Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

The Secret of Caprice “Carl,” he said, “I think we had better begin to get things ready to move.” The mechanician stopped short in his work and looked up at his employer in amazement. “Move?” he repeated. away from here?” Vea: “And leave this—this whole thing just when it is beginning to get interesting?”’ “You mean when Miss Blaydon’s maid is beginning to get interesting. I watched you helping her out of the car.” Carl flushed scarlet. | “Aw, youre always kidding, Chief,” he complained. ‘I didn’t do a thing.” ““Nevertheless,’’ Ward insisted, “we are going back north. You can pack every- thing except the biplane. We will fly that up to Sea View.” “But, Chief,” Carl protested, “‘you’re not going before Mr. Conway gets back, are your” “By George!” exclaimed Fenton. “I had completely forgotten Mr. Conway. No; you are right. We will wait for him.” — He walked out of the tent and sat down alone to consider this aspect of the. case. He had totally forgotten Phil and the er- rand that had taken the young millionaire to New York. Greiner was probably al- ready at work. There might be something which would require immediate action when Phil returned to the camp. It would mean two or three nights more on the lonely shore. And, with the memory of the darkness and the silence that shrouded them there, came also the recollection of that other camp far- ther down the coast and the men who were waiting there—for what? Would it be an- other attack? Nellie had joined them there and it must have been a most urgent devel- opment of their plans that could induce her to make such a trip alone in a frail speed- boat in the dead of night. Carter and Matt and the man with the deep bass voige—these must be reckoned with as long as the aeroplane tents stood on the shore near the scuttled hull of Ca- price. Ward went back to Carl. “Quit work there a minute,” he said. ‘Come over here and sit down. I’m going to tell you something that will delight your dime-novelish soul.” The eyes of the mechanician glistened with supreme delight as Ward told of the cry. that he had heard on the shore, of his “You mean go the Golden Horn. 33 discovery of the struggling figures, of his shot in the darkness and the flight of the men. It was such a tale as Loder loved, and Fenton smiled in spite of the serious- ness of their situation as he watched the color come and go in the mechanician’s cheeks, ‘““Gee, Chief!” Carl cried, “that’s great. And now Mr. Conway’s gone to New York to bring Mr. Greiner down here?”’ “Look here, young fellow! Ward ex- claimed in surprise. “You’re uncanny. How did you know that Mr. Conway had left the camp at all?” Carl flushed with conscious pride. “T saw that his suit-case was gone,’’ he said; ‘“‘so I knew he had gone with it. And he has told me all about Mr. Greiner and what a great detective he is. He used to tell me stories about him while we were sitting on the beach waiting for those men to raise Huh! Golden Hornl Well, even if there isn’t any treasure or pi- rates, it looks like bandits or something like that. Gosh! I'll be glad when Mr. Greiner gets here. I always wanted to know a great detective. I’ve studied and practised it myself a little. That’s why I noticed Mr. Conway’s suit-case. You can always de- duct, if you’re careful.” “And deduce, if you're more careful, eh?” Fenton laughed. “Tell me some more,” begged Carl, -his eyes still aglow. Fenton thought a moment and then de- cided against revealing his flight in the moonlight after the speeding motor-boat. “There isn’t any more,” he said. The mechanician’s disappointment was palpable. “Well,” he suggested, “can’t you make some up?” Fenton shrugged in hopeless surrender. “Carl,” he said, “‘you are simply i impossi- ble. Isn’t it serious enough without trying to decorate it with imaginative additions?” “It’s fine,’ Carl cried. “That is, of course it’s serious, but it’s great, too. And we'll make those fellows bite the dust yet. T’ll tell you what we’ll have to do, Chief. We'll have to stand watch. That’s what they always do—four hours on and eight off —or eight on and four off, I forget-which it is.’ “All right,” Fenton agreed. “You begin bare watch now by getting me a bite of unc (E(0) 3| 0)(@(0) (E(8) ete Seer ee ae Pray, 8 Wile ts Cid wad se js aM Pes S Lythey : Pa ¥ oe #4 3 bit pee Soe : yA ) +8 % et A oe eh iat | = in Fee PS. VRE: be cMDy digas fen dh VE Art ew Ae Ei : v4, sg coher ites: 4 SS ye 4 ttt OF Se ee PL ey |