Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-26

| thought you were Hans Ecksteln.
could hardly believe my own eyes
Hans Eckstein? Who is hep dc.
mauded my new acquaintance, and l
was pleased to observe no suspicion Ill
his voice. merely little astonishment.
"A friend" | answered glibly, zone
of u.s."
He looked at me for moment. very
narrowly, and in those seconds oil 81
lcncc | began to realize more exactly
what must have happened. The upper
current of air had been blowing west
ward--not eastward as the wind blew
on the surface. The good land under
my feet was assuredly not Germany al
mostly certainly it must be part of my
own blessed native island. or why this
insistence on my speaking English.
rather than. say. Dutch or Danish?
And then the man I was speaking to,
what must he obviously be? There was
only one answer possible.
may add that I had the presence
of mind not to stare blankly at him
while thought these thoughts. | let
him do the staring while I fshed my
pipe out of my oilskin pocket and be
gan to fill it.
go" he murmured, and 7 thought
he seemed satisfied enough. especially
as he asked with manifest curiosity but
without any apparent suspicion in his
voice. ''Aud how did you get here:'
Yet when looked up from my pipe
filling to answer him I could almost
swear that he had done something to
make his features less viSible-pulled
his sou westcr further down and sunk
his chin into the high collar of his oil
skin. it certainly seemed to me. As
Lad gathered very insufficient impress
sion of him before. this was a little
provoking. Still. ! told myself that
our acquaintance was only beginning.
How to ripen il that was the problem.
| tried the effect of merely winking
and saying with n cool. knowing air:
THE usual way. DO you have TO
ask"
He looked sharply up and down thN
rocks and out to sea. and | saw in
stantly, what was in his mind.
"Impossibe. There was no signal.
| have been looking ont all the time,
said lie.
| merely laughed.
"IIow else do you think could have
come?
: so" ho murmurcd again, aud then
he asked curious question.
DO you know if there are many
sheep on this island:'
So ! had landed on an island, That
was the first and chief deduction |
drew from this inquiry. Tho second
Al. Al, I,al, -
little weak Obviously he meant
something rather different from what he
said.
Sheep" | said "No. my fricrd
have something else TO do than count
sheep"
Again he looked at me for a moment
his face now almost completely hidden
by the peak of his sou wcster. If by
chance he were still doubling me the
best thing seemed to be a touch of can
dor and an appeal he could scarcely
resist.
See here ! said, lowering my
might. In fact those are my orders
Now where can you find me a safe
place.
He lowered his voice, too. In fact
he seemed to rcciprocate my confidence
very satisfactorily.
I'VE must be very careful. I must
SOC that the coast is clear first. Just
you sit aud wait here for ten minutes.
I will be back.
lie nodded at me 70 enforce his in e
functions and added as he turned away
Keep sitting down. Mind that 80
! sat down, finished filling my pipe.
lit it. aud waited. And as | waited
| frankly confess | fairly huggcd my
self Never before was there such a
bit of luck, thought I. That that vaga
bond balloon should actually bring its
passenger back TO his native land in
stead of dropping him in the sea or
landing him in Germany was fortunate
almost beyond belief. but that he should
then stumble on Il German spy and
actually convince the man that he was
Il confederate and lead him straight into
the net already spreading for him.
surely showed that after II considerable
run of i'll luck Cand. must confess. i'll
guidanccl the passenger had suddcnl,
become Fortunes prime favoritc. Scv
cra very eligible and commodious
castles were constructed in the night
air by that lonely shore as ] sat anC
smoked.
And then heard cautious but dis
tinct whistle, and up ! jumped ant
: looked all round me. There was no on,
TO be seen. but the sound came from
the right-thc way l had come. and
set off through the thicke,fing dusk il
that direction. But the odd thing wa,
that | walked considerably further thai
the sound of the whistle could hay,
carried and never sign of human
being or of house did see-nothin,
but that desolatc grassy scaboard an,
. the family cleaning Eatcrs.
| stopped and began to wonder, an,
then /. heard the whistle again. 1t wa
: still ahead of me, so on | walked an,
once more the same thing occurred. Tbi
time / paused for at least another te,
minutes, but nobody appeared an
nothing whatever happened. There +
u was. utterly alone once more. with th
land growing black and the sea dim an,
, not sound now even from the Sc
I gulls.
!, CONTINUED TOMORROW
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