Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1902-12-26

TOO. capt. Blackle- mas only THIS OH
book. but what flags are here are all
right. I've learned lot Of them.
Please hear me, jeanne. I want to
know them by heart"
| jeanne took the book and Jamie
stood up as If repeating lesson.
Il can't say them as they come yet
jeanne; but I'll Just tell you those /
know. M Is Due with white cross
and N blue and white squares. . Is
plain red, with Two. points and @ is
just plain yeliovt. It st is-Let me
Rave the book again, Jeanie."
Better learn your school tasks first,
jamie lad; then you can look at this
till bedtime's kn
She laid dewn the book and was
taking up her knitting, when a thought
struck her.
"B is all red With two points, and
Q just plain ycllcw" Could there be
some explanation here of viii Aliens
mysterious letters? She opened the
book, Yes. @ was among the letters
in the code-yellow and blue. pennant
shape.
Furth' on came explanations OF the
naultifarieasl combinations of flags. A
long, lcng list, with the number of all
ships, and the flags to correspond. She
found Eda. NJ B Fl was the signal
for her number, ana jeanne looked up
the flags to correspond.
Then shor began locking through the
LIST, of short sentences likely TO be
needed at sea, with their code letters.
~ReDoIt all well. Provisions run
ming short, can you send stores?' and
so forth. es,..-,re
Send clothing for female passen.
/ gers.S II wouldn't be much use asking
for that on most ships, jeanne thought.
Then her heart gave a great bound.
She had come to the page where suit
! able conversations for ships going the
] sams way were coded. 81
"B Q G-Shall we keep coEts3ay? %
Jeanne felt little inclined to laugh.
and more than little inclined to cry.
] Poor old VIII So this was what he
had struggled to tell her. Silly, silent
Will! Why couldn't he speak up like
man? But there was q tender gleam
IN her gray-green eyes as she sent a
thought over the sea to the mate Of
the Eda. = r
That was On eventful year. Old
Hrs. Mack died in February, and Ja-
niie went to sea in the spring. The
captain of the Eda had retired, and
the owners offered his place to the first
mate.
jeanne saw that the Eda was safe
in Aberdeen. but she heard nothing OF
VIII Allen, and did not know what
extra business was keeping him away
from Shetland
She was knitting with slow fingers
! and an unusual drop of the shoulders
On the evening wh' VIII Aliens step
sounded outside. lie looked well and
prosperous in q new serge suit, but he
seemed no more talkative than usual.
/. Why, Jeanie la=si" was ali he said
to express his sympathy with her
trouble and losses; but as she knew
it was sympathy, the simple words
were enough to make jeanne tell about
her grief and relieve her mind.
She never felt the need of words
from Will, except those three which no
woman can say for h.rself.
He got Up presently, overcome with
the desire to tell bsr. al his love and
yearning, end take her into. HIS arms;
but the words refused to be uttered.
Tomorrow perhaps nw
GOOD evening, Win" Jeanne said,
with the suggestion of sob in her
voice. a aM ~
She had meant to tease him about
his mysterious letters when he came
again, but she hadn't the heart
He reached the door, gripped tho
post and made a desperate effort 10
speak.
why, Jean4e. lass"
Great beads of perspiration stood
out on his sforehead;T but the words
would not come-only those signal
words, which she could not under
stand:
"B @ G%f r
They seemed such good joke be
fore, and now were like straw for
him to cling to in the waves of his
own silence.
jeanne looked up and smiled.
$ Yes; if you wish it, WILL she said.
He stared at her, anu advanced into
the room again 9wQTr4
How did you know?"
Jamie was reading Capt. Blackie's
signal book, and l found the letters
there"
Why, jeanne, lass" He, for VIII
Allen. became quite eloquent.
II wanted tos tell you these five
years. Jeanne, but something held my
tongue I've stood here, and tried and
tried; and then l found the signal
words, and thought they might help
me to eyplpin, but they didn't last
year"
IL was Jeanie's time to be silent, and
VIII spoke again. ~ "a
I'm captain of the Eda, Jeanie." he
said, land l must get back to Aber-
deem tomorrow. She sails in a fort
night; but. Jcanie lass, the owners
will let me take my wife, Answers.