Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-12-07

1t was The hardest task of his lie To z
on with his scheme In the face OF oppo
sition. He knew that every man ans
woman on board was against the prop
o~sition, for his sake at least, and IL wa.
difficult to be arbitrary under the cir
cumstances. Purposely he avoided Peg
gy all forenoon. His single glance a
her face In the salon was enough to dis
turb him UNNECESSARILY.
The spirits Of the crowd were sub
dued. The North cape had charms, bu,
the proclamation concerning il had
been too sudden-had reversed toe
quickly the general expectation aud de
sire. Many of the guests had plans al
home for August. and even those who
had none were satiated with excite.
ment. During the morning they gath.
cred in little knots to discuss the situa.
ton. They We're all generous. and each
q was sure that he could cruise in.
definitely IL on Monty's ccoun the
new voyage were mo- out of the uues-
ton. They felt il their duty to take a
desperate stand.
The half hearted little gatherings re
solved themselves into ominous groups.
and in the end there was a call for a
general meeting In the main cabin.
Captain Perry. the first mate and
the chief engineer were included in
the call. but Montgomery Brewster
was not 10 be admitted. Joe Brag-
don Loyalty agreed to keep him en
gagged elsewhere while the meeting
was In progress. The doors were
locked, and a cursory glance assured
the chairman Of the meeting. Dan De
Mile, that no member Of the party
was missing save the devoted Brag-
don. Captain Perry was plainly nerv-
ous and disturbed. The others were
the victims OF a suppressed energy
that presaged subsequent eruptions.
Captain Perry. we are assembled
for a purpose" said DeMille. clearing
his throat three times. First of all.
as We understand it, you are the sail
ing master of this ship. In other
words, you are, according to maritime
law. the commander OF this expedition.
You alone can give orders to the sail
ors. and you alone can clear a port.
Mr.. Brewster has no authority except
that vested IN a common employer.
Am I correctg'
"Nr. DeMIle, Ii Mr.. Brewster in
me to sail for the North cape
shall do so,'' said the captain firmly.
This boat is his for the full term of
the lease, and / am engaged to sail
her with my crew until the 10th Of
next September"
I'VE understand your position. cap
tain. and l am sur you appreciate
ours. II isn't that we want to end a
very delightful cruise, but that we
regard 1t as sheer folly for Mr.. Brew
ster to extend the tour at such ire
nendous expense. He is-or was-a
Itch man, but it Is impossible to ig-
,ore the fact that he is plunging much
90 heavily. In plain words, we want
% keep him from spending more of his
money on this cruise. Do you under
'tand u position, Captain Perry?'
Fully. / wish with all my soul that
could help you and him. My hands
Ire tied by contract, however. much as
regret 1t at this moment"
"How does the crew feel about this
additional trip. ~captalnY' asked De
lille.
'They shipped for Ave months and
viii receive FIVE months pay. The
nen have been handsomely treated,
md they will stick to Mr.. Brewster to
he end" said the captain.
There is no chance for a mutiny.
Z" asked Smith regretfuIly. The
gave him a hard look, but said
Everybody seemed uncom-
ortable.
Apparently the only way Is the one
uggested by Mr.. Smith this morning"
aid Mrs. Dan, speaking for the wo-
men. mo one will object, I am sure,
Z Captain Perry and his chief officers
ire allowed to hear the plan"
1T Is very necessary, In fact" said
fr. Valentine. I'VE cannot proceed
without them. But they will agree
With us, I am sure, that It Is wise"
An hour later the meeting broke up,
md the c~onspirators made their way
the deck. 1t was a strange fact that
10 one went alone. They were In
groups Of three and four, and the mys-
cry that hung about them was almost
,erceptIble. Not one was willing to
ACE the excited. buoyant Brewster
without help. They found strength and
'ecurity In companionship.
Peggy was the one rebel against the
conspiracy. and yet she knew that the
,thers were justified In the step they
proposed to take. She reluctantly join
ID them In the end. but felt that she
the darkest traitor in the crowd.
her own distress over the
way in which Monty was squandering
fortune, she stood out the one de-
lender Of bis rights until the end and
then admitted fearfully to Mrs. De-
Mile that she had been @quite unrea-
Donable' In doing 90.
Alone In her stateroom after signing
the arrangement she wondered what he