Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-03-22


drew into the side of the road, and
jumped out.
He passed the barrier of the dunes
and caught sight of Davids racing
car in the waves. The pillows fam.
ing with moonlight were sweeping
over the little machine with terrifying
ruthlessness, now tossing up spray
which the moon turned to jewelry,
now smothering it all from view.
Royce gazed aghast He tore his
hair at the vision. He could almost
see Gloria caught il the wheel and
held fast while she drowned, slowly
choking.
He was about to dash into the sea
and fight it for the body of the little
runaway when he saw footprints in
the wet sand.
With a cry of relief DR.. Royce fol-
lowed them across the sand to the
highway. But Gloria had not turned
north in the road. She had been
wooed into the dense, lush foliage.
The doctor regarded it with dread.
He could not imagine how tempting
it had been to Gloria's truant heart
He was afraid that she might have
lost her mind with fear.
He had hardly plunged into the
thicket when he lost track of her
He ran back, hoping that he might
find some courier with news. In.
stead he met boy from a pine.
apple plantation Royce hailed him
and learned that he was going for
a doctor. He had heard and seen
exactly nothing of Gloria.
He was about to let the boy go when
it occurred to him that Gloria father
would be frantic for some word of her
whereabouts. He found prescription
pad in his pocket and bit Of pencil
and he wrote note.
Pierpont Stafford, Royal Poin-
ciana: l found Gloria's car in the
surf and her footprints leading
into the everglades. l am follow
ing them, but think you had better
organize searching parties to beat
the whole district.
| STEPHEN ROYCE.
He gave this to the boy and a bill
from the small roll he found in his
pockets. He made the boy promise
to go to the nearest telephone and
| transmit the message to the hotel
Royce returned again to the chase, in
creasingly applied at the thought OF
Gloria alone there.
| ~
of her, shred of silk from her Paris
frock torn away by a clutching thorn.
|
Gloria had not been long in finding
out that there can be too much liberty
as well as too little. No calm wander
land could have seen more fantastic
world than that Florida ENHANCEMENT.
She was entranced at first but at
length she had had enough
She had read CT people who walked
in circles till they died of exhaustion.
She felt ready to die SO already. But
mainly she was yawning her pretty
head off. She beat about the bush and
said "Shoo!" to any crocodiles or boa
constructors that might be in hiding.
Then she stretched herself out and be.
gan little prayer. She could not
she dreamed herself back in the beau.
tiful bed she had foolishly left. She
dreamed that she was asleep in her
own room.
Meanwhile DR.. Royce stumbled and
CROPPED through the jungle in search
of her, and her father and brother
were in conference with the Palm
Beach police.
The message that Royce had given
to the boy from Colohatchee reached
them little before dawn. 1t only in.
creased their alarm, but it gave them
something to do. They made no
further secret of Gloria's disappear
ance They called On everybody for
help.
Cars went scurrying along the little
railroad that pushes short distance
into the forest; boats of every sort
glided alcng the drainage canal; motor
boats, canoes, skiffs, dugouts were
/. L1LS ulLllSI anu Yen dlAiCuS tuC
thousands CT waterways
David forgot Lois Freeman and the
engagement he had to play golf with
her that morning. He ard bis
father had anticipated the dawn in
the bayous.
Freneau, strolling across the lawn
to open the Office of the New York
brokers he represented, found Lois
Freeman and her father reading the
morning papers. They spoke of the
loss of Gloria and the $4,000 offer
for her restoration to her father.
Freneau meditated. He-could use So
600 or less to great advantage.
When Lois invited him to play golf
he said that he had another engage
ment. Whatever motive it was that
moved Freneau, he resolved to forego