THE OUTLAW OF THE AIR

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 172, 22 July 1922, Page 22

THE OUTLAW OF THE AIR

By JOHN L. CARTER, Author of "Putting Off Mary," "Pe«y the Aeronaut," "The Pilgrimage of Delilah," "Nymphet," "His Painted Lady," "A Honeymoon Interlude," "The Witness," ate.

CHAPTER XVr. A TltAr. It -was barely a quarter of an hour after the successful Circassian coup. "And now I propose that we lie low for a few days," said Bcrl Mungen, '"and there is no place /hotter suited to our purpose than a little creek near Falmouth Harbour that 1 know. We shnll be a thousand miles from anywhere down there. And everybody will be looking for us somewhere up North.'' lie then went to Sheila's cabin. ''Now my dear little spitfire," he began. "1 think you can consider yourself free for a while." Sheila looked sharply at liim. She had seen her message strike the deck of the tSircassian, had seen that sailor pick it up. She would soon know whether Mungen had seen it too. But apparently he had not. She did not reply to him, but kept him under close watch. '■When are you and I going to be married, my dear?" he demanded then, half in earnest, half jeeringly. "It would be rather a triumph to get Berl Mungen, the survivor of a thousand loves, to go so far as to make you his wife, don't you think?" Sheila shrugged her expressive shoulders in cold disdain. That was all. The scorn of the gesture brought a tinge ofcolour to Berl Mitogen's parchment-like cheeks. '•It's either that, or you follow Redford and Angus," he threatened. "1 mean what I say. And why should you not marry mc? Angus is dead. It' 3 not a bit of use waiting. You will never get so good an offer. Besides, my offer may not be open to-morrow. You may not have the chance." Sheila felt that there was now no need to take care-what she 6aid to him. Within an hour at the most the Angus would settle down in its hiding place on Lewis Isle. The police aeroplme would be watching, no doubt from tremendous altitudes, and then would pounce down and take Berl Mungen unawares. And then she would be fret. She had no doubt but that she could convince the police that she had been innocent throughout. Yes, another hour, and she would be free. This hour, then, instead of seeming an hour of danger and dread, was rather one of triumph, of quiet satisfaction. "To-morrow!" she scofTed. "Perhaps tomorrow you will not have the chance. Perhaps, by to-morrow, you will be safely under lock and key." She found herself quite incapable of restraining her tongue. The words rushed out, in spite of herself. Berl Mungen laughed. And just thtn Sheila noticed that the Angus was over the land. "We've soon reached Lewis Isle," she cried, incredulously. Berl Mungen shook his head. "We're not going back to Lewis," he said. "Not?" gasped Sheila, turning pale and faint. "Why not?" "You seem mighty anxious that we should," he remarked. "The fact is, we're going into the wilds of Cornwall for a few days." "Cornwall,'' cried Sheila, still too die-, appointed and bewildered to think clearly. "And you and I are going to be married by 4pecial license at Truro before the week is out," insisted Mungen. "Wives and dead men tell no tales. I give you till midnight to decide. Either you consent, or you die. That's a matter for you to decide." And with a chuckle he lurched out in order to help Smith to select a safe landing place. As for Sheila, she sat there in deepest gloom. All the fire had gone out of her. She never doubted that Berl Mungen n\eant what he said. And she had to chootse between death and marriage with him. CHAPTER XVII. Xo sooner wus Sheila left alone than she pondered ways and means °f outwitting Berl Mungen. As the machine circled hign in the air searching for a secure resting place Sheila swept the land below with binoculars. And at last she saw 1 the word "Falmouth" in large white ! letters near the railway. That encouraged her. If they came to earth, anywhere near there she would at least be able to give some idea of the Angus' whereabouts should she be fortunate enough to get a letter through, to the police. At last the Angus came to land in a small clearing in the centre of a great wood. And no sooner was it properly, settled than Berl Mungen appeared again. "Well, what is it to be!" he demanded. Sheila did not reply immediately. A plan had been forming in her mind, but lie had come upon her before she had completely settled the detaiU. And now she knew that everything depended upon her manner of dealing with his proposition. She must make no slip. Briefly her plan was to find some way of sending a letter to Lord Inverclive. Lord Invcrclive was no bungler. He would do his part without a slip. Of that she was certain. And he would not fail to tar-fc immedi-.te and adequate steps to capture Berl Miingen. That, was her plan, then, and one that might obviously take some time to accomplish; and here Berl Mungen was demanding an immediate answer to his ultimatum. "Come now, Sheila, what is it to be?" he repeated. "It is for you to make the choice. And, I can assure you right now that as my wife you will be given a rare good time. Another six months, and we could retire, to Australia, or the Argentine, and simply wallow in money for the rest of our lives. Come, little woman! do be sensible; Say you will marry mc." Sheila watched him from under her lowered brows. What was she to do? Her instinct urged her to treat him with 6corn, defy him to do his worst. But she had pledged herself to deliver him up to justice. And so she would answer cunning with cunning, ruthlessness with ruthlessness. "You're about right," she said slowly. "After all, we can't do much in this world without money. Yes, I suppose it will be best for mc to agree. I should have to come to it in the end." She said this ponderingly, and in so natural a manner that it entirely deceived Mungen. Obviously, he thought, Sheila was by no means enamoured of himself. Clearly it was his money that attracted her. Convinced that this was the fact he restrained himself accordingly. He was afraid to startle her by making immediate advances, and so run J the risk of her suddenly changing«her mind.

"You really are willing to become my wife?" he demanded, showing an eagerness that would have flattered some women. It only nauseated Sheila. Still remembering to act her part Sheila shrugged her shoulders. "I have no choice," she said with a rueful little gestuVe. ' "Your choice of alternatives, was, to say the least, limited. Frankly 1 have noL the faintest desire to die. No, 1 prefer to live, and if your condition is that 1 marry yon, well I must make the best of it" After all, I have no doubt that we can rub along together all right, what witli plenty of money, and travelling, and so on." j "That's good!" cried Mungen. "1 will ; see about a special license this very day." j Sheila smiled back. "Perhaps you will allow mc out, now?" j she asked, in as casual a tone as site could assume. She was aware that she could not hope to pet a letter posted to Lord Inverclive while she was kept a close prisoner in her cabin. "Certainly," Mungen promised. "Though I shall want to keep you in sight, naturally. Still, you can go about with mc." Without being aware of it her face fell at that. She had been hoping that be would allow her to go about alone. Renl Mungen had not missed that sudden change in her expression, the angry contracting of the brow. And as he turned to leave her his own brow lowered. It was obvious to him that Sheila had some sort of plan in mind. And his refusal to let her go alone had thwarted it. Angrily he asked himself what it was that Sheila had hoped to do? He must keep a close watch upon her. If she thought that she was going to fool him, .ihe would find herself mistaken. She had agreed to marry him. and she must. Once married it would not be to her interests to go against him. At a sudden thought he crept along the Angus until he came to the ventilator that supplied Sheila's cabin with •fresh air. With his eye close to the grating he peered inside until lie found Sheila. She was seated at the tiny desk, which was merely a panel of wood fixed with brackets to the side of the calbin opposite her bunk. And she was writing rapidly, with her eye ever glancing to the door as though ready to hide her letter the moment anyone should come. Berl -Mungen whistled in silent consternation. YVihat 'was she writing, and to whom? So this was why she had asked to be allowed to go out. She meant to post a letter. Of course! Ami she would have hordes of police round before he knew where he was. He told himself that he was lucky to have found heT out so soon. One thing was certain, he must see to it that she did not get out alone. At first it seemed to him that he ought to kill her. But his lnfatulation would not hear of that. He preferred to wait. Perhaps she would capitulate in the end. He wanted her very badly. He had never wanted any woman half as much. And ho felt that, given, time, when thoroughly discouraged and hopeless Sheila would possibly come round to the view that marriage with himself was not altogether out of the question. His eye gleamed as he saw Sheila's •triumphant smile as she sealed that letter and, after a moment's deliberation) placed it in her bosom. Oh! lie would beat her; and in the end would win her —at least, would force her tn accept the only fate that was possible, the fate of being his wife, his queen, bis pal, and, if she was wise, his work- | partner. Together, what could they two | not accomplish! Even now he thrilled i with pride at the thought or Sheila being truly his wife, one with him in | thought. Yes, she was clever enough. | lie never doubted that they two could do wonders as man and wife. Half an hour later he took in her supper —biscuits nnd cheese, and a mug of water, a meal simple to provide, and one which had become a staple meal of late. "I suppose it would be asking too much to want you to take mc tor a rattling good walk this evening?" ibegan Sheila. Mungen shook his head. "I'm sick of'being cooped up like this," she cried as though in mere petulance. ' 1 "To-morrow," lie promised her. 'And. you're very good I'll take you to the village. There is one barely two miles, away." Sheila's eyes lighted up. A village meant a post office. And ehe would certainly find some way of slipping lier letter into the post-box. Possibly they might pass a post-.)OX quite near the Angus, and if so, it would not be her fault if she did not find some way of distracting his attention while she slipped her letter into the box. "First thing to-morrow, mv dear, you and I will go out upon a tour of exploration," he said. "We might even dare to visit the village shop. Goodnight!" And with that he was gone. But he was not gone for good. Repeatedly he went to her door and listered. He even peeped through the ventilator. At last he was satisfied that she was asleep. and after listening at the door he cautiously entered and stood looking down at her where she reclined on the bunk, fully dressed. Then, with his eyes keenly watching to see that she did not wake, he slipped two fingers down her open-necked blouse, found the letter, and cautiously withdrew it. And. again satisfying himself that she had not awakened, he crept away. Smith awaited him in the other cabin. Smith had everything in readiness. The envelope was heid againet the steam of a kettle that was boiling over a spirit stove, and it was not long before they were reading Sheila's letter urging Lord Inverclive to send the police in force to take the Angus, which was hidden in a clearing in a wood a few miles from Falmouth. In it she said that she was a prisoner in the Angus, in great danger of degradation, if not of her life, and she begged him to do all that he possibly could to rescue her. "I should think you will consent to her being killed now," primly commented Smith. ''She's been making a fool of you." Berl Mungen shook his head. "I haven't done with Sheila Lamartine yet," he said. "I still think that she will acknowledge mc as her master. It may take a few weeks, but it must come in the end." Smith was too angry to trust himself to reply. He merely growled his' indignation and scorn. -| "That'll do!" ordered Mungen. "You j get to work, sharp! I want you to forge mc a nice little letter to take the place of his one of Sheila's to J-onl I Inverclive."

| "Are you mad?" cried Smith. "Take my advice and leave Lord Inrerclive alone." "Do as I tell yon," retorted Mungen. "Take the letter down as I dictate it. And Smith, as is the way of the natural bully, meekly obeyed the superbully. And perhaps he never plied his evil" craft more painstakingly before. The result was a very appealing letter in an almost perfect copy of Sheila's writing. The principal difference between this and the genuine letter was that Lord Inverclive was asked to come alone, in the first instance, and instead of the whereabouts of the Angus being (riven—somewhere in the centre of a wood near Falmouth —an actual rendezvous was suggested, namely the lane at the side of Truro Cathedral. When that letter had been gloated I over, Mungen stuck it up once more, tiptoed back into Sheila's cabin, and returned it to her bosom. Then he> ' stood looking amorously down at her. 'As he looked she gave a little moan and her hand went uneasily to her bosom as thouph she wished to assure herself of the letter's safety. Munfreti chuckled. Her letter wu there all right, or co she would believe. And to-morrow he would frive himself the intense delight of watching her ingenious eli'orts to post it. And he would help her to succeed, too. Yes, he was very eager for that letter to reach Lord Inverclive. The millionaire would willingly pay a very heavy ransom to eecure his freedom. (To be continued Saturaay next.)