The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, August 12, 1919, Image 2
THE SEMI.WEEKLV TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. CHAPTER XVI Continued. 11 "Yes; hold my hand while I guide you; wc can sit licrc." It wos a couch of some kind against the outer wall. She did not release her grasp, seemingly Kilning courage from this physical contact, and my fin gers closed warmly over her own." "Now, plenso," breathlessly, "how is It possible you are aboard this ves sel an ofllcor?" I told hor the strange story, ns Hwiftly and simply as possible, speak ing scarcely above n whisper, feeling ns I progressed that I related a dream rather than n series of facts. It seemed to mo she could scarcely bo eje pectcd to bollevo the truth of what I snld, nnd yet she did, almost unquos tlonlngly, the clnsp of her lingers per ceptibly tightening as I proceeded. She sat so close beside mo that I could feel her breath upon my cheek. "Why, If If you hud not told mo this yourself I could hardly believe such a tale," sho exclaimed. "Yet It must be true, miraculous as It seems. Hut what Is to be the ending? Have you any plan of escape?" "Hardly n plan. I have hud no op portunity even to learn tho true na ture of tho crew. Wutklns Is an hon est sullor, nnd ho has told mo of oth ers on whom I could rely. There uro thoso aboard but I fo not know how many who would mutiny If they had a leader and a reasonable chance of success. I must reach these and learn who they are. Fortunately the voyage promises to bo long enough to enable me to plan carefully." "iou navo uiscusscu tho voyage with this man Estada?" "Ho told mo what he had decided upon ; not to return to their rojiiloz vous until nftor they had captured some prizes nnd could go with gold chinking In their pockets." "Where Is their rendezvous?" "An lslndll In tho West Indies, prob ubly not on tho churt. They call it Porto Grnnde." - "And they will swoop tho ocean be tween horc nnd thcro seeking victims? Unarmed merchantmcnt to rob nnd sink? And you you will bo compelled to take part In such scenes, such nets of pillage and perhaps murder?" "I presume I must seem to bo one of them to nvnld suspicion. Uavo you nny suggestions?" "There Is conspiracy on bord al ready," sho said quickly, "that you may not know about." "You mean to deposo Sanchez?" "Yos; you had susplcloncd It? They thought mo unconscious In the boat, and talked among themselves tho two at tho stern, Estada and that beast Munucl. I did not understand nil they said, but I do not think thoy intend tho captain shnll recover." "You think It best that ho should?" "Oh, I do not know; there Is no best that I can see. Yet I would hnvo more faith In being spared dlsgraco if at tho mercy of Sanchez, than his lieutenant. Both may bo equally guilty, equally desperate, but they ilro not tho eumo men. I may bo wrong, for I Judgo us a woman, yet I would feel safer with Sanchez. The other merely doslrcs with tho passions of n brute. No appeal would reach him ; he would laugh at tears and tlnd pleasure in Buffering. And yet you would havo me npponr friendly with Estadu?" "We cuuuot permit him to feel that cither of us are enemies, no Is tho power aboard; our lives, everything are In his hands. If he means to be rid of Sanchez tho man Is doomed, for lie will find a way to accomplish his purposo; murder mouns nothing to theso men." "Of course you nro right," sho ac knowledged. "Our caso Is so desper ate we must resort to nny weapons. You bellevo It will servo tho possibility of cscnpo If I permit this mounter to Imagine that I havo somo Interest In him?" "To do so might delay tho explo sion," I replied gravely, "and just now nny delay Is welcome I doubt If oven Estada will resort to force on board; Indeed force will bo the vory ?ast card ho will enro to play In your case. You uro English and all tho practical sea men ou board nro from northern Eu rope English and Scandinavian. Theso men aro not pirates from choice . thoy nro prisoners who havo taken 'on to save their own lives. With his bullies nnd cutthroats amidships he can compel theni to work, but ho daro not go too fur. Once these fellows unite In mutiny they could take tho ship. An assault on you would bo dangerous." "It Is theso men you count on?" "Yes; but for mo to gain their conll Hence and leadership will require time. The slightest slip would meim tfnlluro and merciless punishment. At best . tho situation Is absolutely des pcratc but I see no other solution." "jLnd my Mrvlco is deceit tho net Ing of a part tof blind tho eyes of Estada?" ' "I slncorely bellevo your greater chnnce of security lies In this course. Tho fellow Is a supreme egotist; op position will anger him, while flattery will make him subsorvlout. You have the wit and discretion to hold him within certain limits. It Is a danger ous game, I admit, and a dlsagreeablo one, but the case requires desperate remedies." She lifted her eyes, searching my face through tho dim light. "Geoffry Carlylc," sho said at last, n tromor in tho low voice, "there Is no sacrifice I would not make to pre serve my honor. I hate this man; I dread his touch; I shrink from con tact with him as I would from a snake, but I am not going to refuse to do my part. If you say this Is right and justified I will consent." "I believe It Is." "And you will not lose fnlth In mo?" sho questioned earnestly. "It will not lower your belief in my womanhood?'' "Nothing could do that. Mistress Dorothy, I want you to realize the depth of my interest and respect. Your friendliness has meant much to me, nnd I would never urge you to lower your Ideals. Hut wc must face this situation us It Is. Wo possess but two wenpons of defense deceit or force A resort to tho latter is nt present Im- possible. I cannot conceive that you are lowering yourself In any way by using tho power you possens to escape violence " "The power I possess?" "Yes beauty nnd wit. These nro your weapons, and most effective ones, You enn ploy with Estada and defeat him temporarily, at least. I confess there Is dnnger In such u came ho Is a wild beast, and his evil nature may overcome his discretion. Take this pistol. Keep It hidden about your per son, but use It only when all else falls. You retain faith In mo?" "Implicitly." "And pledge yourself to your part leaving mo to attend to mine?" ' Her two hnnds clasped my fingers, her eyes uplifted. "Geoffry Cnrlylc, I havo always bo lleved iu you, and now, after the sac She Lifted Her Eyes, rlilce you hnvo made to servo mo I can rcfuso you nothing you nsk. I will endenvor to accomplish nil you requlro of me. God knows how I hato tho task; but but I will do my best Only only," her voice sunk, "If If, tho beust lays hands on mo he he pays the price. I could not do other wise. Geoffry Cnrlylc I urn a Fair far." Satisfied with my mission nnd confi dent nothing more need be said, I nroso to my feet. "Then wo can do nothing further until I learn tho disposition of the crow," I said quietly. "Estndn Ib not likely to resort to extreme measures nt present. Thnt Is why I bellevo you uro comparatively safo now his own position of command Is In tho bal ance." "I will sco you nguln?" "Perhaps not hero; it Is too danger ous; but I will find means to commu nlcnto with you. Good-by." Wo stood with hands clasped In tho darkness. I thought she was going to speak again, but tho words fulled to come. Then suddenly, silently the door opened a mere cruck, letting In a gleam of yellow light from tho mnln cnbln, while tho crouching figuro of a man, like n gliding shadow slipped through Iho nixsrturo, closing the door buhlnd him us softly us he hud opcucd IL I heard her catch hor breath nud felt her bunds grasp my alcove, but I never stirred. Who could he be? What might be the purpose of his entrance? Hut oto nnswor occurred to me I'cdro Estndn, driven by unbridled pnsslons to attach the girl. I thrust her behind me, nnd took u step forward, with body polswl for nctlon. I wus unarmed, but cnrd little for thnt in the swift desire to come to hand grips with the brute. I could hear him now, slowly and cau tiously feeling his way toward us through the darkness. CHAPTER XVII. A Murder on Board. To be ccrtnln of free space I extend ed one hand nnd my fingers came Into unexpected contact with the back ,f a chair. Without movlugny body I grasped this welcome weapon of de fense and swung It above my head. Whoever the Invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he wus certain ly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and no doubt armed. To strike him down ns quickly nnd silent ly as possible wan therefore the plain duty of tho moment. I hn'd no other thought. The slowness with which he groped his way forwnrd indicated unfamlllan lty with the apartment, although his direct advance proclaimed some spe cial purpose. Clearly he had no fca of attack I could determine almost his exact position us his advancing foot felt cnutlously nlong the deck. Ho enme forwnrd Inch by Inch. measured the dlstunco ns indicated by faint, shullllng sounds. I could not see but I knew. AVlth nil my forco I struck 1 Blindly ns It had been delivered tho blow hit fair; therq was a thud, an Innrtlculatc groan, nnd tho fnll of n body upon the floor bo ynnd that nothing. I waited breath lessly listening for the slightest move ment. I felt Dorothy touch my shoul der and caught the sound of her voice trembling ut my oar. "What Is It? What did you do?" "I struck him with a chair; ho Ilea there on the deck. Wnlt where you are." I bent over nnd touched him. The fellow lay in a heap with no percep tible heart-beat, no semblance of breathing. My Angers sought his face, nnd I could senrcely suppress a cry of surprise he was not Estada. Who, then, wns he? What could have been his purpose In thus Invading this stateroom? All I could grasp was the fact that tho fellow was not the Por tuguese ho possessed a smooth face, long hair, and was n much smaller man. I dragged the body where the light Illumination from the after port fell directly on tho upturned face. Tho features revealed were unfnmlllnr i thoso unqucstlonubly of u half-breed Indian. Dorothy crossed to my side, her foot striking a knife, which camo glimmering Into tho nhrrow range of light. Sho stared In horror at the ugly weapon, nnd then nt the ghastly countenance. "lie came to murder I Sec, his knlfo lies there. Why should he havo sought to kill mo?" "It . Is all mystery," I admitted. What shall bo done with the body? It ennnot bo left lying exposed here; no ono would believe you killed him, and my presence must not be suspect ed." "Could It," sho suggested, "bo dropped through tho port?" She shrank back from touching tho Inanimate figure, yet It required tho combined efforts of both to force tho stiffening body through tho porthole. Wc could distinguish footsteps on tho deck above, but these were regular and undisturbed tho slow promenade from rail to rail of tho officer on watch. Clearly nothing had been heard or seen to awaken suspicion. "If you should be questioned tomor row you had best know nothing," I said gravely. "I do not think you will bo, for surely nn'nttack can bo no plan of Estada's. It could gain no advan tage. The fellow was pillaging on his own account; If he Is missed It will bo supposed he fell overboard, and no ono will care. You are not afraid to remain here alono?" 'No; I nm not greatly frightened, but shull try and bar the door with a chair. I havo no key." "Then I'll leave you; half of my watch below must bo gono by now. I'll take tho fellow's knife along, as It must not be found here." Wo parted with a clasp of bunds, as opened tho stateroom door and slipped out into tho cabin. To my sur- prlso the light over tho table had becu extinguished, rendering tho cabin so black I had to actually feel my way forward. Tho lantern must havo been put out since then by some confed erate. After n moment of hesitation found my wny across to my own stateroom nnd pressed open the door. (TO BE CONTINUED.) The Polka Dot. Hecause In 183ft n Hohcmlan pens- nnt girl danced a now step In a little village near tho Polish border a nun gnrlnn dunclne master Introduced It in Europe under tho nnmo of Polkn, which Is tho fcmlnlno of Polnk or Pole. By 1814, at tho time James K. Polk was running for tho presidency, the dnnco had spread to America nnd tho nnmo "Polk" nnd tho word "Pol ka" formed n coincidence at once ap pealing to everyone. Tho manufac turers, merchants and designers Ira mediately presented Pollfti IwU, Polk shoes, Polka gauze nnd the "newest design In fabrics for gentlewomen." On a Commercial Basis. Gerald gave his grandmother n little gift for her birthday, nnd bho sum "Well, you nro n good lad; I shall glvo you u nlrkel for yourself," to which tho llttlo chnp replied, "Hut, crandma, tho present cost 15 couU." BUILDING INTEREST IN ROADS GROWS More Attention Now Given to Im provement In Highways Than Ever Before In History. The good rpads movement Is seeing a big revival now that business Is becoming normal. The most Impor tant program that has recently como to our attention Is that of the stnto of Michigan, which hns Just voted In favor of a S.IO.OOO.OOO program that, when cnrrled out, will plnce Michigan on the map big so far as good ronds are concerned, writes Hlrkett L. Wil liams, truck sales .nannger for a largo motorcur corporation. Everywhere else yon see also more Interest In good roads than In nny period In our history. It is true to say thnt the war nnd Its needs taught us the value of good roads. Perhaps it did. Perhaps It brought home to thoso dull cars of higher tips the supreme Importance of nn Intelligent system of nuvlgublo highways. Hut more nnd more It comes home to tho man who studies the sltuntlon that buck of the good roads movement must be the or dinary mun, the average man who pays taxes and votes nnd thinks ns he votes. ' The fnrmor or rural dweller In ccr tnln sections for n long time stood In tho wny he wnnteH the roads, but he didn't want to pny for them. He did not renllze thnt In the long run good ronds pay for themselves out of snv lngs mnde to the community In haul age of people' and merchandise. Hut tho farmer toduyls reckoning In units of time. Yes, he realizes the value of min utes throughout the season and he Is just as keen In conserving time ns the city-bred man who operates a big fac tory; If anything, ho Is a bit keener, for seasons do not wnlt nnd crops must be sowed nnd cultlvnted, reaped and mn.rketed nt the right time. He has convinced himself thnt time Is money. And he knows thnt good ronds save time and thnt they save time largely because they make It possible to get satisfactory services from motorcars nnd motortrucks. And ho Is not one bit blind to the fact that operating cost Is largely Influenced by rond condi tions thnt good rouds make gasoline more elastic, rubber nnd steel more durable nnd bring markets nearer, and thnt good ronds Increase property val ues out of nil proportion to the cost mm Good Roads Are Necessary to Efficient Operation of Automobiles. of good roads to nny one Individual. Therefore, the farmer Is now back of road Improvement. Does tho city mnn foci any Interest in good roads? Ask your neighbor. If he doesn't own an automobile he ex pects to own one, nnd ho knows all nbout where the good roads aro and what they mean. But when his Influ ence counts, big, tho greatest Impetus hnB naturally sprung from the numer ous army of motorcar owners to whom motorcar ownership has made tho ter ritory for miles around his neighbor hood. Counties nnd stntes where gosd roads havo become a steady part of n progressive program of legislation havo seen values shoot up In the most sur prising fashion, and this, ngatn, has brought homo the fact that good roads pay for themselves. Thus It Is natu ral that tho yenrs 1010 ond 1020 will see tho most stupendous good ronds pro grams inaugurated In America that tho world hns over known. This will result In "Iho wider utility of motor- enrs anu motortrucks and, of course, piov n big aid to tho solution of tho freight traffic problem. NEW ROADS COST $8,000,000 Utah Plans Extensive Improvement on Lincoln Highway on Wyoming Utah Line. Tho rond law Just adopted by tho Otnh state leclslaturo will nrovlde In connection with tho federal aid fund n total or about ?8,000,000 for high way construction In that state. Pres. ent plans call for extensive improve ment' on tho Lincoln highway, partic ularly between the Wyoming-Utah lino and salt lmkc uuy. CARE FOR HEALTH OF FOWLS Dropping Boards Should Be Cleaned Weekly Isolate Birds With Colds Keep Away Insects. 'Prepared by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture.) Clean the dropping boards nt least once n week, and spray tho roosts once a month with kerosene or some commercial preparation for killing mites. Have a irood sunnlv of sand or dry dirt on bund to use on the drop ping boards. If any of the birds develop colds, k Clean House Promotes the Health of Poultry. put as much potassium permanganate ns will remain on the surface of a dime into a gallon of water nnd keep this material In their drinking water for several days, or until tho symp toms of the colds have disappeared. Remove nny sick birds from the flock as soon ns noted and treat them in coops by themselves or kill nnd bury them if thoy are not worth fronting. Examine the pullets and hens for lice and dust thoroughly with a good Insect powder or apply n mixture of equul parts of vaseline nnd mercurlnl or blue ointment, applying a piece about the size of n pea ono inch below tho vent of the bird, rubbing the mix ture lightly on tho skin. An appli cation of this ointment two or three times n yenr will keep the fowls free from lice. Where Insect powder Is used, It should be applied three or four times a year, or oftener if the fowls become Infested with lice. Provide a small box In the house, partly filled with dry road dust or fine dirt, In which the hens may dust themselves, thus helping to keep them free from lice. It Is an easy matter to overfeed fowls. Hear this In mind unless tho fowls nre on range. Hens that uro laying nro not likely to nccumulnte fnt; It Is when they uro not luylng that they do so. Give tho fowls good dust: and plenty of It. This Is how thoy keep them selves free of vermin nnd well. Hens of light breeds mny bo profit ably kept for three seasons; those of the heavy breeds for two seasons. Good layers are bred up und not fed up. All tho feeding In tho world can not induce a naturally nonproductive hen to change her nature. A trap nest Is the ono accurate way to tell whether you uro keeping a pay ing flock, but the poultryman who keeps It must look: after the nest In n proper wuy. If you have made a failure of every thing else, don't think the chicken business will prove to be a life saver. It requires not only brains, but an overplus of energy. Chickens never wash, as many other birds do but cleanse themselves of In sects by wallowing In soil. For this reason every poultry houso should bo provided with a dust box. Flvo eggs out of evry 100 are spoiled by being fertile. Producing In fertile eggs does not require anything but tho removal of Iho rooster from tho flock after tho need for hatching' eggs Is past. Milk Is no substitute for meat, for It Is not sufficiently concentrated. It Is Impossible for fowls to drink enough of It to take the placo of meat. When fed with animal food, milk performs excellent service. Infertile eggs nro more common umong poor luyers than good ones. Experiments at the Maine experiment station proved it nearly impossible to get fertile eggs from tho hens that were tho poorest layers. . HUSBAND SAVES WIFE From Suffering by Getting Her Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. rittsburgh. Pa." For many months I was not nblo to do my work owinp to a weaKncss wmcn caused backacha nnd headaches. A friend called my attention to one of your newspaper advertisements and immediately my husband bought three bottles of Lydia E. Pinkhnm'a V ogotnblo Com pound for me. After tnkinp two bottles I felt fino nnd my troubles caused by that weak ness are a tiling of tho past All women who suffer as I did should try Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound." Mrs. J AS. Roiiiujeug, C20 Knapp St, N. S., Pittsburgh, Pa. Women who suffer from nny form of wenkness.asindicntedby displacements, inflammation, ulceration, irregularities, backache, headaches, nervousness or "tho blues," should accept Mrs. Rohr. berg's suggestion and give Lydia E Pinkham's Vegetable Compound a thorough trial. For over forty years It has beet correcting such ailments. If you havo mysterious complications write for ndvico to Lydia E. Pinkbom Medicino Co., Lynn, Mass. Unfortunate, Wasn't It? It wus the ame old story. He had got the wrong number on the tele phone. 1 Only this time he received n 'shock. I'm sorry I gave you the wrong line," said n sweet voice over the wire. "It doesn't mutter a bit," ho replied, not to be outdone In courtesy. "I'm sure the number ypu ,gavo, me wns much better than the ono I asked for; but It just happened that I wasn't able to use It." To Have a Clear Sweet Skin. Touch pimples, redness, roughnesi or itching, If any, with Cutlcura Oint ment, then batho with Cutlcura Soap nnd hot, water. Rinse, dry gently and dust on a little Cutlcura Talcum to leave a fascinating fragrance on skin, Everywhere 25c each. Adv. Love In a cottage may be O. K but how nre a lot of us gonna get tho cottage? Taxes are what a nation pays for glory. Couldn't Work S. W. Bishop Was Laid Up By Kidney Trouble. Now Owes Good Health to Doan's. "1 owe my present good health, large ly, to Doan's Kidney Pills," says S. W. Bishop, 5102 Kensington Ave., St. Louis, Mo. "I wasn't able to work. Sharp pains would catch me when I stooped or tried to lift anything, and at nignt tuo Kiuncy se cretions passed frequently and were scanty and painful. Specks seemed to 1 wmilrt ppt. iiizzv. There was a pufliness under my nvnu I simtlfl enn mvcnlf failing from day to day 4S3 and I finally was laid up WAv trom dune until fccptem- ber. I cot Doan's Kid. nr. BUlOp ney Pills and used them. I received relief with the first box and became at night and the kidney secretions were now of natural color. The dizziness and other troubles disappeared and I picked up in weight. After I had used four boxes of Doan's Kidney Pills I looked and felt like my old self. The cure seemed a miracle and I firmly be lieve that my lifo was saved by this remedy." Sworn fo "before me. JOHN W. BRUNS, Notary'PubUc. Get Doin'i at Any Store, GOe a Box DOAN'S K "iSS FOSTER.MILBURN CO., BUFFALO. N. Y. Baby's Clothes will be white as the driven snow when laundered if you uso Red Cross Ball Blue It never streaks or spots the clothes, nor docs it injure the most delicate fabric. All good erocers sell it; 5 cents a package. DAISY FLY KILLER v& AUi f LlLS. Hrot, cheap. Luta II ituon, Mftda ot mrtftl, can't eplll or tip over ; will not soil or Injure inthing. In&renteen .nrfUta. 1 BoM . by oVlr r. or EUUOUJ ttOMtlta, 14) lio iCAli) An., UrooUm, tT.