Four Flush Island

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1935, Page 11 (Supplement)

Four Flush Island

(by

L. C. Douthwaite)

CHAPTER XXXI (continued). “■‘Say!” he declared fervently, “when you get there you’ll say it beats anything you saw in your life. Beautiful! Listen! That island where we’re goin’ makes the Garden of Eden look like slum property in Brooklyn.” “How long do you propose to keep me there?” she demanded. He looked at her with the false benevolence which, of all things about him, she most hated. “Why, that,” he said, “depends on circumstances.”

There was something underlying his everyday manner that spoke of implacable purpose. She felt that to be able to cope with the situation she must know the worst.

“What are those ‘circumstances’ you speak of?” she asked. It was a moment before he replied. Then he said, in the same tone as before: “It’ll save a whole lot of trouble if Stagsden finds that gold and brings it to—where we’re goin’.” He paused, a long contemplative pause that he contrived to render ominous. “If not, I guess you’re in for a pretty long stay.” By this time the hurt Of* the cords about her Wrists and the ache of her arms had become intolerable. This, the uncertainty and the enforced association with a man who revolted every instinct of decency she possessed, combined suddenly in a surge of faintness. The next thing she knew was of water being dashed into her face. Her next impressions were that her hands were free and that the engine had stopped. She opened her eyes to discover Platt on his knees at the bottom of the canoe, a wet cloth in his hand.

. “Well, well, well!” he said with insincere solicitude. “Too bad. Careless of me—about them hands of yours. You should’ve reminded me. No need for it now* anyway.” \ Natalie sat qp. Her head felt confused and dizzy, but her mind had clarified. “Better, my dear?” Platt asked in the same tone as before. She received the impression that he was genuinely' con* cerned for her condition. Her illness or death' would seriously have interfered with his arrangements. \ ' “Yes,” she said shortly! Adding: “I should be better still if ydu refrained from calling me 'my dear’.’”’ . Apparently he was anxious to conciliate her, for his face took On a look of contrition, , '

"Excuse me, miss,” he said. “No harm intended. Just a habit.” She drank from the tin cup he handed her, and felt better. “And now tell me exactly what yoUr intentions are,” she said when once more they were on their way. This time he was more definite.

“My intentions,” he said, “are to keep you until Stagsden brings the gold, and then to let you go. If he doesn’t bring it, you’ll stay until you sign an agreement to sell the island.” She looked at him in astonishment. “What good do you think that would do you?” she.demanded. “All the good in the world,” he said heartily. “It’ll give me the island.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I think you must be mad,” she said. “You steal the police boat, raid my shack, leave a man to search it, kidnap me, and obtain my signature under threat!” she exclaimed indignantly. “Why, you’ll be , arrested by the first policeman who catches sight of you!” He renlained unperturbed.): • ’ f < •' “And what of it?” he asked pleasantly. ■ “What of it?” she repeated blankly. Then with a rush it came to her that he had no knowledge of having. been identified as one of the men wanted for the Siskiyou train robbery and murder. That, for her, had the effect of changing the whole situation. She determined that on no account 4 must she give him a hint of what toy in store for him. “Let me tell you somethin’,”—Platt was saying—“so.’s there’ll be no mistake. The sooner you get down to it that I’m . goin to have that gold the more comfortable it’s going to be for you. It may be tonight, or it may be in two-three weeks time, but I’m going to get .it.' I’m not arguin’—l’m tellin’ you.” He paused for her comment. “I’ve understood from the first, of course, that you were out to rob me. We’ll take that for granted. What I’m particularly interested in is your procedure if Stagsden returns empty-handed —which undoubtedly he will,” she said. There was no attempt to evade the issue; indeed he seemed anxious that she should be advised of the. exact programme. “Listen, sister,” he said. “I’m not out for chicken-com; I’m out for the gloves. In later life I don’t want to figure in the headlines: ‘A Hundred - Years- Old, Lemuel S. Platt Does a Full-Day’s .Work/ I want to quit right now while five ...got somethin’ left to enjoy. And failin’ Stag findin’ the cache this is how. it’ll be done. It ain’t quite fool-proof, but it’s near enough •to take a chance on.”. ;. His sausage-like forefinger came-down to the little finger of his other hand. : “I take the transfer for the property to the Registration Office at Lurgen’s Landing, It’ll be all 0.K., written on the official form—l’ve got one with me—signed by you, and witnessed by Stag.” Natalie interrupted: “Where shall I be while you go to Lurgen’s Landing?” she inquired, for a thought had come that was not pleasant. “Right where I left you—where we’re on our way to now,” he said briskly. “Alone with Stagsden?” she asked, “Bless you, you’ll be as safe with Stag as if—as if he was a stag,” Platt assured her. “Get any ideas of harm cornin’ to you right out of your mind. ’ “Go on,” she said. “Complete with title deeds back I go to Fourflush Island to take over, the property I’ve bought an’ paid for, he resumed. “And who do I find there?” “Kit Champneys and Tim Saville—who happen to be policemen,” Natalie said promptly. Adding: “And, of course, Betty.” x “Sure they’re policemen,” he confirmed. “But what can they do, anyway?” “Arrest you,” Natalie said as promptly as before. He regarded her for a moment in simulated astonishment. “Arrest me what for?” he protested. She thought grimly that whatever astonishment he was causing her would be mild to that which was within-her power to bring to him. She said:' ' - “Breaking into the shack, assaulting Betty and myself, and kidnapping, me; And then, after I’m found, of obtaining transfer of the property by threat/- She looked at him keenly to discover his reaction to this formidable list of-indict-ments.

He said: . ' “Never mind about you bem found. That'd come after— p’raps. We’re talkm about what’ll happen when I blow into the shack. Who’d be the one to fyame those fancy charges?” _ . “Betty, of course,” Natalie pointed out. Platt returned her look with a leer. “Listen, sister,” he said. “When-or if —those charges are made, how will I treat ’em? Will I put up any kind of scrap, or get all hot an’ bothered?” His expression changed to one of confidence. “No.” he -said decisively. “I'll laugh. An’ then I’ll be sad. Reproachful, but chival'rus. That'll be me—glancin’ at Betty big-eyed with sorrow but even

though it looked like she was goin’ to lose her reg’lar sweetie, she could stage a frame-up to send an innocent man to the coop.” A glimmering of his scheme began to penetrate her mind. As she visualised it, worthy of the brain that planned it. “Go on,” she said tensely. “Until I come to face a jury,” Platt went on, “I’ll be that nobly silent I’ll attract the attention of the Press of the whole North American continent. Charlie Peabody who runs the Lurgen’s Landing Pioneer’s is a friend of mine. He owes me money, and he’s special correspondent • for four Nev/ York and two London newspapers. If I can’t get him to believe I’m keepin’ silent to save a woman’s honour I’ll have lost my voice and Charlie’ll have Ibst his fountain pen.” Natalie, her brows knitted in concentration, said, dcily: “What are you trying to tell me?” He threw back his head, his succession of chins quivering with laughter. “The same as, with deep regret, I’ll be persuaded to tell the jury,” he said. “If, that is, the case is ever tried, though I’ve a kind of notion that when I come to outline the defence, Sergeant Bleteo’ll sort of withdraw his charges.” He ticked off the various points on his fingers as he made them. “First I'll say that Stag an’ me were on Fourflush Island before ever Champneys an’ Tim Saville blew in; we only beat it to the opposite island when we saw them cornin’. Second; that after they’d left you signalled us with a light in the window to come back; thatd all been fixed before we left. Third; that after two or three days you an’ me decided to take a little joy-trip, leavin’ Betty an’ Stag in the shack; and that on the trip'l made you the offer for the island an’ it was all fixed up.” There was such gloating in the scheme that Natalie would not give him. the satisfaction of showing the horror she felt. Instead, she said contemptuously: “Very pretty indeed. Worthy of you, in fact.” -

“You bet your sweet life it’s pretty,” Platt admitted modestly. “It’s a wow, this scheme is, I’ll broadcast the world. But let me tell you how it goes on?” “Charmed,” said Natalie. “In the meanwhile,” Platt resumed. “Betty’s quarrelled with Stag an’ he's beat' it in a temper. She don’t love him no more. When I blow in she goes the chance of gettin’ back at Stag an’ making herself solid with Tim at one an’ the same time.” ; According to his conception the idea was brilliant. But apart from the fact that it was destined to fall to pieces because he would not be arrested for kidnapping, but for murder, there was one bad flaw. “But when they come to fetch me from —wherever I am,” she said, “I shall . . • He interrupted: • “They won’t fetch you,” he said. “You’ll have left me soon’s ever you collected the money for the property. Or,” he/corrected, “that’s the tale they’ll get from me, anyway.”CHAPTER XXXIL IN PLAIT’S CLUTCHES, “You Intend to leave me on an island —all alone—possibly to starve?” she demanded. He shook his head with shocked negation. “Starve nothing!” he said emphatically. “There'll be grub to last a month or six weeks.”

“And after that?” she questioned. "I guess someone’ll happen across-you all right," he said vaguely. His blatant, confidence in a plot that relied for its success upon th 4 public branding' of two clean-run girls as treacherous wantons revolted and sickened her. In her exhausted condition the large fat face which from, only half a canoe’s, length was leering into her own, loomed satyr-like; unclean and wicked. She shuddered to think what her fate would be if he even began to suspect that she knew him for the murderer he was.

“But there’lb be no trial,” he went on complacently. “There’ll be everything against, and nothing for, putting me on the stand.” He waved a fat hand carelessly. “Of course the police—Kit Champneys and Tim Saville and Bletso—will know I’m putting up a bluff, but they’ll know as well that no jury in Canada ’ed convict us on the unsupported testimony of a soured an’ disappointed female. Bletso an’ TimTl be only too glad to call it a day—so’s not to broadcast it as Betty’s been livin’ alone with Stag.” According to the sign-manual of the criminal, he was qu.ite indifferent as to what might happen to her. She thought it time this was brought to his attention. “And all this time I shall be alone where you left me.. Or, what is worse, with Stagsden,” she added. He nodded his head in confirmation. “With Stag,”, he ■ said. “For a while, anyway.” “Why?” she asked, for the thought appalled her. ’ , “Why?” he echoed derisively. “Because soon’s I’m through at. Lurgen’s Landin’ I’ll come straight back an’ fetch him, ah’ we’ll go search Fourflush together.” He paused: "With any person else/’ he said slowly at last, “I’d hate to take a chance on leavin’ ’im there with a perfectly good canoe—they might stick around until he judged the yeller-leg’s taken me off, an’ then take a notion, to pay a solo call at the shack. But with Stag. . , /’ He shrugged his shoulders. “Why ar’nt you afraid with him?” she asked.

He ground a grimy, spatulate thumb into his other palm. “Because,”'he said, “I’ve got him there. Brainy fella, Stag, but kinder timid, and once he was to double-cross me he’d know—”his mouth curved downward in a scowl that was sheerly devilish—“there isn’t a place on God’s green earth as ’ud hide him from me.” She knew that this was true. That the lesser rogue was terrified of his guiding spirit was too self-evident to need comment. She said coldly: “You’ll fetch him and leave me behind?” “Bless your heart, my dear,” he assured her comfortably, “someone’ll happen across you all right. I shouldn’t wonder if you didn’t get'your property back, too, so’s you’ll be able to work your claim. I’ll be gone, anyway; I was never one for long grass, and once I lay hands on that cachet it’s me for the white lights. Paris maybe—or Buenos Aires.” “Why not New York or Chicago?” Natalie asked, curious as to what his reaction would be to the query. “You’re American, a ren’t yo u? ” He frowned, looking at her suspicious- 7 ly. Then, as if reassured, he smiled. “Say, I know those two little old burgs like I know the back of my hand. And London. Paris, too, for that matter, but that’s different. More foreign like. And yet . . He lapsed into frowning deliberation, as if on a question to which he had not yet reached decision. “Buenos Aires, now,” he went on—“ Well, you’ve to travel to get there, an’ I like that fine. It’s a good city, too, they tell me.” They had started just after midnight, and going at a speed, she judged, of not less than ten miles an hour, and he was not pushing his engine. So they had made a distance of at least fifty miles. During the next hour Platt was silent.

which was unusual; he was of the garrulous type of ruffian which is secretive only in what concerns their own material He seemed to be turning something over in his mind, for he was frowming heavily. She imagined it was as to his destination when he had found the gold. Then a thought rose to her mind. For though for her own purpose she had every intention of falling in with his wishes, that he took his ascendency over her so much for granted angered her more than a little. (To be continued).