Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-07-22

worst that London had seen fOI
fifteen years, settled down on the
West Iudia Docks and swallowed
up Captain Matt and his son. Al
last the Captain SAID:
"Billy, this is worse than foe
in mid Atlantic. 1t is no use try
ing to find the Pearl of India III
this. We could hardly find &
lighthouse. 1t isn't safe to bt
groplng round here, either. You
stay right here for a few minutes
till walk back to that policeman
and ask him If he knows whether
Simpsons craft is near here. If he
dOesu't we'll give it up. Don't still
from here or III never hnd you
again
Billy promised not TO move. He
watched his father disappear in
the cold, envelOplng mist with a
sense of fnncOmfOrtableness. If the
docks bad seemed a wilderness be-
fore, they were more Of one now
with him left Ike an atom lost ii
tue enshrOudlng t0g.
Just tLen he heard the punk Ol
something falling into the water.
He started to peer through the
wall of fog. Almost Immediately
he heard a Shrill cry for help.
Some one, a boy, he imagined from
the sound OF the voice, had drop
ped off into the wafer. 1t was
from the sound, but there was no
doubt it was near at hand. The
cries were repeated shrilIy. Billy
went a little nearer the edge aud
looked down into the milky green
water tapping the stone walls a
good distance below hIn.
keep holleIin',' shOnted Bill,
'lill | can fiud you. Swim toward
me. If YOU can. and don't lose
sight of The dock
If it was a boy, of course he
cOnld swim, bat Billy knew if he
once lost sight of the walls Of the
docks be could have no Idea where
be ought to head for.
Hrre | am. Oh, help me out
came back the frightened voice.
II sounded nearer, and IN mo-
ment more Billy saw shiny head
and a small white face with a pan
Of scared eyes in 1t. The boy was
padding around like a small
puppy.
Keep right there shouted
Billy. There was no Use trying to
look tor "a rope when he couljEt
see more than few yards. II .
did the only Thing he could think
OF. He stripped off his outside
clothes as fast as he could. Then
he Ui d his trousers to his coat, ,and
his cOatltO his stockings, and let
down this rope of clothes toward
the boy.
1t didn't reach him, so he hauled
it up and, pulling of his under
shirt, tied 1t on, too. Then he
lowered it again, With tue shlrt
end down, thinking the boy might
pull himself up to the stOuter part
of the life line, if the shirt proved
too weak to hold. He gave him
directions to this effect.
The boy clutched the end of the
rope. Fortunately, he was light
But 1t was a good tug for Billy tC
pull bin up. By tue time the
youngsters wet head showed
above the edge his strength was
nearly used up.
'Pull-yourself-up. Pm play eC
out he painted, falling on on'
knee ahd bracIng himself will
the other leg. He clung desper
ately to the line of clothes. Ii the
boy couldn't help himself now
Billy was afraid it was all up wltl
him,
The other boy saw how matters
stood, aud squirming aud getting
his grip little higher M, he a
last pulled himself over the edg'
OF The dock. He rolled over to re
further way from the edge, auC
then the two sat up breathlesS
gasping and not able 10 say
word. They simply stared at each
other, with their mouths OPEN
But now that the strain wa
over, Billy began to get bis breath
The cold, raw air was making bin
sbiver. They both looked blu
about the mouth, aud were shak
ing like Mexican hairless dogs.
You'd better get home. Where
10 Sou liver asked Billy at las
AS we'll as he could with his teetl
chattering.
) Down there shivered the otbe