Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-07-20
He dandIed the black mass on his


He dandIed the black mass on his
sngers.
Five turns of the key, and then FIVE
minutes before the explosion, every
turn a minute If push the job
through, Flgneyer tackle another God
of heaven. | wish we were all safe in
the boats!"
He replaced the grim handful of
doom in it's cradle again. replaced it in
its box and went up to the windy deck.
The heat below laid a fiery hand on his
throat and brain.
A slice of young moon. with few at
tendant stars. slowly climbed into lu-
minance against the last ardors of the
sunset as he leaned moodily against
the deckhouse.
How the misery hour caught up its
golden coin of minutes and fed!
"Time-time. tiIne-time time-timeP'
sang the watch bell monstrously soon.
Its got to be done." he muttered be-
tween his locked teeth as he stepped
unsteadily out of the moonlight along
the engine room passage. once more
unpacked the fatal lump. turned the
key five times aud with flying heart
descended the steel ladder to the en-
gine room. the bomb ticking in the
loose breast of his shirt as he went
"Hullo, Tudor! Forgot your jacket?'
sang out the chief as he stopped over
the rails and tried the heat of his bear
ings.
~Aye!v replied the third engineer as
he passed.
In the fierce tunnel of light from one
Of the open furnaces the nude stokers
and trimmer piling forward the coal
to them from behind seemed like
gnomes of some eastern legend. Poor
devils! chatter like the sound of a
sewing machine from the thing in his
breast seemed to chant their requiem.
He slipped the black abortion below
an end of one of the boilers. caught up
his jacket and ran on deck Under the
shadow of one of the after Iifeboats he
stood, sick with terrible expectancy,
awaiting the end with his watch in
his hand. Two minutes gone! Three!
Then a little figure in white came
forward out of the darkness of the
poopdeck. 1t was the captains daugh-
ter.
rs that you. Mr.. 1'udor?" she said
yes" he replied hoarsely. Three
minutes and half gone.
Il want to tell you how sorry ! am
for being harsh with you last night.
IL didn't mean it"
"Aliee. Alice! Quick, for God Al
mighty'a sakeI Can you love me even
a little2 Quick. quickr'
'tWhat's all this hurry about. Mr..
Tudor? Put your watch in your poek-
ct. What question: But in her
face he saw something sweeter than
the silver moonlight which revealed it.
-Four minutes and half!
With bound he was in the passage
again, slipped noiselessly past the
chief. who did not see him. his back
being turned, caught up the accursed
thing under his jacket and like a flash
tore up the deck again.
With all his strength he threw the
Lump of Coal far into the dimpling
sea and sank on the deck. the perspira-
ton running from every pore.
Then, with a terrific rafting thun-
der, an immense flower of fire arose
out of the deep, a great. sudden hillow
snatched at the ship, heayed her aloft
like cork and raced Whitley away
into the moonlit distances. Then all
was still save for the fretting and FUN
ing of the sea as 1t slowly settled
again.
The whole ships company came peer
ing on deck in dazed state of alarm.
The captain sprang on the bridge be-
side the mate and shouted some orders
unheeded.
But nobody except the girl in white
noticed the broken man lying prone in
the shadow of the deckhouse.
Like a sudden hideous revelation the
explanation came to her. His wild
eyes, his sudden question. the watch
In his hand. his mad, headlong race
below-all was clear now.
Unnoticed In the general panic, she
crossed the deck to him. He was lying
face down on the cold iron plates OF
the deck. She touched him on the
shoulder. and he looked up with a
white face.
81 know it all. Tom" she said bro
kenly. May God help us BOTH"
"God help us! You may help me,
Alice help me from he'll! Your love
could save me yet perhaps"
Il loved you all along. But after
this She sobbed
Presently she spoke again.
Nov. get up and go below. This
must never be suspected even by my
father. 1t will be safe with me- |
still love you enough for that" He kiss
ed the skirt of her dress and pressed
her hand. like a benediction on his
head.
When Captain Grimshaw reported
the phenomenal seismic disturbance he
had encountered in the neighborheod
Of the Abrolhos reef. 1t created con
siderable sensation in the scientific
world. And from the records of the
registry in certain church within
hearing of Bow Bells. there is the hesl
of reason for supposing that Alice
Grimshaw's love persisted and was al
lowed the best opportunities for saw
ing the soul of the third engineer,-
London Star.
An Injurious Benefacffon,
1t is well known that missionaries In