The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-15
-:- OUR DAILY SHORT STORY -:.

Fit anything to do with Tho Twins rocks of d'ouessent?" By heaven, you're right,- laid the 1 commodore, his eyes blazing like. fire He snAtched up a pen and wrote: Beloved. will think of you and the
 twins all the rest of the night" He personally gave this message to
 Lieutenant Langlois, saying that he thought he had successful.-s evaded
 answering the question put to him in
 the message. Then he stealthily sent
 for Lieutenant Tarry
 Commodore Samson sat back in his chair and allowed Commodore Frazer to do the talking.
 .Lieutenant Tarry. you know The Twins of d'ouessent?' I have passed them scores of times. ] sir, running from Southampton to Bordeaux"
 "You are certain of their positionT q think I could clear them on a dark night with my eyes shut. sir."~ ~
 This time we want you not to clear
 them: we want you to put us right
 over them."
 Wreck the ship, sir?"
 NO, not If the trick can be done
 without. What we hope you can do Is
 to put the Frenchman on the rocks.
 but we want you to know that. if in trying to wreck him. you lose this
 ship, nothing in the way of reprimand
 will be said to you, and nothing held
 against you. The Frenchman has all
 along allowed us the navigation. him.
 self content to stand of at two cables
 distance. At our present rate we pass
 those rocks at between three and four
 o'clock tomorrow morning. Borrow
 clothes from a bluejacket, and be ready to take the wheel when call
 you.'
 At three o'clock the next morning.
 the Emilia and Serpent were slappins through the waters at twenty knots an hour. Commodore Samson paced the bridge. The French Lieutenant. one hand in his pocket to make sure of his telegraph key. stood In an angle of the bridge, laughing at the tales iected for the duty, was telling. Along side to starboard was the Serpent, the | sleep1ess Odette on the bridge. Half past three. Samson turned and scanned the waters ahead. Yes, patch laid on the face of the water | like a great globule of grease. as if some marine monster lolled under meath. The commodore snatched up a megaphone and bawled out to the Ser pent. Anything to distract attention | from what was ahead T do not think, sir" he said to Lieutenant Odette, that you have the right to take me into Brest with the flags flying as they are" Odette came to the end of the bridge nearest the Emilia.
 What are the grounds of your ob- lection, sir? I will give them consid- eration." answered Odette. They are these, sir. loosely stated; if you wish 1t I will put them in writ ing. I am not & prize In the ordinary sense, you know. It Is only because of my passengers that you can eoerce me
 to follow you"
 Close behind him a hoarse. loud cry sounded. Langiois had suddenly stepped to the bridge and beheld the awful Twins"
 "what's amiss?" bawled odette. in- stantly sounding an alarm aboard his destroyer
 "Nothing's amiss here, but if you'll glance" began the commodore. all | excitement, but before he could finish | the sentence the cry of the man at 1 the destroyer's helm rivetted the lieu I tenants attention. Odette flung him. self toward the wheel but before the | Serpent even commenced to obey her helm she was done.
 | In an instant she piled herself up,
 shapeless, quivering mass upon the | Twins" while past the rocks, un- | harmed, swept the Emilia. w ,e 1 Ten minutes more and through | space to the admiralty sped the mes- sage:
 "The Twins have the Frenchmen. | God bless the Twins!"