iThe Trey
A fcoveEaed Version of the Motloa
Produced by tha
. By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
Atiff"Tl Ftlam Hunkt.-'TIm Bra BcL""T!a Black Ay.-.
Dlutrated with Photograph froa th Pictart Prodactioa
Copyright, IStl. t7
Thia Installment Will Be Shown at
The Dixie, Friday, November 0,
CHAPTEH XV. T"$$f
The Maaksd Volco.
For a matter of twelve horns th
;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, alimy serpent
Through lta sluggish 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 eea of gray.
In the bows a young woman rested
1n a state of semi-exhaustion, her eyes
closed, he head pillowed on a cork
belt life-preserver, her 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 case than she, so
far as physical comfort went he was
In worse, since he might not rest.
Premonition of misfortune darkened
his 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 eweetheart than Barcus of the
heavy-duty motor that chugged away
bo 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 ealt-water man's Instinctive feel
ing that no boat under way should
ever in any conceivable circumstance
be without a hand at the helm. It had
seemed impossible that it could long
escape repetition of the disaster, but
somehow, it always did escape, and
that by a wide margin; never once
had it passed near enough to another
vessel to see it.
And now for more than an hour the
silence had been uncannily constant,
broken only by the rumble of the mo
tor, the muted lisp of water slipping
down the side, the euck and gurgie of
the wake.
Forebodings no less portentous than
Law's crawled in the mind of Barcus.
It was as likely as not that the life
boat was traveling straight out to sea.
And gasoline tanks can and oftentimes
do become as empty as an official
weather prophet's promise of fair
weather for a holiday.
More than this, Mr. Barcus was a
confirmed skeptic in respect of ma
Tine motors; on terms of long and
intimate experience with the ways of
Delivered
Into the Hands
Enemy.
of tho
the demon of perversity that tenants
them one and all, he knew that the
present sweet-tempered performance
ef the exhibit under consideration
was no earnest wfeytsoever of futtre
good behavhy tav when such a com
plicated co .aption was concerned
there was never any telling ...
In view of all of which considera
tions he presently threw open the batr
tery switch.
And the aching void created in the
silence by the cessation of that uni
form drone was startling enough to
rouse even Rose Trine from her state
of semi-somnolence.
With a look of panic she sat np,
thrust damp hair back from her eyes,
and nervously Inquired:
; "What's the matterr
Nothing." Barcus told her. "I shut
Jhe engine off that's alL"
Tempera, were short in that hoar,
and Alan was annoyed to think that
the rest of his beloved should need
lessly have been disturbed. , --
-"What di4 yon do that totr he d
fid
rt.A'Vi ' .1J '81
" . act r2ara ,i
O Hearts
Picture Drama of the Sam Nazeo
Universal rum Co.
Loala Joatpli Vance
nxandereharply
Because I Jolly well wanted to,"
Barcus returned In a tone as brusque.
, "Oh, you did eh?"
"Yes, I did eh! 1 happen to be
bossing this end of the boat and to
hate sense enough to realize there's
no sense at all in our wasting fuel the
way we are cruising nowhere!'
"Well," Law contended, struck by
the fairness of this argument, but un-
kble to calm bis uneasiness "Just the
same, we might "
"Ye; of course, we might," Barcus
snapped. "We might a whole lot We
might, for instance, be heading for
Spain, tor all you or I know to the
contrary. And id such case, I for one
respectfully prefer to have gas enough
to take us home agMn if ever tola
dn Uessed iog lifts r
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 band that
It seemed scarcely more distant than
over the side:
"Ahoy! Help! Ahoy there! Help!"
Bo Insistent so urgent was Us ao -
cent tnat coupiea witn tne surprise,
It brought the three as one to their
feet all a-tremble, their eyes seeking
one another's faces, then shifting un
easily away
"What can it be?" Rose whispered,
aghast, shrinking into AJan's ready
arm.
"A woman," Barcus put in harshly,
"Judith," the girl moaned.
Alan shook himself together. "In
possible!" he contended. "I saw her
go down . . ."
"That doesn't prove she didn't come
up," Barcue commented acidly.
"Ahoy! Motorboat aho-o-oy! Help!"
"And that," Barcus pursued sadly,
"Just proves she did come up blame
the luck! Alive she i3, and kicking;
stand clear. An able-bodied pair of
lungs was back of that hail, my friend;
and you needn't tell me I don't know
the dulcet accents of that angelic con
tralto!"
Without heeding him, Alan cupped
bands 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
Barcue interpolated suspiciuosly.
"To port," the response rang through
the fog. "Starboard your helm and
come in slowly!"
"Right-o! Half a minute!" 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.
"Can't make out anything," he
grumbled, looking back. "Start her
tip but slow's the word and Nvare
reefl-
"Nothing doing," Barcus retorted
curtly. "The motto is now 'Full speed
astern!' as you must know."
"O come! We can't leave a woman
out there in a fix like that!"
"Can't we? You watch!" Barcus
grunted malevolently, rocking the
heavy flywheel with all his might; for
the motor bad 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 you take her into
this boat, it's your life or hers!"
"If 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 in
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 of
the lifeboat back away and vanish into
the mist.
CHAPTER XVI.
v The Island.
Not more than twenty seconds could
have elapsed before Barcus recovered
from the shock of the motor's treach
ery sufficiently to reverse the wheel,
throttle down the carburetor and Jump
out of the engine-pit
But in that small space of time the
lifeboat and Alan Law bad parted com
pany as definitely as though one of
them had been levitated bodily to the
tar side of the earth.
It could not have been more than
a minute after the accident before
Barcus was guiding the boat over
what going on his sense of location I
and judgment of distance, he could
hare awora waa
iu precis a pot
where Alan had di,nn...rrrf hni.ttk.""' mb-i upon me aanca. n
out discovering a alga of him.
And for the next twenty minutes
he divided bis attention between at
tempts to soothe and reassure the
half-distracted girl and efforts to
educe a reply from Alan by stentorian
hailing with as little success in the
one as in the other.
"Alan!" he shrieked at the top of
his lungs. "Alan! Give a hail to tell
us you're safe!"
mere wbb a nine pauso; he was
racking his brains for some more mov'
ing mode of appeal when the answer
came In another voice In the voice
Of Judith Trine, clear, musical, effer
vescent with sardonic huraor:
oe oi peace, nine one bleat no
more! Mr. Law is with us and safe
oh, quite, quite safe!"
in flumb consternation Barcus
sougnt me countenance of Rose. Her
eyes, meeting his, were blank with
despair. He shook his head helplessly
and let his hands dangle idly between
nia knees.
Hlta no way oa her. the lifeboat
drlrtea wiit u current of unknown set
and strength.
What cat we do!" Rose implored.
we must do oomcthlng. We can't
leave nlm . . . Oh, when I think
of him there, In her hands, I could go
maa i '
u on l nsjT," Barcus protested:
K... .... I .1- . .
uui uij i.uuua sre ilea, my wits are
is helpless as my eyes are blind.
There's nothing to go by except the
Dare possibility that the rf nh
spoae or may be Norton's. It doesnt
seem possible, but we may have made
tnat much southing. In that case
Vfe're about three miles off the main
land, somewhere in the neighborhood
of Katama island, a little, rocky, deso-
l late bump of earth. Inhabited mainly
I oy nsnermen
The girl wrung her hands. "But
how could Judith get there and with
her men and ammunition?"
Dont ask me. Going on my expe
rience with the lady. I'd be willing to
bet that she was picked up by the
steamer that ran ue down, and pro
ceeded to make a prize of it or try
to. One thing's certain she must
have found or stolen a boat from
somebody; they couldn't have made
Norton's reef by swimming it's fcw
far. That's the answer; they were
picked up, stole a boat, and piled it
up on the reef."
"And there's no hope !"
"Only of the fog relenting. If wo
could make the mainland and get
help . .
His accents died away into a discon
solate silence that was unbroken for
upwards of an hour.
So slowly the current bore the life
boat toward the beach and so still
the tide that Barcus never appreciated
they were within touch of any land
until the bows grounded with a slight
jar and a grating sound.
With a cry of incredulity he leaped
to his feet "Land, by all that
lucky!" and stooping, lent a hand to
ihe girl, aiding her to rise.
Hardly had Rose had time to cor
Drehend what had happened, when
Barcus was over the 6ide and wres
tling with tho bows, dragging the boat
farther upon the shoals.
She was, however, more than one
man could manage; ana v.nen ner
stem had bitten a little more deeply
Into the sands, Barcus gave over the
attempt and, lifting Rose down, set
her on dry land, then climbed back Into
the vessel, rummaged out her anchor
and cable, and carried them ashore.
planting the former well up toward
the foot of the cliff.
And as he rose from this last labor
he was half blinded by the glare of the
westering sun as it broke through the
fog.
In less than five minutes the miracu
lous commonplace was an aeom-
plished fact; the wind had rolled the
fog back like a scroll and sent it spin
ning far out to sea, while the shore
on which the two had landed was
delueed with sunlight, bright and
beautifully warm.
He showed a thoughtful and consid
erate countenance to the girl.
"You're about all in?"
She nodded confirmation of this,
which was no more than simple truth.
"Where are we?" ehe added.
He made her party to his own per
plexity.
"You're not able to travel," he pur
sued. "Do you mind being left alone
while I take a turn up the beach and
have a look round? We can t be far
from some sort of civilization; even
if it's an island there are no desert
isles along this coast. I'll find some
thing soon enough, no fear."
By tacit consent both avoided men
tion of Alan, but each knew what
thought was uppermost in the other's
mind.
"There's a niche among the rocks
up here," Barcus indicated, "almost a
cave. You II be warm ana dry enougn,
and secure from observation overhead.
Maybe you can even snatch a few
winks of sleep. . . ."
She negatived that suggestion with
a weary smile; no sleep for her until
sheer exhaustion overpowered her, or
she knew of Alan's fate.
And so, reiterating his promise to
be gone no longer than absolutely
might be needful, he left her there.
CHAPTER XVII.
This Mortal Tide.
She was very certain she would
nsver sleep before her anxiety was
assuaged by word of Alan's fate; but
she reckoned without her host of
trials thai had bred in her a fatlgttl
anodynocs even to her mental an
guish.
For a. time after E arc us had Ian
, ,, ... ,
tat mouth of the shelter he bad ch
iseled for her, staring hungrily out on
the shimmering sea that, now wnolly
divested of its shroud, smiled up to
tne heavens, whose sapphire face it
mirrored, as fair and sweet of seem
ing as though It had never veiled a
heartless tragedy.
Blowly It darkened as the sapphire
above grew darker, blending Insen
sibly into rare ultramarine with the
slow decline of the sun, by whose al
titude above tho horizon the day had
not more than ninety minutes to run.
And she thought drowsily that If
that sun sank without her learning
that her lover lived, it would not rise
again upon a world tenanted by Rose
Trine,
It was not true, she told herself, that
people never die of broken hearts.
She knew that, were he taken from
her, she could no longer live. . . ,
And sleep overwhelmed her sud'
denly, like a great dark cloud . . ,
But its dominion over her faculties
was not of long duration. Slowly,
heavily, mutinously, she was rescued
from its nirvana came to her senses
with an effect of one who emerges
from some vast place of blackness and
terror, to find Barcus kneeling over
and gingerly but persistently shaking
her by the shoulder.
And then she sat up with a cry of
mystified compassion; for in the brief
time that he had been absent it bad
not been more than an hour Mr. Bais
I CU8 bad most unquestionably been se-
verely used
' He had acquired a long eat over one
eye, but shallow, upon which blood
had dried, together with a bruised and
swollen cheek that was badly
scratched to boot. And what simple
articles of clothing remained to him,
after his strenuous experiences of the
last forty-eight hours, had been re
duced to even greater simplicity; his
shirt, for example, now lacked a sleeve
that had been altogether torn away
at the shoulder.
"No!" he told her, as soon as he saw
her wits were awake once more
"don't waste time pitying me. I'm all
right and so is Alan! That's the
main thing for you to understand; he's
still alive and sound "
'But where is he? Take me to
him!" she demanded, rising with a
movement of such grace and vigor
that it seemed hard to believe she had
ever known an instant's weariness.
"That's the rub," Barcus confessed,
squatting on the sands and knuckling
his hair. "I dassent take you to him.
Judith might object. Besides, you can
see for yourself it Isn't safe to mingle
with the inhabitants of this tight
little island and you can't get to
where Alan is without mingling con
siderably. Sit down, and I'll tell you
all about it, and we'll try to figure out
what's best to be done. Maybe we
can manage a rescue under cover of
night"
And when the girl had settled her
self beside him he launched into a
detailed report.
It's Katama island, all rlfiht," he
announced, "but a change has come
over the place since I visited it some
years ago. Then it was a community
of simple-hearted villagers and fisher
men; now, unless all signs fail, It s a
den of smugglers. I noticed a num
ber of Chinese about; and that, taken
in connection with the fact that, when
I ventured to Introduce myself to tho
village ginmill and aek a few Inno
cent questions, the entire population,
to a child, landed on me like a thou
sand brick the two circumstances
made me think we'd stumbled on a
settlement of earnest vorkers at the
gentle art of helping poor Chinamen
evade the exclusion laws."
With a wry smile, he pursued: "As
for me, I landed out back of the joint.
on the nape of my neck, and took the
count, surrounded by a lot of unsym
pathetic boxes and barrels that had
seen better days. And when I came to
and started to crawl unostentatiously
away, I was Just in time to witness the
landing of your amiable sister, that
gang of cutthroats she keeps on the
payroll, and Alan in company with as
choice a crew of scoundrels as you'd
care to see. I gathered from a few
words that leaked out of the back door
of the barroom, that it was as I had
thought Judith had stolen a boat
from the ship that picked her up, and
rammed it on Norton's reef; and after
she gathered Alan In the schooner of
these smugglers happened along, and
she hailed it and struck a bargain with
the captain and signed co-partnership.
articles, or something like that. Any-,
way, her lot and the islanders were,
soon as thick as thieves, and tanking
up so sociably that I actually got a
chance to whisper a word to Alan and
tell him you were all right, and that
he'd find us both down here on the
beach, if luck served him with an es-i
cape. Tnat wae all I got a chance to
say, for Judith marched up Just then
and yanked him off to his cell. I meant
to say, he's locked up now in a little
stone hut on the edge of the cliff, with
the door guarded and the window over
looking a sheer drop of thirty feet or
so to the beach. When I'd seen that
much I calculated It was about time
for me to get quit of that neighbor
hood, before Mam'selle Judith nicked
me with the evil eye."
You don't think she saw you?" the
girl cried.
"I dont think so," Barcus allowed
gravely; and then, lifting his gaze, he
added as he rose in a bound: "I Just
know she did that's all.
In another Instant he was battling
might and main with three willing ruf
fians, who had come suddenly into
view round a shoulder of rock; but his
efforts were shortlived, foredoomed to
failure. He was weakened with suffer
ing and fatigue and the three were
trezh and had the courage at least of
their numbers. He was overborne in
a twinkling, and had his face ground
brutally into the aand whilo his hands
were made last with stout rope behind
bis back. And when he rose, it was
to find, as ne bad anticipated, that
hose's resistance had been as futile
as his own; she, too, was captive, ber
hands bound like bis, the huge and un
clean paw of one of Judith's crew cru
elly clamped upon her shoulders.
They were granted time to exchange
no more than oue despairing glance
when a curt laugh fairly chilled the
Mood in Mr. Barcus, and he swung
sharply between his two guards to
confront Judith Trine.
The woman he saw at first glance.
was in one of her most dangerous
moods if, Barcus mentally qualified.
there was a pin to choose between ber
moods. But now, beyond dispute, she
exhibited a countenance new in his
experience with ber, and one well cal
culated to appall.
Her face was bloodless, even ae her
Hps were white with the curb she put
upon her passion. Her eyes were lurid
with the glare of rage approaching
mania. Her hands trembled, her lips
quivered, all her actions were abrupt
with nervousness.
Ho was by no means poor-spirited,
but be shrank openly from the look
she gave him, and wae relieved when
she, with a sneer, passed him by and
planted herself squarely before ber
sister.
"Well?" she demanded brusquely.
"How much longer do you think I'm
going to tolerate your interference
you poor little fool! How many more
lessons will you require before realis
ing that I mean to have my way, and
that you'll cross me only to suffer
for it?"
The courage of the other girl won
the unstinted admiration of Mr. Bar
cus. Far from cringing, she seemed
to find fresh heart in her sister's chal
lenge. Her head was high, her glance
level with illimitable contempt as she
replied:
"So you've tried again?" she in
quired obliquely, with a tone of pity.
"You've offered him your love yet an
other time, have you?"
"Silence!" Judith cried in fury.
"Only to larn once more that he
would rather death than you?" Rose
persisted, unflinching. "And so you
come to take your spite out on me,
do you? You pitiful thing! Do you
think I mind knowing as I do now
that he could never hold you In any
thing but compassion and contempt?'
For an Instant there was silence; by
the scorn of her sister the heat of
Judith's fury had been transformed
into a cold and malignant rage. She
controlled herself and her voice mar-
velously.
"You will see," ehe said In even and
frigid accents. And the light of her
mania leaped and leaped again in her
eyes like a living flame. "I have pre
pared a way to make you understand
what opposition to me mesns . .
She waved a hand toward the nearer
point of rocks. "Take them along
she commanded.
The understanding between her and
her men was apparently complete; for
these last, without hesitation or fur
ther instructions, marched P.ose and
Barcus down to the end of the spit
and on, Into the water.
It was nearly knee-deep before Bar
cus was halted with a savase 1erk
backed up to a rock, forced despite his
frenzied resistance to sit down in tha
water, and swiftly, with half a dozen
Already the Waters Had Risen Over
an Inch.
deft hitches of rope and a stanch
knot, made fast in that position sub
merged to his chest.
This accomplished, the men turned
attention to Rose, lashing her in simi
lar wise at Barcus' side.
! Standing just above the water-line,
1 with every sign of complete calm and
sanity other than that ominous flicker
ing In her eyes, Judith superintended
the business till its conclusion, then
waved the men away,
i Quietly, like well-trained servants,
they turned their backs and marched
I off.
And again, after a brief wait the
woman laughed her short and mirth
less laugh.
"The tide will he high." she said,
"precisely at sunset You may time
your lives by that When the sun dips
Into the sea, then will your lives go
down with it"
! Phe turned on her heel and strode
swiftly away, with not so much as a
backward glance, overtook her men,
and pasfid quickly from sight around
Cm farther point cf rocks.
or some Urns Barcus struggled
TV
PAGE THREE
vainly with his bonds.. As for Rose,
she wasted no strength in struggling-
perhaps had none to waste. When he
looked her way he saw her exquisite
profile unmarred by any line of fear or
doubt, sharply relieved against tha
darkness of the riutng flood. Her level
gaze without a tremor traversed tho
shining flood to Its far horizon.
He noted that already the waters
had risen more than an inch.
Humbled even In his terror by that
radiant calm that dwelt upon her, he
ventured diffidently: "Rose Mies
Trlno "
She turned her head and found the
heart to smile. "Roee," she corrected
gently.
"I'm sorry," he said which was not
at all what he bad meant to say, "I've
done my best I suppose it's wrong
to give up but they've made it too
much for me, this time."
"I know," she said gently.
"You" he stammered "you're not
afraid?"
"There is nothing to fear," she said,
"but death. . . ."
"Then," he said more bravely, after
a time the water now was near his
chin "good-by good luck!"
"Not yet dear friend," she returned.
not yet."
But the sun wae perilously close
upon the rim of the world. But a little
time, and it would be night
He closed his eyes to shut out the
vision of its slow, implacable descent
The water was now almost level
with his lips; it seemed strange that
They Fought tike Madmen.
his throat
could be so dry, sa
parched ...
He opened his eyes, shuddering. ,
"It's good-by now," he faltered.
"Not yet!" her voice rang beside
him, vibrant. "Look up there along;
the cliff!"
He lifted his gaze . . .
Two men were running along tho
cliff and the man In the lead was
Alan. But his lead was very scant
and the man who pursued was one of
Judith's, and stuck to the trail like a
blocd-hound fresh from the leash.
And now the water was at his lips
Barcus could no more speak without
strangling.
Of a sudden ho groaned in his heart?
though there was no passable way
down the cliff, still the sight of his
friend alive and unharmed had brought
with It a thrill of hope; now that hope
died as he saw Alan stumble and go
to his knees.
Before he could rise the other was
upon him,' with the fury of a wolf seek
ing the throat of a stag.
For an instant they fought like mad
men; then, in a trice, the eky line
of the cliff was empty; one or the
other had tripped and fallen over the)
brink, and falling had retained hold
of his enemy and carried him down as
well.
By no chance, Barcus told himself,
could either escape uninjured.
Yet, to his amazement he saw one
man break from the other's embrace
and rise. And he who lay still, a
crumpled, inhuman heap upon the
sands, was Judith's man.
With a violent effort Barcus lifted
his mouth above water and shrieked:
"Alan! Alan! Help! Here at the
end of the point In the water help!"
A precious minute was lost 'before
Alan discovered their two heads, so
barely above that swiftly rising flood.
Then he ran toward them as he had
never run before, and as he cams
whipped out a jack-knife and freed its
blade.
Even bo since it was, of course.
Rose whom Alan freed the first
Barcus was half-drowned before Alan
helped him in turn up to the beach.
And as this happened the last blood-
red rim of the sun was washed under
by the waves.
Two minutes later the lifeboat waa
afloat, and Mr. Barcus, already recov
ered, was laboring with the flywheel
of the motor, stimulated to supreme
exertion by the sight of a party, led by
Judith, racing madly down the beach.
But it was not until well out from
shore and on the way to the safety
promised by the mainland now read
ily discernible on the horizon that
any one of them found time for speech.
Then Mr. Barcus straightened np
from bis assiduous attentions to tha
motor, and observed:
"You bear a charmed life, my ad
venturous friend. I want to tell yon
that when I saw you go over that cliff
I made np my mind your usefulness.
would be at least permanently Im
paired. As It Is, I dont mind telling
ycu trat if ever I get oat of this affair
alive, I'm going to have a try at your
Ufo myself. Just once, for luck!" '
,i i i i i iLi. 1 ,1 '