Milford chronicle., 1905-01-13

each other and for all the notice they
took Of WilBar he might easily have
been a sack of sand Wilbur felt thai
his advent on. the Bertha AIillner was
by its very nature an extraordinary
event, but the absolute indifference OF
these brown suited Mongols, the blank.
ness Of their fat, fat faces, the dullness
of their slanting, tishlilze eyes that new
er met his own oBeEen wandered in his
direction. was unnanny, disquieung.
In what strange venture was he now
to be involved, toward what unknown
vortex was this new current setting,
this current that had so suddenly
snatched him from the solid ground of
his accustomed life2
He told himself grimly that he was to
have a, free cruise up the bay, perhaps
as far. as, AlEisoa Perhaps the Bertha
! Aiillner would even make the circuit Of
the bay before returning to San Fran-
cisco. He might be gone a week. Will
bur could already see the. scareheads4
of the daily papers the next morning
chronicling the disappearance Of "One
of Society's Most Popular Members"
"That's well. yr throat halyards.
Here. Gilee Of the Vallee, give a couple
of pulls on. y'r peak halyard purchase" -
Wilbur stared at the captain halp-
lessly.
mo can tell. heyY' inquired Charlie
from the galley. "Pullum disa LOPEZ
sabeg'
Wilbur tugged at the rope the. COCA
indicated.
"That's we'll y'r peak halyard pur-
chase" chanted Captain Kitchell.
Wilbur made the rope fast. The
mainsail was set and hung Stating and
Tapping in the wind. Next the for'sail
was set in much the same manner. and
Wilbur was ordered to "lay out on the
jiboom and cast the gaskets Off the
jib." He "lay out" as best he could and
cast of the gaskets-he knew barely
enough Of yachting to understand an
order here and there--and by the time
he was back on the fo'c'stle head the
Cinnamon were at the jib halyard and
hoisting away.
That's well-y'r jib halyarls."
The Bertha AIillner veeFed round and
played off to the wind. tugging at her
anchor.
Man y'r windlass.+
Wilbur and the crew jumped once
more to the brakes.
Brake down. heave y'r anchor to
the cathead."
The anchor chain, already taut, VII
brated and then eranked through the
hawse holes as the hands rose and fell
at the brakes. The anchor came home.
dripping gray slime. A nOr'west wind
filled the schooner's sails; a strong ebb
tide caught her under foot
Were off," mutteIed Wilbur as the
Bertha Millner heeled to the first gust.
But evidently the schooner was not
bound up the bay.
Must be Vallejo or Benicfa then"
hazarded Wilbur as the sails grew
tenser and the water Fippled ever
louder under the schooneP's forefoot. !
Maybe they're going after hay or
wheat"
The schooner was tacking. headed |
directly for Meiggs' wharf. She came |
in closer and closer-so close that Will /
bur could hear the talk of the fisher |
men sitting on the stringpieces. He |
had just made up his mind that they |
were to make a landing there when
"Stand by for stays" came the rau-
cous bark Of the captain, who had TAX
en- the wheel The sails Slated furi- |
usly as the schooner came about. |
Then the Bertha Nlillner caught the |
wind again and lay over quietly and |
contentedly to her work. The next .
tack brought the schooner close under |
Alcatraz. The sea became heavier; the
breeze grew stiff aud smelled Of the
outside ocean. Out beyond them to
westward opened the CAlden Gate. a
bleak vista of gray green water rough
ened with whitecaps.
"Stand by for stays"
Once again, MS the rudder went hard
over. the Bertha Millner fretted and
danced and shook her sails, calling inn
patiently for the wind, chatting at its
absence like a child reft of a toy. Then
again she scooped the nor'wester in the
hollow palms of her tense canvases
and settled quietly down on the new
tack, her bOwsprit pointing straight
toward the Presidio.
"Well, Wen come about soon," VIII
bur told himself. "and stand over to-
ward the Contra Costa shore"
A fine huge breath of wind passed
over the schooner. She heeled it on
the instant, the water roaring along
her quarter, but she kept her course.
Wilbur fell thoughtful again, never
more keenly observant.
'She must come about soon," he
muttered uneasily, "if she's going to
stand up toward Vallejo" His heart
sank with a sudden apprehension. A
he could not overcome
seized upon him. The Bertha Milluer
held tenaciously to the tack. Within
fifty yards of the Preside came the
again:
"Stand by for stays"
Once more, her bows dancing, her
oo-7oro -, ftIfno har sails tanning |