Page 97 (1/2)

Miss Helena E froood as he ith

artichokes; but we ate apart, the ladies not co to our table It

was late afternoon before I saw Helena again, oncein a steaainst her

hand, and looking out across the water at the passing shipping She

sat ure, the poise

of her tender curved chin, wistful and unhappy, although she said no

word For myself, I did not accost her I, too, looked up and down the

great river, not knowing at what ed for nothing so ht or Peterson

would come

He did come at last, late in the afternoon, on an outbound train, and

he hurried aboard as rapidly as hehe did was

to hand h,

already well assured of what news it e, black head, was a despatch fro other despatches received at that point, from

many points between Plaquimine and Bayou Sara These, in short, told

the story of the h-handed attempt at river piracy known in

recent years The private yacht of Calvin Davidson, a wealthy northern

business man, on his way South for the winter, had been seized by a

band of masked ruffians, who boarded her while the yacht's oas

temporarily absent on important business in the city of Natchez These

ruffians, abandoning their own boat, had at once gone on down-strea under advice

by wire from Mr Davidson, on his way down from Natchez The robber