No Man's Land A ROMANCE By Louis Joseph Vance Dustrations by Ray Walters { Copyright, 1910, by Louis Joseph Vance.) SYNOPSIS. Coast, a young man of New meels Douglas Blackstock, who He accepts Garrett York (Chiy. invites him to a card party although he dislikes Blackstock, the rea gor heing that both are in love with Kath erine Thaxter Coast falls to convince her that Blackstock 8 unworthy of her friendship At the party Coast meets two named Dundas and Van Tuyl There is 8 quarrel, and Blackstock shoots Van Tuy! dead Coast struggles to wrest the weapon from him. thus the police dis cover them Coast is arrested for murder He is convicted, but as he begins his sen tence. Dundas names Rlackstock as the Sardar und kilis himself. Const be com free. but Blackstock has married Katherine Thaxter and fled Coast pur- chase » & vacht and while sailing sees a man thrown from a distant boat He res the follow who is named Applevard arrive - a lonely island, Known as ’ eX some a man uptiy the stant Cos forcing harshly, intonation and erky door to--abr with a betrayed tary hearer; this certain jangl ves: an involun we its after human on ster had hour icome to all, with being of blood pictured of the Jniession mos Was, all its viclousness, a no such nerve! and as Aj 83 Il le ¥ ard rative of the } or even figure the man brooding on op ns had long as Coast to in his of © Wh Who's 1opeless that What he cried the devil—" ontrol withheld his nt Then, : sald quietly arted at and C slightly, That's reply “Mr sound aA Ww oast J gov “The start! OCK ed steadily Sorry 1 i'd be expecting Expecting you! patiently “But, me." Blackstock damn who ve your a name? ide, of cours ved are m ya? Can't you g self “Why, Handy tone was a $0 oast’s perfection of po irely,” it seemed u must've been looking Distrusting delberately al fiections, he was at pains ply was not his habit; only way he could disguise his He watching Blackstock closely, alert a sign of recognition in the man's lon, Somewhat t none ‘1 come here and rel night,” he continued ‘Came this morning to New Bedford and" The words froze upon his lips. door to his left had opened: stood there, watching, listening parently she had started to without any suspicion that band was not talking to one of servants, and In her astonishment had stopped. The figure of the man surprise to 1¥ YO for arti to as speak cri #1 the ich bein think of to voice Was for express be detected to iast down A got orders feve Power Ap enter | | i Cogat removed his sou wester and upon his face. “Yes, ma'am,” he sald, “I'm the new opera tor. “How d'you do?’ He contrived to keep his tone coolly respectful and but his eyes were plead: to her contour was by the broad turned-down brim of a sou” wester. Yet Coast thought to discern a deathless apprehension in her pose, a mute but infinitely pitiful question in her eyes. And his heart stood still, for the crucial Instant was imminent: in another minute, two at most, she would know him. And then . . .? “Well?” Blackstock roused him. “What you stopping for? [I'm listen Ing!” “1 beg pardon.” Coast tugged at the button on the chinstrap of his sou wester. “The lady there , . . | didn’t know 2 Blackstock turned his head impa- Silently, moving his sightless eyes In the direction of Katherine. “Oh,” Le sald, “my wife" The woman moved quickly into the room. “Yes, she seid, still with ber eyes to the stranger. “It Is I, Doug: las. 1 didn’t know--1 fancied one of the servants , . .“ “This Is Mr. Hand yside,” Blackstock told her sharply, as If irritated by the interruption; "he's to take Power's place" man lives in the hope of a reprieve. ‘She knew him now; his action In had hastened slightly the set with eyes that blazed with of terror. but though he feared she to faint, dared not move to her as glstance. Indeed, there was no need; she was fashioned of sterner stuff; though every atom of her being shud- dered, she remained mistress of her self, been damning; she knew that and her answer fell pat to speak “Good evening.” she sald so admira- bly that there was even a hint of lan guid Indifference in her volce. “You have surprised us, Mr. Handyside.” “Lord, yes!” Blackstock broke “It's hard to believe. D'vou mean to tell me you made the run through this storm?” The blood flowed back Into Coast's heart He flashed the woman a look thanks, but her gaze was blank as met his, and he knew that as yet au- {to nor delayed ft The was it was not “Well,” he sald, half-laugh, “I'm a blow, that's frightened: ['ve but they were awakening to come be long yet past, with here, real situation yet her would care'ess tee, It is Had me storms decks a you a fact seen from some the of { | | | | lefthand side of the channe!—forget the name of the island it makes ofl from.” Coast hesitated In assumed perplex in acual trepidation more acute to himself “Pasque, you mean?" “That's It.” But though his story sec¢med to be credited, the tension held unrelaxed; Katherine from her shock and to take second thought? primal impulse shield him, his deception, mad concept of duty force her to ex- both? He could not keep his eyes from her. Not a detail of her attitude es- caped him, not a convulsive movement of her hand (in whose rosy hollow lay is life and hers) She stood unmoving by the table, one hand touching it for support. Meanwhile he heard himself talking, glibly to Blackstock's them “But then? "Pure luck. We'd been stuck about half an hour when a fisherman—fel- low named Wise, trom Vineyard Ha- ven—came along, trying to beat the storm home We hailed him and he luffed up to us—he could do that with his boat, a light-draught Cape Cod cat; and | offered him a tenspot to bring me on You uflderstood it was an emergency case He held back a bit, but the sight of the money fetched him: and he earned It i take that trip again for a dollars.” then him?” . ha didn’t how the devil'd you get here, see, | hundred “Well, YY But what's be of “Oh, gald he C4 back to dare his eave boat her for went to “Lucky to Get to to unfasien get here began acky gteamships.”™ He the ollskin coat i at all, I gu “That's tru weather I get Finn and chance.” “They ous I'm you Hecksher or