Evening star., 1922-09-10

N1AcARTNEY began to whistle. AT
A'I length he turned to her.
Its pretty complicated. Naturally
those chaps ought to be got out OF
the calaboose, but with our policy
what 1t is and my orders what they
are, IL 1 should use any force or even
threaten to"
why. what would happen?'
You simply can't tell"
Her eyes were brilliant.
Are you afraid Of what might hap
pen to you?"
I'm afraid Of nothing-except one
thing And that's to have something
interfere with my best judgment
That's why I'm afraid of you
There was little silence.
II think perhaps you'd better ex-
plain that to me. Mr.. Mccartney"
IT'S simple. Just to see you stand
ing there and to know what you've
been through makes me want to dive
into it blind. everything else aside
regardless Of orders or anything else.
Just smash in and clean up and get
out"
Don't you see that's what you
ought to do?"
.'Of course" he said. I'm right
facts. and they make me mighty Itchy
And IL ! were an admiral I wouldn't
hold back for ten seconds. But up
north they don't understand. They
get reports and think they're preju-
diced, exaggerated. They want to go
mighty slow until they find which
party's coming out on top. If I go
plunging in here. then. no matter
what's happened. no matter what the
justice of the case is. 1t might AFFECT
our whole diplomatic relationship. I
can't take that responsibility offhand.
Don't you see I can't?'
Presently she said, with a simplicity
which almost numbed him:
why notr'
This time the silence was even more
prolonged.
You say-you've got friends in
that jail?"
Friends! Every man there is a
friend or an acquaintance. It's nearly
our whole colony"
Unexpectedly, he put his hand over
hers on the rail. I'm going to do some
thing for you." said Mccartney. I'm
going to do 1t for you If it breaks me,
and 1t probably will
"oh, please don't say that
Ever since you stepped on this
deck" said Mccartney, "T-well. every
thing about you just took hold Of me
somehow. Down at mess I couldn't
keep my eyes Off you. But 1t wasn't
only that-it was your whole manner
everything. Sam Dyer's the Oldest
pal I've got. and tonight was the first
time I've ever been jealous of him.
So I want you to believe that IL go
ahead with a-sort of plan I've got
it's because of you. And I'll take the
consequences-if you say So"
would you rsk-as much as all
that-for nor
IF it were the last thing I did on
EARTH"
She turned her head away.
"Then-do it." she said. and her
voice was barely audible.
iO1ly llihutcS hO
greeted her father with much brusque-
ness.
"See here, Mr.. Converse, do you
know any Of the officers of this
gangT
why. yes, u
Mccartney gestured forcibly.
"All right Then you go to one of
them-aany one at al-and you offer
him, say, twenty-five hundred dollars
for a safe conduct and an escort for
you and your daughter to the nearest
railway point, provided you get there
within thirty-six hours. want you
to act excited about It. I want you to
insist on the time limit Naturally.
he'll want to know what's in your
mind. Then you stall-stall indefi-
nitely, stall until you have to tell
him-now, listen!-that unless every
American is released from Jail, every
Americans house guarded. every inch
Of American property patrolled by
sentinels, by day after tomorrow at
noon, I'm going to knock San Fratello
~ nat a. kitchen table. And that's
why you're 50 anxious to make .