Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-06-20

dead several DAYS
"Then how in. the world did that
baby keep aliveT
81 have been thinking over that prob
lem. imagine that, in the first place.
there was survivor, who disappeared
since the death Of the poor devil out
there" He pointed to the sea. "This
person, whether man or woman, looked
after the child until madness came,
caused by drinking salt water. The
next step is suicide. The little one,
left living, fell into the bilge created
by the shipping of sea and adopted,
by the mercy of Providence, a method
of avoiding death from thirst which
ought to be more widely appreciated
than 1t 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 meY
'Quite. It's slap-up idea"
ut Is not new. 1t occurred to
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
fire at sea. WE'LL the child was well
nourished, In all likelihood, before the
accident happened which set her adrlft
on the Atlantic. She may have lost
a few pounds in weight, but star
vation is slow affair, and her plump
ness saved her life in that respect.
Most certainly she would have died
today, and even 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
those whose turn on the rock was CO.
Incident with his relief hailed his re-
appearance with Joy. During the pre-,
ceding winter he actually entertained
them with free translation Of the
twenty -four 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 males
TVS ships.
In private they discussed him often
and common agreement was made
that his wish to remain incOgnitt
should be respected. Their nickname
'.the cap'n," was tacit admission o.
his higher social rank. They feared
lest inQuisitiveness should drive hin
from their midst, and one supernumer
ary, who heard from the cook Of thu
Trinity tender that Brand was thu
nephew of baronet. was roughly bid
den to "close his rat trap, or he nigh,
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 Sicily
isles"
"You must not say that" was the
grave response. "These things are de
termined by higher power than mans
intelligence. Think how the seeming
accident of fallen sail saved the child
from the cOrmorants and other birds
how chance sea fell into the boat and
kept her alive; how mere idle curiosity
on my part impelled me to swim out
and investigate matters"
THAT'S your way of putin It," jim
was forced to say. You knew quite
well that there might be shark in he
wake or you wouldn't have taken tn
knife. An now you won't have wore
said about it. AT the bombardment O
Alexandria messmate of mine got tn,
V. G. for less"
''The real point Is, Jim, that we hav
not yet discovered what ship this boa
belongs to-
mo, an what's more, we won't fin,
} out in q hurry. Her names gone for
3 and aft"
, us there nothing left to help usY'
J "Only this"
The sailor produced the brooch iron
, his waistcoat pocket. 1t was Of tn
safety pin order, but made of gold an,
ornamented with small emeralds set n
2 a four leafed shamrock.
SIS the makers name on the sail?"
3 mo. fancy that this craft was RIG
5 ged on board ship for harbor cruisin'."
8 Brand passed hand YEARLY acros
: his forehead.
Il wish / had not been SO precip
D tate" lie murmured. "That man ha
papers on him. in all likelihood
' You couldn't have stood it, mate. !
J. was bad enough for me. 1t must hi
been worse for YOU"
8 perhaps the baby's clothes ar
i marked"
That's chance. She was well rie
u ged out"
Brand east the shark loose. TIL
monster slid off into the green depth,
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