The Washington herald., 1921-08-14
By f. Britten Austin

had he decided TO shrek out the truth. be
could not physically have done 20. Hs
tongue sweiled IN dry mouth incapable Of
articulation as he watched the magistrates
pen sign the order. He feit himself turn
s1ck-
And now here he vzs-he came back 10
himself after his halfdreaming recapituia,
ton Of the episodes leading up 20 his present
situation-shut up In the depths Of the Ere>t
liner throbbing her way. with powerful.
steady whirrins Of her turbine engines. into
the immensely Of the ocean
Yes, she was well upon her course now
he was experienced enough to diagnose tn
fulipowered svenness Of the revolutions
which set every plate and girder and hitting
Of her In subdued vibration
Down below-in those heInsh stckehclds-
the ha,f.naked nremen were shovelins ths
coal into the whits-hot glare Of her furnaces.
shoveling and again shoveiing until NJ last
one lump that left their shovels for tn fiery
bed he Jumped to his feet again In
q shrek Of terror, banged against the door
with frenzied nsts.
more mad, fung himself 1t that locked door
In q whirfwind Of blind. Wild energies that
swept through him as from Q source beyond
him Voice. feet. and lists clamored Tor TO
lease from this trap. a.. Ike Gagged wild AMI
NAL overmastered by its instincts, he hurled
himself again and again against that door
which would not open. For all response he
might have been alone in . world destitute
Of man
HIS blows ceased suddenly, with that
brusQue reaction Of the psychically unstable,
as though In an exhaustion Of the reservoir
Of force which had poured % tumultuously
through the open sludce-gates Of his being.
Physical weakling as he also was. he sank
down. his brain drugged In the stupetsction
Of an immense fatigue
He slept, while that gloomy little cell about
him. deep down In the mighty organism.
quivered with the rush Of the great liner -
she hurried out to sea
How long Jake Bravtasly lay IN blessed
unconsciousness at the foot Of that door be
did not know. He was awakened by Its open
ing by q sudden glare rs the electric Light
was switched on One Of the detectives stood
over him. accompanying q steward who
brought food
With dulled faculties that fumbled for dso-
milton Of the vague terror he knew to b
somsxhere In the back Of his mino-what
WAS 1.-THE rose stiriy % his feet. tottered 10
his sdnk Then. seated. he looked I'D At the
detective and remembered his teeth chat
tered In the shivver which came over him
His lips parted a. II for sudden uttersnce.
but he could only stare dumbly. What use
was ft?-his brain began to work again
even II they turned round now the very next
shovelful OF coal might he baked a.
exact imagination Of the cataclysm-
His deep lying, bitter hatred Of the law ana
fits representatives surged up in him sudden
H, presented to him doubtless by his subcon-
scious self for solace, plotting out all elss.
Anyway, they were all In the same boatl
They'd all go up. all drown. together-no
warning. no chance to summon help by wire
less. He almost chuckled as he thought Of
that stoHdly superior detective dead-dead
and unsuspecting until the moment They'd
all Of them, everybody that was not himself.
in an ugly word for justification OF his ennity.
After q glance around the cabin. a test Of
the screwed-tight portfolio. the detective mo-
toned out the steward
mot % much Of that noise now he said
standing over his prisoner. or Wen de you
up and gag you for the rest Of the tr1p-you
understand" There was genuine menace
in his tone. The weedy little wretch shrank
back from him instinctively. the blood q
two generations Of gutter-thieves asserting
itself In this close proximity to Law person.
ned. His bloodless lips quivered. but hs
made no sound
After one last nod Of significance the de-
tective left him to his food. turned the key
once more upon him
The FIRST mouthful nearly choked him, but
then. hunger awaking at the taste. he ate
ravenously. was still unsatisned when all was
finished
The dishes he put down Jared and rat
tied with the pulsation Of those mighty en-
gines. far away and hidden. indefatigable, %
sure and steady in their unvarying whirr and
Jet to him so full Of menace He sSt
crouched upon the edge Of his bunk, staring
vscantly at the door. his mind fixed upon
. the continuance Of that naintly heard hum
ming Of the turbines, Of that Quivering vibr.-
ton which pervaded the ship. AT the back q
his consciousness somewhere was q percep-
don Of the steady rise and fall Of the floor be-
cant. slowly righting itself. which spoke Of