, 1919-09-04
Dead or Alive
BY r. RAY BAKER
Copyright. 1918. BY the Mcclure News
paper syndicAfs.)

Grimes stuffed the remnants of a
sodden doughnut into his mouth and
washed them down with the last of
the hot coffee, which he had brewed
himself, and which was more hot than
II was coffee.
Tiptoeing to the bed, he touched his
lips to the forehead of the wan girlish
face, and with g~listening eyes, watched
a shaft of early sunlight dart through
the window and blend with the pure
gold hair curled on the pillow.
"a ray of hope-mebbe." Grimes
} unused. He sighed slightly. and his
firm, white upper teeth drew his low
err lip beneath them and crushed the
skin with a pain he did not notice.
Turning from the bed, he reached to-
ward the chair he had just vacated
and struggled into a shiny brown coat
that had been draped over its back.
From a nail on the wall he TOOK a
gray-checkered cap with ra%in-ruined
frontispiece and pushed it back over
his contrary black locks.
Grimes paused with his hand on the
knob of he door n looked back at
the bed. The golden hair and the sun
light were vieing in a contest of bril-
liancy. Something like a smile. in
which hope merged with pride, crept
across his tame young face, but it
faded instantly. and his dark eyes glis-
tened again when n hacking cough
from the bed confirmed the tale told
t, by a red spot on either cheek of the
occupant.
He opened the door and stepped out
on the board sidewalk just as a hell
diver swooped dow from the blue and
snatched a breakfast from placid
Traverse bay. With a vigorous stride
he started on his Commute walk to
the exclusive Harbor Beach colony.
81 won't have her this time next
year unless l get her out West by next
fall" was the trend of Grimes thought
as he passed the slumbering castles in
which the idle wealthy of the cities
sought r~ustication. Lord knows driv-
ing Archibald's speed cruiser wouldn't
bring enough coin in two years to do
it."
AS he skirted the cluster of trees
hat sheltered the clubhouse veranda
from the complexion-ruining morning
sun and came in sight of the ArchI-
bald palace, gazing dow h~aughtily
from a lofty bluff. he was so absorbed
in cogitation he all but collided with a
rugged, fiorid-visaged, pleasantly ro-
fund little man attired in blue and
wearing an oficial-looking cap on
which a gold lighthouse cleaned.
"AhOy" called the ~lightkeeper.
"Veer off or you'll hit this rock of Glib
raltar. What's the matter with yer
compass. me boy?"
= AS they came to n halt Grimes was
obliged to smile away his gloom as in
reflection of the beaming, weather.
tracked lines of the others counte-
snnnce.
AN how's the wife his morning.
ratified on h guardian of the beacon
in that genuinely hearty. sympathetic
tone. AN whyfor the big rush about
beginnin' the daily labor? Sure, OIL
man Archibald amt gettin' up at no
five o'clock for a pleasure spin-you
can't tell me that"
mo better" was Grimes rueful re-
joinder to the first query. I'm going
to take a run out on the bay and see
IL ! can't make the fourth cylinder hit
as 1t ought to-" he added. 1.-THE boss
was talking of showing off the Light
ming to some speed demon"
Now. amt that too bad about the
WIFE" observed the lightkeeper. real
commiseration in his voice. "Tll have
me own woman run over to yer shack
this afternoon an see II she can chase
some o. the gloom away. BY the way,
o. course you amt heard the startlin'
news from the %Springs?"
= THANK you. captain l hate to leave
her there alone all the time. What
startling news do you mean?"
"Mebbe you wouldn't call 1t start
lin" responded the captain. a broad
grin manifesting his enjoyment of the
role of a sensation monger. "It's jest
the little matter o. $4,000 bein' stole
from h First National last night or
early this mornin'. The safe was
blowed open in a regular professional
manner. I Jest happened over to the
Springs at an unusual hour and there's
excitement galore. A thousand dollars
reward has already been offered for
the capture of the burglar. dead or
alivei'
Grimes started.
But don't worry. me boy" went on
the captain. ''The First National has
plenty to make good all the savin's ac-
counts. int the loss Of $4,000 amt
goin' to start no run on the institution.
They say 1t looks like a one-man job.
You better look sharp on the bay. He
might be stickin' around somewhere,
though 1t amt likely he tarried long in
the vicinity. Well. I've gossiped long
enough. Gotta be movin' on"
AS the li~ghtkeeper, with a wave of
a hand, vanished behind the trees,
Grimes hurried out on the Archibald
dock. where the Lightning was moored.