Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

{ reat hy wr Aa fe s ‘want you to go in the automobile. 18 es “Very well, then,” she said. “If you will be so good, I will ask you to let John drive me back to Sea View now, and bring me back in the morning. Would that be too much trouble? Or would you men rather be here alone?”’ “My dear Miss Blaydon!”’ cried Phil. “Not to speak of the privilege of helping you, what rights have we here? This is your father’s yacht, and it is for you to say what is to be done—eh, Ward?” “Uh-huh,” Ward grunted sullenly, and Phil, with a frown of displeasure at him, turned to the girl again. “Take John and the car,” hesaid. ‘“They are both entirely at your disposal for as long as you care to use them. We have the aeroplane, if we want to get about.” She flashed him a look of gratitude and, as she rose from the table, cast at Ward a glance that showed not so much displeasure as perplexity at his attitude. But Ward did not care. He merely rose when she did, and, standing by his chair, bowed gravely as she left. He was irritated at himself as well as at her. He was beginning to feel the spell of her personality, and he did not want to yield to its power. He wanted all of his faculties. He wanted to see and think clearly. He did not want to be blinded by prejudice in the developments that he now felt sure would take place before the secret of Caprice was unraveled. He filled his pipe and sat down to a sec- ond cup of coffee and to his thoughts, as Phil and Nellie left the yacht and strolled up to the tents. Carl eyed him curiously, knowing him so intimately that his dis- turbed frame of mind was perfectly obvious to the devoted mechanician. “Don’t let her get your goat, Chief,” Loder said in a kindly tone, and then, seeing Ward look up at him sharply, he added, “All right; I’m shut up.” “You needed some supplies from Sea View, didn’t you?” Ward asked. “Yes, sir; if you want me to fix up the engine in that tender I do.” “Well, go ahead. Tell Mr. Conway I And please see to it that John Drummond and Carl Loder both keep perfectly quiet about what is going on down here. No gossip among the maids at the hotel—mind that.” “All right, Chief. You know me.” He left the yacht, and, a few minutes Adventure later, Ward heard the throb of the automo- bile motor, the grind of gears, and the di- minishing hum as the machine started away. Still he did not move. He knew that Phil would seek him there and demand an ex- planation of his apparent hostility to Nellie Blaydon. And he could not make up his mind whether to tell everything or not. Finally, however, he decided that perfectly open frankness was the only fair policy un- der their agreement, and that he must relate everything that had occurred since he had left camp for Baltimore. Conway strolled down again from the tents but did not immediately come aboard the yacht. Instead, he stood on the beach directly beneath Fenton, his feet wide apart, his hands in his pockets, and a cigarette held loosely in his lips. “Oh, come on up!” Ward growled. “Well,” Phil said, “if it’s really safe, I will. I suppose now that the animal’s fed he’s less dangerous than he was before. Really, Ward’’—his voice dropped its ban- tering tone—‘“‘you can be a beast when you want to. What the devil’s the matter be- tween you and Nellie Blaydon? Why, man, dear, you were scarcely decently polite to her. And she’s a deuced nice girl, seems to me.” “Yes,”’ Ward admitted, “‘she is. Only she has managed to place herself in my bad graces without knowing it. Come-on up and Til tell you.” Phil climbed the ladder they had placed against the side of the yacht, and was soon seated beside his chum. “There!” he said. “Now unload.” “T’ll begin right at the beginning,” said Ward. “Ves, do,” Phil drawled. “That’s where things usually start.” He crossed his legs comfortably and lis- tened without a word as Fenton related the details of his trip. When, however, the avia- tor began to tell of the impressions he had gained from Nellie Blaydon’s eyes, Phil raised an objecting hand. “Oh, now, Ward, that’s hardly fair, you know,” he protested. “Your conclusions may do credit to your perspicacity, but, on the other hand, they may have come from a disordered digestion. One can never tell about such things. It appeared to me she was an uncommonly frank and open-heart- ed girl.” “All right,” agreed Ward grimly. “I'll Eomichooks (E)