Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-08-20

he could not identify 1t in the form
of any one, ore two, or all aboard the
ship and fight 1t in the open, had made
the hours since that morning like a
hideous nightmare!
"T'll-pll explain tomorrow, Miss
MacKay," he said hurriedly. "You
mustn't"
"I'm mott" she laughed. "I'm only
keeping you" And pushing him play
fully toward the cOmpanionway, she
ran out onto the deck.
A moment later, Wallen, at the foot
of the ships ladder, was running his
eye sharply over the half score of
shore boats that pushed and bumped
against each other and the gangway's
platform, and whose occupants at the
prospect of a fare were screaming
and yelling in frantic effort to at
tract his special and undivided atten-
ton.
A Malay boatman had the strate-
gle position alongside the grating.
Wallen unceremoniously pushed the
craft away with his foot, and beck
oned to a Chinaman who was next in
line. AS he clambered into the boat
he looked up. Helen MacKay was
leaning over the rail of the boat deck.
'Take good care of yOurself!" she
called out merrily. Singapore means
the city of lions,' you know. Don't
run your head into one of their
mouths!' And with a wave of her
hand she was gone.
It brought a sudden, premonitOry
shock to Wallen-and then grim,
cold smile. The city of lions! 1t
was only joke with her, little light
hearted fling-with him, God knew 1t
might prove CHASTITY reality!
At first, when he had found that
paper on his cabin floor, he had
thought, as he had told her, that he
would take her straight to Sumatra,
get her off the ship; and then second
thoughts had convinced him that the
danger which threatened him did not
threaten her. She was safe there on
board.
But this thing-it was not only the
personal peril-it rose shuddering,
hooking barrier between them! Mock
ing? Yes!
He or they, the devil or devils who
had murdered his father, were playing
with him as cat plays with a mouse !
Why had nothing happened to him In
those three days from Pobi, while he
had been living In FOOLS paradise of
imagined security?
His lips thinned into a straight line.
Well, perhaps they would play too
long! He would settle 1t tonight.
When he came back to the ship ne
would know-or there would be one
less scoundrel In Singapore! That
was what he was going for nOw-tO
Drink-House Sam Of Singapore.
Who was 1t aboard the Monlefgh
who had put that paper under his
cabin door? She had called him
grumpy all that day-and all that day
he had been studying the crew, cata-
loguing In his mind every man aboard.
1t could not well be ALA plot in
volving the whole ship and crew
seemed out of the question.
Not one of the officers had he any
reason to suspect above the others
though it was true, and little dis
turbing now, that Captain Laynton.
in turning over his fathers effects,
had not included the fatal pistol that,
e fhn S,<nr huf "
his fathers property-but that might
readily have been but an oversight.
There was Mott, who had grown
more surly every day.
Wallen shook his head. Motifs at
titude was easily accounted fOr-the
man, as witness the ride at PObi, If it
had not been glaringly evident oD
board since then, was attentive to Miss
MacKay, and resented his, Wallen's.
usurpatiOn of what he evidently con-
sidered his prerogative.
What of the crew then7
They were O hard lot and a poly
glct one!
The English and Americans amongst
them had every appearance of being
the sweepings Of the slums of Lon.
don, Liverpool, New York, and, for
men of their Xix, the more vicious sea.
ports of the far East. The rest were
of every nationality-two of the coal
passers were Chinese coolies, the stew.
ard was from the West Indies, the
cook was a Frenchman from Port
Said. and two Danes, Swede,
Kanaka. from the Sandwich islands,
and three Japanese completed the ros-
ter.
Wallen looked up, and fixed his eyes
speculatively on his Chinese boatman.
They were almost at the landing.
"You sabe Drink-House Sam?" he
demanded abruptly.
The Chinaman smirked knowingly.
''Me sabe," he replied.
GAIL right" said Wallen. "You take
me there. But first, you take me where
the stores are, / want to buy some
things. and l don't know my way
about