The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-24
al LUMP
OFCOAL.

az degrees - minutes souln Dy 90 ue-
grees AZ minutes west longitude. which
meant that she was coming up 10 that
dangerous collection OF reess and rocks
known as the Abrolhos Shoals. The
chart which covered them was from a
French survey in 1861. and as any
amount OF unrecorded changes might
have been wrought since then by that
minute mason OF the deep, the choral
insect, Capt. Grimshaw was very much
on the qui vive so long as his ship was
in the neighborhood. For, being a. wisf
master mariner, he depended but little
on either the chart or the Abrolhos
light itself.
But IL the captain did not fancy this
particular patch OF the sea for reasons
relating TO navigation. the third engi.
neer did not for purposes of his own.
In short. he hoped TO earn the ships
Insurance money and a couple OF hum
dred pounds for himself somewhere IL
the vicinity. Ii was an excellent local.
ity for a plausible story about the Cos
hawk running on some unchartered
shoal and sinking as she backed into
deep water. So when he was relieved
OF his half watch at 6 o'clock by the
chief engineer, he went straight to the
engine room mess table for mis- tee,
carefully forgetting his blue jacket
where IL hung on rail on the forward
side of the engine room bulkhead Hav-
ing partaken hastily and sparingly of
the bad tea and potato hash supplied.
he turned into his own room. locked the
door and arranged pair OF trousers 10
hang so that one Of the legs might COW
er the key hole. Then he knelt, though
not exactly in prayer. beside his sea
chest. and proceeded to unpack IL. till
at length he reached a small wooden
box with a sliding top. AT first sight
1t did not appear why his hand should
trcmble n little as he pulled the lid
aside and drew from it's well wadded
cradle very commonplace lump Of
coal.
IL was exactly like any other piece
Of coal about the size Of large fist
say the mates-and II had all the jetty
sparkle and shine Of the newly broken
article. The only difference between IL
and the other Jumps in the bunkers was
that 10000 worth and a few mems
lives lay in its nascent possibilities.
ON closer examination. however. II
revealed one little popularity. n little
square projection such as any lady or
gentleman who does not use n stem
winder NAV sec I'm his watch any night
Of the week. Tom Tudor's own watch
key, which he now tried upon ~ TO Gee
II everything was in proper working or
der. fitted 1t exactly as matter OF
fact
Another hour and IL will be pretty
nearly dark. That viii, be my time" he
thought 20 himself with anything but a
hendish chuckle. AS yet he was consid-
erably removed from the villain teres
atque rotundus OF "A sangulnsAy fiction.
or truth he was conscious at the mo-
ment OF a curious sickness. a tickling
III 80 1. -
cent potato stew could account for. No
IT was the thought of the coming ap-
pHfffng Tnorcrrt- of -fiaffft- ttffd-tieati4-
and the captains daughter. Curse the
captains daughter. When he had en-
tered into this nefarious contract with
certain unnamable people at home, he
had not counted on this disturbing ele-
ment. That he, hard-hearted and hard
headed scoundrel as he was. should feel
this immense tenderness for a pretty
ailing girl. away with her father for a
voyage on account OF her health was
an alteration beyond all calculation.
Was IL love? 1t worried and pricked
him, and IL awakened old nuroel coure
chords I'm the atrophied sense OF fitness
which had been his conscience. Yes. il
was love, and-bless Alice the captains
iaughferi
III she hadn't been so hard on me
last night 1 could never have done it,"
ran his thoughts, waking fierce ten
1erness In his sailow. handsome face.
"A touch of her hand. and the Goshawk
would have stemmed the Thames river
again' suppose the ship sank in a cou-
pie OF minutes, before they had time to
over the boatsl There are sharks
lbouti don't mind sending an old fire.
nan or trimmer to hotter furnaces.
But the flop of the brutes round her
Iweet body It's horrible. BY heavens,
can't do vt, after ALI"
He bent his forehead against the
'aised lid OF his trunk "But I'm talk
ng Bethel rot The cursed thing is CAL
'ulated to give the ship half an hour
rhere'll be lots of time for everybody
o get clear except the poor fellows who
,ot blown to atoms FROM the stokehole
Then the weather's quiet, and we're
light In the track OF ships--certain to
'e picked up within forty EIGHT hours!"
He dandled the black mass on his fin
,ers.
Five turns OF the key, and then five
before the explosion-every
urn a minute, II i push the Job
through I'll never tackle another. God
" heaven, l wish we were all safe in
he boats"
He placed the grim handful of doom
n Its cradle again, replaced IL in its
)OA, ana went up 10 the WINDY deck.
The heat below laid fiery hand on his
hroat and brain. -====ft
A slice OF young moon, with few
attendant stars, slowly climbed into
against the last ardors OF the
unset as he leaned moodily against
he deckhouse.
How the miserly hour caught up its |
'olden coin OF minutes and fed
"Time-time, fime-time. time time" |
ang the watch bell monstrously soon.
"It's got TO be donei" he muttered |
'etwcen his locked teeth. as he stepped |
lnsteadily out OF the moonlight along |
he engine room passage. once more un- |
'acked the fatal lump. turned the key |
I've times, and, with a flying heart. de- |
cended the steel ladder TO the engine
oom. the bomb ticking in the loose /
'reasf of his shirt as he went.
'Hullo. Tudor. Forgot your jacket?"
ang out the chief. as he stopped over
ne rails and tried the heat OF his
earings.
Aye replied the third engineer as
|e passed.
In the fierce tunnel OF light from one
4 the open furnaces the nude stokers.
nd trimmer piling forward the coal
o them from behind. seemed like
MONIES OF some Eastern legend. Poor
evils. A chatter like the sound OF a
ewing machine from the thing In his