The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-04-09

{
/ graph. Russian and Rincon hills, all
swarming with buildings and grooved
+ with streets. Even the landlocked
harbor fretted her. Wilbur could see
1 she felt imprisoned. confined. When
he had pointed out the Palace hotel to
/ her-a vast gray cube in the distance
overlapping the surrounding roofs-sne
/ had sworn under her breath
"And people can live there. Good
/ heavens, Why not rabbit burrows and
/ he done with it? Mate, how soon can
we be out 10 sea again? | hate this
1 place"
4 Wilbur found the captain Of The life
I boat station in the act Of sitting down
/ to dinner Of boiled beef ana cabbage
/ He was a strongly built, well looking
/ man, with the air more of soldier
/ than sailor. He had already been
/ studying the schooner through his front
/ window ana had recognized her and
at once asked Wilbur news of Captain
Kitchcll, Wilbur told him as much Of
1 his story as was necessary, but from
the captains talk he gathered that
the news of his return had long since
/ been wired from Coronado ana that it
| would be impossible to avoid nine
days notoriety. The captain Of the
station (his name was HodgSon) made
1 Wilbur royalty welcome insisted upon
his dining with him and himself called
up the chemists as soon as the meal
was over.
1t was he who offered the only plaus-
ible solution Of the mystery of the lift
ing and shaking of the schooner and
the wrecking of the junk. Though
Wilbur was not satisfied with IIodg-
sons explanation, it was the only one
he ever heard.
When he had spoken of the matter,
Hodgson had nodded his head Sui
phur bottoms" he said
sulphur bottoms"
Eyes; they're kind Of right whale
They get barnacles and a kind Of ma
rine lice on their backs and come up
and scratch themselves against a ships
keel just like Il hog under fence
When Wilbur's business was done
and he was making ready to return
to the schooner. IIodgson remarked
suddenly: Hear you've got strap
ping fine Girl aboard with you. Where
did you fall in with herr And he
winked and grlnned.
Wilbur started MS though struck, and
took himself hurriedly away. but the
mans words had touched off in his
| brain a yerltable mine of conjecture.
Moran In Magdalena bay was consist
ent, cougruous and fitted into her en-.
yironnent But how how was Wi.
bur to explain her to san Francisco
ana how could his behavior seem else
than ridiculous to the men of his club
and to the women whose dinner in
vitationS he was wont to rcccivef
They could not understand the change
that had been wrought in him. They
did not know Moran. the savage, half
| tanned Nalkyrie SO suddenly become n
woman Hurry as he would the
schooner could not be put to sea again
| within fortnight Even though he
elected 10 I've aboard in the mean
while. the very business Of her prep
aration would call him to the city
again and again. Moran could not be
kept secret. As it was, all the world
knew Of her by now. On the other
hand. he could easily understand her
position. 70 her it seemed simplicity
itself that they two who loved each
other should sail away and pass their
lives together upon the sea, as she aud
her father had done before.
Like most men, Wilbur had TO walk
when he was thinking hard. He sent
the dory back to the schooner with
word To Moran that he would take a
walk around the beach and return in
an hour or two. He SET off along the
shore in the direction of Fort Mason,
the old red brick fort at the entrance
to the Golden Gate. AT this point in
the Preside government reservation
the land Is solitary. Wilbur followed
the line of the beach TO the old fort,
/ and there on the very threshold of the
western world, at the very outpost OF
! civilization. sat down in the lee Of the
crumbing fertilization aud scene by
scene reviewed the extraordinary
events Of the past six months.
/ III front of him ran the narrow chan
mel of the Golden Gate: TO his right
was the bay and the city; ct his left
the open Pacific.
lie saw himself the day Of his aG.
vent aboard the Bertha in his top hat
and frock coat; saw himself later
"braking down" at the windlass, the
Petrol within haiiing distance.
Then the pictures began to thc!en
fast: The derelict bark Lady Lefty
rolling to her scuppcrs. abandoned and
lonely; the boy in the wheel box.
/ kitchcll wrenchng open the desk in
/ the captains stateroom. Captain Stern
/ ersen buried at sea. bis false teeth UP
/ side down; the black fury of the squall
and Moran Mt the wheel; Moran. lying
at full length on the deck, getting the
altitude Of a star; Magdalena bay. the
shark fishing. the mysterious lifting
aud shudderiug of the schooner. the
beachcombcrs' junk, with its staring
red eyes: Hoanc. naked to the waist.
/ cleaning with sweat and whale Oil;
! IL n..I..------..- to a-aca Il. Lo..L m Z.