All-Story Weekly, Vol. 112, No. 1 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

T2 of the giddy wave-crests, and the man caught a glimpse of a small turtle-backed islet, decorated by one small palm tree. Then he slid down again into a trough, and when next he was expressed to a summit, stare how he might, ‘there was no islet in sight. All was blackness, and—for him— despair. Then from out of the darkness ahead a crumb of yellow light appeared, hung steadily in place for a moment or two, and then moved away to his left. The man in the boat refused to draw com- fort. ‘‘ Bahama wreckers,’”’ he told him- self, “up to their old games. They think they are going to lure me ashore.” The man, you gather, had a fine opinion of his own value, for from the look of the boat one would‘hardly have taken him for a realizable asset. Further, the “luring” part was rather overestimated, as he had no command over the boat whatever. That any one should be carrying out a piece of ordinary longshore courtesy did not occur to him for a moment because, if the positions had been reversed, he certainly would not have troubled himself to do such a thing. As a consequence, when the boat, which was a dainty, flimsy yacht’s whaler, did hit the beach, she missed the snug bay where she could have landed handily, and was crushed into match-wood by the surf inside a dozen seconds. The man was lugged out, limp and draggled, by a slim, athletic young woman who wore white satin knickerbock- ers and bobbed black hair. She dragged him to where she had set her hurricane lan- tern on the sands. The man spat out salt water and seaweed, and ‘‘ What do you want?” he gasped. The girl stared at him for a moment, and then: ‘I want to shake you,’ said she. “Why didn’t you head up for the harbor . when I showed you the way? You'd sail on the boat. You could have done it as easily as not.” The man blinked at her through the gloom. She might be_ extraordinarily dressed, but she was a really pretty girl, and had the tones of a lady. ‘I’m afraid I’m a duffer at handling a boat. May I ask your name?”’ ALL-STORY WEEKLY. “Tl learn yours first. Also, what are you doing on my island, please?” ‘‘1’m Halton Ghyll.”” He paused there, evidently expecting her to recognize the name. As she showed no signs of doing so, he added, ‘“‘ of Boston. The landscape architect, you know.” ‘* Ah,” said the girl, and she might have known of his celebrity, or again she might not. “And why is Mr. Ghyll boating in these seas, after dark, when it is possible to catch a chill?” ‘“T am escaping from the pirate, Teach.” ‘“‘ Then, after seeing your seamanship, I am sure Captain Teach did not want you, or he would have helped himself.’’ ‘““My dear young lady, may I suggest that your attitude is rather frosty to an unfortunate castaway? I have been down in Florida building a beautiful house for a purse-proud millionaire who doesn’t deserve it, and was coming home on his yacht. Yesterday afternoon a thing like a Hud- son River tug came near us, demanded in the name of Teach that we surrender, and promptly began to fire on us.” ‘““ And you fired back, I hope. Are youa good shot?” ‘Well, you see, that’s rather the crew’s job, don’t you think? And as you pointed out just now, I’m no sailor. But when the engines got disabled, I did come up on deck and help to lower a boat, and get into it.” “But why alone? have carried ten.”’ ‘“ The. others weren’t quick enough. The boat got swept away from the yacht’s side, and, as I’ve told’ you, I’m no sailor. I could no more get her back than fly. I suppose there must have been a current or something. And the way she tossed about made me disgustingly squeamish.” ‘“‘ Anybody else get away besides you?” ‘Tm afraid I don’t know. You see, it was all so very confused.” ‘Well, was the yacht captured, or was she sunk? You must know that. It would be one or the other if Captain Teach was after you.” Ghyll stared at her curiously. She was an extremely good-looking girl in spite of her weird clothes, and she seemed defiant. That whaler would CO DOO AMC S C©