Evening journal., 1904-07-09


had sworn under her breath.
"And people can live therel Good
henvensi why not rabbit burrows and
be done with it7 Mate. how soon can
we be out to sea againl ! hate this
place"
Wilbur found the captain Of the life
boat station in the act OF sitting down
TO dinner OF boiled beef and cabbage
He was a strongly built, well looking
man, with the air more Of soldier
than n sailor. He had already been
studying the schooner through his front
window and had recognized her and
at once asked Wilbur news of Captain
Kitchel Wilbur told him as much Of
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 and that Il
would be impossible to avoid nine
days notorety. The captain OF the
station (his name was Hodgson) made
Wilbur royalty welcome, insisted upon
his dining with him and himself called
up the chemists as soon as the meal
was over
II 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 Hodg-
sons explanation, it was the only one
he ever heard
When he had spoken OF the matter
Hodgson had nodded his head. "Sul-
phur bottoms" he said.
Sulphur bottomsY
"Yes; they're a kind Of right whale.
They get barnacles and a hSld of ma
rlne lice on their backs and come up
and scratch themselves against a ships
keel just like hog under a fence"
When Wilbur's business was done
and he was making ready to return
TO the schooner, Hodgson remarked
suddenly: "Hear you've got strap
ping fine girl aboard with you. Where
did you fan In with herT And he
winked and grinned.
Wilbur started as though struck. and
took himself hurrledly away, but the
mans words had touched of I'm his
brain a veritable mine Of conjecture.
( horan in Magdalena bay wRs consist
ert, congruous and fitted into her en-.
vironment But how-how was VII
bur to explain her to San Francisco.
and how could his behavior seem else
than ridiculous to the men Of his club
and 10 the women whose dinner in
vitations he was wont to receives
They could not understand the change
that had been wrought I'm him. They
] did not know Moran, the savage, half
tanned Nalkyrie so suddenly become a
woman. Hurry as he would, the
schooner could not be put TO sea again
within a fortnight Even though he
elected to live 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. To her il seemed simplicity
itself that they two who loved each
other should sail away and pass their
lives together upon the sea, as she and
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 on 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
crumbling fortihcation and scene by
scene reviewed the extraordinary
events Of the past six months
In front Of him ran the narrow chan
mel Of the Golden Gate; to his right
was the bay and the city; at his left
the open Pacific.
He saw himself the day OF his ad-
vent aboard the Bertha IN his top hat
and frock coat; saw himself later
"braking down" at the windlass, the
Petrol within hailing distance.
Then the pictures began to thicken
fast: The derelict bark Lady Lefty
rolling to her scuppers, abandoned and
lonely; the hoy" in the wheel box,
kitchell wrenching open the desk in
the captains stateroom, Captain Stern.
ersen buried at sea, his false teeth up.
side down; the black fury OF the squan.
and Moran at the wheel; Moran. lying
at full length ON the deck. gettine the
altitude Of star; Magdalena bay. tho
shark fishing, the mysterious lifting
and shuddering OF the schooner. the
beachcombers junk. with its staring
red eyes. Hoang. naked TO the whist
cleaning with sweat and whale oil.
the nmhergris, the race 20 beach the
sinking schooner. the never to be FOR,
gotten night when he and Moran had
camped together on the beach: uonnr
taken prisoner and The hidcous nlinr
Of his teeth; the beachcolnbcrs. silent
and watchful behind their sand breast
works; the Chinamun he had kille,
! twitching and hiccoughIng at his feet
Moran turned berserlSer bursting dowr
upon him through haze OF smoke
Charlie. dying in the hammock aboart
Nthe schooner, ordering his funeral will
It's -four plccec horse" Coronado thl
ineongruous scene IN :hc ballroom
anu last of all. Josie Herrick. in whit
uuvk ana kid shoes. giving her han,
70 Moran. IN ner boots and belt. hat