The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-28
HE HAD FOUND A MAN.
80 He Made Him the Husband of the
Girl He Had Saved.

DIG was q DdChcb 6ecdAAiCI Ill LDS 6IlDiOY
of a great English company, and carried
many passengers. Among these stand
ing on 1.-THE promenade deck, forward, and
looking out across the broad cxpanse of
water before her, was a beautiful girl in
the flush of her youth and beauty.
In the wheelhouse stood a young man,
second mate of the ship, looking at
Mabel Vane. He was young, with a
bold, manly face, curling brown hair
and beard and speaking gray eyes-a
man, in grace of person, manly beauty
and pure heart-a man worthy of the
name. He was only a sailor, and had
risen to his present rank from cabin boy,
but yet he dared to love the daughter of
the East Indian millionaire, Arthur
Vane.
He loved her and he had no hope-loved
her as we worship a star which is far be-
yond our reach. Nothing was further
from his thoughts than to insult her by
telling her that he loved her; but to be
near her, to see her often, perhaps to do
some service which would win a smile
from her-that was reward enough for
Will Clay.
She never dreamed of his alteration;
and he had heard her say to her friends
that she liked him better than any other
officer OF board the Gray Eagle. She said
it in the careless way of girlhood, andyet
he treasured it in his heart. Standing
there, watching the course of the ship,
and ready to give a word of warning to
the wheelman if it were needed, he never
took his eyes from her long.
''Mr. Clay" said the man at the wheel,
as he gave it ahalf turn and rested there,
''don't you smell smoker
SIT comes from the galley"
"Perhaps SO, but what are they burn
ing rosin in the galley for?"
"Rosin," cried Will, raising his head
quickly and snuffing the air. He caught
the peculiar smell himself and leaped
down from the wheel house. "Keep
steady" he whispered to the man at the
wheel. ''There may be danger, but if
there is, for Gods sake, keep it quiet"
The man nodded quietly and took a
firmer hold on the wheel. Will Clay
crossed the deck without apparent haste
and yet with a terrible fear Juggling at
his heart. He caught sight of the cap
tain coming out of the g~entlemen's cabin
and hurried up to him.
"There is something wrong" he whis-
pered. Don't you smell burning rosin,
captain?"
The old sea captain suppressed a cry
of horror. With fifty passengers on
board, in the midst of the Indian ocean,
far from land, a fire was one of the most
horrible things which could come upon
a ship.
$50 forward and investigate, he said,
in a low tone. eff you find that it is a
fire, you will know what to do. How
are the boats?''
"All right, sir; you may trustto them"
They had good cause for fear. The
entire forehold was filed with rosin,
in boxes and casks, and if a fire started
there it might as well be in a nest Of
fat pine. VIII ran down to the lower
deck, where he was met by a crowd of
excited firemen and coal passers, who
were rushing madly on deck. Quick as
thought he seized the foremost and
hurled him back.
"Get back, you fools!" he cried.
"Where are you running to?"
''FireF' whispered the man, hoarsely.
''Fire in the forehold.'
Suppose there is. Is it your duty to
rush on deck and alarm the passengers,
or get buckets and try to put out the
fire? Back, there, all of you, for / will
brain the man who dares to finch a
hair now. Stand back, l say!"
The men cowed before his superior
will and saw that they might yet do
something to save the steamer.
A guard was placed at the hatch, so
that no one could come down, and the
scuttle which led into the forehold was
opened. No sooner was this done than a
dense volume of black smoke rolled out,
and the scuttle was closed again, for
viii saw that nothing could be lone in
that way. The men ran forward with
axes, but had scarcely gone q dozen
steps when they felt the deck tremble
under their feet and saw small jets of
flame shooting up through the planks.
A moment more and there was a sort OF
explosion, and the red flames leaped up
suddenly and caught the planks above.
There was no hope of concealing the
danger from the passengers now, for the
steamer was full of smoke, and wild
cries from the deck announced that the
danger was known. They must face
the most terrible danger known to the
sea, the danger of all others the most
feared - the danger of fire! Women
shrieked and tainted, strong men trem-
bled and could not move hand or foot,
and others ran wildly about the decks,
rendering no assistance. Mabel Vane,
utterly bewiIdered by the sudden horror,
felt a strong hand clutch her ARM, and
saw Will Clay, blackened by smoke and
singed by flame.
"Go Aft he said, hoarsely. ''Stand
on the port quartersand wait for me, and
l will save you or die trying. Obey me,
girl; l ana your master now"
She looked at him in mute wonder and
obeyed him in silence. He sprang away
and began to fight the fire as he could,
aided by the officers and crew and some
few of the passengers who kept their
heads. Among these was Arthur Vane,
a handsome old gentleman, with an en-
gaging face.
"You are a man. William Clay" he
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