Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-02-04

OF meeting Gnat ne would gladly aVOld,
to whom there was coming an inevita-
BILE parting, the thought of which op-
pressed him strangely, and he could not
tell why.
The marvellous green of the California
bluffs spanned the horizon for miles on
their starboard hand one radiant after
noon as they went below to the cap
tain's dinner, the last before reaching
port The sunshine bad been brilliant
all the day. yet theka came a chilly,
shivering air toward O'Clock, and the
first officer shrugged his shoulders and
looked obviously ahead, but gave no
other sign. Gayly they drank the skip
per's health and pledged the Idaho in
her best champagne.
Long they fingered over the table,
and laughter, jest and song and story
livened the hours that came to an end
at last, and Pancha stole her little hand
within Loring's arm for the last star
light walk along the now familiar decks,
and 10, when they issued from the
brightly lighted saloon the stars were
gone, the steamer was forging ahead
through chill mist that grew thicker
with every moment, and as half speed
was ordered and the mournful notes of
the whistle groaned out throbbingly
over the leaden sea she swayed uneasily
over heavy ground swell that careened
her deeper and deeper as the mist thick
ened to fog, and oilskins and sou west
ers came out and dark figures went drip
ping about the decks. Loring fetched
his uniform cape from below and muf-
fled in it Pancha's slender form, and for
awhile they tottered up and down,
then abandoned the attempt to walk and
settled III their chairs al the end of the
bench, just where she had sat and chung
to the white stanchion and sobbed her
heart out that night in Guaymas bay.
Pancha could have sobbed almost as
hard, though no longer in loneliness
and desOlation, this very night.
AS early as $50 Sonora Valdez had
gone below, following her lovely nieces
and warning Parcha to come at once.
1t was too dark, too damp, to remain
there longer, but Loring begged, and
the Idaho lurched and rolled sympathet-
ically at the moment, and the duenna
found farther argument impossible. She
had to rush for her room, and later to
confde her mandates as to Pancha to
the stewardess, who came, peeped and
considered them i'll timed. At six bells
Turnbull and few determined yet I'M
comfortable souls were consuming CO.
gnac and playing vingt ct un in the cab
in, while the lookOuts were doubled on
the deck and every ships officer stood
to his post. The sound of the muffled
tinkle of the bell reused PaEcha from
the silence that had fallen on the pair.
81 must co." she murmured for per-
haps the tvs entieth time, and yet she
could not
Once nlre, mOurnful, meaning, the
deep toned whistle poured forth its
warming on the night, and before the
long blast had died away up from the
depths of the dense fog bank ahead rose
an echo, accumulated with sharp, STAG
cato shrieks Then came sudden,
startling cry at the bow; then deep
down in the bowels of the ship the
clang of the engine gong; then shouts
and rUshings to and fro at the hidden
forecaStle, and LOring started to his feet
only To be hurled headlong to the deck,
for. with fearful shock, some mammoth
monster struck and pierced and heeled
to port the stanch little coaster, and
then, withdrawing from the fearful
rent i'll her quarter, came crashing and
grinding down the side, sweeping away
every boat that hung at the starbOard
davits, ripping through the shrouds like
pack thread and rolling and wallowlng
off astern amid a pandemonium of
shouts for aid and frantic screams of
startled women. In one moment the
ho1
as she came, and the Idaho was settling
by the bows.
A signal rocket tore aIoft to tell the |
tale of desperate peril.
'Stand by US, Santiago! Don't you !
see you've cut us DOWN. beloved the !
captain through his trumpet.
Again the steampipe reared, and the !
mournful whistle crOoned the death |
song. No answering signal came to
cheer their hearts with hope of rescue.
The great Pacific mailer was lost in the
fog full half mile away. The crew
came rushing up on deck, reporting
under water below. There
was a mad dash of fear crazed men for
the boats, discipline and duty both for
gotten.
Over the first officers PROSTATE form
they sprang at the ''falls" of the stern
most-the longboat--a huge, bearded
seaman in the lead. The captain, with
fury i'll his eye, leaped in his way,
blasphemy and orders to go
back, and was knocked fiat with sim
gle blow. The brawny hand had seized
the sway ing tackle. Three seamen were
already scrambling into the swinging
craft when revolver cracked, the big
leader thr6,y up his hands with vel!
Of agony and toppled headlong upon the
deck. Then 1.-the figure vaulted over
the longboa.' 5 gunwale. One after an