Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-01-31
morrow afternoon" he answered.
ere~~~er~~~e~<~~
By PERRY NEWBERRY.

morrow afternoon" he answered.
THANK you, Reedley. I'll turn in.
Good night" and left him humming
wordlessly and adding UP columns OF
figures.
AS / stepped from the door I heard
the ships bell strike fcur-ten o'clock.
Still early for planning, plenty Of time
to decide what to do. ] would take q
spin around the decks and let my
thoughts cool off; / was too mad for
sober consideration of grave prob
lem. Thurston's name to that wire
less message was one insult / had not
expected and 1t had bitten deep. Even
my friends were turning on me.
"Transship to Nanaimo In irons,"
Thurston had ordered laughed GRIM
ly at my foolish idea of nominal i'm
prisonment, detention in my cabin.
perhaps a guard. There was nothing
nominal about irons; that meant a
dark cell in the fore-hold and the dar-
bies; even bread-and-water diet quite
likely.
Blake would arrest me three miles
out of Mazatlan, say at two-thirty in
the afternoon. Nice people crowding
the deck, waiting to get into port;
whole crew UP from below; actors and
audience, with Isabelle Reade in q
loge-box.
Enter Captain Blake, curly hair
blowing in tropic breezes; "Seize that
mani"
"Aye, aye, sir!" from chorus Of
deck-hands.
Proper business of seizing. Spare
mel" from me, on knee. "Unh-uh! No,
indeed!
would go to Blake right now and
insist on being stuck into the brig
quietly and automatically. But that
would give Reedley's kindness a sol
ar-plexus jolt; cost him his job, may
be more. To walk around the deck
until my brain cooled was the only
thing to do spontaneously.
was passing Isabelle's deck-corner
when she spoke to me. "John!" she
whispered. l paused. Don't stop
60 on! But come back!" she said
quickly.
returned, but she was not there. A
few PAGES farther, where the main
cabin crowds close to the rail, she was
waiting in the shadow. "Follow me
to my room," she whispered, and fit
ted away in the dark.
l went to her stateroom and she
closed its door behind me. There was
no light, but she found my hand and
she held it tightly in both hers.
"John," she said, and her voice was
filled with tears. 'What is it? What
does it mean?"
"The muckle-headed idiot told you,
did he?" | groaned. what a blith-
ering beast of double-distilled asinin-
ity!"
Don't swear so, John. He showed
me the message. / was thereon the
bridge-with him-Oh, l was with
him! With him when it camel" She
was weeping now. and l just folded
her into my arms and pulled her up
tight to me and kissed her hair, her
cheeks and nose-wherever / CHANGED
to land, it being dark.
had no practice at it; l wasn't ex-
perienced. / shouldn't have found her
lips at all if she had not been kind
and help my loutishness. She was
kind, and she loved me; she told me
SO; and told her how l had waited
forty years for this greatest leve that
ever had been known! For many
minutes we forgot that l was a murder
suspect with handcuff prospect, and
everything else save that we loved
one another.
She brought our dreams tumbling
you won't let them put you in
irons?" she whispered with her
cheeks against mine, and said NO"
quite firmly, just as though / might
prevent it.
You'll get away at Mazatlan," she
continued, "and we will hide you-
mother and |. Mexico will be safe"
Mexico might be; it was outside the
jurisdiction of the chief and Thurs
ton; but | never swan three miles in
my life. / told Isabelle my maximum
swimming capabilities were two miles
and half. which was not more than
two miles eXageration,
"A boat?" she suggested, hopefully,
but | shook my head. The whole crew
of the Wilton might get boat down,
but not Isabelle and /; besides. as
explained to her carefully, had to
so back and clear myself OF this false
charge.
1T will break down OF it's own alb.
surdity," / said. "Then can return
and visit Durango-if | am invited"
You, are" she whispered; then,
but YOU mast tell me why you are so
unkind TO me at San Diego"
There were two policemen on the
dock and land was panic,strici-
en-
And walked into their arms?" she
asked. II understand! You sent me
away from you so l might not see.'
81 wanted you kept out of it." She
pressed little closer 10 me. II want
you out OF 1t completely. Isabelle
when it does happen. Please prooi-