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SUNDAY, APRIL 26.
LUCILLE LOVE, The Girl of Mystery
By the "MASTETR TEJV”
Copyright, 1914. All moving picture rights reserved by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, who are
now exhibiting this production in leading theaters. Infringements will be vigorously prosecuted.
[SYNOPSIS OF THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS.
While students together at West Point, and
yove with the same girl, Sumpter Love proves
Hugo Loubeque a thief, and Loubeque is dishon
crably discharged. Love wins the girl. The enmity
thus begun finds outlet in later years at Manila,
when a butler thiep in the employ of Loubeque,
now an international spy, steals valuable papers
from the Government safe of General Love. Lou
heque satis with them on the steamship Empress
euid General Love accuses Lieut. Gibson, his aide
sweetheart of his daughter Lucille, of
I cr ime. Loubeque sends a wireless message
cleverly insinuating that General Love had sold
the papers to a foreign power. To save the honor
of the man she loved and to erase the stigma
from her father’s name, Lucille prevails upon
Harley, a Government aviator, to take her out to
fftg ship, in his aeroplane.
"The Voice of the Telephone.”
RIMLY, Hugo Loubeque watched the
| aeroplane approaching the Empress.
Ruthless, above all authority, next
i to omnipotent with the power he
had given his life to build up that
he might be revenged upon the man
who had brought about his ruin
early in life, the international spy
watched this attempt at interfer
ence with his plans—for such he in-
stinctively knew it to be —keenly.
There w»s no sudden flame of malice in his heart,
enlv a cold, deadly purpose. Anything and every
imng - that stood in his way must be swept aside
or crushed—that was all.
Aloof from the excited passengers and of
ficers who had been brought to the deck by the
thunder of the aeroplane’s motor, he watched.
Cheers rose at the masterly manipulation of the
plane. Then the aviator’s purpose of landing on the
liner s deck became clear. It seemed impossible,
so big a feat was it that already bets were
'being made on the success of the attempt. The
air-man was circling now, looking down through
his powerful glasses to gauge the distance. Hugo
Loubeque stood motionless, iin passive, impel’-
turbed. The explosions of the motor died out so
abruptly as to make the succeeding silence fairly
thunderous in its contrast. Then the plane swoop
ed down toward the deck, nose-on, righted itself
And glided to a perfect landing.
Lucille separated herself quickly from the pas
sengers. She was beginning to think again, to
realize what a task lay before her. The orders
fend papers of her father were upon the boat but
who carried them she did not know. Of all these
hundreds anyone might be the thief. It had
seemed so simple before that the contrast be
tween the resolve and its execution appalled her.
Hurley interrupted her mood of black depression,
taking her hand and wishing her luck.
“Everything is arranged with the Captain,”
he reported. “And, Miss Lovt,” he added earnestly,
*T don’t know what there is to be done but you
cannot help succeeding when you start with such
Spirit.”
The encouragement filmed her eyes, blinding
Itrat the sight of the aviator as he started his en
gine once more and, with one short glide, rose to
ward the element he loved. Only the drumming of
the motor came back to her and its monotone
Beemed to shape itself into words, words of cheer
and hope. Yes, she must win. She could not lose.
Her slender figure straightened ns she turned
from the rail, her heaji uplifted itself courage
ously. almost defiantly. \ 1 9
The sound of her own name. Repeated twice
|n a hoarse whisper of incredulity,,.brought her
But of her abstraction. She looked wondoringly
Bt the man who had called her by name, amazed
Bt the emotions twitching his powerful face,
(frightened at the expression in his Itiminous eyes,
eyes that stared at her as though bhe were a
ghost
Hugo Loubeque mastered himself with an ef
fort. He had never seen the General’s daughter
before, this girl with the face and form of her
toother, and this apparent resurrection of what
had been a living memory so long, had stunned
him out of his usual composure. It irritated him
that his senses should be tricked, that he should
lose control of himself under any circumstance
And he drew aside quickly.
“I beg your pardon,” he murmured as she
passed him. “I thought I recognized— ’’ He stop
ped abruptly, amazed at the expression of de
light, and craft, and joy and guile which mingled
on her face as she stopped and stared Into his
face. , And in the clash of eyes the man knew
that this slip of a girl recognized him for her
enemy, the man she would be obliged to battle
with; knew it just as he knew the purpose urg
ing her on was no whit less strong than his own.
Lucille stared after his retreating figure, her
lips parted, her eyes twin stars for the hope
that had been kindled there.
“The voice on the telephone,” she whispered
©Ter and over to herself.
And her eyes turned toward the land, the
land where her sweetheart was; her eyes turned
•horewards even as her heart flashed messages
of hope to him.
CHAPTER VI.
In the Wireless Room.
J’H.E international spy paced up and down the
floor of his suite, for the first time in years
a prey to emotions that threatened to overwhelm
him. Early he had learned Life’s lesson that self
mastery is identical with the mastery of others.
It had become a religion, a fetish to the man and
now that he realized his blunder it stirred a rage
within him he had thought it impossible to feel.
The message in her eyes had been clear. This
girl knew that the papers his underling had
atplen from the Generals safe were in his pos
session. She was his enemy, determined to go
appalling lengths to thwart him, just as he must
forget the instinctive love he had felt for her,
this girl who came from the sky and stirred up
visions of days when he had known such a thing
as happiness.
Already he had crushed down this feeling.
, But still questions ticked at his brain. How had
Ehe known? How was it possible she could find
©ut? And what manner of girl was this who took
auch risks; what motive could induce one so wo
manly to go to such lengths? He settled himself
In a chair, closing his eyes while he rearranged
all he knew of the General’s household.
Gradually, under the urge of his tense con
centration, the motive grew clear. Underlings al
ways performed the labor* for this man while
he pulled the strings. He was content always to
Icnoxc. The actual seeing meant mere waste of
time. Undoubtedly —backed up by the strange
light he had read in Mr eyes—the General's aide,
with whom she was in love, had been charged
with the theft. It had all cleared up easily when
he mastered his emotions.
Hlt sombre eyes glowed at the’ completeness
Of the havoc he had wrought. Not alone nad Gen
eral Love been struck, but his entire household.
Hts aide In prison, aooused of stealing and selling
•orrespondence of the government he was pledged
to serv*, the General's daughter vahactiy follow
Ha, 1 " *ai
?yr ' llf
' THESE WAS A LONG SzEWS, I , |1 Limm
L QEJJGfCr.AN-p jLOI/EEQi/ET ~ pfeSS I j; ffl| \
} eelttuMdELEfalling . , H ‘mmmlWm 1! |fi |
ing some mysterious clue that would lead to the
clearing up of the charge against her sweetheart,
plaoing herself in the power of the malign in
fluence working so resistlessly against her. The
General himself—
The spy studied the pattern on the floor, his
brows knitting as he tried to formulate some
thing that would strike directly at the old man.
It was an hour before he rose and moved toward
the door, an expression in his eyes which told
the problem had worked itself out.
In the wireless room he wrote out his mes
sage, waiting idly while he watched the operator
adjust his helmet and send the message hurtling
back to Manila. Hugo Loubeque smiled grimly
as he imagined the consternation these streaks of
electricity snatched from the sky would create
upon arrival. He wondered at the indifference of
the wireless man to the import of the message.
“Not the aide. General Love sold me papers.”
The operator turned indifferently.
“Signature?” he queried.
The international spy shook his }iead, smiling
at the expression of interest kindled in the young
man’s eyes. He must, for once, do work of the
most difficult sort and do it himself Instead of
trusting it to a subordinate. To do this he must
ingratiate himself with this man, become so well
acquainted he might have leisure to carry out his
plot.
Versed in humanity as he was, It. was simple
enough for the spy to throw off his accustomed
taciturnity and interest the lonely operator, who
evidently thought him a special agent of the gov
ernment. That accusatory message must not be
answered. Undoubtedly upon its receipt at Ma
nila, an investigation would be started which
would open with finding the source of the or
iginal charge. To obviate this, the wireless must
be put out of order, must be wrecked so thor
oughly it would be impossible to repair it un
til the Empress was out of the zone of communi
cation.
It was a matter of hours before be got his
opportunity, the operator leaving his board and
going to the saloon. Hugo Loubeque wasted not
a second. The sound of the man’s boots had not
ceased to sound before the box lay open before
the spy. His hands moved like lightning, carry
ing out the plan he had conceived as safest and
most effective from the instructions of the oper
ator. In and out his fingers moved, loosening a
screw here, a wire there. Within five minutes he
carefully closed the wooden guard and leaned
idly against the window, waiting the operator’s .
return.
CHAPTER VII,
A Second Accusation.
QENERAL LOVE sat at his desk, trying vainly
to figure out what motive there could have
been for his trusted aide’s taking the desperate
chance of which he had accused him. Cola rea
son made him believe the man was either a luna
tic or fool, or honest. The first he brushed im
patiently aside. He hod been provided with many
aides in his of thirty-nine years and
no one of them had equalled Lieutenant Gibson
in point of efficiency. Fool he might be, for the
old soldier knew how a man’s brains were stolen
from him by love. But the influence of Lucille,
born and bred to the sacred traditions of the ser
vice, was the sort to make a man go in any di
rection save that of trading with his country’s
honor. Honest—
No matter in which direction he turned, the
General was unable to see how the young officer
could be honest. Where had he received the
money so unexpectedly that led him to believe
he might be married before his promotion was
confirmed? Why hail he done such a foolish thing
with the safe combination as to leave it in his
room? Why had he been so embarrassed? A hun
dred and one questions all remained unanswered
and all pointed toward the man’s guilt. Only two
men could have gone In the safe the General
himself and his aide. And yet—always there waa
that “yet” to contend with. He knew the boy,
knew him so well he had been willing to entrust
Ills daughter’s life to him, and he could not be
lieve that Gibson was guilty of the charge.
It mattered more to him than the possibles
contents of the papers themselves. He knew his
work, knew the correspondence might be of the
utmost Importance, still one does not think of
such things when personal calamity strikes di
rectly home, strikes at one’s own family.
He was roused from the reverie into which
he had fallen by the entrance of the aviator. The
man was obviously nervous, a bit bewildered by
the rapid succession of startling incidents which
had followed the ball.
Briefly he told of his trip to the Empress
with Lucille, the earnestness of her pleadings, the
final words that had won his consent.
“For the honor of the man I love.”
Over and over again he repeated the words,
trying to make something of them. Of course she
meant Gibson, but what could she find out on the
Empress relating to the robbery of the safe in
this office? Still, she was not a foolish, hys
terical girl, wandering off on such errands at
tangents. There must be something she knew or
had found out which she believed would clear her
sweetheart of the innuendo against him. But how
could he find out what It was?
It wan shortly after the thought came to him
that the prisoner himself might be able to shed
light on this mystery and he ordered his aide
brought before him. Cold logician that he was;
master of thousands of men that he had proven
himself to be, there was something mbre than
mere innocence about the young officer that the
General could not deny, even to himself. More—
there was a eertain suspicion, an air of contempt
in the very figure ol the man that told the sup-
IHE AUGUSTA HERALD. AUGUSTA, GA.
BOTH JBECOGAYZEO THE ENPtmriHNF
MUST EXIST BETWEEN- TtHEAt
erior hr himself was under another’* sunpioion.
For a long time he studied the fuoe he knew bo
well, trying vainly to see some sign of guile upon
the handsome, stern young countenance, ft was
more than puzzling, more than baffling—that, ac
cusatory pair of frank grey eyes.
“Lieutenant,” he began slowly, “I have tried to
think of some solution to this affair that will not
involve you. You must realize how greatly I de
sire this. But I have thought for hours and there
seems no other explanation of the disappearance
of the papers I turned over to you. Can yon sug
gest some other person that, might possibly have
an interest in their disappearance?”
“I can, sir,” steadily answered the aide, his
eyes holding those of the older man. “T am not,
however, insubordinate'nor insolent to my sup
erior officer.”
The smouldering flame in General Love’s eyes
leaped high as he grasp«sl the semi-accusation. By
an effort he mastered himself, forcing his voice to
steadiness.
"Harley, the aviator, has just reported that
Lucille came to him this evening and persuaded
him to take her to the Empress. She evidently
felt she possessed information that, would clear
you of this charge and thart the Empress was
oarrying the guilty party. Can you tell me any
thing of such knowledge?"
Gibson stared incredulously at his superior.
His lijie opened to repeat the name of the ship
an though what he heard waa unbelievable to
him. Ho felt, the. Oeneral’s eyes upon him, piero
lng him, searching into the very depths of his
soul. Could it be possible that this old man was
willing to make his daughter a scapegoat for his
crime? No, it was all too unbelievable. And yet
the General must have soki the papers. He could
see no other explanation. But what was this tale
of landing aboard the Empress in an aeroplane?
He suddenly felt a rush of blood to his head, a
mad fury, a determination to get the truth of
this whole thing even though obliged to wring
it from the. old man's throat. Unconsciously hie
took a step closer the desk when the orderly
again entered, silently passing a Marounigram
across the desk.
Gibson stared wonder! ngly at his chief, won
dering at the purpling of hts already florid face,
the rage that shot streaks of blood across his
eyes as he read and re-read' the message. Sud
denly with u choking laugh the old man tossed
the, wireless to his aide, the last blow of Hugo
Louheque: "Not the aid*. General Lore sold me
papers.’"
The U'ntenant felt a warm throb of pity
for the old man. He seemed suddenly to have
aged, to be on the verge of collapse under this
mysterious charge. The General straightened
slowly, rising from his chair.
“Somewhere, somehow there Is an' explana
tion,” he muttered. “And Lnoille is all that
stands between ns and diegraoe. Yon will come
with me. Lieutenant.” ,
“Yes, sir.- You have some idea ”
“To the provisional governor,” curtly an
swered the old so Idler, ”unti! this charge can be
sifted. Meanwhile, we will wait until there is
word from Lucille in answer to the message I
sent.”
“A meesage? You did not mention that.”
“Oertuinly I sent a massage immediately
Ilarley told his story. We can drop in there on
the way to the Governor’s mansion.”
Gibson nodded shortly. He was in a haes
still, feeling that his suspicions of the old officer
had been unfounded, knowing that some evil
brain was conniving at their destruction.
Hity for the Genera) took the place of the
bitterness which had been his during hia con
finement. He felt hlmoelf wondering whether
the old nian could clear himself of tne charge
against him, fslt himself unconsciously support
ing the man as they walked toward the wireless
station. He did not notice the General’s orderly
hurrying toward them until the man halted In
salute there on the parade grounds, the moon
casting an eerie shadow across his olive khaki.
“Hir," he reported, “the operator has tried
to reach the Empress but there is no response.
Her wireless must be disabled.”
General Love stared at hie aide. Year
gleamed in the eyee of both men, a mutual fear
for a mutual object. Who waa this unseen enemy
who struck suen fierce blows from out of the
dark? And Lucille, sweetheart and daughter,
Lucille, the pampered, dainty, fragile LttaUia was
undoubtedly near this one who even commanded
the lightnings to do hia will.
CHAPTER VIII,
An Armed Neutrality.
QURIOUQLY Hugo Loubeque watched the op
erator as he settled buck in his chair, al
most immediately receiving the flash that a mes
sage was on the way to him from some unseen,
unknown source. The brief fraction of a second
etohed every Incident that followed clearly upon
his brain.
Came a long sliver of light that seemed to
nudge the switchboard violently from its fast
enings, a shaft that reached out and pierced him
through and through, blinding him with Its
bursting light-vapor. Then Loubeque felt, him
self falling, falling into a pit that seemed to
have no bottom. He was vaguely conscious of
cries, pitying hands, being lifted and carried
somewhere, of low murmuring voices purposely
hushed, then a heavy, black silence.
It was hours before ho could piece together
what, had happened, how he chanced to be In
bed, what the cause of tile terrible throbbing
pains upon bis arms and torso was. Then the
wonder of Lucille’s being with him, ministering
to him, drove every pain away and he watched
her from under cover of his heavy lashes as she
moved, about the stateroom, quiet, cool, sym
pathetic. It, had seemed Impossible that. Lucille
should ever be near him, that she should come
back to him after all the years, that the days
at West Point with the culminating horror of
that dismissal should be forgotten—
He straightened In bed so abruptly as to
bring a moan of anguish from hie Ups. In the
lassitude Induced by his burns and the shock of
the wireless room explosion he had concentrated
the forty years that were pant into the living
presence of the daughter of the woman he had
loved at, that time. And this was no more girl,
but a woman, with all the capacity for love And
hate that ever woman had. And she was his
enemy.
The impulse to speak with her, to order her
away, was strong upon him, but he conquered it,
the habit of carefully planning before doing
anything coming to the fore again despite his
pain. He must not show resentment of her kind
ly interest, must not betray the fact that he
had papers for which she was looking. Ho must
be very certain of his ground with this girl for
a definite purpose was behind her strange board
ing of the liner; the coincidence of her tending
him was too strange to be unpremeditated.
“You are very kind," be smiled as, seeing he
had returned to coneeiounuesa, she softly crossed
the floor, lialancing herself against the motion
of the liner as though she were a part of the
boat. “There was an explosion in the wireless
room, was there not?"
“You must not talk till the surgeon eomes,”
she smiled. “I must obey orders, you know, ha
cause I am only a volunteer.”
“A volunteer I You volunteered to help a
stranger I”
“But you are not a stranger.” She smiled
curiously, wrinkling her nose in a delightful
way he remembered her mother to have had
" You knew my name and that made me feel
really acquainted when you were hurt." There
waa something penetrating In the eyes fastened
upon his own, something guileful about the sug
gestive expression of her tones that put him in
stantly on guard. He closed hie eyes again and
aimulated slumber, now and then stealing a
glaace at her as she sat opposite him, her pretty
brows bent in thought.
Bay followed day with ever his faculties
fastened on the necessity for caution. A curious
sort of friendship sprang up between them, a
friendship partaking more of an armed neutral
ity without the formality of a flag of tmoe than
anything else he could Imagine. Without men
tioning their mutual attitude both recognised
the enmity that must exist, between them, both
knew the other was conscious of the other’s
thought*.
Times there were when Lucille would And
herself wandering in memory Helds, liook to the
days at Manila. And times there were when she
would have to conquer the Impulse to take this
pawerfnl, sardonic, silent man she nursed and
shake the secret of the papers from him. Then
again she wosld be all compassion, her very
heart crying oat In It* Innocence against the
bitterness that poisoned her patient’s heart and
soul. Something within her told her of the times
when his eyes would soften and the natural af
fection within him would attempt to steal
through the shell with which his hate had en
crusted 1 him. And then she would fight down
with an effort the impulse to throw liervelf upon
the better nature she knew he was making such
an effort to hide, to plead with him for the
happiness he liad stolen from her, for the honor
of the man she loved.
Nature weakens the body that it may nour
ish the soul. But with the alleviation of Hugo
Loubequn’s sufferings the old animosity and pur
pose flourished with redoubled vigoT. This girl
had undoubtedly sought the opportunity of nurs
ing him that she might defeat his purpose. She
was the daughter of the man be had spent hia
life in working out s complete degradation for.
He must fight down the weakness wbdeh assailed
him when her resemblance to the Lncille of
forty years ago surged strong within him; he
must fight, against hr.r as he would fight against
anyone else, aa he had fought against the very
world.
And Lucille felt the change, felt It and re
doubled her effort to get the secret, of the stolen
papers. The spirit of the gam* was in her and
she yielded a grudging admiration for the cun
ning of the inan who, even In Ids most aout*
suffering, managed to conceal everything from
her. Even in delirium his powerful brain resisted
her suggestions, her hints.
Detective stories she had read and she tried
now to bring the methods of those sleuths of
fiction to her aid. Strangely enough, though she
recalled their exploit* well, the«e heroes seemed
febrile puppets when compared to the man she
nursed. One story alone had impreseed Itself
upon her and she knew there was no chance to
os* lb* Ingenious method of Ihftfc one who had
ELEVEN
discovered the hiding place of certain important
document* by tossing a bomb in the living room
of a blackmailer.
The international spy was able to walk
about his room now, his eyes showing the satis
faction he felt at thwarting her. They played
chons together, dined together, with always the
armed deference between them, a state of mind
so obvious as to have been ludicrous had they
not both been so conscious of It. Many times
she thought the strain was more than she. could
bear, when she doubted the wisdom of this trip.
And always would come morbid pictures of her
sweetheart, to sustain her in her determination
to dear him of the chnrge under which he rested.
It wa» on the eighth day out that the spy
suddenly sprang to his feet, darting swiftly to
the door of the stateroom. She stared at him in
astonishment, amazed at the chunge which had
come over him. Ilis life must have made him
more than unusually sensitive to impressions for
a full quarter hour elapsed after he had resumed
his seat, before a barely jierceptible thudding
sound came from beneath the deck.
Perhaps it may have been the premonition
of the eilent man, perhajta foreboding of (llaaster
on her own part, that took her to the deck. The
Captain had quit the bridge and stood at the
door of the engine room, hia face betraying the
anxiety he tried to conceal from his passengers.
Louder, louder grew the thudding sound, follow
ing now by a retching like the ripping of a rot
ten cloth.
“A boiler In the engine room," Loubequß
•aid quietly when she returned to his suite.
She stared at the spy incredulously. He waa
seated in the great chair aa though such a thing
was of the slightest possible consequence to him.
His impassive countenance wan more sombre
than ever and she realized, with sinking heart,
that her impulse to appeal to him In thie hour
of deadliest peril would be of no avail. --
Came another thought with that of help
lessness, a thought of whioh she felt ashamed
for the second. If worst came to the worst this
man would attempt, to save, t,o take with him
hia moat prloelem possession. If only she could
find out whore the stolen papers were concealed
she would get them. It was not wrong to take
advantage of tho weakness of a physical Invalid
who iiossessed such giant mental strength.
Mingling with the horrid retching sound
came a long hiss. The spy sprang to his feet
again and opened the door. Passengers were
rushing wildly about tho decks, their faces be
traying the abject terror they felt. At the roll
stood the Captain and Second Mate supervising
the lowering of the life laiats. A white faoea
steward banged against the door, thrusting hia
head inside.
“Fire,” he whispered, then, an though
ashamed for the fear whioh had robbed him of
his voice. “It’s Are—to the boat* —’’
Lucille turned awoy, a sickening feeling
clutching at her heart. Fire I Fire out here on
the broad ocean and never a sight, of land since
Manila! What could she do? She suddenly was
conscious of Hugo Loubeque’s swift motions.
The spy darted across the room and drew from
tho top drawer of his desk a package of papers
which ho hurriedly replaced as she turned.
There was something on Ills countenance which
told her the truth, told her that he had re
vealed the secret, of the stolen papers. He slapped
the drawer shut, reasmiming his asjiect of Indif
ference as he brushed her away from the door.
Quick as the spring of a eat she had secured
the papers while he stepped to the deck, appar
ently to study the situation. When he returned
she was moving carelessly about the room, wear
so innocent an expression that ho studied her
suspiciously a second. Thoir eyes met and he
sprang to the de«k, slapping open the drawer so
violently its oontent* fell upon the floor. As hs
whirled upon her she saw in his face that the
truce was Bt an end, that he knew of his loss
and would stop at nothing to regain his secret.
Swiftly sho sprang through the open door,
losing herself in the mass of passengers huddled
against the rail. Looking back, she caught a
glimpse of the white faced coolies and Chinese,
staring in sullen despair at the passengers whose
turn It was to enter the life boate while they
must wait, under threat of ths revolvers in ths
hands of the officers. Behind them little cork
screw spirals of steam reached out caressing
fingers, twining about them and then innocently
losing themselves, about the funnels. And al
ways, always sounded that horrible hissing
sound from below, the sound of unbridled fire.
Lucille felt an overmastering impulse with
in her to remain with this terror, anything save
the great, threatening ocean that looked so
monstrous now, waiting the tiny craft* that
creaked down from the davits. Than powerful
arms were about her. Rhe felt herself being
lifted and hurtled forward, huddling down 1b
the crowded boat that was being lowered to the
waves.
She would have thought the ocean colas
ordinarily, hut as the boat splashed upon H*
boeom, the sailors striking easily 1-ito rythmieal
swing, she realized the power of this mighty
body of water that Invited the frail boat to bw
come a part of ttsslf instead of striving to com
bat it with such a meagre thickness o? rounded
wood.
A hand reached out and rested upon her
shoulder. Fnr a second she was unconscious of
it, then something steadying, indomitable about
the clutch of finger tips made her turn. Hugo
Loubeque nutted Into her eyes, smiled with tnt
pitying expression of an invincible one who
grieves for the weakling that dashes against him,
Her eyes upraised toward the boat, a mses
of whitish mnoko now through which leaped
playfnl reddish flames. Now and then e figure
would dart toward ths rail and lunge overboard,
the bodies striking the water in great circle*
that lost theinseivee in one another. And for a
second the thought came to her that even that
inferno of a ship was preferable to this man be
side her.
"Well played, Mies Lore,” the spy murmured
•llldly. “But I fear you mint return the ”
A piercing shriek mode him turn swiftly, a
shriek that lost Itself in the heavy crunching of
wooden oars against wood. Came a horrid bump
ing that seemed more like the crunching of a
wild beast, upon bone* than anything she had
ever heard. Meat, intense, steaming, neat upon
hsr cheeks. Rhe looked up and only the dark
hulk of the Empress loomed above heT, only a
lurid flame illumined the heavens.
Rhe was conscious of her %cnvy clothing,
sodden now with water; was conscious of the
lack of support. Something long and wooden
tilted against her and instlnotirely her Augers
clutched the oar which had floated out to her
from their boat whioh had been tossed and
crushed against the burning liner’s side. Again
she looked up.
The Empress wo* a mas* of white flame*
now, flames that seemed to carry It down, down,
down like some boat of fabled ages. The soft
breeze caressed her cheeks, It* very tenderness
a mockery. Replacing tho rnaaeod flame of man
created fire glowed a million constellations, th*
luminous magnificence of the Southern Cron*.
And within her soul flickered the spark of oom
bot which Youth will not allow to die even
though the battle he unequal a* the war of ths
flrefly against the dark.
(Continued Next WMfcJ