THURSDAY, JVL1 u
Page 8
THE WATNE&VILLE MUamHBR
The Forgotten Fleet mystery"
by Vanwyck Mason
SYNOPSIS
Ob the wharf in Patuxtown,
Maryland, ex-Colonel Donald Col
by, late A. D. C, to General Gonzalo
heats nn Tod Ferguson.
burly oysterman, for insulting Ge
neva Benet, daughter 01 i,api. e
net of the "Amerika." Ferguson
was fired by Benet and infers some
one was murdered the ship.
Later, Geneva confides in Colby
that she had brought two men from
Leonardstown to work for her fa
ther. "They were afraid to stay but
you wouldn't be," she says. A new
look creeps into Colby's eyes.
"Young lady," he demanded crisply,
"shall we talk?" Geneva tells Col
by that her father is in charge of a
fleet of old liners laid up by the
Shipping Board awaiting purchas
ers. It is impossible to get a watch
man since three men have disap
peared. Colby takes the job. On
the pier, the girl calls to the "Mon
ticello" on which she lives with
her father. The ghostlike ships
and eery atmosphere fill Colby
with foreboding. Dutton, one of
the watchmen, picks up Geneva and
Colby in a rowboat. As they near
the "Monticello," three shots and a
shriek pierce the air. The girl fears
for her father. Leaving Geneva on
the "Monticello," Colby and Dut
ton go in search of the captain.
The decks of the "Kronprinzessin
Cecilie" (rechristened the "Mount
Vernon") were familiar to Colby,
He had heard them echo to the
dainty feet of countesses and later,
to the hobnails of American dough
boys. In one of the staterooms,
Colby is sure he smells blood. Sud
denly, he and Mears, the "Mount
Vernon's" watchman, hear a faint
scraping sound as of an animal
Btealthily advancing.
CHAPTER VI
On hands and knees they ad
vanced over the gritty naked floor
boards and twice halted when vague
sounds of activity floated in from
what Mears said was a stair land
ing. The snuffing noise grew loud
er and sweat crept out to streak
Colby's face with tiny acid rivu
lets.';,. Mears, a black blur against a
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black background, recoiled sudden
iy.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm gonna put on the light "
and before Colby could prevent it
the other had switched on his flash.
Before them was a, door, shut tight
an ordinary oak door, but from
under it a stickily bright streamlet
crawled towards the breathless
pair. Colby understood why his
companion had started Mears was
wiping his hand on a nearby dust
cover.
"Put out that light," Colby's com
mand was trenchant as a surgeon's
scalpel. "Want to make a shining
target of us," his heart thudding
like the tom-tom of a Sioux.
Mears obeyed and darkness clos
ed in again like a maddening blank
et of musty black velvet.
Again a penetrating and ominous
silence ruled over the great liner, a
silence in which the scurrying of
mice and rats along some distant
passageway could be distinctly
heard. Colby felt Mears creeping
up alongside and threw of the
safety catch of Hartney's pistol.
"Stay where you are, he whis
pered, "and turn on the light when
I throw open the door.
When five minutes had passed
and no sound beyond those mysteri
ous subtle noises had struck the
listeners' ears, Colby reached up
and felt the door handle make a
cold streak across his palm.
"Ready?"
"Check!"
In almost a single motion he
pushed open a door, sank flat onto
the dusty floor and threw off the
safety catch of Hartney's battered
.32, Every sense geared to sharp
est he took in the scene when
Mears' flashlight shatter the black
ness with a stabbing blue-white
beam. So much had the eerie sur
roundings affected him that he,
whose nerves were generally as of
steel, almost shot when he caught
a glimpse of a man in a brass-buttoned
officer's coat crouching'
against the wall opposite the door.
Just in time he checked himself ; the '
revealed figure, gold toothed, el
derly and st mi-bald, sat inert, 1
weakly slumped against the rich J
oak panelling 01 the passage star
ing steadily into the light from be-'
neath bushy gray brows. Beyond
a blink of blood shot gray eyes the
man in the passage made no motion,
just sat with gray head sagged for-'
ward on chestlooking, looking in
to the light. Colby ceased wonder
ing at this lassitude when he noted
how down the front of the vision's
faded blue cotton shirt trickled two
bright rivulets that had collected
on the floor into a shiny little pool.
"Who's that," he flung at Mears
who had apparently been stricken
speechless.
"My God, it why it's Capt'in
Benet."
Benet! Then that curious girl's i
premonition had come true! j
"Hey hold on! better stay where
you are," he cautioned in a sibilant
whisper when Coiby started for
ward. "Might still be somebody in
that passage." I
"Worth the risk that man's
going to die any instant." Colby
had seen altogether too many men
with such a queer luminosity in
their eyes. "I'm going to listen to
what he has to say"
Despite Mears' protests he, in the
uniform coat, darted forward, cast
a quick look to right and left and
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4 t
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then recoiled.
"What's wrong?" Mears came
forward bravely enough.
"Another one in here see?"
In silence both the searchers
studied a second figure lying face
down, with the. lower part of the
body sprawled across a wide grand
staircase, which had once conducted
Princes, divas and Pittsburgh mil
lionaire to the glittering first class
dining saloon.
"Bring that light here."
Colby knelt by the side of the
wounded man whose strenuous
breathing they had heard.
Mears objected. 'No let's take
a look at this one."
"Don't be a damn fool, he's dead
and this man isn't. Can you talk,
Captain Benet?" He bent low over
the stricken head watchman. "Who
shot you?"
The other by a severe effort made
a noise, rendered inarticulate Dy
bloody froth rising to. his lips, his
pale brown eyes, however, glared
in force futility into Colby's. It
was terrible to watch the man's
efforts to speak, to read his reali
zation that he was unable to de
liver what must have been a vital
message. There he was, practically
dead with only his eyes 'alive.
Mears strode over, battered fea
tures rigid and bright with sweat
and gestured with his automatic.
"Com on we're fools to stay
like this," he snapped. 'We make
swell targets "
"Shut up! Who shot you Cap
tain?" Captain Benet's glaring eyes
wandered to that shadowy, elor
quently lax figure half on the
stairs, then wavered and had start
ed to rise when darkness swooped
down on the landing like a smoth
ering cloak. Mears' flashlight had .
gone out!
In a single silent leap Colby was 1
instantly six good feet away from
his former position. "Put on that
blasted light!" he rasped. "Put it
on or I'll drill you."
"9h-h-h," warned the other.'
"Don't you hear?" .
What fixed Colby's attention was 1
a small near sound, magnified by
the unearthly silence of this great
liner. He thought it had come irom
behind a door to his left.
Having long since oriented the
hall in his mind, the ex-Colonel was ,
able to leap with the lithe speed of
a jaguar past Benet's limp form,
fling open the door and hurl himself
at a figure only hinted at by the
light of a porthole. His arms were
around someone who struggled with
the ferocity of a trapped animal.
Then a fleeting jet of flame lit
what had once been the barber shop
and a report cracked, deafening as
a field piece in the confined space.
Ears ringing and coughing be-
NOTICE OF SALE '
On Monday, July 27th, 1942, at
11:00 o'clock, a. m. at the Court
house door in the Town of Way
nesville, Haywood County, N. C,
I will offer for sale at public out
cry to the highest bidder for cash
the following described lands and
premises situate in said County
and State, to-wit:
Being Lot No. 1 of the Under
wood tract, BEGINNING at a stake
in the old Turner line, corner of
Lot No. 2, and runs N. 5 E. 32 Va
poles to a stake, corner of the W.
B. Ferguson 3-710 acre tract;
thence with the line of the same
three calls as follows: N. 87 . W.
14 poles to a stake on West bank
of road; North 13 poles to a stake;1
N. 15 E. 9 poles to a stake on
top of ridge; thence up ridge as
follows: S. 75 W. 12 poles; S. 67
W. 7 poles; S. 25' W. 5 poles;
S. 28 W. 8 poles; S. 41 W. 16
poles with Giles line to a stake;
S. 28 W. 8 poles to a stake in road;
thence with same S. 64 W. 6 poles;
S. 47 W. 6 poles; S. 24V W.
10 V poles to a stake in forks of
road, corner of Lot No. 2; thence
with same, S. 88 E. 58 poles to
the BEGINNING, contaiing 17
acres, as per survey and plat of
0. O. Sanford.
EXCEPTING and RESERVING
from the foregoing tract or parcel
of land the following lots or par
cels of land heretofore conveyed by
W. C. Medford et ux, to the fol
lowing grantees;
D. L. Putnam et ux, dated May
1, 1920, recorded Book 55, page
412; D. L. Putnam dated March
8, 1921, recorded Book 59, page
11; Sam Melton et ux, dated Jan
uary 2, 1922, recorded Book 59,
page 127; T. O, Norris and J. C.
Norris, dated November 11, 1922,
recorded Book 59, page 372; Jerry
Liner and Hugh J. Sloan, dated
February 16, 1925, Bpok 63, page
550; Record of Deeds of Haywood
County; reference is hereby made
to the above deeds and records for
full and perfect description of the
lands herein excepted.
Sale made pursuant to the pow
er of sale contained in that cer
tain deed of trust from Mary
Moody and husband, Fred H.
Moody, to A. T. Ward, Trustee for
Haywood Home Building & Loan
Association, dated April 30th,
1941, recorded in Book 42, at page
364, Haywood County Registry,
default having been made in the
payment of the indebtedness se
cured therein, and reference is
hereby made to said instrument
and record for all the terms and
conditions thereof.
This June 23rd, 1942.
A. T. WARD,
Trustee.
No. 1202 July 2-9-16-28.
Lv in -;
Official U. B. Nary Photo
Here's the most recent photograph
of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, com-mander-in-chief
of the Pacific Fleet,
who directed U. S. forces in the im
portant battle of Midway. The pic
ture is the work of a navy photogra
pher assigned to the fleet under the
admiral's command.
cause of the acrid powder fumes.
Colby bore' his antagonist to the
floor and in so doing realized that
this was a woman in his arms!
Hev. What the hell ? Shall I
turn on the light?"
"Yes," the ex-soldier panted, his
eyes now full of soft fragrant hair.
The more he saw of this curious af
fair the less he was liking it.
When light flooded the dusty bar
ber shop a bitter smile twisted Col
by's lips, for there outlined against
the dark linoleum were the dusty
features of Geneva Benet! Lord,
how huge and bright were her blue
eyes how furiously scarlet grew
her cheeks to find Donald Colby
very firmly seated on her stomach
and grinning at her with a sav
age, mirthless grin.
"Miss Geneva! Fer Gawd's sake
what you doin' here?"
Colby, bending on her an inscru
table sardonic look, got up and
stood over her, his scarred features
alert, wary and hard as the bronze
they resembled.
"Yes, just what are you doing
here, ma'am?"
The girl, her sweatered breast
wildly aheave, raised herself to a
sitting position and her deadly pale
features were rigid with emotion
of some kind. "It it's a mistake.
I I thought you were the others."
Don't lie! I wasn't born yester
day," Colby snapped and with one
eye on Mears planted a scuffed shoe
on a small automatic which had
flown from the girl's fingers, "you
knew we were going to search the
Mount Vernon!" A furious uncer-
NOTICE OF SUMMONS BY PUB
LICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,
COUNTY OF HAYWOOD.
L. A. MILLER
Vs.' .".
HATTIE N. MILLER.
The defendant above named will
take notice that an action has been
commenced against her in the Su
perior Court of Haywood County
for the purpose of securing an ab
solute divorce on the grounds of
two years separation and the de
fendant will further take notice
that she is required to appear at
the office of the Clerk of the Su
perior Court in Waynesville, North
Carolina, not later than thirty
days from the 31st day of July,
1942 and answer or demur to the
complaint herein filed or the plain
tiff will demand the relief herein
sought.
This the 8th day of July, 1942.
C. H. LEATHERWOOD,
Clerk of Superior Court of Hay
wood County.
No. 1205 July 9-16-23-30.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,
COUNTY OF HAYWOOD.
ON MONDAY, the 27th day of
July, 1942, at the Courthouse door
in the Town of Waynesville, North
Carolina, at eleven o'clock A. M.,
the undersigned Superintendent of
Education of Haywood County will
sell to the highest bidder for cash
that certain tract or parcel of land
lying and being in Pigeon Town
ship, Haywood County, and which
was formely used for school pur
poses, which said tract or parcel
of land has become useless for said
school purposes, and which was
formerly known as Garden Creek
school property, and is described
in metes and bounds as follows:
TRACT I: BEGINNING on a
stake on top of a ridge, and being
the corner of James H. Plott and
Smathcrs and runs N. 32 W. 14
poles and to the line to a White
Oak in the Plott and Smathers
line; thence with said line two
calls back to the BEGINNING,
containing 44 square poles more
or less.
TRACT II: BEGINNING on a
White Oak, it being the corner of
a lt conveyed by Mrs. Harriett
Smathers to the County Board of
Education, and runs S. 72 East
11 poles and 9 feet to a stake;
thence N. 6? East 16 "poles to a
stake; thence S. 11 West 4 poles
and 12 feet to a stake in Plott and
Smathers line; thence with said
line three calls to the BEGINNING,
Containing One acre and 36 rods,
more or less.
The Board of Education reserves
the right to reject any and all
bids at said sale.
This the 23rd day of June, 1942.
HAYWOOD COUNTY BOARD
OF EDUCATION.
By Jack Messer, Superintendent
of Education.
No. 1200 June 25-July 2-918
tainty shook hint. This latest devel- evil face. ,
cement came as a s.rt of Et tu He felt rather like a ma who,
Bruto? Trust Whom could he with foolhardy courage, ha. en-
trust? Not Hartney; Mean, per- tered a swamp only to realize that
haps, but certainly not Dutton- that log he thought to .be solid
the fellow had a fundamentally was treacherously afloat, that that
ground yonder which W.
firm was nothing bit .
that poisonous snakL ""
among yie8 he had-ft
.si support.
(To be ContinnJ.
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v .faJJ- . $24.90 .t Regu.r ,,,,
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