Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08

Gallagher had come upon a confused rec
election of his quarrel with his captain. and
he paused to frown at the glare Of the fire
behind him. When he looked around again
little wave struck him smartly In the face
to remind him OF present things; and he
coughed the salt water from throat and
nostrils that were already sensitive with
heat and smoke
PIN growled, sympathetically: We've
been smoked. Wen be picked now" 4
Gallagher did not reply. He speculated on
the back of Meaghan's head. bobbing. be-
fore him In the water and he wondered
what the thought was under that matted
gray hair. For himself, he felt as II he had
been Weakened from a bad dream by the cold
water-had been Weakened to world of new
efforts and new opportunities of which
man might take advantage, regardless of
the past. Gallagher was an optimist; he
shook the memory of that charge of cow
ardfce from his thought with toss of his
head and breasted forward.
They had been swimming for what seemed
to him an eternity Of fog and splash!ng
water-with the boats of the East river,
blinded and peevsh In the thickness of the
July night, lowing and complaining to one
another forlornly in the faint distance
when he heard the throb of marine engines
somewhere to their left
Almost at the same instant Meaghan
raised himself and roared "HalIooi HalIoo
horn
Gallagher caught the low pln-hole CLEAN
of red port light It's tug" he said
"All abo-o-ordi" PIN shouted
They wheeled into line toward the boat
which began to show at the foot of the
haze.
Ship ahoy! Man overboard!' PIN cried
IAN right" Meaghan said. They're
COMM
The green light showed beside the red as
the tug bore down on them. They could see
a man In the bows, and they yelled warm
ing to him not to run them down The
mn-fP of No hNa not
three yards from them when 1T stopped.
moment later Gallagher had caught the
rope end, and, with the assistance of PIN
and Meaghan, had climbed up the low side
to the deck, to find himself weak in the
knees and topheavy. He leaned over the
side to give a hand to the captain and
Meaghan made sound in his throat that
might have been intended for gruff and
unmollihed Thanks. PIN came up the
rope hand over hand. And Gallagher turned
away to dance the water out of his ears
and to frown to himself at Meaghan's man
ner for 1t was manner that brought all
his troubles back on him, the heavier for
the unreasoning interval of relief
The captain of the tug-McVickar was bis
name-took a clay pipe from his hairy lips
to ask them impolitely where they had come
from. Gallagher looked up, but did not
answer. Meaghan took no heed whatever.
PIN nodded his head in the direction of the
hre and continued to wiring water from the
legs of his trousers. Blamed pants IS done
LEI, lie complained, with the resentment
of man who has to buy his own uniform.
What's afire?" McVickar asked impa-
tiently.
Everything in sight, PIN said.
ANY boats?"
Ought to be- Oirs ahoat"
McVickar saw prospect of salvage moneys
Full ahead" he shouted to the engineer,
who was leaning from the window of the
engine room. The tug shot forward on the
kick of the screw.
IT had not gone fen wards heFora
was far call from the water, and Meaghan
turned to see the three remaining firemen
swimming toward them.
"Hor on! Hol' on! Pick up those men,
he cried.
The tug captain looked around to ask:
who's runnin this boat?'
Now If either Gallagher or Meaghan had
been asked that question in the tone of
mere inquiry 1t would have taken them an
appreciable time to make an answer to it :;
for they were slow of mind and as slow
of speech as all men whose lives are spent
In action, not in thought. But what Gale
CHER heard were not the words, but the tone
of insolent defiance in which they were
spoken and before man of thought unae-
customed to action, could have made up his
mind that McVickar intended to abandon
the three fremen struggling in the water
or, at best, before such man could lave
begun to decide what to do to make The
captain and the tug wait to rescue the
swimmers-Gallegher had flung himself on
He knew that McVickar had tugboat
crew of at least five, but he was full of
dumb resentment against Meaghan, and he
was hungering for fight. He throttled
McVickar, backed him to the bulwarks.
tripped him as he staggered. and dealt him
a blow that broke his clay pipe in his teeth
and toppled him overheard as he fell. He
struck the water with a wild yell and went
under.
Look out fer the mate" Meaghan shout
ed. and closed with a burly deckhand.
PIN and Gallagher grappled with the mate
and wrested a revolver from him Over
he goes" PIN grunted, putting in a body
blow that doubled the man up. They throw
him. writhing. across the bulwarks. and
heaved him over, head first. Before his
shrill cries had time to grow faint In the
wake of the tug, Meaghan-leaving the
deckhand lying unconscious, with his head
against the housework-ran forward to the
wheelhouse. THE engineer!' he cried as
he went by. PIN and the lieutenant charged
down on the engine room. The boat made
a wide circuit in the water running like a
chicken without it's head. Then 1t shivered
and stopped short.
Meaghan came out of the wheelhouse,
wiping his mouth with the back of a bleed
ing hand. He nodded to Gallagher, who
Joined him from the engine room. ''All
right he said. Il guess she'll wait to pick
them up now"
She waited, rocking quietly in the fog,
with the three firemen standing in a little
facing the engine room with the mates
revolver in HIS hand. Capt. Meaghan was
watching the wheelsman in the bows PIN
was standing with a coil of rope ready for
Capt. McVickar and his mate who were
swimming up together
"Hor on to that" he said, tossing the
rope end out to them. AN don't try TO
come aboard till / say the word. er I'll step
on yer face"
You'll get thirty days for this" Nc
Vickar screamed. You dirty river pirat ,sr'
PIN laughed. "Whoop her up he called
to the three fremen, who We're swimming
feebly toward them. I'VE can't keep this
ocean liner waitin' all night fer your
Wher they had the three fireInen aboard
they left the engineer and the wheesman
to assist the captain and the mate over the
side, and went forward to the bows, re-
gardless of the curses of McVickar and the
abuse of the mate. Better take this SIR
Gallagher said alphabetically, to Meaghan,
handing him the revolver.
mo. l don't want it. l don't want It,"
Meaghan said. and turned away from him
to watch the fire grow and brighten the
tug swung around again and cut through
the water toward 1T.
McVickar shouted from a safe distance:
TN fix your
They did not reply. The men. feeling the
constraint of Meaghan's i'll temper, drew
away from the two officers and sat down on
the sides of the boat. Gallagher waited for
his foreman to speak. There had always
haa TO Gil hat