Evening star., 1921-03-13

lea. His wooing was sudden. imme-
diate and irresistible. in the impetu-
Gus manner OF his kind. He kindled
dreams in the tall goddess cool eyes
He waxed SO eloquent that he might
| have stormed the citadel of her heart
then and there had Peterson not de-
| scended from the bridge to carry his
daughter OF to bed.
The sandy-haired youngster was
not cast down. He hurried away to
the forward deck. whistlinS, and
showed or a manhole cover. ostensi-
bly, for ventilation. The rusty Lii
berta was rising and falling to slow
ground swell. and with every dip OF
the bow a shower Of foam exploded
high into the air and flung back
across the decks. Glancing UP. White
saw the captains cigar glowing on
the bridge: above him the mist light
swayed against sky as black and
dense as a velvet pail. The second
officer lighted q cigarette and squat
ted by the opening. And presently.
throwing back his head. he began to
! sing. IL the captain had cared TO
listen to the words of the ditty. he
might have learned thing or two.
For this is what the youngster said {:
Hey. you, down there. All right
A hoarse whisper rose from the
steaming hold. Hot as he'll. How
is everything?"
I've been talking to Peterson's
daughter" caroled the youngster in
a passionate tenor voice. She's a
They're going to Porto Bio. she says,
for a visit, She's as innocent as
Mary's lambda, la
Listen! / saw Diego His army is
four days march from Msgella-an-
nual maneuvers. No one in the city
| who can use a popgun. small
force at the fort. Peterson knew.
The Liberia is going back there to-
| morrow with a cargo of revolutions
lists. Cammarillo himself is marching
down from the hills. Sing. you
| fool-sing"
GOOD Lord" warbled the youngster.
That's fierce. It's all up then? OH,
ira. la, la
Not on your life. Where's whis-
kers?"
Gone to bed-o.'
Let him bribe you. d'you hear
Play up. Pat him on the back. Smile
ieven IL your hate chokes you. i tele-
eraphed Mccarthy at the mines.
They'll cut cross country to meet
Cammarillo Well have 20 hold up
Peterson's cargo Of toy soldiers some
how"
How" Oh, how, old dear? Two
of US against an army? You make
me sick-you make me awfully sick,
la, Ia"
IF we don't" the hoarse whisperer
warned. something terrible is going
to happen to Magella. Go to bed. and
let me think. But, for Gods sake.
don't give me away" The song
ond officer closed the manhole again.
He did not 60 to bed that night. but
sat on a stanchion. watching the ex-
Iplosions of phosphorus. inaudible and
dazzling, which stirred the racing
sea. At dawn he went to the bridge.
a. n M
more crumpled than ever. his quench-
ed cigar chewed to a pulp.
Good morning" he said in feeble
English. you sing like those little
birds last night. S!gnor Why Eat.
Il am musical by disinclina:ion.D
l"I was singing the hymn of liberty:
Liberia" whispered Dal Re. pound
ing his breast with both clenched
hands Il, too, love the liberty. I,
too. am patriot. The little countries
they. what you call, step on my
lhearts. Too long have Magella been
lunder the foot Of the tyrant crushed.
I weep"
An" said the sandy haired young
lister, coming nearer and lowering his
fvoice. ''How's that? Any trouble in
Ma gella?"
1.-THE captain winked solemnly. You
love the liberty?"
How much is it worth?"
zone hundred dollars"
Not enough"
Two hundred"
You're on. Veeva. What's the
game?"
Dal Re stepped close to his second
officer and whispered: Listen. Big
revolution in Magella. fra-twO days.
We go in to Porto Bio tonight and get
1000 men with guns. Take them back.
No one knows. Make to enter the port
at dark. Ssh. No one hears. Land at
Like that! All for the liberty. Day
beyond tomorrow all royalists are
dead and all nationalists are rich.
Ebbene."
I'd rather be rich nationalist than a
dead royalist. Give me the two hum
dred."
Dal Re sighed and stripped some
green bills from the fat wad he car
ried in the inside pocket of his dirty
linen jacket. The sun had bounced
above the horizon like an enormous
jack in the box. and the sea was "A
mad dance of little waves slded on
their crested tips.
All day the Liberia churned her way
across the brilliant sea beneath a sky
as blazing blue as the inside of a sap
phire cup. A ribbon of smoke rolled
back from the funnel and hung like
a black cable above the water. The
wind had dropped: it was sweltering
hot beneath the canvas deck awnings.
Peterson slept. his head thrown back.
his glorious beard pointed heaven
ward. He was dreaming of Paris-cool
fountains. tulips in bloom, pretty
women. Himself-Peterson - driving
in the Bois with Cora at his. side. Per-
ifume. Elegance. Beauty. No more of
this shifting. metallic sun and tropic
ilanguor. No more fat wife in a cotton
wrapper. 80 Every now and then
waking with a start. the incorruptible
one heard with a vague uneasiness
the murmur of voices.
standing side by side. watching the
spray Of flying fish away from the
I.fberta's slicing PROV. Funny, how
like the youngster was What
had the captain called him? Why
Eat? why Eat? White! Peterson felt
| again the drowning wave of terror.
Cora and the youngster were looking
! into one anothers eyes: their shoulders
touched He should have left her
at home; danger or no danger. she
would have been safer in the garden
of Numero s than here with that
laughing chap who was so damnably
! Cora was paying no attention to him.
She had found the end of the rainbow
/ in the sandy-haired youngsters ar
dent eyes.
TOWARD night land rose out of the
ocean like a heap of fantastic
storm clouds. The Liberia turned at
right angles and before the last of
| the twilight had flickered out. poked