Wild Norene by Johnston McCulley
Page 2
at a man, eh? If I was in the woman-taming
This man knew—he knew.
business, I’d make her look at me. Pretty,
And, across the table, Senor eh?”
Guerrero muttered a good Spanish oath that
“Like a picture,” said one of the
has no just equivalent in English and men. “I really saw her once.”
started to rise from his chair.
“I’m getting interested,” remarked
But Captain Adams gripped his arm
Connor, laughing again.
so that the bone almost snapped, and the
“And you’re gettin’ blamed
senor resumed his seat.
inconsistent—I guess that’s the right word.
“Queer old fish, the cap’n,” Jack
A few minutes ago you raised blue blazes^
Connor went on. “And that niece of his—
because we mentioned a certain young lady
What about her? I never heard much of it.”
in this place, and now you’re not only
Morgan enlightened him.
mentioning one, but you’re mentioning
“They call her Wild Norene; she is
names.”
Captain Adams’s brother’s girl, and she’s
Jack Connor’s face grew sober.
lived with the cap’n for ten years, since her
“There’s a difference,” he said.
daddy died. Sails with him all the time.
“There are but two classes of women. One
Cap’n taught her to read and write aboard
class should never be mentioned by such
the schooner. Pretty as a picture, strong as
men as us—they’re too good. And the
a man yet soft as a woman, and wild and
other class—what’s the difference? This
untamed.”
niece of Cap’n Bill’s—this Wild Norene,
Connor
laughed.
as you call her—scarcely comes under the
“She needs a man to tame her, first class.”
maybe.”
Captain Adams’s face grew ashen
“Maybe you’d like the job,” again and he gripped the sides of the table, chuckled Morgan.
but made no attempt to get out of his chair.
“And I could do it if I was in the
Guerrero felt sudden fear; he knew
woman-taming business,” Connor
Captain Adams was waiting for this Jack
answered. “Honestly, I mean. I’ll bet I Connor to go so far—then the blow would could make her love me—make her fall.
promise to marry me. I could tame her so
“For God’s sake, senor,” he
she’d eat out of my hand.”
whispered, “don’t wreck our plans! Wait
Again Guerrero restrained the until the other business is disposed of; then captain, whispering to him that he could
we can find this Jack Connor and you can
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6
kill him. Hold on to your temper! We can
He had kept her with him rather
find him easily; he’ll be about all night.”
than placing her in a school because he
Captain Adams’s lips were set thought he could guard her better so. And tightly; he looked across the table at now it appeared from this man’s talk that Guerrero and nodded assent.
he had made a great mistake.
“This Wild Norene,” Connor was
But he felt rage at the thought that
saying, “must be the other sort. I don’t
this man could talk so. He could tame
know what her father was, but we all know
Norene, could he? She was of the sort to be
her uncle. Bucko mate once, he was! spoken of lightly?
Blackbirder, too. Traded in human flesh!
Captain Adams said nothing aloud,
His name’s a terror in the South Seas. He’s
but he cursed bitterly in his heart and
been a smuggler; he is yet. He’s pulling off
stored up rage against Jack Connor, the
a crooked deal right now! And this Wild
man he had liked at a first glance.
Norene has been on his schooner, knows
Guerrero was looking across the
his life and how he makes his money, helps
table at him appealingly.
him no doubt; so what sort of a girl do you
“I’ll not spoil our plans,” the
suspect her to be? Too good to be captain whispered to him. “I’ll wait!”
mentioned in a place like this? I’m sorry
“Heaven be thanked, senor! I—I
for the girl, but— bah!”
was afraid! After we have attended to this
They nodded their heads as they
other business you’ll—you’ll kill this
picked up the drinks a Chinese had placed
man?”
on the table.
“There are things worse than death,
Captain Adams was looking Guerrero. And this is my own affair; keep straight at Guerrero and not seeing him,
your nose out of it!”
and a tear was rolling down the captain’s
The men at the other table had risen
cheek.
and were scattering, some of them
No man ever knew the pain he returning to the bar, some going to the suffered in that instant. Like a flash, his life
gambling tables, others crowding about the
was before him—his life and Norene’s. platform where Sally Wood was playing.
Captain Bill loved his niece, worshiped
Captain Adams heard Guerrero
her. And he realized now, how men gasp—realized that one of the men had regarded her. They measured her by his
stopped beside him.
standard.
“Can I trouble you for a match?” a
But Connor had been wrong.
voice asked.
Adams never had been a
Adams looked up; Jack Connor was
blackbirder—never had dealt in human smiling down upon him.
beings. He had been honest, in a way, in
The captain got to his feet, while
his dealings. He had broken revenue laws,
Guerrero trembled and waited for the
smuggled Chinese, carried arms and outcome. But Captain Adams had lived a ammunition to revolutionary armies, and
life full of experience and could control
landed them by dodging gunboats; but he
himself even at such a time as this. He ran
had been honest in business dealings.
his hand in a pocket and handed Connor
And Norene, he thanked Heaven,
the match for which he had asked.
was innocent of it. She did not know the
“Thanks,” Connor said. He lit his
truth.
pipe and puffed slowly. “Lots of the boys
Wild Norene
7
around to-night,” he added.
Connor hurried away toward the
“Seems to be,” replied Adams, bar, and the captain’s eyes met Guerrero’s resuming his seat. Guerrero’s fear was across the table.
unnecessary; the captain was studying the
The senor was vastly troubled.
man before him, was not ready to take
“We must get away to-night,” he
vengeance yet.
whispered. “Great Heaven, every one
“Sailorman?” asked Connor.
seems to know!”
“Yes. Came down from Seattle to
“Remember what the fellow said—
meet a friend of mine who’
s skipper of a
nobody tackles Adams without getting the
German bark. Going to sign on with him,”
goods on him first. And they haven’t got
the captain replied.
the goods on me—yet!”
“Astoria isn’t the port she used to
“But the man for whom we wait—”
be, but she’s still some port,” said Connor.
“That man thinks we sail to-morrow
“Lots of queer fish float in here. There’s a
evening. If he does what you think he’ll do,
funny old tub in the river now. Notice
we can attend to him and get away before
her?”
daylight. I can get outside the three-mile
“Which one?” Adams asked. limit before that old scow of a gunboat Guerrero felt the fear again.
catches me.”
“The letters on her stern spell
“Sit as you are,” said Guerrero. “I
‘Hester,’” replied Connor. “But that’s a
am watching for your man. When he comes
joke. I know her. Once away from the river
in—Ah! He has arrived.”
she’ll be the Benito, and there’ll be guns on The captain did not turn.
her, and her sailormen will put on
“And the other?” he asked.
uniforms; then she’ll be a Mexican
“I do not see Garza yet. We have
gunboat. Her skipper is Garza, cap’n in the
been watching him closely, and one of my
Mexican navy—or what they call their men will trail him here. Your mate is to navy—and he’s a secret service agent, too.”
meet Garza here to-night and tell him the
“Why the disguise?” asked the cargo is aboard and when you are to sail.”
captain.
Captain Adams’s hands gripped the
“That’s another joke. Ever hear of
sides of the table again.
Cap’n Bill Adams? Of course you have,
“I hate a traitor and know how to
since you’re a sailorman. Cap’n Bill’s old
deal with one,” he said. “What is Riney
scow is in the river now, and the gunboat is
doing?”
watching her. Old Bill must be losing his
“Is that his name? He’s looking
cleverness.”
through the crowd. Now he has seated
“Why is the gunboat on his trail?”
himself at a table. There’s no doubt of the
the captain asked.
man’s guilt.”
“Nobody knows exactly, but there
“Riney had been my mate for two
are suspicions. It wouldn’t be the first time
years, and there is doubt of his guilt until I
Bill Adams had carried arms and hear from his own lips words that prove ammunition marked sewing machines. But
him to be dishonest,” said the captain.
nobody dares tackle Adams without getting
“You don’t suppose he can recognize me if
the goods on him first. Believe me, they’d
he looks over here?”
better not! Have a drink? No? Much
“Sit as you are. You are in the
obliged for the match.”
shadow. I am watching.”
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Riney, Captain Adams’s mate,
CHAPTER II.
appeared nervous. He arose and went to the
Defiance.
bar again, then resumed hi» seat at the
table.
In the corner of the room men were
SALLY WOOD had not seen the girl who
wildly applauding Sally Wood’s music. had stood for an instant in the doorway, She ceased playing when she saw Jack
and thought little of it when Jack Connor
Connor standing near the platform, and excused himself and hurried across the walked over to him.
room, thinking some friend had called him.
“You’ve been drinking too much
Connor made his way rapidly
again,” she accused. “Why do you?”
around the room, shaking off his
“Now, Sally, I’m not in a mood for
acquaintances who would have detained
a lecture to-night. You’ve been playing too
him, and reached the open doorway. He
much; you look tired.”
waited there for a moment, until he was
“I get sick of it at times.”
sure nobody was watching him, then
There was agony in the woman’s
slipped into the other room.
voice. Connor looked down at her with
She stood a dozen feet from the
sympathy in his face. It was not sympathy
doorway, awaiting him. In an instant he
she wanted to see there.
was at her side.
“It is pretty hard on you,” he said.
“You wanted me?” he asked.
“Why don’t you give it up? Let the
He looked down into her face. He
scoundrel go!”
regretted the liquor he had taken, and the
“Not until I find him and punish
very thought of such a girl in such a place
him. He took my father’s savings, half sobered him. But her eyes met his remember. My father didn’t—didn’t have
without drooping, and he read in them that
quite enough to eat for a year before he
she was good.
died.”
“Perhaps we’d better walk out on
She looked away, biting her lip to
the street,” he said. “This is scarcely a
keep back the tears. Soon she turned place—”
toward him again, trying to smile.
“Wait,” she interrupted. “I want you
But Jack Connor was looking away
to do something for me. You said this
toward the opposite side of the room. An
afternoon—”
expression of unbelief was on his face.
“That any time I could do you a
In that opposite wall was an open
service you had but to let me know. I still
doorway, twice as wide as an ordinary say the same.”
door, that led to a cheap cafe and restaurant
“Look through the doorway then.
where sailormen ate and painted women
You see the third man from the end of the
sometimes took their meals. Framed in it
bar—the one with the red handkerchief
for an instant, beckoning him, he had seen
about his neck?”
the girl he had met in the street while with
“The one with the scar on his right
Morgan, the girl whose handkerchief he
cheek?”
had picked up, mention of whom he had
“Yes. My father gave him that scar
prohibited in this sorry resort.
one day because he was impudent. He has
hated my father and me since. This evening
I learned of something he said—about me.”
Wild Norene
9
“Yes?”
think, please, that I am used to associating
“It wasn’t complimentary. It was an
with—with—”
insult.”
“Such persons as are to be found
Connor’s eyes met hers again, and he did
here? Myself, for instance?” he asked.
not need to ask more questions. His fists
“I did not mean that. I feel sure you
clenched.
are a good man.”
“I saw him come in here a short
“A woman like you would make a
time ago,” the girl went on, “and as I
saint out of a sinner,” he said.
passed the place the door was open and I
“Here we are at the corner. You’d
saw you. I remembered what you had said,
better return now. I shall know if you do as
and took the liberty of entering and asking
I have asked.”
you to do me a service.”
“When I beat him I shall remember
“I shall do so gladly.”
that he insulted you.”
“I want you to thrash that man.”
“Yes. And thank you!”
He looked at her quickly. This girl,
“Shall I see you again?” he asked.
with goodness in her face, thought nothing
“I don’t even know your name.”
apparently of asking that a man be given a
“Does the name make much
beating.
difference?” she asked.
He looked through the doorway at
“None at all.”
the man again.
“And you want to see me again?”
“His name is Riney,” the girl was