FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>  
HAPTER NINETEEN Inside the main hut the skipper burst upon a little tableau that sent him hastily back with apologies in place of the hot inquiries he had prepared. Gordon and Mrs. Goring were standing in the middle of the hut, and the man's arms were holding the woman closely, while her face, upturned to his, glowed with a love that irradiated the place. They started at the intrusion; then, recognizing their visitor, Gordon called to him. "Don't run away, Barry. I'm coming on board with you." "Yes, wait a moment, Captain," Mrs. Goring rejoined. "I have something for you." Barry returned, doubting the good of anything that might be for him. But Mrs. Goring took something from the table and went to him, smiling. "There, Captain," she said, proffering the thing she had picked up. "You may have it now." Barry took from her the picture of Natalie Sheldon that had been stolen from his chronometer case on the voyage from Surabaya. He stared at it, then at the giver, and from one to the other in a daze. "How did you get this?" he stammered helplessly. "Oh, it came to me," she smiled. "You will know how, all in good time. But I can tell you why you lost it, if you care to know. It was stolen from you--as you stole it yourself, you know," she rippled--"but with different motives. You lost it in order that you might be kept hot in the service of its original." "Then it worked! Have I ever cooled? It seems to me that I have been required to keep cold and hold off." "Yes, Captain. Events have turned out rather differently from our expectations, but they are running smoothly now. You may safely have the picture. And I believe you will find little restraint upon your actions from now on." The skipper gazed at the photograph for some time without speaking, then he laid it down on the table and said quietly: "I don't want it now. If that picture ever takes a place in my cabin again, it will be placed there by Miss Sheldon. That is not very likely to happen. Thank you, just the same, Mrs. Goring, and if I never know how it was lost, it won't bother me much. I'll go aboard and move my ship down river. Coming, Gordon?" Gordon embraced Mrs. Goring again and kissed her, totally unembarrassed by Barry's presence, then followed the skipper out and down to the wharf. As they paddled out to the ship, Barry eyed the schooner narrowly but saw nothing unusual aboard her. He wondered about all those silent figures he
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>  



Top keywords:
Goring
 

Gordon

 

picture

 

Captain

 

skipper

 
stolen
 
Sheldon
 

aboard

 
running
 

safely


actions

 

photograph

 
restraint
 

smoothly

 
paddled
 

narrowly

 
required
 
cooled
 

Events

 

turned


expectations

 

differently

 

schooner

 

unusual

 

wondered

 

speaking

 

bother

 

happen

 

silent

 

kissed


quietly

 
embraced
 

totally

 

unembarrassed

 

presence

 
Coming
 

figures

 
intrusion
 

recognizing

 
visitor

started
 

glowed

 
irradiated
 
called
 

moment

 

rejoined

 
returned
 

coming

 
upturned
 

tableau