The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-01-04

49, ~
turn he caught sight of tire tracks
swerving wildly and turning off into
the sand between two dunes. He
shut of his power and set his brakes
drew into the side of the road, and
Jumped out.
He passed the barrier Of the dunes
and caught sight OF Dayid's racing
a 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 in the wheel and
held fast while she drowned. slowly
choking.
He was about to dash into the sea
and fight II 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
1t 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 a 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
1t occurred to him that Gloria's father
would be frantic for some wcrd of her
whereabouts. He found a prescription
pad In his pocket and a bit of pencil
and he wrote q note.
PieTpont Stafford, Royal Poin-
ciana: / 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
cr~easingly applied at the thought of
Gloria alone there.
Now and then he found some hint
of her, a shred of silk from her Paris
frock torn away by o clutching thorn.
Gloria had not been long in finding
out that there can be too much liberty
as well as toe little. No calm wander
ing in a dream through nightmare
land could have seen a more fantastic
world than that Florida ENHANCEMENT.
She was e~ntranced at first, but at
length she had had enough.
She had read of 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 of. She beat about the bush and
said "Shoo!" to any c~rocodiles or boa
constructors that might be In hiding.
Then she stretched herself out and be-
gan a little prayer. She could not
kGon q ura Ha 70 arfch a. Tn hap c1aan
she dreamed herself back In the beau
tiful bed she had foolishly left. She
dreamed hat 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 a 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 q short distance
into the ~fosest; boats Of every sort
glided along the drainage canal; motor
boats, canoes, skiffs, dugouts were
spinning hither and yon among the
thousands OF waterways.
David forgot Lois Freeman and the
engagement he had to play golf with
her that morning. He and his
father had anticipated the dawn in
the bayous.
Freneau. strolling across the lawn
to open the once 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 $1,000 offer
for her restoration to her father.
Freneau meditated. He could use $5.-
600 or less to great advantage.
When Lois invited him TO play golf
he said that he had another engage.
mest. whatever motive A. vas that
movca rreneau. he resosy n 10 foregc