The L'Anse sentinel., 1907-12-21

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men know dry land. Billy Noonan
however. also loved the old captains
daughter. Mary, and had hoped-how
he had hoped!-to bring in big catch
OF whitefish when he was given the
big tug to lift the last nets Of the year
Now q lean Christmas, . very lean
Christmas, seemed certain In the Riley
home--a home for all homeless lads
at Christmas time. Mary's laugh had
been infrequent Of late and her merri
ment had been forced.
Here she was herself in the door
way as the crew clumped In. BILLY
Noonan." she called, don't you know
you'll swamp the tug with the fish
jammed to the gunwails, so?" There
was q note In her raillery that cut him
TO the quick. How Queenly she was.
this straight. biue-eyed brunette, wrap
| ped In the captains oilskins, flushed
from facing the storm!
|. Billy Noonan lay awake that night,
| notwithstanding the long day at the
| wheel of the lurching tug. Through
his window he stared out at the black
aess, and he listened to the wailing
wind; wailing, II seemed to him, com
plant at the year OF misfortunes and
pitiful catches of fish. wailing COM
plant at the wages and prices OF fish
fixed by the union that made the lot
of Capt. Riley 30 hard in an ''off" year.
Far out on the Charlevoix pier no
white light shone, up and down the
angry lake the lighthouses and light
ships were nowhere else on watch,
the fog signals were silent, although
belated barges still stumbled up and
down the lake. Suddenly a flash In
the north. and another and another.
the fash OF rockets, brought him out
Of bed
"This side O. Waugoshance, about
White Shoals" he calculated. bad
place with this wind
He shook his bed-fellow, Kelly, the
fireman, and finally reused him.
Get out Kell, someone's in trouble
near the straits and maybe the Alice
Riley can get q line to her first"
Kelly knew what that would mean, al
least $400 a day for "the old man" and
he knew the need.
Everyone said the Alice Riley had
an uncommon crew; two hours later
the tugs whistle blew four booming
blasts In the darkness-''strong ahead"
and five more that were Billy's faro
| well to Mary II she was awake-or
cared. She saw from her bedroom
window the tug steam through the
channel, sparks flying weirdly in the
wind, out to the open lake where no
light shone to mark the way for the 80
miles Of desperate tussle with waves
that now at times buried the very
deckhouse roof. Again the Ave short
blasts as the starboard light turned
north beyond the pier. then was gone.
Here's hopin'." growled Billy rs he
whirled the wheel over. He was hang
ing on grimly, for at times the tug
stood about on end. A sea smashed
one of the pilot-hous windows and
he fixed II as best he could by the dim
pinnacle light. He lashed the wheel
to course two points east of north.
white crests of waves. The painting OF
the tugs exhaust told him Kelly was
stoking like fiend and that O'Neil was
squeezing the last ounce out Of his big
engine, 16 square. Ahead was black
ness, the maddened waters and the in
frequent fash OF rockets.
1t was still dark when Billy saw, as
the tug topped a great wave, ships
light ahead twinkle a moment where
the whitecaps marked White Shoals.
At dawn he had a line to the derelict
and the great seven-inch hauser was
going To her oversize; an hour later
they were fast by the forward towing
post. II would be easy in such a sea
to trip on the hauser and turn turtle"
or to be snatched by great wave and
have the hauser break. The barge on
the shoal was an ore freighter loaded
to the waters edge, heavy tow.
With his hand on the bell cord to
signal to O'Neil, Billy muttered;
Here's for Mary and better"
He rang. the engines started, then.
crash! Billy's Christmas wishes were
cut short; the tow post was gone and
water poured into the hole in torrents.
1t was hours later when they got that
hauser again, when the tugs hoarse
whistle roared, "AIl right" and the
below of the stranded barge replied.
Is was dreary work and Billy and the
crew we're gaunt with hunger and
WEAKNESS.
Again slowly in the teeth of the
wind they went ahead jerked tremen-
dously at intervals when the waves
snatched the tow. When they were
getting into deeper water O'Neil's en-
gines suddenly stopped, and ten min
utes later the barge had drifted back
TO the shOal The eccentric had slip
ped; the tug was but driftwood; bad
business In such sea.
Billy Noonan and O'Neil kept her
a6oat someway, and all the time Billy,
still clutching the wheel. was mutter-
ing of Mary and Christrsas; he had
strange yagaries. but was still sane as
skipper. When at last the frantic
hammering in the engine room ceased,
near evening of the next day, they
we're still near to the barge that was
| pounding on the shoals The sun