The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-05-10


when he put his arm round her he
seemed to be surrounded with a dry
suffocating warmth. Then he pointed
long arm to the northeast, and SEEM
ed to slip farther away, though he still
stood by her side; the monster length
ened into miles. Miriam followed him
with straining eyes, when flash of
| lightning lit up the sky and sea. 1t
played for a moment round distant
spot, which the giant was touching,
and in that moment she saw picture
which she never forgot.
In the little circle of light a boat
rocked helplessly upon the waters; un-
der a sail were crouched some dozen
| people, trying, by budding together,
! to keep the warmth in their bodies.
| She knew that Dick was there, and
called his name shrilly; there was
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 grey sky
| and greyer sea, to hear nothing but
the throbbing Of the engines and the
sough of 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 other passengers?
1t 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 came a passing
sensation of warmth. This slight in
cdent awoke some vague memory con-
nected with her dream.
The black column of smoke changing
at its edges to brown, thinning out un-
til 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 and
his compartment sight danced into her
eyes, hope beat strongly in her heart.
She turned a glorified face to the ship.
What could she do? How save them?
She saw a foot surmounted by blue
cloth moving methodically on the deck
above, and in a moment flew up the
stairs leading to the captains bridge.
The captain turned round sharply at
the sound of strange footsteps and per-
emptorily ordered her down. Clutch
ing his arm she cried
Captain! They are out there under
the line of smoke! A dozen survivors
of the Medium are drifting helplessly
and nearly dead"
The captain glanced in the direction
indicated. How should this frantic
young woman have seen what his prac-
ticed eye could not discern? Then he
guessed that she was the person who,
they said, had lost her lover in the
wreck.
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 l
know you will"
To humor her he took 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
examining 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 alter
ed slightly, boat lowered once more
to gather in the oceans drift To his
intense surprise the captain saw that
the distant object was really a boat,
without sail or oar. How could this
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
weeping, 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 twenty-four hours she
shared the duties of nurse with one of
the stewardesses, and saw Dicks eyes
open with the first CLEAN of conscious
ness in them. With a contented look
at her he fell asleep. and on the ships
arrival at Halifax he, with all those
who had been saved, were well enough
to be moved to more comfortable quar-
tiers on shore.
The captain made friends with Mi
riam during those few hours, and
learned how it was that she knew the
boat was afloat. He could hardly be-
lieve it, and he could not explain it,
but was contented to accept the fact
| Oh ND 10 hn