Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY 27 "Nothing! I've been screwing that p and down all morning to get adjusting lent." "Etherington" — she faced him sudlenly — ''why don't you want me to use • le wireless this morning? Why, is — :e . there any one in communication whom :.: ou don't want to talk to ?" "Oh, the ways of a woman's mind!'' 'inckney laughed. "Save me from . lem ! I told you the thing is out of .■ rder; and I said I think we should x o and see your father. Coming?" Yes, coming!" The girl hesitated, nd then hurried past him. He fol>wed her until they reached Mr. Duant at the stern, it: "My dear!" Her father put his arm bout her affectionately. "And — ah, .therington! I was just waiting to ask ou something that occurred to me ;:hout the new government guns — the . Iheinstrum royalties, you know. Draw jMj p a chair and sit down. No, Frances, j ly dear, you needn't wait." Almost before she was dismissed, the : irl had slipped down the companion-ay to her cabin. Thus concealed from ef,jhe two in the stern, she was soon in ne wireless room again, her fingers nding the loosened plug from which ,hey had twice been taken away. She wisted it tight, with some difficulty, imiling mischievously, she pressed down jj flhe key, and heard the soft, rasping hiss :e.:s the powerful blue spark leaped again ki , cross the gap, and the current rushed p the wires to spread the signaling : ..aves out over the sea in every direc'ion. "As-sh! Ash! A-a-ash !" She -started the volley of the general call ijn the general code, and felt, with a yingle of blood to her cheeks, that her ): [ ignal was flying far, far beyond that ;:mpty horizon which ringed her all ; bout, and was finding — what Pinckjiey had tried to prevent her from inding. "Asp! A-asp !" she rasped .igain, glancing defiantly toward the tern, where her father held Etherngton helpless. She repeated the call rapidly, and ifted her fingers from the keys to isten. "Tap ! Ta-ap ! Tap !" She fancied he heard an answering tremble in the eceptors. Her quivering fingers pressed lack the wavy brown hair from her ears, is she adjusted the telephone receiving lrums of the Marconi detector. "Oh ! So there was — there is some one within communication. Oh !" She trembled excitedly as she made out the answer clearly : "U. S. S. ! United States ship San — Juan! Off — Samar. What is that? Oh, of course; that means 'acknowledge call,' and asks who we are." "Irvessa, yacht." Her fingers had flown to the key. Mr. George Durant, Pennsylvania, for the Philippines !" she answered. "Welcome, Mr. Durant !" came the answer, and then, after a pause, "Heard were coming to Philippines, but scarcely expected visit within communication zone. Can we be of any service?" "Thank you, San Juan." Frances found herself trembling and strangely confused by those slow, steady little taps which spoke to her so easily. "You see, I am just Miss Durant, calling for fun. Please excuse poor sending and disturbing you !" In her confusion she had forgotten her first purpose in calling. "Thank you for letting know you are in our department, Miss Durant." The answer spelled itself steadily back to the girl, as she bent almost breathlessly forward to listen for the reply from that unseen little ship, guarding those first islands far beyond the rim of the horizon. "Advise if can do anything." The communication was now more personal. "I am one apologize stupid sending. But, you see" — the little taps were talking to her — "government does not detail special operators for third-class converted cruisers." "Who are you? I mean, you sending?" Frances found her fingers signaling, as she colored furiously. "I beg pardon. Lieutenant Sommers, lieutenant commander San Juan. Transport Mongolian, bringing troops to Mindanao, wirelessed me last week Mr. Durant leaving Guam on yacht. On chance you might be visiting southern islands before Manila, was signaling for you this morning. Where are you bound?" "For Manila, lieutenant — San Juan." The girl had recollected herself. "But before going to Manila we want to go and land at B " "Frances !" A sharp cry made her snatch her hand away from the key. "What are you doing?" Pinckney stood before her, glowering as she arose with flaming face to meet him. "I have been trying to find out why you untwisted that plug and did not want me to use the wireless this morning." "Whom have you been talking with?" he demanded, scarcely able to contain himself, as he picked up the record tape which showed what she had received. "With the United States cruiser San Juan — the guard boat, as I believe you told me yourself a little while ago, about Samar, Bagol, and Mindanao. I have been talking more particularly, as I see you are reading from the tape for yourself, with Lieutenant Sommers. He had heard about us, and was signaling to find us this morning. Now, why didn't you want me to signal the San Juan, or let him know we are going to Bagol before Manila?" "Did you tell him that, Frances?" "No! But why shouldn't I? And why didn't you want me to use the current this morning?'' "I'll tell you now." Pinckney had recovered, and composed himself. He finished reading the tape, and laid it down. "He told you he was calling for us earlier this morning. Well, he was !" Pinckney pulled out the crumpled tape which he had put into his pocket, and showed it to the girl before he tore it to pieces. "But at Guam, where they told us about those gold finds, I was warned against this Sommers." "Warned against him?" "Yes. He is a blackguard, who would be out of the navy now but for his influence and friends — who were just able to keep him from being disgraced by having him marooned down here on this pot of a gunboat on the Bagol patrol. I was warned that he would make every effort to meet us if he found us, and that he would make some sort of a gallery play to get in with us — particularly if he found that you were on board, Frances. So I didn't answer him ; and, as he might very easily tell that you — a woman, that is — were sending I tried to prevent you from even communicating with him by wireless, as well as I could. "Now, about Bagol. I know that it is still safe enough for me to land there with a sailor or two for escort. But I knew that if I told this fellow we were going there, he would insist upon escorting us, for the purpose of meeting you. "I want to apologize, Frances, for my manner in coming here ; but I had taken some trouble to spare you the annoy