The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-10-31
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;. !ss Sea-! !E 81: y: :,
b Louis
Joseph Vance


nlmele and sura and was olosins
and reloeking the door whom Mr..
Collision tumbled up tho ladder with
bis flashllght. So whom the second
mate arrived upon Tho bridge LNn-
yard was waiting for him. and In
consequence OF y second act OF de-
plorahie violence. Mr.. Collision re-
turned 60 the deck backwards and
lay quito sfiii whils Lanyard 70
turned 20 the wheel
Collecting the distracted magnets
he carried them 10 the rain. cast
them into the sea and threw IN the
key 10 the little door 90 keep them
company. Then. back at tho bin
naclo. no unscrewed tho brass caps
OF tho cylindrical brass tube which
housed tho Flinders bar. removed
that also. replaced tho capa and
consigned the bar to tho sea In ita
turn.
by choice he would have made
good Job Of n and abolished the
Quadrantai correetors as weln but
hc Judged he had done mischief
enough 10 secure his cnds. as u
was. The compass ought now 10 be
Just as constant 10 tho magnetic
pole a. a hummlng bird 10 ono spe-
clal rose.
Guiding himself by q hand thai
lightly touched tho rail. Lanyard
rcgained his chair. carefully COM
posing himself In tho position In
which he had been resting when the
lights went out. rIis cigaret was
still agiows good Turkish has this
virtue among many others. that ieft
20 itself II will burn ON to the end
of Its roll
The next instant. however. he was
on his feet again. A beam OF light
had swept across the saloon skyilght.
coming from below, tho beam OF n
portable electric torch. II might
have been tho signal for the first
piercing scream OF Lane Delorme.
A pistol shot with a vicious accent
cut short the scream. After brief
pause several more shots rippled In
the saloon. A man shouted angrsiy.
Then tho torchlisht found and stead.
ted upon the mouth Of tho com
panion way. Against that glare. n
bury figure was simultaneously re-
loved. running up To the deck. As
n gained IN. topmost stsp a final
report sounded In the saloon. and
tho figure checked. revclvod slowly
on . heel. tottered. and plunged
headforcmnst down tho steps again
A moment later rncrcdlhlo that
ths stipulated ten minutes should
have passed 20 swifuyo the lights
came on. and with . stiil-fuming
stump Of cigzret between his fingers
Lanyard went below.
His bewfidered gars discovered
FIRST Lame Dclorrne. drawn up rigid
iy-ehs seemed for soma reason to
BE- standing tlptoc-axainst the star.
board partition. near hor stsferoosn
door. Her fingers werv ciKwfng
her chscks. her eyes widsiy ciiats
with horror and fr1xht her mouth
was axApA and from n Issued. ~
by sorns mechanical tnpulsA shrisk
upon hollow shrfsk--cr.es wholly fiat
and meaningless. having NJ char.
acter OF any sort. mere automatic
rsfisxes Of hysssriA-
On the opposite side Of the saloon.
not far from the door TO his quar-
ters. Monk lay semlprons with q
purple face and proiruding eycbails.
far gone toward death thru rfrnngu.
lauon. Phinuit. on his knees. was
removing a silk handkerchief that
had been twisted about that
scrawny throat
Al the foot Of the companlonwny
steps. poplnot. no phantom but tho
Variable Apache himself. was vrith-
ing and heaving convuIsively: even
as Lanyard looked. tho huge body
Of tbs creature lifted from the floor
In one last. heroic spasrn. then col
iapsed. and moved no moro.
Viewing this hidcous tablsau, aD-
prsciating what u mcant--that Pop
mot. forearrned with advice from n
trusted quarter. had stationed him
self outside the door 10 Monks
stateroom. 10 wayiay and garrote the
man whom he expected 10 emerge
therefrom laden with the plumber
OF Monks safe-rAnyard appre-
ciased further that no had done Mr..
Musscy = great wrong.
For he had all the time believed
that tho chief engineer was laying
a trap for him on behalf OF HIS
ancient shiprnats. that unhappy
victim Of groundioss Jealousy. Cap.
tain Whitaker Monk.