The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-11-03
'ludcd, cor 10 the bottom"

| But until this blows over / must keen
| you below" He laughed. but he saw
| they were not deceived. "The seas are
| pretty heavy and the decks are being
| Eolystoncd for nothing. but wouldn't
| IKE to have any of you washed over.
board by mistake"
Ihe matches were battencd down. and
1t was q sorry company that tried to
whiie away the evening in the main
chOih. Monty's chaiiing about the ads
NahtaSeS OF the North cape over the
stormy Atlantic was not calculated to
raise the dropping spirits, and it was
very carly when he and his shattered
guests turned in. There was littIo
sleep on board the Filter that night
EVEN IL it had been easy to forget the
danger, the creaking Of the ship and
the incesSant roar Of the water were
enough for wakefulness. With each
iurch of the boat it seemed more in
credible that it could endure. 1t was
such Il mite of Il thing to meet so ruri-
GUS an attack. Through the night
the fragile little craft fought its lonc-
~ way, bravcly ignoring its own weak
ness ana the infinite strength of its en-
cmI. 10 the captain, laShcd to tho
bridge, there were hours; of grave any-
iety-hours when he feared each wave
as lt approached and wondered what
new damage 1t had done as it rcccicd
AS the wind increased toward morning
he felt Slckening certainty that thr
brave little boat was beaten Somehow
she seemed to lose courage. to waver
bit and almost give up the fight. He
trhn1 hn,. ut
dawn came up out Of the sea- Yet it
was not until Z o'clock that the crash
came which shook the passengers out
of their berths and filled them with
Shivcring terror. The whirling OF the
broken Shaft seemed TO consume the
snip. In every cabin it spoke with
horrible vividneSs of disaster. Tho
clamor Of voices and tire rush of many
feet which followed meant but orc
thing. Almost instantly the machinery
was Stopped-an ominous silence i'm the
midst Of the dull roar Of the water and
the cry of the wind.
1t was IL terrified crowd that quickly
gathered in the main cabin, but il was
brave one. There were no cries and
few tears. They expected ANYTHING
ana were ready for the worst, but they
would not show the white feather. 1t
was Mrs. Dan who broke the tension.
Il made sure of my pearls" she said.
Il thought they would he appreciated
at the bottom OF the sea"
Brewster came in upon their laugh
ter. Il like your nerve, people, he cx-
claimed. "You are all right. 1t won't
be so bad now. The wind has drop
ped"
Long afterward when they talked
the matter over DeAIilln olni"".I &c.
-Ae..- VAS the mort to decide whether
the club of which he and Monty were
members would put in the main hall
way two black bordered cards, each
bearing n name, or only one with both
names. Mr.. Valentine regretted that
he had gone on for years paying life
insurance premiums when now his only
relatives were on the boat and would
die with him.
The captain. looking pretty rocky
after his twenty hour vigil. summoned
his chief Were in 4 bad hole Mr..
Brewster" he said when they were
alone, land no mistake 4 hroken
Shaft and this weather make a pretty
poor combination"
lis there no chance of making Il
port for repairs?"
Il don't see it, sir. 1t looks like Il
long pull
I'VE are way off our course, l sup
pose" And Montys GOODNESS won Cap
tain Pcrry's admiration.
IL can't tell just how much until
II l>,,k l,;, ,,-i,, -. l,.,I I
suspect we've drifted pretty far"
~Come and get some coffee, captain.
While the storm lasts the only thing
to do is to cheer up the women and
trust to luck"
You are the ncrviCSt mate | ever
shipped with, Mr.. Brewster" And the
captains hand grippcd Monty's in
way that meant things. 1t was
tribute he appreciated.
During the day Monty devoted him
self to his guests, and ut the first sign
OF pensivencSs he was ready with Il
jest OF II story. But he did it all with
II tact that inspired the crowd as 4
whole with hope, and no one suspected
that he himself was not cheerful For
Peggy Gray there was special ten
derness, and he made up his land chat
if things should go wrong lie would
tell her that he loved her.
1T could do no harm,'' he thought to
himself, land l want her to know
Toward night the worst was over.
| The sea had gone down and the
| matches were opened for awhile 10 adj
| nit air. though it was still too rough
| to venture out. The next morning was
bright and clear. When the company
! gathered OH deck the havoc created by
the storm was apparent. Two OF the
boats had been completely carried
| away, and the launch was rendered
| useless by q large hole in the stern.
i ..NnIi lnln't N flnt will