The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-16
Tbe Ships NdpenfQre.
BY W. CLARK RUSSELL oopyrsh. 1899. By s. Mcclure Coz


And buoyed by the magnificent swim
mer whose teeth were in his collar he
stlnened his breast and pointed. But
the Newfoundland who had not seen
Johnny fall, had leapt to save the life
OF Hardy, and with bitter, blighting de-
spair In his heart the gallant young
fellow felt the beautiful animal at his
side urging him irresistibly up one Slope
and down another In the direction of the
ship, with its dreadful figure of human
anguish gesticulating and shouting on
the grating.
The hearts that bent the blades rowed
with love Of the boy and maddening
passion to save him. They came to
Hardy first and dragged him and the
dog over the gunwale, and man stand
ing up in the stern sheets steered the
boat for the place where the little fell
low had last been seen from the deck
of the ship. But they rowed In vain.
Sodden with brine and half blinded by
the tears of a manly sailors heart,
the mate strained his vision over the
running seas and knew, oh God! and
knew that Johnny had sunk forever.
"Oh, what a pity!'' said one Of the
men.
THE dog could have saved him." ex-
claimed another.
mo, he was gone before the dog could
have reached the place." said Hardy,
and he sank upon a thwart and covered
his face.
The Newfoundland laid his massive
jaws upon his knee in caress and in en-
enlargement, knowing he was saved, and
loving him as those majestic creatures
love the life they have torn from the
grasp of death. The men, with the
lifted blades of their oars sparkling In
the sun, gaZed silently around, but
Johnny was gone. The tall seas seeth-
ed, and the boat fell away with their
melting heads and rose buoyant to the
height of the next slant, but Johnny
was gone and after they had fingered
half an hour the men, to the command
of Hardy, turned the boats head towards
the ship, and rowed away from that sun
lighted scene of ocean grave which al
ready the hand of viewless love had
strewn with flowers and garlands of
foam.
Capt. Lavard was standing with tightly
folded arms beside the skylight when
Hardy arrived on board and approached
him, shuddering with grief and with
the exhaustion that attends even a br1ef
spell of battling with the rolling seas
of the ocean. The unhappy fathers
face was utterly unintelligible in ex-
preston. And still critical eye, with
good capacity for subtle penetration,
would in this time of sudden and awful
bereavement have witnessed In that
poor mans face the dangerous condition
of his soul.
The men who were hosting the boat
pulled with askant looks full of respect
and rough sympathy, and the boat rose
in silence, so touched were the sailors
hearts by this sudden loss of the bright
haired little darling of the ship, The New
foundland, shaking a shower from his
coat, came to the captain, seemed to know
that grief was in him, and looked up at
him.
Where is my little johnny" said the
captain to Hardy, in firm. sharp tone.
Hardy could not answer him.
There is no good in telling me that
he's not on board this Ship said the
captain, letting fall his arms and sway
ing in a strange way with the leeWard
and weather rolls of the arrested vessel.
Where is he hidden?'
He stepped to the companion and
shouted down, Johnny, Johnny, my dar-
ling! Come up with your drum! The
men want music! e9 Come up with your
drum, my JOHNNY 91l5fc ~
The sailors Delayed the falls Of the boat
and secured her and slowly walked for
ward. never a one of them speaking. The
captain went below, calling Johnny"
Mr.. Candy came up to Hardy. Both he
and the watch below had rushed on deck
board!" and tothat sudden change you feel
in a ship when the yards of the main are
swung aback All the concern that man
with white eyelashes and~paIe hair ana
a skin like cut of roasted veal can look.
was in Candy's face as he said
This blow has turned the captains
head, sir
81 cannot speak to you.' Hardy an
swered
"T ~ mo fa+oh Won come byop dv civ -
said, the second mate. Hardy raised his
arm Candy walked to the quarter and
stood staring at the sea where the child
had sunk. The Newfoundland dog was
growing uneasy You saw by the crca-
lures motion of head and by osher signs
that he knew something was wrong.
Twice he growled low and walked round
the skylight smelling the planks, then
coming to the companion-way he listened
and sprang down the steps.
Hardy stood waiting for the captain
1t was not for him to order the topsail
yard to be swung until the captain spoke.
All the seamen were forward, standing in
groups, waiting fer the command, and the
boatswain, in the face of the general
grief, could find nothing. for them to do
until the quarterback started them.
1t filled Hardy with anguish, though
he was only a mate in the British mer-
chant service, the one sunrecognized con-
dition of our nationat life, spite of the
pleading of its heroic traditions, and the
claims of its English seamen of today
upon the admiration of their country, to
think of the poor, desolate, brain-afflicted
father below seeking in his madness his
beloved little boy. He knew that this
man had tenderly loved the mother of
that child and mourned her loss with a
sailors heart and that the bright and
spirited lad whom God had summoned
had been his constant companion since
his wifes death, the light of his life the
flower whose fragrance had sweetened
the loneliness of command
He stood waiting, soaked to the flesh.
Suddenly the captain appeared.
Johnny is not below" he said. He's
somewhere in the ship. When did you
see him last, Mr.. Hardy?''
And still Hardy could not answer him.
The Newfoundland had followed his mas
ter. and the whole frame and benign eyes
of the noble creature, to whom and whose
like man denies a soul, yielded prefer
natural token of loss and disquiet that
was human in eloquence.
The captain did not seem to heed Har-
dy's silence and manner. He looked with
great eagerness and a certain wildness
along the decks, and then, putting his
hand to the side of his mouth, with his
face turned forward, where the men
stood watching him, he shouted in an
imperious voice, as though he would
brighten an answer from the concealed
child:
"Johnny! 1t is strange said he in
low voice, turning and looking at Hardy.
rs he aloft?" and he turned his eyes up
and scrutinized the rigging, the tops, the
oroee traes the wards, stepping to the rail