Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-08-01

left his fellows in the chartroom and
raced forward to where the Jagged lip
OF the forehold hatch ynwned to the
splashing brine Without lantern.
he lowered himself on to tho twisted
battens below. with the clean water
raining on to him from above and
muddy wavelets squirting up from be-
low. and then when the steamer gave
a heavy scend and the more solid wash
from below smote him heavily upon
the thighs he loosed his grip and dived
k u stone through the trimming
shaftway of the hatch.
Seconds passed, a minute. two min
utes. and still he did not ppe
Three minutes. Then the rounded out
lines OF something black rolled to the
surface and surged about Imply with
the swill of the water.
For a while 1t staid so; then. swung
by n heavier pitch OF the steamer, was
washed to the back OF Il s%tanchion,
where IT hung. The stopping water be-
meath ebbed steadily. The valve in the
steamers bottom had been closed.
During a whole hour Patrick Cam
bel lodged behind that iron pillar. a
mere homeless mass OF flesh and clothes
and then the pains of life came into
him again with shivers and shutter
ihgs. The thin gray light of the dawn
WIS hltering down through the Jagged
opening above when first the trembling
lids slid from his eyeballs. but for still
another thirty minutes he was a thing
OF no wit. breathing. truly. but caring
naught for all the world contained.
Then a sucking. sobblng noise from
the depths of the hold far beneath
broke upon his ear. and the languid
brain began to work. With an effort
he sat up. dizzily holding to the pill
lar. trying to think where he was and
how ran recent history. and by degrees
the details stroiled back to him. Be
fore. however. he had gathered all his
senses or a working quantum of
strength he had a visitor in the snape
of the donkeyman. who c!attered up
over the decks with plate shod boots
and crouched at the top of the gap
above on knees and hands.
Have you been getting hurt. now
inquired the newcomer.
About nine-tenths drowned, / fancy.
II that counts. But I'm about all right
again now"
You don't look it," replied the don
keyman candidly. Barring the tan
you'd be blue and lard color about the
face this minute. But l feared there
was something gone wrong through not
seeing ye OH the bridge. so | nipped
into the chartroom and pocketed Il
whisky bottle that was lying conven-
lent in case-Pull at the small end.
sor."
The bottle was handed down, and
Cambe lifted ii his teeth chattering
against the nozzle like castanets. but
the spirit drove color into his face and
set the sluggish blood once more on
Its appointed journey through his hands
n trunk.
What has occurred since 1 left
you?" he asked.
Wei, first. sor. the captain and my
self had a little friendly discussion
about what's been happening, came
to a bit of financial agreement. But
l will say that l figured me new terms
very low when l understood it was a
thrifie of conspiracy that ye wanted me
TO stand In at. And then, sor. we went
below to the engine room and turned
steam into the bilge pumps to heave
THIS nasty slop of water after which,
as chief. l set about making a repair
TO the low pressure engine. You see,
when that explosion took place a bit
OF a casting jumped into the crank pit
and got damned there hard before they
could stop her. I've had n fair do at
elbow work cutting it out cold, but it's
clear now. and she runs as swectly as
she did the day she left the shops. But
oh. My. Cambel. I wish you could see
the old man. The sight of that little
chap shoveling GOALS and swearing and
tumbling and burning himself is enough
to make the ghosts OF some dead fire.
men l know about grin and dances
and jigs in their v
me donkeynan was Inclined to be
garrulous and evidently lustcd for n
considerable chat, but with returning
strength Cambel's anxiety grew on him
again, and he climbed out on deck
Keen to be once more in action. His
knees We're lottery, and the donkeyraan
gave him an arm aft. But when he
had climbed up the ladder and gained
the bridge deck he stood for a minute
staring, then threw up his hands and
pitched forward onto the planking as
though n bullet had smitten the life
In his brain.
The big donkeyman also was startled.
Out OF the morning mists of the south
there had come up a small CENTER
board schooner of some fifteen tons,
an oysterman perhaps in the season
ana now q sponge gatherer or a mere
coaster. She was coming down over
the seas as dry as IL gull. driving along
under her boom foresail and lib. The
donkeyman's eye hung on her as she
spurged past the rust streaked flank of
the steamer sor.a twenty fathoms away
not because ~he sight of IA little white
painted schooner was new to him. not
because he was impressed by the dam
ger to the Port Edes' enterprise in her
being seen by any one. but on account
OF the tiny vessel being handled. in
what 10 her was distinctly ugly wealth
er. by so extraordinary Il person as a
young and pretty girl. No one else was
on deck. and the girl sat on the coam-
ing of the cockpit, tiller in one hand.
ti!ler rope In the other, as un%concern-
eddy as though she had been an ancient
mariner bred and aged in fore and
alters.
She was n girl. too. with looks much
10 the lrishman's liking. with copper
rcd hair whose ends blew out from be-
meath a green Italian nightcap. laugh
ms. impudent features. with the color
whipped up into warm pinks by the
wind: q figure of pretty curves. and the
I. shapelist little brown fists in the world
splayed on the tiller and gripping the
rs restraining tiller rope. She was pretty
Il n N h m Ia tho os.aa In bor aioorin. AaaA