Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

The Secret of Caprice “Yes; I guess I’m out of danger now,” he said. “I’ll be able to go back to work in a few days.” “You'll do no such thing. No, sir! You’re going to be taken right down to my place and breathe in some of that wonderful air down there off the salt water of the Sev- ern and the pines of Round Bay. Nellie can nurse you there. But you’re not to think of work until that arm is as good as new.’ “But,” Ward protested, ‘my new factory must be rushed to completion, and a force of men engaged. I have orders for aero- planes for shipment to Europe that will keep us rushed for the next year.” “That’s all right. Phil Conway is taking charge of that. You just keep quiet, and we'll take care of everything. Meanwhile, Nellie’s wating for you, so you want to hurry and get well enough to move.” And on the day set for his release from the hospital Nellie herself came for him in her automobile, and drove him through the miles of perfect country to their home on the water’s edge. Her father had left the day before, she explained to him. He had received word from Greiner that the de- tective had at last located Stephen oom and Mrs, Herriot. AND then Ward entered upon his heaven. Nellie Blaydon was with him almost every minute of the day, wheeling him out from the house to the very brow of the clay bank over the river, sitting beside him, reading and talking, and refu- sing to let him discuss the tribulations of their other days together until her father returned. She helped him eat his meals, playfully insisting on feeding him herself much of the time, and laughing at his dogged efforts to handle knife and fork with one hand. She hovered over him, anticipating his every want, seeing to his comfort with a gentle- ness that wrung his heart when he thought of the coming end of it all, and regarding him with great brown eyes into which there crept at times a something that set his blood ‘Aafire. She came running down to him‘now as he sat there remembering all these things. “Good news!” she cried. ‘Father is on his way home. He just’'telephoned from Baltimore. He’ll be here in an hour.” Ward looked at the beautiful face, glow- ing with health and happiness, and won- Ee, SS ed Ey tS,” De - oo 6 wt yo = Qe ss Ie Se Shae ie =~ : mS 2s a ee ae ee ig a o * ~ => eo Ses oe << 4 seins a Oe f= = —¥, = os *. ae r : * . _" dered what his life would be without it in the future. ~ “Fine!” he cried, mocking her mood, and then added in pretended petulance. “And after he gets here you will give him all of your attention, and I’ll have to have one of the servants take care of me.” “Tt will do you good,” she said, with a mischievous twinkle. ‘You have had alto- gether too much of my attention already. I have spoiled you.” “Spoil me some more,” he begged. ‘‘Sit here and just let me look at you. You needn’t bother to talk.” She flushed at the admiration in his tone and eyes. “T must go to the house and tell them father will be home for lunch,” she said. “Much as I should like to pose simply as a 95 bit of scenery, I shall have to attend to my - duties.”’ When she had left him Ward leaned back in his pillows, closed his éyes, and, with the soft breeze playing over his face, dozed con- tentedly into a sound sleep. He was awak- ened by the buzzing of a motor, and the Blaydon car swung in from the boulevard and stopped in front of the house. Otto Blaydon stepped down and waved to him, but the man’s eyes were grave. He disappeared into the house, but came out again in a few minutes, and took a chair beside Ward. “Well, Nellie tells me you are getting _ along famously,” he said. “‘T feel much better. I shall be well soon.”’ ““Good!”’ Blaydon crossed his legs and uncrossed them again and fumbled nerv- ously with a cigar. “Greiner got Stephen and that woman,’ he said atlength. “They were getting ste to take a one-horse steamer out of New Orleans and beat it away from the country.” “You saw them then?”’ “Yes. He didn’t have them arrested. He simply told them that he would if they made any fuss, got them to a hotel and kept watch over them while he sent forme. He told them I wouldn’t prosecute if they would do as I wanted them to do.” “How did they ever get away from Hack- ett’s?” Ward asked curiously. “They were waiting in Phil’s car half a mile or so down that road when they heard the shooting. That told them that their plans had gone wrong, so they made their way by a log road down to the camp, where Gomichboo cS (2) Fares 7 Ti A.