The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-11-23

than ever. The snip was VANISHING WIS
IDLY. A funnel fell with a hideous
crash and carried away a lifeboat.
The rest of the spar deck and nearly
the whole of the forward cabins were
torn out bodily. BY repeated humping
on the reef the vessel had settled back
almost on to an even keel, and the fore
mast, which had so provldentially near
ed the summit of the lighthouse. was
now removed far beyond the possibility
of a rope being thrown.
The survivors on deck worked with
feverish energy. The time was draw
ing short. They did not know the sec
ond that some unusually tempestuous
wave would devour them utterly.
''Now, Mr.. Pyne, you next" cried the
chief officer, addressing the young Phil
adelphian, who, mirabile dictu, had
found and lighted cigar.
"Guesss I'll swing UP along with the
captain" was the answer.
up with him. shouted the captain
fiercely. himself helping to loop Pyne
to the fourth officer.
All others had gone. The officers
were leaving the ship in order of SEN
iority, the juniors first. Just as the
quartet were about to swing clear Of
the ship the captain grasped Pyne's
hand.
THANK you. lad" he said, and away
they went. .-e,~~
There were left on the~>vJssel the
third, second and I,,rst officers, the pur-
ser and the captain. The others want
ed the captain to come with them. He
resisted, held out for his right to be the
last to quit ship he had commanded
for more than twenty years and noarse-
ly forbade any further argument.
Very unwillingly they left him haul
ing alone at the rope, though their pred
ecessors, knowing the need of 1t, helped
vigorously from the gallery. Indeed,
1t was with difficulty that Pyne was
held back from returning with the de-
scending rope. They told him he was
mad to dream Of such piece Of folly,
and perforce he desisted.
But when the captain deliberately
cast Off the deck pulley from which the
rope had been manipulated they knew
that the boy had read his soul. The
now useless cordage dangling from the
gallery was caught by the wind and
sea and sent whipping off to leeward.
Brand, brought from the lantern by
the hubbub of shouting, came out, fol-
lowed by Constance. He suggested as
q last resource that they should en-
deavor to fire q line across the vessel
by means of rocket.
They agreed to try, for the spectacle
of the captain, standing bareheaded on
all that was left of the bridge, moved
them to a pitch Of frenzy not often
seen in an assemblage Of Anglo Saxons,
and especially of sailors.
Brand turned to procure the rocket,
but a loud cry caused him to delay.
The expected wave had come, the YES
sci was smothered in vortex of foam.
the tall foremost tottered and fell, and
when the water subsidized again all that
was visible of the great steamer wts
some portion of her hull and the sol
idly built bow, which was not wrench
ed from the keel plate until another
hour had passed.
The agonized cry of a strong man is
a woeful thing. Constance, by reason
of the gathering at the side of the gal
lery, was unable to see all that was
taking place, but the yell which went
up from the onlookers told her that
something out of the common even on
this night of thrills had occurred.
"What is it. dad?" she asked as her
father came to her.
"The end of the ship" he said. "The
captain has gone with her"
"Oh, dear, why wasn't he savedT
II think he refused to desert his ship.
His heart was broken, expect. Now,
Connie, duty lrst.'
Indeed she REQUIRED no telling. AS