The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-20
OUT OF THE DOLDRUA1S By Theodore U1qto,:

W. j VI u
Copyright, by Theodore Waters)
OWN in what sailors the horse ATTITUDES of
Atlantic, tramp steamer drifted idly
in the swing Of the equatorial current where it
" nightly toward Cape St Rogue. No smoke
her~funne held her wheel,
and the bunting at her forepeak foated upside
All around her and far behind could be the fins
of countless sharks. They following
days the regular
long and
ered dropped these objects had
disappeared with splash the water and when the
bubble the surface, and girl who
had leaned the rail to see the thing down. straight
looked another for several with
yet again the day before that they had cast these objects
overheard with much less emotion than this
days ceremony just place
not only deprived the girl OF her chief friend and protector
board is the of the but it left her
and her companion the quartermaser the only occupants
of the vessel.
We'll" said the man at last "he's gone am sorry
yes replied the girl, hes gone
I I'll be the next he said.
Oh, please, please-don't!' She sank YEARLY into
She not deeply interested in him but the prospect Of
being left alone appalled, herappaed her than the
man whom she had never met before setting foot on the
vessel She shvered slightly atho the pitch between the
deck pnks bubbed in the heat Of the morning but the
gazing moodily at the water did notice it. He
recapuating events they had lately occurred board
The single tramp
plies from to satisfied with paying
and destination. Her last of call had been Rio de
Janero and there from Calcutta by of
Good Hope. While off the Andaman islands in the Indian
she picked Punjabi adrt small
boat He said he all that left of ship load of
Mecca pilgrims wrecked the from Jeddah to Madras
But before he died later he confessed that reality
he had from ship bound the
mouth Ganges.
for days after the Punab died disease did not
meiaty manifest its Perhaps the cooler latitude
held 1t In check they got clean bill OF health at R1o
where the girl took for New congratulated
themselves their steamer got
the belt of the Atlantic the suddenly broke
out board killing the after another with awful
rapidty
port under the circumstances another
but at last they unable any port ALL
they died fast that laid hold
in condition to work the ship They banked the
and let her float occupied themselves
ing each other die And it last the
captains funeral when left alive but the girl
passenger and the quartermaster.
She had been administering angel sick and dmn-
ishng numbers had forced him at last to become scuon
In general to the living and the dead But their intimacy
been occasoned by too much permit
Now however they were alone with nothing to do to
think of that equally the
him and good to look at the latent possibilities
the situation made her Once twice the
died off this situation
she had wondered might beleft with
she had put the thought aside
of bad dream. He gazing covertly,
thoughts pited heartily for refinement
upbringng apparent. suddenly resolved
That she needed
startled manner when she him walk toward
Well he began seating himself the rail in front Of
her and plungng into subject;
what urid suppose, butt might be know
81 mean" he continued we are somewhat out Of
the track of vessels but drifting
the Windward islands, 1t will only be matter until
sight of them Luckily good boat
us and provisions enough to last months
Months she gasped. Mortified at the prospect But
we not do something net-go somewhere?,
Tim afraid not The numbered nineteen, you
know they banked the fires when they
that fire holeweI wasn't brought live
mate However be sighted vessel
which case I will ask the captain to take off,
"And you--?"
"Oh, T." He smiled curiously ST been off, this
boat for long, long time Besides there why
would rather take my chances aboard her.
you cannot
float forever in the dodrums? Well perhaps not, but
it is not the storm season, and with food
plenty and saz
And what?' She looked at him sharply saw the
look and said hastily