Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-04-04

cries of women; these, with white
faces and wide eyes, were gathered
in a little group on the forward deck.
Out from the rushing flames, as by
miracle, came Van Clede, a coat
wrapped about his head. The fire had
touched him. His hair and beard
were gone, his eyes smarted with
pain, and his left arm hung useless by
his side; but he was as collect as be-
fore. He patted out the fakes of fire
upon his clothes, then stopped, broke
both shoe-laces and kicked his shoes
from him. AS he rose again he saw
Shocky Larson, clad only in under
shirt and trousers, clinging to STAN
| chion.
sect out of~here, son." said Van
Clede. ''We'ye got to swim for it's
The boy did not answer, and Van
Clede saw that he was crazed by
fright. The panic had taken hold OF
him. Van Clede shook him by the
shoulder and the boy fattened him
self against the rail and shrieked. He
was pitiful thing, without mind,
without forethought; and when Van
Clede dragged him from the stanchion
he rushed back to it and again
IL
teeth chartered and his lips moved,
and he said over and oyer to himself,
as if it were a lesson that he had
learned by rote:
81 can't swim! [ can't swim!
can't swim!''
Van Clede tore Shocky from the
| rail, lifted him by main force and
| threw him over the side, and leaped
after him. AS he came to the surface.
| the boy seized him and they went
down together. With his good hand
Van Clede struck him twice in the
| face. The blows did not stun, al
| though they were meant to stun, but
| the boy loosened his hold and went
down. When again his head came
| free of water, Van Clede's teeth were
set in his shirt collar, and with Van
Clede swimming on his back, they
were making slow Roadway from the
side Of the ST. Clair.
| The GOODNESS of the water, the
| steady pull upon his shirt brought the
| boy to his senses. He told it after
ward-how one instant all was a blur
| of fright, filled with red flashes and
voices which stopped the beating of
his heart and cholSed his throat with
terror; then, suddenly, it was as if
something cracked in his head and he
saw clearly as in a picture, the black
side of the ST. Clair, and he heard
and recognized above the turmoil the
voice of Capt. Willis, on the forward
deck, as he and the first officer held
back the maddened men and helped
the women with the life-preservers
And Shocky Larson, in voice which
was not like the voice of Shocky Lar
son at all, but like the voice of some
better man, said, gasping, to Van
Clede:
'You don't need to. be afraid of me
now, Van Clede.''
Van Clede loosened the collar from
his teeth, still supporting the boys
body on his own.
81 wasn't afraid of you, son. he
said. "Put your hand on my shoulder.
It's better so.'
Then, swimming as best they could,
| they struck out for the red light on
| the dock.
About them they could hear noises
in the water which told them that
others, like themselves, were strug
Cling. The offshore waves running on
the reef, like sea-urchins at play,
slapped their faces and choked them.
The way was long. 1t was as if for
hours they had been struggling in the
water. Van CIede's strokes grew
shorter and weaker, his face was
white even in the darkness, and his
eyes stared in their sockets.
ST guess we amt got much chance,
son." he said, choking, to the boy.
Then to Shocl<y Larson, that same
frightened boy who, Is minutes be-
fore, had chung shrieking to the rail,
there came thought grander than
any he had ever had before.
His weight dragged Van Clede down
until the waves went over their heads.
Together they could never reach the
shore. The red light grew no nearer;
but Van Clede alone might make it.
One-not both.
And something rose in Shocl1y Lar
son which was like thing outside Of
himself, and he let go of Van Clede's
shoulder, and the water closed over
him; but Van Clede, turning side
wise, seized him again.
Then, not 20 feet away in the dark
ness, voice called to them and a
hand was stretched out. 1t was Bron-
sons camp boss, who had crossed
, from the shore to the island on lit
, tie raft of railroad ties.
After that the ST. Clair, burning like
box of matches, burned herself out
on the reef, and the wind died down,
; and the day grew white behind the
, tree-tops.
/ But all through the dreadful night
there were three men who were a