Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-22

and Willy k1mball, bound Tor tnelr
Kewanee; the captain on the bridge
would give an order; winches would
puff, the anchor heave from the mud,
the big boats prov slowly turn west
ward-oceanward-toward New York!
And she, a prisoner caught by the
mischance of wars great mystery.
would have to watch that diminishing
column of smoke fade against the
mornings blue-disappear.
Inspiration seized her. 1t would be
something just to see the Saxonia,
now lying amid the grim monsters OF
the war fleet. From the balcony OF
the library, just outside the door OF
her room. she could search the dark
ness Of the harbor for the prickly
rows of lights marking the merchant
ship from her darker neighbors. The
generals marine glasses lay on ms
desk, she remembered. To steal out
to the balcony, sweep the harbor with
the glasses, and at last hit on the
ship of deliverance-for all but her;
to do this would be better than count
ing the hours alone. She softly open.
ed the door of her room. Beyond lay
the dim distances of the library, sud
denly become vast as an amphithe'
alter; in the thin light filtering through
the curtains screeing the balcony
appeared the lumpy masses of furnl
ture and vague outlines of walls and
doors. She closed the door behind
her, and stood trembling; this was
somehow like burglary, she felt-a1
least it had the thrill Of burglary.
! The girl tiptoed around high back
ed chair CROPPED her way to the gen
erals resk, and fumbled there. Hell
hand fell upon the double tubes O.
the binoculars. She picked them up
parted the curtains, and stepped
through the opened glass doors to thu
balcony. Not a sound anywhere bu
the faint cluck and cackle of cargo
hoists down in the harbor. Jane pu
the glasses to her eyes, and began II
sweep the light pointed cista below
the cliff Scores of pin prick beams
Of radiance marked the fleet where /
choked the roadstead-red and white
beetles eyes in the dark. She swuni
the glasses nearer shore. All, there
lay the Saxonia, with her three row
of glowing portfolios near the water
the binoculars even picked out tn
double column of smoke from he
stacks. Three brief hours and tina
mass of shadow would be moving
moving
A noise. very slight, came from tn
library behind the opened doors. TIL
marine glasses remained poised in tn
girls hands while she listened. Again
the noise-a faint metallic click.
She hardly breathed. Turning eve
so slowly, she put one hand between
the curtains and parted them so tina
she could look through into the cav
ernous gloom behind her.
A light moved there-a clear rount
eye of light. Behind it was the faint
est suggestion Of figure at thu
double doors-just a blur of white
it was: but it moved stealthily, swift
ly. She heard key turn in a lock
Then swiftly the eye of light travele'
across the library to the door lead
ing to General Crandalps room. Their,
lit paused to cut the handle of tn
door and keyhole beneath out Of dark
ness A brown hand slipped into thu
clear shaft Of wilderness, put a Ike,
into the keyhole, and softly turned it
The same was done for the locks o
Lady Crandalls door, on the OPPOSITE
side of the library, and for the on
Jane had just closed behind her-he
own door. Then the circle of light
seeming to have an intelligence, al
it's own, approached the desk, flew
swiftly to a drawer and there paused
Once more the brown hand plunge'
into the bore of light; the drawer wa
carefully opened, and steel blue re
lvolver reflected bright sparks from
Its barrel as it was withdrawn.
Jane. hardly daring to breathe, an
with the heavy curtains gathere
close so that only space for he
eyes was left open, watched the or
of light, fascinated. 1t CROPPED unde
the desk, found a nest of slende
wires. There was "Snick-snfck.
and the severed ends of the wire
s. I" y