Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-05-15


as if in your fathers house: and as
cool, too" and he fell to laughing
again. Then he turned to a man by
his side who seemed to be an officer.
What do you say? Shall we take the
boy with us?'
why not?" replied the officer HE
is a plucky fellow, and he can do no
harm here. I don't begrudge him his
rice, so letsk eep him aboard the junk
instead of sending him to feed the
fishes"
The thought that such a fearful idea
had been in their minds sent Sho Mails
heart into her mouth, but since she had
won the first point by courage she was
quick to see that weakness would be
fatal.
The fish will do very we'll without
me, no doubt" she said, though her
voice almost stuck in her throat; land
if they don't, why, let them starve,
then, or feed on cowards.'
The two men exchanged a glance of
wonder and admiration, and in it Sho
Mai read the guarantee of her safety.
Let the cook see that the young fell
low has his supper" said the captain,
LOT upon UHo HOuOr Oh my I2GnOf ne
deserves it
From that day on Sho Mai was treated
with kindness by all on board. The
readiness of her wit appeared to be a
source of endless delight to the bluff
captain, who spent many hours talking
with her, and would laugh immoderate-
" at her quaint comments upon what
she saw. She was not slow to perceive
her advantage, and she studied her
words that they might fit the humor of
the man in whose hands she saw that
her fate now rested.
No work was required of her, and she
spent all her time in listening to and
judiciously applauding the captains
wondrous stories of the sea, and in
studying the river banks as the Junk
pursued her way. In particular, her
reckless disregard of the future de-
lighted the skipper, who predicted for
her q glorious future when she should
grow up and command vessel of her
own. In response to his questions she
told preposterous story of her past life,
and he seemed all the more pleased
with it because he evidently recognized
it for clever and interesting falsehOod.
She wondered much concerning the
nature of that cargo which the captain
had SO much feared that she had seen
when the great box had fallen upon the
piec, but 20 word in explanation of that
occurrence could she win from any one
by such questioning as She dared to vent
ure upon.
One day the river widcncd before her
eyes. The banks rcceded till they
wholly passed from sight, and Sho. Mai
knew that she was at last upon the
bosom of the ocean. They sailed north
ward before favorable winds, and under
skies cloudless by day and night. Thus
for several days, and then came an aft
ernoon when lifclcss and sullen calm
pressed heavily upon the sea. The air
grew heavy, and in it there appeared to
be strange pulsation which was not
unlike the roll of the CLASSY pillows I'M
der the ship. In the west the sun
dropped behind belt of copper bOrdered
with lead, which rose with a slow and
terrible precision, darkening the sky
more and more. The captain and all
the sailors cast anxious looks at the
broad belt of cloud in the west, and when
the sun sank into it they lowered all the
sails but very small portion scarcely
larger than shawl.
"a great gale will soon break upon
u.s." said the captain. I'm all my life
upon the sea [ have never seen a more
threatening sky"
The cloud rose higher, and Sho Mai
watched it with curiosity, which had
much fear in it. Still, she had never
seen storm and did not know what
waves can be when they raise their
crests against a vessel.
Suddenly upon the dull surface of the
cloual appeared a white feck as if a
light vail, twisted and drawn out, were
flung diagonally across it. AS Sho Mai
gazed at this apparition it began to
move rapidly toward the zenith. The
great cloud sprang up higher. Under
this canopy white streak was traced
upon the water. From afar came a
whisper, then a moan, then the great
voice of the tempest crying out along
the sea: Beware! beware" Instantly
the air was filled with fine spray which
blotted out the light; the ship reeled
under great stroke from the rightarm
of the tempest, and then fled before the
gale, whose fury momentarily increased.
When the storm struck the junk the
captain passed a rope around the body
of the girl and babe her hold on by it
and by the rail to which it was fast
ened. She did so with n nervous en-
ergy which seemed double her ordinary
strength, and though half blinded by
the flying spray and deafened by the
roar of the wind, she felt an exhilara-
ton in this wondrous scene, this great
display of natures forces.
Onward the ship plunged through the
night. The waves rose ever higher be-
hind her, and there was white CLEAN
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