Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-10-11
Heard In the Fog
copyright, 1906, by Homer spraeue.l

l had chosen Weymouth, on the
coast Of England, as the spot
where was to clay off" for a month
and recuperate. The three or four men
who had boats to hire soon had them
all out. ! had planned to fish that
DAY, and as l took my boat out 1
passed ut least u dozen others.
There was something Of a sea on,
and only II boat followed me out.
Its occupants were a man and a wo-
man. The man had charge of the sail,
and | soon had cause to wonder that
he had been permitted to take a sail
boat out. 1t was clear that he knew
precious little about the Management
OF such a craft, and after awhile l
brought my boat up into the wind and
waited for him to come up that I
might give him a warning.
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 I 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 a case calling
for interference, but on second thought
l changed my mind. The woman,
whom 1 took to be the mans wife. had
not demanded my aid except by signs.
The man had thus far escaped disas-
ter and might carry the boat back.
He was sailing straight out into the
channel, but he might turn at any mo-
ment. To interfere was certain to
bring on a row, and 1 even might be
landed in Jail over it.
I resumed my course, bearing away
from them, but as I watched the other
craft she suddenly vanished from sight
like the snap of your finger. A 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 1 knew that she
would drift back toward me as soon
as the breeze fell. 1t was perhaps q
quarter Of an hour before I heard
voices and ten minutes later before I
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.
II will leave you, 1 will go away, If
you will spare my life," pleaded the
woman.
"You promised once before and then
Io1 fn ,,o - n /, tho 1o;oo 90 TIo -
"But it will be murder, murder, muir
der! Oh, Richard. you don't mean to
kill me-"
"But 1 do. You have been in my
way for years. Curse you! Why did 1
ever u across your face? You have
stood between me and happiness long
enough"
"But I'll go this time. Ipromise you
before God I'll 60. Richard, I have
been a good wife to you, but if you
have come to hate me III go"
Hate you" he growled, like a savage
animal. "Why, 1 hate you to the death.
I'd have murdered you a dozen times
over in the last two years if I'd had a
fair show. You are going to die now"
ooh, my God, don't do it, Richard!
Don't kill me!'
I knew their boat was close to me
now, and l gently raised my anchor
so as to drift in company with 1t. I
Had l struck my hand on the rail of
the boat they must have heard me. 1
was silent, but why 1 cannot tell. I
heard the man move. l 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 a fling
over the gunwale Of the boat. She
tainted away, but did not go under the
surface. With the boat hook l reached
as far out as I could on the port side,
and presently l 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.
I held the woman's head out Of the
water for ten minutes. Then I some
how knew that the other boat had
drifted ahead of me, and with the ut
most care I hauled the unconscious wo-
man into the boat and laid her on
the bottom. | waited seven or eight
minutes, and l then out with the long
oar and by compass guided the boat to
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,
but 1 did not explain matters to her
until we were on the sands and the
fog had rolled away. She had begged
for her life like a weak woman, and |
expected to find her hysterical. She
heard me through without interruption,
and then her eyes snapped, and she
set her jaws. l got a farmer to drive
US over to Weymouth, and during the
journey she did not speak five words.
Her husbands boat had not made har-
Dor yet. The fog had disappeared.
but the breeze was very weak.
We went to the house where the boat
had been hired and waited. When the
boat drew near the woman hid herself.
IA vt~l -