The Trey 0' Hearts
A Norefcxed Version cf lh Motion Pictore Drwma ct 0 Same Nwce
Produced by the Universe! FiLa Co.
Cy LOUIS J02IPH VANCE
CnJfntri ita Paotofrspk frcsl tlit fictsrt Prea'aciiee
Copjrlhl, tfli, bj Louis Jir a Vaoca
Faro:, ttood over him. at the wheel,
fairly reeling with weariness, his eye
blool-shot, swollen, and half-closed In
face like a mask of fatigue.
"Can't keep this up much longer,"
be apologized thickly; "stood It about
as long as I ran. Take your trick and
;glve me forty winks."
' Grateful solicitude brought Alan In
stantly to his side, though he himself
was sluggish and stiff and sore In all
bis limbs.
"Tou re a brick!" he protested. "Why
didn't you call me sooner?"
"No good; I knew the way you
didn't That Is, I did until this ac
cursed fog closed down a couple of
hours ago. Now God knows where
them was one whose solution baffled
their utmost Ingenuity one the simple
I tfnfmn1ntinn nt mhfi-tt inxaA their
courage and Intelligence to the ex
treme. He summed up: "I cant see any
thing for It but father and Judith are
determined to have my scalp, and I'm
hanged if I can see how to protect my
self without taking a leaf out of their
books. What I'm most afraid of is
that some time I may forget It's a
woman I'm defending myself against.
When a fellow's fighting for his very
life he can't always stop to calculate
the weight of hie blows."
The young man sighed, shook his
head, laughed uncertainly, and held
her closer to him. "Don't fear; I'll
find some way out without injuring
either of them. I promise you that!"
He sealed the pledge upon her Hps.
And in that moment of their obliv
ion to the world from some point for
ward a
taneously with the dull shock of a
'.tS?fc3v--'
.;.-.-r. i
his throat, winding her limbs round
his, dragging him down and down.
Primitive instinct alone saveJ him.
He remembered later, most vaguely,
the culmination of that duel beneath
the waters remembered fret-ins an
muffled crash sounded simul-i arm, drawing it back, delivering &
blow from his shoulder, with all his
collision with a smaller vessel, and a! strength, finding himself free, etrug-
v,-.,'t 7-V ; ..v v , !l "Nothing,- Barcus told her. 1 shut
wnuvui m uouu Kb lav OCifO. 11 Had
seemed impossible that it could long
escape repetition of the disaster, but
somehow. It always did escape, and
V. .. V. I J i .
i n. a fcT t0'lessly have been disturbed,
had I passed near enough to another -Wnat m do forr
T , 7 v v sanded sharply.
And now for more than an hour the . -CecaU8e , JoK wcU wanted
broken only by the rumble of the mo
tor, the muted lisp of water sIlDPine
the engine off that's all."
Tempers were short In that hour,
aad Alan was annoyed to think that
the rest of his beloved should need-
he do-
to.'
Ear c us returned in a tone as brusque.
"Ob, you did chr
Va f At A W t 1. v.
down the Bide, the suck and gurgle of .m , , , ZTT a V
ti, - w I bossing this end of the boat and to
. . ",. , , have sense enough to realiie there's
t .r?! ?! t" V0:1 no sense at all in our wasting fuel the
r, " .ili T.K . .1 i . ay we "cruising nowhere
f the fairness of this argument, but un-
, able to calm his uneasiness "just the
, same, we might"
boat was traveling straight out to sea.
And gasoline tanks ran and oftentimes
do become as empty as an official
r,w , . ... I Yes; of cour3. we sight," Barcus
weather for a holiday. snapped. "We might a whole lot W.
More than this, Mr. Barcus was a' v. vl!
Spain, for all you or I know to the
confirmed skeptic In respect of ma
rine motors; on terme of long and
intimate experience with the ways of
The Sixth Member of the Boarding
Party Was Judith Trine.
xre arc by my reckonir.fr, somewhere
In Nantucket sound, wot of Mono-m.-y."
Grasiin,j a small brass liandl j
affixed to t he lurl box. lie jerked It j
sharply t';ree times. !nd ih automatic
Lorn b'.aivil rauooM.j'.y a tlireefold to- !
tronse up forward. '
"Keep that goini;," he bogged,
three b!ast3 in a row and a minuto
Ir.terval and if the d.il takes caro
cf his own we may possibly escape be
B.ig run down." j
With a sigh, relinquishing the wheel,
lie collapsed upon the deck and was
fclmost Instantly asleep. j
The wind had fallen until barely '
enough air stirred to keep way on the
'creel; she moved In silence, a spec
tral ship upon a spectral sea of long,
clly swells and the complexion of lead.
JJther and yon in the obscurity, fog
signals of other shipping sounded a
oncert of discordance the man- j
tower horn of a catboat crying the
v,-arntng bark to the deep-throated
whistle of a coastwise steamship and
the impertinent drumming of a motor-'
boat's exhaust with the muffler cut 1
out.
This last boxed the compass, sound
ing now near, now far, though the com
plaints of other shipping diminished
in volume and died away In the dls-1
tance, giving place to others still, the
plutter-plutter of that motor was never
altogether lost; if at times it faded, :
It seemed certain always to return in
even louder volume.
Vainly straining his vision against
t!e blank pallor cf the encompassing
tog, Alan wondered, worried, dreaded! :
At irregular intervals, starting
from fipenrilm!lt!nn ha n-mil manlnn.
late the brass pull' on the wheel box, ' IT?" X? " .0t
provokiojc the horn's stuttering blasts
Of nrntPfif. Pllt tha nooH fnt nnramU-
tln vleilanci. and oxerrU,. nf th. tn. 1 Soeone aboard the schooner, with
strange voice cried out with an
cent of high exultation. j
Before either Alan or the girl could
disengage the decks rang loud with a
rush of booted feet pounding aft.
The figures of the boarding party!
were already taking shape through the
fog as Alan srrang toward the cora
panlonway to fetch the rifle. And In
this action his feet slipped on planks !
greasy with moisture deposited by the
surcharged atmosphere. He went dow n
with a stumbling thump, and an in- j
etant later two men fell bodily upon
him active, strong fellows in the
dress of fishermen. He was suffered,
to rise only as a prisoner, helpless lu
the grasp of two pairs of powerful
hands.
He saw Barcus, rudely roused and
still dumb with sleepy confusion, In
no better case Jerked to his feet and
held captive by two nmre fishermen.'
A fifth had taken charge of Rose,'
clamping her wrists in the vise of
one big hand. j
The sixth and sole other member of
th? bor.rdlns party, likewise in the
rough-and-ready garb of a fisherman,
was Judith Trine. j
Down the side a heavy lifeboat
S round its way a. tern, the loose end
of Its painter slipping over the rail
even ae Alan caught sight of It. (So
It seemed Barcus had guessed shrewd-!
ly!
Observing this, one of the men In
charge of Alan made as if to leave'
him to the other, addressing Judith'
for permission to prevent the loss of!
the lifeboat. She etorped hlra with
a peremptory gesture.
"No let it go. We're better off
without It. Hold that man fast till
I fetch a rope. We'll make sure of
them both this time!"
Straining forward in the grasp of
her guard. Rose implored her sister:
"Judith, in pity's name, think wtiat
you are doing!"
"Hold your tongue!" Judith snapped
viciously. "Another whimper out of
you. and I'll have you gagged!"
The balance of her threat, though
accompanied by the exhibition of an
automatic pistol, was drowned out by
the sudden roar of a steamship fog
signal, so close aboard that it teemed
almost to emanate from the forepart
of the schooner herself.
As It was answered by shrill and
noarse cries of terror or of warning
from a dozen throats, Alan found him-Ef-lf
rMiased hi3 captors leaping for
tue'r l.vcs to the taffrail.
lie taught an Instantaneous glimpse
of the knife-like bow of a great steam
er towering above the two-master
a speed which
raised a smart Jet of white under the
cutwater.
nc- gling back to the air.
s oil
and I
same
I boat
vl.es,
r ol
signal failed none the less to reconcile
Akn to that blatant clamor which so
widely and so hideously advertised
their whereabouts.
If there were anything still to be
feared from Judith and her crew if,
for Instance, as Barcus had suggested,
they had sought out one of the life
saving stations on Nauset beach, ap
propriated its power-driven lifeboat
and renewed the pursuit, if ever they
heard that born there would beyond
.question be the devil to pay!
The loneliness of his vigil was even
the voice of a stentor, bellowed a ter
rified appeal:
"Stop your engines I Shut off your
propeller! Stop your"
1 Then, like the wrath of God, the
steamship overwhelmed the lesser
ship; Its bow seemed to slice through
the schooner as a knife through
cheese. And the two halves were fairly
driven under water by the frightful
force of the blow.
Thunders deafening him, Alan was
hurled bodily through the air fully
I twenty feet.
. J w? .('kai BULQ UU
deck of the woman Alan loved. I
The tableau that greeted her vision as
she emerged from the companlonway,
of the haggard, unshaven wretch at
the wheel and the other who lay at his
feet, where he had fallen, In a stupor
of fatigue, Instantly wrung from Rose
ft little err of sallrltnHn And ah ... I
o,ulck to do what little she could to
alleviate their discomfort. For Barcus
she fetched a pillow and blanket from
the cabin, and thle one suffered her
ministrations without once rousing
from his slumbers. Then hastening
forward, she got the galley fire going
and prepared a makeshift breakfast
for her half-famished lover.
Warm food and hot coffee such as
they were lending a little tone to
Alan's spirits, he was presently able
to discuss their situation with some
.optimism. Tet nothing could gloss
When he came up he struck out at
random, blindly tormented by the
rlsion of Rose caught in the suck of
Accompanied by the Exhibition of an
Automatlo Pistol.
that gigantic wheel, drawn under,
crushed and mangled by the propeller
of the vast black hulk whose flank was
sliding past, like the face of a cliff,
ten yards behind his shoulders.
Aware of several dark objects dot
ting the surface within a radius of
several yards, he swam for the near
est; the head was a woman's, the face
turned toward blm, the face of Rose.
He gasped wildly: "Keep cool! Don't
struggle! Put one hand on my shoul
der and"
What happened then was never quits
clear to him; he only knew that he
was forced to fight for his very life
that the woman, as soon as he came
J within reach, flung herself upon him
Then a boathook caught the lack of
bis shirt and dragged him for some
distance until two strong bands i aught
him beneath the armpits and held his
head above the water.
He looked up witlessly Into the face
of Barcus, and, still bewildered, strug
gled feebly.
The other's voice brought him back
to his senses. "Easy, old top! Take
It easy! You're all right now rest a
minute, then help me get you aboard."
He obeyed, controlling his panic as
best he might; and presently, with
considerable assistance from lturrus,
contrived to scramble In over the gun
wales of a boat which proved to be
the stolen lifeboat.
Aside from Barcus and himself it
held one other person only the wom
an he loved, crumpled up and uncon
scious in the bow.
He strove to rise and go to her, to
make sure that still she lived. Barcus
restrained and quieted him.
"There! Kasy, I say! Sh
right fainted that's all! She
took the water in practically tin
fpot nr.d luck threw this blesse
my way wUhln half a dozen si
No trouble at all in a man:
speaking!"
"But the steamer"
"Why fret about her? At the pnes
she was making she couldn't have
stopped within half a mile. We'll be
all right now with power to fetch us
to land."
"But the others Judith!" Alan sat
up and leaned over the gunwale,
I searching an oily, leaden expanse spot
ted only with a few splinters and bits
of wreckage. "I left her out there
unconeclous she'll drown, I tell you!"
"And I'll tell you something!" said
1 Mr. Barcus severely. "You'll lis oulet
and shut up or I'll dent your dome with
the shaft of an oar. Let her drown
and a good Job, I say! Don't you know
the meaning of 'enough'? Merciful
heavens, man, you're the most insa
tiable glutton for punishment ever!"
But Alan wasn't listening. His face
was as Ughtlese as the waters that
swam beneath his lackluster gaxe.
There was a horror In his heart that
numbed even the sense of relief, of
deliverance, that penetrated his being
like a shock of mortal pain.
Deadl Judith dead! Back there, in
the fog and the cold . , . dead by
his hand!
CHAPTER XV.
,
Into the Hands of the'
Enemy. I
!
contrary. And in such case, I for one
respectfully prefer to hare gas enough
to take us borne again If ever
da blessed fog lifts!"
And for several seconds longer the
stillness strangled their spirits In its
ruthless grasp.
Then of a sudden a cry shrilled
through the fog, so near at hand that
It seemed scarcely more distant than
over the side:
: "Ahoy! Help! Ahoy there! Help!"
So Insistent so urgent was Its ac
cent that, coupled with the surprise.
it brought the three as one to their
, feet, all a-tremble, their eyes seeking
, one another's faces, then shifting un-
1 easily away.
t "W'hnt ran If VaV T) naa ttti lartAPAit
aghast, shrinking into AJan's ready
arm.
"A woman," Barcus put In harshly.
"Judith," the girl moaned.
Alan shook himself together. "Ira
possible!" he contended. "I saw her
go down . . ."
"That doesn't prove she didn't con-.j
up." Barcus commented acidly.
"Ahoy! Motorboat ahoo-oy! Help!"
"And that," Barcus pursued sadly,
"Just proves she did come up blame
the luck! Alive she is, and kicking;
stand clear. An able-bodied pair of
lungs was back of that hall, my friend;
them one and all, he knew that the , and you needn't tell me I don't know
present sweet-tempered performance , the dulcet accents of that angelic con-
Delivered
the demon of perversity that tenants
The Masked Voice.
Fcr a matter of twelve hours the
fog, leaden, dank, viscous, ae inexor
able, as the dominion of evil, had
wrapped the world In an embrace as
foul and noxious as the coils of some
great, gray, slimy serpent
Through Its sluggUh folds the pon
derous, power-Impelled lifeboat crept
at a snail's pace, Its stem parting and
rolling back from either flank a heavy
hearted sea of gray.
In the bows a young woman rested
In a state of semi-exhaustion, her eyes
closed, he head pillowed on a cork
belt life-preserver, ber sodden gar
ments modeled closely to the slender
body that was ever and again shaken
from head to feet with the strength
of a long, shuddering respiration.
Seated on the nearest thwart, Alan
Law, chin In hand, watched over the
rest of this woman whom he loved
with a grimly hopeless solicitude. He
was in no happier caee than she, so
far as physical comfort went he was
In worse, since he might not rest
Premonition of misfortune darkened
hla heart with Its impenetrable
shadow.
In the stern Tom Barcus presided
morosely over the steering gear; and
Law was no more Jealously heedful of
his sweetheart than Barcus of the
heavy-duty motor that chugged away
so purposefully at its business of driv
ing the boat heaven knew where.
Lacking at once a compass, all no
tion whatsoever of the sun's bearings,
and any Immediate hope of the fog
lifting or chance bringing them either
to land or to rescue by some larger
and less comfortless craft, Barcus
steered mainly through force of habit
the salt-water man's instinctive feel-
of the exhibit under consideration
was no earnest whatsoever of future
goon behavior, that when such a com
plicated contraption was concerned
there was never any telling . . .
In view of all of which considera
tions he presently threw open the bat
tery switch.
And the achlns void created In the
silence by the cessation of that uni
form drone was startling enough to
rouse even Rose Trlno from her state
of semi-somnolence.
With a look of panic she sat up,
thrust dump hair back from her eyes,
and nervously inquired:
"What's the matter?"
tralto!"
Without heeding him, Alan cupped
hands to mouth and sent an answer
ing cry ringing through the murk:
"Ahoy! Where are you? Where
away?"
"Here on the reef half-drowned
perishing with chill"
"How does my voice bear?" Alan
called back.
"What the dickens do you care?"
Barcus interpolated susplcluosly.
"To port," the response rang through
the fog. "Starboard your helm and
come In slowly!"
"Rlght-o! Half a mlnutel" Alan re
plied reassuringly.
"Like hell!" Mr. Barcus muttered In
his throat as he jumped down into the
engine pit and bent over the fly-wheel
Leaping on the forward thwart and
balancing himself perilously near the
gunwale, Alan strained his vision
vainly against the opacity of the fog.
"Cant make out anything." he
grumbled, locking back. "Start her
up but slow's the word and "ware
reef!"
"Nothing doing." Barcus retorted
curtly. "The motto Is now 'Full speed
astern!' as you must know."
"O come! We cant leave a woman
out there In a fix like that!"
"Cant we! Tou watch!" Barcus
grunted malevolently, rocking the
heavy flywheel with all his might; for
he motor had turned suddenly stub
born. "Alan!" Rose pleaded. laying a hand
upon his sleeve. "Think what It
means! I know It sounds heartless of
me and it's my own sister. But you
know how mad she is wild with ha
tred and Jealousy. If yon take her Into
this boat. It's your life or hers!"
"It we leave her out there," Alan
retorted, shaking his arm impatiently
free, "It's her life on our heads!"
At this Juncture the motor took
charge of the argument, ending it la
summary fashion. With a smart ex
plosion In the cylinder, it started up
unexpectedly, at one and the same
time almost dislocating the arm of
Mr. Barcus and precipitating Alan
overboard.
It was not given him to know what
was happening until he found himself
In the water; he struggled to the sur
face Just in time to see the bows ot
the lifeboat back away and vanish Into
the mist.
(Continued in next Issue.)
Curst Old Sores, Other Remedies Won't Cur?.
The worst caw, no matter cf how lone ttatKliit",
are cured by the wonderful, old reliable I'r.
Porter's Antiseptic Healing- Oil. It relieve!
Paio and Heals at the same time. ZSc, 30c, Sl.CO
Whenever You Need a General Tonic
Take Grove's
The Old Standard Grove's Tasteless
chill Tonic is equally valuable as a
General Tonic because it contains the
well known tonic properties of QUININB
and IRON. It acts on the Liver, Drives
out Malaria, Enriches the Blood and
Builds up the Whole System. 90 cents.
DR. D. T. WALLER,
Dentist.
Equipped for Nitrous Oxide and Ox
ygen administrations, Insuring Pain
less Extracting and Operating,
i . ' .i I.,.
Over Flint National Itnok.
18 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, N. O.
Dr. B. C. Rcdfearn, Dentist
Office one door south ot
Bruner's store.
rbone 232. Monroe, N. C.
At Marshvllle on first and third
Mondays of each month and Mat
thews second and fourth Mondays.
the fact that the problem confronting like wme isknM aml UuIcUlU ? that no boat under way should
HEATING
STOVES
We have on display a com
plete line of Heating Stoves.
We will be pleased to show
you them and feel sure we
can please you both in price
and quality. '
HEATH HARDWARE CO,
WHOLESALE
MONROE, N. C.
RETAIL