The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1900-05-10
CHAPTER XXIII.
IN THE HEART or THE STORM.

| u. Without a zephyr 90 stcady htf. the
| schooner wallowcd like a crazy thing. The
| roll, the Hdclong heayc and lurrh, the icrk,
| ing pitch and recovery we're terrible tcsis
| to the stauchness Of the weasel. Alternately
the bow and stern rose 10 q dizzy altitude.
then sank with 4 rapidity that even 20 my
trained nature was sickeninr zach JOINT
and block found a voice which complained
"a notes ranging from hang to a squeak,
Of its unnatural treatment Allow and aiofl
the poor Phantom protested. and. a. |
looked calmly on, knew that Il the r9Udi.
tions continued shr would end in rolling her
masts out, leaving us 10 finally founder. a
sheer hulk, The main topml,i suay,d Ike
whip, cutting through the arc oi ts mo.
ton with amazing swiitnce The diuuu.
ishcd sail beneath Il, with H. spars slasLiug
hither and thithcr. shook out a rrport Ike a
cannon, and Threatened to burst as rs slack
hant drove from side to side Eycp thing
loose or insecure fetched away and wan.
deTcd at random about the dcctt The
Jumps Of lead ! had brought up the night
before ruled betwizt the hatch romhing and
bulwark, banging the latter with blows that
threatened 70 drive out the plankiua, aud
would have done 40 had not gfippci ms
way to them and thrown them overheard
The scut,le butt sptauE from rs sl,ids and
came aft with bound, hallina and spinning
like top when IN the waist, then dashed 20
larboard only to be stopped hy q .idclons
ldt al the stern which shot il into the
bows where it hung fast, huug Mp. iammc1
hetwixt the hukea nt the spare anchor and
the bulwark stanehion.
noted these things with an oyc more IN
lorcsted in the antics of the barrel than in
auRht else Its speed and agility were won.
drdus, and I thought more of ts frarlal
force and erratic movements than Of the
general straits IN which lhu schooner was
now held. Through 1t all irli ms impoicnt
numbneSs, and il was with thc mere animal
instinct Of getting food for q craving " ON
ach that J YEARLY moved 10 20 below.
Stiff, sore and disprited cuargh was az
! staggered toward the companion way and
entered the cabin. The first SIGH o' il. ~.
terror was enough 10 break ones heart, and
that fact probably did much to pull nic TO.
getheT The surgeon. the cBwardly. be
sotted wret.h h. lay drunk on the floor. and
also on the floor was Gertrude King. dead.
| thought for an instant. hat soon found She
was not only alive but conscious. Having
been thrown from her bunk. che bad
crawled over 10 her brother 10 prevent
like disaster to him, and now Jay ~ leaned
against his transom, powerlcss alike 20 help
him or herself. She was almost dgld from
sea sickness and pain, yet when she sau me-
the fright that came into her eyes minded
me Of Lounsbury's last look II was plain
that McCary had but given her dram TO 70.
viye her and when this had been accom-
Plahcd, without going further or v1urhsai
ing an explanation oi the dsy's later events,
started in TO finish the drunk bad 30 sud
denly interrupted. The fever for rum was
upon HIM, his manhood aud iaor5ls having
bscn consumed along with the liquor.
Notwithstanding the suffering his artiaus
had cutailed, | could almost have thanked
him for bcing the cause OF putting into me
seuse Of real existence. for there was
slgh, awakening from the heavy 'ctharn
that held me as J stopped 90 the poor glrl
and lifted her IN my arms as though slIc was
a child to he cumiortcd The instructive
shrinking she had shown when reached for
her gave way to a moan aud the lmpness Of
total abandonment as she felt the strength
OF my arm about her. As laid her on the
transom by the side Of her brother. whose
eyes were shut and whose heightened color
now betokened fever she placed her WI.
wounded hand against my cheek as Il 60
make sure Of my being mortal, and flltcrrd
out
Il thought you dead ODonald! Donald!
| thought you dead!"
In the mere sound Of human voice there
was something that stirred me 10 a iIvclicr
sense oi myself and surrounding liut her
l. u. 4 a. a. n
a. ! set them here in cold black and white,
they hold no significance, hut as ! beard
them there was something which caused the
waning spark within me TO burst into fame
aud shoot through the dullncss ol my eN
hausscd body aud overtaxcd brain The
touch OF the smooth hand the look, and the
simple tones Of this il.used. wounded and
tcdraggled girl were beyond misintcrprcta.
ton TO me, when 10 others It might have
been but trihe more than commonplace |
Like a shock the attending danger Of our
situation rushed upon me, and again real. |
ned my responsibility; q feeling that had |
been dead for hours, and which was now |
by the light that burst upon me |
It the girls words.
She was q pitiful object as shn lay prone |
at her brothers aide. fler left arm was |
poweress. and the blood ffcm her wounded /
aezd still stained her face. neck and hand. /
The tiow had ceased, but through her brigIn /
hair ! could sec the location of the Eash. |
was no surgeon to dress either the cut OF l
fracture, and. a. for the sake Of all, my own 1
were paramount, would lose no 1
imc In experiment without more warrant. |
My own necessities, forooth, and for the
iake of all | lost no honesty through
lreaming Of heroism n my finer sensibil.
les bad awakened. so had my roarser. and I
lnew ] was now working for purpose, the
-oots Of whieh lay In scl6shness. but of
tripe easily forgiven.
hs put the maiden down she closed her
yes, and either tainted or slept from ex.
and ], Ikea famished wolf. CROPPED
bout tho floor for the food which had been
ipped from the table, holding her onto the
ransom the while with one hand, aud with
he other drawing together the fragments
4 the bot half-esten meal.
'Twould have bsen moving sight to an
nlooker could one have pecped into the
zbin at this time. The Wounded brother
nd sister, abiect in their misery. even the
tean allowing itself no rest IN ito efforts
o throw them from where they lay; the
rng,hy bulk Of the drunkard sprawiing half
ndsr the table. bis body swayihg with the
ZAP Of the vessel, and about the floor mix.
ure Of broken food, the bag Of gold and
mpty bottles which ran hither and thithcr
fith the acute and svei.changing angle Of
he deck, all seemingly chased by the over
irned BUCKET which bad stood By the aide
Z Ames.
The i.ght Of the los burning lantern
winaing naadly from It's hook In the beam
ave . iss.sssaS..y Sssss. IN ecr.sss. ic the
ale dawn now cleaning white and cold
Trough the windows, and In this muss, TO
he accompaniment of the groaniug wood
ork, was half on my knees examining my
outh with bits Of hard bread and such
latter as came rolling within reach.
| ate like man In despair. and yet with
unEer which gave a sweet taste TO each
lcFsel, unssvory as commonly would have
soughk il. AZ ] snatehed and Swallowed,
ow possessed by the fear that she gale
,eht rise again while was below, marked
10 ushciy aspect Of tbe surgeon. Tie did
u present the diseussing appearance Of
but besxariy enough be booked /,
sn<sddse hsutA ssishiaiae Ais ~. I
4 55,sss K. = NJ x, a. a<141t