n
RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
18
I iMIIHll IIT1
he BROKEN
COIN Si0N
From the Scervarb KGI?ACE CUNARD
copyRiQHr. 1915. & wpioht v.PdrTeasofl
NuvvUzud l'rciin tliu Motion 1'lcturu Driwiiu of thu Huitio Numo. i'ruducud liy 1110
Universal Film Manufacturing Com puny
SYNOPSIS.
Kitty Orny, nowxptiper woman, finds In
n. curio hIidii Imlf of 11 broken coin, thn
tniilllulcil luHcrlptlDii on which arnURcn
hor ctirtoMty unit lends hnr, at thn order
of her tniuiiij;l!iK iilllor, to go to thn prin
cipality of (irrtzholTon to ploco out thu
ntory fWKKcMfd hy tho Inscription. Mho In
followed, uuil on iirrlvnl In (IrrtrholTeii
hor ndvcntiiroH whllo chnslng thu secret
of tho broken coin begin,
SEVENTEENTH INSTALLMENT
CHAPTER LX.
Tho Plotters of Grahoffen.
In tho court of Grnhoffon, menntlmo,
mixed sonant lonn occupied thn minds
of thoHo rnspnnslhlu for tho llHiiipur
tuico of Kitty Cray anil hor servant,
Holcnu. Old Corllshiw ami hla ro
douhtnhlo alii, Count Snchlo, foregath
ered In tho palace looms immediately
following tho aclH which had meant
thu forced deportation.
"Sho linn gono, lliun, Snchlo?" do
mutidod thu king.
"Without a doubt, your maJoBty! I
myself from a rilHtunco suw thu two
holatcd Inboard In freight nets us no
many cnttlo. Thoy wont Into tho hold
of tho vobboI huyond any question
whothor or not thoy como out ngnln
la tholr concern, not oura!"
"I ntn not bo Btiro," said thu old
king thoughtfully, "not ho suro. True,
wo havo rid oursolvca of potential
trouble, but nt tho samo tliuo wo havo
deprived oursclvua of potential aid In
quoBtlutifl not yot solved. Thoy might
havo been usoful, porhnpB "
"You moan tho girl?"
"Yob. Sho haa u mind, bo Buro of
Hint. Hut what alio might havo done
of U80 to ub wo may no longer bbU
with prollt alio now Ib beyond our re
call. That la only na to her knowl
edge whatever It may havo been, of
thu broken coin. Ah to this other onlg
ma, thin aernp of pnpur, which may or
may not bo connected therewith who
known? I declare-, I am like a horBo
In tho dark rendy to Bhy nt any Biich
trlllo na a scrap of paper blowing on
tho wind."
"Wo Btlll havo It, your mnjesty wo
took It from hor."
"Yoh, but when wo scparato tho two
tho scrap of pnpor and tho scrap of n
girl what do wo actually accomplish?
Wo havo only a larger Bocrot left, a
doopor mystery. Curses on all women,
anyhow I Thoy only miiko us trouble
Myatorlnus tliomselvoB, thoy solvo no
myBtorloB. Tho best I hopo for yonder
travolor is thnt sho sinks nt son. I
Bwoar, somotlmos our llttlo kingdom
bids fair to sink In Its own wavea of
trouble"
"Woll, now, your majesty," said
Sachlo, who disliked this discontent
of his sovorolgn, nt no time- snfo for
any courtlur, "lot ub seo what wo our
boIvob may bo able to do In solution of
thla mystery which has been bo
quoathod ub. Suroly our minds nro as
good na thoso of a rattlebrained girl
from Amorlca."
"Hum It may bo true What do
you propose at least?"
"Why, your majesty, that Is obvious.
What wo ruiiBt do is to get Into our
bands tho other half of this scrap of
papor. It lies Btlll somowhoro over In
Orotzhofton, along with tho other halt
of tho Grotzhoffcn coin."
"Yes, along with tho missing half
ot that coin, also I Thoy hold tho key,
or halt of it, that Is truo. And yot wo
hold as much as they half of tho
answor. Each Is complement ot tho
othor. That is to say, a stalemate a
drawn gamo thcro Is novor profit In
any such."
"Stay, your majesty, lot ub seo fur
thor boforo wo call tho gamo dono.
Suroly our chances outweigh theirs,
for wo havo a monarch to guldo ub
who haB brains and courage I count
myself, also, as worth an equal bnl
nnco with Count Frederick, tholr
strongest man. And how shall wo ps
tlraato yonder drunkpn, worthless, pup
pot king of tholrs how shnll ho stand
In comparison with ours?"
Sachlo bowed deeply. Ills flattery
was not without its effect on tho old
king, who smllod his approval.
"My dear Sachlo, whenever I need
comfort you havo It at hand!" ex
claimed ho. "Woll, then, what fur
ther may wo plan against them? How
may wo looso tholr hold upon these so
crots which porplox and mennco us
so much?"
"Why, this: That wo profess a now
and profound friendship for Michael.
Ho wlU bo but too glad to llBten to our
proposition, bo suro of that."
"Supposo wo may bo assured of
that what then?"
"Ho would bo willing to do us sorao
llttlo favoi It it caused him but llttlo
troublo to grant It. Ho looks on us ub
defeated. Let us encourngo him to
play tho rolo of tho grand Caesar, ablo
to bo gracious, to bo magnanimous, to
a fallen foe"
"Good go on I boo tho point."
"So wo ask of that weak mind somo
thing which his moro sloth will dls
poso him to grant us nothing much
only tho ownorahlp of a worthless
bit ot paper. Ho does not know its
valuo porhaps ho does not know of
It oxlstanco."
"Hut If ho knnwB nothing whatovcr
of that Bcrap of papor It ho novor
hoard of It"
"All tho moro ho will bo willing to
part with It If wo ourselves can find
It. As to thnt, wo do not know. This
is but a drag-net sort of movo on our
part, but It may tako boiiio Ilah who
knows?"
"Good! Then what Is our noxt
move, as you pnrcelvo It?"
'"Why, lot ub mako n cnutloiis movo
to feel out their point na a fencer
toBtB hla adversary's wrist, to feel hla
strength nt tho hilt. Lot ub send a
nolo of friendship to Mlchnel nnd nak
him If it ho not bettor that theso two
llttlo kingdoms, separated by bo nar
row a Btrotch of land, should not
henceforth meet In harmony, nnd
no longer Join In mined encounters.
Let ub point out to him that thcro are
othor nations greater than cither of
ub or both of ua which perhaps
somo time may look our way. Lot us
show him tho virtue of an alllanco bo
twoen theso two kingdoms. Let us
play upon hla fears, hla vanity, hla
weakness, until wo havo convinced
him that friendship with us la n thing
desirable for him. Let us ask good
Michael if ho Is not graciously dis
posed to bo our friend today to ho
our magnanimous and powerful
friend!"
Sachlo grinned broadly nt his own
Irony, nnd his monarch gavo vent to
a loud laugh, his gray benrd curling
nt tho thought of hla courtier's cun
ning na well aa hla loyalty to his own
king.
"F.xcellunt! Sachlo, oxcollcnt!" ho
exclaimed. "Nor do I doubt tho sue
cess of thla thing na you plan It, if
you yourself shall carry It forward.
Do you then writo that humble mis
bIvo that you suggest do you your
aelf oak Michael to bo graciously gen
erous to a weak and pleading friend!
Ha! ha! Snchlo, what next Ilea on
tho board for ua?"
"Why, then, your majosty, wo nro
nlongsldo tho fenco that lies between
us. Wo do not know how far It may
bo until wo como to a gato o a gap,
but sometimes there will ho n gato or
a gap, through which wo may pass.
In somo way I doubt not, I nnd others
may porhaps gain access to tho pnlaco
of Grotzhoffcn. Thnt gives us our
footing. As for them, thoy sloop nnd
rovol. As for us, wo act. It Is tho
man of nctlon who succeeds. Let
them dream wo will act."
"Your counsels Jump with my own,
my dear Sachlo," Bald CortlBlaw. "I
havo amnll uso for tho man who
dreama or tho man who waits. It
shall bo ns you any. A teat of this at
loaat cannot hnrm us. and mny provo
of oxtromo valuo. Go forward with It
then, ns you havo said."
CHAPTER LXI.
The Discovery.
Tho two kingdoms now hung on tho
fato of two refugees, two castaways,
thoniBolvea forlorn and hopelosa. Rvon
an Grnhoffcn's king and Its leading
man of affairs pondered tho nbsonco
of those two, so likowiso thn kingdom
of Grotzhoffen was concerned in tholr
nbsonco, in tholr wclfaro, In tholr fu
turo, in tholr return.
Count Frederick stood on tho dock
ot tho Prlnz Adlor Ilnor and fronted
tho cnptaln ot that vessel, who was
sovoro In his resontmont of tho lib
erties ho doomed to havo boon taken
with himself and his ship.
"I toll you." said ho, "I havo noth
ing to do with your llttlo war bore
I am neutral I am a carrier In tho
open trndo of tho open sea. My gov
ernment will demand reparation for
this Insult to our flag."
"Sir," said Count Frederick, "your
government bo damned! I will tnko
my chances with your covornmont.
Of what uso will your government bo
to you If wo blow your ship out of
tho water?"
"You threaten mo, then?"
"No, I do not deal In threats. I
toll you thnt I know tho porsons whom
I mentioned aro on this ship. I mean
to tako them off."
"And I toll you ngaln that thoro nro
no such pnssongors on my ship. Tho
ship's llHts show all who havo sailed
with us. You may look for yourself
oxamlno our books all you llko. Do
you tako us for pirates nro wo be
yond all responsibilities?"
"I do not call you pirates," snld
Count Frederick, cnlmly. "I only call
you dupes. I hollevo you havo been
decolvcd. You nro not In possession
of all tho facts. My own men havo
told mo thnt theso persona woro to
bo smuggled aboard tho ship."
"Hoillgor Gott!" mused tho captain.
"What la this that haa boon under
taken bore? I novor discovered It.
Who nnd what nro theso persons if
thero bo indeed any such aboard?"
"Two, as I said. Ono Is a man of
small rank, no moro thnn a faithful
servant, powerful and resourceful
himself, onco loyal In ray own sorv
Ico, now loyal In that of his mistress."
"And sho tho othor?"
I "Yes, a young American of youth
J and much beauty. She wnB In this
country on business of hor own. With
, out plan she beenmo Involved In nf
. fairs between thepo two monarchs.
I Shu has been tho victim of ovll for-
, tuno, not through fault of her own.
now, 1 am telling you tho truth Blnco
I hnve gained my purposo of un audi
ence with you. You may rely upon
what I have said, captain. This is tho
truth, so far na I know It." ' ft
"Then why not lot them snll for
their own country If sho baa boon In
jured hero why not let hor go back to
hor own country? I am booked for
Now York., If that bo a city of her
natlvo land, why not that port as woll
aa nny other? And how Bhall I know
your own motlvoB?"
Count Frederick paused In thought
nt this. "Truo thnt Is true" said ho.
"Very woll, wo will search your Bhlp.
When wo find tho young woman let
hor derldo what alio wIbIics to do. If
alio says alio wishes to go back to her
homo, I will not prevent It. Hut If
alio bo nskod to go back against her
will, then I shall tnko hor with mo,
no matter at what cost. At Jcast sho
should havo tho cholco of decision
Bho should not bo stowed aboard llko
a dumb beast with no volition of her
own."
"Wo nro qulto nt ono as to that,"
assented tho cnptaln. "Good, wo will
search tho Bhlp I ntn convinced wo
shall not find theso pcrsotiB In nny
of tho cabins."
"Stay," ho added nn Instnnt Inter,
"I recall that a short tlmo back thoro
wns complaint of noises below docks!
I sent somo men to look into that.
Whcro nro they?"
Ho pressed 11 boll nnd soon ono ot
his nsalatant olllcors enmo.
"Go, bring mo tho men I sent to ox
amino tho cargo n whllo ngo. Thoro
waa somo tnlk of n nolao as of looso
animals in tho hold."
After a time tho ofllccr returned,
pushing beforo him two scamon. Thoy
wore tho samo who had boon dis
patched on tho errand mentioned. Hut
They Rose After an Agonizing
they woro not now as thoy had been
thon. Both boro marks of conflict,
and of conflict which had not gono al
together to their favor.
"How, now, you dogs?" cried tho
captain. "What'B wrong with you?
Havo you beon fighting among your
selvos?" Ono, quicker wlttod than tho othor,
gavo his nssent to this at once Tho
second was not so fortunate
"'Twos tho animals," said ho, with
cunning not qulto equal to tho issue
"What? You disagreo, thon?" said
tho captain. "What docB this mean,
follows? Animals? What animals?
Lions? tigers? 1 did not kuow wo
carried such!"
Tho sailor hung his head, and tho
captain's suspicions grew.
"You nro covorlng up something
here Speak, you ruffians, and speak
tho truth."
"Captain." began tho man onco
moro, "wo nro Innocent. But wo found
two stowaways bolow, and thinking to
bring them up, thoy fell upon us and
beat us a man nnd a woman."
"How did thoy got aboard whero
nro thoy thon who aro thoy?"
"They must havo como In with tho
freight by tho lift from tho dock, cap
tain. Tho young woman sho is beau
tifuland as you say, sho Is llko a
tiger. As to tho man, yes, he was llko
a lion. Thoy fought us, you see"
"Whcro aro they now, spltzbubon,
ruffians?"
Tho speaker paled suddonly. "Thoy
aro there In tho hold," ho said.
"Lend us to them then."
They turned to tind their wny to tho
lower portions of tho ship, but oven ns
thoy did bo thoy mot nn Interruption.
An agitated man, grimy and dirty, in
oll-stalued clothing, enmo running to
wards the captain's room none loss
than tho chief engineer of tho vessel,
who obviously had boon ongagod In
commouor duties than naturally bo-
J longed to him.
"Captain quick!" ho exclaimed.
"Thero is troublo with tho engines."
"Whnt'B wrong?" Inquired the Bhlp's
mastor.
"Tho right-hand tubular hns gono
bad," exclaimed tho engineer. "Sho
has been pounding llko n million ham
mers. The water Is low, nnd the In
tako's clogged. . Something's wrong
I cannot tell what. Wo havo tried to
shut her off and can't. Tho holler may
go at any minute."
"Kxplodo?" Inquired tho captain
cnlmly.
Tho engineer could only nod.
"Stay," called Frederick nt this
Juncture "Let tho engineer go back
to his work. Let us llrat find tho help
less persona below. If danger Impend
lot us bring thorn up to havo their
chnnco for Bafoty."
Tho captain, a gnllant man withal,
turned to him nnd nodded grimly. "Go
back to your post, Mlllor," hu said to
tho engineer. "Wo will Join you pres
ently." Ho himself led tho way to tho lift
which led to tho lower decks and tho
hatchway which covered tho ludders
into tho ship's hold.
Thoy found themselves at last deep
in tho bowels of tho vessel, among
tho bales and casks of tho cargo,
where for a time all waa darkness nnd
myBtory. Hut as thoy hurried hero
and thoro, commanding tho guidance
of the two recreant seamen anil cast
ing tho raya of their lights hither and
yon, at last they saw a trussod-up
bundlo behind a bale of goods which
seemed to havo somo human sem
blance. It was Holcnu. Frederick
himself was flrat at his side. Ho bent
ovor him, freed him, and after si tlmo
revived him.
"Monsieur your excellency!" Bald
ho nt length. "It la you." 1
"Whero is she?" demanded Freder
ick. "Wns she hero?''
"I havo known nothing for somo
time, It seoms. Yet sho waa here, yes
she Is gone, I know not where"
Frederick loft him to continue his
Instant Which 8eemed Death Itself.
hurried search in tho contused freight
ago ot tho ship's hold. At last he
found that which ho sought.
Sho tried feebly to ralso herself as
sho heard footstops, heard a volco sho
know to bo that of hor friend.
"Mndomolsollo thank God!" was all
Count Frederick could say.
"It Is you, then?" waa hor reply.
"What haB happoned? Why aro you
hero?"
"I am horo, my dear madcmolsollc,
In tho justice of tho immortal gods
to snvo you to. caro for you. I hoard
ot tho plot ngalnat you. My own boat
lies alongside I havo come I am horo
to tako you from this ship, if so you
wish. Como thon, lot us hasten. Thoro
la scant tlmo."
Thoy all crowdod now to tho lad
dors up from tho hold, and, rapidly as
thoy might, found tholr way back to
tho upper deck. Thoro camo contu
sion, nolao, trampling, shouts, sounds
not ordinary at this stngo of tho voy
age of a vessel putting out to sea. Tho
passengers thorasolves suspoctod
somothlng to bo wrong. Thoy crowd
od now about tho captain excitedly, ox
postulating, Tho mastor of tho ship
pushod them aside
"Woll, Miller," ho domanded again
of tho oll-stalncd engineer who hurried
up, "what 1b It?"
"It may bo a mlnuto, sir or less!"
In nn Instant they woro faea to faco
with tho ultimata peril of tho Boas
tiro, explosion on shipboard.
Thcro camo from bolow that sound
which had been expected, dreaded a
muflled, heavy roar, coraparablo to
nothing In tho world in torrifylng qual
ity nt such a tlmo as this. Tho Bhlp
so lately safe and strong beneath thon
nil, now trembled. Midway hor docks
roso, spread apart, foil. A cloud ot
blinding whlto steam rollea from tho
onglno rooms, stilling nnd scalding all
within its way. Cries of anguish camo
from bolow decks, cries of despair. To
theso wcro added now tho tar moro
numerous cries of those in mortal ter
ror. Obedient to tholr orders for a time,
the crow held to their posts. Tho boats
were lowered one after another. Yet
Into each thero piled a scnaoless mass
of packed humanity, overcrowding and
rendering It useless as It reached the
surraco of the sea.
Children and women and strong men
fought now for a place In tho luBt of
tho boats. Discipline broko and failed.
What had been n happy pnrty of trav
elers was now a disorganized mob.
His arms supporting Kitty on ono
side, thoao of Holcau on tho other,
Count Frederick did his best to reach
tho rail. Useless, hopeless! Thoy wero
forced back tlmo nnd again.
"Jump!" cried Frederick nt last.
"Jump! Wo will Bwlm for It. Wo
must tako tho last chance."
The look on tho faco of tho girl at
his side was ono in part of despair,
but moro of trust. Unhesitatingly tho
three sprang together.
Tho sea closed ovor them. They roso
after an agonized Instant which
seemed death Itself roso but to seo
tho giant Bhlp which had carried thorn
ralso hor hows aloft, shiver and
tremble, and slowly slldo back nnd
down beneath tho waves. In the whirl
pool which marked' tho spot thoy wore
but llttlo human units, Moating ns host
thoy might nmong scores nnd hun
dreds of others.
"Thla way!" cried Frederick, nnd he
and Holcau aided Kitty to n floating
piece of wreckage Hut others saw It
also. Tlmo nnd ngaln they woro
fought btteft from It ns others strong
er or moro remorseless claimed It ns
their own.
In nil this commotion of shouting
and struggling men, or wnillng wom
en, of llnlllng arms nnd beating fists,
Frederick nnd Roleau lost sight of
Kitty at last sho had gone, they knew
not where In that chaos of tho sea.
"Whero Is she?" demanded Fred
erick weakly, hlmsolf well-nigh spoilt.
"Which way?"
"I know not." gasped Roleau, him
self in aa bad caso ns the othor. "I
cannot toll, but fear that sho la gono."
They swam about for a tlmo In
search, but could not make out tho
whereabout of her whom thoy sought:
then thoy hoisted themselves ono on
each sldo of a floating spar and rested.
"Allow me, excellency," said Holcau.
and flung across tho end of his belt.
"Let us lash fast. I cannot hold much
longer."
Spent nnd hopeless, thoy rested ns
thoy might and allowed fato to have
ItH way with them.
"Our bout tho yacht, excellency,"
exclaimed Itoleau nt length. "Whero
Is sho tho vessel which brought you
out?"
Frederick could only shako his head.
"Gono." said he "I doubt not sho was
scuttled by tho heavy Ironwork blown
out by tho explosion. Thero is no
hopo."
CHAPTER LXII.
Marooned.
The vessel when blown up was woll
on hor way with tho favoring winds
which Bho sought, which in ordinary
course would havo carried hor out into
the Mediterranean.
How Count Frederick and Roleau
lived they scarcely knew. Happily tho
wntor at thnt latitude was not cold,
and tho day was ono of calm.
"Roleau, sho has perished!" mur
mured Count Frederick. "Sho Is gono.
Let mo, too, perish then, for I havo
never beon ablo to say that which I
should havo said. I havo had no op
portunity to oxplato many things
which I havo dono."
"As well die now as any tlmo," said
Roleau.
Wind and wavo carried thoso two
far thoy know not how far, at.d had
no moanB ot guessing, for thoy could
not toll how long a tlmo had passed
stneo tno explosion which had sunk
tho ship. Thoy know not which way
to look for land, If land thero might
be. It wnB by mere chanco that at
ono momont, as thoy flung high on tho
crest of tho wavo, Count Frodorlck
saw, many hours after tho wrecking
of tho ship, something which caused
him to glvo an oxclamatlon of surprise
"Roloau," ho exclaimed. "There Is
land ahead, I bellovo!"
"Look!" said Count Frederick at
length. "Thoy aro coming out to us."
Suroly enough, oven from whero
thoy woro thoy could soo dark forms
running horo and thoro, could seo the
launching of a boat, could soo It com
ing on, rising and falling on tho waves.
At length tho craft camo alongside
manned by strange, swarthy natives,
whoso Bpooch thoy did not know, yot
who seomed friendly enough withal
to sorvo as rescuora for them. With
small ceremony thoy woro haulod on
board, and tho boat, turning, mado
way back again to tho shoro nhoad.
" 'TIs an Island, Roleau," said Frod
orlck, nftor a momont spent In oxnm
Inntion. "Not so lnrgo. but oxcollont
under foot, is It not truo? And thoso
peoplo seem not unfriendly to us."
For a tlmo thoy had beon loft alono,
but now thoy saw certain of tho na
tives rotun.lng with food and wator.
Upon theso hath tho shipwrecked ad
vonturora foil with engornoBs. Tholr
cnptorB stood nbout and grinned In
pleasure All tho wealth cf Count
Frodorlck, his gold, his castlos, his
lands theso things Boomed llttlo In
vnluo as compared to what theso
swarthy natives brought him now.
CHAPTER XLIII.
Kitty, the Castaway.
If Count Froderlck and Roleau hnd
boon dismayed when thoy saw Kitty
Gray swept away from them in tho
mad strugglo for safety in tho sea,
what must have been her own feellngu
aa sho found horso'if separated from
theso powerful fronds? Onco moro
sho found hcrseif nlono and onco
more In the blind Instinct for solf
preservation she did what she couc
for her own safety.
She dared not think of tho fato of
hor friends. She mourned them now
us dead, but still in hor subconscious
mind kept bitterly fighting the convic
tion oven as It came And na sho ar
gued, sho found herself swept awny
farther and farther from tho placo
whcro last sho had scon them.
In somo way, she know not how,
Kitty found herself among many oth
ers upon tho same considerable pleco
of wreckago whero Roleau and Fred
crick hnd endeavored to plnco her
soon after tho explosion. Many others
now clung to this. Sho shuddorcd as
sho cast a glance about hor over tho
water, and drew closer to tho contor
of the raft. Ono after another sho
saw them lose their hold; ono after
another she saw them carried away
by tho waves. As for herself, pre
served miraculously, sho know not
how, sho fastened heraolf ns host sho
could to tho frail floating lloor nnd
censed to struggle Mercifully or
senses left her for a time
When sho enmo onco more slowly
nnd painfully to n realizing sense of
whnt had befallen, sho looked about
her wearily,
Sho wns nlono upon the sen. Of
thoso who had been about hor, nono
now survived! Not far from hor a
body or two floated, but not a living
being was to bo scon, not a survivor
save herself had found thla means of
safety.
There was no food. Thcro wns no
fresh water for her. Thero waa no
means of raising n snll, or using nn
oar. oven of hoisting a signal hnd sho
I had one And yet the sky abovo her
was so blue and gentle tho sea around
her so kind, thnt all now seemed less
terrible than It had been but now.
Hungry nnd thirsty ns sho was sho
shuddered as sho thought of the added
pangs that might bo hers. Sho called
aloud in hor distress, her despair
Thero camo no nnswer, save in the
shrieks of tho circling blrda which
hovered, ghostlike, above her.
Tho waves boro her onward, she
knew not where, and cared not how,
for how many hours she could not tell.
Faco to face with herself, her past, her
future tho unhappy girl passed a
period of unknown duration, engaged
In her own rcllcctlons.
It was not her own llfo sho feared to
lose so sho said, for llfo after all was
n llttlo thing, a temporary passage at
best. Hut If only eio might havo
lived now for the sake of that which
sho felt in hor own hart for tho
sake of that uncompleted period of hor
own llfo whoso dawn sho acknowl
edged to havo seen but now!
Ho was gone! Sho had seen him
Bwopt away boforo her very eyes. Ho
was her enemy, who had so often
taunted her nnd defied hor, who hnd
fought hor In every contest of wits
yot in turn ho had aided her to escape
and saved her but now instead of
enemy ho had turned into friend or
moro than friend and ho was gono.
Tho sunset of her day came even with
Its dawn.
"Yes," sho said to herself, "ho saved
mo at tho cost of his own life." And
tho llfo of that other faithful friend,
Roleau. the dauntless, It, too, hnd
been wasted to savo her own tho llfo
sho now could hold but worthless,
slnco it must bo lived alone Thoy
wcro dead and sho had boon tho
causo of that! What could llfo hold
further for her?
Kitty Gray bent her head down upon
her knees. Her hair foil about her
faco. And thus alio sat. sho know not
how long, resigning horsolf to her
fato, making her peaco with what she
felt now must como. "Now," aald sho
"lot mo dlo!" And when onco mort
tho sleep of exhaustion camo upon hci
sho thought It that of death itself.
Sho wakoncd, nono tho less, In
time for strong indeed nro tho tlea
that bind us whether or not we like
to this llfo Into which wo aro born
without cur asking. Sho wakened and
stared with hollow eyes about hor nt
a world which sho neither know nor
loved. But even so, at length hor gaze
found something to causo hor oyca to
kindle, her breath to como a trlflo
faster.
Far in tho distance sho had caught
sight of tho shoro of distant land
tho sane sight which In turn had met
tho gaze of that frlond whom now sho
mourned. It lay thero low on tho sea
nnd distant land, somo sort ot land,
sho know not what.
Sho looked at It dully, npathetlcally.
In truth, Bho was too far gono to care
Whether or not sho rotalnod con
sciousness through tho rematndor of
her voyage, sho horBoIf could nover
tell.
At length, a weak and unimportant
bit cf flotsam of tho sea, Kitty Gray
was cast up upon tho Bhoro, rojoctod
by that sea but now so eager to claim
her as Its own. Yes, by somo mlraclo.
sho dared not nBk what, Bho had beoo.
spared. This at least was land. If
death must como. It wns not now to
bo death through peril of tho sea.
Wearily sho lifted horsolf from hor
hod upon tho sand, raised horsolf upon
an olbow to look about her.
What Bho saw gave her no great de
light. Rathor, had sho had strength
left for terror, Bho had known addition
al torror now.
Approaching from n dlstanco wore
cortalu figures, inhabitants of this
land, whoso look sho could not recog
nize, whoso languago sho could not
understand. Thoy approachod, about
ing, gesticulating. Thoy woro armed,
and they advanced upon hor menac
ingly. (TO BE CONTINUED.)
4
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