Evening star., 1933-10-03
INSTALLMENT XXVI.

was spacious library. SONG.
one with q rebellious spirit haf
i anciently bound many Of the
books in red leather and the
flash of color still leavened the somber
calf brown which was the conventional
shade for all Libraries so years ago.
There were no new books.
The windows gave one q pleasans
vista Of foliage.
In general the second floor was
brighter. more cheerful. The light up
mendous bath room and many bed
rooms, all lonesomely large and fur.
nished with beds and dressers that were
of proportionate size and dignity.
There's a play room on the third
floor" Irene suggested, giving him an
opportunity to turn back from the tour
Of inspection.
IT should like to see 1t, too. Be-
sides we've nothing else to do" Vern
had the vague beginning OF a plan IN
mind Perhaps at the top OF the house
the unseen ears which he felt were
drinking in every dropped syllable and
could exchange few sentences on sub
jects of crying Importance.
The play room was now pretty much
a storage chamber for junk. 1t was .
sort of a boarded-of portion OF tho
attic and old furniture which had prob
ably been headed for the vacant space
under the caves had stranded IN the
middle of the floor. This made trip
across the room matter OF consider
able hazard even in daylight. 1t could
not be done at night without the aid OF
a chart and soundings.
There were lovely dormer windows.
or,arIo0kiD0 the sound on the
front and commanding a view across
the tree tops to the north and south.
In the embrasure leading to one OF
the windows Vern thought they might
be safe 1t was not fair to Irene, how
ever, to take chance without asking
her consent.
He crcled her arm with his hand.
At first she looked at him in startled
amazement-not fright exactly, but
certainly surprise. Vern put the fore
finger Of his other hand to his lips. at
the same time beginning to telegraph
on her arm by short and long pres
sures corresponding to dots and dashes
in the international Morse code.
MAY we talk here?" he asked 1n
silent signals.
Even before he had finished the SEN
tence she had drawn away from him.
That tree outside" she offered,
pointing casually in the manner OF one
guiding a stranger over the premises,
sis the one that used to be a look
out in the old days before was born.
Perhaps it was used by slave smugglers.
don't know about that. We children
were not allowed to climb up to the
crow's-nest at the top, but we always
did whenever no one was looking. It
made life much more exciting"
Vern looked up to the top Of the
tufted pine which rose considerably
higher than the roof Of the building
even. There. peering over the railing,
was the most repulSve countenance
thst it had ever been Vern's fortune to
gaze upon. Not that it was a disfgured
face On the contrary, the outline was
very good and the features were large
sion was one of malignant leering cru
| city such as may often be encountered
in those who are ruled by cruelty them
| selves. 1t was an expression that hac
no business to be In any mans face, 9
| shadow from he'll that rested profanelJ
On the handiwork of God.
| As he looked at it the face snile
| a jeering, threatening smile.
Vern stared, fascinated. Finally
said almost to himself, Peter Pa,
cake
The answer came, not from Irene,
| but from the head itself. There was
glass between them and 30 or 90 feel
| Of space And, besides, the lookout
| of the gale which bent its branches
shoreward. But the head nodded
quickly and unmistakably and the smile
became broad grin.
Vern drew back from the window
"He heard me-" he declared shakily.
Peter Pancake is an expert liz
reader" Irene explained. HE and my
future husband converse without max
ing a sound when they are together in
the light and besides that they are M
credibly swift and accurate in using the
wireless code. I myself have become
quite speedy since have known them,
but my skill is as nothing compared to
theirs"
Vern wiped his forehead as If there
really had been perspiration there.
This situation was like a net Of fine
mash. Whichever way you turned
there seemed to be nothing and yet you
struck battling obstruction. He was glad
that he had not babbled anything of
thought himself in the security Of the
window He wondered If Pete had seen
and read the telegraph signals he had
tapped out on her arm. All he could
do was to hope that the almost imper-
ceptible presSures he had eXerted had
escaped observation. At any rate he
would not try that again, at least not
In daylight or in any illumination
which would make 1rene's situation
more difficult than 1t already was.
| Through another Of the windows they
could look out toward the mainland.
could even see 1t and the smoke from
human habitations that were apparent
ly set back quite way from the beach
There's a small town half a mile
up the slough, inhabited mostly by COL
ored rice farmers on O small scale"
Irene explained. "They never come
over here Long ago they were encour-
aged not to and the taboo has become
an unwritten law"
Vern did not doubt in the least that
Dummy" and his henchman were
equally aware of the unlikelihood Of in
terraption from the shore. Everything.
| contrfved to make the island proprietors
Of Little Cane Key as isolated and un-
protected as if they were on an atou
in the South Seas.
| Nearer at hand, Just across the IN.
tervening hedge Of live oak, was the
pointing finger Of the mainmast Of the
yacht. It called especial attention to
itself because it was moving slowly.
Vern pointed out that fact to his
companion.
"Krebs Is warping Wings into the
old wharf I suppose Mr.. Squales must
have told him to-"
Vern was secretly glad Of that al
though the fact that Dummy dared
have all the men of the party free and
accessible was convincing evidence Of
his confidence in his protective meas
ures. At that, even In q fair fight,
Dummy" and Pancake were probably
better than match for Vern plus the
four old gentleman and Krebs. And 1t
was certain that there would be no fair
fighting, not while Dummy" possessed
the advantage of the only firearms and
the Ferguson boy as hostage
Tap-tap. tap-tap." The 'atten-
/ fiOO" signal