Linda Carlton's Ocean Flight

by Edith Lavell

  CHAPTER XI

  _Prisoners_

  When the shot of the gun rang through the woods, the startled girlsheard scampering feet behind them, and knew that the animal, whateverit was, had been frightened away. Again they had had a marvelousescape, for they might have been wounded by the unseen hunter's gun.What irony it would have been, to jump from an airplane in parachutes,only to be killed by a human hand!

  Desperately they clung to each other, satisfied now by the answeringcall that there would be more shots until they were located. Rescue wassurely at hand; the question now arose: what sort of human being hadthem at his mercy?

  They remained motionless, waiting for their fate, as the footsteps camenearer. At last they were able to distinguish the shaggy outline of aman in a fur coat.

  "Who's there?" he called.

  Both girls breathed a sigh of relief, as they heard the words inEnglish. Surely they were safe now!

  "Two girls--from a wrecked airplane.... Lost," replied Linda.

  "Oh, can you give us shelter, please?" begged Louise.

  The stranger came towards them, and they looked into the face of amiddle-aged man, rough and hard, but civilized.

  "Yes. You can come into my lodge.... This is a cold night to be lost inthese northern woods."

  "Dreadful!" shivered Louise. "We thought we were done for."

  "What happened to your plane?"

  "We sprung a leak in our gas tank. We had to jump, and it went up inflames."

  "Too bad," muttered the man.

  Nothing more was said for a few minutes, and the girls walked painfullyon, guided by their companion. At last they came to a small cabin, withan oil lamp lighted inside. It looked like Heaven to Linda and Louise.

  "I'll give you some food, and let you have the place for the night,"offered the man, generously. "I was going off anyhow."

  "Oh, no!" protested Linda. "We mustn't drive you out in the cold!"And, seeing that the cabin had two rooms--a living-room and a kitchen,she immediately added, "We can easily sleep in the kitchen."

  "No, I expect to be out all night anyway." He went out into the kitchenand made them some hot coffee, and fried bacon and produced crackersand a can of beans.

  "Nothing in my life ever tasted half so good!" cried Louise,gratefully, as she ate ravenously, while her host stood there a momentwatching both of the girls.

  "Now tell me," he said, "what you two young ladies were doing flying aplane up here on the border in the dead of winter?"

  "We've been to Canada," explained Linda, "to visit a Convent where somenuns make this lovely lace-work." She took her handkerchief out of herpocket, and showed it to the man, though she realized it would not bepossible for him to appreciate it. "My father buys this, and sells itagain."

  "Oh, ho!" exclaimed the man, significantly, opening his eyes and hismouth wide, knowingly. "I see."

  "What do you see?" asked Louise, sharply.

  "Nothing--nothing," he muttered. "I must be off--I have to get intouch with a man I know tonight--across the woods." His tone changedabruptly. "I don't want you girls to stir from here till I get back!You understand?"

  "You mean you want us to go on eating all night?" remarked Louise,ignoring the seriousness of his tone. The coffee had made her feelgood; she wanted to laugh and joke.

  "No. I mean you're not to leave the cabin, till I get back in themorning."

  "We won't!" Linda assured him. "Nothing could induce us to, in all thiscold. We'd never find our way, and besides, we want to pay for ourlodging. Can you--could you find a way to get us to a train tomorrow?"

  "I'll take care of you," he replied, with a queer smile, but neitherLinda nor Louise noticed. They were too tired now for anything butsleep.

  As soon as he was gone, they decided to turn in. There was only onenarrow cot in the cabin, but there were three blankets, and they knewthey would not mind sleeping in close quarters. It was so good to bewarm, and fed, alive!

  Linda was the first to awaken the following morning, and for a moment,as she looked about her at the unfamiliar surroundings, she couldnot recall where she was. The strange little hut, with the big stonefireplace, where now only ashes remained of last night's fire, thecrude couch on which she and Louise were huddled so close together, thetrophies about the unfinished walls. And outside the icy windows, adesolate country, covered with snow.

  "Hurry up, Lou!" she cried, waking her companion. "Let's get washedup before that man comes back! Funny, we never thought to ask him hisname!"

  "We were too tired," replied the other girl, rubbing her eyes."Honestly I never was so nearly dead in my life."

  "It was because we saw no hope of resting. Just going on and on--orfreezing. How do your feet feel this morning?"

  "Terrible!" Louise leaned over and examined them. "They're dreadfullyswollen. I'll never be able to walk, and how can we get to civilizationif we don't?"

  "Maybe our friend will dig up some horses. Or an airplane. If there isany place to land."

  "An airplane!" repeated Louise, as she laboriously, started to pullon her stockings. "Linda, do you feel very terrible about losing theArrow?"

  "Of course I'm dreadfully sorry, but I think I should be ungrateful ifI thought too much about that--after our lucky escape. Besides, I feelpretty certain I'll get another one now. If Daddy can pull out of hisbusiness troubles, we can order that Bellanca."

  The girls finished their dressing and set the room to rights, so thateverything would be comfortable and neat when their host returned. Thenthey started a fire in the fireplace with some kindling and logs thatwere in readiness, and proceeded to the kitchen, to clear up theirsupper dishes, and to cook some breakfast. Fortunately there was plentyof food, and they enjoyed their hot meal. But they were not so ravenousas they had been the night before.

  "I wish that man would hurry," remarked Linda, as she put the cleandishes away. "I'd like to get somewhere to wire Ted. When he didn't geta telegram last night, he probably thought something had happened tous, and maybe he'll send out a searching party today."

  "That's true," agreed Louise. "Good old Ted!... But what about yourAunt Emily? Do you think she will worry?"

  "Not yet. Because she didn't expect us to wire every night. Sheprobably thinks we're visiting some friends in Plattsburg."

  They went back to the living-room, and settled themselves comfortablybefore the open fire, enjoying the warmth and cheer of the blaze.Linda's wrist-watch, which was still going in spite of its fall throughthe air, proclaimed it to be ten o'clock when a knock finally soundedat the door.

  She sprang up and unfastened the bolt. It was their rescuer, withanother man, also in a fur coat. Two horses stood outside, covered withblankets.

  "How are you today?" asked the owner of the cabin, genially.

  "Just fine!" replied Linda, gayly. "Thanks to your hospitality!"

  "Meet Sergeant Bradshaw," said the man rather brusquely, as he and hiscompanion stepped inside and closed the door. "Your names----?"

  "Linda Carlton and Louise Haydock," replied the former.

  "Well, Sergeant," explained their host, turning to the other man,"these are the young ladies.... But, as I told you, they've lost theirplane now, so they'll probably tell you they are ready to reform."

  "Reform?" repeated Louise, thinking that the man was teasing them. Buthe was not smiling; and his companion was regarding them with a mostscornful expression.

  "They'll reform all right," sneered the latter. "Under lock and key!"

  For the first time a shiver of fear crept over Linda. Was their rescuerbad, after all? Did he mean to kidnap her and her chum?

  "What do you mean?" demanded Louise, in a tone of challenge.

  "What I say!" thundered the sergeant, displaying his badge. "I arrestyou two young ladies as smugglers! I am going to take you both to jail!"

  "Smugglers?" repeated Linda, aghast.

  "Yes. You know all about it. Don't look innocent! We've had wind forover a month of the fact that a plane was taking some
thing from Canadato Plattsburg, but we just found out last week what it was--_Frenchlace_! And a girl has been flying it!"

  Instantly both Linda and Louise understood what had happened. They werebeing arrested for Bess Hulbert's crime!

  "But neither of us is the girl you're after--the girl that's guilty!"protested Louise. "That girl flew a gray Moth!"

  "Yeah? And how do we know your plane wasn't a gray Moth? How are yougoing to prove that? And didn't you admit you'd just come from thatConvent, and didn't you show my friend Marshall here, some of thegoods?"

  "But those are our own things!" cried Louise. "Bought in Columbus,Ohio!"

  "Oh, yeah? Well, I don't happen to believe that.... What I do know, isyou didn't stop at the border for the regular search, did you?"

  "We didn't know you had to.... We didn't even know the border when wecame to it," remarked Linda, bitterly.

  "No? Well, you can tell that to the judge!" replied the sergeant, witha smirk. "I guess you don't even know yet whether you're in the U.S.or not?"

  "No, as a matter of fact, we don't."

  "Innocent little things!" he sneered, sarcastically. "Rats! What's theuse of wasting time? Come on!"

  "Won't you even listen to our story?" begged Linda.

  "You can save it for the judge! We've got a couple of horses out here,and we're each taking one of you along. Get your coats on--and hustle!"

  Meekly Linda did as she was told, biting her lips to keep back thetears, but Louise was furiously angry.

  "You just wait!" she sputtered. "You'll make a public apology for this,when our fathers hear about it."

  "Listen to the little spit-fire!" drawled the sergeant, in a nastytone. Then, turning to the other man, "Listen, Marshall, I don't thinkwe better try to take these two girls on our horses--especially thislittle cat here." He pointed rudely at Louise. "She might scratch! Andit's none too easy traveling in this kind of weather.... Their trialwon't come up for a month or so, anyway, so we might as well lock 'emin here as anywhere till we see fit to get 'em. You don't need thecabin, do you?"

  "No, I can go over with Hendries."

  "Well, the windows are barred. Besides, if they tried to escape, theywould only get lost, and freeze or starve to death. Suppose we leave'em here to think over their crime, and maybe after a few days or so,they'll be more ready to confess."

  "But we have to wire our folks!" cried Linda, in dismay.

  "You ought to have thought of that before you tried your tricks.If it's your father you're working for, he knows what to expect.Smuggling's serious business, young woman!"

  "But we didn't----"

  "So I've heard you say before, but lady, that don't get you anywhereswith me.... Marshall, you go and get wood and see that there's enoughoil and water and food to last about four days. I'll stay here andwatch 'em till you get back."

  Linda and Louise did not believe anyone could be so cruel, so inhumanas this man--not even willing to listen to their story. But he was soentirely convinced of their guilt, that he probably thought he wasjustified. After all, the punishment wouldn't have been too severe ifhe had caught the right person--Bess Hulbert. But how unfair it was forthem!

  "Won't you please send my father a telegram?" begged Linda, with tearsin her eyes.

  "Are you ready to confess?" countered the sergeant.

  "We can't confess what we haven't done!" she protested.

  "Then your father will have to wait. He'll know in about four days,when we bring a plane to take you away."

  "Oh!" gasped Linda, realizing the horrible anxiety this decisionwould cause so many people dear to herself and Louise. Dropping downon the couch, she buried her head in her hands, and did not look upagain until the men had gone, and locked and barred the door fromthe outside. Then she broke into uncontrollable weeping, and Louise,clasping her arms about her, cried too.

  "There is only one redeeming thing about it," said Louise, after amoment. "We're together."

  "If we weren't," sobbed Linda, "I think we should lose our minds!"

  But already Louise was looking about, trying to figure out some meansof escape.

  "The thing that makes me maddest," she remarked, "is the delay incatching Bess Hulbert. She'll probably make a get-away before we cannotify your father."

  "I don't think so," answered Linda, sitting up and resolutely dryingher eyes. "Don't forget, Bess thinks we probably went up in flames withthe Arrow. And when nothing is heard of us for five days, she'll bepositive.... No, my bet is that she'll go right on with her smugglingand stealing Daddy's business."

  Her companion admitted that she was right. And all they could do wassit here and wait for those horrible men to return!

  It was a problem of course, how to amuse themselves, for there was noradio, or music of any kind, and there were no books on the shelves.When they had gotten over their first despair, they tried putting theirwits together and manufacturing some sort of occupation. And theythought of various things, of giving each other exercises, and playingguessing games, making up new recipes for the ingredients that were inthe kitchen store-closet.

  But, try as they did to be cheerful, the hours dragged, and four daysstretched out as interminably before them.