The Red Cloud chief., 1905-05-19

Down In the saloon the harder pas.
sengers were striving to subdue the
ennui Of an interval before they sought
their cabins. Some talked. One hard.
cncd rcprobate strunmcd the piano.
Others played cards, chess. draughts-
anything that would distract attention.
The stately apartment offered strange
contrast To the warning elements with
out. Bright lights, costly upholstery,
soft carpets, carved panels and gilded
cornices. with uniformed attendants
passing to and fro carrying coffee n
glasscs-thesc surroundings suggested
n floating palace In which the raging
seas were deiicd. Yet forty miles away,
somewhere In the furious depths, four
corpscs swirlcd about with horrible
uncertainty, lurching through battling
currents ana perchance conveyed by
fighting sharks.
The surgeon had been called away.
Iris was the only lady left In the sa-
loon. She watched n set of whist play
crs for n time and then cssaycd tho
pcrilous passage to her statcroom. She
found her maid and n st~ewardess
there. Both women were weeping.
what IL the matterf" she inquired.
The stewardcss tried to speak. She
choked with grief and hastily went
out. The maid blubbered an explana-
ton.
"A friend of hers was married, miss.
20 the man who Is drowned"
drowned! What manT'
Haven't you heard, miss? I sup
pose they are keeping 1t quiet. An
English sailor aud some natives We're
swept Off the ship by n sea, One native
was saved. but he IL all smashed up.
The others were never seen again"
Iris by degrees learned the sad
chronicles of the Jackson family. She
was moved to tears. She remembered
the doctors hesitancy and her W
lille phrase. "a huge coffin.'
Outside the roaring waves pounded
upon the iron walls.
Two staterooms had been converted
lntO n to provide Miss Deane with
ample accommodation. There were no
hunks, but q coy bed was crewed to
the deck. She lay down n strove to
read. 1t was II difficult task. Her
eyes wandered from the printed page
to mark the absurd antics Of her gar
ments swinging on their hooks. At
times the ship rolled 80 far that she
felt sure II must topple owe She was
not afraid. but subdued. rather aston
ished. placidly prepared for vague
eventualities.
Things were ridiculous. What need
r,nS tI,ncn fn,. oil this nyfnrnul CnrV =
Why should poor sailors be cast forth
to instant death In such awful man
ner? If she could only sleep and for
get-if kind oblivion would blot out the
storm for IL few blissful hours! But
how could one sleep with the conscious
ness of that watery giant laundering
his summons upon the iron plates Il
, few inches away?
Then came the blurred picture of Cap
tain Ross high up on he bridge peer
D Ing into the moving blackness. How
strange that there should be hidden In
I the cOnvOlutiOns of Il mans brain an
intelligence that laid bare the pre-
l lenses of that %ravenOus demon without!
Each Of the ships officers, the com
4: mander more than the others, under
stood the why and the wherefore OF
this clustering combination Of wind
and sen. Iris knew the language Of
poker. Nature was putting up II huge
bluff.
Oh, dear! She was 80 tired. 1t de
manded u physical effort to constantly
shove away an unseen force that tried
u to push you over. How funny that Il
big cloud should travel up against the
II wind! And 80, amid confused won
derment, she lapscd into an uneasy
slumber, her last sentient thought be
ing u quiet thankfulness that tn,
screw went thud, thud, thud, thud
with such determination.
q After the curse was changed and
the Sirdar bore away toward the south
west the commander consulted the ba
rometer each half hour. The telltalt
10 mercury had sunk over two inches In
twelve hours. The abnOrmally low
D pressure quickly created dense LIQUIDS
L which enhanced the melancholy dark
u ness Of the gale.
For many minutes together the bows
IT of the ship were not visible. Masthead
le and side lights were Obscured by the
n pelting scud. The engines thrust the
" vessel forward like n lance into the
r. vitals of the storm. Wind and wave
n gushed out Of the vortex with impo
'r tent fury.
N At last soon after midnight the ba
IT, rometcr showed n slight upward move