The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-01-04

SNNy ~ oSLu a. ANVIL ~ kLltSSllSN
over them. He was electrician enough
to know that by touching together the
broken ends Of the two wires. a liyht
would be shown on the central tele-
phone switchboard. Should the oper.
atOr by any chance read Morse, he
would be understood. 1t was Il long
chance but he was in a desperate DO
sitiOn and there was nothing to lose
by. the attempt. Working patiently.
he broke the wires and began sending
u Morse call.
In the central telephone Office the
switchboard operator. beheld with as
constituent the peculiar light flashes.
Puzzled, she called over the chief op-
orator, a clever girl and by Il happy
chance q former telegraph operator.
1t was h who watching closely soOn
recognized Roy's imperfect S. O. S.
signals from the shack. And Roy,
satisfied that by this time he had ut.
tracted attention II he were ever to
get 1t, began to send his message:
Wire Helen Holmes, Noun
tain Springs, Roy captured by
the Raiders. They will blow
up the Chapman barge as it
leaves the dock ut two-thirty.
The telephone operators looked at
the message in Amusement rs their
quick-witted chief took it down. A
long-distancc call was put in quickly
for Mountain Springs and the message
given to Helen. Summoning Webb
she started Immediately in Il machine
for Pedro.
At the plant Burke had found no diff.
ficulty In using his stolen pass. "When
does the barge leave?" was the first
question he asked incidentally of q
foreman in the works.
"Two-thirty." was the laconic an.
swer, and Burke thanking his in
fOrmant, returned to the shack where
Masters and his aides had finished their
bomb. With this in hand and accom-.
panied by his two confederatcs, Burke
left again for the dock where the three
boarded their launch and headed to-
ward Chapman's plant.
Roy. still tightly bound, busted him.
self with the useful ends of the brOkeD
wires. BY repeatedly bringing them
into contact he succeeded in igniting
the insulation. and applying this to the
ropes about his wrists he at length set
them on fire. Working his hands Wig.
OrOusly he managed to free them in
this way and to unite his feet. But
just as he was about to spring from
his couch. the thug left to guard him
looked around. Roy sprang at him
A fierce fight followed and Roy al.
ready heavily handicapped by his in.
jury was almost OverpOwered, when
il blow, landed fortunately on the point
Of his guards jaw, dazed the man.
Following it with a quick second, Roy
knocked the thug over and ran out Of
doors. Across the bay he saw the
barge ready to start; there was moth
ing for 1t but to swim, board the barge
II possible and throw overheard the
bomb.
The Raiders, cruising the bay, lay
in wait and. when the tug made ready
to start, drew alongside. Marshall. who
now held the stolen pass, applied tc
the foreman for permission to go
aboard the barge. Once there, he
slipped the bomb between two cases of
shells and returning to the launch the
Raiders made their best time away
from the danger zone.
Helen, riding with Webb at dizzy
speed down the winding highway.
reached the dock as the barge was
swinging out. At the same moment
she perceived Roy, now swimming be.
side the tow, she saw him catch
at a dangling line and pull himself
aboard. Unfortunately, Burke, in the
launch. had likewise seen Roy and
drawing q revolver, without hesita.
ton fred at him. Roy fell to the
deck. Webb started to find a boat tc
the stricken man, but Helen
thought she could do better. The
barge moved steadily through the wa.
ter parallel to the wharf's edge, ano
believing that from the higher floor
OF the wharf she could land her car
on the barge deck, she turned anL
raced swiftly to catch 1t. Coming
abreast the boat, she swerved sharp
~ and dashing straight for thu
wharf's edge drove her car out ovei
the water.
She had calculated well. The big !
motor shot clearly into the air and
with 4 terrific impact, landed on the
barge deck. Helen ran to Roy, dragged
him overheard and dived into the bay
him.
They had hardly struck the water
when with a fearful defamation the
barge burst under the explosion Of a
thousand shells. Fragments Of shrap.
mel scattered hundreds Of feet through
the air. Men half q mile from the ex-
were hurled to the ground
every window In the port was shat
tered. One side Of the barge, torn
out In a great mass was hurled into
the air, and striking the water In front
81 Helen and Roy, the great piece OF