The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-08-09

~ iltu ilitN e-lltI-tL D3I4 V tit S.--------z-
No orders We're given tn chang, tl.e
course Of the yacht.
! The waters of the north coast met
/ them week later. They We're cold
ana icy, with the breath Of floating
! bergs lowering over them. Boggles
| Wa; consulted ijy the captain. and his
| meek. submissive air Sloughed off to
make place for the official bearing of
Mr.. B9ggles, the north coast pilot"
! B0ggles was to report for duty the
following morning. As his last unoHi-
cial act he helped the mate to repair
| the small acetylene gas generator in
the forward part of the yacht This
was used in emergencies for the for
ward searchlight.
We've got to keep Il sharp lookout
for icebergs now" Captain Reed had
warned, and that forward searchlight
must be fixed up"
BOggles didn't know much about acct
| ylene gas. Neither did the first mate
| They tempered with the plant for two
hours, and then muftied explosion for
ward alarmed every member of the
crew 1t was the first mate who ex-
claimed incoherently:
The thing-the tank exploded right
in our faces. 1t was SO sudden that l
could not say how"
| Boggles couldn't explain, for he was
blinded and his body was blazing like
Il human torch covered with pitch. The
! captain AMI DR.. Langdon squelched the
flames. 50 the yacht was safe and An
Iette, with two sailors, rescued Bog
z cs fr2@l incineration.
Mr.. Pierce was angry ana bored to
the point of saying:
How annoying, Any one hurt?"
"boG@lcs is pretty we'll done up" the
.3ctor replied, scraping the charred
skin from the blackened face. Hes
blind as a bat for one thing. and
B)ggie' gr0Inel and stammered in a
h3arSe whisper:
81 knew I'd never see Straddle Rock
Cove agiA. l might have knowed
something would happen. Oh. why
didn't | stay away?'
Captain Reed called another meeting
70 consider the question of changing
| the yachts course. Mr.. Boggles is now
ncapacitated," he exclaimed, land of
cDUrsa 10 one csc is familiar with this
coast"
That's So retorted Mr.. Pierce, with
sudden enlightenment. Then we must
return-at once
y malevolent light of joy illumined
his features.
Exactly replied the captain. Il
shall order the course changed"
Not today, captain" interrupted An
Hette sweetly. 1T seems like-like sac
ri.ega to turn around and run home so
soon after Mr.. Boggles is laid up. IL
think we should keep On a day or two.
There is some hope, Dr.. Langdon, isn't
| there"
The doctor shook his head. Tn
"orry to disappoint YOU, Annette. but
there's mona. Boggles is totally
blind. lie may in six months or a year
recover some Of his sight. but it is a
foyl)rn hope
Annptte's face darkened. Mr.. Pierce
thought she waa about t. cry, and he
hastily said:
We might keep on the same course
fer day or two, captain, out of re-
sQect for Boggies, and
Yes, yes, certainly"
| Annette gave them both . grateful
smile, anl tie conference was ended.
| B0gglcs absorbed more attention now
| than before the accident Every one
| nHiI him 1afaranTa l,,,+ +l,o4 ,,.,c ,,o,..l-.
| because all, from the humblest to the
highest, knew that the trip was to be
abandoned in day or two. But Bog
S!es didn't know, and he kept moaning:
I'll never see the Straddle rocks
Hrr';A! If l could see 'em Ia die in
| tca"e: Al, there they are! Are you
hare. ma'am? Look at EN-, See the
sun on en-. There's where I was
born-tweny, thirty, forty, fifty years
| 2~o na'am"'
oh, B0r-les.' moaned Annette in
return Why did this happen?"
Now, .2e meeting of the cold breath
from tie north coast aud the warm
wind Of the southern summer plays
havoc with tn sea at many points
between Newfoundland ana Labrador.
Fierce elemental struggles Of the at
mOSph2"e shake the sea and earth, ana
(. for Gats ana nights no ship is safe in
those far regions
The Graylng was Stanch yacht,
but rather understood for cruise 50
far from port. When the wind struck
her she danced lightly in the choppy
seas. bat as thc storm developed she
rev troubled and frightened.
Boggles had recovered from his
teveriSh dcl!rium and was rational
! He heard the storm ana found an
atom of consolation in it. 1t relieved
his mind Of the weight pressing upon
Il.
For night and day the yacht drift
ed Then in the blacknesS of the sec
ond night the vortex of the frightful
storm was reached. with the craft i'll
prepared to meet it.
The forward watch reported break
ers ahead, and the jagged outline of
rocks was seen in the distant back
ground The Grayling was drifting
steadily toward them. 1t was a mat
| ter of an hour before she would strike