The times., 1899-08-20

have been brutal, spoken by another-he
cursed, not her, nor himself-but his luck
and the fate that had shaped his life; and
next, she was showing him the opened
door, saying that she could tolerate pro-
family IN man, but not in a gentleman,
and that under no circumstances was he
to claim her acquaintance again Then fol-
lowed the snubbing in the street, when,
like lately whipped dog. he had placed
himself in her way, hoping she would no
tice him; and the long agony of humilia
tion and despair as his heart and soul fol-
lowed her over the seas in her fathers ship
until the seed she had planted-the small
suspicion that her words were true deyel-
oped into wholesome conviction-that she
had measured him by a higher standard
than any he had known, and found him
wanting. So, he would go to her school,
and learn what she knew
With lightninglike rapidity his mind re-
hearsed the details of his tuition; the four
long voyages; the brutality of the officers
until he had learned his work; their con-
sideration and rough kindness when he had
become useful and valuable; the curious.
incongruous feeling of seif-respect that
none but able-seamen feel; the growth in
MIN OF an aggressive physical courage; the
triumphant satisfaction with which he
hnally knew himself as complete man,
S'Sesh III ihOi dis duu iuiuu, dult " iOOh
men in the face. And then came the mo-
ment when, mastering at the capstan with
the new crew of her fathers ship he had
met her surprised eyes with a steady
glance, and received no recognition
And so he pleaded his cause, dumbly, by
the life that he lived Asking nothing by
word or look, he proved himself under her
eyes-hrst on deck; first in the rigging; the
best man at weather. caring; the best at
tT1rr .k,N%1 IL
respectful, winning the admiration of his
mates and jealous ill-wiIl of the officers,
but no sign of interest or approval from
her until tonight-the ninety second day
of the passage. She had surrendered; he
had reached her level, only TO die; and he
thought this strange.
Facing downward head inboard now, and
nearly horizontal, he was passing the cro'-
jack yard. Below him was the sea-black
and crisp, motionless as though carved in
ebony. Neither was there movement of
the ship and its rigging; the hanging
bights of ropes were rigid, while break
ing sea just abaft the main chains re-
mained poised, curled, its white crest
frozen pillow of foam. .The rapidty OF
thought he unused, dreamily; but I'm
falling fast enough-fast enough to xiii me
when | strike
Forgotten for years, there sang in his
i1Iilu a SCHOOlDOy lOTHiuld Oh pHsolCS, Inc
velocity of freely falling body at the
end of any second of its descent is equal
TO thirty-two and sixteen hundredths feet
multiplied by the number of the seconds"
Yes, but I've been falling twenty five
years. | have the height fsthe topgallant
yard-one hundred and dweEty feet Now
let's try again-'The distanceI trayersed by
freely falling body during any number of
seconds is equal to sixteen and eight hun
he ti,,1f
the number of seconds. Tnversely-'the
square of the seconds is equal to the dis
tance-one hundred and .twenty-diyided
by sixteen and eight hundredths.' -
A mental calculation gave him seven
and forty-six hundredths asathe square Of
the number of seconds, aand another gave
him two and seven tenths for. the square
root of this number. dfNeyer imagined
| was SO good at mentataritfmetic. Now,
once more; I'll have been falling actually
two and seven tenths seconds by cold fig
ures." Applying the first formula he found
that he would strike that solid. black wa
ter with a velocity of eight-six and eighty
three hundredths feet per second. The re-
suit was satisfying; he would die quickly.
He could not move an eyelid now, nor was
he conscious that he breathed; but, being
nearly upright, facing aft and inboard.
the quarterback and its fittings were be-
lOlt uso eyes, anu ne saw W4dt DIUuBul
him out of eternity to a moment of finite
time and emotion. The helmsman stood
at the motioniess wheel with his right
hand poised six inches above a spoke-as
though some sudden paralysis gripped him
and his face, illumined by the pinnacle
light, turned aloft inquiringly. But it was
not this. Standing at the taffrail, one
hand on buoy, was a girl in yellow,
looking at him-unspeakable horror in her
mate, on whose rather handsome face was
an evil grin.
A pang of earthly rage and jealousy shot
through him, and he wished to live BY
supreme effort of will he brought his legs
close together and his arms straight above
his head; then the picture before him shot
upward, and he was immersed in cold, salt
water with blackness all about him How
long he remained under water he could not
guess. He had struck feet first, and suffer
ed no harm, but had gone down like deep
sea lead. He felt the aching sensation In
his lungs coming from suppressed breath
ing, and swan blindly in the darkness, not
knowing in which direction was the sur
face, until he felt the spike-still
fastened to his understanding off TO the
right. Sure that it must hang downward,
he turned the other way, and, keeping ii
parallel with his body, swan, with bursting
lungs. Until ne ltit dil upon MS Idc6 anu
knew that he could breathe. In choking
sobs and gasps his breath came and went,
while he padded with hands and feet, glad
of his reprieve; and when his lungs worked
normally he struck out for white. circular
buoy not six feet away. 'Bless her for
this, " he prayed as he slipped it under his
arms. His oilskin trousers were cumber-
some, and, with a little trouble, he shed
them.
He was alive, and his world was again
in motion. Seas lifted and dropped him,
occasionally breaking over his head. In the
calm of the hollows he listened-for voices
of possible rescuers. On the tops of the
seas-esrs filled with the roar of the gale
he shouted, facing TO leeward and search
ing with strained eyes for sign of the ship
or one of her boats. At last he saw pin
point OF light far away, and around it and
above it. blacker darkness, which was faint
ly shaped TO the outline of ship and can
vas-hove to in the trough, with maintop-
sail abacls, as he knew by its e-shorten-
ing And even as he looked and shouted IT
faded away. He screamed and cursed: for
he wanted to live He had survived that
terrible fall, and ii was his right.
Something white showed On the top of
a sea TO leeward and sank in hollow He
sank with it, and when they. both raised
again it was nearer.
Boat ahoy," he sang out. Boat ahoy-
this way-port little-steady."
He swan as he could. numbered by the
buoy, and with every heaving sea the
boat came nearer At last he recognized It
the ships dingey-and IL was being pull
ed into the teeth of thataforeeful wind and
sea by single rower-a slight figure in
yellow.
MY God. it's Freda,' he said, and then,
in shout, This way, Miss Folsom-a little
farther" 4
She turned, nodded, and pulled the boat
up to him. He seized the gunwale, and she