Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-18
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| the olive-wood box was no longer On
his mind, the handle no longer in his
physical clutch. He was at liberty to
stroll as carelessly as any boulevard
| faneur; and he did so, scanning the
passing throng for a glimpse of Use
| Dumont or of the golden-bearded one,
but not seeing either of them.
In fact, he had not laid eyes on
them since he had supped not wisely
but too well on the soup that Sche-
herazade had flavoured for him.
The stateroom door of the golden
| bearded man had remained closed. His
own little cockney steward, who also
| looked out for Golden Beard, report
ed that gentleman as requiring five
meals a day, with beer in proportion,
and the porcelain pipe steaming like
Aetna all day long.
His little West Indian stewardess
also reported the gossip from her
friend on another corridor, which
was, in effect, that Miss White, the
trained nurse, took all meals in her
,. room and had not been observed to
leave that somewhat monotonous
sanctuary.
How many more of the brand there
might be Neeland did not know. He
rigid under the grip of the drug, that
he had heard Use Dumont's voice
mention somebody called Karl. And
he had an idea that this Karl might
easily be the big, Manifested German
who had tried so earnestly to stifle
him and throw him from the vesti-
bule Of the midnight express.
However, 1t did not matter now.
The box was safe in the captains
care; the volhynia would be lying
at anchor off Liverpool before day.
light; the whole exciting and ro-
mantle business was ended.
With an unconscious sigh, not en-
tirely of relief, Neeland opened his
cigarette case, found it empty, turn
ed and went slowly below with the
idea of refilling it.
They were dancing somewhere on
deck; the music of the ships orches-
ira came to his ears. He paused a
moment on the next deck to lean
on, the rail in the darkness and lis
ten.
Far beneath him, through sea
as black as onyx, swept the reflec-
tons of the lighted ports; and he
could hear the faint hiss of foam
from the curling flow below.
AS he turned to- resume his quest
for cigarettes, he was startled to sec
directly in front of him the heavy
fact, that Neeland inStinctively threw
up his arm, elbow out, to avoid con-
tact.
But the man, hating, merely lifted
his hat, saying that in the dim light
he had mistaken Neeland for a
friend; and they passed each other
on the almost deserted deck, salut-
ing formally in the European fash
ion, with lifted hats.
His spirits a trifle subdued. but
still tingling with the shock of dis
covering stranger so close behind
him where he had stood leaning over
the ships rail. Neeland continued on
his way below.
| Probably the big man had made a
mistake in good faith; but the man
certainly had approached very silent
| ly; was almost at his very elbow
when discovered, And Neeland re-
| membered the 1ight-shot depths over
which, at that moment, he had been
leaning; and he realized that it would
| have been very easy for man as
big as that to have flung him over
| board before he had wit to realize
what had been done to him.
Neither could he forget the curl
Gus CLEAN in the strangers eyes
when a ray from a deck light fell
| small eyes set a little too close to-
gether to inspire confidence. Nor had
the mans slight accent escaped him
NOT Teutonic accent, he thought
but something fuller and softer
something that originated east OF
Scutari, suggesting the Eurasian, per.
haps.
| But Neeland's soberness was of vo.
| latile quality; before he arrived al
his stateroom he had recovered his
gaiety of spirit He glanced ironi-
caIly at the closed door of Colder
Beard as he fitted his key into his
own door.
"a lively lot" he thought to him
self, what with Scheherazade,' Gold
en- Beard and now Ali Baba-by jinx