Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-11-02


catch her up in his arms, where she lay
limp and unresisting, and with this
burden step from the stage to the boat
and disappear from sight beneath the
coaming. An instant later he reap
peared, standing at full height in the
cockpit. Without warning his arm
Strengthened out and a tongue Of flame
jetted from his hand; there was re-
port; in the same breath d bullet buried
itself in the low earth bank on Whit
aker's right. Needless, he pelted on.
The shot seemed to signal the end of
the other struggle at the landing stage.
Scarcely had it rung out ere Whitaker
saw the man lift a fist and dash it
brutalIy into the wOman's face. With
out q sound audible at that distance
she reeled and fell away; while the
man turned, ran swiftly out to the end
of the dock, cast off the headwarp and
jumped aboard the boat.
She began to sheer off as Whitaker
set foot upon the stage. She was TWEEN
ty feet distant when he found himself
both at its end and at the end of his
resource. Frantic with despair, he
thrashed the air with impotent arms
a fair mark, his white garments shining
bright against the dark background of
the land. Aboard the moving boat an
automatic ftuttered, splitting ten shots
in as many seconds. The thud and
splash Of bullets all round him brought
70 yy-i+
ne stumbled back to the land.
On the narrow beach, near the dock,
small fiat-bOttomed rOWbOat lay, its
stern afloat it's bows aground-as it
had been left by the women surprised
in the act of launching it. Jumping
down, Whitaker put his shoulder to the
stem.
AS he did so, the other woman
reused, got unsteadily to her feet,
screamed, then catching sight of him
staggered to his side. 1t was-as he had
assumed-the maid, Elise.
"M sieurw she shrieked, thrusting a
tragic face with bruised and blood
stained mouth close to his. "Ah,
m'sieur- madame-ces canailles-la-W
Eyes, I know" he said brusquely.
sect out of the way-don't hinder
mel"
The boat was now all afloat. He
jumped in, dropped upon the middle
thWart, and fitted the oars in the row.
locks.
But, m'sieur, what mean you to
do?"
Don't know yet" he panted-"fol-
low-keep them in sight"
The blades dipped; he bent his back
to them; the rowboat shot away.
A glance over his shoulder showed
him the boat of the marauders already
well away. She now wore running
lights; the red lamp swung into view
as he glanced, like an obscene and sar-
donic eye. They were, then, making
eastwards. He wrought only the more
Justify with the oars.
Happily the Fiske motor boat swung
at a mOOring not a great distance from
the shore. Surprisingly soon he had
| the small boat alongside. Hastily he
disengaged the moOring hook, located
the switch and started the motor. Half
q mile away the red light was slipping
swiftly eastward over silvered waters.
The Trouble leaped out like a live
thing, settling to its course with the
fleet precision of an arrow truly lOOsed.
Probably no more severe critic of his
own chiyalric foolishness ever set him
self to succor a damseI in distress.
Withal he entertained not the shadow
of a thought of drawing back. AS long
as the other boat remained in sight; as
long as the gasoline and his strength
held out; as long as the Trouble held
together and he retained the wit to
guide her-so long Whitaker deter
mined to stick to the wake of the kid
napers.
A little more than halfway between
their starting point and the head of the
bay, the leading boat swung sharply in
toward the shore, then shot into the
mouth of a narrow indentation. For
two or three minutes he could see moth
ing of the other. Then he emerged
| from q tOrtUOus and CONSTRUCTED chan
mel into a deep cut, perhaps fifty feet
in width and spanned by a drawbridge
and q railroad trestIe. At the farther
end Of this tidegate canal connecting
the Great West bay with the Great
PecOnic, the leading power boat was
visible, heading out at full speed, the
| half-mile lead fully re-established.
Empty Of all other craft, weird and
| desolate in moonlight, the Little Pc
comic waters widened and then mar
| rowed about the flying vessels. Shore
lights watched them, now dim and far,
now bright and near at hand. Shelter
Island sound received them, slapped
| their TANKS encouragingly with it's rae
| ing waves, sped them with an ebbing
tide that tore Stewards between con-
Stricted shores into the lonelier wastes
of Gardeners bay. Their relative po-
sitions were unchanged: still the Trou-
| bic retained her position.
When the chase rounded the buoy,
instead of standing, as any reasonable
beings might have been expected to,
| on to Fishers island or at a tangent
north toward the Connecticut littoral,
| they swung off something south of east
a course that could lead them no
where but to the immensities of the
sea itself.
Whitaker's breath caught in his
throat as he examined this startling