Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

You’d better start now and make the best speed you can without scaring Hedvig to death.” They left in a cloud of dust and amid a veritable thunder of explosions from the ex- haust. Ward turned to Nellie, who was standing beside him, her grip at her feet. “T will pack a few of my personal belong- ings,” he said. “I must take my books and papers—business accounts and correspond- ence, you know.” She waited in silence while he went about his work and walked in silence beside him when he carried the two grips down to the shore of the cove where the aeroplane was moored. But her silence was not that of depression. It seemed rather to be a deep thoughtfulness, a serious realization of the gravity of the things they were doing and were about to do. ‘Do you think,” she asked at length, “that you will find it necessary to make that other flight tonight—that flight to the North Branch?” He nodded slowly. “T believe we will decide that it is neces- sary,” he said. “I may not have to land. ‘But it will at least, I think, be advisable to fly down in the darkness and satisfy myself that they are encamped there—or that they are not.” She stopped and looked at him reproach- fully. “Why do you say ‘I’ and ‘myself’?” she demanded. ‘Do you think that I will let you go alone?” “Oh, now, Miss Blaydon!” he cried. “You really must give up the idea of going down there with me.’ “You promised I could,” she reminded “But that was before I found out how confoundedly desperate this thing is becom- ing.’ Her level.eyes did not falter at his sug- gestion of danger. Into them there crept slowly a look that he had not seen there be- fore, an expression that once more sent his. blood leaping and set his nerves tingling. It was the expression of a woman scorning to desert a man by whose side she belonged —at whose side she wanted to be, no matter what the peril, “Very well,” very reason you shall not go alone. going with you.’ she said calmly, ‘‘that is the I am 1 SET EO A RR ae EON ep SENET Be Ee SS PE ge Sg PE Jn rere = Se So eS Eel ig ig a iy Joe aa SA a = 2 -=* , =. z ‘ a ¥ : The Secret of Caprice “Ves,” Ward said. “I remember it. He shrugged hopelessly at the finality of her tone. “We will talk about it later,” he said, “Tet us start now.’ With the first lift of the big machine from the water, he headed it east, across the neck of land and out toward the open ocean, rising rapidly all the while. Soon they left the beach behind them, but not until they -were a mile or more off shore did he swing the bow northward. She looked at him questioningly and he leaned over to her, “T want to come in from the ocean side > where few are likely to see us,”’ he shouted in explanation. “If we flew up the cove, the whole town would know it and ask questions.” She nodded and settled herself comfort- ably in her seat. In ten minutes, they were opposite the inlet; in another five, he headed inshore. On a long, gradual descent, they volplaned to the inside shore, their motor cut off and their course taking them too low to be seen by any save the few loiterers who might be on the resort’s docks. It was the work of a few minutes only to bring the machine in to its old moorings on the sloping sand of Long Point, and he help- ed her to alight before hauling the bow well upshore. “T see Carl coming,” she told him while he was still at work. ‘“Hedvig is not with him, so I suppose she has engaged rooms and is getting mine ready for me.” The mechanician landed in Caprice’s ten- der and took charge of the aeroplane. “You go right across, Chief,” he said. “T’ve got another fellow coming for me later.”’ “All right,”” Ward answered. “Mean- while, I want you to give the machine and . engine a thorough overhauling and get enough gasoline to fill the tanks to capacity. I may have to make a long flight before the night is over.” They ran across the cove to the boat- landing and he took the grips while the girl walked quietly at his side. Hedvig was waiting for them in the hotel. “T will go right to my room and try to make myself look a little more presentable,” Nellie said to him as the maid took her valise. “But—” her voice sank to a whis- per and she held him with her deep brown eyes—‘“you will promise not to do a thing without calling me?” (€(0) IOOK (E(@)