White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-05-02
Mike complied, glad to be rid of his
suspicious passenger.

lNlhe COl1lp11cQ, S1dQ W NC Ilu VI 1llS
suspicious passenger.
And now, on his arrival, when start
ing to overhaul his gear he had dis
covered what looked like sabotage,
though utterly unable to conceive of
any motive for such an act. The mys-
FERROUS F'renchman had been friendly
and agreeable. He claimed to be the
owner OF Nova Scotia halibuter that
had been driven down by gale and
put in to calk her leaking seams. Why
smash the helmet?
Mike had heard the splintering of
glass when steering, and looked in to
see the Frenchman gathering up the
fragments of broken bottle. Mike
had thought no more about 1t, the bot
tie having been empty. How long had
he been here? Fifteen minutes, per-
haps. Captain MacFarlane would rails
a-da-heck with him. Where ina da
blazes was he to get the ting repaired?
Mike must have been considerably
astonished at the zeal shown by Tom
in aiding his extremity. Tom hastily
explained it in some measure by stat
friend, and what was more guardian of
the girl he hoped to marry-which
| really should have been explanation
enough for anybody. He rushed Mike
and the helmet over to the garage.
| The proprietor, who lived over the
garage, was not awake until about ten
seconds after Tom got there. The
| two were boyhood friends, and Toms
fistful of bills talked even more ur-
gently than did Tom, which is saying
something. A fast car and a high
beaked driving fool were modified
quickly.
Beat it to Bath" painted Tom, land
! get the thing fixed in a tearing hurry,
or get one like it. The whole works, if
you have to. Burn the wind, and burn
money, whether you have to or not.
It's big newspaper story, and there's
reporter from a rival paper here, or
on his way to beat me to it,"
These maneuvers had consumed
about an hour Time enough for Sc
bastien to get around there in his boat,
provided he had her ready, as Tom be-
lieved he had. The entire situation
was clear enough to Robert and him
self, except for the pivotal point. Had
Doctor White known all along that it
was the wreck of the Fourquet out
there on the reef, and that it was high
time he did something about it? Such
a hypothesis was not at all in charac
ter with Doctor White, but it seemed
| to be the only one that promised any
possible solution.
This thing is getting pretty thick
Tom said to Robert 1--WE seem to be
' flocking in from all sides, like buzzards
to dead donkey. But the all-import-
ant business is to shut out Sebastien.
He spotted this fellows gear and fixed
it for him. then beat it back to get his
boat. And to think how near we came
to burning up old Dave MacFarlane's
old packet, and thus scrambling the
eggs even scrambleder."
| Robert gave cool nod, then asked
"Why the tearing hurry to get this div
er's' helmet for Doctor White, Tom?"
Tom glanced at his ally ITO beat
Sebastien. Why?"
| Robert raised his dark eyebrows.
what good is it going to do us to beat
Sebastien if Doctor White sends down
a diver to locate and claim the wreck?"
he asked, pithily
Toms face hardened Because Sc
bastien is thieving Canuk, and Doc
! tor White fine square man" he an
| SWered holly.
"Quite So He is ALSO as you just
told this diver, your warm friend and
the guardian of the girl you hope to
marry. I beg to remind you that you
have pledged the word of Yankee to
keep your faith with me, and I don't
think that permits of your helping
Doctor White!"
Tom stared at Robert with good deal
of confusion smothering his first anger
He was unable to find the right answer
to this protest. Tom was quick-tem-
pered about some things, but he was
| fair minded, sometimes to the damage
of his own rightful interest. So that
won, while doubly stung, he was hob
bled The best he could manage was
to blurt out, We'll, wouldn't you rath-
er that Doctor White got first claim on
the wreck than Sebastien?"