The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-11-19
a SHIPS
Yg
~ COMEDY. "

| In the engine room the pumping sob of
: the piston rods beat out music of misery,
and the tortured strokers liftt their heav-
! ing shoulders to the airshafts ard prayed
for death by freezing.
Holden crossed the main deck and took
the companion to the promenade. For
seven days in the tropics most of the men
sleep on the upper deck, and women in the
drawing rooms. ITolystoned and ash white
in the moonlight there was something so
eerie about 'hiS camp of silent forms that
shudderingly he picked his way to the
taffrail, bent his shoulders and wondered
at the waters
There was cry from below, and he saw
the black shadow OF a man drop from the
side like bag Of sand, plunge and disap.
poar. On it tluated in the wash on to-
ward the screw. In the instant, with tight
hands. Holden lNaped the rail and fell
struggling into the water. McWhirter was
officer on the bridge. He heard the dip of
the falling bodies, and the instinct of the
sailor told him the cause. Springing to the
telegraph, he jammed the handle to "Stop
her - then dead across to "Full speed
asteTn." Along the ship sounded the pipe
OF the boatswaiu's whistle and the quick
call OF "Man overboird." On poop and
! fore peak the watch caught the cry, and
the frightened passengers, alert from sleep,
whispered aud turned strained eyes to the
| sea.
There was hurrying to and fro. Lower
the gig ~ roared McWhrter. The boat
was lifted from the clocks. the men let go
the trigger, she swung out on her davits
and, with ropes long jawed in the strain,
dropped like skimming gull on the oily
water. On the ship-so still it was-they
heard the creak of the whipping oars. And
the green starboard light glittered az an
evil eye.
Holden, holding the man by the armpits,
had spent his strength when the boat
reached them, and they were dragged drip
ping across the gunwale Plying oars
brought them to the ships side After
ward on the deck the doctor demonstrated
the Sylvester method of resuscitation. The
rescued was promptly appreciative and sat
up, calling for whiskey, but for three hours
they worked on the obdurate rescuer until
at the flood some show Of life returned.
! Although the adventure was entered in the
logbook as a ''regrettable accident" it was
in truth nothing of the sort. 1t was the
result OF that mad impulse, familiar phe-
nomenOn to every sea captain, when the
sight of black water of sudden stirs the
blood to the leap.
In the morning that followed Holden
sat up in his berth. From his portfolio he
watched the porpoises wallow and plunge
in the still sea. Ineffab.y weak with that
PROSTATE dropping weakness that comes of
a bad time in the water, he fell back at
last and slept. Later deputation, con-
prisiDg the second officer, the surgeon and
three picked passengers, waited on him.
''Mr Holden" said the doctor, "we are
elected of the ship, which asks the honor
OF your company at dinner tonight. We
wish to drink to your health, sir, and if
your are well enough, have you drink your
own" He looked down and thanked
them, said that, though he didn't quite
care about the business, he'd be amazingly
pleased to show up. "No one'll disturb
you again." said the doctor, $50 pull your
self together by s."
On the average OF three in half an hour
he exchanged penciled notes with his wife.
Then the pencil broke down, and he
climbed from his berth to find another
There are many bad places to find lead
pencils, but lady's chatelaine is one of
the worst His wifes was an arrangement
In steel and oxidized silver, and from it
he unlocked dainty prong which after
much labor might make holes. Then, try
ing to rehang it, the whole affair dropped
from his fingers on the boards. An en-
velope slipped from the needle pocket, scat
tering shower OF tiny red hearts, and up
permost in the center lay gentleman's
visiting card. On the front was line of
verse, on the back an original idea for an
appointment. 1t was engraved "Reginald
Mathew" and signed "Reggie."
He poised the card for time, wonder
ing; then cold wind came into him, and
he understood.
Like the first night at theater or the
moment in church before the bride bushes
down the aisle, there was something living,
electric, contagious in the atmosphere that
evening Mrs. George, had she been we'll
enough to dress and dine, would have
likened the sensation to "sitting between
two worlds before thunderstorm. Ad-
mittedly one ships dinner is very like
another. Still today there was touch of
the special in the appropriateness of the
table covers, in the cleaning glass and
plate, in the freshened green palms; the
ships officers, gilt braided and blue serged;