The San Francisco call., 1904-06-19

here in the tropics?" he grumbled.
You know my lungs aren't very
strong, Celeste, and the first thing you
know I'll be having pneumonia"
He tugged the scrap of sail partly on
the Baronet Il say, Knapp, just tuck
that thing around my feet, will you? l
believe I'm going to have chilli Heat
UP the rest OF that chowder for me, Ce-
leste. Damn the luck. anyway! You
bet that the next time / hire any off,
GERS for a yacht I'll get men with the
proper licenses, and who know their
business. It's all your fault, Celeste.
If you'd only been content to go right
back this never would have happened.
Why don't you heat up something. Ce-
leste? Do you want me to have "a"
Shut up" growied the mate.
"Eh! What's that?"
Shut up. or I'll come over there and
twist your neck! Savvy?"
What do you mean? is that the
way"
Shut yer mouth. dye hear? The
Countess's got enough to bother hei
without your drOol."
The banker glared across the firelit
space, then grumbled off to sleep again.
The Countess gazed pensively at the
moon and then turned to the mate.
He rose suddenly, picked up the,
Countess poor little canvas coverlet
and held it to the blaze. then wrapped
it gently around her and drew her up
TO him.
Put your head on my lap-so. Now
5r1r l,oa 70
The fire was behind her, and tha
broad chest of the mate sheltered her
from the night breeze
But you-Jordin knapp-you can
not sleep so.'
Never fear, child; go to Sleep" His
voice was kind but imperative.
"Ah, mon ami nevair was ! so COM
Portable" She gave a little sigh. and
the eyelids futtered down. The flames
grew brighter.
Soon she slept, and after little the
nate's chin sank on his chest and he,
too, slept. So until morning, when
the Baronet aYoke.
He looked N them keenly in the
early dawn, md the smile that parted
his patrician lips was not altogether
ironical.
A week passed and no errant sail
Glove the distant skyline. The sup
ply of turtles eggs was gone and the
fsh caught by the Jap seemed very
lonely member of his species. The
castaways ate, but twice day, and
then scantily. The lines under the
Countess eyes deepened. and new
ones appeared in the rugged face of
the mate. He made a bold pretense
of eating, and only two of the party
saw the deception, but as he grew
daily more cadaverous his energy
seemed to increase. With infinite toll
he Clipped some of the broad sea
shells into the semblance of tools
q saw, a chisel and an adze. Nails
were drawn or dug from box and
cask. the smashed ends of the boat
neatly spliced and calked with cot
ton fibers.
When they awoke in the morning
the artist was missing. The Countess
was the first to find his writing in the
sand.
Dear friends" it read, this is to
apologize for leaving you so abruptly.
but I've lost my nerve. Knapp says
the boat can only safely carry four
possibly five. The grub is getting low
and I'm sick of chowder; besides, my
demand is greater than my supply.
Love to ALL May God bless you and
get you safely out of the mess! Au re-
voir.
The next day the mate with a smile
at the Countess, pronounced the boat
to be sea deserving" Then they
spent three days in catching fish.
which they dried in the sun. 1t was
easier to catch the fish, now that they
had boat. Several bottles that had
washed ashore and the biscuit tin were
flled with water from the spring,
which day by day was dwindling as
the dry season advanced. Another day