Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-22

| sweeping up on slant from the south
!, He took a drink and called to Billy
Come back here! Tell him to come up
on deck His manner was heavy and
Bruce came; uo with white face and
| rings under his eyes. ..,.t-
"Sit down there" growled Hunch, point
ing ing to- ths low roof of the cabin you,
When they weapie seated facing him. hold
Ing on to each other and to the gangway
| slide, Hunch. said: =, TO.
| by know fWhere you're goin'? You're
] goin' to my weddin'. Brace he gets a girl,
| gets Ell : wedain'--un' erstand'? Sit up
straight there-7ike er gentleman. You think
We're We're gotn, to er weddin, Mebbe We amt.
| laugh This 8 our weddfn' day"
! His mood oshddenly changed and he paid
no attention to them giving all his energy
| to the handling Of the schooner. Then he
motioned to Billy to go forward For a
| long time there was silence, excepting that
| Hunch occasionally muttered. Wen get
back I'd tod her we'd get back" Bruce
| sat terrified on the cabin facing the stern
| not seeing where the schooner was going
After a while he could stand 1t no longer
He looked over his shoulder. They were
close to the breakwaters now and little
| to the south. The three life-saving men
were running back along the breakwater.
evidently in order to be ready at the sta
ton If the schooner should miss the cham
mel Then he heard Hunch say, Turn
1
and was pointing it at him with a grin.
Bruce sat still, for Hunch was careless
when he was drunk. Hunch kept 1t in his
hand while he steadily looked at Rrune
from time to time with a cunning express
| sion.
The schooner came bounding I'D from the
south: running nearly before the wind
Hunch knew what to allow for wind, waves
and currents. Suddenly he shouted to Billy
and damned the wheel over hard with
Billy on the sheets the bow came SLOWLY
about and headed direct for the lighthouse
Biiiy quaked. But as she ploughed forward
she Tell OF TO leeward under the sweep of
the waves. and slipped neatly between the
breakwaters into the more quiet water Of
the channel. The lee rail scraped a little
but nothing was s lrted.
Bruce sat motionless on the cabin with
a face like sheet But Hunch waved his
revolver jovially at the life-savers on the
dock. and all the while they were creeping
up the channel he sang profane songs at
the top OF his voice, pausing now and tban
for drink. When they were fast to the
dock he houndered ashore. and stood laugh
ing at Billy, who was still cinging to the
weather stays Bruce stepped up to him
Say, Hunch. don't you think you'd bet
ter quit drinking? The weddings tonight
you know"
What right you got talkin, to ~. ,ho,,.
You're coming to the wedding, Huncb
amt your
here! Go on now!"
Bruce walked steadily and rapidly I'D the
dock, and disappeared around the cornar
OF lumber shed.
A few hours later Hunch came plunginp
out of a saloon with two men who were
afraid to decline his treats. 1t was dark.
but when certain carriage passed he could
see by the corner light that one of the occu-
pants wore white veil So he went back
into the saloon and amused himself shoot
ing patterns through the store until he fell
asleep over a box of sawdust Then ~ MOS
and not before, that the discreet constable
had him carted-away to sober up at the
countys expense
reTol be contInued.)