LOVE WINS THROUGH

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16505, 5 August 1919, Page 8

LOVE WINS THROUGH

By BEN BOLT, Author of “The Lady of the Miniature, “Love Finds the Clue,” “The Sin of Silence,” etc., etc.

i POWERFUL STORY OF ROMANCE I AND MYSTERY.

CHAPTER. VIII. That same evening, John Arcott, walking thoughtfully in an open space between the. nuts, was spoken to by a warder. “Monsieur, kindly walk to the end of the road where the big palm stands, and await me there. I have a word that I w ould whisper, and 1 would not be seen whilst I speak.” John Arcott flashed a quick look of inquiry at him, and the warder nodded ins head. “Oui, monsieur. It is to help the escape.” Escape I, As ho walked slowly down the ro.ul John Arcott's heart drammed gaily. His escape was being arranged. There- was someone who knew his whereabouts, someone who was interested in him. who was working for his deliverance. Who was it? Even as he asked himself the question, he guessed the answer, and was sure that it was the girl lor whose sake, he had risked death ami suffered this incarceration at lie Aon. And now he was to be free, free to find her, free to clear up the mystery on which but an hour helorc a terrible light had been thrown. He was consumed with impatience to prove the truth of his sunn iso as to the identity of his deliverer, and when he reached the groat palm and found the warder awaiting him, his first question had to do with that. “Who pays you?’’ lie demanded. “That, it is not permissible to tell,” replied the warder. “Indeed, the name is unknown to me, hut if the question was asked 1 was instructed to say to monster that Joan Arcott would himself know.” He himself would know! He did, of course, he did! He laughed with gladness at this confirmation of his own thought. He had no doubts whatever, for only the girl whose grey eyes had mot his over tlie murdered man know the truth, “Monsieur understands?” inquired the warder. “Yes, I understand,” answered Arcott lightly. “Then if monsieur pleases we will arrange the details.” The warder spoke at some length, and John Arcott listened carefully. At the end he looked at the warder thoughtfully. “This is much trouble for one man to escape,” he said, “Suppose there was another ” “Another, monsieur?”

“Yes, 1 have a friend. Once away from lie Xon ho could pay—a thousand francs possibly.”

Tho warder smiled. “It could be arranged—for a thousand francs. But monsieur understands? IVith two tho chances a> - o lessened, the dangers arc increased.” “I understand. I am prepared to fare tho danger—for my friend’s sake!” “Monsieur is loyal,” replied the warder easily, “and he may bring his friend if he will, but the friend must follow tho plan ns carefully ns monsieur himself.” “That he will do!” answered Arcott. “Then monsieur, an revoir, until wo meet at the river whore the three palms stand, where will he the horses. Bonne chance!”

The warder turned away, and John Arcott hurried hack to the hut with hia great nows. Henri listened carefully, and at the cud offered comment.

“It is a- good plan. Onco wo get the horses, there is a path over tho hills. AVe can go with speed, wo shall reach tho little bay wdicre the boat is before the authorities are aware of our escape.” lie broke off and flashed a smile at tho portrait of Stella Sherwood. “Yonr beautiful mademoiselle is what you call a brick, mon ami. And it was so good of you to think of me. Think! For eight months I have dreamed of this and. 1 now, it has come. This very night! Mon Dion! It is great!” They waited impatiently for the hour which the warder had given, and when the great hell ef tho prison tolled' the hour of nine they prepared to start. Bcfo.ro they left Henri pointed to the sketch of Stella. “A T ou will not leave the beautiful mademoiselle in prison, mon ami?” “No!” answered Arcott smilingly, and taking down the sketch he rolled it carefully and disposed, it in his tunic, and after a last look round they started. The night was yet dark, but a light above the hills heralded the rising moon, ! and they hurried forward cautiously. ! Presently the Frenchman laid a detninj mg hand on John Areott’s arm. j “The sentinel,” he. whispered, “I j thought you said——” i “Ho is removed!” ; “No! he is there. 1 see him.” i A moment after they had convincing I proof that Henri was right, for out of I tho darkness in front sounded a voice singing a native song. “He is a. Kanaka!” said the Frenchman, quickly. “But lie ought not to he there,” whispered Arcott. “I understood tho warder to say ” “AAdiat matter ? AA r e do not return for a Kanaka. No! AA’ait, Jean, and I will show you a way to dispose of him. Ho comes this way.” John Arcott waited a little breathlessly, and tho scr,,tin,el approached the bushes where they crouched. Within two yards of them he came to a standstill, looking in the direction of the prison, silent now, as if listening for soraetliing. In that moment Henri launched himself unon him and boro him to tho ground, choking him in silence. Arcott sprang to his assistance,, and in a few minutes the Kanaka, was gagged, and bound. They moved forward 1 once more, Henri carrying tho Kanaka’s rifle, and they had gone but a little way when over the hills came the rim of the moon, sending a, soft light across the earth. The Frenchman looked at it and shook his head. “X do not like it. It is not a night for an escape. One does not need the moon to light the way to liberty. Never, theless —forward —my friend.” They hurried onward. Presently they reached a neighbourhood where a second sentry should have been, and advanced more cautiously. “He is not there. It is as I told you,” said Arcott. “The warder has arranged it, Henri. The Kanaka was but an accident.” . “Yes,” answered l Henri. “An accident, but ” He broko off abruptly as tho sound of a "im shattered tho stillness, and tho reverberations of it went rolling among i the hills. t “It is a warning!” he cried, “Hurry, 1 mon ami ,our escape is discovered.” j Tucy plunged forward almost recklessi ly; and after some twenty minutes’ hard

going reached a little creek that led to the river, and to the point whore the horses should be waiting. There were trees and bushes here, and the shadow of them offered cover. They pushed on and as the crook opened out Henri was in front. A narrow space clear of trees presented itself, and ns they broke into it, in the same instant, both became aware of two men standing with levelled rifles. Arcott recognised one of them for the warder who five hours before had arranged his escape, and cried out to him. A short, cruel laugh answered him, then the two rifles eraoked, Henri fell forward on bis face, but Arcott, uninjured. swung round in his tracks and made for the cover of the trees. As be ran one word was beating soundlessly in his brains. Treachery! Treachery! At the precise moment when Hie gun rolled its warning to the prison sentries, telling that some of the eondemned had broken prison, a man was seated on the verandah or a hotel on the outskirts of Noumea. He was leaning forward, almost crouching. and (here was a tenseness in his attitude that must have arrested anyone who had chanced to observe him. As the gun roared through the quiet night, he looked up, suddenly, and the moonlight falling upon them revealed the features of Sir Phillip Arcott. “Off. By 1' 1 he whispered. He stood up. still listening, his eyes staring towards tho distant outlines of, the convict settlement as though ho could sec what was happening there amid tiiose ominous shadows, He .stood' so for quite, a, long time, and then faint. Jy on me night wind sounded a couple of rifle shots, followed shortly after by a third, then silence foil again.He seated himself again in tho chair, and with snaking hand poured himself a glass of wine from a bottle that stood on the little table near at hand. He drained it, and poured a second, then ho lit a cigarette, and the light of tho match falling on his handsome face revealed its extreme pallor. For more than an hour lie sat there, sipping wins', smoking innumerable cigarettes, listening to tho groat organ noto of the Pacific and watching the shimmer of tho moonlight on its wide waters. A curtain at the far end of the verandah was lifted and a waiter approached and asked him a. question. “Vos,” ho answered, “bring him hero, and bring also a now botttle of wine.” “Yes, monsieur.” Two or three minutes later tho waiter returned with the wine. A man in uniform accompanied him —tho warder who had arranged with John Arcott for tho escape of himself and his friend. As tho man saluted, Sir Phillip waved him into a chair set conveniently close to his own, and, as the half-caste waiter withdrew, looked carefully along tho verandah. They were alone, and the window next to them was closed. “Well?” ho asked, in a tense, low voice. “It is accomplished, monsieur,” replied tho warder, helping himself to wine. “Tell me how it was done?” whispered tho baronet. “There is little to toll, monsieur. Ho broke away as I arranged and made for the place where I and a. friend awaited him. We fired, but, not mortally hurt, he turned to flee, i fired again, and — that is all monsieur.” “And no one knows? No one will suspect?” “How should anyone, monsieur? It is not unusual fov a. prisoner to be shot trying to escape. And no one. will trouble. Why should they? A prisoner more or less at Ho Nou is nothing.” “You are quite sure he is dead?” “Parhlen! Yes. A stone is not more dead. If monsieur would like to see the, body, it may bo aramged. There- -will be a little difficulty, but ” “No! No!” answered the baronet hurriedly, then feeling in his pocket ho produced a bundle of notes and laid it on the table. Tire warder picked it up, slipped tho rubber band and counted the notes. Then he nodded. “Thank you, monsieur. Now I will go. The hour is late.” He saluted, and after he had departed the baronet sat for a long time, staring at tho moonlit ocean with fathomless eyes. (Continued daily.)