The times., 1899-07-09
"A LUMP OF COAL.

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 a few at
tendant stars, slowly climbed into lumi-
nance against the last ardors OF the sun
set, as he leaned moodily against the deck
house.
How the miserly hour caught up It's gol-
den coin of minutes and fed,
Time-time. time time, time time" sang
the watch bell monstrousiy soon.
IT'S got to be donei" he muttered be-
tween his locked teeth. as he stepped un-
steadily out Of the moonlight along the
engine-room passage. once more unpacked
the fatal lump. turned the key five times.
and with flying heart descended the steel
ladder TO the engine-room. the bomb tick
ing 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 bearings.
Aye replied the third engineer. as he
passed.
In the fierce tunnel of light from one of
the open furnaces the nude stokers, and a
trimmer piling forward the coal to them
from behind, seemed like gnomes of some
Eastern legend. Poor devilsi chatter
like the sound of a sewing machine from
the thing in his breast seemed 10 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 lifeboats he Stood sick
with terrible expectancy, awaiting the end
with his watch in his hand. Two minutes
gcnei Threet
Then a little figure in white came for
ward out of the darkness OF the poopdeck.
1t was the captains daughter
rs that you. Mr.. Tudor?" she said,
sweetly.
YES" he replied hoarsely. Three min
utes and a half gone.
81 want to tell you how sorry I am for
being nasty with you last night II
didn't mean It."
alice. AIicel Quick, for God Almighty's
sake. Can you love me even little?
Quick, quick!"
What's all this hurry about. Mr.. Tu
dor? Put that watch in your pocket What
a question
But in her face he saw something sweet
er than the silver moonlight which revealed
1t. Four minutes and half!
With q bound he was In the passage
again, slipped noislessly past the chief. who
did not see him, his back being turned.
caught up the aceursed thing under bis
Jacket and like flash tore up to the deck
again.
With all his strength he threw the Lump
of Coal far into the dimpling sea, and sank
on the deck. the perspiration running from
every pore.
Then with a terrific rattling thunder an
immense flower of fire arose out of the
deep, great. sudden billow snatched at the
ship. heaved her aloft like cork. and
raced Whitley away into the moonlit dis
tances. Then all was still. save for the
fretting and fuming of the sea as 1t slowly
settled again.
The whole ships company came peering
on deck in a dazed state Of alarm The
captain sprang on the bridge beside tie
mate and shouted some orders unheeded
But nobody except the girl in white no.
ticed the broken man lying prone in the
shadow Of the deckhouse.
Like a sudden hideous revelation the
explanation came upon her. His wild
eyes. his sudden question. the watch in
his hand, his mad, headiong 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.
Il know it all. Tom" she said, brokenly
May God help US both"
God help US? You help me, Ahcel
Help me from hell. Your love could save
me yet. perhaps"
u loved you all along. But after
| this" she sobbed.
Presently she spoke again
Now, get up and go below. This must
never be suspected. even BY my father. 1t
will be safe with me. 1 still love you
enough for that" He kissed the skirt OF
! her dress, and pressed her hand like a
| benediction on his head.
When Captain Grimshaw reported the
phenomenal siesmic disturbance he had
encountered in the neighborhood of the
Abrolhos Reef, it created considerable
sensation in the scientific world. And
from the records of the registry in GER
! tain church, within hearing OF Bow Bells,
there is the best of reason for supposing
| that Alice Grimshaw's love persisted and
was allowed the best opportunities for
saving the soul of the third engineer
London Star.