detective agency's steam
yawl. Its stovepipe stack rolling black
smoke and cinders and hot sparks
back over the already blackening pas
| sengers: Gilbert Blye and the heavy
lidded Edwards were just leaving the
Hilarity in the keen little racer; Gun
ningham had been slow and below
decks when they put off. but he fol
low now in the cutter. The racer and
the cutter speeded straight for the
point around which June had disap-
| peared. Tommy Thomas waved a scarf
after them and shouted absurd in
structions to them. but Mrs. Willard
! stood quietly by the rail. her eyes fixed
somberly on that distant point.
| Slowly June raised from her crouch
! ing position. The cling Of the small
! boat which she had sighted seemed ia
! be fainter rather than more distinct
1t was fading into the distance when
she looked, and from its red stern she
knew that it was not one of the Hilar-
/ ity's boats. Once more she breathed a
/ sigh of relief. but even as she did 50
she heard familiar sound-the siren
whistle of the 1ilarity's cutter And
it was near!
Frantically now she scanned the
shore. There was another inlet just
ahead of her. and in desperation she
steered into it. 1t was narrow but
distinct channel. winding about amid
tangle OF shrubbery and marsh grass
and stunted trees. with here and there
larger tree rising from mound OF
solid earth. There We're high banks
presently and then n tiny island. in the
center of which was a decrepit hut
June was about to step ashore wher
she heard the low purring of n motor
The cutter! From the sudden shut-in
ness of the sound it had entered the
inlet. In terror June jumped back into
the boat. The hut seemed deserted
There was no smoke rising from the
chimney and no one to protect her II
she were found there alone She was
away in a fash. circling the island
From the other side she saw that the
channel led away into the marshes
probably to another inlet, and she had
started to dart down this lonely water
way when suddenly she spied rope
trailing out into the water from under
some bushes matted with marsh weeds
The whir of the motor was rapidly ad
vancing. She could scarcely hope tC
escape unseen. Her wits sharpeneo
by her peril. she steered with swift de
cision toward the overhanging bushes
They parted as her PROV ran int