The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-03-03
Copyright. 1895. by Robert Bar.l

Copyright, 1885, by Robert Ban.l
The damage, whatever it was, had been
to the engine alone. All the passengers
found themselves more or less affected
by the peculiar sensation of the steamer
being at rest-the awe-inspiring and
helpless consciousness of complete 81
lence-after the steady throb they had
become accustomed to all the way across.
That night at dinner the captain took
his place at the head of the table, bland
and smiling and polite as ever. just as if
nothing had happened; and the people,
who, Notwithstanding their outward calm
ness, were in state of peculiar tension,
noticed this with gratifed feelings.
"What is the matter?" asked a passen-
ger Of the captain; and what is the ex-
tent of the accident?'
The captain looked down the long
table.
81 am afraid said he, that if | went in
to technical details you would not un-
derstand them. There was a flaw in one
Of the rods, connected with the engine
That rod broke, and, in breaking, ii
damaged other parts of the machinery.
Doubtless you heard the three thuds
which it gave before the engine was
stopped. At present it is impossible to
tell how long 1t will take to repair the
damage. However, even If the accident
were serious, we are right in the track
Of vessels, and there is no danger.
This was reassuring, but those who lay
awake that night heard the omnibus
sound of the pumps, and the swishing Of
the water splashing down into the ocean
CHAPTER
Most of the passengers awoke mex
morning with a bewildering feeling oi
vague apprehension. The absence of al
motion in the ship, the unusual and in
tense silence, had depressing effect
The engines had not yet started; that al
least was evident. Kenyon was one Of
the first on deck. He 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 SEQ was concerned. A
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 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 it is?"
NO" he answered, hesitatingly.
"What is it ?"
"Have you forgotten that this is Sun
day morning?"
SIS it? OF course 1t is. So far us /
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 a person who
has been thinking for the last two or
three days very earnestly on one partic-
ular subject, 1 am astonished at you
Sunday morning, and no land in sight!
Reflect for moment"
Kenyon's face frightened.
"Ah," he cried, II sec what you mean
now. Miss Brewster's cable message
will not appear in this mornings New
York Argus"
"Of course 1t will not; and don't you
see, also, that when we do arrive you
will have an equal chance in the race.
If we get in before next Sunday, your
telegram to the London people will 90
as quickly as her cable dispatches to
New York; thus you 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, to 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.
"Wcll," he said, "for such result the
cause is rather tremendous, isn'tit? 1T
is something like burning down the
house to roast the pig!"
Shortly after ten o'clock the atmos-
phere cleared and showed in the dis
tance steamer, westward bound. 1t
evidently belonged to one of the great
ocean lines. The moment 1t was sight
ed there fiuttered up in the masthead
number of signal flags, and people
crowded to the side of the ship to watch
the effect on the outgoing vessel. Min