Evening journal., 1904-06-04


six miles OUT Up y'r iib, mater The
two set the jib, flying jib and stay
sails.
The fore and main sails were already
drawing, and under all the spread Of
her canvas the Bertha raced back to-
ward the shore.
But by the time she was within the
head Of xhe bay her stern had settled
to such an extent that the forefdot was
clear Of the water the bowsprit point
ing high into the heavens. Moran was
at the wheel, her scowl thicker than
ever. her eyes measuring the strength
Of water that lay between the schooner
ana the shore
"She'n never make II In the world,
she muttered as she listened 70 the /
wash of the water in the cabin I'M
der her feet In the hold empty bar
rels were ahoat knocking hollowly |
against each other "Were in a bad /
way, mate"
III II comes TO that" returned VIII |
bur surprised 10 see her thus easily /
downcast who was usually so indomi- |
table-"if it comes TO that we can
swim for it--a couple of planksn-
"Swimf" she echoed 'I'm not think I
ing of that or course we could
swim"
"what theng"
'The sharksw
Wilbur's teeth clicked Sharply togcth-
er. lie could thinl, Of nothing to say.
AS the water gained between decks
the schooner's speed dwinded, and at
the same time as she approached the
shore the wind shut Off by the land,
fell away. BY this time the ocean was
not four inches below the stern rail-
Two miles away was the nearest sand
spit Wilbur broke out distress sig
nal on the fOremast in the hope that
Charlie and the deserters might send
of the dory to their assistance. but the
deserters were nowhere i'm sight.
"What became of the iunkY he de-
manded suddenly Of Moran. She mo-
toned to the westward with her head.
"Stll lying outside"
Twenty minutes passed. Once only
Moran spoke
'When she begins TO 60" she said
"shell so with rush. Jump pretty
wide, or youll get caught in the sue
tion."
The two bad given up ali hope. Mo
ran held grimly to the wheel as a mere
matter of form. Wilbur stood at her
side. his clinched fists thrust into his
pockets. The eyes of both were fixed
on the yellow line Of the distant beach.
BY and by Moran turned TO him with
an odd smile.
Were a strange pair TO die togeth-
err" she said. Wilbur met her eyes an
instant. but finding no reply. put his
chin in the air as though he would
have told her she might well say that
"A strange pair 20 die together" Mo
ran repeated. "but we can do that bet
ter than we could have'-she looked
away from him-"could have lived to-
gether." she finished and smiled again.
"And yet" said Wilbur. these last
few weeks hero-on board the schooner
we have been through a good deal-to-
geiher ! don't know" he went on
clumsilv-'I don't know when I've
bcen-when I've had-lve been hap
pier than these last weeks. tits queer
isn't it, ] know. of course. what you'll
say. I've said it TO myself often Of
late. / belong 10 the city and TO my
life there, and you-you belong to the
ocean. ] never knew a girl like you
never knew a girl could be like you.
You don't know how extraordinary It
all seems to me. You swear like D
man. and you dress like man, and I
don't suppose you've ever been asso-
ciated with other women. and you're
strong-l know you are as strong as /
am. You have no idea how different you
are from the kind Of girl I'vc known.
Imagine my kind Of girl standing Mp
before Hoang and those cutthroat
beachcombers with their knives and
hatchets. Maybe it's because you are
so unlike my kind of girl that-thai
things are as they are with me. !
don't know. It's queer situation. a
month or so ago ] was NJ a tea i'm Sar
Francisco. and now I'm aboard a sharb
fishing schooner sinking in Magdalens
bay, and I'm with a girl that-that l.
that I-well. I'm with you. and. well
you know how it isl might as wei
say it'll love you more than ] imagin
ed 1 ever could love a girl"
Moran's frown came back TO he
forehead.
Il don't Ike that kind OF talk" sh
said. Il am not used TO st. and l don
know how TO take it. Believe mo" sh
said. with half laugh, ITS an wasl
ed never could love q man. I'm nc
made for men,"
NO. said Wilbur, NOR for otho
women either"
'Nor for other women either"
Wilbur fell silent. In that instant h
had a distinct vision OF Moran's III
and character. stunning men an
Stunned OF women, strange. lionel
creature. solitary as tho ocean whereo
she lived: beautiful after her fashion
as yet without sex, proud. untane,
splendid in her savage primal ind'
pendcnce--a thing untouched and ui
sullied by civilization. She seemed I
him some Bradamantc, some mythic;
Brunehiid. some Nalkyrie OF the LEI
ends born out Of season. lost and nj
familiar in this end OF the centul
time. Her purity was the purity
primeval glaciers. He could easily 81
how to such a girl the love OF a ms
would appear only in the light OF
Humiliation degradation. And Y
she could love, else how had he be'
able TO love herg Wilbur found hiI