The Red Cloud chief., 1906-07-06

AFTER tnp CIlIl uuVll mdOillPSS tlHl',
caused 10y drinking salt water. The
next step IL suicide. The little ono,
left living. fell into the bilge created
by the shipping of n sea and adopted,
10y the mercy of Providence, a method
of avoiding death from thirst which
ought to be more widely appreciated
than II Is. She absorbed water through
the pores of the skin. which rejected
the salty elements and took In only
those parts of the compound needed by
the blood. You follow meT'
"Quite. It's n slap-up idea"
at is not new. 1t occurred to a
ships captain who was compelled to
navigate his passengers and crew a
thousand miles in open boats across
the Indian ocean as the result of a
fire at sea. Well. the child was well
nourished, In all likelihood, before the
accident happened which set her adrift
on the Atlantic. She may have lost
a few pounds In weight, but star
walton is a slow affair. and her plump
ness saved her life In that respect.
Most certainly she would have died
today, and ever yet she Is in great
danger. Her pulse is very weak, and
care must be taken not to stimu-
late the action Of the heart too rap
idly"
When Brand spoke In this way Jim
Spence was far too wary to ask per
sonal questions. Sometimes. In the
early days of their acquaintance. he
had sought to pin his friend with clum-
sy logic to some admission as to his
past life. The only result he achieved
was to seal the other mans lips for
days so far as "reminiscences were con-
cerned.
Not only Jones and Spence, but
Thompson, the third assistant, who
was taking his month ashore. together
with the supernumeraries who helped
|! to preserve the rotation Of two months
| rock duty and one ashore, soon real
lied that Brand, whom they liked and
looked up to, had locked the record OF
his earlier years and refused to open
the diary for any one.
Yet so helpful was he, so entertaining
with his scraps Of scientific knowledge
and more ample general reading, that
' tuOSc WhOSt tuih oh thC ~ ""' W
incident with his relief hailed his re-
appearance with JOY. During the pre-
cedlng winter he actually entertained
them with a fiee translation of the
twenty-fou books of the 'Iliad." and
great was the delight Of Jim Spence
when he was able to connect the ex-
ploits Of some Greek or Trojan hero
with the identity Of one of her majes-
tvs ships.
In private they discussed him often,
and Il common agreement was made
that his wish to remain incognito
should be respected. Their nickname,
1.-THE cap'n," was q tacit admission OF
his higher social rank. They feared
lest in|auisitiveness should drive him
from their midst, and one supernumer-
ary, who heard from the cook OF the
Trinity tender that Brand was the
nephew of a barOnet, was roughly bid
den to "close his rat trap, or he might
catch something he couldn't eat"
SO Jim now %contented himself by re-
marking dolefully that had his advice
been taken 1.-The bloomin' kid would be
well on her way back to the Scilly
isles"
"You must not say that" was the
grave response. "These things are de
termined by a higher power than mans
intelligence. Think how the seeming
accident OF Il fallen sail saved the chile
from the curmorants and other birds
how a chance sea fell into the boat and
kept her alive: how mere idle curiosity
on my part impelled me to swim on
and investigate Matters
THAT'S your way Of putin It," jim
was forced to say. You knew quite
well that there might be a shark in hel
wake or you wouldn't have taken the
knife. An now you won't have a wore
, said about it. At the b~ombardment Of
Alexandria a messmate Of mine got TIT
/ V. G. for less"
, "The real point is, Jim, that we hav,
no. yet discovered what ship this boa
t belongs to-"
mo, an what's more, we won't fine
out in a hurry. Her names gone for
and aft"
, SIS there nothing left to help usY
"Only this"
Z The sailor produced the brooch from
his waistcoat pocket. 1t was Of tn
: safety pin order, but made of gold ant
ornamented with small emeralds set a
Il a four leafed shamrock.
'Is the makers lame on the sail?'
mo. l fancy that this craft was RIG
t ged on board ship for harbor cruisin'."
Brand passed a hand YEARLY acros
J. his forehead.
Il wish l had not been so precip,
A tate" he murmured. "That man ha