Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-12-17

- .
that she is quite capable q such an ae-
ton as asking you for the money and
still sending her telegram"
"Well, | doubt if she would do so.
! think the girl really believes she is
/ acting rightly, and imagines she has
/ done very cred table action in a very
| clever way. If she were not what she
! calls honest, she would not have shown
/ as much temper as she did-not but that
/ l gave a deplorable exhibition of tenn
per myself for which there was really
I no excuse"
Il am sure" said Kenyon, warmly,
| you did nothing of the kind. At all
events, 1 am certain everything you
did was perfectly right; and l know
you were completely justified in any
thing you said
81 wish 1 could think so.'
81 want to ask you one question:"
said Kenyon. But what that question
was Will never be known. 1t was never
asked; and when Edith Longworth in
quired about it, some time later, the
question had entirely gone from Ken
yon's mind. The steamship, which was
blowing along through the waters. sud
denly gave a shiver, as if it were shaken
by an earthquake; there were three
tremendous bumps, such as a sled might
make by going suddenly over logs COZ
eealed in the snow - Kenyon and
Miss Longworun sprangr to their feet.
There was a low roar of steam, and
they saw a cloud rise up amidships,
apparently pouring out of every aper-
ture through which it could escape.
Then there was silence. The engines
had stopped, and the vessel heeled dis
tinctly over to the port side. When
Edith Longworth began to realize the
situation, she found herself very close
to Kenyon, clasping his arm with both
hands
'What-what is It'll" she cried, in
alarm.
Something is wrong" said Kenyon.
Nothing serious, l hope. VIII you wait
here a moment while l go and see?"
Certainly" she answered, releasing
his arm. 1T is stupid of me, but feel
very much frightened"
perhaps you would rather not be
left alone?"
"Oh, no, it is all over now; but when
the first of those terrible shocks came
il seemed to me we had struck a rock"
"There are no rocks here" said Ken
yon. "The day is perfectly clear, and
we are evidently not out of our course.
Something has gone wrong with the
machinery, I imagine. Just wait mo-
ment, and L will find cut!" AS Kenyon
rushed toward the companionway he
met n sailor, hurrying in the other d&-
rection.
"What is the naatter?" cried Ken
yon.
The sailor gave no answer.
On entering the companionway door,
Kenyon found the place full of steam,
and he ran against the officer.
"What is wrong? Is anything the
matter?"
'How should 1 know?" was the an
s-wer, very curtly given. "Please do not
ask any questions. Everything will be
attended to-"
This was scant encouragement. Peo-
pie began crowding up the companion
way, coughing and wheeling in the
steam; and soon the deck, that a mo-
ment before had been almost without
an occupant, was crowded with ex-
cited human beings in all states of
dI duu undreSs
What Is wrung7'' was the question
on every lip, to which, as yet, there was
no answer. The officers who hurried to
and fro were mute, or gave short and
replies to the inquiries
which poured in upon them. People did
not pause to reflect that even an officer
could hardly be expected to know Off
hand what was the cause of the sudden
stoppage of the engine. By and by
the captain appeared, smiling and
bland He told them there was no dan
ger. Something had gone wrong with
the machinery; exactly what he could
not at the moment tell; but there was
no necessity for being panic-stricken:
everything would be all right in a short
time if they merely remained calm.
These and lot of other nautical lies
which are always told on such occasions
served to calm the fears of the crowd;
and, by and by, one after another went
down to their taterooms on finding
the vessel was not going to sink i'm
mediately. They all appeared some
time afterward in more suitable ap-
parel. The steam which had filed the
saloon soon disappeared, leaving the
furniture dripping with warm mois-