The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-21

ment cries were heard over the side.
Hardy rushed to the rail, and what did
he see?
The boat was stove and full! One man
had disappeared, and the two others
were floating a fathom or two beyond
her locked in each others embrace.
Hardy sprang to the briggs quarter,
crying, "Oh, God! Oh ny God!' as he
ran.
He slipped some bights Of running gear
of a pin and yelling, Look out for the
end Of this line!' he hove
one could not swim and clung to the
other who could, and there was no vir-
tue in ropes end though flung by an
angel Of God to save them, for one mo-
ment the line was close; the desperate
heaVe Of the half-drowped fabric dragged
1t fathoms out of reach. The pitiless sea
broke over them, and with agony of mind.
and a heart almost halves, Hardy saw
them vanish.
The girl stood beside him with upiifted
arms, frozen by horror into the marble
rigidity of statue. 1t was going to blow
a gale. The black scowl of the sky had
the menace Of a storm in its fixity. No
yellow curl Of scud, or faintness here or
there relieved the grim, austere, down
look. The day might have been closing
so dusky 1t was with the flying sheets
of rain, and the white haze tore out Of
the foaming brow by the rending hand of
the wind. The seas swung fast and
fierce. and serpentine pillars of white wa
ter leapt on high from the briggs side, and
fed in shrielling clouds or sparkles to
leeward.
I'VE shall lose the ship" said Hardy,
with the coolness of desperation I'VE
could not launch that boat" and he
pointed to the small chubby fabric that
lay slowed near the foremast; land if
we could she would not live a minute.
What became of your boat?"
II looked for her" she answered, land
saw her floating yonder in the moon
light The captain fastened her rope to
something and it slipped
Come out of the wet" said he 1--WE
can do no good here. They'll keep the
ship hove to, and the weather may clear
by noon
They entered the deck house and Hardy
began to explore it, and in the two little
cabins aft he found all the information
he required about this abandoned brig.
The log book was dated to two days
earlier, and the entries were by hand
that spelt in the speech of Newcastle-on-
Tyne. She was the Betsy of Sunderland.
The sea began to flow into her on a sud
den to some cape or yawn of butt-end; !;
dock them. She would have gone down
in an hour, despite her pump, but for the
timber on which she hCated. By the en-
| tries it was clear the crew had stuck to
her for two days. Hardy then guessed
that, growing weary of waiting for a
ship, they had gone away in the boat.
| In one cabin he found q telescope and
an oldfashioned quadrant some wearing
apparel, and a tall hat such as an old
skinner OH IXyy he
and instantly suggesting to an active i'm
| agination a purple face streaks Of white
| whisker, a chocolate colored shawl round
! the throat, and a nose Of the color of a
| bottle OF rum in the sum.
The old faggot was beginning to tum-
| Bile about, the water foamed on the deck
and the launch of the surge al the stag
| gerlng bow would strike a whole sheet
of spume over the fOrestay, and then It
fell in cataractal thunder Hardy shut
| the deck house door. He was something
| more than uneasy. Their alarming stu
! alton drove all thought Of the wonder Of
| it out of his head. If it came on harder
| and a heavy sea ran, would this old sieve
hold together? Would the deck house
| cling to the deck? What would they
do aboard the York? Candy was dead
| and she was without a navigator. The
| boatswain was a good, practical seaman,
and in him lay HardX's hope. The boat
swain was not the man to abandon the
mate and the girl if he could help it, But
suppose the ship was blown away so that
when the weather cleared the brig was
not in sight, what would, or rather what
could, the boatswain do? He had not the
navigator's art, and might not therefore
know how to pick the brig up. Their CON
dition was frightful; the lazarette was
aWash; he could not seek food in flood
ed timber. He sat down beside the girl.
81 cannot realize that you are with
me-" She said.
Her dress was damp, and raindrops
sparkled upon her face and hair. He
drew out his handkerchief, which lay
dry in his pocket and softly passed It
over her face and hair. She was loving
him with her eyes. Never did human
passion make the eyes of a woman more
beautiful.
You must be starving" he said.
mo, the captain brought some food
and water
"ren me where it is" he cried. start
ing to his feet.
and the glass, and the parcel OF pro-
visions. He rushed out. The contents
of the breaker could not be hurt by
the flying brine and rain; and merci-
fully the provisions had been so placed
that the breaker and the planks be-
tween which the captain had placed them
kept them dry.
Hardy ran into the deck house with
the food. put the glass in his pocket,
and returned again with the breaker,
from which only two or three drinks
had been drawn.
Thank God for this?' said he, and
he felt almost happy.
She had but little knowledge Of the
sea, and could not interpret their con-
d1tion to the full of its tragic signih-
canoe Her heart was almost joyous
because her sweetheart was at her side;
though death was lowering over that
reeling fabric It's shadow was not upon
her spirit. She was rescued by the man
she loved from the horrors of lOneli-
ness on the wide sea, from imaginations
which had been excited in her by those
two mysterious strokes on the bell, and
by he, horrible association with a mad
man. The brig reeled and groaned to
the sweep of the strong wind in the
canvas, which was like to stream from
the yards In the hairs Of cloth if the
weather hardened. Again and again
Hardy left the girls side to step on