The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-02-06
CHAPTER TX.

CHAPTER1X
Most of the passengers awoke next
morning with a bewildering feeling OF
vague apprehension. The absence OF all
motion in the ship, the unusual and in
tense silence, had n depressing effect.
The engines had not yet started; that at
least was evident. Kenyon was one OF
the first on deck. lie noticed that the
pumps were still working at their full
speed. and that the steamer had still the
ominous list to port. Happily the
weather continued good, SO far as the
quietness of the sea was concerned.
slight drizzle of rain had set in, and
the horizon was not many miles from
the ship. There would not be much
chance of sighting another liner while
such weather continued.
Before Kenyon had been many min
utes on deck Edith Longworth came up
the companionway. She approached
him with q smile on her face.
"Well," he said, ''you, at least, do not
seem to be suffering any anxiety be-
cause Of our situation
Really" she replied, II was not
thinking of that at all. but about some
thing else. Can you guess what itis?'
mo" he answered, hesitatingly.
"What is it?"
"Have you forgotten that this is Sun
day morning?"
"Is IL? OF course il is. So far as /
am concerned, time seemed TO stop when
the engines broke down. But do not
understand why Sunday means any
thing in particular"
Don't you? Well, for person who
has been thinking for the last two or
three days very earnestly on one partic-
ular subject, am astonished at you.
| Sunday morning, and no land in sight!
Reflect for moment"
Kenyon's face Frightened.
"Ah," he cried, 81 sec what you mean
now. Miss Brewster's cable message
will not appear in this mornings New
York Argus"
"Of course IL will not; and don't you
see, also. that when we do arrive you
will have an equal chance in the race.
II we get in before next Sunday, your
telegram TO the London people will go
"a quickly as her cable dispatches to
New York; thus ycu will be saved the
humiliation of seeing the substance of
your report in the London papers be-
fore the directors see the report itself
1t is not much. 10 be sure, but still it
puts you on equal terms, while If we
had got into Queenstown last night that
would have been impossible"
| Kenyon laughed.
| well" he said, "for such result the
cause is rather tremendous, isn'tit? IL
is something like burning down the
house to roast the pig!"
Shortly after ten o'clock the atmos-
phcre cleared and showed in the dis
lance steamer, westward bound. IL
evidently belonged to one of the great
ocean lines. The moment IL was sight
ed there huttered up in the masthead a
number OF signal flags, and people
crowded to the side of the ship to watch
the effect on the odtgoing vessel. Min
ute after minute passed, but there was
no response from the Other liner. Peo-
pie watched her with breathless anx-
iety, as though their fate depended on
their noticing their signals. OF course,
everybody thought that she must see
them, but still she steamed westward.
A cloud OF black smoke came out of her
funnel and then a long, dark trail, like
the tail OF q comet, noated out behind
her, but no notice was taken of the fiut-
tcring flags at the masthead. For more
than an hour the steamer was in sight;
then she gradually faded away into the
west. and finally disappeared.
This incident had a very depressing
effect on the passengers OF tho disabled
ship. Although every officer had main.
tanned there was no danger, yet the
floating away Of that steamer seemed
somehow 10 leave them alone, and peo-
pie, after gazing toward the west, until
not a vestigc of her remained in the hor-
lion, went back TO their deck chairs,
feeling more respondent than ever.
Fleming. however, claimed that II
people were TO drown. IL was Just as
we'll to drown jolly as mournful, and
so he invited everybody 20 take drink
at his expense; generous offer, which
all the habitucs OF the smolSing-room
took advantage Of.
my idea Is this" said Fleming, as he
slipped the cocktail which was brought
20 him; 'if anything happens let II
happen; II nothing happens. why Their
let nothing happen. There il no uss
worrying about anything. especially
: something we cannot help. Here W.
are on the ocean In a disabled vessel;
very good; we cannot do anything
about Il, and, 80 long os the bar rcmain'
) ! open, gentlemen, here's to you'll"