The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-08-04
IT

ships the floor of the saloon
" heaved up in the center with
~ a mighty crash Of rending
WOODWORK and iron. Men and ONE
100 stupefied to sob out a prayer, were
pltched headlong into chaos. Iris. torn
from the terrified grasp Of her maid,
rell through a corridor and would have
gone down with the ship had not a
sailor, cliaging to a companion ladder.
causht her as she whirled along the
steep slope Of the deck.
He did not know what had happen-
Ell. With the instinct Of self preserya-
uon he seized the nearest support
when the vessel struck. 1t was tl,c
mere impulse of ready helpf,.acss that
caused him to stretch out hi. lcrt arm
ana clasp the girls waist as she luttcr-
Ell past. BY idle chance they were on
.he port side, and tho ship, after paus-
ing for one awful second. fell over TO
stnrboard.
Inc man was not prepared for this
c gyration. Even as the stair
way canted he lost his balance; they
were both thrown violently through
t'e open hatchway and swept off into
the boiling surf. Under such cond,-
tons thought itself was impossible, A
series of impressions. n number Of fan
tast1c pictures, We're receive! by the he
nn1nbed faculties and afterward pain
fully sorted out by the memory. Fear,
anguish, observation-disclosures Of these
could exist. All he knew was that the
llfeless form Of a woman-for Iris had
happily fainted-must be held until
death Itself wrenched her from him.
Ihen there came the headlong plunge
int the swirling sea, followed by an
indefinite period Of gasping oblivion.
something that felt like q moving rock
rose up beneath his feet. He was driv-
en- clear out of the water md seemed to
recognize a familiar object rising rigid
and bright close at hand. It was the
pinnacle pillar, screwed to a portion Of
the deck which came away from the
chart house, and was rent from the up
per framework by contact with the
reef. He seized this unlocked for sup
port with his disengaged hand.
A uniformed figure-he thought it
was the captain-stretched out an un-
awaiting arm to clasp the queer raft
which supported the sailor and the
girl, but a Jealous wave rose under
the platform with devilish energy and
turned it completely over, hurting the
maj with his inanimate burden into
the depths. He rose, fighting madly
for his life. Now surely he was DOOM
ed. But again, as If human existence
depended on naught more serious than
the spinning Of q coin, his knees rested
on the same few stanch timbers, now
the ceiling Of the music room, and he
was given a brief respite. His great
est difficulty was to get his breath, SO
dense was the spray through which
he was driven. Even in that terrible
moment he kept his senses The girl,
utterly unconscious, showed by the
cOnyulsiye henving of her breast that
she was choking. With a wild effort
he swung her head round to shield her
from the flying scud with his own
form.
The tiny air space thus provided
gave her some relief, and in that in
slant the sailor seemed to recognize
her. He was not remotely capable of a
definite idea. Just as he vaguely real
tied the identity Of the woman in his
arms the unsteady support on which
he rested toppled over. Again he re-
newed the unequal contest. A strong,
resolute man and a typhoon sea wres-
tied for supremacy.
This time his feet plunged against
something gratefully solid. He was
dashed forward, still battling with the
raging turmoil of water, and a second
time he felt the same firm yet smooth
surface. His dormant faculties awoke.
It was sand. With frenZied despera-
ton, buoyed nov by the inspiring hope
Of safety, he fought his way onward
like u maniac.
Often he fell. Three times did the
backwash try to drag him to the
swirling death behind, but he staggered
blindly on, on, until even the tearing
gale ceased to be laden with the suffo-
eating foam, and his faltering feet
sank in deep soft white sand.
Then he fell, not to rise again. With
q last weak flicker Of exhausted
strength he drew the girl closely to
him, and the two lay clasped tightly
together, needless now Of all things.
How long the man remained pros
trate he could only guess subsequently.
The Sirdar struck soon after day
break, and the sailor awoke to q hazy
consciousness Of his surroundings to
find a shaft of sunshine Pickering
through the clouds banked up IN the
east. The gale was already passing
away. Although the wind still Whls'
tied with shrill violence, it was more
clustering than threatening. The sea
too, though running very high, had re-
treated many yards from the spo'
where he had finally dropped, and Its
! surface was no longer scourged witt
: yenomous spray.
Slowly and painfully he raised h1m
Golf IN q sitting posture, for he was