Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-12-14

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there in . rack. Then he darted back
and with ringing strokes began his as.
sault upon the wall. Suddenly from
within he heard a woman's shrek.
"Neal," cried Annette's voice within,
and it was the voice Of q girl beside
herself with agony and fear. Meal,
1t is Annette. Come, for Gods sake,
come"
Neal delivered one more crashing
blow, then he motionedto his fellows.
Come. boys" he said. there's not
a second to lose. This thing has got
to 60"
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 ram 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 d%isheveled, struggled with
the brute in one corner of the room.
Ponto had released her. With a bound
he crossed the roo and jerked aside
the fireplace, disclosing a secret exit.
He crawled through the aperture and
disappeared.
Hernandez, %stupeied with astonish.
ment. yet had an expression Of tri.
umph and glee upon his face. He was
thrusting a yellow parchment into his
pocket. Annette with a final struggle
slipped from the brute's grasp and
darted toward Hernandez, calling to
Neal.
Meal. Neal" she cried, hes got
my fathers map"
With one spring Neal was upon Her
nandez. He .snatched 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 q hold. Hernandez still
held it in his iron clutch.
All this took place in an instant. In
another instant the three had fallen
back, each in a separate direction. The
map had parted and each clutched q
piece Of 1t.
Hernandez, with an oath, turned
and Owed into the secret passageway.
Five minutes later the fastest boat
along tie shore the boat which Inez
Castro called her own-was chug.
chugging out to sea with three fig.
ures huddled in her bottom-the brute
and Ponto and their chief, Hernandez.
They had wriggled somehow through
the surrounding circle, had ~zig.zagged
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 Courtier,'' he said, "but
they've made away with your fast mo
torbcat. 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. TITS the
excitement, the noise, the pistol shots
they have made ne we'll again."
Neal thrust his hand into his pocket
and pulled forth q crumpled piece Of
parchment.
What did you get, Annette?" he in.
quired.
Annette thrust her hand into her
dress and pulled forth her own tat.
tered portion. Inez, watching. bent
her head to listen. Neal and Annette
spread their two pieces of the map out
upon the little stand. Between them
they had the bulk Of the lower portion
Of the map. 1t was q blank surface,
save for three things-a little tail Of
the island sticking down and the words
Longitude" and latitude" and moth
ing else. Annette laughed in glee.
We've got everything we want"
she said to Neal. What is here 10
important. What the man with the
saber cut upon his face has got is Of
nj use to him or Us. We beat him
to It, Neal. we beat him to It,"
Over on the bed Inex. In her crouch.
ing attitude. still listened, wondering
ITO BE coNT1NUED)