Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-03
The Coast Patrol

The Coast Patrol
THAT evening we were all three sit
= 4 ting In the library (the same old
world room into which l had first been
shown, when a servant entered and
gave a message to Mr.. Kendall. He
rose and went out, leaving his daughter
and myself each apparently immersed
in q book. She may genuinely have
y bean, but / was making the covers of
mine screen for inward debate. Had
] made mere fool Of myself and should
I make clean breast Of everything to
my hosts? Or should I wait little
longer before deciding? l went on
thinking after the laird had left the
& room, and Miss Jean still kept her eyes
immovably on her page. l frankly
confess / have never cut less ice with
any woman Especially one who decid-
edly attracted me.
In q few minutes her father re-
turned and said to her:
John Howison has cried off tonight.
/ must go myself.
She started up with a word of e1-
pcstulation, but he merely smiled in
his rrim way, nodded at her (not at me,
! i ucticed). and was gones With lit
lie sigh she sat down again and plunged
4 into her book, but my curiosity had been
reused and in a moment / inquired,
'sIs your father going out for long?
Her concern seemed to have broken
down her reticence.
'.All night" she said. II wish he
wouldn't"
s.What's the matter?" asked.
The coast PATROL said she.
sarhe coast patrolv' I exclaimed.
s ....syVbat,s that?" ...
She seemed to look at me for an in :
stsntxkafttle doubtfully before she an =
\ pwerSd,
..The Admiralty have asked all the
Justices of peace to-have the coast pa
trolled''
BY whom?"
I "Anybody they can get. We have
the whole island mapped out into beats
and the different farmers take it night
about.
q For the moment I only half believed
her. Such an amateur way of keeping
watch and ward in such vital area
seemed hardly credible, but l learned
afterward that in those early days OF
the war that was one of the thlug'
which actually happened. Another rae,
also made me doubtful. On the night
& / landed L hal ,,,ol NO wnt"h""s.
I aWho watches the shore up at thu
north end-near the Schollays farm
# I asked.
.sOb. Doctor Kendall and Mr.. O'Brien
lock after that beat, said she.
III fash my belief in my own ad-
venture had begun to return. Either
b thst couple neglected their duty-or
had met one of the watchers!
ssDo the doctor and Mr. O'Brien ever
~ out themselves-like your father to
riskt7'' asked. .E...
.sSfr. O'Brien goes out pretty often
i beldeve.''
/ Thought for a moment longer ant
then j jumped up.
ssThis seems the very job for an able
! bo11ed young man." l said with
s1sueh. elm going out to join tn
= watchers y
.sYou!' she exclaimed, springing up
too.
i looked her straight in the eye.
Why not me?" inquired.
She said nothing for an instant, an
then she remarked in quite matter OF
fact voice:
every we'll; If you are going, II
come with you.
could not resist parodying her.
ssYouir / exclaimed.
But got no smile in response.
.sIu be ready in FIVE minutes sh
~ a. = laft tho ronm
sNow what the devil does thi
nean?'' ! said to myself
Five minutes of course meant quartz
of an hour, and then We sailed fort
into the night, she in long tweed Goa
ana in my inevitable oilskin.
'tWhich way do you want to go!
& 6he asked.
eSuppose we work our way towar
n the north end" suggested.
She said nothing more and we mad
|< our way by a track to the shore an
ti,ers turned toward the left. had bee
filling my pipe and when we got to tt
last stone wall, stopped, bent und'
as sbelter and struck match. My fa'
M was toward her and in the fraction of
second before the first match blew ol
81 caught a glimpse of something jul
xi.ihie In the mouth of one of the b
1ackxfs Of her tweed coat. 1t was Il
Init epd Of a pistol.
struck three more matches before
tuf nv pipe alight and / contriyed
lace her each time, but she had turn'
ina kert her other side toward m
When We resumed our walk l notice
thai she consistently kept two or thr
5arIls away from me.
.'Just shooting distance !" ] said
<.13f the way, what arc we suppos'
n - looking for?'I inquired pre-
'l<t<ns periseopes. | think" sa