Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

The Secret of Caprice ‘ unreasonable young person when I once make up my mind.” “But those men are desperate,” tested. She put her hand into the pocket of her auto-coat and drew out a serviceable-look- ing revolver which gleamed even in the darkness. “And so am I desperate,” she declared. “T am: going to extremes tonight and IT am prepared for anything they may do.” Again he shrugged at the hopelessness of trying to keep her back. “Very well,” he agreed reluctantly. “We will start. But we must go very slowly and not make even the slightest sound.” The shore along the stream could not \ have been better for their purpose. It was smooth and sloping and carpeted with soft sand that gave springily under their feet and made their steps inaudible. - They crept along the eastern bank, keeping as far in toward the trees as the sand extended and pausing every few minutes to listen and to gaze into the darkness ahead for some sign of the enemy. In half an hour, Ward judged that they were within a few hundred yards of the camp. He stopped and put his hand on her arm. They stood there with straining ears, their nerves tense as there came to them the distant rumble of voices, evidently raised to a loud pitch by a quarrel. “A little closer,” Ward whispered, “but extremely careful. ” He moved ahead, feeling ‘his way care- fully before planting his foot upon the ground, for he did not want the sound of a snapping twig to reveal them to the men at the camp. Fifty feet ahead of him, as he made one pause, he noticed a shadow on the shore, darker and more distinctly marked than the shadows about it. He crept forward toward it cautiously and his heart leaped to his mouth as he finally discovered that it was the speed-boat that he had seen in the camp _ the night he had followed Nellie Blaydon in the moonlight. He grasped the girl’s wrist with con- vulsive fingers and pointed to it. “Tt is their boat,” he whispered. ‘We must get among the undergrowth inshore. They are very near now, so be especially careful.” She followed him as he crept more-slowly than ever toward the low bushes that he pro- 93 85 fringed the beach. Under one of them he | found a hiding-place that made them secure from prying eyes from all directions. ‘Lie down -here,”’ he instructed her. “TI can see the glow of the fire. I have brought binoculars with me.” He made her comfortable beside him and then, stretching himself out flat, slowly and carefully parted the branches-of the bush in front of them and peered through. In a moment he allowed the branches to come together again. “T can see plainly,” he said. ‘There are men around the fire and the tents are up. Take the glasses and see if you can recog- nize the men.”’ He parted the branches again and she fixed the binoculars upon the camp, focus- sing them until her vision was perfectly dis- tinct. A sudden gasp from the girl proved that the sight was surprising to her. “T know them all,’’ she whispered. — “*There is Daniel Carter, the man my father employed to take care of C aprice, and there is Savage, the cook and deck-hand. Uncle Stephen told me they were in New York.” The bitterness of her tone was not lost upon Ward. “And who are the others?” he asked. “Carter’s brother Matt, and Tom, the men who were in the camp the night you followed me down in the moonlight.” He could hear the men’s voices raised in argument, though they were too far away: to allow words to be distinguished. “They are quarreling about something,” she whispered. ‘‘Oh!”’ She paused and handed him the glasses uickly. “Look!” she said. ing down here!’ » He adjusted the lasses as rapidly as pos- sible. “Three of them have disappeared from the light of the fire,” he said. ‘‘You take the glasses and see who are left.” “Captain Carter and Matt are still there,”’ she said. to persuade Carter to do something he does not want to do, for I can see him gesticu- er See they are com- lating wildly while Carter is shaking his head obstinately.” Fenton suddenly put his hand on her arm with an admonitory ‘‘Hsh-h!’”’ With straining ears they listened and heard the sound of voices undoubtedly com-. ing toward them, and the snapping of twigs Eomichoo SS ‘Matt is evidently trying . (E(@) \ — Bs ee ee Ss eS ” ° + at creer Cir FO Pet Ly EAE Sb -, Pda Be,