Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

- yr hh : 4 \ j ; \ 2 7 uA PS at Se ye The Secret of Caprice stood holding tightly to one hand while she alternately glanced up at him with eyes that. glowed with love and pride, and glanced toward the two men approaching. “Father,” she said, “this is Mr. Fenton.” The old man disengaged his hand from hers and stretched it out to Ward. His grip was like a vise. His fingers seemed to be of nothing but big bone and powerful sinews, and he wrung Ward’s hand in a way that made the aviator wince with pain. “Mr. Fenton,” said Blaydon, “‘my daugh- ter has told me only a little of what you have done for her. What a man does for my daughter, he does for me, and if you have done more than she has had time to tell me—and she assures me you have—I confess, I see no way of ever repaying you as I think you deserve.” Ward flushed at the unexpected warmth of the words. “Why,” he stammered. “Why, no——” “T know,” Blaydon interrupted, with a grim smile. “You haven’t done any more than any one else would have done, and you don’t deserve any thanks and all that sort of thing. That is what you will probably say. But it will be no use, sir. Regardless of what you have done for Nellie, if you had been one second later on your trigger just now, I should be a dead man. That you can not deny.” Ward looked in confusion at the girl, but the expression he surprised in her eyes made the blood mount more riotously than ever to his cheeks. She was gazing up at him with a look only a trifle less admiring than the one with which she had been regarding her father. She flushed, and turned away quickly. : “You are very kind, Mr. Blaydon,” said Ward, regaining control of himself with an effort. “I think we may postpone the thanks, however, until a less exacting time. We have some important work to do, and it must be done at once.’ He turned again to Carter. “Carter,” he said, “‘you are familiar with the plans these fellows were making, weren’t you?” “Only partly, sir,” said Carter. “I wasn’t very popular, because I refused to join them.” “T saw that,” Ward replied. “I was watching you through my binoculars. We must wring the truth out of one of them, then, because it will largely guide us in — ee eet Oe BT LP er Se es , /S<. a Ft oe Sere Te ON ees al ee << Z > iaesteg tas a : 89 what we have to do tonight. Come with me, and see what we can do.” : He led the way over to where the two men were trussed up to their trees, watching the scene with eyes that were dark and threatening, and showed clearly the lust for vengeance that was in both minds. The SS younger Carter had dragged the wounded re Matt into the tent and was busy with him. — ee “Now, you men,” said Ward, “we want to = know just what your plans were, and where the others of your gang are. You can see for yourselves that you are in a bad way SS here. The only thing for you to dois to help us all you can, and, if you do, you will = get off easily. If not, you will be handed over to the authorities, and what you will get will not be very pleasant. Come now; where is Stephen Blaydon?” | eee He addressed his question first to Sav- ee age, and then to Tom, but both men swore — = horribly at him, and refused to talk Carter tried coaxing and cajoling, and Ward followed his lead, assuring them of protection if they would give him the infor- mation he desired, but still they maintained their dogged silence. Finally, Ward gave it up in disgust. | “Come,” he said to Carter. “I know - enough already to guide us fairly well. Get one of the rifles and come with me. Are you afraid to fly in an aeroplane?” Carter swung upon him in astonishment. ‘“‘An aeroplane!” he exclaimed. “Do you mean to say that you and Miss Nellie came a in an aeroplane?” aie “Ves,” said Ward. “Are youafraidtogo with me in my machine?” ae “Well, I don’t know, ” he said slowly. a “T’ve got as much nerve as most men, but Bes those flying machines never looked safe to ee me. Where do we have to go?” ie Ward explained to him as rapidly as pos- sible what he knew of the plans of Stephen Blaydon and Mrs. Herriot, and the proba- bility of Greiner’s being at Hackett’s soon after the aeroplane arrived. “All right,” said Carter, “T’ll go if Mr. Blaydon says so. But don’t let me get a good swing at that man, Stephen Blaydon. I'll kill him if you do.” Se They rejoined the girl and her father at iat the tents, and Nellie and Ward told him all _— that they could in a few minutes of the | things that they had discovered. The elder - man listened gravely, nodding his head : tt} : \- bf pe Pig Ait cs. hy eae) % ade! Vice Aust ¥ ' Yay) . WPA ery inl} . - mew NA : if tN) tit) ths Nita i Be ie PST dy iT aes o9 BAN iP a ot MYA. A 4\ . . 4 7 i Bear ial Naty ae aly pio ; , 4 ao at fa Sis) teeth, 7 > et Wag 4 \* me vs, yeas rhe WAI, BAG ~~ but oe © GEomichbooksiGo: ify te _ a ils 4 bya 4 ST tee i, ie * A 7a Surg | > ¥ 7