The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-06-24
By
ARTHUR B.
REEVE

s-N~AA-r 10y @@@~4a c@~AAs H44Sas%@ SCH cut
ton"
It was the code. telling OF the safe
arrival Of the rifles. cartridges and the
counterfeiting plant in New Orleans, a
little late, but safe. Sell cotton"
meant L sail tonight"
on the way over to the Junta sha
had noticed one of Drummond's
shadows logging her She must DO
anything to keep the secret until that
night.
She hurried into the dusty shin
chandlery. There was Gordon.
Good morning. Mrs. Dunlap" he
cried. You are just the person am
looking for. Where is santos? HAS
the plan been changed?"
Constance thought she detected a
shade OF jealousy IN the tone. At anv
rate. Gordon was more attentive tina.
ever.
II think he is in Bridgeports al
replied as casually as she could 'YoIlr
ship, you know, sails tonight ne
has sent word to me to give orders
that all the goods here at the Junta
be ready 70 cart over by truck TO
Brooklyn. There has been no change
The papers are 30 be signed during
the day and she is to be scheduled
TO sail late in the afternoon with tha
tide. Only. as you know. some pre-
text must delay you. You viii hold
her at the pier for US He trusts
~ 9N1 00 "A master hAuQ at
/ framing such excuses that seem
plausible"
Gordon leaned over closer to hsr
He was positively revolving to her IN
| the role of admirer. But she must
not offend him-yet
And my answer?'' he asked
There was something about him
that made Constance almost draw
away tnvoluntariIy.
'Tonight-at the pier" she rnurmured
forcing a smile
Shortly after dark the teams started
I their numbering way across the city and
the bridge. Messengers, stationed on the
way, We're TO report the safe progress
OF the trucks to Brooklyn
constance slipped away from the board
ing-house, down through the deserted
/ streets to the waterfront, leaving word
at home that any message was to be sent
| by a trusty boy 10 the pier
II was a foggy and misty night on the
water, an ideal night for the g1In-run-
ner. She was relieved to learn that there
Lad been not a hitch so far. stu. she
reasoned. that was natural, Drurnn,ond
even IL he had not been outwitted. would
scarcely have spoiled the game until the
last moment
On the Arroyo every one was chafng.
! Below decks. the engineer and his as
sistants were seeing that the ma
chinery was in perfect order. Men in
E
don warning OF any danger
In the river a tug was watching
for possible police boat. On the
| wharf the only footballs were those
Of Gordon himself and an assistant
from the Junta. It was drearv Wait
more colsely around her. as she shiv-
cred in the night wind and tried to
I brace herself against the unexpected.
At last the welcome muffled rumble
OF heavily laden carts disturbed the
midnight silence of the street leading
to the river.
At once a score Of men sprang from
the hold of the ship, as II by magic
One by one the cases were loaded. The
men were working feverishiy BY the
light Of battle lanterns-big lamps
with refiectors so placed as to throw
the light exactly where II was neeFsd
and nowhere else. They were taking
aboard the Arroyo dozens Of coffin
| like wooden cases, and bags and
boxes, smaller and even heavier. ST.
lently and swiftly they toiled-
! It was risky work, too, at night and
in the tense haste. There was a NUT
! tered exclamation-a heavy case had
| a broken leg.
gun-runners. The crew Of the Ar
royo had expected IL. The victim of
| such an accident could not be sent 10
! a hospital ashore. He was carried, as
| gently as the rough hands could carry
/ anything, to one side where he Law
/ silently waiting for the ships sur
! geon who had been engaged for Just
| such an emergency. Constance bent
| over and made the poor fellow as
| comfortable as she could. There was
| never a whimper from him, but ne
/ looked his gratitude.
=.
| lost. The last cases were now being
! loaded. The tug crawled UP and made
fast Already the empty trucks were
vanishing in the misty darkness, one by
one. as muffled as they came.
Suddenly lights flashed through tho fog
on the river
There was a hurried tread Of feet on
the land from around the corner Of a
bleak, forbidding black warehouse.
4 They were surrounded. on one side was
the police boat Patrol. On the other was
/ Drummond. With both was the Secret
Service. The surprise was complete.
/ Constance turned to Gordon. He
was gone.
Before she could move. some one
seized her.
where's santos?" demanded a
hoarse voice in her ear. She looked
up to see Drummond.
She shut her lips tightly, secure in
the secret that Ramon was at tho
moment or soon would be on the Gulf.
out Of reach.
Across in the fog she strained her
I eyes. Was that the familiar figure
OF Gordon moving in the dim light?
There he was, now.-with Drum
mond, the police. and the Secret Serv-
ice. It was exactly as she had sus-
pected to herself and a smile played
over her face
All was excitement. shouts. muttered
imprecatious. Constance was the
calmest in the crowd-deaf to even
/ Drummond's third degree"
They had begun to break open the
boxes marked salt" and corn"
4 loud exclamation above the sharp
crunching of the axes escaped Cor
don Damn them. They've put one
across on u.s.
The boxes of salt and corn" con
tained-salt and corn.
} Not a stock of a rifle. not barrel
not a cartridge was in any of them
as the axes crashed in one case after
another.