Evening star., 1927-10-27
THE BLACK JOKER
BY ISABEL OSTRANDER.

the eastern sky lighted they came to
a stop before what appeared to be a
shipyard. Narrow creeks ran in on
either hand and were dotted with
small sloops and skiffs, while the
shore was lined with launches and
rowboats, and at the end of a short
dock a dingey awaited them, manned
by two rough-looking men who reeked
of stale tobacco.
| Janet took her seat gingerly in the
stern, with Lucy beside her and Mari
oft and Sayre up forward, and they
| swept out upon a body of water which
from the lights dancing upon it ap-
peared limitless. There was no surf
Janet noticed, but great rollers made
the going rough, and Lucy shivered
and moaned a little beneath her
breath.
They appeared to be making for a
certain light brighter than the rest,
and when they hove to beneath rope
ladder suspended from the rail Of a
| long, low, black hulk the name Daisy
| D. stood out in weather-worn lettering
in the rays from a swinging lantern.
| Sayre went first and then Marriott
beckoned to Janet.
Now, please. I shall be right be-
hind you to steady you, and you will
Janet diSdained to reply or show her
inward trepidation, but she found the
swaying ascent horrible, and was sick
and dizzy when at last strong hands
seized her and drew her up on a dirty,
slanting deck. Lucy was hauled up,
almost helpless from fright, and then
Marriott led the way below decks to a
cabin.
Janet was conscious of a strong
| odor of fish and wet ropes and tar,
| and she shrank in disgust from the
| filth everywhere, though there were
| evidences of a hurried attempt at
| scrubbing up. The cabin was small
and contained only two rude hunks
and a chest Of drawers. but rolls of
| fresh blankets, linen and pillows were
| brought down, and Lucy recovered
| sufficiently to start arranging their
cramped quarters.
When she had made up one Of the
hunks Janet seated herself on it, lis
| tening to a creaking, hauling sound
and the tramp of heavy feet on the
deck above. 1t was all vastly differ
ent from the trim little yacht in which
she had made the trip down the Hud-
son, and she wondered nightly as to
their destination, but Marriott had
gone, locking the cabin door after him,
and it was obvious that Lucy was as
| ignorant as she.
Then came the throbbing vibration
| of an engine, the craft shook and
moved out with a jerky motion that
steadied into rhythmic rolls, and a
freshening breeze blew in at the port
hole, through which light was slowly
sitting, turning the lanterns glow to
a thin, yellow ray which could soon be
dispensed with.
| l.; ;~I, H,,% 81 n 7ev
| on her bunk Janet could see a veil OF
heavy mist, which grew thicker and
creamy with the coming Of morning,
and she could tell by the sound Of the
engine, as we'll as the motion, that
they were going slower, as though
feeling their way, while horns brayed
raucously from all around them and
shrill whistles screamed.
Lucy sank down on her own bunk
and covered her ears with her hands.
It's 'orrible, miss!" she whimpered.
II didn't think as 'ow Mr.. Marriott
would bring US out to sea in wicked
old tub like this. AS long as I've
been in service to i'm, 'e's never done
nothink like this"
you've been in his employ a long
time?" Janet asked.
Three years, miss" Fear and its
accompanying need Of companionship
appeared to have loosened the girls
tongue. Strange, wild years they've
been, and often I thought the next
minute would be my last. Camels
I've rode, and elephants, and queer
native boats. with grinning black saw.
ages to shoot them along, but I've a
feeling that this is going to be worse
than anythink, what with the fog and
allr'
Camels! Elephants! Native boats!
Janet's interest had quickened to eager
curiosity.
! you've been all around the world"'
she exclaimed. "If you didn't like II
why did you stay? Does Mr.. Marriott
pay you so well?"
1.-THE pay is we'll enough, miss; and
some, some would call it, but it isn't
that. Lucy looked fearfully toward the
door and lowered her voice. "You
see, miss, / was 'Cusemaid at a cabi
net minister's, and a foreign gentle
man wanted just peep at a paper
that l could come by easy and no one
the wiser. f gave me fine present
but something went wrong and l got
into trouble. 1t was prison or enter
Mr.. Mariott's service, and there's no
where in the world I could ide from
i'm or them that's back of I'm! Sayre's
the same - IL trepple was about