The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-06-28

| sue goes uoWn. anyway, IL makes
man nervous TO wa ich her settle hold
ing only TO another's mans theory that
she won't sink. Even IL he knows she
| won't, he's more or less afraid she viii.
| i went and sat on my raft. Harry
| pretended he thought IL all very ordI-
| nary.
There's canned things below" ne
said. Fact. There's deviled ham and
canned peaches and cold soup. Fact.
| Here's what gets EN-"
He slipped over the side OF the great
hole ! had made In the deck, and I
heard him splash In shallow water.
grunting a little at that.
The John Andrews did not settle al
our end at first. but rose so far as /
could see In the mist she might have
been riding altogether.
Harry put his head up. "Sink Sink
nothing. She's going up like one Of
them sunday-school angels and
dropped again.
! could plainly hear the whistle and
hiss OF steam, and knew that the fire
was being put out. judged now that
IL burned down from the port holes til
stopped above wateT-line. After that
the water would come In but slowly
for a time till as the stern sank II
would come In faster and faster. and
naturally as the stern sank the Prov
went up, but she couldn't stay up
there forever like forsaken old kite.
You notice that barges have high
decks fore and aft, and that the sides
run low between. So that when the
stern Of the John Andrews sank deep
1t began to pour into the waist in riv-
ers with great noise. The prov
dropped, and the water rushing for
ward spouted on the fore-deck. Harry
came up pretty wet and scared, but he
had his shirt full Of tins
The John Andrews settled slowly.
you might say inch by inch, the black,
tumbling water coming nearer us up
the side. II made me fidgety, that's
the truth Down we sank till the
water lay over the sides of the ships
middle, maybe two feet, and then
stopped.
Harry said. 81 told you so. Fact. /
did" ana began chiseling at tins with
his jack-kDlfe. THAT there raft OF
yours that's a fancy steam yacht, that
ting on my raft. and he didn't chlsel
tins till the John Andrews quit set
Ting.
We felt better of course, and ate
near can Of timed meat apiece. and
drank peach Juice out of its natural
can and some kind Of cold soup.
Trouble with you" said Harly-he
had n can of peaches In his hand and
his knees punched up under his chin
trouble with you is them novels about
the Pacific Ocean. Land! i don't
read anything else myself"
The night came on very dark, with
hours week long. and some hundred
or more OF them. It's well enough not
TO be drowned or burned, but to be
cold and wet and sleepless isn't real
happiness We lay close together shlv-
erlng, and told everything we knew or
remembered to make the time pass by.
Harry said the current set east, what
there was of II, and we might drift TO
Canada In a day or two, If the mist
didn't rise before and let some craft
sight US. but we might not drift ashore
anywhere, and the mist might not rise.
Never mind about the rest of the
night. II wasn't success. Morning
came and we looked lougingly for the
mist to rise. but IL didn't We were
miserable, cold, discouraged, but IN
time we felt the sun through the fog
gratefully, and | fell asleep at last.
stretched Hat on the deck.
| woke to hear a low roaring and TO
see Harry standing over me. Going
ashore?" he asked, coolly.
| sat up and stared, and knew the
roaring to bc the surf. although moth
Ing could be seen but the white mist.
How"
Raft" said Harry. Good idea Of
yours Fact"
The John Andrews was tilted so
that the lower side was a few feet
from the water. The lake was still
rough, the water dismal and black.
Harry fell to chopping n plank, and
made what might he called paddles.
We slid the raft along, heaved up one
side and over with IL. IL started away
on striking the water but he jumped
on IL and padded IL back, and we set
to work getting away from that weary
old wreck in silence. Only once Harry
stopped and pointed back.
They were a decent sort" he said.
"Thc captain and BurnsY'
And the cook, and the John An
drews. That was their luck. Fact
This here's ours
The SURF wet us well, but the shore
was near. nearer than IL seemed be-
cause of the mist. We touched sandy
bottom. waded out and saw dimly 4
man bailing catboat high on the
beach. who turned aud stared at us.
We'll" he said. Now, where'd you
come from?" For no doubt we seemed
to come like ghosts out of the mist
which hid the lake. with noting to ac-
count for us.
Raft come ashore. Fact" said
Harry. and we went right on TO Kin
cardinc, in Canada.
NO good explainin' things TO folks
said Harry TO me. Wear a mans jaw
out that way. Fact" and know that
this true yarn Of the John Andrews
was never told beforc.-Youth's Com
paniou.