The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-07-28

OF the gale. There was mournful snac.
ulation upon the Sirdar's chances Of
reaching Singapore before the next
evening.
IT'S stood somewhat apart from the
otner passengers. The wind had fresh
ehed' and her hat was tied closely over
her ears. She leaned against the taft
rail-, enjoying the cool breeze after
hours of sultry heat. The sky was
cioudless yet, but there was q queer
tnse Of FURNISHED copper in the all
p~ervad1ng sunshine. The sea was cold
" due. The life had gone out Of it. It
was no longer inviting and translucent.
Long sullen undulations swept noise
iessly past the ship. Once after a
steady climb up a rolling hill of water
the sirdar quickly pecked at the sue
ceeulhg valley, and the propeller gave
a couple OF angry flaps on the surface,
Whlle a tremor ran through the stout
IRON rails on which the girls arms
rested.
Inc crew We're busy too. Squads of
Lascars raced about, industriously ODE
dlent TO the short shrill whistling of
Jemadars M quartermasters. Boat
lashlngs We're tested and frightened.
canvas awnings stretched across the
deck forward, ventilator cowls twisted
10 new angles n matches clamped
down over the wooden gratings that
covered the holds. Officers. spotless in
white linen, fitted quietly to and fro.
When the watch was changed Iris
noted that the chief appeared in an
DC blue suit and carried oilskins over
his arm as he climbed to the bridge.
nature looked disturbed and fitful.
anu the ship responded to her mood.
1here was a sense Of preparation in
the air, Of coming ordeal, Of restless
~rorebodlng. Chains clanked with q
noise the girl lever noticed before: the
tramp of hurrying men on the hurri-
cane deck overhead sounded heavy and
hollow. There was a %squeaking of
chairs that was abominable when peo-
pie gathered up books and wraps and
staggered ungracefully toward the
companionway. Altogether Miss Deane
was not wholly pleased with the pre-
llmlnarles Of a typhoon, whatever the
realities might be.
Why did that silly old woman allude
to her contemplated marriage to Lord
Ventnor, retailing the gossip of Hong
Kong with such malicious emphasis?
For an instant Iris tried to shake the
railing in comic anger. She hated Lord
Ventnor. She did not want to marry
him or anybody else just yet. or course
her father had limited approval Of his
lordship's obvious intentions. Countess
Of Ventnor! Yes, it was a nice title,
Still she wanted another couple Of
years Of careless freedom. In any
event why should Lady Tozer pry and
probe?
And finally, why did the steward
oh, poor old Sir John! What would
have happened If the ice had slid down
his neck? Thoroughly comforted by
this gleeful hypothesis, Miss Deane
seized a favorable opportunity to dart
across the starboard side and see II
Captain Ross heavy bank Of cloud
In the northwest had put in an ap.
p%earance.
Ha! There it was, black, ominous,
, gigantic, rolling up over the horizon
like some mOnstrous football. Around
1t the Sky deepened into purple. fringed
> with q wide belt Of brick red. She had
! never seen such a beginning Of a gale.
From what she had read in books she
imagined that only in great deserts
ruroro n1oyVIS re duct rrorowo%oI Thnro
, could not be dust in the dense pail now
rushing with giant strides across the
trembling sea. Then what was it?
!. Why was 1t so dark and menacing?
+ And where was desert of stone and
= sand to compare with this awful ex-
panse Of water? What a small dot
was this great ship on the visible sur
: face! But the ocean itself extended
away beyond there, reaching out to the
infinite. The dot became a mere speck,
undistinguishable beneath a celestial
microscope such as the gods might
condescend to use.
Iris shivered and aroused herself
with a startled laugh.
The lively fanfare of the dinner
trumpet failed to fill the saloon. By
this time the Sirdar was fighting reso-
lutely against a stiff gale. But the
| stress of actual combat was better than
the eerie sensation of impending dan
ger during the earlier hours. The
strong. hearty pulsations of the en-
gines, the regular thrashing of the
screw, the ~steadfast onward plungine
Of the good ship through racing seas
| and flying scud, were CHEEKY, confident
and inspiring.
| Miss Deane justified her boast tina,
! she was an excellent sailor. She
smiled d%elightedly at the ships sur
4 geon when he caught her eye through
4 the many gaps in the tables. She was
j alone, so he joined her.
1 "You are a credit to the company
y quite a sea kings daughter" ne SAID.
Doctor, do you talk to all your lad
passengers in that way"
"Alas, no! Too often I can only d.
4 truthful when l am dumb"
Z Iris laughed. IF remain long OF
4 .Ev IN -a.ln ivl,v ho u0 n hQ1(