SYNOPSIS.
Philip Cayley , accused of a crime of
which he Is not guilty , resigns from the
army In disgrace and his affection for
his friend , Lieut. Perry Hunter , turns to
hatred. Cayley seeks solitude , where he
perfects a flying machine. While soaring
over the Arctic regions , he picks up a
curiously shaped stick he had seen In the
assassin's hand. Mounting again , he dis
covers a yacht anchored in the bay. De
scending near the steamer , he meets a
girl on an Ice floe. He learns that the
girl's name is Jeanne Fielding and that
the yacht has come north to seek signs
of her father , Captain Fielding , an arctic
explorer. A party from the yacht Is ma
lting search ashore. After Cayley departs
Jeanne finds that he had dropped a cu
riously-shaped stick. Captain Planck and
the surviving crew of his wrecked whaler
are In hiding on the coast. A giant ruf-
man namedLRoscoe , had murdered Fielding
and his two companions , after the ex
plorer had revealed the location of an
enormous ledge of pure gold. Roscoe then
took command of the party. It develops
that the ruffian had committed the mur-
3er witnessed by Cayley.
CHAPTER III. Continued.
For a long time Roscoe walked
steadily on , until the two had come
far up the glacier. Finally , when he
did stop , he whirled quite around and
stood confronting Planck , squarely in
the middle of a narrow path between
two deep fissures in the ice. His eyes
were glittering malevolently.
"Do you know any reason , " he
asked in a thick voice , "why I don't
pick you up and drop you down one
of those cracks there , or why I don't
serve you as I served that fellow yes
terday ? "
Planck thought he meant to do it
"but , with the fatalism that marks the
men of his profession , he stood fast
and eyed his big opponent.
"You're strong enough to , " he said.
"And I'll do it if I want to ; you
Iraow that , " Roscoe supplemented.
"Yes , I know that" The big man
nodded curtly.
"Well , I'm not going to now , be
cause I choose not to. Listen. If you
'had ' the chance , could you navigate
that solid mahogany , hand-painted
ship down there ? "
Planck cleared his throat , as if
something were stifling him. "With a
crew , yes , " he answered.
"Could Schwartz run those nickel-
plated engines he'll find in her , do you
think ? "
MYes. "
"Well , within two days I'll give you
a chance to make good. Now , I'm
going to tell you my plan , not be
cause you asked me , but because I
want you to know. I'd run the whole
thing alone if I could , but I want you
/ with me. We're going to take that
yacht and we're going off alone in her
we of the Whaler , alone. Do you
understand that ? "
"They're better armed than we , "
said Planck reflectively ; "better fed ,
"better everything. And man for man ,
'bar ' you , they're just as good , and
they're three to one of us. It will
want some pretty good planning. "
"You needn't worry about that , " an
swered Roscoe. "I didn't expect you
to make the plans ; I knew you
couldn't I've made them myself ;
they're working right now. Can you
keep your tongue in your head and
listen ? "
Planck nodded.
"That searching party didn't go
( back to the yacht last night. They're
all camped together about 20 of them
down in the Little Bear valley.
There aren't above half a dozen fire
arms In the bunch ; none of the sail
ors from the yacht have any , and
they've got about two days' rations.
They're all there together , except the
one man we accounted for yesterday. "
"I see , " said Planck ; "and you think
we can capture the yacht now while
jhey're ashore. "
"Don't try to think , I tell you , " Ros
coe growled. "I'm doing the thinklag.
There are probably ten able-bodied
men left on. the yacht. That's not
good enough odds , considering the
way they're armed. But about an
hour ago I sent Miguel down to the
shore party to be their guide. He
isn't going to say anything much to
them , but what he says will be
enough , I reckon. He's to pretend he's
dotty and can't understand what they
eay to him. "
Planck's eyes widened a little and
he did not ask his next question very
steadily. "Where is he going to take
them ? "
"Can't you guess that ? He's going
to lead them into Fog lake , of course. "
The thought of It made Planck's
teeth chatter. Fog lake was , perhaps ,
the most curious natural phenomenon
upon that strange arctic land a little
cup-shaped valley , from which the fog
never lifted had never lifted once in
all the four years they had lived there.
'On days whenthe rest of the land
Was clear , the fog hung there , half
way up the side of the hills , so that
from the ridges surrounding it it real
ly looked like a strange vapory sea.
They had explored the edges of it
fearsomely , at times , but had never
penetrated far enough to learn the
lecret of its mystery , if It had one.
"And then ? " Planck asked.
"Why , they'll send out a relief party
from the yacht , of course. The yacht's
people know what rations the search
ing party took with them , and when
they don't come back in two days ,
they'll probably set out from the
yacht , with every able-bodied man on
board , and try to find the first party
pad bring It in. As soon as they are
well out of hearing , we take the
yacht. We may not find a living soul
aboard her ; and we certainly can't
leave one there. But we'll steam up
and take our gold aboard all our
gold. And then , well there's where
you'll come in. "
"But what then , man ? My God !
what then ? Do you suppose we can
go steaming into San Francisco , or
any other port in the world , with all
that gold in our hull and another cap
tain's log and papers ? We might just
as well hang ourselves from our own
crow-jack yard. "
"I hope your wits will improve when
you get a deck under your feet , " Ros
coe growled. "On land here you're
about as much good as a pelican in
a foot race. No , your sailing orders
won't be San Francisco , nor any oth
er port that has such a thing as a
revenue officer about. But you ought
"o know the north coast line over
here as far east as McKenzie bay.
You must know some harbor there
vhere we can lie up for the winter
ind not be bothered. "
"Yes , " said Planck , "I could take
' 10 yacht to such a place as that.
There's a very good harbor in behind
'lirshel island. But what will we do
.vhen we get there ? "
"After that , it's my affair , " Haid
have read the thought that lay at the
bottom of Roscoe's mind. The gold
hunter was not much of a sailor , but
he felt confident that on the broad
stretches of the Yukon he could navi
gate a raft alone.
CHAPTER IV.
The Throwlng-Stick.
"Oh , I suppose , " said Jeanne ,
"there's no use worrying. "
Across the table from where she sat
at breakfast in the snug , warm , lux
urious little dining room on the yacht ,
old Mr. Fanshaw methodically laid his
coffee spoon in the saucer beside his
cup , and looked up at her with his
slow , deliberate smile.
"My dear , " he said , "remember that
Tom is in the party. Unless they find
everything that , by the utmost stretch
of hope , they could find , he would in
sist on keeping up the search as long
as the light lasted , and when the light
failed , there would be no more light to
come home by. Don't think of wor
rying ; I don't. We'll hear nothing of
them for hours. "
"It won't be as long as that , " she
predicted confidently. "My sky-man
will probably bring me news before
then. "
Old Mr. Fanshaw halted his coffee
His Eyes Were Glittering Maleolent ly.
Roscoe. "We'll winter on the yacht.
Then when the weather begins to
IOOSMI up a bit , but before the spring
thaws , we'll land our gold and our
stores ; cache all the gold ? except
what we can carry over the trail , say ,
about 500 pounds of it , and we'll leave
.he yacht's seacocks open , so that
vhen the ice goes out , she'll scuttle
: erseif. We shall probably find
hedges , and perhaps a pony or two ,
on the yacht. If we do , it will be
easy. Ii's only a short hike to one
of the tributaries of the Porcupine
river. Once we reach the Porcupine ,
ii will be easy , for it flows into the
Yukon , and that's as good as a rail
way line. We'll make a raft and float
all the way down to Saint Michaels
with no trouble at all. The gold we
have with us will be enough to take
us down to Vancouver , and there we
can charter a ship. You take command
of her , and we go north through the
straits again that very summer next
summer that will be , of course. We
go back to the harbor where we left
the yacht You can figure out the
rest for yourself , I guess. "
"Yes , " said Planck. "It's all very
well only won't there be a good
many to trust that sort of secret to ? "
Roscoe looked at him with a savage
sort of grin. "Come , you're improving.
But that hike across the mountains to
the upper tributaries of the Porcupine
is a hard trail. There aren't likely.to
be many of us .left by the time we
get started floating down open water.
When we get to the Yukon it won't
be surprising if there isn't anybody
left at all , but you and me. "
Planck caught his meaning quickly
'enough , indeed , a duller man could
have read it in Roscoe's savage light
blue eyes ; and the thought made his
teeth chatter. He would have felt a
deadlier terror , perhaps , could he
- * * *
ot ? R afiri9ic 'e9''TME CENTURY co
CO > * YP GHT i9io'er THt success co
cup half way to his lips , "Your
what ? " he questioned. "Oh , I under
stand. " And then he laughed. But
his face grew suddenly serious , and
he looked intently , curiously , into
hers. "My child ! " he cried ; "it can't
be that you are taking that dream of
yours seriously. If I thought that , I
would have to believe that this queer
arctic climate was doing strange
things with those nimble , wits of
yours. A man alighting on the ice
floe , out of mid air , and telling you
that he had just dropped in from Point
Barrow ; it's like the flight from the
moon of Cyrano de Bergerac. "
She pressed her finger tips thought
fully against her eyelids. "I know , "
she said , "it's perfectly Incredible , "Un
cle Jerry , but it's perfectly true for
all that. "
"Nonsense ! Nonsense ! " he said
explosively. "Don't carry a joke too
far. my dear. "
"It's anything but a joke , " she said
slowly , "and if it was a dream If
the sky-man , was nothing but a vision ,
he certainly left me a material souve
nir of his visit. " Then , with a nod to
ward the buffet , she spoke to Mr.
Fanshaw's big negro valet who was
serving their breakfast : "Hand Mr.
Fanshaw that queer looking stick ,
Sam , the one on the buffet. Why
why , what's the matter ? " For she had
lifted her eyes to the man's face as
she finished speaking. It was wooden
with fright , and the whites showed all
around the pupils of his eyes.
"No , Miss Jeanne , " he said , "Scuse
me. I wouldn't touch dat stick , not
for all de gol1 and jewels in de world ;
not even to oblige him. "
"What's that ? " Fanshaw exclaimed ,
whirling upon him. "What do you
mean ? What the devil are you talk
ing about ? "
"I seen him , Mr. Fanshaw ; I seen
him myself , coming * down out of de
sky las' night. I was out on deck ,
sun. "
Fanshaw looked quickly from the
negro's face to the girls as if he sus
pected a hoax , but the terror in one
face and the mystification in the other
were obviously genuine.
Then he rose and went over to the
buffet , returning to the table with the
oddly-shaped , rudely-whittled stick.
"Do you mean to say , " he demanded ,
looking up at the girl with a puzzled
frown "do you mean to say that he ,
the man you dreamed about , made
you a present of this stick ? "
She laughed. "If that seems a rea
sonable way of putting it , yes ; at
least it slipped out of his belt and I
found it where he had been sitting.
But can you imagine what he used it
for ? "
"Oh , I know what it is , but that
only makes the puzzle all the deeper.
It's an Eskimo throwing-stick. They
use it to shoot darts with. It lies
in the palm of the hand , so , and the
dart is put in that groove , though the
butt of this one seems curiously mis
shapen ; I can't make it fit my hand.
But I can't figure out how the thing
got aboard the yacht ; it wasn't here
yesterday. "
"Of course not , " she said ; "my sky
man brought it. "
He ran his fingers through his
bushy gray hair perplexedly. Then he
laid the thing down and seated him
self at the table. "At any rate , " he
said , "we needn't let even a mystery
spoil our breakfast. Come , my dear ,
you've eaten almost nothing. That
omelet deserves better treatment"
Obediently she took up her fork ,
but almost immediately laid it down
again , and he saw her eyes brighten
with tears. "Of course , If there'd been
any news , if there'd been anything to
find , we'd have heard. "
Silently he reached across the table
and patted the hand that lay there on
the white cloth.
"Oh , I know I oughtn't to cry , " she
said , "and I won't ; it's your goodness
and kindness to me as much as any
thing else. Ever since he went away
you've been like a father to me , and
Tom , dear old Tom , like a brother.
The moment Mr. Fanshaw and
Jeanne emerged upon the deck they
heard the sound of oars beneath them ,
and looking over the rail saw one of
the boats in which the shore party
had set out , pulling up alongside the
accommodation ladder. Three men
were In it , two of the craw and Tom
Fanshaw.
"What news , Tom ? " his father
called out anxiously enough to belie
his former tranquil manner. "Have
you found anything ? I hope there's
nothing wrong. "
The , younger man looked up. He
saw his father , but not the girl.
"Nothing wrong , " he growled , "except
this infernal ankle of mine. I've
sprained it again , and I did it just
when " He broke the sentence off
short there , his eye falling at that
moment upon Jeanne.
She paled a little , for she had been
quick to perceive that something he
had been about to tell would not be
told now , or must be told differently.
But she waited until his father , to
gether with the two sailors , had got
the disabled man up onto the deck
and safely installed in an easy chair.
Then gravely , but steadily , "Just as
what , Tom ? What clue had they found
just as you had to come away ? "
"It was very wonderful , " he said ;
"quite inexplicable. Just as we were
about breaking camp this morning we
saw a man coming toward us across
the ice. We thought at first that it
was Hunter , and we were mightly
glad to see him , because he had stray
ed off somewhere and hadn't camped
with us. But we soon saw it wasn't
he , wasn't a man anything like him.
He was a queer , slouching , shuffling
creature , dressed in skins , and he
came up in a hesitating way , as if he
was afraid of us. He couldn't talk
English , nor understand it , apparent
ly. He looked to me like a Portu
guese , and I tried him In Spanish
good Filipino Spanish on the chance.
I thought it startled him a little , and
he pricked up his ears at it , but he
couldn't understand that either. He
just kept beckoning and repeating two
words "
"What words , Tom ? Out with it ! "
" 1 Can't Make It Fit My Hand. "
And then building this ship and com
ing up here yourself , facing the dan
gers yourself and letting Tom face
them , all for such an impossible , hope
less hope as that message the sea
brought to us. "
Her voice faltered there , and she
bent down abruptly and kissed the
hand that was still caressing her own.
"My child , " he said , "your father
and I were like brothers nearer to
each other than most brothers. He
went away , knowing that if his ven
ture failed , if it ended fatally for him ,
as it probably did , I should regard you
as my daughter as just as much a
child of mine as Tom is. If you
hadn't been in the case at all , we'd
have built this ship and come up here
to find Tom Fielding just the same.
There , don't cry. Put on that big fur
coat of yours and come out with me
on deck. "
This from the old gentleman , who
had controlled his patience 'with dif
ficulty during the little silence. But
the younger man hesitated and looked
into the girl's face , mutely , half-ques-
tioningly , before he spoke.
"The words , " he said , "seemed to1 be
your father's name 'Captain Field
ing ; ' it sounded like that. "
She went quite white , and reeled a
little. Then clutched at the shrouds
for support The old gentleman was
at her side In an instant , his strong ,
steadying arm across her shoulders.
Tom himself half rose from his chair ,
only to drop back into It again with a
grimace of pain and a little dew of
perspiration on his forehead. He
looked rather white himself under the
tan.
tan."I
"I suppose" the girl said almost
voicelessly. "I sunnose I mustn't dare
even let myself begin to hope yet ,
must I. not yet ? "
"I don't know , " said Tom. "The fel
low seemed half-crazed ; seemed , al
most , to have lost the power of speech
from long disuse of it But he meant
to take us somewhere , that was clear
enough from his gestures. If I could
only have seen you before I began to
blurt the thing out I'd have spared
you the suspense until there was some
thing to tell. I'm sorry , Jeanne. "
"Its queer , " she said , at the end of
a rather long silence. "I'm sure there
was no Portugues'e in father's expedi
tion. Except for two or three Swede *
and Norwegians , they were all Amer
icans. I know the name of every man
who sailed in his ship. "
"He might have taken some one o
at St. Michaels , " suggested the elder
Fanshaw.
"Yes , " she said a little dubiously ,
" much of south *
"only he never thought
ern Europeans as sea-faring men. "
There was another silence afte
that She rose presently and began
sweeping the shore line with a pris
matic binocular which was slung
across across her shoulderw. The two
men exchanged glances behind her ,
the elder , one of inquiry , his son. a
reluctant negative. No , it would
clearly be insane to build any hope on
the incident
At last she let the glasn Tall from
her listless hand and turned to them ,
her face haggard with the torture of
impossible hope. "I wish my sky
man would come" she tmlfi forlornly ,
"come whirling down out Of the air ,
\
with news of them. "
"Your sky-man ? " said Tom Fanshaw
questioningly.
Here was something to talk about
at last , and the old gentleman seized
the chance it afforded.
"Yes , we've another myotery , " fie
said. "See what you can do toward
solving it" With that for an Introduc
tion , he plunged into a humorous ac
count of Jeanne's report of her ad
venture of the night before , of the man
who had dropped down from the sky , In
the middle of the night , and talked to
her awhile , and then flown away again.
"She was really out on the Ice floe , "
he said ; "so much I concede ; but
when I assure her that she dreamed *
the rest , she is skeptical about my ex
planation. "
"But even you can't explain , " she
protested , "how I could dreara about
an Eskimo throwing-stick , aad then
bring it back to the yacht xith me
when I was wide-awake , and Show it
to you at the breakfast table this
morning. "
"I'll have to admit , " said the old
gentleman , "that my explanation
doesn't adequately account for that"
The expression of the younger
man's face was perplexed rather than
incredulous.
"But , my boy , " cried the elder mag ,
"think of it ! He comes down out o
the sky and says he just dropped in
from Point Barrow ; and that's 500
miles away. That's just as impossible
as it would be to materialize an Eski
mo throwing-stick out of a dream ,
jvery bit"
"No , hardly that , " nald Tom judici
ally. "What was his aeroplane like ?
What was it made of ? Did you notice
it particularly ? "
"Yes , " she said ; "I helped Him fold
it up. It was made of bladders and
bamboo and catgut , he said. "
I
"And his motor ? " cried Tois , "What
was his motor like ? "
"There was no motor at all , " sbs
said ; "just wings. "
"There you see , Tom , " interrupted
his father , "absolute moonshine. "
But still the younger man shook a
doubtful head. "No , " hef said , "the
things' not impossible not inconceiv
able , at least The big birds can fly
that far , and thick nothiag of it"
The old man snorted : "They're
built that way. Think of the immense
strength of their wing muscles. "
"Not so enormous , " flaid the young-
r man. "I dissected Che wing of an
albatross once to see. It's not by
main strength they keep afloat in the
air ; it's by catching the trick of it. "
"That's what he said. " the girl cried
eagerly. "He told mo he could fly
across the north pole , from Dawson
City to St. Petersburg , and when I
asked him if he could keep flying , fly
ing all the time like that , he said the-
3iggest birds didn't fly ; they sailed ,
ind he said he sailed , too , and the
force of gravity was his keel. "
Her story was making" its impres
sion on the younger man , at least ,
jven if his father was as impervious
: o It as he still seemed.
"Well , if you dreamed that , " said
rom , "it wag a mighty intelligent
iream. I'll say that for it * *
"But it wasn't a dream at all , " she
: ried. "Didn't I help him take the
; hlng apart and fold it up into a bun-
lie ? And didn't he say that he waa
i tax payer , and that his name wai
Philip Cayley ? "
( TO BE CONTINUED. )
By Way of Variety.
"How did you enjoy the vaudeville
> erformance ? " "It was good. They
lad performing cats , a baseball play- \
; r , a champion pugilist , a trained
sockatoo , and , I give you myword. .
hey even had * n actor doing a ttmi. *
-LoulBvlll Courier-Journal ,
