, 1917-09-20

reminder of that word penciled mn
the slip of paper-remember?- Sen.
aramos.'"
Resilius Marvel was a quick think.
er and never slow in action. Bebola
us the very next day, a steam
launch at our disposal mi a man in
charge who knew the Caribbean like
a book.
Resilius Marvel would not have
been what he was had he started nm
the cruise unaware of what he was
running into. Separation Island was
of those innumerable dots on the
water north of Venezuela, sometimes
an appurtenance of the state, some.
times. ceded to a corporation, often
had been a bone of contention AMONG
varied claimants. 1t was in dispute
now, as we were soon to learn.
I think I shall eve forget the
scene that greeted our eyes the morn
ing we reached the island. One end
ran up into a bold promontory that
was a natural fortress. The remain.
der of the island, famous for large
deposits of a silica nature of sound
commercial value, was quite level
Grouped on that portion in the bril-.
liant sunlight was a small army of
about one hundred men. As we
neared them we stared and wondered.
Never was a coterie of apparent
warriors SO equipped. There was
scarcely a nan who had not at his
belt half a dozen weapons. They car
ried knives, daggers, stillettos, pis.
tolls, revolvers, sawed-off guns. Then
l guessed what had happened-they
had discovered that fearful armament
aboard The Arrow and had utilized
it to the limit.
We were not menaced, only stared
at as we ran ashore. The first man
to greet us officially was Colonel Aloa
Gaspard.
When he knew that we knew Of
The Arrow and of it's contraband
load, he was open, smiling and friend
ly. He was about to do some labori-
explaining, when a gun doomed
from the ~promontory and a white flag
was waved from that natural rock
battlement.
1T is all ~settled-ahi the dread ar
ray of our troops, vertically armed to
the teeth, did it! That, and the cash."
declared one host. Gentlemen, your
missions and you shall be seen to
grandly by Senior Rodney Vincent,
who will soon be at your SERVICE"
And just then the mysterious one.
the girl who had vanished" ap-
peared.
Il have come to see Miss Geraldine
Farrar," explained Resilius Marvel.
| and her wnndorinD ay-a
gazing inquiringly into his reassuring
ones.
A plain man, Resilius Marvel told a
plain story, to witness i%ncredulity,
then horror, then grief steal the
expressive face of the young girl.
h was white truth itself, as she
explained that Warner Clay had been
her guardian for an estate in the
south. A month before the present
time she had attained her majority.
The estate was worth over 500, 900,
but could not be readily turned into
cash.
4 needed money" she confessed
blushlngly. Il was engaged to Mr..
Rodney Vincent, who owns this is.
land, who has just been negotiating
with a false claimant who stole all
weapons and preserved posses
sion of the fortress. Mr.. Clay paid
me $4,000 cash for my property. The
deed on record in Baldwin county,
Alabama, will verify that fact. He
knew that l would be practically out
OF the world on this lonely island, and
trusted to the impulse of greed to
cover my name with a crime. think
ing 1 would not be located"
We found Mr.. Rodney Vincent a
most estimable young man who wor-
SHIPPED the ground that Miss Geral-
dine Farrar trod on-the fair young
girl who had brought her fortune to
his rescue. The dynamite was a
thought of the sanguinary Colonel
Gaspard, who wanted to blow the in
truders clear off the island.
have pleasant memories yet of the
sight of celebration we passed on
Separation Island. We went north
the next day, prepared to clear the
fair name of Warner Clay's ward ot
all reproach.
When Resilius Marvel, arrived 1T
home, went to confront our bank
client with the evidences of his per.
ndy, l never saw a man turn so
craVen-nor SO yellow. The man left
the city as loon as he could sell his
property-'fagged" to every bank
within the clearing house.