The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-27

SOAAOA, W uuu odICub huccliu6 ONcT
and gingerly but persistently shaking
her by the shoulder.
And then she sat up with q cry Of
mystified compassion; for in the brief
time that he had been ABSENT had
not been more than an hour-Mr. Bar.
Gus had most unquestionably been Sc
verely used.
He had acquired long cut over one
eye, but shallow, upon which blood
had dried. together with bruised and
swollen cheek that was badly
scratched to boot. And what simple
articles Of clothing remained to him,
after his strenuous experiences Of the
last forty-eight hours, had been re-
duced to even greater simplicity; his
shirt, for example, now lacked sleeve
that had been altogether torn away
at the shoulder.
moi" he told her, as soon as he saw
her wits we're awake once more
don't waste time plying me. I'm all
right-and so is Alan! That's the
main thing for you to understand; he's
still alive and sound"
But where is he? Take me to
him!" she demanded, rising with
movement Of such grace and vigor
that It seemed hard to believe she had
ever known an instant's WEAKNESS.
That's the rub" Barcus confessed,
squatting on the sands and knuckling
his hair. Il dassent take you to him.
Judith might object. Besides, you can
see for yourself it isn't safe to mingle
with the Inhabitants of this tight
little standard you can't get to
where Alan is without mingling con.
siderably. Sit down. and I'll tell you
all about it, and we'll try to figure out
what's best to be done. Maybe we
can manage q rescue under cover Of
night"
And when the girl had settled her
self beside him he launched into q
detailed report.
"It's Katama island, all right" he
announced, but a change has come
over the place since l visited it some
years ago. Then 1t was a community
of supplemented villagers and fisher
men; now, unless all signs fail. it's a
den Of smugglers. I noticed q mum.
Der of Chinese about; and that, taken
in connection with the fact that, when
ventured to introduce myself to the
village ginmill and ask a few inno-
cent questions, the entire population,
to child, landed on me like a thou.
sand brick-the two circumstances
made me think we'd stumbled on a
settlement Of earnest workers at the
gentle art Of helping poor Cinnamon
evade the exclusion laws"
With wry smile. he pursued: "As
for me, landed out back Of the joint,
! on the nape Of my neck, and took the
| count, surrounded by a lot Of unsym-
pathetic boxes and barrels that had
seen better days. And when I came to
and started to crawl unostentatiously
away, l was just in time to witness the
landing of your amiable sister, that
gang Of cutthroats she keeps on the
pay roll, and Alan in company with as
choice a crew of scoundrels as you'd
! care to see. gathered from a few
words that leaked out of the back door
| OF the barroom, that 1t was as I had
thought-Judith had stolen a boat
from the ship that picked her up, and
rammed It on Norton's reef; and after
she gathered Alan in the schooner Of
these smugglers happened along, and
she hailed 1t and struck q bargain with
the captain and signed co-partnership
articles, or something like that. Any
way, her lot and the islanders were
! soon as thick as thieves, and tanking
up SO socially that l actually got q
chance to whisper a word to Alan and
tell him you we're all right. and that
he'd find US both down here on the
beach. II luck served him with an es-
cape. That was all / got a chance to
say, for Judith, marched up just then
and yanked him of to his cell. mean
to say, he's locked up now in little
stone hut on the edge Of the cliff, with
the door guarded and the window over
looking sheer drop Of thirty feet or
SO to the beach. When I'd seen that
much l calculated it was about time
for me to get quit of that neighbor.
hood, before Mam'selle Judith nicked
me with the evil eye."
you don't think she saw your" the
girl cried.
81 don't think So" Bercus allowed
gravely; and then. lifting his gaze. he
added as he rose in a bound: Il Just
know she did-that's all.
In another instant he was battling
might and main with three willing ruff.
fans. who had come suddenly into
view round q shoulder of rock: but his
efforts were shortlived. foredoomed to
failure. He was weakened with suffer
ing and fatigue-and the three were
fresh and had the courage Il least Of
their NUMBER He was overcome fr
twinkling. and bad Ais face ground
brutality into the sand while his hands
were made fast with stout rope behind
ms back And when he rose, II was
to find. as be had anticipated. thai
Roses resistance bad beea % futile
- his ovns shes too. was 1uvtivs. heI