SECOND INSTALMENT
Maitland knew. nothing of the game
but was fascinated by the movement of
his companion's hands while dealing.
The fingers that moved so iupplely
over the keys of an accordion, seemed
to lure music of another kind from
the smooth cards, as he riffled and
snapped them into place and shot them
out with clean precision, dropping the
last of the round and the three cards
of the widow almost in one gesture.
He won the next bid with a heart
This time his opponents did not con
ceal their conviction that the game
was unsound. But before they had re
covered from that certainty, . he had
made his point by a shrewd handling
of low cards. The sweet singers took a
firmer grip on their cigars and set
tled into the game.
' Stakes began to climb. Prog bids
vanished. Onlookers edged in from
other groups to watch the play ? among
them a burly red-faced man who stood
obscurely at the rim of the circle with
his eyes fixed intently on Speed's face
and hands. The gambler remained
calm and composed as a deacon, play
ing good hands and bad with equal
devoutness? or rather making bad ones
good, for the cards were running hard
against him.
"Wouldn't surprise me a whole lot
to hear you'd, played this game afore,"
the man declared, as he lit a cigar be
fore picking up a new hand.
Speed was busy arranging his cards
and did not answer. When he raised
his eyes it was in a preoccupied way
in Maitland's direction, but they rested
instead on someone else in the crowd.
One of his eyelids flickered slightly, as
to evade a wreath of cigarette smoke.
Prom the gold he had collected, he
transferred two handfuls to his pock
ets. The remainder of the pile he
pushed out to center.
"This stack says I dont take a
trick," he observed. "I'm goin' 'misere."
Had M ait land been watching close
ly, he would have noticed a slight
shifting on the part of the red-faced
man among the spectators. He might
haw remembered that skill in this
game was one of the few identifying
traits of the bandit. Buck Solo? if he
had not believed the bandit to *je_a
captive in the Okanagans. He might
have noticed, too, that in a laay up
ward glance that seemed to take cog
nizance of nothing, this fact had been
caught and registered by the man un
der observation. But no one's attention
is sharpened by watching a game he
does not understand, and Maitland's
interest had begun to stray. He el
bowed his way out of the circle to
ramble over the ship.
Most of the passengers having chos
en a position amidships, he found that
the crowd thinned as he went forward
of the main cabin. At the forward rail,
a lookout stood alone, peering into the
blanket of mist aheaid. They were
now in the outer waters of the Sound;
the traffic had dwindled and the hoot
ing of sirens was muffled in far dis
tance.
"How does she lie?" he asked the
lookout.
"Off Port Townsend," the man said,
without turning.
The boy stood by the rail awhile,
eyeing the dim froth of water below,
and that gray essence of things un
seen and unforeseen through which
the steamer was cleaving her blinded
_ course.
He was not conscious of a contra
diction in his advice to the Westerner
about gambling, though it ran deeper
than his mere presence on the George
E. Starr, The men of his name and
blood had raced for cargoes in the
days of the clipper ships, and later
plunged the winnings into deep-bot
tomed carriers ? to lose them finally -in
wilder games of chance with the sea.
His father had gone down in a storm
with two of their ships. This tragedy
had caused his mother's death when
he was born. The remnant of the ori
ginal stakes left in paly had been in
volved by a defect in the underwrit
ing of the lost cargoes.
His earliest memory was of a small
schooner which his grandfather had
managed to salvage out of the general
wreck. Prom the old man he had
learned, along with a knowledge of
ships and water. After his grandfath
er's death, he had found employment
with a firm of underwriters' agents,
reporting on wrecks and salvage. It
had led him into the study of admir
alty law ? a vocation his sea-going fath
ers would not have admired.
He was sent west to investigate a
wreck off the Farrallones, near San
Francisco ? his first Important com
mission. But he had found the owners
in a position rather like that of his
own people when they crashed. His
sympathy and the rights of the case
were with the stranded adventurers as
against the bankers. He had wired a
report as fair to both sides as he could
make it.
liie return wire had virtually ac
cused him of being bought by the
owners. In a gust of anger he had
resigned, though the whole structure
of his plans went foundering on that
reef. He was unwilling to return home
till he had regained his footing, but
? his career was not an easy wreck to
salvage.
- Jobless, and with his small capital
dwindling, he had been roving the
wharves of that misty western port
of adventure when the news of gold
strike on Bonanza Creek burst on the
world like a rocket ? promising him a!
means of recovering more than he had
l06t.
"If you wasn't a gambler, "Bud . "
Something the Westerner had said re
curred to him now. He had been care
ful In buying his outfit, weighing the
value of every purchase against his re
sources. His having drawn a passage
on this derelict side-wheeler was a
queer mischance, but he believed the
old tub was a little stauncher than
she looked. Whether It was a wild
gamble depended rather, he thought,
on himself.
The pistol shot that cut the thread
of his re very came from the region
of the ship where he had left his
pack. As he turned, he obtained a
sheer view of the ship's side, and saw,
sharply outlined in the fog, the figure
of a burly, red-faced man who was
peering over the rail with a smoking
revolver In his hand.
Someone touched his elbow.
"Man shot your pardner," a voice
said. "He's overboard.'
He picked up the words on the wing
and shredded them for sense. A hand
ful of cards held by one of the watch
ers at the rail gave him the inkling of 1
an answer. A gambler's quarrel ? quick
fingers not quick enough ? a shot, a
rush ... He had often seen men take '
that plunge for much less, but this 1
man ? ?
Heads were craned back toward the ]
blank space the ship was leaving.
"Wounded? Probably not much of a
swimmer. If he came from inland. The
boats would be slow .. . . "
Maitland's leap from the rail was
so swift that the engines were not
reversed for a minute after he dived. ]
When he came to the surface, hard
ly knowing in that gray murk whether
he was breathing fog or sea, the steam
er was out of sight.
Unable to see through the blur erf
spray and fog, he paused to listen for
a cry. Relaxing was an effort; the cold
brine had teeth of fire. Soon he caught
a splashing sound not far ahead. Swift
ly as he went, the sound receded. He
stopped again^ Hearing a sound once
more, he shouted.
There was no answer, and he kept
on, losing count of the space he was
putting between himself and the
steamer. The gambler, if the sound he
heard was his swimming, might either
be trying to make his way ashore, or
might have lost his bearings in the
fog. It seemed more probable that he
had drowned.
He halted to tread the water in
the icy swell and shouted. The cry
rasped in his throat. This time he
seemed to hear an answer, but in the
same instant his body was pierced by
a searing stab. The muscles of his back
twisted in a paralyzing knot that stop
ped his breath. Though the cramp was
unbreakable, he fought it with every
reserve of will, as it dragged him
down, impotent, into shadowed, swirl
ing, freezing depths. His lungs heaved;
drums roared in his ears; his heart
seemed to wedge in his throat. ?
Shadows dissolved around him into
misty daylight. Something was sup
porting him, choked and numb, on the
summit of a swaying world of waters,
and he heard a voice saying between
breaths:
"Well, 111 be doggopad. So it's you . .
you omery young son of a sea dog.
Last dive most got me . . winded . .
Reckoned you was the deputy."
Even the sight of the gambler's drip
ping face failed to make this clear.
"Dont figure I could swim ye a
shore," the voice continued. "And I'm
locoed If I call that boat." Yet this
was exactly what Maitland heard him
do a few moments later, but there was
no answer.
Maitland knew too well the disacU
vantage of a buoy as a refuge for
drowning men- In a fog. Passing ships
gave it as wide a berth as possible.
With this thought he realized the full
irony of what had happened. His at
tempted rescue was worse than use
less; he was actually dragging down
the man he had tried to save. That
final detail struck him as unfair.
He tried to wrench himself free.
But though the gambler's hold waver
ed, he could not loosen it. When he
struggled to speak the arm only grip
ped him tighter. Then everything was
drenched in a fantastic ether, through
which floated images of boyhood things
long forgotten, and he sank Into a bil
lowing haze of darkness.
He was recalled to semi-conscious
ness for the last time by what sound
ed like a cry from the other; then he
heard waves slapping against the hol
low prow of a small boat, and the fam
iliar creak and thump of oarlocks.
When he opened his eyes, the gamb- j
ler was sitting at a table with a steam
ing cup in one hand and a cigarette
in the other, watching him. He found
himself' swathed in blankets in a dim
enclosure. The floor rolled slightly and
at first he did not know whether he
was dizzy or at sea.
Before he had time to observe more,
the gambler was handing him a cup
ful of hot wine with the cheerful sug
gestion,
"Hoist yourself round this."
The drink helped clear his head.
"Where's the steamer?" he asked.
"Hell and gone by now," said Speed,
watching the boy's face darken and
then light again with an illusory hope.
Maitland stretched himself pain
fully. "Whose boat is this?"
"Some frog fisherman from Seattle
Alice's Victory Smile
PALL RIVER, R. I. . .Alice Mc
Henry of Omaha (above), whose "up
side down stomach" operation here
was quite successful, is now up and
about playing with her Easter gifts.
was headin' for the halibut banks when
the fog stopped him. He pulled In close
to the bouy to be clear of the ship
pin' track. Now he say s hell take us
ashore when he gets a wind. Don't
reckon he'll get one for a piece, but
it won't hurt ye none to thaw a while."
A dark wavering in a shaft of light
that fell into the cabin from the cock
pit caused him to look up. Through the
aperture two heavy sea boots came
into view, followed by a pair of cor
duroy trousers, a blue, close-fitting
jersey with shrunken sleeves and a
plump and swarthy face, bluish a
round the chin where the beard was
shaven and topped by a black cap with
a shining visor.
"How does she blow, Boss?" asked
Speed, as the man entered.
"Ze win' he drow ver* slow. I tek
you ashore, fifteen dollar. Non?"
"No," was the gambler's dry com
ment. "With the price of wind goln'
up this way I reckon well stay where
we set."
The fisherman sprayed his hands.
"C'est la blague quoi? I mek ze fee&h
een' one, two, tree day. B'en," he added
in a quieter tone. "I tew you back to
Seattle, feefty dollar."
"Oo 6n, you horse thief," Speed an
swered good-humoredly. '?You've got
chuck enough in this wagon to ride
us to the fishbanks and back, and it
wouldn't cost you five dollars. How'ver
we ain't goin* to Seattle, or flshin'
neither."
TO BE CONTINUED
o
Florida Governor
Signs New 90-Day
Divorce Statute
Tallahassee, Fla, May 10 ? Florida
made another hid for tourists today as
Gov. Dave Sholtz approved a measure
for 90 day divorces.
His signature put the state square
ly in the market for some of the quick
divorce business now going to Reno
and Little Rock, where six weeks' resi
dence is required.
A variety of grounds ranging from
adultery to too close kin, are deemed
oause for action under state laws.
Habitual indulgence in violent and
ungovernable temper, habitual intem
perance, natural im potency, desertion
for one year, all may be claimed. Or
the complainant may bring action on
the grounds his mate had a husband
or wife living at the time of the mar
riage. A divorce in any other state
or foreign country could be advanced
as a reason for the separation.
COMING ATTRACTIONS AT PALACE THEATRE
? '
"HANDS OFF"!
FIELDS WARNING
TO SPECIALISTS
"If I ever flop In films now," de
clares W. C. Fields, starred in Para
mount's "Mississippi," coming Monday
and Tuesday, May 20-21 to the Palace
Theatre, "it will be my own fault and
111 have no kick coming."
Now that Fields, the acknowledged
dean of Hollywood comics, has again
climbed back to the peak he once oc
Advance
Program
From Wednesday, May 15th
To Tuesday, May 21st
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15th
Edmund Lowe, Victor MCLaglen in ?
"The Great Hotel Murder"
Big V Comedy: "Once Over Lightly"
Morning Matinee: 10:30; afternoon:
evenings; 6:45-8:15-9:30. Adm. 10-26c
THURSDAY, MAY 16th
Frankie Thomas, O. P. Heggia, Helen
Parish And "Lightning" in
"A DOG OF FLANDERS"
Broadway Headliner: "In The Spot
light" March Of Time.
No Morning Matinee; Ladies Matinee
3:15 ? Two For Price Of One 26c.
Evening: 7:15-9:00. Admission 10-26c
? FRIDAY, MAY 17th
! Lee Tracy, Sally Eilers, Jimmy Dur
ante in
"CARNIVAL"
Episode No. 4 "Tailspin Tommy" with
Noah Berry, Jr. RKO Novelty: "Art
For Art's Sake"
Morning Matinee: 10:30; afternoon:
3:15-3:45; evening: 7:15-9:00.
Admission 10-26c
SPECIAL SHOWS
FRIDAY NIGHT AT 11:30
SAT. MORNING MATINEE 10:30
Charles Butterworth. Una Merkel,
Harvey Stephens in
"Baby Face Harrington"
Laurel And Hardy in "Tit For Tat"
Box office opens Friday night 11:15;
picture 11:30; All Seats 26c
Box office opens Saturday morning
10:15; picture 10:30. Adm. 10-26c
SATURDAY, MAY 18th
John Wayne in
"RAINBOW VALLEY"
Mirthquake: "Little Big Top" Terry
toon Cartoon: "The Black Sheep"
Continuous Shows Starting 2:30.
Admission: 10-26c
MONDAY & TUESDAY
MAY 20 Atad 21st
Bing Crosby. W. C. Fields, Joan Ben
nett in
"MISSISSIPPI"
paramount Heafllinler: "Feminine
Rhythm" Paramount Sound News
Morning Matinee: 10:30; afternoon;
?3:15-3:45; (No Matinees Tuesday) ;
evening: 7:15-8:00. Adm. 10-26c
j
cupied, he wants to explain how he
fell off, how he got back arid why he's
going to stay there. Fields sums up
all his trouble in one, short phrase,
"Too Many Specialists."
"When I first came to Hollywood,"
explains Fields, "I wa? taken gently
but firmly to one side, and spoken to
in a fatherly tone. I was told that my
days of worry and toil were over. Hol
lywood, it seemed, was a community
of specialists ? specialists who did
nothing but sit down and think of plots
for stories, who embellished these into
screen plays and more specialists to
think up funny situations.
"All I had to do was to go out and
play golf. When they were ready for
me, I would come to the studio, make
a few faces, say a few previously
written remarks, and I would be paid
regularly.
"I tried it," says Fields, "and in six
months I was out of a Job.' '
Came the depression, the stock mar
ket plunge and the crash of various
banks, and Mr. Fields was practically
broke. Then he got a break in "In
ternational House." Paramount went
after him with a contract, but Mr.
Fields was leery.
"They told me the same things I'd
heard before," said Mr. Fields, "and
I balked. I would sign, I told them,
when I was permitted to do what I
had done on the stage.
"I wrote my own acts^ had my own
ideas, figured out my own gags, and
constructed my own dialogue. The
people must, have liked it, or I would
SPECIAL SHOWS:
FRIDAY NIGHT AT 11:30
SATURDAY MORNING AT 10:30
Meet Willie, the desperado who
puts gloom on the spoil
BABY FACE
[?Jl , k? ? ?JhbMrflJkaa
-with.
CHARLES
BUTTERWORTH
UNA MERKRL
HARVIT
STEPHENS '
EUGENE
PALLETTE
NAT
PENDLETON
Box office opens Friday Night 11:15;
picture 11:30. All Seats 26c. Box of
fice opens Saturday Morning 10:15;
picture 10:30... Admission- 10-26c.
n't have stuck around as long as I
did." ^
In "Mississippi" which stars Fields
with Bing Crosby and Joan Bennett,
the comedian plays the same type of
role as that he portrayed in his recent
hits, "The Old-Fashioned Wlay" and
"It's A Gift." , A film which portrays
the old South of crinolines and side
burns, "Mississippi" gives " Fields the
role of the old commodore who fright
ens dueling terrors and aids young
romance.
JOHN WAYNE
COMING I N
NEW DRAMA
Popular demand of local theatre go
ers brings John Wayne to the screen
of the Palace Theatre Saturday May
18th In his latest smash hit, "Rain
bow Valley." Enacting the role of a
fearless government agent assigned to
break up the activities of an outlaw
Friday, May 17th
IT'S GOT
EVERYTHING!
H
S&r? 6nJ ***** frkyl
THRILLS I
Lm Tncr m dx wW
?ad left 'cnl
ROMANCE I
SWIt EUot udxiM
wtM> joat cooida't help
lorin' dut man I
LAUGHTER I
It's
Got
Every -
thing
/
>!??
TRACY
/SAiir,
EILERS
JIMMY
DURANTE
.'a COLUMBIA PICTURI
Morning; Matinee: 10:30; Afternoon
3:15-3:45; Evening 7:15-9:00 P. M.
Admission 10 -26c
China Day Af Palace Theatre
Beginning with Wednesday, May 15th, oar regular Family Day
prices will be discontinued, reverting to the original prices of 10-26c.
In the future, WEDNESDAY wiU be known as CHINA DAT, and
we will give to each lady attending the theatre, a piece of Monax China,
such offer to apply only to ADULT tickets.. . This policy will be con
tinued long enough for each lady to obtain a complete set of this love
ly china, America's most beautiful tableware
See It in Our Lobby-You'll Adore It!
? ? ? - . i ' ' J ' ?????? ...? - ? ... ? . ?? ? ? <j> ? ? . ? ? ?' -i"- ' - '? "
band, he risks not only his life but
also his reputation and the regard of
the woman he loves to accomplish that
end.
Wayne voluntarily goes to prison
to obtain evidence against the gang.
Proceeding to Rainbow Valley, he
opposes the bandits in a series of
breath taking encounters which result
in his finally being selected to a po
sition of trust and responsibility by
the townspeople. A colorful climax
finds him suspected from the antics
of George Valley of having been a con
vict, and obviously to be working for
the good of the outlaws. Attaining the
confidence of the gang, Wayne works a
clever ruse which causes them to
bring about their own downfall.
Many good laughs may be expected
from the antics of Georgee Hayes, the
cowboy comic, who assists Wayne to
punctuate the tense moments and the
swift flowing action of the story with
nicely balanced comedy relief. Also
included in the supporting cast are
Lucille Brown, LeRoy Mason, Buffalo
Bill, Jr., Bert Dillard, and Lloyd In
gram.
"Dog Of Flanders" Is
Colorful Production
Some of the most colorful costumes,
settings and scenes of the cinema year
will be found in "A Dog of Flanders,"
film version of "Ouida's" famous novel
showing at the (Palace Theatre on
Thursday May 16th.
MONDAY & TUESDAY, MAY 20 - 21 ST
f ?
The greatest show to
travel the Mississippi
since I took it away*1
from the Indians. Col.
Crosby s right on deck
with nety songs and Joan
Bennett's handkerchief
and heart are flutter
ing from the shore. I
mM
Queenie Smith - John Miljan ? Gail Patrick
Fred Kohler and the Cabin Kids
Marnin* Matinee 10:30? Afternoon 3:15-3:45. (No Matinees Tuesday.) Evenings
7 :15-9:MT P. M.? Admission 18-Mc