Evening star., 1924-09-28
THE OWLS HOUSE
A Thrilling Adventure Story
By Crosbie Garstin
BY CrOSble GarStin
opynght. 1924. BY Frederick al STOKE. Ca


sigh, sigh of relief, the sigh of a man
whose troubles are over. Anson was
dead, leaving widow and three young
children. His old friend was dead, had
died in agony, shot through the lungs.
and left to choke his life out in an open
boat in Midwinter. Hatred surged
through Ortho, hatred for the Proven
tive. If he ever got ashore again he'd
search out the man that fired that shot
and serve him likewise and while he
was choking he'd sit beside him and tell
him about Anson in the open boat. AS
matter Of fact, the man who fired the
shot was a recruit who let off his piece
through sheer nerves and congratulated
himself on having hit nobody-but
Ortho did not know that.
All they had been trying to do was to
make a little money-and then to come
shooting and numbering people
Smuggling was against the law, grant
ed-but there should have been some
sort of warning. For two Winters they
had been running cargoes, and not a
soul seemed to care a fig; then, all of
a sudden, crash! The crash had come
so suddenly that Ortho wondered for a
fuddled moment IL it had come, if this
were not some ghastly nightmare and
presently he would wake up and find
himself in bed at Bosula and all well.
cold dollop of spray hit him in the
middle of the back. drenching him,
and there was Anson sitting up in the
bows. the whole front of his smock
deluged in blood blood mingled with
sea water washed about on the bottom
of the boat 1t was no dream. He didn't
care where he was going or what hap
pened He was soaked to the skin,
famished, numb, body and soul. and ut
teriy without hope-but mechanically
he kept the boat scudding
The clouds were down very low and
heavy bellied. One or two snow
squalls swept over Toward noon a
few pale shafts of sunshine pene-
trated the cloud -wrack, casting
patches of silver on the dreary wa
ters. They brought no warmth, but
the very sight of them put a little
heart into the castaway. He FUN
bled in the locker under his seat and
found few scraps of sinking fish,
intended for bait These he ate,
bones and all. and afterward baled
the boat out, hauled his sheet trifie
and put his helm to starboard with
Il hazy idea of hitting off the French
coast somewhere about Brest, but the
gig promptly shipped a sea, so he had
to let her away and bale again.
Anson was getting on his nerves.
idotic grin and his eyes were turned
up so that they were fixed directly
on Ortho. Every time he looked up
there were the eyes on him. 1t was
more than he could stand. He left the
tiller with the intention of turning
Anson over on his face. but the gig
showed a tendency to jibe and he had
to spring back again. When he
looked up the grin seemed more pro-
nounced than ever.
"Grizzling because you're out of ii
and | amt, eh?" he shouted. and was
Immediately ashamed of himself. He
tried not to look at Anson. but there
was a horrid magnetism about those
ewes
II shall go light-headed soon" he
said to himself and rummaged afresh
in the locker, found a couple of de-
cayed sand -eels, and ate them.
The afternoon wore on. 1t would
be sunset soon and then night again.
He wondered where next morning
would see him, If it would see him
at all. He thought not
Cant go on forever" he muttered
must sleep soon-then I'll be drowned
or froze" He didn't care. His sod
den clothes would take him straight
down and he was too tired to fight. 1t
| would be all over in a minute, fin
ished and done with. At home, at the
Owls House now, Wany would be
bringing the cows in. Bohemia would
be coming down the hill from work,
driving the plow oxen before him.
There would be a grand fire on the
hearth and the black pot bubbling.
He could see Martha fussing about
like an old hen, getting supper ready.
bent double with rheumatism-and
Eli. Eli He wondered if the
owls would hoot for him as they had
for his father.
He didn't know why he'd kept the
boat going; it was only prolonginG
the misery. Might as well let her
broaeh and have done with it. over
with her-now! But his hand re-
mained steadfast and the boat raced on.
Continued in Tomorrow Starr