, 1923-03-31

S.v Trehearne a very fluent account
oil the voyage CT Lou.Lou and her
friends. OF the unavoidable meeting
OF Luke DUAL! the aged missionary
and Hvarson. tall. fierce and preda.
tory, Barak wrote thus:
"Hvarson looked at him and laugh
ed-that scornful. nasty laugh of bis.
which makes you want to murder
him. He knew that IL Mr.. Quail had
beaten him once. he cuuld not do II
now. and he laughtsd. Hvarson made
a sneerins reference to their last
meeting. in Manila ana said that he
was ready to be buriad.
old Quail merely nodded. ''rhat
will come" he answered slowly, with
a queer fash reaching down in his
blue eyes. That will cons, Hvar-
son. II you mako any more trouble
Tor Lou-Lou. the end will come quick.
"! o are walking in slippery
places"
"Hvarson made no answer. for he
was afraid. He went away and kept
himself hidden after that"
Trehearne shook his head, stub.
bornly. although his eyes were wide
with the picture that Franks had set
before him.
ont o think Il. Frapks' he
sale Don't you think III EEarson
Isn't afraid He has no fear Of any
thing on earth. in heaven, in hell
Now. If he laid low. It wasn't be-
u Quail frightened him. No. mol
He was waiting to get here; that's
aH-here, away from the law, away
cron h world, where he'd have Rails
Hsned to help him"
There was a silence for a moment
but Franks looked at the window,
and frowned. His bright eyes mar.
roT~ed into thin Sits. Then. rising
he caught up a brass Ink we'll and
hurled 1t through tho window. A
slight cry answered the missile, and
a moment later Franks came back
wearing n broad grin of delight.
Rails Hamed sent a chan to listen,
evidently" he explained. ct caught
him right over the ear-the brass
cut into his skull and set the blood
jumping, I a tell youi Hear him
hol,er7"
Now. to get hack to what's going
TO happenr' Franks went on. .zahri
is coming home see? Alone, Think.
ing he's the sultan! He's going TO cali
together the council n tell 'em that
something or other has happened to
Lou-Lcu."
II sse," responded S~rehea-ns anx.
lousy.
And do you see old fairness that
the game Is now in our hands?"
NO" admitted Trehearne.
Listen" Franks waved his cigar.
cite with sudden eayety. This hand
Is up to US to play like good ones. Tre-
hearne! Getting that letter from
Barak gave US trumps.-
Trehearne dropped his chin on his
breast. He shook his head. Over his
a c clouced a mdrose expression, a
o OF ietharg,c despair.
No use, Franks" he said duly.
amt like Hverscn. We can't
take q gun,beat sonHbody else, an
then give our orders. We a,n't the
right sort Of men; that's all. This
damned heat has taken the sap out of
US. Franks. We weren't made TO work
IN this climate. We're cnIy a better
sort O. beachconbers. hanging ON I'M
til something happens. The iife's
gone out OF US"
This was so fearfully true that the
denial was checked on the lips OF
Franks-cheoked abrsfpty. It was
one Of those rare moments when men
stare the naked truth In the face.
Some may deny Il: some may
acknowledge 1T calmly. some ma
laugh weakly at st: but the naked,
stark truth is there.
Franks was what might be termed,
politely, a retired gentleman. He
was a gentleman in the sense that
he did no labor, but collected old
native manuscripts and played the
violin. and lived alone in his house
on the hill behind town.
He had bought that house when
he first came to Sibuko. in the days
of the old sultan.
Franks and the old sultan grew
to be Arm friends, with much mu.
tual respect.
Once the suftan presented Franks
with a magnificent harern of i've
girls. the most beautiful TO be col.
lectsd anywhere. This exnbarras dc
riches had been refused with such
deiicacy and success that tina infiu
ence OF the Virginian had actually
grown greater.
When the sultan died. IL was
Franks who had been with him at
the last. Men muttered that Franks
had had something TO do with the
old mans tomb and its mystic In
scription. and that IL n one knew
what was known as the secret"
Franks did.
Some said that Franks would tell
no one except Lou.rou. when she
came home; others said that Franks
meant TO grab things for himself.
One day Fails Hamed bluntiy asked
him about this fingers playing. a.
he asked. about the shagreen haft Of
the knife IN his scarlet ~waistcioth.
"rhs secretf" Franks looked him
IN tho eye. smiIingiy. why. Cap'n.
there's no aecret!'
Harned Ben Yusuf, who prided him.
self on his judgment OF men. implicit,
ly believed that statement He even
scoffed at Hvarson. who suggested
taking Franks aboard the Gazeiie. as
the schooner was named and putting
him to the question.
HE knows nothing OF n secrets
gruntsd the old pirate scornfully. and
Hvarsop fell silent.