The morning news., 1899-09-03
THE CREW OF YAWL THREE.
A LOVE STORY OF THE SEA.
BY w. Bert Foster.


Through the fog which lay a dead
weight upon the water the outline Of a
great sail grew slowly. The fog made IL
loom into fairly gigantic proportions, for
there was little wind stirring, and 1t
crept up in ghostly fashion.
Suddenly the blocks ratified, the boom
creaked and groaned as 1t swung about.
For a moment the craft hung in the wind S
eye. There was clatter of feet; a yard
towing astern was pulled up under the
rail and three men in yellow oilskins and
vanished sea boots tumbled into her
"Good-day to ye, lads Drop down with
the tide tonight and we'll pick ye I'D off
the Hook, or thereabouts."
The hoarse voice Of a broad-shouldered
man beloved this through the fog as he
leaned over the rail. The yawi had been
cast off and dropped astern The boom
creaked again, the sail tapped sharply,
displaying huge 49," and the pilot boat
melted into the fog once more leaving the
yawl courtesying on the gray waves.
Mitchell, the pilot in charge of the yawl,
sat equarely in the sternsheets, a tiller
rope in each hand "Give way, you fei-
Gurnett time enough to have a yarn with
that girl"
How in blazes can we know where
Gurnett is in this fog?" growled one of
them bending his back to the ash.
The bow oar laughed. 'Terry's suky"
he said keeping stroke while he talked
Nina didn't care mooch to see him last
time he was there-eh, Terry?"
'Thats a new declared stroke roughly.
"she was Just as glad to see me as you"
"shut up, CARL Don't tease the fellow"
admonished Mitchell "And you needn't
be so touchy, Terry"
you'd be touchy Mitchell" declared
stroke. swelling with his wrongs. Those
two-he and Mina-jabber away in their
own oonfounded lingo, and can't under
stand half they say. And I knew her long
before he ever came nos.n' round" he
added. ruefuFy.
Pooh! l wouldn't be Jealous" said
Mitchell. IT'S like the girl would be glad
10 see somebody who can talk her own
language"
..Well, she can't have him and me both, /"
declared Terry, IAN I'll tell her that"
Carl from the bowSeat chuckled and
showed a broad, laughing face to the pilot.
She'll be mooch obliged for that" he
said "Then she not have to-What you
call-ship you herself, eh?"
The others eyes blazed with passion.
and he dropped his oar and with an oath
swung about to get at the Swede; but the
steersman's voice recalled him.
What dye mean-you swab!' he shout
cd. Want to swamp the yawl?
Grab that oar-quick!
With a shamed face the recreant stroke
plunged his oar again deeply.
"Confound you and the girl bothW pur-
sued Mitchell. You'll lose a yawl next,
an no girls worth that. r you'd been a
married mans long as me you wouldn't
get to hghtin' over a woman"
The stroke hung his head. and even
Carps merry face looked sober at the ca
Iamity which they had 80 narrowly avert
ed. He glanced behind him into the i'm
penetrable fogbank.
1--WE can nefer see where the land Is.
even," he grumbled
you leave that to me-" returned the
pilot. II kin smell land. l don't need eyes
along this shore"
1t must have been by the sense of smell
that Mitchell found the long pier at Cur
nett He steered the yaWl almost directly
in to the steps, although they couldn't
see the piles twenty feet away. Carl
stood up and cleared the ice drift with
his oar so that they could get in without
injurinu the yawl. 1t was after noon
when they landed at the pier
Now we haven't more than an hour
TO waste here said Mitchell, settling his
hat more firmly upon his head. "If you
go 10 see that girl, Terry don't ye for
get BE back here in an hour. I'll go
along up street and buy the provisions
we was sent for"
"And I'll go along with you" said Carl
with a wink. "Then I'll keep out Of temp
tation, eh?"
Just az wen you do" growled Mitch
Ell. Il don't want you fellows 10 get to
dghtin' now mind that"
He and the swede moved away. and
after moment, their companion followed
them. But at the end Of The pier he turned
into side street-a street which fronted