Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-03
West Wind Drift
BY GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON
ooppripht 1870. BY 0eoroe Barr Mocstoheon
Oopvripht, Iee0. by Georoe Barr hcCatohso

T,rWarn l,andoyer !" cried the Russinn.
sr,. "a ali mix up In it--he Is one Of re
rIngleaders."
W"No. he isn't. He's not that kind OF
man, He doesn't know a thing about
/ an this. I'll stake my life on It."
1nnut Olga" cried Ruth, white-faced
md troubled; "Fernandez will kill YOU
He will-good heavens. girl. dld he not Ct
s"ssPoofl" cried the other. swapping
.or SnRers. He will not do cat, my
Ia am not afraid. Do you know
wbat happens to informers In my coun-
tryf They vanish. No one ever sees
again and no TSes Ses exe5 "ro SsFs SsFs toSas
Dtomorrow .sto they are not. 1t is the
sa"e "you IN Tmcan--Manuels men will make
vay with him7 How horriblel"
""ap apo not waste your sympathy on Eat
Fernandez. He Is no good; fou would
sse,,id gee M~r succeed" -.-
sh9lrI op"t YOU will have to give him your
.r.wer tomorrow" cried Ruth:
Olga shot a keen glance at PerciyaL
ri is for you to say. percigaii,, ,tsr wna. q
slight pause. A queer paiior Spre@o
o'sI sFor W. me to say?" he exclaimed.
nAre YOU not the governor? IL II SUITS
your plans for mo to give myself to Eat
ms1 '%My Coo. olga What the devil are
''a: Quito % satisfy him until you are pre-
,arei TO nip zis revolution In tho puo'
as YOU say--.I shall--- ,,
'"Thunderationr' he gasped. You
mean YOU would sacrifice yourself
nrsat f.e Scott What do you. think I'm
exnecting to do? Go to sleep for month
~ so9 Bless your heart. my dear Oiga,
~ vou are even thinking OF getting
carried TO Fernandez. you'll have to pc
pretty spry about 1t, because I'm rs gSims
10 nip the business III the qua pehore
tomorrow morning 49,
"zat is what l thought" said size. the
color rushing back to her race.
That evening Percival called a meet
Inc Of the ''cabinet"--as the council was
now called, They were asked 70 ntS,u' come 70
hnnse' This Of itself, was surprising.
Iandover had never set foot inside the
a~owsrnore mlusion While his atti-
tuds toward the governors LADY was
sludiedly courteous. he made no enort 70
resume tho intimate ana trlendly reia'
wage 10 his enemy. Contact with Per-
eIyel was unavoidable. They met fire.
auentiy in cabinet conferences, but
avoided each other at all other, times.
He came to this hastily called meet
ing, however, and Percival was the only
rs, man present who was not dumfounded.
Sheriff Shay, IN summoninS the NOM
lers 10 this secret meeting, had de-
ilvered a message that LandoVer could
not we'll afford to ignore.
Seventeen men were crowded into tne
little sttngroom of the house. Eacli
one OF them bore a high-sounding title
There were present. besides Percival'
State Treasurer Lnndover, Chief Justice
Malone, Minister Of War Platt. Minister
cf Marine Mott, Minister Of Agriculture
Pedro Drom,. state Clerk Finttner; 5 .; ,r.
Shay, and the following members Of the
executive council: Snipe, Block. Jones
Fits Knapcndykc, Caikins, Ruiz and
Aiyara. Ruiz was a Chilean merchant
and Alvara a Brazilian coffee grower
Caklns was an English cattle buyer.
Perciytl, with Ills customary abrupt
rcss, announced that there was a plot on
foot to destroy the present government
and turn the island over to the mercy
Of a gang Ct desperadoes headed by
Manuel Crust.
Lsndover wss on his feet IN an in.
slant
g'l am in n position, gentlemen, To
declare tha. there is not 4 word OF truth
III that statement IT Is true there Is q
very definite movement on foot TO organ
lie d new party to contest the election
VI many VI Us WHO nero to'
night. The people want a change. They
are dissatisfied. They have q right to
yot. as they please to choose their
own---"
we are not here to discuss the elec.
ton. Mr.. Landover," broke In Percival
Before We 90 ary farther, however.
wish 10 state that II you are chosen
goyernor Of Trigger Islnnl. you will
ilnd no one more willing and ready 10
serve you than /. But, that Is beside
the question. II you will listen to me.
viii tell you exactly what 1t Is that con.
fronts US. The election next month Is
e be the signal for all kinds OF hell.
You may be elected governor, Mr.. Land
oVer--but you will not be allowed To
serve Now. here 10 the story that came
70 me today--an6 l can vouch fer It. I
am authorized-in fact I am commanded
fGrnlnnt.
You may be sure did my best to
prevail upon her to remain unknown, for
the present, at least, but she threatened
70 80 forth and shout her story from
wished"
The conference ended an hour later.
shd Abel Landover had shown his true
Sclors at last. He stood up. his face
S1awn Sn1Sx and and hasssrd; his eyes ablaze. his
Gentlemen. have been wrong. am
raeful to Mr., Perciyal for his generos-
Wy n warning me OF tho danger into
Shleh was rushing, We have not been
tate. would not have blamed him. He
nas played fair--and have not. I ask
you al 70 bear witness to that humiliat-
n;s,s Ms asamlssion ] have argued here to-
n,shs m against all Of you-when- down in
ny heart had the sickening fear that
MS dsmnable story is true. I now be-
.eVe y TO be true. I now see through
'ne Whole devllsh game.
..utu give you my word OF honor az
san senueman and an American ] did not
;ternaps might have found out In time
vi " upset their plans--but that Is doubt
na, NJ, These men are smart They are
sSurai msn born ,plotters. They are dark
nsna'i .M WIN dark souls. This fellow Fer
a s1nuez gs, has fooled me completely. He is
Sssy' smiling boy, but now that have
TTeho Madame Obosky's account OF him,
M, tsHs,cal many little traits In his make up
onIN,oso % 10 iar to substantiate my new
stooS tya .ui or MN. never quite under
yS, y'a w now why he hated you, Perci-
he frankly, knew that he had It in
n ns heart 70 kill you. Crust has told me
runniS. S aih;cGlty in keeping him from
Sas S"nS knife into you. l thought Il
IEpoS he hsmS meant nHyish ~. 0FaVado-eut now
"oaSS,itted "onS itted his head and set his Jaw.
sion =" men. l have shameful confess
be-" No, NJ make. Ever since l can remem-
did noi sole SoIe thought has been to rule.
FROM IVY Know what II was to take orders
iT' isIana another man until I came TO th,s
volt rsy ny whole being has been In re-
nina me thought uppermost In my
iisS iIisnu ior two years has been TO re.estab,
thRt myself Myself as a dominating force. To
Ties VIZ have played pretty bad poll
and cnpIsN. hsxe worked upon the creduiity
sSen. eSSm positions Of authority Il were
tbiS tbiHSen ey vote to govern the AFFAIRS o.
teIIswa. .ana' But, I am sure you ali Will
purnos. me when ! say that II was nv
estly Sot ~ aamlnister those affairs hon
how Wirly and as capabiy as l knew
NEW NEW ! was not only deceived by These
PLAYED III oy myself as we'll. I have