Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-11-17

| as Rainey nte heartily, feeling his
old self coming back with the fo0d,
especially with the coffee.
Thanks. Tamada." he said as ne
pushed aside his plate at last.
Everything alright, sir?" pur-ed
the japanese.
Rainey nodded. The "sir' was re
assuring. He was accepted as some
body aboard the Karluk. Tamada
cleared away swiftly, and Rainey felt
for his own cigarettes. Some one was
snoring IN a stateroom off the cabin,
and he fancied by its volume it was
Lund
1t was a divided ships company,
after all. For he knew that Lund,
handicapped with his blindness. would
live perpetually suspicious of Simms
And the doctor was against Lund
Rainey's own position was a paradox.
He started for the companionway,
and slight sound made him turn, TO
face the girl. She looked at him cas-
ually as Rainey, to his annoyance,
flushed.
Good afternoon" said Rainey "Are
you going on deck?"
1t was not a clever opening, bur
she seemed to rob him of wit, to an
extent. He had yet to know how she
stood concerning his presence aboard.
Did she cOuntenance the forcible kid
MAPPING of him as a possible tattlerT
Or?
MY father tells me you have de
cided to go with u.s." she said, pleas
antly enough, but none too cordially,
Rainey thought.
''You have not been well. l hope
you are better. Have you eatenT
Ralney began to think that she was
ignorant of the facts. And he made
up his mind to ignore them.
"Thank you, ! have" he said. II
was going to look up Mr.. Lund."
The sentence covered sudden
change of mind. He no longer want
ed to go on deck with the girl. They
were not to be intimates. She was
to marry Carlson. He was an out
slider. Carlson had told him that. So
she seemed to regard him, imperson-
ally, without interest. 1t piqued him.
"Mr. Lund is in the first mates
cabin" said the girl, indicating door.
"Mr. Bergstr0m, who was mate, died
at sea last voyage. Doctor Carlson
acts as navigator with my father, but
he has another ROOM"
She passed him and went on deck.
Carlson was acting first mate as well
as surgeon. That meant he had sea-
manship. Also that they had taken
in no requirements, no other men to
swell the little corporation of fortune
hunters who knew the secret, or
part of 1t. 1t was unusual, but Rainey
shrugged his shoulders and raped
on the door of the cabin.
1t took loud knocking to waken
Lund. At last he roareG "COme in"
Rainey found him seated on the
edge of his bunk, dressed in his under
clothes, his glasses in place. Rainey
wondered whether he slept In them.
Lund's uncanny intuition seemed to
read the thoughts. He tapped the
lenses.
Hate TO take them off," he said.
Light hurts my eyes, though the OPP
tic nerve is dead. Seems to strike
through. How're We maxim out?"
"You know they drugged me-"
Rainey ended his recital of the inter
view he had had with the doctor.
"Knockout drops? guessed 1t.
That doctors slick. Well, you've not |
much fault to find, have We? Garrison
talked sense. Here you are on the
road to fortune. I'll see yore
shares fair one. There's plenty. 1t
amt bad billet you've fallen into,
my lad But I'll look out for We. And
I'll need ye."
He lowered his voice mysteriously.
"Yo're writer, Mister Rainey.
You've got brains. You can see which
way a things heading. You've heard
enough. I'm blind. I've bin done dirt
once aboard the Karluk, and don't
lim to stand for it ag'in.
81 amt got eyes. You have. Use
em for both of us. amt asking We
10 take sides, exactly. But I've got
cause for helm suspicious. l don't call
the skipper Honest Slmms no more.
And / amt stuck on that doctor. He's
100 bossy. He's got the skipper I'M
der his thumb. And there's. some
him funny about the skipper. He
lint the same man. Mebbe it's his
conscience. But that Doctors runnln'
him."
Hes going to marry the captains
laughter" said Rainey.
"Simms' daughter? Carlson goln'
o marry her? Umpl That may ac'
.ount for the milk In the coconut."