Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-01-04
By LOUIS
TRACY
Copyright. 1905. by
Edward J. CIode

y
40 you think. then. that we may re.
main here long,
at is impossible TO form an opinion
on that point. Help may come in u
day. ON the other hand
Yes"
at is II wise thing. Miss Dcane. to
prepare Tor other contingencies.
DO you mean" she said slowly.
Chat we may be imprisoned here for
weeks. perhaps months?'
IF you east your mind back n few
hours you will perhaps admit that we
are very fortunate to be here at ALL"
She whiskrd round upon him. do
NOT fence with my question Mr.. jerks.
Answer mo"
He bowed. There was pcrccptible
return Of his stubborn cynicsm when
he spoke
The facts are obvious. Miss Deane
The loss of tho Sirdar will not be
definitely known for many days. IT
will be assumed that she has broken
down. Tn" agents in Singapore will
await ,ablcd tidings of her where
abouts She might have driftcd any
where in that typhoon. Ultimately
they will send out vessel 10 search,
impclled to that course little earlier
by your fathers anxiety. Pardon me
speaking my mind"
eco on" said Iris bravcly.
THE relief ship must search the en-
tire China sea. The gale might have
driven a disabled steamer north. south.
east or west \ typhoon travels in
whirling spiral, YOU see. ana the direc-
ton of a drifting ship depends wholly
upon the locality where she sustained
damage. The coasts of China, Java,
Borneo and the Philippines are not
equipped with lighthouses on every
hcadiand and cordoned with telegraph
wires. There arc river pirates and say
age rnceS 70 be rcckoncd with Casting
aside all other possibilities and aSsum-
ing that Il prompt search is made to the
south of oar course, this part of the
ocean is full of reefs and small islands,
some inhabited permanently. others
visited occasionally by fishermen" Ilc
was about to add something. but check
ed himself.
ITO sum up." he continued hurriedly,
1--WE may have tn remain hero for nnny
days. even months. There is always a
chance Of speedy help. We must act.
however. on the basis of detention for
an indefinite period ! am discussing
appearances rs they are. A survey Of
the island may change all these views"
"ln what way
He turned and pointed 10 the sum
NIT of the tree covered hill behind
them
From that point he said. eve may
SEE other ana larger islands If so,
they will certainly be inhabited. | am
surprised this one is not"
lie ended abruptly They were los
ing time. Before Iris could Join him
he was already hauling a large un-
damaged case ont OF thc water.
He laughed unmirthfully. Cham
pagne.' lie said. "A good brand too"
This man was certainly an enigma
Iris wrinkled her pretty forehead in
the effort TO place him in n fitting cate
CORY His words and accent were
those Of an educated gentleman. vet
his actions ana manners were studious-
~ uncouth when he thought she was
observing him. The veneer OF rough
ness puzzled her. That he was nat
urally of refined temperament she
knew quite well, not alone by percep-
ton, but by the plain evidence of his
earlier dealings with her.
TO the best of her ability she silently
helped in the work of salvage. They
made Il queer collection 4 case Of
champagne and another Of brandy. a
box Of books, ii pair of night glasses. n
compass, several boxes Of ships his
rults. coated with salt. but saved by
their hardness. having been immersed
but few seconds; two large cases of
hams in equally good condition. some
hu.e dish covers, Il bit of twisted iron.
work and great quantity of cordage
and timber.
There was one very heavy package,
which their united strength could not
lift. The sailor searched around until
Lc found an iron bar that could be
wrcnchcd from its socket. With this
he prieG open the strong outer cover
und revealed the contents regulation
boxes Of ammunition each containing
500 rounds,
"Ah,' he cried. Now we want some
rifles"
What good would they be-" inquir-
ed Iris.
He softly denounced himself as n
fool, but he answered at once: 40
shoot birds. of course Miss Deane.
There are plenty here, ana many Of
them are edible
They worked in silence for another
hour. The sun was nearing the zenith.
They We're distressed with the increas-
ing heat of the day. jerks secured II
ham and some biscuits. some pieces of
drftwood and the binoculars and inyit-
ed Miss Deape to accompany him to
the grove She ubcycI without word.
though she wondered how he proposed
to light lire TO contribute some
thing toward the expected feast she
picked MP Il dish cover and a bottle of
champagne.
The sailor eyed the concluding item
with disfavor. Not While the sun is
up he said. I'm the evening yes"
ut was for you" explained Iris cold
ly. Il do not drink wine"
You must break the pledge while