St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-16
A SAILORS LOVE.
BY j. b.

She was packet steamer in the employ
of great English company. and carried
many passengers. Among these, stand
ing on the promenade deck, forward,
and looking out across the broad ex-
panse of water before her, was beau
tiful girl in the flush of her youth and
beauty.
In the wheel-house stood 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 sailor, and had
risen to his present rank from cabin
boy, but yet he dared to love the daugh-
ter of the East Indian millionaire, Ar
thur Vane.
He loved her and he had no hope
loved her as we worship star which is
far beyond our reach. Nothing was
further from his thought 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 ier-that was reward
enough for Will Clay.
She never dreamed of his alteration,
and he had heard her say among her
friends that she liked him better than
any other officer on board the Grey
Eagle. She said it i'm the careless way
of girlhOOd, and yet he treasured it In
his heart. Standing there. watching
the course of the ship. and ready to give
word of warning to the wheelman if
it were needed, he never took his eyes
from her long.
mir. Clay" said the man at the
wheel, as he gave it half turn and
rested there, don't you smell smoker"
ut comes from the galley"
"Perhaps so, but what are they burn
ing r0Sin I'm the galley for?''
"R0sin," cried Will. raising his head
quickly and shutting the air. He caught
the peculiar smell himself, and leaped
down from the wheel-house. keep
steady" he whispered to the mali at the
wheel. "There may be danger. but if
there is. for Gods sake, keep it quiet"
The man nodded quietly and took
firmer hold on the wheel. Will Clay
crossed the deck without apparent
haste and yet with terrible, fear tug
ging ar his heart. He caught sight of
the captain coming out of the gentle
mans cabin, and hurried up to him. Is
There is something wrong." he
whispered. "Don't you smell burning
roSin, captain?' -,
Tire old sea captain suppressed cry
Of horrer. With fifty passengers on
board, in the midst of the Indian ocean,
far from land, fire was one of the most
horrible things which could come upon
a ship.
500 forward and investigate" he said
in low tone. ''lf you find that it is a
fire, you will know what to do. How
are the boats?'
"All right, sir; you may trust to
them"
They had good cause for fear. The
entire fOrehold was filled with rOsin. in
boxes and casks, and if a fire started
there it might as well be in nest of fat
pine. Will ran down to the lower deck.
where he was met by crowd of excited
tiremen and cOal-paSserS, who were
rushing madIy on deck. Quick as
thought he seized the foremost and hur-
ried him back.
sect back. you foolsr" he cried.
where are you running TOP"
"FiraW whispered the man, hoarsely.
Fire in the foreholdr'
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 now.
Stand back, sayW
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 10 one could come down. and the
scuttle which led into the forehold was
opened. No sooner was this done than
dense volume of black smoke rolled
out, and the scuttle was closed again.
for Will saw that nothing could be- done
in that way. The men ran forward
with axes, but had scarcely gone a
dozen steps when they felt the deck
trembIe under their feet and saw small
jets of fame shooting up through the
planks. A moment more and there was
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
u
foot, and others ran wildly about the
decks, rendering no assistance. Mabel
Vane. utterly bewildered by the sudden
horror. felt strong hand Gluten her
arm, and saw Will Clay, blackened by
smoke and singed by flame.
go aft" he said, hoarsely. "Stand
on the port quarter and wait for me,
and will save you or die trying. Obey
ME girl. l am 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 gentle
man with an engaging face.
"You are a man, William Clay" he
said, as the two hurled the contents of
a great water cask down the open
hatch. ''If we ever escape, the COM
pany shall know that they have got
man i'm their employment. If we don't
it is all the same. Have you seen my
daughter?"
II sent her aft just now, and told her
that would save her or lose my life.
And Pll do it, too because love her,"
"LOve her, you"
"Just now you said [ was man."
said viii, quietly. Lay hold on that
eask vOu What are Won Sinking for: