The Argosy, April 1916 — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

FOOLS OF the island, Mr. Danforth,” she began, “and my dear boy, William Ransom, has had to bear the worst of them. So he’s all jess nachally tormented and edgy every which way. When he loses his temper, he don’t know what he’s adoin’. “It’s too bad to happen to you, ’cos I know he likes you and he wants you to help him when them two complainers, Jake and Pete, ain’t got brains like you to help.” “Y’m willing to help you, only I simply will not be bullied,” growled Danforth. “Never you fear no more, Mr. Danforth. That’s done with—William! Son, come here,” Mother Juliet cried, looking round toward the couch. : The giant rose quickly and obeyed her. “Now you two men will understand each other, I’m positive. Begin right away.” “I’m sorry I lost my temper, Mr. Dan- forth,” the overseer said with an air of cringing sheepishness. ‘Let bygones be by- gones, will you? There’s, not much you'll have to do for me, but it’s absolutely neces- sary, and yeu’re the only man to do it. Be- sides, it’s on the square.” ‘“‘Bygones are bygones,” Danforth agreed firmly and with a solemn note in his suave, even voice. “T’l] have your room ready in five min- utes,” Ransom said, evidently relieved at the result of Mother Juliet’s intervention. For a long time Danforth lay awake, pondering on Mother Juliet’s defense of Ransom and on Ransom himself. From the gist of her talk he drew a puzzle. She had told him of his babbling in de- lirium. Just what had he betrayed of him- self? And how long had he been on this island in care of Mother Juliet? It seemed to him that whole days had passed of which his consciousness had no record. The puzzle remained unsolved when at last he fell asleep. Below in the sitting-room Overseer Ran- som was at the table poring over a yellow sheet of paper. It was the transcript of the wireless inquiry for Stephen Weir. | CHAPTER XVIII. MURDER. T was about half an hour after dinner on a raw, misty evening. Captain Neville, Michael Sands and Oscar Molle sat in the hall, smoking and chatting in desultory 9 A SACRIFICE. 129 fashion of the odds and ends of the day’s work. Five days had passed since the pledge of loyalty was renewed in the plaza by the men of the Settlement. The work on the plantation had progressed better than ever before; and.as the coconuts were being warehoused almost as fast as they were harvested the master of Half-moon House envisaged the coming month of storms with equanimity. ‘One might say we’re restored to nor- mal,” he observed to Michael Sands, stretching his patent-leather pumps nearer the open log fire. “One might say, as you have it, cap- tain,” Michael returned deliberately. ‘Tis a proper way to state the matter, sir. It keeps us on the hither side of caution.” The captain glanced with some curiosity at Michael. He wondered what his right- hand man was driving at. At this moment Oscar Molle sprang up from his chair. The eyes of all three men were cast instinctively toward the lower end of the hall. The bell-signal of the wireless was ringing steadily. “T’ll go at once, captain?’’ Oscar asked. ‘Very well, Oscar.”” When his confiden- tial clerk had muted the signal and left the hall Captain Neville swung round in his chair. ‘“‘What’s that you were hinting at, Mi- chael?” he asked. “Hinting is it, sir? I hope I’m not so weak-minded as to hint to you, sir. One might say we’re restored to normal, say you, sir, and I'll agree with ye, captain. That is—as “’twere—if it’s normal for Black Henry to be in the barn yonder servin’ out ten days.or more in irons—” “Still,” argued Captain Neville, ‘you cannot deny that the men are working at their best, can you? Nor that whenever you and I have gone there, they seemed cheerful and contented?” “True for you, captain, but again one might say that Mother Juliet has vanished as utterly and neat—so to speak—as if she’d never been on the island at all.” “T have my own daughter to blame for that,’’ Captain Neville remarked bitterly. — “Due respect to you, captain,” Michael broke in, “but she done nothin’ at all.” ‘“‘Are you trying to tell me she did not. go to Mother Juliet’s hut?” “She admits that.” 1IOOOLK C@