Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-18
DAILY STORY
HEARD IN THE FOG.
copyright, 1906, by Homer sprague.

| and recuperate. The three or four men
| who had boats TO hire soon had them
| all out. L had planned to nSh that
| day, and as / took my boat out
| PASSED at least dozen others.
| There was something of Il sea on,
| and only one boat followed ME out.
| Its occupants We're Il man and wo-
man. The man had charge of the SAIL
| and L soon had cause to wonder that
] he had been permitted to take Il sail
boat out. 1t was clear that he knew
| precious little about the management
| of such q craft, and after awhile L
brought my boat up into the wind and
waited for him to come up that l
might give him warming
When he came along he was within
an ace of cutting me down, and l cried
out to him that but for the woman in
the craft / should like to see it bottom
side up and he hanging on for dear
life. He gave me some impudence in
reply. and the woman stood up and
held her arms out to me pleadingly.
1t at first seemed to be u case calling
for Interference, but on second thought
/ changed my mind. The woman,
whom l took to be the mans wife, had
not demanded my aid except by signs.
The man had thus far escaped disas-
Ter aud might carry the boat back.
He was sailing strNght out into the
channel, but he might turn at any mo-
ment. To interfere was certain to
bring on n row. and l even might be
landed in Jail over it.
resumed my course. bearing away
I tn, 1,n OIL
craft she suddenly vanished from sight
like the snap of your finger. y fog
rolling In had hidden her.
The other boat was half a mile away
when she was blotted out. The tide
was setting in. and l knew that she
world drift back toward me as soon
as the breeze fell. 1t was perhaps n
quarter of an hour before | heard
voices and ten minutes later before l
could make out words. They came
from the other boat, which was drifting
slowly in. The man was cursing and
threatening and the woman begging
and praying.
Il will leave you, 1 will go away, if
you will spare my Iife,' pleaded the
woman.
you promised once before and then
lied TO me-" came the voice of the man.
But it will be murder. murder, muir
der. oh. Richard, you don't mean to
kill me-"
''Eut I do. You have been in my
way for years. Curse you Why did I
ever run across your face? You have
stood between me and happiness long
enough"
But III go this time. promise you
before God III go. Richard l have
been a good wife to you, but if you
have come to hate me I'll 60"
Hate you he growled. like Il savage
animal why, | hate you to the dea tn. |
I'd have murdered you Il dozen times |
over in the last two years if I'd had 4 |
fair show. You are going to die now"
"Oh. my God, don't do it, Richard.
Don't kill mer'
l knew their boat was close to me |
now, and l gently raised my anchor
so as to drift in company with it. |
might have cried out, but ! did not
Had 1 struck my hand on the rail of |
the boat they must have heard me. 1
was silent, but why l cannot tell. l
heard the man move. / heard him tug
ging and breathing hard as he picked
the woman up in his arms.
She whimpered and gasped and tried
to scream, but he gave her 4 fling
over the gunwale of the boat. She
tainted away, but did not go under the
surface. With the boat hook reached
as far out as l could on the port side,
and presently 1 had her and was pull
ing her in. The two craft were not
ten feet apart, and yet no human
sight could pierce the fog between.
l held the woman's head out of the
water for ten minutes. Then l some
how knew that the other boat had
drifted ahead of me. and with the ut
most care l hauled the unconscious wO-
man into the boat and laid her on
the bottom. | waited seven or eight
and 1 then out with the long
oar and by compass guided the boat 10
reach the shore at Bridport, to the west
Of Weymouth.
Before we struck the beach l had
forced some brandy down her throat,
and she had regained consciousness,
put I did not explain matters to her
until we were on the sands and the
'og had rolled away. She had begged
or her life like Il weak woman, and l
to find her hysterical. She
heard me through without interruption,
and then her eyes snapped, and she
set her jaws l got farmer to drive
Is over TO Weymouth, and during the
Quincy she did not speak five words
Her husbands boat had not made har-
)or yet. The fog had disappeared,
Iut the breeze was very weak.
We went to the house where the boat
lad been hired and waited. When the
,oat drew near the woman hid herself
Her husband came ashore with pale
ace and bloodshot eyes. The boat
,wner said nothing of Il woman having
rome witfiyhim, and the man was about
urning away when the woman stepped