The Cruise of the Jasper B.

u sell me some ice?" cried the lady excitedly, wh

sual that Cleggett was not ce

she had been begging for her life she could not have been more in earnest. "Don't

and her trouble, stepped nearer to her, for she swayed with her emotion as if she were about to fall. Impulsively she put a hand on his arm, and the

deavoring to control her tears, "but I MUST

is anxiety to reassure her, the hand that she had laid upon

leaning towards him,

come too suddenly; at the first word of reassurance, at the first ray of dawning hope, she had fainted. High-strung natures, intrepid in the face of danger, are

head rather helplessly towards the vehicle in which the lady had arrived. To his consternation and surprise it had turned around and the chauffeur was in the act of starting back towards Fairport. Bu

d his thumb to his nose, and vigorously and vivaciously waggled his outspread fingers at Cleggett in a gesture, derisive and

alled to the squat young man. "Can'

an, thus exhorted

lady has fainted?

anner. He spoke out of the left corner of his mouth in a hoarse voice, without moving the right sid

w her? Didn't you c

of the right corner of his mouth, which was now nearer Cleggett, without disturbing the left half of his face,

heavy burden, but Cleggett declined the assistance of Cap'n Abernethy and George the

sh, as he passed the Japanese on t

he was a blonde, with eyebrows and lashes darker than her hair; and, even in her swoon, Cleggett could see that she was of the thin-skinned, high-colored type. Her eyes, as he had seen before she swooned, were of a deep, dark violet color. She was no chit of a girl,

spoonfuls down the lady's throat. Presently she sighed an

now lay whimpering at her feet, also seemed to feel that she was

osh," said Clegge

as Cleggett spoke to the Japanese, and her lips had moved. Cleggett bent his head nearer

ease," the lady m

rt, struggled to recover herse

has happened?" She passed her

, madam," sa

ce! The ice!" She sprang to her feet, and grasped Cleggett by both shoulders, searching his

he ice," said Cle

. And then: "Where ar

at he and your chauffeur had some sort of an alte

companionway to the deck together, "that man,

suddenly threw back her head and laughed at him. And the

leggett: "He may, mayn't he? Thank you-I was sure you would say he mi

e man get the boxes aboard. Kuroki,

lf; he had seen her emerge from the depths of despair into something more like self-control; he had carried her in his arms, she had laughed at him, she had twice impulsively grasped him by the arm, she had smiled at him three times, she had sighed twice, she had frowned once; she had swept upon him bringing with her an impression of the mysterious. Many men are married to women for years withou

r deposited the oblong box upon a spot which she indicated near the cabin,

t, surprised. "I

an unusual position, indeed!-and you have help

ing," murmu

smile, "if I told you that you are the sort of man whom

fear that the thrill which her words impart

d I hear you say it was orange pekoe, or did I

ith a growing curiosity. George and Cap'n Abernethy were also watching Elmer from a discreet distance. Even Kuroki, silent, swift, and well-trained Ku

of ice which Kuroki had brought him, into half a dozen smaller pieces. These smaller lumps, with the exception of two, he p

s a portable refrigerat

es-pieces about the size of an English walnut, but irregular in shape. Then he inserted the tin funnel into a small hole in the uppermost surface of the unp

the box, and that Elmer was slowly working his way down the le

oked forward to the worst. On his broad face, of the complexion described in police reports as "pasty," melancholy sat enthroned. His nose was flat and broad, and flat and broad were his cheek bones, too. His hair was cut very short everywhere except in front; in front it hung down to his eyebrows in a stragg

tcoat was of lavender, and his hose were likewise of lavender, but red predominated in both his shirt and his necktie. His collar was too high for his short neck, and seemed to cause him discomfort. But this attempt at gayety of dress was of no avail; one felt at once that it was a surface thing and had no connection wi

an's feet, there was doubt upon his wrinkled brow, but there was the conscious

the sailing-master of the Jasper B

elf in her flashing look and her remark, "he is going to tell you that you

what he HAD planned to say after drawing Cleggett discreetly aside.

diculous old dear, you! You KNOW that's what you were going to advise, so why deny it? I

d a sense that he had a perfect right to frown as much as he wished, "Ma'am, if you was to ask m

s sailing master's advice was not absolutely required, "if you h

tt's remark, and still addressing the lady, "I dunno as you could call

"You know you do." And her manner added: "CAN'T you act l

f tying it tighter would assist him to hold on to his frown. He felt

he gets her sticks into her," said t

"You old sea captains!---" she said, untying the scarf and making the ends even. "As if anyone could possibly

replacement. But he still felt t

r you it would, or it wouldn't, all accordin' to whether you wanted to hear it now, or whether you wanted to hear it later. And as far as SAILIN' he

the tie and bobbing his head forward wi

s, as he went behind the cabin. There the Cap'n chewed, smok

regained her spirits. The little dog, which was an indicator of her moods, had likewise lost its

id the lady, patting th

" said

Roosevelt. His championship of the cause of votes for women at a time when mere politic

nt from any other historical period. And he was one with her in her admiration for Roosevelt-a man whose facility in finding adventures and whose behavior when he had found

eat man," s

hand, was evidently thinking of something else.

that you think I'm a horridly

a polite, depr

the cup to her lips, drank, and looked off towards the western horizon, which the sun was beginning to paint

aning her elbows on the table and gaz

kindness by telling you a portion of my strange st

red his gratitude at the

--" But he stopped. He di

f, after all, she lacked the courage. Cleggett said nothing. He was too fine in grain to force a confidence. After a moment she continued: "I can tell you this," she said, with a catch in

urely,

Lady Agatha. I am Lady Agatha

tt tol

d of me?" aske

hought that a shade of disappointment passed over the

The point is, indeed, in dispute. And were it not for my devotion to the cause I would not now be in my present terrible plight-doomed to wander from pillar to post with that thing" (she pointed with a shudder to th

a co

o faint again, but she did not. As he looked upon the change his words had wrought, filled with wonder and compunction, Cleggett suddenly divined that her o

a whisper, "I am going to confide everything to you-the whole truth

ich Elmer is sitting, contains the body of Reginald Maltravers, natural son of the t