Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-22
THE GIRL In THE SECOND CABIN
III r.. y. EklAKBE.
fcopyright. 1890. by G. Hoscgrd Wattl

Trask looked sober for minute.
TIN afraid we're both a pair Of
constituencies impostors, Keller" he
confessed.
oh, it's not so bad as that, sir.
Don't feel that way about it. Mr..
Trask It does no harm. you know
1t pleases them for a while, anyway
until something comes along to up
set it,
Trask was obtaining an insight
into the romantic philosophy of the
Tennessee Tornado. There was an
idiotic harTnlessneSs about it that at
tracted him. True, it was persistent
~ bringing it's exponent to cropper
after cropper, but. as Keller explain
cd, when he was his own true self he
would almost certainly have eX-
peri@nced an equal number of crop
pers.
Trask wondered whether he had
come a cropper himself and, if SO,
whether in the first or the second
cabin. He had an uneasy suspicion
that perhaps it had been both.
Only one thing gave him hope
Sidney Sands had shown an aston
ishing determination not to implicate
him by her testimony before Capt.
Blodgett. He did not understand the
reason for that, unless it was purely
from instructive dislike of playing the
role of an informer. lie hoped it was
something more, but could not be
sure. He proposed to find out
Then his mind abruptly reverted to
the staggering fact that he was about
10 be put off the ship. and that he
was to he a prisoner in his stateroom
until the ship touched at Key West.
Come, Keelerl We've been vast
ing time" he said sharply. I'VE
haven't yet found a way to stay on
board"
II don't see how it can he done,
It's got to be done, You can go,
if YOU want to, but I WON'T"
'Of course. Mr.. Trask, if you stay,
then l stay, too. It's only my duty.
SIR
We've got to be safely hidden by
tomorrow morning. and it's a cinch
we can't hide in here"
Keeler shook his head gloomily.
Gould we try getting into one of
the lifeboats, sir?" he ventured
''Thcy always search those places. 4"
"0r down in the hold with the
freight?'
THEY'D get US sure. They'll prob
AMY be putting some of the freight
off at Key West and we'd so with
IL.
Maybe you could be so desperately
sick. sir that it'd be a matter of life
or death to move YOU out of your
bunk. I've got d medicine kit, sir,
and / could fix you out with a dose
that would make you look and feel
awful sick. Mr. Tm'sk'
Keeler frightened yisibly as he
made the suggestion.
Not on your life.' exclaimed
Tlask 'ln the first place, you might
poison me. in the second. they'd
probably carry me out on "a sttetcher,
anyhow. I'm sufficiently sick now,
thank you. Try your imagination
again, Keller
I<eelar tried but his imagination
had been trained in a different chan
rel. 1T did not run to the discovery
Of expedients whereby the mandate
VI the ships master might be set
aside.
Then Trask, had an idea.
"Do you think you can get into the
second cabin, keeler?'
Il can try, sir.
Try IT, then. Now. listen, There
is q st2teroom next door to that of
i Miss Sands 1t was to have been oc-
/ cupied by her father, who missed the
! ship It's full of scientific instru,
meuts. You hunt UP Miss Sands and
ask her if we can hide in there. No
! b0dy'u ever think Of searching that
/ place. Tell her. as an inducement
+ that We'll keep all the instruments
/ going and the records and all that
/ so!t Of thing. and that We'll only
necd it until after the ship leaves Key
! Vest
t Keeler hesitated.
Hurry up, now. We've got to gel
/ this thing settled said Trask briskly
After what's happened, sir, it'll be
a little embarrassing
That's your affair, Keller. I'm
sorry for the late Capt. F'erriss, but
business is business, and I'm going
| to stay aboard this ship--as long as
she does. And, aside from that rea
son, I wouldn't give old Bodgett the
/ satisfaction OF putting me ashore
so get busy
keeler arose reluctantly.
THE captains orders were to keeT
an eye on you, SIR" he objected
wen, lock me III when you &C
out. IF you meet anybody, say you've
chained me TO the bunk"