The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-12-16

1.-THE Perry ma got her weEl AZ
| out this time" some one said.
The smacks came into full view
round the bend.
hindermost one, han't she got her flag
| halfmast?"
| A score Of eager, incredhlous faces
craned and peered. 1t was true;
there hung the tell-tale flag, pregnant
signal of death and disaster. The
| faces fell
INST ha' lost hand last night"
izn woman pressed forward to the
very edge of the pier, pale and agon-
lied.
whats wrong wi Liz" cried some
one.
Hold yer noise" with an angry
| nudge, "that there boats the Valiant
wot her man Jem Wacey's aboard
on"4
Every heart went out to Liz in her
anxiety. every eye scanned the Va
| liant's deck wnere r.-y crew were
| gathered, eager to recognize Jem.
An ominous silence fell. Two men
were missing-Jem and the smack's
master. The rest Of them stood there,
a detected, crast-fallen little group.
A cry of agony broke from LIS
| lips. where's Jem?" she cried. II
don't see my Jem."
| Still that ominous silence. Liz
turned to Marthy with desperate,
agonized gesture. The girl under
hand. The crowd pared. and the two
ran down the pier along the riverside
| to the ferry tNat led to denes and
| fish wharf. Liz stumbled along,
scarce seeing where sne went, her
breath coming in long, heart-breaking
| sobs,
Down the rickety landing stage
| they went, into the old boat, and over
| the steely, wind-blown river. The
wide, slow circuit of the boat necessi-
| tated by the swift-fowing tide, seem
ed never ending; so did the steep
steps on the other side of the river
and the road to the wharf where the
| boats were moored.
The Perry had cast her little fleet
adrift now in mid-river. and one by
one they were joining the serried
ranks atSthe quayhead. The Valiant
was thereA already-a chaos OF FISH
and men, and tarry barrels and ropes
and spars | d shlmm ering, iridescent
fish scales. An eager crowd pressed
on board keen to learn the news of
the night and the boats loss. A few
steps more and Liz was among them,
fear eloquent in her wide eyes and
dry lips.
Yes. the masters gone" one of
the crew was saying, sadly. "A thun-
derin' big wave took an washed him
overheard, and the same one hulled
pore Wacey ag'in the mast, an
Liz gripped the speakers arm.
KILLED" she gasped, "Is my Jem
killed?"
The sound of her voice reached the
cabin below. Before the wait could
reply, there was sound of stumbling
footsteps up the companion, and
man, pale and weak, his head BAN
daged up in gaudy cotton handker-
chief, came into sight. He steadied
himself a moment, while his dazed
eyes scanned the deck. Then he held
out his arms, and with long-pent-up
cry, Liz few to them like g homing
bird.
Jem held her close, stroking her
hair and soothing her tenderly, while
he babe her, in voice which. was
rather shaky, in spite of the chan,
mot to go a-killin' O. him OFF like
that there; he wasn't dead, no, nor
likely to be-"
And the gallant crew of the Valiant
turned their broad backs on the two,
and winked the tears out of their hon.
est eyes; but Marthy, woman-like,
found vent for her pent-up emotion
in scathing speech. ITO think" cried
she, that all this here might ha'
been spared If only you chaps had
had the sense to bring Jem up on
deck time you was a-coming into
harbor. But there, tbs just like lot
o. men; no more perceivance among
yer than the babe unborn!"-K. M.
| Guthrie, in Black and White.