Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-04-29

to show what emotion may be in her,
or even TO acknowledge it to herself,
until she has been fairly challenged.
At length, having become quite accus-
toned to the management of the boat
they decided tomake the tripto the island
The lunch basket was packed and slowed
amidships; fish lines and hooks were
placed in the locker, in case they should
come across school of bluefish; cush-
ions and wraps were provided for Mrs.
Nolen, and extra ballast was put into the
hold, in order to keep her steady in case
the wind should increase An early
start was made. for the breeze was so
light as scarcely to rufie the water, and
set nearly in direction opposite to that
which they wished to go. In order to
get out of the little cove it was necessary
to use the oars: but after that the wind
gently swelled the sail, and, proceeding
by long tacks, they slowly made their
way toward the island that seemed to
culver and waver in the heat on the ho-
rizon
About II o'clock the breeze freshened
little, and the boat slipped more
swiftly, but still with an even, gliding
motion, through the water. The judge.
who fancied lac detected signs of blue
fish, now relinquished the helm to Pau
line, and got out his lines. The squid
was thrown out astern, and cut tiny
wake through the waves, while the
judge, with his finger on the line, watch
ed it like hawk. For an hour. in spite
of several false alarms, nothing was
caught, but finally there was an unmis-
taxable tug, and, hauling in with fever
ish rapidity, the judge, in few mo-
ments, had the pleasure of lifting on
board fine large demijohn, tightly
corked. which had been hooked by the
handle
After the laugh had subsidized the judge
suggested that the demijohn might con-
tain something, and he knocked off the
head against the gunwale of the boat.
About pint of salt water came out and
then fragment of wood-apparently
part of the lid of cigar box, on which
something had been written with pen
Gil. The writing was almost obliterated,
but two or three words, or portions of
words, still remained
See if you can make them out, Pau
line, said the judge after scrutinizing
the inscription a few moments Your
eyes are better than mine.
Holding the tiller in her left hand
Pauline took the bit of wood in her right
and looked at it, Il can make out part
of name, she said presently, and
some fgures-a date, suppose. Abr
Her lips closed tightly and her eyes
dilated The boat swung round into the
wind and lay with the sail Tapping. She
had forgotten the tiller.
what is it, asked the judge in sur
prise
She met his eyes, and then glanced
stealthily toward her mother.
Nothing" said she; and put the helm
over again. The boat resumed its course,
the water bubbling under the stern. Mrs.
Nolen gazing toward the island, which
was now near at hand, had noticed moth
ing.
After a moment, she leaned toward
him and whispered in his ear: ''It is the
name of the steamer in which Percy
sailed, and the date of the hurricane
Some one must have thrown it over
board in the storm perhaps it is his
own writing. Say nothing; mother must
not know
She thrust the bit of wood into the
front of her dress, while the Judge drew
back with a grave, concerned face and
folded his arms in silence. It was a
strange event, indeed. That demijohn
had been drifting about on the ocean
currents for months, to be brought, at
last, to the very hand for which it had
been perhaps intended Pauline did not
doubt that Percy had thrown it over
board at the moment when all hope
seemed gone, and probably just before
he himself was swept from the deck;
and if so it must have been to her that
he had in his heart addressed it,
The incident brought the picture of
the disaster wildly before her magma
ton; she had never realized it so in
tensely before-the plunging hull, the
Keeling decks, the shattered masts. the
white leaps and seething of the mad
dened seas, the deafening shrek of the
gale, the black darkness around and
overhead; and her brother, her own be
loved brother, staggering forth into this
blind fury of chaos to watt to her the
last message of despair. She saw it all;
and then, with long indrawing of the
breath, her eyes beheld the blue surface
of the summer sea, the warm and tender
sky bending over it, the green shore of
the island toward which they were softly
gliding. Her heart melted. and tears
wet her cheeks unawares,
II am really glad l came, said Mrs.
Nolen, turning round with smile. ''It
has been delightful sail, and the island
looks SO pretty! | hope it will be as nice
going back"
''Well begun is half ended said the
judge, raising the centerboard as the
boat entered an inlet and ran up on the
beach; and, if the worst comes to the
worst, we have provisions enough to stay
here over night"
CHAPTER XVI.
A STRANGE wooING.
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