The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-05-31
CHAPTER III.

| CHAPTER vi.
Long after dark Miss Carteret wax
ened. For some minutes she lay in
| lazy content, unstlrring, wide eyes
dreaming into obscurity. The state
room was dusky with shadows; but
deck lights beyond the open window
ports pointed wan squares upon the
white interior woodwork. Tie sweep
of clean sea air through the room was
as sweet as fresh cool water to n
parched throat. Feeling stronger and
more herself for each delicious breath,
humbly the girl gave thanks for Il
seemed that, with the passing OF the
gale, the ghastly incubus of nal-de-
mer had been exercised.
Presently. conscious of pang OF
hunger, she touched the repeating
] spring on her bracelet watch--an eX-
qulsitely small, .eweled extravaganza,
her fathers gift of the previous Christ
mas-and bent an attentive ear to It's
elfn chime. Eight o'clock. 1t was too
late to dress and dine in public. But
as she lay in doubt, trying to decide
NlttlftI HHt was iNtlis ihhFis 10
she felt, or would do better to deny
herself food until breakfast, she heard
sound from the outer deck so slngu-
lar that in twinlsling it focused her
drowsy, errant wits.
The sound was "Psst-pssst-psssst,"
trisyllabic hiss of which each part
was longer and more emphatic than
: its predecessor. Enthusiastically of hu-
: man origin, though us odd and alarm
: ing as the warning of a serpent, II
brought the girl from her bed to her
feet with q start.
Her movement was q noiseless one.
The man who had sounded that strange
call she discovered stealing immedl-
ately outside the window; his back
was to II, so that she could see little
more than the concave line of his
dark, lean, shaved cheek, and the back
OF long, narrow head beneath n
steamer cap with vizor well down over
, his eyes.
Almost Immediately the hiss was an
> swered by quick, light footsteps, and
l. the voice OF one as yet invisible, n
a voice of guarded accent but vibrant
I with indignation, "What the devil do
: you mean by buzzing me like that?'
Il The girl trembled. Unless her senses
were untrustworthy, she knew that
voice better than her own. 1t seemed
impossible that she could be mistaken.
1t was again audible, the response
of the man outside the window having
escaped her, "You infatuate ass Don't
you know better than TO take such
chancesr
4 ooh, it's all right. He's UP on the
\ boat deck, chinnln' with some skirt
q / made sure of that before laid fol
4 you. Trust me-"
& "Trust you to play the fool! Dom
E you know every word you utter can b'
~ overheard in those staterooms?"
Y Instinctively the girl crouchcd in th'
shadow of her bedstead, in deadly ter
rGr lest she be detected at her involun
tary eavesdropping-so strong upol
her sensitive perceptions the psyche
logical effect of this surreputous pas
sAge.
But her fears were quickly dlsslpat
th liit 90 -
ruptly as it had begun.
as Goodnight" that well-remembere
IT. voice continued incisively. "And TO
the last time 1 warn you: Don't M
proach me again aboard this ship!"
" "But-listen," the other pleade
~ and threatened In the one breatl
- 1--WE got to get straight answer ou
~, of you"
"Tve given 1t already-twice. Fc
>, the third tlme--no!" With this tn
- last speaker strobe briskly forward
y. Rising as silently as any SHADOW
Ne Miss Carteret again turned her fac
a., to the port.
90 The man who had Kissed was sti
there, watching the other way.
She fancied something sullen an
10 menacing in the lowering inclinatlo
@ ,n of his head, the stoop of his narro
y shoulders.
an Suddenly, with mumbled wor
inarticulate with anger, he turned M
,or went swiftly aft
nss ------
4 T.