The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-03-10

name shrilly. There was a sudden
movement in the human heap, a white
face peeped out. and then the vision
passed.
Miriam lay in her berth, the new
dawn already tightening the sky. Then
feverishly she got up and went on deck.
to see nothing but the gray sky and
grayer SEA. to hear nothing but the
throbbing Of the engines and the sough
Of the wind and waves. Breakfast time
came. but she needed it not. For hours
she stood immovable, gazing to the
northeast over the bulwarks. What did
that dream of hers mean? Was Dick
floating somewhere helplessly. with 9TH
er passengers?
It was noon when the wind. veering,
sent a cloud Of smoke over her head
and a shower of black smudges upon
her hands. With them anne a passing
sensation Of warmth. This slight Incl
dent aweke some vague memory con
nected with her. dream. The black col
umn of smoke, changing at it's edges to
brown, thinning out until she could see
the gray sky through it, starting ever
from her side and yet reaching far into
the distance, caught her eye.
Inspiration followed quickly. The
smoke was the giant Of the night be-
fore. and where it pointed lay Dick ana
his compartment Sight danced into her
eyes, hope beat strongly in her heart.
She turned a glorifed face to the ship.
What could she do? How save them?
She saw a foot surmounted by blue
cloth moving m%ethodically on the deck
above, and in q moment flew up the
stairs leading to the captains bridge.
The captain turned round sharply at
the sound Of strange footsteps, and per-
smptorily ordered her down. Clutching
his arm she cried:
"Captainl They are out there, under
the line of smoke! A dozen survivors of
the Meldrum are drifting helplessly and
nearly deadl"
The captain glanced in the direction
indicated. How should this frantic
young woman have seen what his prac-
tised eye could not discern2 Then he
guessed that che was the person who.
they said. had lost her lover in the
wreck. E
"My dear" he cried. patting her
hand, ''go to your berth and lie down.
You are in great trouble"
But the haggard. hopeful eyes stared
brightly at him.
For the love Of humanity. captain,
use your glass. You will see them. I
know you will"
To humor her he took a careful sur
vey Of the horizon, upon which the
sun was shining. At first he shook his
head, then he stood for a long time ex-
aiming the spot under the thin edge
of the line Of smoke. He rubbed his
glasses we'll and looked again. then said
quietly:
Something is there. Sit down in
that corner and wait.
The course Of the steamer was altered
slightly and a boat was lowered once
more to gather in the ocean drift. To
his surprise the captain saw that the
distant object was really a boat, with
out sail or oar. How could the girl have
known it? Then the group of people
became visible. all evidently in the last
stage Of exhaustion, and he went over
to Miriam and told her to look through
his glass and see if her friend were
there.
She took it from his hand with a
wild sob and gazed long and steadily at
the coming boat, then gave the glass
back in the midst Of a passion Of weep
ing, nodding her head to signify that
she had seen Dick. Then she set herself
to regain self control by the time the
boat came in. When it did, she was
waiting in the hospital for her beloved.
For the next "a hours she shared the
duties of nurse with one of the steward
esses and saw Dicks eyes open with the
first CLEAN of consciousness in them.
With a contented look at her he fell
asleep, and IN the ships arrival at Hal
flax he with all those who had been
saved were well enough to be moved to
more comfortable quarters On shore.
The captain made friends with Mir
lam during those few hours and learn
ed how it was that she knew the boat
was af1oat. He could hardly believe it,
and he could not explain it, but was
contented to accept the fact as it stood
and to be present at the simple cere-
mony which made Dick and Miriam
man and wife. -Buffalo News.
A Man of Straw.
From time immemorial straw, prob
ably because of it's inseparable connec-
tion with bread, the staff of life, has