The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03

through IOr nOtnlngf NO, Mac there
no blessed error about that And for
birth, I'm as good bred as she is any day
Still, man, you've not got the position"
That's the curse of it, But, Mac, I be-
leve she'll lake the jump and marry me.
There's abundant time yet between now
and the end of the cruise"
"Whew?' 1 said. marry, Well, il would
be a great thing for you. And are you N
love with her. too?"
"Oh, 1 like her we'll enough" says the
chief, with a laugh, and he added.
ouieting down, I'D make her a rare good
husband. Yes, thered be no two ways
about that. l should never forget the pit
from which she mad dragged me"
Twould be a fine thing for you" l
said.
1T would" he said, land I believe I've
got you to depend on for helping me into
il, Mac. There's no one else on this yacht
I've been shipmates with before, and no
one TO speak a word for me, except you.
If she tackles you again about what I've
been, pitch it TO her strong; turn on the
thunder and lightning a bit; and leave out
all the things women don't like. I haven't
had such a bad record at sea, Mac"
NO" I said thoughtfully, you've done
your duty. There was that time the Ac-
era 5 propeller blade came loose at San
Thome, and you were diving down. there
for day and a half, all amongst the
sharks, before you'd got che lockputs fast
again; then you put in fifty hours with
rachel drll when the Paraguay's shaft
carried away in the Mexican Gulf, and IT
was A fine job you did when the old Jum-
bos main steam pipe bust, and you went
below and turned off the boiler cocks and
got half cooked for your pains Th4re
were four of them killed over that job,
weren't there?"
THE whole watch was scalded TO death.
There were seven of them alltod, poor
devils. It isn't a thing l can talk about
myself Mac but you can for me. You
pitch 1t 10 her strong and don't be afraid
of it. Lay 1t on in your best tuppence-
colored style And, old man, if the thing
comes off, you shall find me the most
grateful friend you ever had in all this
world I'll get you a billet fat enough to
surprise you"
well" I said, man, you're a bargain"
and we shook hands over it, Eight bells
went just then. and I went on watch feel
ing pretty satisfied. The marrying was
the chiefs concern and the young miss
and if il came off l had no objection to
being benefited. man has to look aft
er himself in this competitive world, and
/ did not want them to think at Ballind-
rochater that had to stay all my life as
miserable understrapper on third-rate
ships just because 1 couldn't pass the
Board of Trade examination for chief
engineers ticket.
Now, il was all very well for Devine to
bid me blow the pipes cannily in his ia
vor, but it was quite another thing to find
opportunity for doing So All the time
whilst we were heading along that bleak
northern coast I stayed on deck whenever
l was not asleep or on watch, and Miss Va
sey did barely so much as look at me.
Once when we passed a little Norwegian
whaling steamer towing a couple of dead
finner whales which they had killed, /
thought l was going to have my chance.
But the skipper came up to give explana-
TONS he fairly dubbed with talk; he had
been in the whaling trade himself for
twenty years. and here was a text he
could preach on as long as any one would
listen. SO l leaned my elbows on the star
board rail and stared till l was half blind
ed at the grim mountains on the shore.
which carried the snow down to the seas
edge with scarce so much as a patch of
rock showing, and never a glimpse of
greenery Somehow / felt a companion
ship with those cold, uncared-for hills.
But in Vardo harbor my chance came,
and | made the most of it. The stink of
the place was enough to knock you down.
The cod fishing Is what the people live by,
and they gut their fish by the harbor side
and in the public street, and leave the in
nards to rot where they fall Our eldest
Miss could not stand ii ashore at ALL she
came on board again in the boat which
took them off, and she stepped into the
engine room and stood on the top Platform
and talked to me whilst l worked below.
II never knew what a pleasant scent
warm oil could be before, Mr.. McTodd,"
she says.
1T beats a rose shop when once you get
used 10 it, f." 1 said and then asked her If
she would like to look round now the
yacht was quiet and cool. She said Yes"
and took her, and I think she was in
CeresJed. Ours were really engines TO be
proud of, triple expansion. OF course, with
al the gear of the newest ana cieVerest;
and the chief and 7 KEPT everything that
bright and clean YOU could have eaten
your dinner of the dirt;est part and not
know there was a strange taste. Those
engines, Miss, are like blood horses" I
said. you've got TO learn their ways to
be their master, hut once you've managed
that thcyil DO most anything for you
short of talking good Scots English
But will they never break doTn?' she
asked
IF the guild GOO wills. But, so far as
good. workmanship in Che shops and good
looking after on board can insure them,
they're just as safe as shares in the Ding
wall and Skye Railway"
I'm glad we're safe" she says, II
shouldn't like accident 1t might be so
terrible. Mir. Devine has been in more
than one breakdown. hasn't he?"
"He has that Miss" said l, land he act
ed like a man when the need came" Here
was my chance. l took a long breath and
started off. There was no fear of being
tedious with such a listener. She hung
on my words; and when l told her about
the chief diving amongst those sharks in
San Thomo harbor, and how he turned off
that steam when all his mates lay scaled,
and all the rest of the yarns, / saw the
pink and white come and 80 from her
face like limelght in a theater. l don't
think my father ever preached so long at
a spell, in the free kirk pulpit at Balm
drochater, as l did in the Starry Head $
engine room that day, with the stinks of
Nardo harbor coming in acid whffs
through the ventilators. And, mind you.
! told truth all through for whatever else
the chief might be, he was a man all over
when it came to a pinch. But l clinched
the whole yarn with a lie big enough to
| please the devil.
You'll not repeat TO the chief what I've
said, Miss viii you? He's my superior Of
fieer you see and he'd make matters very