Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

etal nip te, a ee a”, SD Pe ey Ae, int er rs, * o>” "a . The Secret of Caprice every suspicion that these men were plenti- fully supplied with money. Without being able to examine their interiors, Fenton was sufficiently familiar with motor-boat prac- tise to recognize the flaring V of the bows, merging into the flatter lines of the planing bottom. It was expensive construction and it meant engines of tremendous power and high cost. And then another thought came to him from the night’s developments—a thought more serious and menacing and, as its sig- nificance flashed upon him, he. stopped. These men had not been frightened away by his revolver.shot on the shore of the cove above. Instead, they had calmly come back to their own camp and had at once sent one of their number, in this swift speed- boat, up to Sea View, probably to learn all he could of them and to arrange for another attack—this time one that would not fail of its object and that might even eliminate that word “yet” that had so impressed it- self upon the mind of Phil Conway. It meant, then, that they must be pre- pared for action. The cove in which Ca- price lay beached must be guarded or aban- doned altogether and, if not abandoned, they must take such measures as would pro- tect Nellie Blaydon from the violent hands of these ruffians. The thought of her sent the hot blood rushing through his veins. It eliminated for all time the idea of abandoning Caprice and the mystery that surrounded her. The is- sue must be faced squarely; these men must be met in open conflict and bested. So long as they remained at liberty, Nellie Blaydon was unsafe, and there, in the silence of the night, with the waters of the cove lapping musically on the shore at his feet and the flicker of the camp-fire coming from the deep shadows of the underbrush beside him, he realized that the safety of this girl who had so tricked him meant more to him than the safety of any other woman he had ever known. He ground his teeth together in anger and shook an impotent fist at the lonely watcher by the camp-fire. _. “You lay your dirty hands on that wom- an,” he muttered, “and you'll settle with me, if it takes the rest of my life to find you.” . He lowered himself once more to his’ hands and knees and began creeping care- fully inshore, away from the firelight beam Se ae ee fs 29 and in under the shadows of the brush. He was determined to see the face of this man who had planned such a hideous thing and who had, by the sheer force of his own vil- lainy, taken the leadership of men who were capable of carrying out his commands to the last letter. He wanted to know the face, to fix it in his memory. He wanted to be sure. He wanted to be in a position to seek personal settlement should ill-luck bring Nellie Blaydon into touch with the fiends who were planning the ruining of her life’s happiness. Inch by inch, he neared the fire. Scarce- ly breathing, he parted the leaves of the last bush and lay flat, staring into the face of the man upon whom he felt all the rage of his nature venting itself. It was not the brutal face he had expect- ed tosee. The mouth was strong and deter- mined and the eyes were thoughtful and mo- rose as they stared into the flickering flames from under a frowning brow. It was such a face as might have commanded success for either good or evil—which might, in- deed, have achieved much of commendable worth, had not some kink of fortune warped the man’s abilities into this tortuous chan- nel of crime. Ward could almost plot out the career he had followed—clean and right living and promising much of value until - this sudden chance to get rich had pre- sented itself. And then, with the same determination and vigor that had probably marked his more commendable past, he had taken hold, had cast aside all sense of the gratitude owing to the family who had so — benefited his own, and had laid out and carried through the plot that had brought him at last to the side of the camp-fire on this lonely stretch of seacoast. Ward clenched his fists and shut his teeth together as he lay watching. “You'll pay dearly for it, my fine brute,” he muttered to himself. ‘You come within ten feet of Nellie Blaydon and——” The rumbling of a deep bass voice sound- ed from the tent farthest from the fire. There was a coarse laugh, the flap was thrown open and two shadows appeared against the lighter hue of the canvas. The man at the fire rose and turned to them, but they did not pause as they passed him. They were too far from the light for Ward to make them out with any detail. He could only see that two figures moved on past the other tent and down to the shore. Gomichbooks (EOI AS